MOULTRIE — Residents should be on the lookout as the Moultrie-Colquitt County Recreation Authority is gradually planning and completing updates across its facilities for the next few months.

MCCPRA Executive Director Maggie Davidson said one of the major updates is getting a new bridge for the trail at Tom White Linear Park. The bridge replacement was approved at the authority’s August board meeting and is funded by the 2018 Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) fund.

“We’re getting the new bridge. A company is going to do that, and the neat part about that is it’s actually recycled, flat railroad cars because that used to be a railroad bed,” Davidson said in an interview Thursday.

The demolition work started Thursday morning by the Colquitt County Roads and Bridges department, and the City of Moultrie will assist with hauling services. The CCRB will conduct damage repairs and trail resurfacing within a few months after the replacement.

Visitors must pay attention to closed areas due to safety hazards while demolition and construction are ongoing.

A new air conditioning system was installed in Shaw Gym last week resulting in its temporary closure. The MCCPRA has already made interior painting, lighting and camera upgrades to the facility but more work is needed.

Davidson said they are accepting quotes to replace the gym flooring and an engineering agreement has been signed for the gym.

Tommy Meredith Gym has undergone a bathroom renovation, new bleacher installation and an interior paint job. A new camera system and the exterior paint job are in progress.

The Northwest pools will have a new look with new tile and Marcite in the summer 2023 opening. The pools received a new pump and mechanical upgrades this summer.

Tennis players will have to wait a little longer as two tennis courts at the Lynda Baxter Moseley Tennis Courts are being converted to five pickleball courts. After the conversion, the courts will be resurfaced in a traditional US Open blue and green color and fencing will be installed later. The benches, net posts and nets will be replaced as well.

Davidson explained, “The fencing has taken a little bit longer. Instead of having the project drawn out too long, we’ll go ahead and take the fence down so we can paint the poles and put it back up. It will speed other [projects] up.

The MCCPRA found that Drew Field within the Jim Buck Goff Recreation Complex has outfield drainage issues.

“We hope to have a plan put together within the next month,” Davidson said.

She also said the MCCPRA plans to partner with grant writers to assist their application for the Improving Neighborhood Outcomes in Disproportionately Impacted Communities grant through the Georgia Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget

The MCCPRA has revitalization plans for underused and aged equipment at Magnolia Sports Complex and William Bryant Park.

“The purpose of that grant is to renovate or revitalize underused facilities, so it fits perfectly. We’ve got some areas that really needed attention at William Bryant Park in Northwest and there’s a lot of other work going on there,” she said. s

Davidson mentioned the purpose of the upgrades and closures is to bring all facilities up to a certain standard and then be able to complete routine preventative maintenance.

Participants can follow along with the facility updates and renovation on the MCCPRA Facebook page. The authority will frequently update which facilities are temporarily closed to keep the renovators and guests safe.

For more information on the MCCPRA and its current programs, please refer to www.mccpra.com.