Twenty years after the City of Macon purchased 21 acres around Cliffview Lake, local leaders cut the ribbon on a new park nestled between Houston Avenue and Antioch Road.
In 2004, then-mayor C. Jack Ellis secured $52,000 to buy the land through Georgia Governor Roy Barnes’ Greenspace Trust that sought to preserve 20 percent of the land in each of the state’s counties.
The city didn’t have the money to develop the property at the time, but Mayor Lester Miller took advantage of $1.8 million in SPLOST funds to purchase additional property, including a blighted home, and create the passive park.
Thursday, county leaders got their first look at the renovations which Miller said could help revitalize the surrounding residential neighborhood and bring in more families with children to attend Bruce Elementary. The county plans to build more affordable housing in the area as it continues to remove blight.
In September of 2022, Macon-Bibb County commissioners toured the undeveloped park and began to envision the new public park.
The Commission hired Warren Associates to build the park designed by landscape architect Laurie Fickling and erect pavilion plans drawn by her mother, architect Shannon Fickling.
After taking a lap on the new trail, Ellis said this slice of nature so close to the city provides the tranquility and relaxation that envisioned for all to enjoy.
“They did a great job here, I commend them for what they’ve done,” he said.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom of the Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
