Plans for a

recreational gymnasium at McCurry Park in Fayetteville are on a faster

track now that state funds have been made available.

A $350,000

grant, ceremonially presented last week by state Sen. Greg Hecht, will

be added to funds the county has been saving up, said County Commission

Chairman Harold Bost.

And now that

the money is available, a committee of staff experts will begin talking

about the details, Bost said.

"This

is the first time I know of that we've gotten any funds like this from

the state," said Bost, adding that Hecht was instrumental in getting

the money included in this year's state budget.

"We appreciate

his efforts very much," he said.

County recreation

director Mary Alice Lawrence said the gym will fill a long-standing need.

"It's been in the long-range planning since 1979," Lawrence

said. "There's no question of the need."

Currently,

the county relies on the good graces of the school system to provide space

for such activities, she said.

Carlos Garza,

president of the Fayette Youth Basketball Association, said his program

serves about 1,100 youths. "We've had to limit our activities due

to the fact that the schools use their gyms for their own purposes and

we can only use them when they're not," he said, adding "We

are absolutely happy with the cooperation of the school system."

Having a recreational

facility will "make it possible for more kids to be involved,"

he said. As the program grows, youth teams are having to spill over into

a gym that previously was reserved for adult leagues, Garza added.

Plans are for

a multipurpose facility that can be used for youth and adult basketball

and volleyball leagues, and any other indoor sports and recreational activities,

Lawrence said.

"We've

been studying the usage in the schools," she said, "and we're

using the school gyms to the max. I'm sure [the new gym] will really be

used by the community."

As for how

long it will be before work starts, Lawrence said it will take some time

for a facilities committee to plan the project, get approval, get bids

and get underway.

She is hoping

there will be enough money for a double court, rather than a single one,

because of the demand.

Acting County

Administrator Chris Cofty said recent estimates are that the facility

will cost about $1.5 million to build, adding that the project is included

in the county's five-year capital improvements program.

In addition

to the gym funding, Hecht was in Fayette last week presenting $20,000

checks to Tyrone for a ball park and Fayetteville for preservation work

on the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House.