Improved Amerson River Park set to re-open later this spring

For patrons who have been waiting impatiently for Amerson River Park to reopen after it closed last year for improvements, officials say the new amenities will make the wait worthwhile.

While no opening date has been set, the park may be available by late April or early May.

Visitors will be able to see some of the $5.5 million in improvements immediately upon entering, thanks to a new front gate, a new roundabout and increased parking.

Once they enter the park, visitors will be able to enjoy a host of new amenities, including:

A canoe/kayak take-out, which will allow boaters to leave the Ocmulgee River near the Porter Pavilion with their vehicles nearby, rather than having to go by river all the way to the ramp near the Spring Street bridge. Boaters will be able to walk up a series of stone steps to the parking lot rather than having to climb a hill, and officials are looking at installing a pulley system that will provide an easier way to remove a boat from the river instead of having to carry it up the steps.

About 3 1/2 miles of paved trails for walkers, joggers, cyclists and roller bladers, with the possibility of more if funding becomes available. No motorized vehicles, such as motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles, will be allowed on the trails. There’s also a series of natural, unpaved trails in the park.

Two new pavilions flanking a new overlook along the Ocmulgee. Designed by Macon architect Shannon Fickling, the overlook provides the most scenic view of the river in the park and will be an ideal spot for weddings, family reunions and other private events. Macon-Bibb County spokesman Chris Floore said many of the park amenities, such as the pavilions, will be available for rental.

“We’re looking at renting it out,” he said. “We’ll have different pricing structures in place.”

UNFINISHED WORK

Perhaps the most important thing to note about the river park is that it’s a work in progress, said Bill Causey of the Macon-Bibb County Engineering Department.

Because of cost, officials had to make changes to the park’s original plan.

“Early on, we had to make a lot of really hard decisions about what to take out and what to leave in,” he said. “We had to scale some things back from what we wanted it to look like.”

Former U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall was able to secure about $5.5 million in funding for the park while he was still in office, and locally, NewTown Macon helped raise matching and private funding for some of the park’s projects.

For example, former interim Macon Water Authority Chairman Kirby Godsey donated his entire salary as chairman to help pay for the signage that will direct the park’s visitors, said Josh Rogers, president and CEO of NewTown.

The Bragg Jam board contributed $10,000 a year for four years to pay for the canoe take-out, while the Lewis Foundation has donated about $150,000 for education at the park.

NewTown was the steward of the park when it initially opened, and it was able to operate the park in large part thanks to nearly $2.5 million from the Peyton Anderson Foundation.

NewTown will be turning the park’s stewardship over to Macon-Bibb’s Parks and Beautification Department.

When officials realized they wouldn’t have enough money to finish everything they wanted to do, Causey said, they used the sandy creek in the northwest part of the park as a border. The creek is usually dry, but it takes much of the overflow from the Ocmulgee when there’s a lot of rain and the river rises. That makes it difficult to plan for improvements in the area, he said.

Construction workers also encountered their share of previously unknown challenges, many of which stemmed from the park’s being the previous home of a Macon Water Authority treatment plant until the Flood of ‘94. Because the issues had to be addressed, it took away from the project’s funding and is one reason why officials had to change their plans.

Under the direction of the park’s namesake, the late Frank Amerson, the authority relocated its water treatment plant out of the park to its current location near Javors Lucas Lake. Many of the old reservoirs were left intact after the MWA demolished its structures at the park, meaning they had to be cleared out.

“That was the first big hiccup we had,” Causey said. “To keep going, we had to take the things out.”

In addition, workers discovered that the foundation for a parking lot near the playground was essentially a bog.

Rather than haul in dirt, officials took a less-expensive approach by cutting down a hill and using that dirt to fill in. That decision, in turn, gave the park another flat field where patrons can play sports or other activities.

Causey said the plan is for Amerson River Park to stay mostly a passive park. The stone design throughout the park is designed to evoke the look of many state and national parks.

The park will be a work in progress for many years to come. Rogers and Causey noted that eventually, the plan is to add a trail that leads to Riverside Cemetery. That, in turn, will eventually link up to the main part of the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail and, beyond that, to the trails at the Ocmulgee National Monument.

Rogers said about 100,000 people a year now use the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, and the river park should be an added draw to the city.

Causey said it will now take private funding and donations to plug the gaps and finish all of the park’s projects.

Officials hope there’s a sense of community ownership with the park. There are a number of things to improve the park that would make for a good Eagle Scout project, he said.

Floore said he’d like to see a Friends of Amerson River Park form and spearhead the park’s development in partnership with the city, much in the same way Macon-Bibb has worked with Friends of Tattnall Square Park for improvements there.

“The more groups that are interested in (Amerson River Park), the better,” he said.

Added Rogers: “We want people to contribute to this project.”

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.

This story was originally published March 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Improved Amerson River Park set to re-open later this spring."