Macon-Bibb County will celebrate the opening of its newest recreation center with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. The new South Macon-Bibb Recreation Center is located at 7035 Houston Road, and it will open to the general public on Saturday, May 26, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The South Bibb Recreation Center pool (as well as the pools at Frank Johnson, Bloomfield, Memorial, and Delores A. Brooks Community Centers) will be open that day from 10:00 – 3:00 p.m.
 
Regular Center hours during the summer will be Monday – Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. The South Bibb Recreation Center pool hours for the summer (as well as the other four pools) will be Tuesday through Friday, 1:00 – 7:00 p.m., and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (The Center will be closed on Memorial Day, and all pools are closed all summer on Sundays and Mondays.)
 
“This is a project that South Bibb has been hoping and asking for, and it’s one they deserve. It will improve the health and quality of life for this area and the entire county, and I want to thank them for working with us the past several years to make it a reality,” says District 7 Commissioner Scotty Shepherd. “Today would not have been possible without the support of the people living in Districts 3 and 7, as well as the people all over the county that voted to approve the SPLOST and let us know how important recreation is to our community.”
 
The project was funded by the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, with approximately $7.4 million coming from the 2012 SPLOST and 1.7 million from the 2018 SPLOST. The new Center includes a recreation center, baseball fields, a pool, pavilions, green space, concessions, and more. Recently the Commission approved the purchase and installation of LED lighting for the baseball fields, and $5.8 million is allocated from the 2018 SPLOST for the second phase of construction.
 
“The SPLOST is the best thing to happen for our community in decades, especially for recreation,” says SPLOST Advisory Committee Chairman Theron Ussery. “It’s allowed us to make much-needed improvements and upgrades to our facilities that our children, grandchildren, and families deserve.”
 
The design was created by Vaughn & Melton after three forums where the public could let Macon-Bibb know what type of facilities and programs would be built and available. Warren Associates was lead the construction of the new facility, which began in July 2016. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in July 2016, and you can watch a MaconBibbTV feature of that event by clicking here.
 
Macon-Bibb’s Quality of Life was identified as a Focus Area in its Forward Together Strategic Plan, and adding, upgrading, and improving recreation centers – especially with the use of SPLOST funds – are a key component of that effort.