Warner Robins approves $20 million recreation plan

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Warner Robins is pouring more money into parks and recreation around the city.

City council approved a $20 million plan to build more facilities.

Sterling Brown finds it’s easy to catch a few fish and a few friends at Walker’s Pond in Warner Robins.

“I love to fish,” said Brown.

He enjoys meeting people while hooking up his rod and reel.

“Real friendly,” said Brown. “(They) speak to ya, holler at you stop and talk to you.”

People are walking, fishing, and enjoying themselves at the park, and for Recreation Director Jarred Reneau, that’s the prize catch.

“For me to be able to go back to work, give the citizens of Warner Robins what I feel like they need for our parks and recreation,” said Reneau. “That’s why I’m excited about it and that’s why I’m passionate about it.”

That’s why he pushed for SPLOST money to build even more parks and recreation facilities.

“It was a very long process,” said Reneau. “Just to be able to sit down with the mayor and council to get everybody’s ideas, their opinions, what their goals were.”

That preparation, which included a study to see what residents wanted, reeled in enough votes from city council to pass a $20 million plan.

“Now I can get to work and that’s exciting,” said Reneau.

There are four main sites that will be worked on–including Memorial Park, North Houston Road, Deloris Tolliver, and Tanner Park.

“For tournament basketball and volleyball, we also have an emphasis on softball and baseball and we’re going to make quality fields for that purpose, then we have an emphasis on football and we’re looking at the emphasis we’re going to place on tennis,” said Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms.

Toms says he was hooked when he realized how residents would feel.

“That’s the key to me is that we put together a sports and recreation and park facility–parks and recreation that gives people the opportunity to be proud of what we have here in Warner Robins,” said Toms.

Catching Brown some more fish and pride in the city.

“I feel like it’s one of the best things that has happened to this place in quite some time,” said Brown.