By By Lydia Grimes
In a matter of weeks, Brewton youth will have new opportunities for recreation.
Dogwood Hills, Burnt Corn Creek Park and City Park are getting some much needed updating and additions to make them more inviting.
Work has begun on a skate park in Burnt Corn Creek Park. Parks and Recreation Director Gary Hill said that the skate pad should be open soon.
The skate pad will measure 40 feet by 80 feet. It will have two ramps four feet high, one on each end of the pad. There will also be other features for the skaters, such as a bench and steps with a rail. Hill said the work should be done within the next month.
Work has also begun on a splash fountain to be located in front of the playground at Dogwood Hills. Ground has been broken, and according to Hill, the next step is to put in the pipes and underground equipment.
The splash pad will measure 55 feet by 55 feet and will be located next to the gazebo, which was relocated from City Park to Dogwood Hills.
There will be a safety feature to keep children from wandering in without supervision, Hill said. The expected opening date is around Labor Day. Hill said the splash fountain will probably be open until November, when it will be closed for the winter and opened again in the spring.
J.A. Dawson of Pelham has been contracted to do the work on both the skate pad and the splash pad fountain at Dogwood Hills.
Funds for the skate park were raised by music festivals put on by the city’s Quality of Life Committee, while the splash pad has been funded by proceeds of the city’s sale of property for the new middle school.
Meanwhile, City Park downtown is also undergoing a major renovation.
Joe Gordy, president of the city’s Tree and Beautification Board, said work is progressing on the park, which is being funded by an anonymous donor. “The base of the fountain has been poured and should be finished within the next three to four weeks,” Gordy said. “The clock, which will stand on the corner of Belleville and Henderson, has been in for several weeks. The work on that will start next. We plan to be through by Sept. 1, but it may take a little longer. The sidewalks will go in last because we don’t want to tear them up with the heavy equipment we are using.”
City Park, when it is finished, will feature a fountain, a new gazebo and a large clock that can be seen from four sides. There is extensive landscaping going on to make the level of the park more user-friendly, Gordy said. There are even some walls being put into place that will double as seating.