THOMAS COUNTY, GA — Cassidy Pond Park closes for $1 million renovation project to add disc golf, trails, and a new pavilion.
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Cassidy Pond Park is temporarily closed for renovations as construction officially begins on a project funded by a nearly $1 million grant to bring more recreational space to Thomas County.
Barricades and a sign currently block the entrance to the park. The city’s Director of Parks and Recreation, Mike Owens, shared a final rendering of the upgrades, which include a walking trail around the pond, a fishing pier, an 18-hole disc golf course, restrooms, parking, and a pavilion. The renovations aim to turn the park into a destination where visitors can spend hours.
"This side of town is really growing," Mike Owens said. "There's a neighborhood just on the other side of the park, and there's a new neighborhood just being constructed right now across the street. So these people now don't have to drive the five or six miles into town. They can come home from work. They can then walk to this park and recreate, and I think that just increases the quality of life for people on this side of town. There's not really any parks over here."
The park previously served as a passive, rural-type space where people fished, rested, and picnicked without facilities.
"I'm excited for this park because before this, this is a very passive park," Owens said. "We're still inside the city limits, but it's still more of a rural type of park. So that's what it was, very passive. People fished in the pond, and people came out here to rest and relax and maybe picnic, but there were no facilities. We're going to upgrade that to where they're going to have a place to walk. They're going to have a place to recreate. They're going to have a place to play disc golf."
Neighbors in the area are also looking forward to the upgrades. Dave Nardi looks out at the construction from his window every day and is eager for the park to reopen, which is expected this fall, around October or November. He noted the park is especially needed for kids to have a close and safe place to go.
"It looks like they're doing a wonderful job, and I'm very happy to be a part of it," Dave Nardi said. "Oh yeah, I moved here. I've been here two years. I've been coming to Cassidy Park every day, right across the street."
"They're not in the streets, playing in the streets and getting in trouble," Nardi said.
Next to the temporary closure sign, a QR code directs visitors to the city’s park website, which will be updated as the project moves forward.
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