Dougherty County still eligible for conservation grant money

ALBANY – In April 2021, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack came to Albany to make an announcement of a $12.5 million federal grant for Radium Springs.

A lot of water has flowed from the spring, the largest underground tributary to the Flint River, since then, but the grant, along with interest in Radium Springs, has not dried up.

This week Dougherty County commissioners seemed delighted to hear that the money is still potentially available and also heard of other plans for the area that has had a historic cultural and economic impact on the region.

In the time since the announcement of the grant, the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District has been working on issues related to flood prevention and maintaining the flow of the spring, which can slow substantially during drought conditions. Those issues are part of the overall federal grant, which also includes conservation.

Running concurrent with that project is a potential application for a $3 million grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Boosters of Radium Springs have identified, with the help of state Rep. Gerald Greene, a Cuthbert Republican whose district includes part of Dougherty County, a grant that seems a perfect fit, said Spencer Lee, a former Dougherty county attorney who has long held an interest in Radium Springs.

The grant covers education, preservation, interpretation, conservation and outdoor recreation, all of which are components of boosters’ vision for the area, which includes 216 acres of county-owned property and 85 acres owned by the state, he said. The 85 state acres include the spring itself, Spring Run, the area through which the spring makes its way to the river, and the historic Spring Run Bridge.

“Gerald brought it to us and decided that this was tailor made for this because it is a watershed district,” Lee said.

The deadline for applying for the Georgia outdoor conservation grant is Oct. 1. The state grant, if the county receives it, would come with a requirement to match it by 25%, but federal grant money could be used for that purpose. The county also has funding available through the 1% special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) that could be used for projects at the spring.

The county has received state funding for repairs of the bridge and has also constructed restrooms at the trailhead located at the former golf course located south of the spring.

The commission’s Recreation Committee will take up the information presented this week on Monday, said Commissioner Victor Edwards, who chairs that committee.

In addition to the grant projects, which will take some time as the county waits to hear whether it received state grant funding, he said he would like to work on short-term projects that wlll make the park more accessible and useful to visitors, like access to the western portion of the blue hole area and grills.

“There are things we can do right now,” Edwards said. “There’s some things I’d like to do, like a sitting and drinking coffee area. I’m excited. I’m still looking at what we can be doing now to help the park become this one-stop destination that people are excited to come to.”

Other future projects include extending a trail from downtown Albany to Radium Springs. A portion of the route has been completed to Albany State University on the east side of the river.

Edwards said that would allow people to ride golf carts or bicycles to the spring.

“I want you to be able to leave Radium Springs, get on your golf cart and go all the way to Turtle Park (downtown RiverFront Park),” he said.

The Flint River Soil and Conservation District comprises farmers, landowners and community leaders. Other groups working with that entity include the Flint Riverkeeper.

“I want to sit down so everybody understands where we really want to go with it,” Edwards said.