Pickens County plans nine-acre recreation parks

Pickens County intends to develop two recreation parks on Norris Highway and Madden Bridge Road.  According to the county announcement, one part of the property will be used as a put-in spot for kayaking through the Twelve Mile River Gorge, with a take-out spot five miles downstream.  The plans call for picnic facilities, a lake boating and fishing access, possible outdoor recreation stores and walking trails between the two different locations. The project is estimated at $1.9 million and is to be mostly funded by the Lake Hartwell Natural Resource Damages Settlement, which compensates for contamination of chemicals.  Those PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were dumped into the river by a manufacturing plant in Pickens years ago.  Chairman Jennifer H. Willis and Council members Neil Smith and Trey Whitehurst are singled out for their work on the project.  The park will be open and free to the public once construction is completed. Pickens County obtained a portion of the proposed park property through eminent domain after the owner failed to honor a signed contract for purchase between the parties.  The county’s ownership became final when the property owner failed to file a legal challenge within the time period mandated by state law.   The proper compensation to the property owner is still to be determined, but the county has maintained throughout that it would honor the written contract.