SPRINGFEILD, Ga. ()– A pickleball court, floating dock and renovated restrooms are just a few of the exciting improvements at Effingham County’s Baker Park.

Baker Park is beloved by the community but has been closed for about a year due to ongoing construction. Effingham County City Manager Tim Callanan said these upgrades are long overdue.

“It badly needed renovations, and the facilities were either dated or dilapidated,” Callanan said. “The trail system because of the trees around, it was kind of getting uprooted a little bit.  There was a kind of a desperate need for a refresh here, but we took the opportunity not just to refresh it, but just to add a bunch of stuff to it as well.”

Baker Park is known for their walking trails, but Callanan said this park will be so much more than that. They will offer opportunities for many other waters and outdoor activities.

“We’re adding pickleball courts there, which I know people are excited about,” Callanan. “We’re adding a paddleboat dock. We wanted to make it really easy for folks who wanted to bring a little kayak or a stand-up paddleboard or whatever they want to do there. New restrooms, paved parking, a dog park and we’re refurbishing the entire trail system in there.”

Callanan said all of the new renovations were made with the community’s needs in mind.

The county filled out surveys and through them they discovered Baker Park to be the second most popular park in the county. This was a surprise to him and his team, Callanan said.

The park renovations were funded through SPLOST funding, but before they received funding the county created a plan. The county said that allowed for them to get right to work when the funds came.

“We already started the design before we actually had the SPLOST approved,” Callahan said. We were able to start this one a little quicker and again, we’re, we’re hoping to start construction on three more renovations within the before the end of the year.”

Officials with Effingham County told the park is set to open in the fall. Once this project is completed, they said they’ll begin work on another park in county.