Eastern

Coweta County turned out in force last Saturday to honor

one of its own as the new Hunter Recreational Complex on

Ga. Highway 16 was officially opened for business.

Nearly 300

people watched as Coweta County's government honored

Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter for his more

than 40 years of service to the county.

"It's

a very humbling experience. I'm really pleased,"

said Hunter.

The crowd

was filled with many of Hunter's relatives and he later

added, "That's why I can win an election."

The park

features a gymnasium, walking trails and tennis courts

and offers residents on the eastern side of the county an

alternative to driving into Newnan for recreation.

"Most

people have to die before they get something named after

them. This really means a lot," he said.

The new

park will be known as the Hunter Complex, as a tribute to

Hunter's more than 40 years of service to Coweta County,

said Commissioner Jim McGuffey.

In a moving

tribute when the county announced the honor, McGuffey

said Hunter worked for Coweta County from 1950-1998 and

served 26 of those years as the county's administrator.

"I

don't think any other administrator in the state can

boast that length of service," McGuffey said.

In 1992,

Hunter decided to run for county commissioner and is now

serving in his second term.

"He's

one of the main reasons why Coweta County has a balanced

budget now," added McGuffey.

McGuffey

acknowledged that Hunter has had his critics over the

years, but said Hunter has "given his life to Coweta

County" and has "more knowledge in his little

finger" about the county than McGuffey has in his

whole body.

The other

commissioners were equally glowing in their assessments

of Hunter's achievements and Commissioner Robert Wood

said Hunter has had a huge impact on his political

career.

"He

has been a training tool for me," Wood said.