FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) —The county will soon enter the next phase in its process to build an Agricultural Park Complex. It’s a project that’s been in talks for several years.
Forsyth County is looking to expand its parks and recreation services and is working to build two new parks.
One is the Forsyth County Agricultural Park.
“This will be another park added to our stock of our inventory of parks in the northwestern part of the county that will serve all Forsyth County residents that choose to go there,“ said Damon Sanders-Pratt, Forsyth County Deputy County Manager.
The $5 million identified in the North Carolina State budget for the project will be paired with the $11 million the county has already identified for the project.
The proposed site is more than 186 acres, located off Doral Drive near Tobaccoville.
“That would allow us to do is relocate the Cooperative Extension offices and their 28 employees out to the Agricultural Park complex and then also to have an outdoor riding ring. Shelters, multi-modal trails, which is basically walking, biking, horse riding, exhibition gardens, parking and so forth,” said Damon Sanders-Pratt, Forsyth County Deputy County Manager.
County leaders have been talking about this project since 2016, initially, the plan was to put it at Tanglewood Park, but that changed.
“So, it’s really more of an agricultural activity,” Sanders-Pratt. “So, those original plans were scrapped and now we have new plans to reflect where it’s going.”
The Agricultural Park Complex is currently in its design phase.
If all goes well with the planning and construction process, county leaders estimate it could be complete by 2026.
“There’ll be no admission fee. It’s also not far from Stokes and Surrey County and Yadkin County and so, part of the appeal of it to the legislator was probably also that it serves more than just Forsyth County residents,” said Sanders-Pratt.
The state budget also identified $4 million for Forsyth County’s Tanglewood Park, the county plans to use the money to completely rebuild the clubhouse.
