Chehaw leaders optimistic about future

ALBANY — Although the park isn’t going to receive enough to complete its $5 million-plus wish list, Chehaw officials were left feeling optimistic about the future after the Albany City Commission’s recent decision to include funding for the park in the upcoming SPLOST referendum that will go before voters this November.

At the city’s regular business meeting on July 26, commissioners voted in favor of allocating $1 million out of the proposed $59,200,000 SPLOST VII total to Chehaw in hopes that the Albany attraction can complete some much-needed infrastructure projects that should help it increase revenue.

“We didn’t get all the money we were asking for, but we got what they wanted to give us,” Chehaw Executive Director Don Meeks said Monday. “More importantly, though, we affected some change in the way the park is moving forward. We (also) had some very good discussion about the future. And the lines of communication are much improved.”

Out of the discussions he and his staff had with city leaders, Meeks said it also came to light that the park could potentially receive additional funding that might be available through the current SPLOST referendum that helped fund sewer and campground projects at Chehaw.

“They decided to include us in consideration for some SPLOST VI money that’s available,” said Meeks. “And it could conceivably be enough to finish the campground, which would leave the million available to use in the park as needed. So that’s a win.”

As Meeks explained it, campground renovations were part of the previous SPLOST referendum, but the money collected was not enough to finish the project that has been under construction for some time. Therefore, a considerable portion of whatever amount Chehaw was going to receive should the latest SPLOST be approved would have to be put toward finishing that project, meaning park officials would have less to address additional park needs.

With the possibility of Chehaw receiving what Meeks estimated could be close to $500,000, the $1 million that would be collected through SPLOST VII, if passed, can be put toward infrastructure repairs like paving the park’s roadways and parking lots, and making improvements to the zoo.

“We have a couple of much-needed projects in the zoo,” said Meeks. “We’ve got to get the zoo turned around. We just need to make the list.”

In addition to learning about the additional money, Meeks said the best thing that came out of the meeting was having positive dialogue with city officials outside of commissioner Tommie Postell, who was already a vocal supporter of the park.

“Commissioner Postell has always been a big advocate for Chehaw, and we’re always looking for ways to support Chehaw,” said commissioner Roger Marietta. “I think they’re moving in the right direction. I hope we can get everybody behind them and not just the City Commission.”

Although he’d like to see the park move forward, Marietta does caution that the additional SPLOST VI funding has not been approved and that an audit needs to be completed before the city even knows how much, if any, additional funding is available.

“There’s no guarantee, but I’m hopeful that if they do audit the SPLOST VI (there will be some funding available),” Marietta said. “Once a project makes the SPLOST list, sometimes they have to ask for more money to finish it. A prime example of that would be the pedestrian bridge at Albany Tech.”

Regardless of whether there will be SPLOST VI funding headed Chehaw’s way, Marietta said he is continuing to encourage the Dougherty and Lee County communities to help where they can, including contacting their state representatives.

“I hope we can get everybody behind (Chehaw) and not just the City Commission,” the Ward IV commissioner said. “It’s our park. That’s their message to the whole community. We, not Roger Marietta or Tommie Postell, or any other individual, we all have to pitch in and we all have to embrace the concept. Everybody wants it to do well, but it’s going to take all of us pushing together to do it.”

Having other groups support the park is already coming to fruition. In addition to learning about the city’s inclusion of Chehaw on its SPLOST list, Meeks confirmed that the Dougherty County Commission also voted July 29 to include $135,000 of it’s $33,300,000 SPLOST VII ask for the park.

Meeks said those funds will go toward installing a zip line and a digital sign and making needed improvements to the park’s website, which will allow visitors to make and pay for campground reservations.

“That’s huge,” said Meeks. “Again, I’m very positive right now. We’re on a good trajectory and it’s happening much faster, honestly, than I thought it would.”