NAYLOR, Ga. — A new center is now available for rentals to residents in this Lowndes County community. 

A ribbon cutting for the facility was held Wednesday morning as the Lowndes County Commission turned the community center over to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority.

“This was a total community-wide effort for many years to try to get a much-needed community center for the residents here in Naylor but also for Valdosta-Lowndes County,” George Page, authority executive director, said.

The 1,800-square-foot structure features a picnic shelter, open recreational area outdoors, a kitchen, a dining/meeting room, restrooms and a kitchen. The dining/meeting room seats an estimated 80 people.

“It’s a gorgeous facility; it’s beautiful,” Page said. “We’re excited about adding this to our facilities.”

It will be utilized for family reunions, weddings, community meetings, recreational programming and more.

It has already received its first booking for a graduation celebration this weekend, Page said.

The project was spearheaded by District 1 Commissioner Joyce Evans, who said she saw a need in the Naylor area.

“When I first got elected, I came out here, and I talked to the residents and that was the one thing that they talked about 10 times during the one-hour meeting,” she said. “It’s something we’ve been working on for the last 15 years.”

Funding for the community center came from SPLOST VII revenue, Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter said. It cost about $260,000 and took about six months to build.

“The taxpayers, through their pennies, were able to produce this project here, which is going to be a huge benefit for all the folks here in Naylor,” he said.

Slaughter said the community center is available to anyone within the Lowndes County area.

“It’s a great day for the Naylor community, great facility, and it’s a very, very good use of the SPLOST revenue that the citizens of all of Lowndes County provides for this community,” he said.

J. Glenn Gregory Architects and Kellerman Construction both worked on the community center.

Amanda Usher is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1274.