Robert Cross Park meeting house product of county leaders’ vision

ALBANY — As County Commissioner John Hayes took regular walks around the asphalt track in south Dougherty County’s Robert Cross Park, a facility that’s “almost in my backyard,” he allowed himself to dream.

“I had a vision of this house sitting up on that hill, among those oak trees,” Hayes, who represents the county’s District 2, said during a recent visit to the 3672 M.L. King Jr. Drive park. “I saw a place where families could come for reunions, where neighborhood groups could hold their meetings, a place that our community could use and be proud of.”

If all goes as planned, some time next week Hayes’ — and other county leaders’ — vision will become reality. Workers are making their way through a punch list on the 4,000-square-foot building that will soon become the showcase structure for the 64-acre park. The county will hold some sort of grand opening ceremony, and the building will be open for business.

“I’m really proud of this building, proud of what Robert Cross Park has become,” Hayes said of the facility whose steady growth he has championed in his 10 years on the County Commission. “And while it was my initiative that got this project started, it was the support of the entire county commission, the work of our Public Works department and, especially, the willingness of the county’s citizens to approve the SPLOST (special-purpose local-option sales tax) funding that made it happen.

“Having facilities like this is how we make people want to work and raise their families in our community, how we reach out to retirees.”

The building at Cross Park, which is rated to hold up to 400 visitors during a given event, and other improvements at the facility were completed utilizing $714,200 in SPLOST VI funds. County voters approved $877,000 in SPLOST VI for “county parks improvements and equipment,” including “a new facility at Robert Cross Park.” And while the funding was essential, the real heroes of the project are the county’s Public Works staff.

“We try to use our Public Works folks to provide labor for building projects like this,” County Administrator Richard Crowdis said. “They did a lot of work on that project, and that kept labor costs down.

“The Robert Cross Park has been developed over the years from a swampy, wooded area into a tremendous facility. It’s a beautiful setting, a great place for our citizens to enjoy reunions, receptions and other kinds of meetings. It’s a facility all of the residents of Dougherty County will be proud to use.”

In addition to the new meeting space, Cross Park also has newly installed playground equipment, a softball field, tennis and basketball courts, a third-mile walking track and a pond that is stocked for fishing by the Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Division.

“I think the people of the community are really going to enjoy using the new facility,” Public Works Director Larry Cook said. “From the feedback we’ve been getting, I think a lot of people are excited about what we have at the park.”

Cook’s Public Works staff will handle reservations for use of the 10 shelters and the new meeting house at Cross Park. Groups or individuals may reserve the building or the shelters at the park on a first-come, first-served basis. Call (229) 430-6120 to make reservations. Cost for daily usage of the building is $400 plus a refundable $200 damage deposit, while shelters may be reserved for $40 a day.

Assistant Public Works Director Chuckie Mathis, who showed a visitor the facility on Monday, said Public Works staff takes particular pride in the work it does on such community project.

“When we’re involved in a project like this, it’s truly a labor of love,” Mathis said. “We give our crews who on their own may not have some of the skills required to complete these tasks and teach them how to be a part of something that has a big impact on their community. It’s just what we do.”

Hayes said he hopes completion of the Robert Cross project inspires local officials — representing the city and county — to push for more such improvements.

“Industries bring jobs to communities that takes pride in themselves, clean communities that offer amenities like these,” he said. “I would hope that every elected official would examine why he or she ran for office and look at what they can do in their district or ward to make our community better.

“It’s just like the (ongoing) efforts to revitalize downtown. What I’d love to see is 14 city and county commissioners here coming together and be damned if they weren’t going to quit until they got our downtown rejuvenated. People say ‘the county has nothing to do with the city,’ but the city and our downtown district are parts of the county. What happens there impacts all of us, and it’s time we started looking at things that way.”