White Co Parks And Rec Master Plan Presented To Commission

Aquatic facilities, walking trails and river access highlighted the finalized White County Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Consultant Kevin Guenther presented the plan to county commissioners Monday night. He said over 790 online surveys and several public meetings resulted in the findings.

“Every county and every city I have worked with that has adopted a plan has been able to get some kind of leverage to actually build something, to actually put something in the ground and make something happen,” Guenther said. “That’s my desire for White County.”

The County Commission voted to acknowledge the plan and send it to committee to draft a formal resolution.

Commission Chair Stanley Neal said he would like to see Cane Hollow Recreational Facility at Center Hill Lake added to the plan. Neal said the area has a lot of activity from residents.

“That’s something that should be on the radar for the county as a whole,” Neal said. “Just a lot of activity going on down there, so that’s just something we may want to add to it before we vote on it as a resolution.”

Guenther said once approved, the master plan opens the door to pursue funding to fulfill the projects.

“Next year using this master plan, it’s our suggestion to apply to at least one grant,” Guenther said. “I would suggest applying to three or four. You’ll maybe get one the first year, but a lot of times if you come back with the same grant and they see that you’re serious, a lot of times you’ll get it.”

Guenther said he also recommended focusing on adding to the White County Recreational Park. Guenther said this would be a logical location to develop a splash pad.

“A splash pad is a great catalyst to get people to the park, and then, they discover all these other things that are going on at the park and they want to stay for more,” Guenther said. “Even if you had ball games going on, well now the rest of the family has the splash pad. I few people from surrounding areas come to the splash pad, and then, discover your nature trails and they come back.”

Guenther said the Old White County Middle School Property and the YMCA could also be feasible locations. Guenther said a big draw that the county should take advantage of is more greenways and walking trails.

Guenther said playgrounds and community spaces were also ranked highly.