VIDEO: Lowndes County Recreation Department Moves Forward

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) -It’s a new start for recreation in Lowndes County.

The first employees of the newly formed Lowndes County Recreation Department start in 2 weeks.

For years, Columbus and Lowndes County ran a joint, Parks and Rec Department but now the county is set to go it alone.

“Long term we didn’t feel it benefited the members of the county. That we needed to go in a direction that allows them to have that service in their community,” said District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith.

Smith says having a Parks and Recreation Department, that’s accessible, is important to any community.

“The goal is to serve.  If you have an area, that’s under served then our goal is to make sure they get access to quality service, like everyone else and this allows us to be able to move in that direction,” said Smith.

Roger Short is the director of the new Lowndes County Recreation Department. He says though they’re creating a department for the county, it doesn’t mean the county is abandoning the prior commitments it made to Columbus.

“The County has committed to helping with their funding of the city parks in the amount of $200,000 a year and with the field of dreams, the county had also committed $50,000 to the field of dreams till it is built,” said Short.

The new department will cover all; community centers, walking tracks, and parks for the county.

Smith says it should be easy for all residents to get reach any parks and rec activity.

“Location was major, we had people who had to drive to be able to participate in certain activities whether it be youth participating in youth sports or senior population having to come over,” said Smith.

The Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Department will be fully active October 1st.