TIFTON — A concerned county resident has sought out the aid of the Tift County Board of Commissioners in better accommodating its community.

Jonathan Hodges, a resident of Tifton, came before the county commissioners during their July 8 meeting seeking assistance in making the county’s recreation department more accessible to adults like him.

Hodges claimed that the facility under the department, across from the fire station, had been closed to patrons above the age of 18 starting around 2019 due to incidents of violence around the area. While the Mott-Litman Gym is open to adults, Hodges reported that its hours were more difficult to work with due to his 9-5 job, which he argued was certainly a shared trait for many county residents and thus would bar them from benefitting from the facility as well.

He asked the commissioners if some of these facilities could have their hours adjusted to be more accessible to adult residents and, aware that the schedule limitations existed in the first place due to a wage issue, he suggested either a pay increase for recreation department employees or the hiring of more staff to ensure the department’s facilities could stay open under longer hours.

Hodges also drew attention to the poor condition of the recreation department’s outdoor basketball courts, asking if the commissioners would consider any potential improvements to them, such as a repaving or a canopy to allow county residents to play during rain showers.

He presented the board of commissioners with a petition with more than 65 signatures, some belonging to county employees, requesting their support in improving the accessibility of the recreation department’s facilities.

Impressed by his presentation, county manager Jim Carter asserted that he would get in contact with Hodges to go over potential solutions and courses of action to pursue. District 3 commissioner Paul Webb also suggested that the board could discuss the topic further at their meetings the following month.