Toccoa Gets Grant Money For Henderson Falls Park

Toccoa will receive grant money to help with improvements at Henderson Falls Park.

City Manager Billy Morse said that the city has received $100,000 in grant funds from the National Park Service through the state’s Department of Natural Resources for work at Henderson Falls Park.

The city will match the $100,000 in grant funds with SPLOST money.

Morse said the grant and SPLOST money will allow the city to undertake some wide-ranging improvements at Henderson Falls Park.

“We are going to upgrade all of the lighting that is there,” said Morse. “It is 35 years old, maybe 45 years old. We are going to paint and re-wire all of the picnic shelters. We are going to replace some of the fencing around the tennis courts. Then, the entrance drive and parking area will be re-surfaced and re-striped.”

Morse added that the city will also do work on the observation deck at Henderson Falls Park.

“The observation deck that looks over the Falls is in a state of disrepair and we have actually closed it because of the rotten boards and that sort of thing, so that will be demolished and re-constructed,” said Morse.

Morse said the goal is to bid the work out this Winter and have it ready sometime next Spring or Summer.

Also, Morse said getting grant funds will allow the city to put some of its SPLOST money that was set aside for park improvements to use at other city parks.

Morse said specifically, the city has plans for work at Emory Johnson Park.

“We have got some major repairs we want to make there to the picnic shelters and the concession stand building, in conjunction with sidewalks and that sort of thing,” said Morse.

City commissioners said they are happy about receiving the grant funds and the plans for both Henderson Falls Park and Emory Johnson Park.

Tuesday, city commissioners unanimously approved all of the grant paperwork and also approved hiring the Steedley Firm to administer the grant for the city.