The Carrollton City Schools Board of Education and the administration are very protective of the cross country course on campus. After all, it’s a big money-maker.

The course and the meets held on it are among the sports and recreation events and facilities that have an economic impact in the county, attracting visitors who stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants and shop in local stores during their stay.

“We are very blessed that in Carrollton and Carroll County there are a ton of recreation and sports facilities both throughout the city and county school systems and the city and county recreation departments,” said Jonathan Dorsey, executive director of Carrollton Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The biggest segment of our year-round visitor business comes from attending those recreation and sports events.”

Carrollton High School, the site of the Georgia High School Association state cross country meet, draws thousands of runners and spectators to the state meet and its invitational meets. Carrollton High track and cross country coach Craig Musselwhite estimates the school has more than 15,000 runners, paid spectators, coaches and managers attend those meets.

Because the high school hosts the state cross country meet, the invitationals become more attractive to other schools, he said.

“It is the state cross country course, so they’re going to try to run on it as many times as they can before the state cross country meet,” Musselwhite said.

That can mean a big payoff for the local economy. Dorsey estimates that an overnight visitor spends roughly $100 a day in the local economy, while a day visitor brings in $50 a day. That money directly affects the businesses the visitors frequent, but it also benefits the community at large.

“Any of those dollars that go to a local store, local restaurant, local hotel, it pays salaries at those businesses; it hires contractors at those businesses,” Dorsey said. “Those employees and contractors have to buy cars and groceries and all that. It all affects the community at large.”

The schools and recreation departments know that. Carrollton schools Superintendent Tom Wilson said the system uses its facilities with the best interest of the students and the community in mind — the local economy pays for the school system and a healthy economy means a healthy school budget.

“The more that we can use these facilities and bring in outside visitors to Carrollton, it helps not only Carrollton City Schools but the entire Carrollton community economically,” Wilson said.

The newly remodeled Grisham Stadium, with its expanded eight-lane track, has allowed the school system to bring in more track meets to the city. It has had the Carrollton Relays since the 1970s. With the new track the school has also started to host larger track meets. It is now hosting four invitationals, including a ninth and 10th grade invitational and a junior high invitational. Those meets don’t bring in as many people as the cross country meets, but they do have a substantial impact on the economy.

“At the Carrollton Relays, we average 15 to 20 schools and that’s probably from 500 to 700 athletes,” Musselwhite said. “ ... That probably draws in 1,000 people, plus or minus some.”

He’s also had calls from colleges looking to rent a large track to host college meets.

The new 955-seat arts center scheduled for completion in March will help the schools host more cultural events.

“What that facility will allow us to host is more winter band concerts, band festivals, band competitions, musical competitions, one-act plays,” Wilson said. “There’s state competitions in all those areas.”

The school system has already had calls from organizations interested in renting the center when it is open. It will be the largest venue in the county once it is finished, with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems as well as a computer-operated fly system for scenery.

The Carrollton Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department also hosts a variety of events each year.

Peter Maierhofer, superintendent of athletics, said the department hosts between 70 to 80 tournaments each year. Some, such as the state track meet and the state swim meet, bring in thousands of visitors for a weekend. Others bring in smaller numbers for the day or weekend but still contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“It’s a big reason we go out and try to get these bids for state tournaments because we know it’s a big money generating thing for our local economy,” Maierhofer said. “It’s an added responsibility for our athletic division for the guys that work under me, but you know you also have to know that especially in the economic times that we’re in it’s just a great thing and a good impact from our side. So, we host a lot.”