Barrow Journal

The Victor Lord Park expansion project, approved by Barrow County voters in November as part of the SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) 2018 referendum, will only be funded at the originally-allocated amount, leaving the county about $3 million short of the latest estimate to build out the entire master plan.
The county board of commissioners voted 4-3 on Tuesday to cap spending on the project at the $7.35 million allocated. Commissioner Roger Wehunt originally made the motion to do so during a called meeting on Aug. 2, but it failed to pass after a 3-3 vote. Because the vote came during a called meeting, the board was required to take the motion up again at its regularly-scheduled meeting, chairman Pat Graham said. While commissioner Joe Goodman, who was absent for the Aug. 2 meeting, voted against Wehunt’s motion, commissioner Ben Hendrix switched his vote in favor, joining Wehunt, Isaiah Berry and Billy Parks.
After Tuesday’s meeting, Hendrix said he initially voted against Wehunt’s motion earlier this month because he wanted Goodman to have a chance to vote on it.
“I felt like if we’re going to spend that kind of money, the entire board needs to be part of the decision-making process,” Hendrix said. “As for the reason I changed my vote, I went back and reviewed all the pros and cons. I’m totally in support of SPLOST and I’m totally in support of the recommendations made and I’m willing to fund it — at the amount approved in the referendum.
“I just have a problem with a $3 million overrun.”
In addition to the installation of synthetic turf on the football fields at Winder-Barrow and Apalachee high schools, the overall Victor Lord Park master plan, estimated most recently at $10.26 million, includes three multi-purpose synthetic turf fields with various amenities; a tennis complex with eight courts and associated amenities; additional baseball field parking; a one-mile walking track; a playground; a splash pad; a dog park; and stormwater infrastructure and natural area.
With $1.3 million of the SPLOST proceeds already allocated to the high school fields, which host some Barrow County Leisure Services youth sporting events, another roughly $1.3 million allocated toward project management and administrative costs, that left the county with just over $4.97 million to spend.
Last month a SPLOST citizens committee, which initially recommended the project for the SPLOST referendum last year reconvened and recommended a scaled-back $8.3 million project, which would have included just two multipurpose fields at Victor Lord Park (one synthetic turf, one natural grass) but would have kept the proposed tennis complex in its entirety.
That’s roughly $1 million above the spending level the BOC approved Tuesday.
See more in the Aug. 15 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.