New pool to be named Pinetree Recreation Center

The Board of Commissioners has voted to adopt a formal name for Lumpkin County’s newest recreational facility: the Pinetree Recreation Center.
The $12.9 million complex, which had been variously referred to as either the “aquatic center” or the “new rec center” prior to the August 15 vote, will now pay homage to the former Mohawk Industries “Pine Tree Plant” that provided jobs for hundreds of local residents from its opening in 1955 to its closing in 2008.
During the same session, County Manager Alan Ours updated the Board on the increasingly visible construction going on at the site.
“Everything is progressing well. And we’re still on track budget-wise,” Ours told the commissioners during the staff comment period.
The Pinetree Recreation Center is expected to open its doors to the public no later than May 27, 2024, and will feature two indoor full-size basketball courts, six outdoor lighted pickleball courts, an eight-lane competition swimming pool, a lazy river and a water slide with activity pool.
In an interview with The Nugget, Ours added that the indoor basketball courts are marked off to allow for use as either two volleyball courts or four pickleball courts.
Ours also indicated that a walking track would be added around the perimeter of the complex, as well as a continuation of the new sidewalk construction that currently terminates at the roundabout.

NAME GAME

The naming of the new rec center was first publicly debated by the Board at their August 1 work session. Chairman Chris Dockery kicked off that discussion with a preliminary suggestion.
“We could simply call it the 'New Recreation Center,'” Dockery said.
Commissioner Tucker Greene countered that a generic name could lead to confusion down the road.
“My thought process on the naming of this recreation center is we are looking forward to the years to come. We’ve got [a few] other opportunities at Blackburn Park [and] a couple of other locations,” Greene said.
Greene recommended naming the new facility the Pinetree Recreation Center, which would give the Board flexibility to name future recreation centers by their location.
Dockery indicated he was open to the idea.
“I don’t have a strong opinion, but to me it does make sense that you name it based on the location. That way as the county grows you can have the Blackburn Rec Center, the Pinetree Rec Center, and the one that’s existing as the Lumpkin Rec Center … It makes sense to me,” Dockery replied.
Two weeks later, the Board met again, this time to cast a final vote on the name.
Chairman Dockery opened up that meeting by asking if there were any agenda-specific comments from the public.
A gentleman in the gallery stood up and approached the podium.
“State your name for the record, Jesse, and we’ll hear your comment,” Dockery said.
“My name is Jesse White, and I have a comment on the naming of the recreation center … How about the Donald J. Trump Recreation Center, here in Lumpkin County? Maybe he’ll pitch in. Just a thought,” White said to chuckles from the audience.
“Thanks, Jesse. I appreciate that,” Dockery said before proceeding with the agenda items.
When he reached the naming of the new rec center, Dockery asked for a motion from the Board.
Commissioner Dr. Bobby Mayfield made a motion in favor of “Pinetree Recreation Center,” and Greene seconded. Dockery asked if there was any further discussion.
“That plant put a lot of meals on a lot of plates,” Commissioner Rhett Stringer said, recalling the economic importance of the old Pine Tree carpet plant.
“That plant did a lot for our community,” Dockery agreed. “Both my parents worked there at one time. Probably all my aunts and uncles. Half of my cousins. A lot of people worked at Pine Tree.”
Mayfield added that he had worked at the plant, as well.
Dockery called for those in favor of the motion to raise their right hands.
“The motion carries unanimously,” Dockery noted.
“And Jesse, we certainly appreciate your comments and suggestions. It doesn’t look like that’s the direction the Board wants to go, but we certainly value your input,” Dockery said with a smile.

BUILDING MOMENTUM

At the end of the meeting, Dockery asked Ours if he had any comments.
“Chairman, Commissioners: speaking of the Pinetree Recreation Center, we had a progress meeting yesterday, and the project is moving. I’m amazed, once we got past the rain, how quickly it’s moving,” Ours said.
At the previous work session, Ours had informed the Board of a minor setback. When Carroll Daniel workers excavated a hole for the pool, there were concerns that the sides would cave back in due to the rocky composition of the soil.
“Because of that they had to put in some more compactable dirt in the hole and then dig it out again. There was a little extra cost in that,” Ours said.
Ours doesn’t anticipate those additional costs to exceed the overall budget of the project, however, thanks to a combination of built-in contingency planning and credits generated from cost savings in other areas.
“Even though we’ve had some extra costs, the contingency actually exceeds 100 percent, because we’ve had more credits than debits,” Ours explained.
Now the most difficult phase of construction appears to be completed.
“Unless they run into something unexpected, the rock is done,” Ours told the Board. With the rest of construction proceeding smoothly, he expects that the County could receive a certificate of occupancy for the new facility by the end of February.
Ours said that the additional time would be used to furnish the center, as well as to hire and train lifeguards and other staff. He hinted that the pool could actually end up opening earlier than the rest of the facility.
“What I envision is a soft opening. We don’t want to wait until the first holiday weekend of the summer season to have the pool open. We want to have it open before then, because we are going to have some kinks to work out.”
Dockery welcomed the news that the project was proceeding on schedule. He asked Ours to arrange an opportunity in the next four to six weeks for the Board of Commissioners and the Building Committee to tour the site.
“Absolutely,” Ours responded.