During their voting session this past Thursday, the Dawson County Board of Commissioners approved a design-build request for three different park fields. 

The BOC’s measure approved July 7 amended the previous RFP to include a design-build for an ADA-compliant rubber field at Rock Creek Park’s field no. 9 and artificial turf for Veterans Memorial Park’s football and multipurpose fields. This request authorized the use of not more than $2.5 million in impact fee funds for the design-builds.

This matter was last discussed at the BOC’s March 3 meetings, where the board approved a request for proposal for the design of the ADA field. No responses were received for that version of the RFP. 

Previously, Parks and Recreation Director Matt Payne indicated a desire to have the ADA field installed on one of Rock Creek Park’s cloverleaf fields to serve more people and allow its dual use as a regular field, too. 

Payne added that the turf would also be beneficial at Veterans Park because that location is the home of the recreation department’s up-and-coming lacrosse program. 

Payne coordinated with county finance officials to determine that the field projects would be impact fee-eligible, so that the county can get the projects started and completed faster. 

“[We’d be] leaving that balance then in SPLOST [VII] to do land acquisition or whatever we may need to do in the years to come,” Payne said of the $2.5 million amount, “because we are growing extremely fast and we’re gonna have to use that money then.” 

“We’re excited about getting this next wave of projects moving,” he added.