New community center being built in George County

ROY HOWARD COMMUNITY JOURNALISM CENTER- People in the Barton Basin community will soon have a new place to gather close to home.

George County leaders are building a community center they say will serve families, events, and help during emergencies.

Morgan Gill with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center reports.

For years, people in the Barton-Basin area have had limited places to hold larger gatherings, but that’s about to change.

Construction is underway on a new $1.9 million community center near Highway 63 South and Wayne Lee Road.

Community Development Director Ken Flannagan says it’s an exciting, but much needed, project. “As the community has grown over the last 20 years or so, it became obvious that we just didn’t have a facility that met the community’s needs. The volunteer fire department area was just too small, and the churches there, although very nice, they maybe didn’t have the gathering spaces that was needed for larger events.”

The new building will be about 6,100 square feet and is designed to host more than 100 people.

County leaders say it will be used for meetings, parties and other community events. It will also include storage space that could be used during emergencies. “If it comes in on a pallet, we’ve got the concrete foundation, the ramps, and the door width to be able to help us get that stuff in faster.”

Residents say the project could help bring people together as the area continues to grow. “We have a lot of people moving here now — a community center and more than one place to go is perfect you know it gives people a chance to get together and be able to have a community.”

County officials say accessibility was a major factor when choosing the location.

“We knew we wanted it, for transportation purposes, we wanted it close to Highway 63, four-lane, easy traffic area to get through.”

The center is expected to be completed in February 2027. A formal groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for April 9.