When Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan drives past McCall Park near Highway 21, he is proud of what the old sand lot has become.
Callanan said to the best of his recollection, improvements to the park were just under $1 million and included a multi-purpose field, dog parks and a basketball court among other things. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to commemorate the upgraded facility in 2022.
“You cannot fit anymore people in that park,” said Callanan. “The baseball field is always being used. You say to you yourself, ‘What were those folks doing before?’ It drives you to do more.”
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Locals like Rafael Watson utilize the park to socialize and exercise.
“This is a nice area,” said Watson. “I need the cardio.”
Effingham County resident Agnes Graham pointed to the parks appeal and variety of amenities.
“The extra fields and dog park is appealing, it has more play space and they keep the park clean too,” said Graham.
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The upgrades to parks in Effingham County is just the beginning.
Every park in the county will receive some sort of upgrade. The cost for each project has not been determined yet.
One of the county’s most popular parks, the Clarence E. Morgan Complex, will get a splash pad and the addition of multi-purpose fields.
“We’re going to be doing seven of those – almost like a stadium field [and] one of them is going to be artificial turf so we can host tournaments,” Callanan said.
The county plans to award the bid for renovations to Baker Park soon. Upgrades will include a dog park, paddle boat launch and pickleball courts.
Callanan said it is imperative the county does “whatever we have to do” to ensure all parks match the standard of Clarence Morgan, a large park that plays host to baseball and softball tournaments. Callanan thinks Baker Park, which is located in Meldrim, has not been touched in 20 years, prompting commissioners to ensure it gets a facelift too. Improvements include renovations to the tennis court, the addition of striping for pickleball, as well as renovations to the basketball court and pavilion.
Truelton Trail will be a newly constructed pathway for runners, walkers and cyclists alike. The goal is to connect the trail to neighborhoods like Old Marlow and then to Pine Park and Sand Hill Park.
The county is also considering building new parks to help support the county’s growing population.
“For growth, we really got to expand our park offerings,” said Callanan. “So we’re looking at some properties right now for expansion that I think people are going to get super excited [about].”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Local parks in Effingham County to receive a facelift
