Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Monday, May 17, Mayor Toby Barker joined local elected officials and community leaders to cut the ribbon on the latest Your Penny at Work Project – a trail extension for Duncan Lake.
This project includes an 8ft-wide concrete pathway, which extends the current walking trail at Duncan Lake to cover the backside of the 17-acre lake out to Alcorn Avenue. It also includes an archway from the Alcorn Avenue entrance.
The trail not only adds another amenity to the park, but it connects the trail into the East Jerusalem neighborhood and beyond. The connection point to Alcorn Avenue provides for an additional entrance to Duncan Lake, with direct access for the neighbors of East Jerusalem. This addition will easily serve cyclists, walkers and joggers and is ADA-accessible.
“As we celebrate the opening of this trail – we look forward to what is next particularly in this East Jerusalem neighborhood. In addition to this project and a water and sewer improvement project taking place north of here, Alcorn Avenue is set to be paved this summer,” said Barker. “Today is a launching ground for future projects to build onto the completion of this one. All of this – what has happened and what will continue to happen – is your penny at work. We thank the people of Hattiesburg for making that a reality.”
The city is currently looking at ways to extend the multi-use pathway to Hall Avenue in the near future, which will ultimately connect the entire project to the pending Overpass Project and East Hardy Street.
With a total cost of $354,900, this project was primarily funded by the additional 1% restaurant and hotel/motel tax that was voted on by citizens in April of 2019. Originally projected to cost $293,067, the bid for the project included an add-alternate to extend the trail to Alcorn Avenue which provides for the extra cost. Additionally, this project received a $120,000 grant from the MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, championed by the city’s statewide delegation – Representatives Missy McGee (District 102) and Percy Watson (District 103).
“I’m impressed with what I have seen, and it certainly indicates what can happen when the community works together to utilize all the physical resources in our area,” said Watson. “I’ve been representing this area for many years and I commend and congratulate the mayor and his administration for the good works that have happened here. It’s important that we continue to work together to go after the resources to invest in this area.”
McGee added, “This has been a great project to watch from the ground up, Duncan Lake is a hidden treasure for Hattiesburg, and it’s such an incredible asset in the middle of our city. You can be in the middle of nature and still access all of the amenities that come with being in and around Downtown Hattiesburg.”
The ribbon-cutting marks the official opening of the trail, and it is now available for use by the public.
Due to the area’s delicate and species-rich environment, the trail has been carefully designed to not adversely affect its sandhill ecosystem (which includes rare species of birds and trees not found in other habitats). This includes a 60-foot boardwalk in the middle of the trail to minimize human impact on the environment, while still giving visitors and residents an opportunity to experience the outdoors in a different way.
There are only six sandhill environments located in the State of Mississippi and only two that are housed on public lands – Duncan Lake is one of those.
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Reference Links:
Project Announcement: https://www.hattiesburgms.com/news-updates/city-announces-120000-in-funding-for-duncan-lake/
Project Groundbreaking: https://www.hattiesburgms.com/news-updates/your-penny-at-work-hattiesburg-breaks-ground-on-duncan-lake-trail-extension/
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