The East Macon Youth Baseball League and Macon-Bibb County will celebrate the completion of improvements at East Macon Park (3326 Ocmulgee East Boulevard) on Saturday, April 23. The Park received new sidewalks, a new t-ball field, a rebuilt concession stands, new fencing, and upgrades to the storm drainage system and the scoring boxes. This phase cost $300,000 and was paid for with funds from the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
To watch a MaconBibbTV feature
on the project’s groundbreaking ceremony, click here.
The celebration will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Park in conjunction with the League’s Opening Day Ceremonies. Speaking at the ceremony will be representatives from the league, a prayer from Pastor Donald Reid, District 3 Commissioner Elaine Lucas, and Jefferey Monroe from the SPLOST Advisory Committee. The coaches and teams will then be introduced before the Honorary First Pitch will be thrown.
“The SPLOST funded renovations is a prime example of how our tax dollars are truly being used for the direct benefit of our community,” says League Vice President Crystal Jones. “We now have fields that are both efficient and safe to use, along with beautiful and state of the art! It’s a blessing to have such thought and detail put into the park that will definitely benefit our league and baseball program.”
“My children and their friends grew up playing at this Park, and I’m overjoyed to that another generation of children will have that same experience,” says Commissioner Lucas. “Thanks to the SPLOST and by working with the community, we have been able to begin providing what our children deserve from a recreation program.”
“With the renovations to the existing three fields and the addition of a new T-Ball field, we expect to have more people playing out here,” says Robert Walker, Senior Recreation Operations Manager. “And with more people playing baseball here, we’ll be able to reach more children and get them involved in other programs, and even new programs that could be offered in the future.”
That day, several games will be played beginning at 10:00 a.m. by teams in the League, which includes more than 200 children ranging in age from 3 to 15. The season will run through the All Star games in early June. According to Mrs. Jones, the renovations also improve the experience of parents and visitors watching the games, as well as make it possible to host tournaments, camps, and clinics to improve the players’ skills. They have also reached out to leagues in other communities to come play games at East Macon Park.
The list of improvements at this site was developed after three public meetings were held to determine what the community wanted at this site. Community meetings were also held to develop master plans and identify needed improvements at Central City Park, Frank Johnson Community Center, Freedom Park, Memorial Gymnasium, Rosa Jackson Community Center, and the new South Bibb Recreation Center.
“We are very excited about future of recreation in Macon-Bibb. With the addition of a new recreation center in South Bibb County and expansions to Rosa Jackson, Memorial, & Frank Johnson we will now be able to offer more recreational programs to more people,” says Walker. “With the upgrades to computer labs and security systems, adding lobby areas, and relocating staff offices, we’ll be improving meeting the growing demand for technology by people and improving the daily operations of the facilities.”
“We are truly thankful to our community, the city council, and the SPLOST advisory for making this possible,” adds Mrs. Jones. “This is not just about the league; it’s about improving our community.”
For more information about the SPLOST,
how the funds are being spent, progress on projects,
and more, visit Macon-Bibb County’s new SPLOST website by clicking here.
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