MACON, Ga. — The softball fields at Macon's Carolyn Crayton Park have gotten some much-needed TLC.
Today, Macon-Bibb County and Visit Macon unveiled their three-year expansion project results.
From softball and baseball to basketball and soccer, the sports complex at Carolyn Crayton Park is now done.
On Friday, the county unveiled it and now it's open for all kids and adults to compete in sports and group activities.
Local leaders and community partners gathered today at Carolyn Crayton Park and reminisced about the sports they used to play and watch at the fields.
With the Macon SPLOST money, they've renovated their softball, baseball, and basketball courts.
The county says they expect to bring in over $14 million in sports tourism revenue.
Melvin Flowers is a parks and recreation service worker who also coaches the Georgia Suns basketball team. He says he's excited about keeping Macon teams close to home.
"I've dreamed about this for years," Flowers said. "We had top talent players from Macon-Bibb public schools from the 90s to 2000s. I've been a coach since 1982 and we've traveled to Atlanta all the time. I've been wanting one of these complexes here and I hope it works out for Macon-Bibb, it's very exciting."
Vantrel Grayer is the founder and coach of the Macon Elite AAU basketball program. He said he's looking forward to bringing his team to Carolyn Crayton Park to practice and compete.
"I get a joy of seeing the kids be able to compete at a high level, going to other states, seeing things they've never seen before, and just the bonds and the friendships and relationships that they create on down the years," Grayer said. "We're in basketball season right now so one of the good things I love to go see is watching my boys compete against each other."
Mayor Lester Miller kicked off the unveiling and ended the day with words of gratitude and encouragement for the community to come together and help expand the city of Macon.
"The sky's the limit," Miller said. "Whether it's volleyball, whether it's cheerleading, we can do it right here in Macon-Bibb County. We're putting Macon back on the map."
County commissioners approved the more than $1.5 million SPLOST project in 2020. The work was supposed to take eight to ten months.