Officials celebrated the Rowan County Park’s grand opening last year, and while many of its amenities are in the planning stages, it’s moving steadily. The Rowan County Fiscal Court heard some of these updates at their March regular meeting.
The Rowan County Fiscal Court purchased 260 acres from AppHarvest during the organization’s foreclosure in 2023. While some of it has been sold for industrial developments, the remaining 150 acres is being repurposed as a community park.
Harry Clark, Rowan County Judge Executive, said when the county obtained the land, it included a house with a spacious floor plan and commercial kitchen, which has been unused for years. The Rowan County Extension Agent and 4-H program inquired about using the facility for their cooking and life skills classes, which Clark said is a great way to utilize the space.
“4-H has never really had anything that they can use, they kind of go from here to there at school and different places. And they try to teach them how to cook and eat healthy and do all of those things,” said Clark. “So, we felt it was very important to try and take care of our youth and help them out.”
Officials are still working on securing funding for restrooms, as well as playground equipment. Some of these playground pieces, Clark added, are being repurposed from old school sets.
“Once that’s done, we’ve already got some funding started for an amphitheater. So, we’re going to try to raise enough funds to do the amphitheater, and I’d like to go ahead and do a dog park. And I think we’ve got enough stuff out there that with fences we’re going to be moving, we can probably do a dog park. It’s a pretty reasonable cost.”
Geo technicians are also beginning drilling and other foundational work for ball parks on the property, though they will most likely not break ground this year.
The Fiscal Court also decided to name the previously untitled road leading directly to the park Community Way. Clark added the name is fitting because he sees the park as a project by and for the Morehead and Rowan County community.