$2.1 million land purchase will help Macon extend the Ocmulgee Trail.

The Ocmulgee Heritage Trail is one step closer to completion after the Macon-Bibb County Board of Commissioners approved purchasing parcels of land adjacent to Amerson River Park.

The parcels, which are along along the Ocmulgee River, total to about 10 acres, according to county documents, and will be purchased for a little over $2.1 million.

Chris Floore, chief communications officer with Macon-Bibb County, said once the purchase is complete, the county will begin the process of converting the land into a new leg of the already 13-mile long Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, an ongoing project county leaders hope will connect Macon’s most iconic spots with winding, scenic trails that preserve the city’s natural features.

Acquiring the property adjacent to Amerson River Park is a major leap forward for the project, Floore said, because it will connect other north Macon properties the county previously acquired with the rest of the trail and place the park at the center of the development.

“That is the connecting piece we’ve been missing for years,” Floore said.

NewTown Macon and the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority will be involved in acquiring, designing and developing the new section of the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail alongside the county. Both organizations will contribute about $250,000 each towards buying the land, according to the resolution authorizing Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller to go through with the purchase.

Another $1.8 million will come from 2018 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds, county documents show.

Floore and James Fritze, president and CEO of NewTown Macon, said Macon-Bibb County has been in talks with the family who owns the property since about 2019, when the the Georgia Department of Transportation donated about 250 acres of land located near Arkwright Road.

The owners agreed to sell it to the county earlier this year for about $2.1 million, which is about $600,000 less than what the property is estimated to be worth, Floore said.

Fritze said that the county is set to close on the riverfront property this fall. The design process for the trail will begin soon after. While it may be a few years before the new section of the trail is complete, Floore and Fritz said it will be a worthy addition to the community for visitors and residents alike.

“The trail is a labor of love for us all,” Fritze said. “Trails bring communities together.”