In recently announcing details of Decatur’s purchase of the Samuel L. Jones Boys & Girls Club in Oakhurst, City Manager Andrea Arnold told the AJC the acquisition “will have no impact on the taxpayer.”
Through the refinancing of old bonds, the city pays 1.96 percent interest on its loan through 2035, with a variable rate component from 2036 through 2040. Arnold points out that this along with terms of the debt service will save the city $20,000 annually through the duration of the loan.
The Jones Club purchase price is $4,940,000 to be paid over 20 years, plus an additional $560,000 for maintenance and repairs to the property.
On Sept. 21 Decatur’s city commission approved purchasing the Jones Club, an Oakhurst cornerstone for over a half century. The club closed in mid-March for COVID 19, then in late July the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta announced that it wouldn’t reopen the branch.
The 5.4-acre property includes an outdoor football/soccer field, a Rec center (with a gym), a garden, a mini-teen center, computer lab, art center, learning center, a game room, dog park and an indoor pool which the city renovated and has been running since 2017. The city’s also been maintaining and upgrading the field for about 15 years.
The $560,000 will go towards basic repairs like a new roof and an updated HVAC system for the Rec Center. But there are no immediate plans for a thorough renovation of a building that dates to 1972. It’s likely that renovation along with long-term uses for the site and a possible name change will emerge from a citywide Facilities and Greenspace master planning process scheduled for 2021.
Arnold said she doesn’t anticipate any changes in the use of the dog park and the athletic field. For now, especially because of the virus there are no plans for adding any additional indoor programming or shifting any city operations to the site. Indeed, all City of Decatur buildings remain mostly closed to the public.
Closing on the Jones site should happen in late November.
