Work is progressing smoothly on the first phase of the Lowndes County Horse Park ahead of its expected December completion.
The horse park is located on a 22-acre site west of Columbus directly south of Highway 82 on Tom Rose Road. Lowndes County Administrator Ralph Billingsley said the project will probably be completed in phases, depending on funding received from the state. An office building for Mississippi State University’s Lowndes County Extension branch is currently under construction. A roofed, open-air pavilion about the size of a football field will be built at a later date.
So far, the horse park has been an entirely state-funded project. Billingsley said the Legislature approved $1.2 million in 2015 to build it and an additional $400,000 in this year’s legislative session.
Funding has been sufficient for the new 5,000 square-foot office facility, along with an access road and water and sewage service, but Billingsley said the county will request more funding next year for the arena.
“If we get money, or the amount that we get, will dictate when that part will start,” Billingsley said.
Billingsley noted it’s also possible that the county might use some of its money for the project.
The Extension office, which is partially constructed, is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Lowndes County Extension Agent Reid Nevins said the office, beyond acting as a home for the County Extension Service, can be used for group meetings or events.
“In our current Extension office (located at 318 Seventh St. N.), we don’t even have a meeting room,” he said. “We have to use community centers or the Farm Bureau office if need a meeting room. With this we’ll have our own space. It will be a good thing for us.”
“It’s a covered arena that can be used for horse equine groups, livestock shows — anything that warrants needing a covered, outdoor facility.”
Once the arena is complete, Nevins said it could equine groups and livestock shows. It could also accommodate a greenhouse and ATV safety classes, he added.
Nevins said the horse park will be the first public facility of its kind in Lowndes County. Though the facility won’t be as robust as the 100-acre Mississippi Horse Park in Oktibbeha County, he said it should still offer plenty of use for locals.
“I know a lot of people who drive from Columbus to Starkville during the winter,” he said. “Now they won’t have to drive as far. It’s not just for Lowndes. It’s for surrounding counties–for whoever wants to use it.
“It’s going to be good for the community, good for the city and county,” Nevins added. “It’s good for everybody.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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