Recreation Department, others call for expansion amid increasing participation
These soccer fields at Bryan Park host games for hundreds of players each season. Under a possible new plan to expand recreation department facilities, soccer fields could move to a county space near the Oglethorpe County Jail. The Recreation Department has talked with the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners about the concept. (Christian Kirby II/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Brody Bearden has often found himself searching for small fields or empty patches of grass so the Little League baseball teams he coaches can practice. That’s because space at the Oglethorpe County Recreation Department’s Bryan Park is limited.
“It’s really tight trying to get in practice space,” Bearden said. “I'm talking about 7- or 8-year-olds and they're still practicing, pushing 8 or 9 o'clock. That can be hard on a school night.”
Due to a continued increase in sports participation in Oglethorpe County, the recreation department is facing a challenge — finding space for its athletes.
Specifically, the main hub for rec sports, Bryan Park on Lakeshore Drive in Crawford, has become cramped, causing scheduling issues for teams.
Bryan Park sits on 32 acres. The property has three baseball/softball fields, one full-sized football field, two tennis courts, a blacktop basketball court, soccer fields and a two-court indoor basketball facility. There is also a pond with walking/jogging trails.
Yet, recreation department staff have consistently heard complaints about space.
Michael White, recreation department director, said he has met with the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners on multiple occasions and has developed a plan for expansion.
The commissioners also have toured the property to see the issues facing the department.
“Once we actually got them out here, they were able to see in person the traffic jam that builds in the park,” White said. “It took them forever to get in here and forever to find a place to park.”
White’s plans currently include converting the tennis and outdoor basketball courts into a parking lot, which would alleviate stress on visitor parking. White also plans to change the existing soccer and football fields at Bryan Park into additional baseball/softball fields.
White said he wants to keep baseball fields on one property, so they would be able to hold travel baseball tournaments. This could also create a county revenue stream.
The county does have another space located by the Oglethorpe County Jail, off Buddy Faust Road in Lexington, where White said he would build new tennis courts, pickleball courts, outside basketball courts and a multi-purpose building that would be available for rent.
White also mentioned having a 400-by-800-foot soccer field that would act as an “open canvas” to use as needed.
The recreation department did build a new 19,000-square foot facility, completed in December 2021, that has two multi-use gymnasiums with seating, 2,500 square feet of batting cages, offices, facilities and other rooms for a total cost of $806,000, which was under the proposed $834,000 budget for the project.
But according to recreation department staff and residents, facility use quickly outgrew that addition. Coaches and community members presented the idea of building more fields and facilities to the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners in spring 2022.
“I am scared that by next year, if it continues to grow like this, we will have to turn kids away because we don’t have anywhere to put them,” softball coach Beth Cleveland said at the March 7, 2002 meeting.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Jay Paul said he agrees the rec department would benefit from more space, but he also said some members of the county are apprehensive about renovations.
“I’ve gotten it from both sides,” Paul said. “Those who don’t participate within the rec department don’t want to pay for it.”
Indeed, some opponents say they aren’t supportive of expansion simply because they don’t use the facilities themselves.
“I would not mind if it was paid for by the users," county resident David Mason said.
White said he estimates the cost of his planned renovations to be between $75,000 to $100,000, and he said he would hold fundraising events to help with that total.
However, White said, it would be difficult to host any events until the county approves plans for renovation.
“I can’t really put out there that we are going to raise money for something unless I know what it is going to be for,” White said. “People aren’t going to spend money unless they know what you’re going to do with it.”
With no specific plans set, White said the recreation department will continue to maintain Bryan Park. In early November, the department had tennis courts resurfaced for the first time as the foundation was beginning to crack.
“The project I am trying to accomplish may take a couple of years, and I have programs that need to be run, so I need to make sure that all the courts are playable and up to date,” White said.