VALDOSTA — Lowndes County skateboarders of all ages spoke out this week at a public meeting about a proposed skate park and recreational facility to be built in the North Hahira Industrial Park.

“We’ve got to have the facilities,” said Alan Pealslee, former commissioner for the Tifton hockey league. “If boys don’t play football or baseball, there’s really nothing for them to do here. Of course, you won’t have the large numbers participating at first, but if you don’t have the facilities, you’ll never have the numbers.”

The proposed 20,000- to 25,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to break ground by the end of this year.

Chris Camp, vice president of recreation consultants firm Lose and Associates, said he hoped the park would be open by the 2004 Hahira Honeybee Festival.

Camp invited Lowndes County and City of Valdosta staff, elected officials and residents to share their thoughts about a proposed master plan of the entire facility and a model of the skate park Wednesday.

“The input of our citizens is crucial to the successful development of the north Lowndes

County Skate Park,” said County Manager Joe Pritchard. “It is our goal to build a facility that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of the skaters in our community.”

The facility might include a free-skate center with concrete skating bowls, half pipe, moveable features, stairs and rails at different heights, shelter/pavilion, lake, two 225-feet fields with permanent outfields, two 275-feet multipurpose fields with moveable outfields, 50/30 sports lighting, bleachers, dugouts, one shade shelter, restroom/concession building, batting cages, large parking lot and tennis complex.

Phase One of the project will cost an estimated $1 million, said Jim Carter, special projects director for the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners. Funding for the project is from taxes paid in by both city and county residents.

The facility, to be called the North Hahira Recreation Complex, will be at one end of the industrial park, which is one mile from the Hahira exit off Interstate 75.

“We’re trying to minimize the wetland impact by having only one road going across the wetland and then one boardwalk across the wetland,” Camp said.

Camp reminded attendees that plans were not final, and residents were invited to share ideas and concerns about the park for the master plan’s modification.

Brockey Brock, director of Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks, Recreation and Community Affairs, said he wants to see other things go on at the park besides skateboarding so it appeals to everyone. He said there will be no other park around that allows people to do so many things.

Nearly 15 skateboarders present, some as young as 10 years old, said they did not want the concrete-bowl type of skate park. They want something with moveable features, which is actually cheaper, said Eric Hahn, assistant director of Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks, Recreation and Community Affairs. Other suggestions included a mini-ramp, adjusting the parking lot to accommodate in-line skaters and the addition of an in-line hockey league.

“We could harness some of that skaters’ energy into creating a hockey league, which would add an organized sport to Valdosta,” Pealslee said.

Camp showed images of similar parks in Gwinnett County, Columbus, Waycross and Norcross for comparison.

Upon projected completion in December, the master plan will provide direction for passive park enhancement, recreation efficiency, cost projections, operational improvements and future needs assessments.



To contact Jaime Peck, call 244-3400, ext. 246.