Liberty Road park almost complete

Published 7:00 am Friday, June 3, 2016

Six weeks ago, work began on a new park on Liberty Road just outside of Picayune, which is said to be almost complete.

“We are about 90 percent of the way through with the park. We should be officially done at the end of next week,” said County Engineer Les Dungan.

The park has no official name yet, however Dungan said the park could be called Liberty Road Water Park until it’s officially titled.

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Dungan said he found a way to save money on the construction of a parking lot at the park, making room in the budget for other additions to the park.

“An alteration was made when planning the basic material underneath the asphalt parking lot. We decided to use clay gravel instead of limestone, which is not only saving us $2,000 but is also a better alternative for the foundation,” said Dungan.

The extra funds will be used to build a fence around the parking lot, preventing motor vehicles from driving in the grass. The fence will also boost security, said Dungan.

“We have had a lot of 4 wheelers and trucks going through the park, tearing up the picnic area and other places that motor vehicles should not be. Having this fence will ensure that the vehicles will stay where they are intended to be,” said Dungan.

The goal of this park is to use the county’s property as a way to provide recreational enjoyment to the public, Dungan said.

He said that around July 4, a ribbon cutting will take place at the park, however the plan is to have the park open before then.

“[The public] can expect to have a park with a walking trail, picnic tables and quality grills, a children’s play area, and access to the Hobolochitto creek,” said Dungan.

More updates about this project will be provided after the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday.