Page 24 - Demo

Mike McDowell
Chairman of the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority
encourage tournament recruitment through facility maintenance, improvements, and construction.”
McDowell further explained that maintaining the current VLPRA facilities and adding new sports
PHOTO: PAT GALLAGHER
venues is the key to growing the sports tourism e orts.
The VLPRA is in the process of constructing eight new soccer elds and six new tennis courts.
“A new soccer complex and additional tennis courts will be critical as we broaden our tournament options,” McDowell said. “Our main focus has been baseball and softball, but the new construction allows for a diverse mix of sports.”
Page said the new elds are not being constructed with a “build them and they will come” philosophy.
“They are already coming,” he said. “We are running out of room, and
the current elds have been here for years. It’s time to build more, not just elds but tennis courts and possibly a multigenerational facility that can be accessed by the community during the week and used on weekends by out-of-town visitors.”
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
You’ve heard it said, “Don’t sweat
the small stu ,” well Page believes
in “sweating” every detail. From
clean restrooms to well-maintained facilities, the VLPRA sta takes pride in making a good rst impression and an even better lasting one.
“When tournament directors and players get to town, the rst thing they look for is to see if the park and facilities are clean,” Page said. “Are the bathrooms clean; are the elds properly mowed; has trash been picked up? With VLPRA, we are all about making sure our parks are clean when they arrive, and throughout their stay, on the hour, every hour, trash is being picked up.”
It is this high level of expectation and attention to details that has helped earn the VLPRA State Agency of the Year by the Georgia Recreation and Park Association (GRPA) for three years in a row. Page also received the 2016 Distinguished Professional of the Year from GRPA for his leadership
24 SG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2017
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED