Dougherty County held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 10 a.m. to commemorate the renovated Pine Glen Park in District 6. Some of the upgrades to the park include piping and covering of open ditches, the creation of a new play area and installation of new playground equipment, parking lot, added vegetation, barbeque grill, and shelter with bench.

Commissioner Jones opened the ceremony with comments on the park and the significance of the Neighborhood Watch groups and their involvement in helping to support these types of pro- jects in the county. The Pine Glen Neighborhood Watch Group is one of seven neighborhood watch groups in Jones’ district.

“The quality of life is key to a good neighborhood,” said Commissioner Anthony Jones, Dougherty County District 6. “This park will provide that qualify of life to these residents and their families and I want to thank Mr. Michael McCoy, our County Administrator, and our Public Works department for making this happen.”

Established in the early 1970’s by developer Builder’s Homes of Georgia, the original Pine Glen Park was fenced across the front of the property, consisting of a sliding board and swing set built by Creso-lumber. At this time, there were open ditches carrying storm drainage water from the streets to the back of the property and stormwater then draining into a canal located behind the residential lots.

Until the late 1990’s, the park was serviced by the neighborhood residents and the City of Al- bany Parks and Recreation Department and Dougherty County Public Works was designated and responsible of maintenance for the park. At that time, Dougherty County Public Works did not have a Parks division, so only the grass was mowed by the mowing crew. In the mid-2000’s, Dougherty County Public Works developed a Parks Division with plans to redevelop Pine Glen Park. With a push from the Neighborhood Association, the Dougherty County Board of Com- missioners allocated funding to make the redevelopment possible and Pine Glen was re-estab- lished and completed in 2021.

Pine Glen resident and Dougherty County resident of 40 years, Dr. Dean Phinazee, recognized all of the residents and Neighborhood Watch members in attendance at today’s ribbon cutting. “This is an example of the power of a community and I’m proud to be a part,” said Phinazee, who also serves as president of the Pine Glen Neighborhood Watch Group.

For more information about Dougherty County Parks, visit dougherty.ga.us.