The Eatonton City Council Monday night took action on the future of Jimmy Davis Park.
Following a closed executive session on “property acquisition,” the body voted unanimously to allow Mayor John Reid to sign a resolution relating to the rundown recreation facility in southeast Eatonton. However, neither the mayor, City Attorney Chris Huskins nor City Administrator Gary Sanders would reveal the contents of the resolution.
“The mayor and the city attorney have to make some revisions that will be part of the public record,” Sanders told the The Eatonton Messenger. He indicated the resolution should be made public by the end of this week.
The 6.52-acre park surrounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Hogan Boulevard and East Street was deeded by the city to the county at no charge in 2007, according to county records. Last month the Putnam County Commission approved the transfer of the park back to the city, but it’s unknown if the city wants to take it back.
The county website still offers the main building, a 5,250-square-foot structure built in 2000, for rent. But the facility has fallen into disrepair. Today there are new basketball goals but a worn out court surface. The community center looks fine from the outside, but the baseball and soccer field hasn’t been mowed. The scoreboard is falling apart as are the swings.
In recent years, a local group called the Putnam Eatonton Alliance for Change and Equity (PEACE) has pushed the county to put money into fixing the park.
At the Feb. 15, 2021, city council meeting, Putnam Commissioner Daniel Brown, whose district includes the park, said the county wanted to give the park back to the city. According to minutes of the meeting, he admitted that the biggest challenge is vandalism and that rocks had been thrown on the roof, windows had been broken and the gutters and wooden fence had been damaged. But, he insisted, overall the park is in good shape. He estimated that prior to COVID, the facility’s annual rental revenue was $15,600.
At that 2021 meeting, Reid indicated that he would like to see the county do a better job running the facility. He said that recreation in the county is the county’s responsibility, according to the Service Delivery Strategy agreement between the two governments. It would be unfair to city residents and double taxation for the city to take financial responsibility for the park, the mayor said, according to the meeting minutes.
It is unclear where the hot potato is going to end up. What is clear is that, if Jimmy Davis Park is to be repaired and maintained, taxpayers will cover the costs one way or the other.
Also at Monday night’s city council meeting:
• Sanders said that the entire $2.5 million the city is allocated by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has been received from the federal government. The city has so far decided how to spend only $400,000 of the money, which is designed to help communities grow, make improvements and recover from COVID-19’s effects on revenue and society.