- The Clyattville Community Center was originally budgeted to cost about $300,000; that price later ballooned to about $500,000.
- Revenue generated from a local sales tax helped pay for the building.
- Watch the video above for an inside look at why the center was needed and how it'll benefit the neighborhood.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Clyattville Community Center is now here, and it cost $500,000 to get up and running. I'm Malia Thomas, your neighborhood reporter in Valdosta, and I'm adding up why it was needed, and who paid for it.
"How you pay for something like this? It's been paid for by SPLOST revenues. That's a 1 penny sales tax that the county collects." Bill Slaughter is the Lowndes County's Commissioners Chairman.
He tells me the Clyattville Community Center has been in the works for years. The original budget for the building was $300,000, but the rising cost of materials caused the price to balloon to, "a little over $500,000. When we planned this and budgeted for it, of course it was pre-COVID at that period of time. As we all know, we got through COVID and prices and increased jumped up."
There are three other community centers in Lowndes County, but all over them are over 10 miles away from Clyattville. The county and VLPRA decided to give neighbors here a center in their own backyard.
"No one likes taxes. I don't even like taxes myself, but the reality is when you can get folks that really do not even live in this exact community that can help fund that tax, it is huge and that's what paid for this facility."
"We feel like it was a much needed addition to this community." Another person who thinks the SPLOST was well spent? Suzanne Garnet. She has lived in Lowndes County for two decades.
She's always had a passion for community recreation. She volunteered as a coach for soccer and volleyball with Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Rec while her daughter was active in sports. She tells me it's important for neighbors, and by extension taxpayers, to have access to parks and facilities that brings them together.
"You know, there's always ways to make things better and I just saw how important it was and what you know being involved in recreation has done.. builds confidence and those kinds of things, and I just think it's so important for communities to have parks that are available for any and everybody."
The VLPRA tells that they have several other projects and facilities they also plan on getting off the ground this year.
