Bainbridge’s city manager has good news for citizens who might be awaiting the construction of new basketball courts, multi-purpose fields and multi-lane boat ramps: all three projects are set to begin this summer.

Addressing the Bainbridge City Council at its Tuesday evening meeting, City Manager Chris Hobby said plans for Bill Reynolds Sports Park Phase 3, an expansion of Bainbridge’s current sports fields off Cox Avenue, have been finalized and are awaiting the approval of permits. Hobby said city employees will do grading and other work themselves and plan to start on the basketball courts and two multipurpose fields (which could accommodate soccer play) first, possibly in June. Once the courts and multipurpose fields are complete later this year, city workers will then focus on constructing several new fields for baseball and softball play.

City of Bainbridge employees will also stay busy this summer constructing the megaramps approved as part of Governor Sonny Perdue’s “Go Fish Georgia” program, which aims to encourage fishing-related tourism in the state. It will take approximately 120 days to build the megaramps from the estimated start date of July until they are complete, meaning they could be ready by Feb.-March 2010, just in time for spring fishing tournaments, Hobby said.

Another major project which will begin this summer is work on Phase 2 of the city’s Sewer Master Plan, which aims to provide city sewer service to almost all areas within Bainbridge city limits which do not currently receive it. Phase 2, also known as the “Douglas East” project, will involve the installation of 7.4 miles of gravity-flow sewer line, the construction of four new sewage pump stations and the upgrading of two existing pump stations, said City Engineer Jim York. The project has an estimated cost of $4.1 million and will extend sewer lines to parts of Lakewood Drive, Back Lake Circle, College Road, Twin Lakes Drive and Thomas Drive.

Phase 1 of the Sewer Master Plan, known as the “Alice Street/U.S. 27 South/Georgia 97 South” project, was recently completed at a total cost of about $2.3 million.

Video links:

City Manager Discusses Recreational Projects

City Engineer Reviews Water & Sewage Projects