Park opening delayed again

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December 24, 2008

By Patrick McCreless The Cullman Times Wed Dec 24, 2008, 03:48 PM CST

Apparently Mother Nature will not give John Sellers a break.

Sellers, director of the Stony Lonesome Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Park, told the Cullman County Commission on Tuesday that the facility would not open to the public until Feb. 4. due to recent rainfall.

This is the third opening postponement for the OHV Park since October.

“It’s tough,” Sellers said. “We just can’t get a safe way to get the public in there.”

Sellers said the rain has kept workers from completing the facility’s parking lot.

“We cannot get the gravel down there on those heavy trucks,” Sellers said. “It’s just been so wet.”

Earlier this month, the park’s grand opening was moved from December to January and a tentative “soft opening” was set for Dec. 27. Sellers noted the soft opening was moved to next year as well.

“If by the first or second week of January we can get the gravel down there, we will announce a soft opening,” Sellers said.

The OHV Park, a $2 million project that spans 1,465 acres and is located near Bremen, will mainly feature trails for all-terrain vehicles such as four-wheelers, but it will also have trails for bikes and horseback riding. Approximately 100 tracks for all-terrain vehicles have been constructed as well as eight miles of mountain bike tracks.

The park was originally scheduled to open in October. The date was moved to December due to the state’s request for a turn lane at the facility’s main entrance.

The turn lane, which will be built on Alabama Highway 69, was required for safety. The Alabama Department of Transportation agreed in November to cover the $100,000 cost for the turn lane construction.

Despite the multiple delays, Sellers said citizens have not been discouraged.

“The interest is just phenomenal,” Sellers said. “We’re getting hundreds of calls.”

In addition to agreeing to postpone the park opening, the commission:

‰ accepted property donated to the county by Nancy Tucker.

‰ awarded a $128,990 bid for two 25-yard rear-loading refuse trucks for the sanitation department.

‰ awarded a $78,925 bid for two 6-cubic yard side-loading garbage trucks for the sanitation department.

‰ awarded a $14,544 bid to erect a 40 by 50 by 12 foot steel maintenance building for the OHV Park.

‰ agreed to authorize the chairman to sign an agreement with Lamar Advertising for a billboard ad to be placed at the Hartselle exit on Interstate 65 to promote the OHV and other Cullman County Parks.

‰ agreed to increase the Economic Development Board budget by $5,000.

‰ Patrick McCreless can be contacted by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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