WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — For months, Warner Robins city leaders have talked about an ambitious slate of recreation projects on the way.
Several have been successfully completed in recent months but one's future is now up in the air.
According to Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms, the plan to build a 22-court tennis center open to both student athletes and private competitions is on thin ice.
It was expected that the Houston County Board of Education and the City of Warner Robins would each contribute about $1.75 million to a joint project, however, that could be changing.
"Well it's still in limbo right now," said Toms. "We still have to talk about the compromise, if there is a compromise, on the tennis facility."
That’s because the Warner Robins city council voted down a proposed contract with the Houston County Board of Education Monday night.
Councilman Tim Thomas' argument seemed to win the day, after he raised concerns about language in the contract that, he said, could make the city vulnerable to unpredictable maintenance costs.
He also questioned whether the city might lose control of the center decades down the road.
"I don't see putting this on future generations because at some point another council's going to sit here and they're going to have to build tennis courts and we don't know what the cost will be in 30 years," he said.
Councilman Keith Lauritsen disagreed, arguing that building a joint facility with the school board (as opposed to each party building their own individual tennis center) would save money and lead to a higher quality facility.
"I respect your opinion but I think it's a mistake," he said to Thomas.
Lauritsen, however, was outnumbered. Five council members voted against the deal. Lauritsen and Toms voted for it.
Now, the city's involvement with the project has stalled. That doesn't mean construction is stopped, though.
"Oh no," said Toms. "The groundbreaking has occurred, they're out there building courts, building the facility as we speak."
The Mayor says the school board has funded the development so far and a tennis facility will be built there.
But what that facility will look like--and whether it will be as large as it was originally touted--if it doesn't get the city's $1.75 million investment is an open question.
"We've been negotiating and it just kind of all fell apart," said Toms. "But hopefully...we can resuscitate this intergovernmental agreement and move forward."
He and other council members expressed interest in working with the school board to renegotiate the terms of the contract.
When reached by phone, Houston County Board of Education spokesperson Beth McLaughlin said that the school board superintendent, Dr. Mark Scott, will be in touch with Mayor Toms.