Over budget and under-funded, the first phase of Fayette County’s newest park, Kenwood Park, will be scaled back a bit to save money, the County Commission decided last week.

The park, located off Ga. Highway 279 and Kenwood Road in north Fayette County, will be built without a maintenance building that was initially planned in the first phase. “That will save about $463,000,” said Recreation Director Anita Godbee.

But that wasn’t enough to cover the project’s $1.2 million deficit, so the county will divert funding from several other existing and planned new parks to make up the remainder of the shortfall, Godbee said.

Removing the maintenance building was recommended by the county’s recreation commission, Godbee noted.

The first phase of Kenwood Park will include picnic shelters, tennis courts, a basketball court, a restroom and appropriate lighting for the area, Godbee said.

Godbee explained that part of the cost overrun on the project, which was the difference between the actual cost and the initial engineering estimates, was largely due to the Georgia DOT requiring a turn lane that was unexpected.

That will result in at least the postponement or cancellation of creating Gingercake Creek Park and Kelly Park, the latter of which is located in Peachtree City south of Lake Peachtree at the former site of the county’s water distribution shop. Canceling both will free up $184,000 for the Kenwood Park project.

Another $205,000 in funds will be diverted to Kenwood Park that were earmarked for improvements at the Lake Horton, Lake Kedron and Starr’s Mill parks.

Commissioner Eric Maxwell said he had a problem with building new parks when the county isn’t taking care of its existing parks. For example, he said he was disgusted when he attended recent youth baseball games at the county’s Kiwanis fields and found that port-a-johns were being used instead of a permanent restroom facility.

Godbee said she planned to remedy that situation in the next year’s recreation budget.

Maxwell also had funding concerns, but once his questions were answered he joined his fellow commissioners in approving the selection of a contractor for the Kenwood Park phase I construction.

The master plan for the park shows that once all three phases are complete, it will have four baseball fields, four softball fields, two soccer fields, a multipurpose field and a running track along with eight tennis courts and four basketball courts.

In May 2006, the commission was given an estimate of $10 million to complete the park.