County discusses Petrifying Springs Parkway widening to add up to 50 parking spaces; cost estimated at roughly $220,000

Speaker 2 (Unidentified Speaker) presented the Petrifying Springs Parkway widening project as a 2026 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) item designed to add angled parking near the beer garden to reduce parking on park grass and preserve parkland. "Rather than do something like put up a split rail fence... we started to change our thinking and look at it more and say, how do we invite these people into the park rather than try and just shoo them away," Speaker 2 said.

Staff described angled parking as the least invasive option that could add up to 50 spots without creating a new parking lot. A public-bid estimate included in the CIP was about $220,000 for the work; Speaker 2 said final costs depend on whether the county coordinates with the highway department or bids the work publicly. The project includes mapping areas (labeled A and B in internal materials) where the curb and gutter could be moved to accommodate the new parking.

Committee members pressed staff on cost-per-space and whether shuttle operations would continue. Speaker 2 said the county expects to keep shuttle service in place while monitoring the new parking’s impact for a year; if shuttles are underused they could be reduced later. Design details discussed included which segments would be paved and where the existing path would be bumped back.

No formal resolution or binding action was moved during the meeting; Speaker 2 said the project is in the CIP for 2026 and additional design, engineering and scheduling coordination with other departments will follow.