Connecting downtown to Lake Lanier, the Rock Creek Greenway is experiencing further improvements this winter and into spring. The renovations and improvements of popular Longwood Park, a vital amenity of the greenway, will be ready sometime this spring.
Within walking distance of downtown Gainesville, Longwood Park along the shorelines of the lake, Longwood Park has long been the most-booked and -used recreation facility in the city of Gainesville. Eight tennis courts, two pavilions, a kitchen/restroom building, two playgrounds, nature trails, lake access and paved parking have drawn an average of more than 1 million residents and visitors annually who use the facilities of Gainesville Parks & Recreation.
In November, work began on extensive renovations and improvements. Perhaps most significant was razing the park’s 40-year-old pavilion, one of the most rented in the park’s system. In its place, the city is rebuilding a new 5,000-square-foot Dogwood Pavilion, expected to open this spring.
“The reconstruction and redesign of Dogwood pavilion is perhaps one of the most visible of the amazing improvements at Longwood Park,” said Kate Mattison, director of Gainesville Parks & Recreation. “During the summer the pavilion was leveled; since then it is being completely rebuilt, including new restrooms, outdoor grills, an adjacent modernized kitchen building, seat walls and an outdoor fireplace.”
In addition to the pavilion, new walking paths will bring visitors directly to the pavilion from the parking lot. ADA parking has been improved with a spacious turnaround. A new playground will be added, and the parking lot will be repaved. The existing tennis courts continue to be open and will not be part of the renovations.
Wide concrete pathways will lead directly to the fishing pier, a courtesy boat dock and canoe-kayak rentals. A shed dedicated to maintenance equipment is being built – equipment was previously stored in a closet in Dogwood Pavillion – to provide tools and supplies to assignments maintenance workers along the Rock Creek Greenway section of the trail.
An artist’s rendering of the new pavilion at Longwood Park.
With two miles of forested trails that connect downtown Gainesville to the shores of the lake, Rock Creek Greenway incorporates four Gainesville parks – Rock Creek Veterans Park, Ivey Terrace Park, Wilshire Trails Park and Longwood Park.
It’s all part of the 35-mile Highlands to Islands pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly trail that connects the Midland Greenway to Rock Creek Greenway with access from the Gainesville Square to the lake. Eventually the Highlands to Islands Trail will include pathways along Friendship Road and Lanier Islands Parkway near Flowery Branch.
The Highlands to Islands Trail was conceived in 2005 by Vision 2030 as a forward-looking plan created by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. Citizens were surveyed and the findings outlined what the community prioritized for a community they’d like to live, work and raise families with a common vision.
Additionally, Gainesville Parks & Recreation is continuing the implementation of the 2030 Master Plan that focuses on preparing for the recent and future growth of the community. The agency intends to upgrade and add amenities and facilities at every park, while also acquiring and developing new parkland.
For more than four decades, the 36-acre Longwood Park has been managed by the city through a lease with the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps maintains ownership of the federal lands adjacent to Lake Lanier and the city provides management and upkeep services. Funding was awarded to Gainesville Parks & Recreation from a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to help fund the replacement of Dogwood Pavilion.
“We’re as eager as the public to reopen the park just in time for the spring and summer recreation season,” Mattison said. “This is a fantastic upgrade that I’m sure will attract even more visitors to this beautiful part of Gainesville and Lake Lanier. Direct lake access for residents is always top of mind for our agency, and we are excited to provide this beautiful new amenity. Longwood Cove even has views of the North Georgia Mountains on a clear day.”
Photos/graphics: provide by Gainesville Parks & Recreation
