The Macon-Bibb County Parks & Recreation Department is holding a Community Day at Memorial Park Recreation Center to celebrate the completion of more than $2.7 million in facility improvements and upgrades. The event is open to the entire community and will take place Saturday, January 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
There will be bounce houses, games, program registration, facility tours, face paintings, and food. The Macon-Bibb County Health Department and PeachCare will be onsite to distribute information about different community resources.
“We want to help promote community engagement as well as make the community aware of the new programs and events being offered by Memorial Park,” says Community Centers Supervisor Donald Curry. “This event will be of great benefit to the people in the neighborhood around Memorial Park and across the entire County.”
Memorial Park officially reopened to the public after a Ribbon Cutting on Friday, January 6, 2017. On hand at that event were Parks and Recreation staff, members of the SPLOST Advisory Committee, Commissioners, the Mayor, the architects and contractors, and more. To see pictures from the event – including some of the Commissioners competing in a friendly game of pool – visit the Macon-Bibb County Facebook page.
About the SPLOST Improvements
Memorial Park Recreation Center received more than $2.7 million in upgrades and improvements thanks to the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and District 6 blight bond funds.
Included in the improvements were an expanded interior space that provide greater visibility and easier movement among the different areas; new bathrooms, meeting spaces, workout room, fitness room and equipment, and computer area; renovations to the pool; and a new concession stand for the baseball field. Additionally, a new gymnasium floor and bleachers were installed, heating and air conditioning was added to the gymnasium, and the parking lot was expanded and improved.
“Our recreation centers and programs should meet the needs and desires of the people using them currently, as well as bring in new people,” says Parks and Recreation Director Reggie Moore. “We have a great opportunity here and at all our centers to expand programming and attract more people, all thanks to the SPLOST.”
The plans for Memorial Park Community Center were developed by WM2A Architects after three public forums where people using the Center were provided the chance to let Macon-Bibb know what was needed. The contractor for this project was Piedmont Construction Group. A groundbreaking for this project was held in February 2016, and a MaconBibbTV was there to cover the celebration.
And there’s more to come for Memorial Park Recreation Center. The next phase – slated to receive funding from the next SPLOST, which was just approved by the voters in November 2016 – includes improvements to outdoor amenities like the playground, basketball court, and baseball and softball field, and possibly adding additional education rooms. The Commission will attend a Strategic Planning Retreat in Athens January 30 and 31 to begin setting priorities for the next SPLOST.
Projects funded by the SPLOST are an integral part of Macon-Bibb’s Forward Together Strategic Plan. In recent months, Macon-Bibb has celebrated the start or completion of several major projects. Click on the links below to learn more about them, or visit the SPLOST website.
Filmore Thomas Park opens with community celebration
New recreation complex coming to South Macon-Bibb
New fire station under construction in East Macon-Bibb
New court software streamlines time, services in Macon-Bibb
Family, community celebrate upgrades at Frank Johnson Recreation Center
$300k in SPLOST upgrades a home run for East Macon Park
Major overhaul coming to Rosa Jackson Recreation Center
Newly renovated John Drew Smith Tennis Center opens
Phase two of 2nd Street Corridor Connector construction begins
