Deadline for Lee rec land proposals looming

LEESBURG — For months, even years, Lee County officials have talked, pondered and conducted extensive research to try and determine what would be the best types of recreation and where would be the best location for a new recreational complex to best serve Lee County residents.

And now, the time to take action on available options is drawing near.

The Lee County Board of Commissioners recently put out a bid for land owners to submit proposals for land acquisition for 80- to 100-acre properties that could easily be converted into recreational facilities. The last day to submit a bid under that request for proposal (RFP) is Friday.

Once all bids are submitted, the Lee Commission is expected to make a quick decision.

On Monday night, council members with the City of Leesburg agreed to submit their own proposal regarding a 100-acre tract of land located within the city limits. The land they are considering is located off the Lee County Bypass and backs up to the Kinchafoonee Creek.

According to Leesburg City Manager Bob Alexander, that tract of land is ideally suitable for several of the recreational activities that both County Commissioners and local residents have said they want. Some of those features include, an ag center, ball fields, walking or hiking trails and access to a waterway.

Alexander said on Tuesday that the city has retained the services of Ritchie Marbury, an engineer and planner, and architect Ken Ricket to assist with the efforts to design and build a recreation complex. A preliminary site design is now available.

Marbury is a third-generation engineer whose grandfather founded the family engineering business in Albany in 1913. Although the company was sold a few years ago, Marbury said he continues to work as a planner and engineer and has worked on several outdoor recreational complexes and parks over the years.

“I probably have been involved in 75 percent of the stuff in Lee County,” Marbury said on Tuesday.

Marbury also said he conducted surveys and some of the original engineering work at Chehaw park and worked on the stadium at Albany State University. Marbury also helped plan and engineer soccer fields in Americus and was involved in the planning and engineering for Wild Adventures in Valdosta.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Marbury said one of the greatest features that the Leesburg property can offer is access to the Kinchafoonee Creek.

“We would like to build a marina and make use of Lee County’s natural resources,” he said.

Marbury said he believes the land is “ideally suited” for all of the recreational activities county officials have been discussing over the past few months.

“There is enough space, and this property meets the criteria,” he said. “It is very difficult to find a piece of land that offers it all — the water, the space for ball fields, easy access …”

Alexander said dozens of interviews were conducted with Leesburg and Lee County residents to best determine their needs and wants.

“Taking the information gathered from previous recreational studies, interviews with community leaders and the National Recreational and Park Association Standards, Mr. Marbury and Mr. Ricket have developed a conceptual 100-acre recreational complex plan that is adjacent to the Leesburg West Bypass and the Kinchafoonee Creek,” Alexander wrote in a document he shared with The Albany Herald. “The site is ideal in meeting the recreational needs of Lee County. It is centrally located and fronts on a four-lane divided highway. Included in the concept for this site are a recreational office, football/soccer fields, softball/baseball fields — including four 325-foot fields and four 200-foot fields, two 180-foot fields and two 140-foot fields.”

Alexander also said that the proposed property could accommodate an agriculture center, a marina, an amphitheater, a family picnic area, walking trails and possibly a dog park.

County Co-manager Mike Sistrunk said bids will be opened at about 2:05 on Friday. Until then, there is no way of telling how many bids are going to be submitted, what properties might be available or what the cost might be.

“Most of the time the bids are hand-delivered right at the deadline,” Sistrunk said. “For that reason it is really hard to tell how many bids we are going to get.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Sistrunk said he was not aware of any bids being turned in so far, and all bids are sealed until the deadline.

Sistrunk said that the bids will be for land sales only.

“They will not include any costs for the construction of facilities,” he said.

Lee County officials have previously discussed using leftover funds and a significant portion of new SPLOST money to begin constructing a recreational complex.

Once the land bids are submitted, Sistrunk said he believes it will take at least 30 days for the county to make a decision.

“There will need to be soil samples, a background check on the deed. It’s a lot like buying a house, you want to be sure everything is in order. We will need to scan the land,” Sistrunk said.

Under the county’s new holiday schedule, the commission will meet one time in November and once in December. Sistrunk said he does not expect any decision to be made to accept any bid until at least December or possibly after the first of the year.

“I wouldn’t think they would vote all that quick,” he said. “There is a normal procedure they must take to be sure everything is good.”

Sistrunk also said he anticipates the time frame needed to construct all of the planned facilities and amenities, no matter what bid is accepted, will take a period of several years to complete.