Construction of new community center in Snellville to start in May

Yahoo

15-04-2025

The City of Snellville announced construction on a new community center at Briscoe Park is expected to start in early May.
The $11.3 million Community Center will be in T.W. Briscoe Park and is supposed to begin construction on May 5. City officials said the site will be about 34,000 square feet and have two basketball courts, an indoor walking track, outdoor pavilion, two multi-purpose activity rooms and one aerobics room.
The project will be near the current Snellville Parks and Recreation office, according to the city.
'This is a project that has been in the conceptual discussion phase for over 20 years,' Mayor Barbara Bender said. 'It's very exciting to get to this point. We look forward to the Community Center at T.W. Briscoe Park becoming a place where people can exercise, stay fit and healthy, relax, and gather together for decades to come.'
Goodwin Mills Cawood is the designer for the new facility, with construction handled by Place Services, Inc.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The city said the buildout should be done by summer 2026.
'Briscoe Park offers our visitors over 95 acres of natural, passive areas and active recreation space for programming, all in one beautiful setting,' Lisa A. Platt, Director of Parks and Recreation, said. 'With the addition of the T.W. Briscoe Community Center, Snellville Parks and Recreation will be able to elevate our service and programming for the community and continue working toward our vision for innovative programming, to provide recreational opportunities that ensure quality of life for all in mind, body and spirit.'
TRENDING STORIES:
Real check, fake story: Georgia man accused of stealing $32 million in tax refunds
'You're up next:' Uber opens waitlist for autonomous rides with Waymo in Atlanta
Woman shot, killed at DeKalb County motel
Most of the funding for the project is sourced from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, approved by voters in 2023 for recreation projects, officials said.
Another portion of funding is from a separate SPLOST approved in 2017 as well as a $900,000 grant from Gwinnett County through a federal Community Development Block Grant program.
According to Snellville, visitors going to Briscoe Park should get ready for the following limited impacts:
East Park Drive will be closed in its entirety from Lenora Church Road to the four-way stop at Sawyer Parkway inside Briscoe Park
Outdoor basketball courts will be closed beginning May 5. The courts will be removed in order for the new Community Center to be built. Indoor courts will be available for play once the center is completed and new outdoor basketball courts are planned for future implementation of the Park Master Plan.
Parking for Staley Field will be in front of the Parks and Recreation Office or at the lots near the softball fields.
The fitness trail behind the park office will remain open initially, but will be re-routed at various times to accommodate multiple phases of the construction process.
The city will host a May 1 groundbreaking for the new community center on May 1 at 4:30 p.m.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]