A welcome sight greeted residents surrounding Jimmy Davis Park last week as county crews were hard at work cleaning and upgrading the long-neglected facility in a predominantly Black neighborhood near Eatonton’s downtown.
Of significance, a tall chain-link fence was installed Wednesday to surround the basketball courts, satisfying a primary request to contain any errant balls from leading young players onto a nearby road.
Meanwhile, landscaping crews were simultaneously cutting down diseased or damaged trees and clearing thick brush that encroached upon the walking track that surrounds a baseball field that hasn’t seen any strikes, balls or hits in a long time.
Also, large piles of rocky dirt dotted the parking lot, awaiting grading and compacting in preparation for a planned new paving job, and Putnam County Manager Paul Van Haute said he’s “looking into” installing an irrigation system for the ball field.
“Well, after fighting it out, and everybody’s got their side of the story, we’re just trying to make it work,” Van Haute said. “We’re probably spending in the neighborhood of $30,00 to $40,000 right now.”
Jimmy Davis Park had become a thorn in the council’s side over the last year or so, with local residents upset about the park’s consistent deterioration. Accusations and complaints of racism, vandalism and lack of responsibility on both sides were often traded between council members and would-be park patrons.
At one point, the council even tried to “gift” the park to the city of Eatonton, which promptly refused the gesture, citing that the maintenance and operation of Jimmy Davis Park is legally and permanently part of Putnam County Recreation’s responsibilities.
Van Haute said the park’s central building also will see some repairs made shortly and plans have been made to install a county staffer in the facility.
“The commissioners understood (the need for repairs),” he said. “It’s just some of the dollar figures were so astronomical. Hopefully, with the community involvement, they’ll want to stay involved and just convince people to leave (the park) alone and just enjoy it. I mean, they have a vested interest to do that, too.
“The commissioners are making very smart and deliberate decisions about the pace and speed of going forward. Yeah, we agree that it needs to be upgraded, but at what cost to everybody else? We’ll go slow as long as the results are positive.”