BYRON, Ga. — The city of Byron is adding a new outdoor skate park, and tearing down the old Byron elementary school to make room for the addition.
The school will be demolished later this year to "ramp up" for the new grounds. The city is planning to build the skate park near its municipal complex. This approval will make it the second skate park in Central Georgia.
The City of Byron Tourism Specialist, Selina Hall, said though the project does not have a set timeline, the city hopes this new addition will become a community hub for all Georgians to enjoy.
"We're still in the beginning phases of everything but hopefully we'll have competitions and we'll have different things that happen at the skate park that would bring in people throughout the state of Georgia," Hall said.
The city received a $250,000 federal grant supported by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The city confirmed it will finance the destruction of the old elementary school.
Hall said it's an opportunity for neighboring communities further in distance from the Macon-Bibb County area to have access to a new source of recreational fun.
"We're the only one closer to Warner Robins and Perry so it'll help bring in people or families who are not typically in Byron," Hall said. "They'll come to participate in the skate park activities and hopefully come to events like Food Truck Friday and things like that."
Hall said she isn't sure if Byron is home to a large skate community, but wants it to be an activity people of all ages can look forward to.
"Well have an activity that people aren't used to seeing in Byron," Hall said. "It'll bring people out for curiosity as well as their kids may get interested in skating and skateboarding."