During a time when developers seemed to be snatching up prime real estate at neck-breaking pace, Northaven Woods subdivision claimed six acres of wooded area as a neighborhood park.
They wanted something they and their children could enjoy, rather than commercial development backed up to the southern end of the neighborhood.
“We wanted to keep it for family gatherings and just have a great family setting,” said Whirllie Byrd, who has lived in Northaven Woods for 23 years.
So in 2007, they broke ground on Northaven Woods Neighborhood Park. Without much funding, little work was done on the project until the Columbus City Council and Lowndes County Board of Supervisors agreed to allocate $30,000 to the project as part of a countywide neighborhood parks plan.
The funds added a quarter-mile walking trail, lighted pavilion and park benches to the area. The park also features a swing and slide set, and neighbors hope to add at least one more large piece of playground equipment.
The quiet nook, just off Tufline Lane, on Marguerite Drive, preserves the beauty of nature, with trees kept along the trail and grassy areas welcoming ducks and other birds.
Though the park was completed in late 2010, it will host its official grand opening Saturday from 1-4 p.m., inviting the public for food, music and various children”s activities. The event is free and open to the public.
There also will be raffle tickets on sale for products and services throughout the area. Proceeds will go toward upkeep of and improvements to the park.
A walkway leads into the park from Wisteria Road in Columbus. Fourteen-year-old Jamere was walking along the road on Tuesday afternoon, walking home from the bus stop.
“I take my little brother out there most of the time, because he”s two and he loves to play,” said Jamere, who has lived in the neighborhood with her mother, Simón Davis, since last year.
“You want to go to the park now?” she asked her walking companions, as they headed home.
Donna Jones, who has lived on Camellia Circle for 12 years, also was preparing to head to the park, to get in a few laps on the walking trail.
“I just found out they had a walking track out there,” she said. “I think a lot of people will be excited about that because we usually just walk through the neighborhood.”
Jones has two grandchildren, ages 8 and 10, whom she takes to the park occasionally.
“I think that is really going to be a nice feature,” she said of the nearby park.
LaShon, a 12-year-old, who also lives at the corner of Wisteria and Azalea, said he has frequented the park since last year.
“I like it a lot, so I can actually do something. I have fun,” said LaShon, who has lived in the neighborhood for about four years. His dad, LaShon Webb, also is glad to have the park nearby.
Saturday, representatives from the Columbus City Council, Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority will be on hand to christen the park, along with other elected officials and community members.
Northaven Woods residents are welcome to enter the park at the walkway from Wisteria Road. Community members should enter through Marguerite Drive. From Wilkins-Wise Road, Marguerite is the first left off of Tufline Road, which runs behind Monroe Tufline farm equipment and Pizza Hut.
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