Published: February 06, 2007 11:54 pm      

Time for a new rec?

Some Dalton residents believe it’s time to bulldoze the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department’s John Davis Recreation Center and start from scratch.

At a brainstorming session Tuesday at the center on Civic Drive, approximately 30 Dalton residents, youth sports coaches and some city leaders talked about what’s next for the 50-year-old center’s future.

Some said the building and grounds should be remodeled. Others liked the idea of a clean slate.

The event was hosted by the architectural planning firm Barge, Wagner, Sumner and Cannon of Nashville, which was hired by the city to come up with a design for either restoration or reconstruction of the facility.

Work on the facility has been considered since 1994 when a long-term plan for the department was drafted, said Dalton Parks and Recreation Department director Ronnie Nix. The first phase was building Heritage Point park. The second was overhauling the John Davis Recreation Center and the Community Center on Fredrick Street.

“We wanted to look at the likes and dislikes and the demands of the public,” Nix said. “We wanted to take stock of where we’d like to go.”

The architects said they will take the suggestions of those on hand Tuesday and incorporate them in designing the center’s new look. Plans will be sent for City Council approval and financing by spring. Nix didn’t indicate how much the changes would cost.

City administrator Butch Sanders said the project could be funded by user fees, bonds or Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) dollars.

Architect Matt Stovall said the firm studied the grounds and the building at the center to discover flaws and strong points. Stovall cited the lack of a “border” marking the park’s boundaries, unused space and utilities running under a stream on the grounds as negatives.

Architect Sam Moser noted the center was built in 1957, the gymnasium was added in 1963 and the facility was renovated in 1986. He said the building is 26,000 square feet. More modern facilities are three times that size, the firm said.

Moser said the building is in good condition for its age, but there is room for improvement, particularly in the locker rooms as well as the roof and its stormwater drainage capacity.

People attending the meeting said they liked the convenience and the multiple uses of the park, but said the pool isn’t in good condition, the gym floor is in disrepair and the baseball fields are in bad shape.

Some said they would like to see synthetic turf installed on the playing fields, better outdoor restrooms, batting cages and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.





An informational session about potential work at the Dalton Community Center on Fredrick will be held at the center on Thursday at 7 p.m. The public is invited.