MACON, Ga. — Pleasant Hill's Linear Park is set to get some big updates. The park, near Walnut Street and 5th Avenue in Macon, has plenty of space and places to sit.
Now, some grant money is helping to get some improvements added. Just past the barrier separating the highway from Pleasant Hill, it's a slice of peace and quiet.
"It's serene. It's beautiful. It's peaceful," Sophia Roberts, who uses the park often, said.
There's space to go on a walk or let the kids ride their bikes, but there are big changes coming to the park, thanks to neighbors in Pleasant Hill and some grant money from the state.
"We meet regularly, monthly, every second Saturday," Tonja Khabir told Macon-Bibb County commissioners Tuesday.
All those meetings are to decide how to spend about $1.375 million in grants. Part of that money is $68,000 the county is using to hire a project management group that Khabir, a Pleasant Hill native, is heading.
Over the next few months, Khabir's group will work with contractors to make sure they add shade trees, pavilions, recreational options and park signage.
"We'll also have specific community engagement events," Khabir said.
Those events will be for Pleasant Hill to decide who to name the park after. The goal is to name the park after someone from Pleasant Hill. That way, anyone who uses the park will see it's a community effort. That vote could come around May or June, according to Khabir's timeline.
Roberts hopes it's a place for people to relax.
"Self-care, you know. Just getting out. Getting some of the sun. You know, looking at the beautiful grass, it'll be very beneficial. And it's free!" she said.
Khabir plans to keep the community updated through regular meetings and input sessions, leading up to a park reopening ceremony around August.