Gwinnett County plans to buy nearly 93 acres near Lawrenceville for a future trail system.
It’s the county’s latest effort to expand a park system that has grown to nearly 10,000 acres, 177 sports fields and 128 miles of trails.
The county Board of Commissioners Tuesday voted to authorize the county to spend nearly $2.2 million to buy the property from Rooker Gwinnett LLC. The property lies along the Alcovy River east of the Gwinnett County Airport.
Gwinnett plans to use the property for a trail network that would link to existing trails that run to nearby Rhodes Jordan Park. Eventually, the network could link to county trails near Buford and the Mall of Georgia.
County Commissioner John Heard, who represents the area, said there is no specific timetable to develop the new trails. Gwinnett will pay for the purchase with money from a voter-approved 2009 special sales tax for capital projects.
The Lawrenceville purchase is one of several steps the county has taken recently to expand its park system.
On Tuesday Gwinnett also opened its 49th park – J.B. Williams Park on Five Forks Trickum Road near Lilburn. In May commissioners agreed to buy the 53-acre E.E. Robinson Park from the City of Sugar Hill for $10 million.
And in June Gwinnett released a preliminary $7.1 million plan to develop the 227-acre Simpsonwood Park in Peachtree Corners.
About the Author
