It’s been years since the sounds of delighted children splashing and yelling for their moms to “watch me!” filled the air at Mary Street Park. Clarkesville closed its community pool years ago. It’s been even longer since Sharing and Caring first opened in Habersham and set up shop in the old brick lodge on Mary Street.
Now, the area is being brought back to life through the vision of city leaders and two taxpayer-funded investments.
Community Center
Next month, Clarkesville plans to reopen the lodge for use as a community center. The 2,400-square-foot facility, which was built around the time of the Great Depression, is currently being renovated. It’s on track to open in mid-May, city leaders say.
Contractors have been working on the building since December. It required substantial work due to its age and lack of upkeep.
So far, Clarkesville has spent approximately $135,000 on the project, says city manager Keith Dickerson. Once renovations are complete, the building will be available for the public to rent for meetings and special gatherings.
The Clarkesville City Council is still trying to work out the details. Council members discussed rental fees and how to manage the property during their monthly meeting on April 3. Although they did not reach any decisions, they say they hope to have a rental policy drawn up and ready to approve at their May meeting.
Pickleball courts
While progress is moving along steadily on the community center, work on Clarkesville’s planned pickleball courts has stalled.
The two new courts at Mary Street Park are being built where the pool used to be. Instead of youthful chatter, nearby residents will hear the ‘pop pop’ of plastic perforated pickleballs hitting players’ paddles.
(Pickleball took off during the pandemic and has become a favorite pastime of older adults. So much so that Habersham County transformed two of its tennis courts into six pickleball courts earlier this year.)
The Clarkesville City Council approved the courts’ construction last April at a cost of $82,500. To date, the city has only spent approximately $6,000 on the project, says Dickerson. He says the project stalled because of the weather and scheduling conflicts with the paving contractor.
“When you get into the wet season, and you’re talking about working in a hole up here and getting heavy equipment down there, it’s not going to be easy to do,” says Dickerson.
According to Dickerson, the project won’t move forward until the paving is completed.
The city is also waiting for park bathrooms to be delivered.
Clarkesville contracted with a company to have the bathrooms “pre-built.” They’ll be built in a factory, then delivered and installed at the same time. Dickerson says the pre-built unit costs a little bit more than stick-built construction but is easier and faster to install.
“They are nice bathrooms,” he says. “They look nice, and they are built to last and easier to maintain.”
The Mary Street bathrooms are included in the pickleball court project cost.
