Local News
OHV park opening Saturday
By Patrick McCreless
STAFF WRITER
After months of delays, Cullman County’s all-terrain vehicle park will open this weekend.
“I’m very pleased we finally reached that point,” said Cullman County Commission Chairman James Graves.
The Stony Lonesome Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Park will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Afterward, the park will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s located off Highway 69 near Bremen.
“We’ll let the weather warm up a little before we go full steam and open all week,” said John Sellers, director of the OHV Park.
The OHV Park, a $2 million project that spans 1,465 acres, features 35 miles of trails for all-terrain vehicles such as four-wheelers as well as trails for bikes and horseback riding.
Ticket prices will be $15 per Jeep, dirt bike and four-wheeler drivers; $10 per horse riders, $5 per mountain bike riders and $3 for hikers.
Sellers said the construction of a turn lane off of Alabama Highway 69 to the main entrance of the park was what was holding back the opening the last few weeks.
“We’ve got it (turn lane) done on our side of the road ... got it to where we can use that section of it to get people in and out of the park safely,” Sellers said.
The Alabama Department of Transportation requested the turning lane in October for safety reasons. The department agreed in November to cover the turn lane’s $100,000 construction cost.
The request forced officials to delay the park’s opening several times since its original scheduled opening in October.
Intense rainfall throughout December delayed the park’s rescheduled opening in December by hampering construction work on the turn lane as well as the facility’s main parking lot.
More heavy rainfall in January flooded parts of the county, including the OHV Park. Several of the park’s trails were washed away as a result, which forced construction crews to create new ones.
“We’ve worked on the trails for quite some time and now we just need to get some riders in there,” Sellers said.
To Graves, the park will be a benefit to the local economy.
“I anticipate businesses will spring up nearby,” Graves said.
He said those who come to ride at the park will need fuel and food and even places to wash their vehicles once they are done.
“And that will create more jobs,” he said.
For more information about the OHV Park, call 287-1133 or go to the park’s web site at www.stonylonesomeohv.us.
‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.
- Local News
-
-
Fugitive alleged child molester found
A Cullman County man who has been on the run since he was accused of molesting a child in 2006, was found in Mississippi Tuesday.
-
Man arrested for impersonating deputy
A local man who allegedly impersonated a Cullman County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested by a real one Thursday.
-
Possible homicide in Fairview
Cullman County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a possible homicide, which occurred in Fairview Friday.
-
Residents tour local farm, industries
The Cullman County Farm-City committee held their annual tour Thursday and toured Birmingham Fastener, Tinney Farms and the Cullman Stockyard.
-
Veterans Day celebration starts Saturday morning
A city and county-wide Veteran’s Day celebration will be Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with Civil War re-enactors a Depot Park. Events will continue throughout the day at the Festhalle Market Platz.
-
Hanceville police recover active meth lab, stolen property in home
Two Hanceville men are behind bars after police allegedly recovered a working meth lab and about $20,000 worth of stolen property Wednesday from a local residence.
-
City: Water meets all standards
As far as Cullman city officials are concerned, they provide some of the highest-quality water in the area.
-
Sumiton fugitive returned to Cullman to face charges
A Sumiton man who eluded about 50 area law enforcement officers during an April manhunt, only to be arrested in Walker County in July, was recently returned to Cullman County to face charges.
-
Cleaning up
Nearly half a dozen workers have spent time at Cullman Memory Gardens this week, mowing and trimming a cemetery that has largely been neglected the past year.
-
Baileyton receives grant for electrical problems at park
The town of Baileyton has received the Land and Water Conservation Grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).
- More Local News Headlines
-
Fugitive alleged child molester found
