Eddie Canon, Director of Bulloch County Recreation and Parks, wants the community to know the vast amount of opportunities available to citizens of Bulloch County for all ages. As they head into their busy season, he took a moment to highlight just a few of the opportunities coming up. Canon also highlights some of the accomplishments of the department and explains more about the important functions of the department.
EVENTS
- Nerf Nights are back February 24th and March 3lst.
- Local Track Meet on March 4 at Statesboro High School
- Parent's Night Out set for March 4th and April 22nd
- Marvelous Moms group will meet on March 7th and 2lst and April 4th and 18th.
- Spring Opening Day will be held at Mill Creek Park on March 25.
- Pitch, Hit, and Run will be held at Mill Creek Field 6 on April Ilth.
- ArtsFest will celebrate it's 40th Anniversary on Sweetheart Circle on April 15th
- Splash in the Boro and Luetta Moore Pool will open May 20th and 2lst.
AQUATICS
- Season Passes are now on sale for Splash in the Boro and Luetta Moore Park.
- Swim lessons registration opened February 20th.
- Both facilities are prepping for an opening day of May 20th.
- We are looking for employees for all areas.
- Lifeguard classes and CPR classes are being taught several weekends during the month.
- Splash is working to incorporate a clear bag policy for the summer season to increase safety at the park.
AG ARENA
- Gypsy Vanner Horse Show March 11-12
- Farmers Appreciation Dinner March 16
- Ag Grow Expo will be held March 17 - 18
- We will host the CTAE Discovery Event for BOE 6th graders at the Expo on the morning of March 17th
- GA Ranch Horse Assoc March 24-25
- J×2 Team Roping April 14-16
- Georgia Ranch Horse Assoc April 21 - 22
- Kiwanis Rodeo April 28-29
PROGRAMMING
- Summer Day Camp Registration opens March 27th online and in person at the Honey Bowen Building.
- Camp Cherokee will be available at 4 locations for children who have completed PK - 5th grade as of May 2023.
- Adult 50+ programs are up and running with new programs and activities being added each month.
- We have hosted a new event called Parents Night out and it was extremely successful in January. This event is planned for two more dates this spring.
- New programs continue to be added such as our Green Thumb Club and cooking classes. The tumbling program continues to be sold out for the spring as it did in the fall.
- Afterschool program is going well and continues to increase in registration with a total number of 528 kids.
- Camp Adventure was held last week with 120 kids each day between two locations and will be held again March 13th and for Spring Break in April.
ATHLETICS
- Spring youth sports are in full swing as baseball/softball and soccer evaluations start this week.
- A successful basketball season wrapped up just before winter break.
- Registration for summer sports camps and leaques will open March 27th.
- Private tournaments will be hosted at Mill Creek the weekends of Feb 25th, March II, March 18, April I, April 8, April 15, and May 6.
- Adult sports will be returning this month as well.
- Tennis lessons will continue throughout the spring and summer.
- The Sue Oertley Courts at Fair Road remain extremely busy with PickleBall lavers.
The Parks Division's role
This division maintains all Bulloch County parks to be safe, efficient, playable and aesthetically pleasing for public use. To make this possible there are 20 Full Time positions and multiple part time employees. The role of Parks Division is to maintain all of Bulloch County's Parks, S&S Greenway, and Disc Golf Course, which total 250+ acres maintained. Of the 250 acres maintained 78 acres are fine turf (athletic fields). A rigorous mowing schedule is needed to keep the turf at the desired height. All athletic fields are mowed twice a week during the summer (approximately 18 weeks). All other perimeters are mowed with zero turn mowers weekly during the summer months and as needed during the rest of the year.
With proper mowing and fertilization, the need for irrigation is crucial as well. The recreational facilities have 22 irrigation controllers with nearly 3,000 heads. In addition to the recreational facilities there are 4 county buildings with irrigation systems that have 5l0 heads. This is a total of 3,5l0 heads that are maintained. There are over 53,000 square feet of landscape beds over the entire county that house shrubs and annual flowers that are pruned and refreshed with pine straw or mulch throughout the year. In addition to the beds there are over 500 trees that are maintained as well.
During the baseball/softball season all 22 baseball fields will be prepared by either hand raking or using the infield machine. On game days, the additional work of chalk and painting lines are added to the task. During Soccer seasons the field lines are painted. There are seven designated soccer fields in the county. One field could have 4 or more individual fields strategically laid out to maximize the space we have. On average 16-19 soccer fields are painted on the fields. The same holds true for football. These field lines are painted on the baseball/ softball fields around the county. On average there are 15-18 football fields that are laid out and painted.During the fall when football and soccer is being played at the same time there are nearly 30 fields that are being painted weekly and sometimes twice a week depending on the growth of the turf.
In addition to recreational facilities, it is our responsibility to maintain 54 county owned facilities including, but not limited to, Fire Departments, Voting Precincts, North Main Annex, Courthouse, Magistrate, and Judicial Annex. Thankfully most of these areas are handled through contractors now.
For full details on all activities please visit: www.bullochrec.com
Now Hiring Part Time and Full Time
The Bulloch County Recreation and Parks depends on high school and college students to staff the department during the peak season. They also have career opportunities. Click below for job opportunities.
For job opportunities CLICK HERE.
For Splash in the Boro job opportunities CLICK HERE.
