Commissioners Could Build Six Flags for the Amount They Plan to Spend on Sharon Springs Park

Public Should Urge Commissioners to Change Priorities

For the amount of money the Forsyth County Commission plans to spend on Sharon Springs Park, in today’s dollars they will have spent twice the original cost of Six Flags Over Georgia when adjusted for acreage.

In 1966, Six Flags opened on 276 acres at a cost of $12 million. That would be $116,451,000 in today’s dollars, or $421,923/acre. The Forsyth County Commission is planning to spend $52 million of today’s dollars on 58 acres, or $896,551/acre, over twice the cost of Six Flags when it opened, adjusted for size. For that kind of money, Forsyth County could start from scratch and open a profit-making theme park with roller coasters, cable cars, adventure rides and food & drink facilities.

Where is Sharon Springs Park?

Sharon Springs Park is located in the southernmost portion of Forsyth County, approximately centered within the areas incorporating Districts 2 and 5, most convenient to constituents represented on the commission by Laura Semanson and Alfred John.

$52 million is an outrageous amount of public funds to be allocated for whatever they are planning to do to this long-since completed and beautiful facility. The commission should consider spending that money more wisely, for the benefit of more citizens, before the project gets in too deep.

Commissioner Kerry Hill - Swing Vote on Sharon Springs Park Allocation

One question for me is why District 1 Commissioner Kerry Hill, whose district is the farthest away from Sharon Springs Park, has not objected to that level of expenditure being allocated so far away from her constituents. In exchange for her support, it seems, the meager SPLOST dollars Commissioner Hill has presently been allocated, $1.5 million, are scheduled to build the Barker Overlook, a largely inaccessible park at the top of Sawnee Mountain, enjoyable only to determined hikers (4 mile rugged hike both in and out), and the few residents who live up there.

Misplaced Priorities

Most often, I hear Forsyth County residents expressing concerns over traffic congestion resulting from population growth, and not the inadequacy of park facilities. Our commissioners are depending on the fact that voters most recently defeated TSPLOST, the proceeds of which would be dedicated solely to transportation infrastructure, to justify their chosen allocations of SPLOST revenues. I believe the commissioners in charge are misinterpreting the TSPLOST vote. Forsyth voters are fine with one level of local sales taxation, but are reticent to approve a second. That does not mean voters prefer optional sales tax revenues to be spent excessively or ineffectively on parks, when so many traffic and safety problems exist.

Below you will find the commission’s presently proposed allocation splits among the major categories.

Here is what that looks like in a graph:

In 2024, voters approved a six-year 1% SPLOST referendum. However, they were not given the opportunity to decide how those dollars would be spent. Those who control the vote on the county commission have decided the allocation percentages you see. The good thing is that, because the commissioners decided those percentages, they can also change them.

I believe the present allocation percentages represent misplaced priorities. And the first item to change would be the present $52 million investment planned for Sharon Springs Park. Depending on circumstances, one two-lane roundabout, for example, could cost anywhere from $500,000 to $5,000,000. Assuming an average of $2.5 million, Forsyth County could construct approximately 20 roundabouts in key areas of traffic congestion around the county. Realize, that figure is off the top of my head and is only for discussion purposes. Regardless the best solution for any particular traffic woe, with $52 million going to largely unnecessary work performed at Sharon Springs Park, that only shows me that the commissioners are dreaming up exotic and politically-charged ways to spend public funds. Our county commission needs to stop dreaming and start emphasizing the real needs of Forsyth County citizens. And those needs call for the overwhelming share of SPLOST funds presently devoted to projects such as Sharon Springs Park to be redirected to aid in resolving transportation woes around the county. If you agree with me, you should contact your commissioner and be heard.