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At its Tuesday night meeting, the Troup County Board of Commissioners decided to use a recently awarded grant to renovate and expand two-and-a-half miles of trails along the northern portion of Pyne Road Park.

The $100,000 reimbursed grant from the Department of Natural Resources will be used to enhance as much as eight miles of trails in the park for mountain biking, hiking and equestrian use. An estimated $60,000 of the grant will also be used for renovations on the horse arena at the park in the form of new signage, lights and sand.

“It’s really maintaining what we currently have and making some enhancements to make [the facility] much more sustainable,” said County Manager Eric Mosley. “One [item] on our master plan for Pyne Road Park would be to allow [for trails to be built] in the southern section.”

The new development is part of an agreement with Mountain Bike Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association.

Brett Davidson, executive director MTB, noted similar trails were set up in areas like Auburn and West Point, but such enhancements have the potential to bring in opportunities like biking events to the area. The current trails in West Point are not equipped for equestrian use, Davidson noted.

“This would be the place the county could hang their hat for passive outdoor recreation,” Davidson said.

Sonja Jones, a member of the Troup County Saddle Club, inquired about additional amenities for the park, including a culvert pipe for better drainage of water on the trails and security cameras for the parking lots.  Mosley said these amenities were being considered. The county is working with Diverse Power to run both internet and electrical lines throughout the park as part of the construction of the Oakfuskee Conservation Center.