Soperton Receives $250,000 to Upgrade Recreation Department

It was standing room only in the Soperton City Hall on Monday, August 19, as members of the community gathered to witness the presentation of $250,000 to the City to upgrade the Soperton Recreation Department.

According to Mayor John Koon, this upgrade has been a priority for the City and himself, as he shared his own emotional tie to the project. “It is personal for me. I grew up at that recreation department. Through my teenage days, that park probably saved me because it gave me an opportunity to play ball and be able to play tennis, to coach over there, and to umpire over continued from page

there. I spent countless hours over there and that recreation department was what we had when we were growing up,” he reminisced. “It was more than just a recreation department – it was a shelter for a lot of us to know that we could go over there and not get in trouble, but have organized things going on.”

He continued to share memories of his and his wife’s days at the park playing softball and other sports. “There are so many reasons to do this, and to see it in disarray now, I just couldn’t stand it. I knew that I needed to do something to at least make an effort.”

Koon explained that to accomplish this project, he had reached out to Senator Blake Tillery, who not only formerly represented the city in the state legislature, but also chairs the Senate Appropriations committee, and asked him for help with funding. “I went straight to the top,” Koon remarked. “He was able to help, and [current area] Senator Larry Walker and Representative [Butch] Parrish were very instrumental in pushing this through.”

Senator Walker and Representative Parrish attended the meeting Monday to present the check to the mayor, and spoke on their support of the project.

“Recreation is important for a lot of things: quality of life, giving young people something productive to do with their time, and learning a lot about discipline and working with other people from team sports. It is great for young people in the community to keep them out of trouble, and for general healthcare of the entire population, so it was certainly something we were proud to support,” Walker said.

Parrish added, “In a small community, like Soperton, a few dollars can make a really big difference. I don’t know of anything more important to the community and the quality of life as the local recreation department. There are so many young people that get a good start and something to do from this. It lets them be part of a team and learn to work, stay out of trouble and learn good habits. I think the mayor is really trying to breathe some new life back into the recreation department over here, and we are so glad to get to be a part of that.”

This funding will be used to help in the first of three phases of upgrades which the city has planned. This first phase will renovate the park’s basketball court, and will transform the current tennis courts into pickleball courts. It will also add an additional basketball court, build a shelter for cornhole and horseshoe pits, and take down unnecessary structures.

Further planned phases are to create multipurpose fields at the park, and to construct a community center, complete with a stage, gymnasium flooring, and more.

“This community deserves it. We have a great new park, and it serves its purpose: its baseball and softball fields. This is going to be a recreation facility for everyone,” Koon emphasized.

During the meeting, the Council approved allowing Roberts Civil Engineering Representative Nick Overstreet to apply for a $500,000 grant through the Department of Natural Resources to help further fund these projects.

The Council also received an update on the construction of the new city Farmer’s Market, which Koon said is almost complete and only lacks receiving gravel for the walkway, which the Council approved to purchase.

The resignation of Soperton Police Chief James Mills was accepted by Council, and the members wished Mills well in his future endeavors. An update was provided on the City’s water tank renovation, as pictures were shown where the tank was completely cleaned and repainted, and coverings and liners were replaced.

The Council agreed to terminate the City’s current cardboard pickup program, which has been offered to businesses within the city limits by the City’s street crew. Mayor Koon explained that the reasoning for this termination is the increased cost of the service. “I love providing services for citizens and businesses, but you cannot go in the hole doing it,” he commented.

A piece of Battle Armor culvert cleaning equipment was approved to be purchased for $4,695 plus shipping costs. The device will allow operators to clear clogged culverts and dismantle beaver dams in culverts near Tiger Creek, which has been a growing issue.

The slide on the playground at Jean Gillis Memorial Park will be repaired and new rubber mulching border will be installed, as the Council agreed to have the work completed for a cost of $37,185.84.

The current city backhoe, which had previously been leased from Caterpillar Financial, was authorized for purchase for $50,820, as the current lease will expire in December. The backhoe has only been operated by City of Soperton workers, and received a full maintenance upgrade in July.