Improvements are taking place at a couple of parks within the city limits of Picayune.
Mildred Mitchell Park along Sycamore Road is one of the city’s newly named parks. Several improvements have been taking place at the park, with more planned.
Public Works Director Eric Morris said the work conducted most recently includes a new sidewalk, which ties the two sides of the park together. The park includes a bridge over the nearby creek along with a picnic bench facing Sycamore Road and a playground area facing Daniels Street, Morris said.
The additional sidewalk also included installation of adjacent sod and a new culvert to fix an erosion issue, Morris said. Sod was also installed in key areas to cover areas of bare dirt in the park.
Future plans include construction of a pavilion over the lone picnic table at the park. That work will be conducted through a donation of labor and materials from the Pearl River County Home Builders Association and Mark Wallace with Coast Electric, Morris said.
Construction of the pavilion is expected to be complete by the end of the month.
Additional playground equipment is also planned for the side of the park. Morris said there is no timeline for that work.
Director of Parks and Recreation Trevor Adam said that there is a possibility the playground equipment will be donated to the city.
The work was the result of meetings with the park’s namesake, Mildred Mitchell, Adam, Morris and the district’s Councilor Janie Miller Stevens, who all wanted to see the park rejuvenated, Adam said. The overall goal for Mildred Mitchell Park is to provide a quality place for families to enjoy themselves on the north end of town.
On the other side of town, the walking track at Crosby Commons is one step closer to having asphalt installed. Morris said the plan is to have asphalt on the walking track by the year’s end, weather permitting.