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Cullman County Commissioner Doug Williams rides a 4-wheeler through a creek at Stony Lonesome OHV Park, a 1,456-acre off-highway vehicle park near Bremen expected to open this fall.
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Future OHV park expected to boost local economy
By David Lazenby
davidl@cullmantimes.com
The development of an off-highway vehicle park shifted into high gear Wednesday when Cullman County officials showed off the 1,456-acre facility to area economic development agents and local media representatives.
The playground for ATV aficionados near Bremen also moved forward Tuesday when it was officially named Stony Lonesome OHV Park at a Cullman County Commission meeting.
At that same meeting, the park’s new manager, John Sellers was introduced.
Sellers, who is being paid about $40,000 per year for his services, said the park will benefit both area residents by providing a new source of recreation, and the local economy, which he said will get a boost from the park expected to open this fall.
“It’s going to attract people from outside of this county to come here,” said Sellers, who relocated to Cullman County from McAllen, Texas to take the position.
Sellers, who Kitchens said was selected from a pool of about 30 candidates — primarily because of his experience promoting parks for various municipalities — added he also expects the park to attract new businesses to an area where few currently exist.
“You’re going to see other businesses develop to support (the park) because it benefits them,” said Sellers who added he expects restaurants and fuel stations to be the first types of business to take advantage of the new facility.
Sellers said he also anticipates the creation of campgrounds and other businesses like those that have cropped up near similar parks.
Sammie Danford, director of Cullman County Economic Development, agreed about the park’s effect on the economy. “This is got to be a huge economic impact on the county,” she said.
Commission Chairman Wiley Kitchens said the facility will also be like similar parks in regard to entrance fees. An admission price has not yet been set, but Kitchens said he believes $20 per day is typical at other parks.
Kitchens said plans for the park have been under way for some time.
“We’ve been working on this about a year and a half,” he said. Originally, the purchase of a tract of land about one-third the size of the park was considered.
However, county officials reconsidered their original plan to buy the land about four miles east of the new park after an environmental study revealed tires buried on the property.
After buying the land where the park will be located for about $1.8 million in March of 2007, Cullman County Economic Development acquired about $1.7 million in grant money from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
According to a Cullman County Economic Development press release, ADECA funding is expected to continue through 2010.
Kitchens said the grant money has been used to pay for design and engineering services, environmental studies, wetlands delineation, surveying and other services necessary before the park can be opened to the public.
“It costs a lot of money to do these things. If the county had to do it on its own, we would not be able to do it,” said Kitchens who added the county has about $250,000 left over from the most recent ADECA grant. This money, he said, will be used to build a park office. “Our grants have been what has paid for this.”
Sellers said workers also will be enhancing roads, trails and other paths at the park to make them more user-friendly.
“What we’re trying to do is make it where no matter where someone goes — they get on a trail — it comes right back to that main core,” Sellers said. “They can’t get lost.”
Kitchens said, “As soon as we can do all this and get our trails marked, laid out and built, by this fall we’ll be able to come in here and be able to ride.”
Bill St. John, the president of St. John & Associates, Inc. the Cullman-based company hired to provide the park’s master plan, said the facility will not be for all-terrain motor vehicle enthusiasts alone.
While he said the biggest portion of the park will have double-track trails, which are ideal for 4-wheelers and other ATVs, he added, “20 percent of the facility is planned for single-track trails for use by motorcycles, bicycles and equestrian.”
St. John said these trails will be segregated by use, and occasionally rotated to provide users with new scenery.
“You don’t want your horses interacting with your motorized vehicles,” Danford said.
Also planned for the park is an environmental education center as well as an environmental education walk, where environmentally sensitive areas will be accessible.
“We tried to make the best use of the property we could,” St. John said. “We kind of let the property determine what the best use would be.”
Other plans include construction of an entrance kiosk, bath houses, campgrounds and an ATV training pavilion.
Danford said the funds garnered from ADECA stipulate the majority of the park be dedicated to use by motorized vehicles.
Along with Sellers, the county hired Cheri Hulsey to serve as the park’s assistant director. Hulsey, who Kitchens said is being paid about $12 per hour, previously worked for the City of Cullman’s Heritage Park.
Hulsey said going from management of a 72-acre facility to one more than 20 times its size, is a challenge she is eager to take on.
Stony Lonesome OHV Park, which will be open throughout the year, is located at 8323 Alabama Highway 69 South.
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