NEWTON COUNTY - Newton County broke ground on Spring Hill Park, soon to be located at 757 Lower River Road.

The park has been a dream of area residents for a long time, making its way onto the ballot as part of the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) with $500,000 in funding. Community meetings began in October of 2021 and an addition $5.5 million was dedicated to the park form unallocated SPLOST funds.

“I know this is an exciting time for our community as we want to make sure we make Newton County a great place to live, play and work,” Marcello Banes said. “Without the county’s support of the SPLOST this would not be possible.”

The park will feature green space, a playground, a walking trail, a pavilion and a community center.

Meetings were held with community members throughout the course of a year to gather input on what amenities were desired and a suitable location.

“I am so thrilled to see this come to fruition,” said District 5 Commissioner Ronnie Cowan, whose district the park was in when planning started. “I think everybody in the community is going to be well served by this.”

The park is expected to be completed by summer of 2024. You can find out more about the park at https://www.co.newton.ga.us/649/Spring-Hill-Park-Update.

“It was because of these young people who said, ‘We are saying no to not do

ing anything in our community’. I know Commissioner Cowan heard them, I heard them and the Board of Commissioners heard them say ‘We want something done in our community,’” said District 4 Commissioner J.C. Henderson, whose district the park is now in, following redistricting. “Something is happening here.”