Recreation facilities in Morgan County have come a long way over the past decade and took another giant leap forward last Saturday when county officials held a soft opening for the new recreation complex off Old Buckhead Road across the street from Bill Wood Park, just east of a soccer complex that opened six years ago.
The new 40,000-square-foot recreation park will host youth and adult sports leagues and features an activity room, a year-round walking track, a playground, batting cages, natural and artificial surface playing fields, and two pavilions, one of which was paid for by Georgia-Pacific Madison Plywood at a cost of $30,000.
It will also house a new community center and offer recreational programs for individuals with special needs and children.
The center rivals those offered in much more populated counties in Georgia and should be a source of pride for Morgan County residents for years to come.
The weather for the opening ceremonies couldn’t have been any better, and nearly every parking space was filled when ceremonies began at 9 a.m.
Longtime Morgan County Recreation Director Lance Alexander got the festivities underway by thanking many of the county officials involved in the creation of the project, including County Manager Adam Mestres, Commissioners Carl Jones, Nathan Park, Blake McCormack, Ben Riden, and Philipp von Hanstein, as well as former commissioners Andy Ainslie, Donald Harris and Bill Kurtz.
He also thanked Assistant County Manager Mark Williams for his efforts and Todd Peaster of Georgia Civil, who helped design the facility in conjunction with Parrish Construction, the firm also involved in building Morgan Medical Center and the new Morgan County High School and Middle School.
“This is a great day for the future of recreation in Morgan County,” Alexander told Lake Oconee News. “Seeing the smiles and the excitement on the faces of everyone is just indescribable, just makes my soul happy. And there’s more to come — just wait until you see the new community center, it’s going to be amazing.”
Ballplayers of all ages then emerged from a tunnel and onto the field before lining the edge of the outfield grass in a moment any parent will cherish forever.
Not long after that, the serious business of youth baseball began with children filling the dugouts of Morgan County’s newest field of dreams.
According to Morgan County Finance Director Lori Sayer, the entire project, including the community center, gym, and ball fields, will cost approximately $25 million when completed in June, with $22 million coming from the county’s general fund.
The county will use SPLOST revenue to cover $3 million of the cost. The county also borrowed $10 million, which will be repaid through its general fund.
The joy of the event was tinged with sadness, though, as two 12-year-old boys from Morgan County, Bennett Rabern and Avett Jackson, were honored during the ceremonies. The two youngsters died tragically in an ATV accident on the afternoon of Jan. 20.
Avett’s mother, Lyndsi Jackson, tossed out the ceremonial first pitch to Avett’s father, Wes, as Bennett’s mother, Mari Rabern, simultaneously tossed the first pitch to Bennett’s father, Walt Rabern. The two mothers also cut the ribbon, opening the park.
The two boys were both active in Morgan County recreational activities before the accident took their lives.
The Morgan County Middle School National Junior Honor Society raised $1,259 for a plaque dedication for Bennett and Avett at the new complex.
The plaque reads “Forever in our hearts: Your spirit lives on in our memories,” and features two baseball bats engraved with the boys’ names.