Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department June 2009 Update

The month of June has been an historic month in the history of the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department. We have opened a large portion of the all new Columns at Boone Park Community Center with anticipation of completing this project by the end of the summer. Our day camp program is now utilizing the building and it's been a welcomed addition! The only portion of the building that is yet to be completed is the gymnastics center, which will open for business this Fall. We had an incredible response to the new full-time position of gymnastics coordinator/head coach. I would like to thank everyone who applied for the position. We are currently conducting interviews and scheduling site visits for the top candidates. If all goes well, we look forward to welcoming our new staff member during the month of July. Gymnastics classes will begin in late August of 2009 with classes for infants to teens. We plan to spend a full year of instruction before forming our competitive teams, with the majority of our focus being placed on skill development and individual assesments. Our new head coach will have the responsibility of ordering the equipment, setting up the gym and structuring the classes. It's an exciting time for this community. The Splash Pad is now open and the public is beginning to find it to be a new source of fun for their children. Our concession stand is opening this week to provide everyone with all of their refreshment wants and needs. I want to encourage you to stop by the Columns at Boone Park and take a tour.

Our baseball All-Star teams are doing well and the Little League All-Star team was announced on June 15th. This past weekend, all of our teams reached the finals of the Americus Kiwanis Tournament. Marty McDonald's Stallion team won the Hawkinsville tournament last week. All of these teams will be playing in their respective GRPA District Tournaments in the next few days. The Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting four more baseball tournaments this summer, including; GRPA 8 & Under Boys District Tournament, Little League Sub - District, GRPA 8 & Under Boys State Tournament and the Little League District Tournament. These events help to bring economic impact dollars into our community and keep the cost of travel to a minimum for our local parents.

There are four public swimming pools open from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday. These pools are located in Plains, Leslie, and on Rucker Street and Barlow Street in Americus. We encourage you to use these facilities. Our Adult Softball program is coming to a close. It has been another good year as eight churches have participated in the church league.

Fall Sports registration will begin on July 25th. The Fall Sports line up will include: youth football for boys ages 5-12, youth soccer for boys and girls ages 5-15, youth cheerleading for girls ages 5-11, and gymnastics for kids ages 2-17. The cost to register for football, soccer or cheerleading is $60.00 and gymnastics will be $85.00. We look forward to a fun-filled Fall, and hope you will be a part of the good things that are happening at the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department.

Tim Estes - Executive Director
Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department
210 Rucker Street
Americus, GA 31719
(229) 924-4878 (Office)
(229) 928-9464 (Fax)
coachestes@hotmail.com