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Boyle County outlines Pine Knob Trails, indoor rec planning and $30,000 fireworks contract for July 4
Summary
Parks & Recreation Director Tommy Barton told the Boyle County Fiscal Court that joint city–county projects — including rehabilitation of ballfields, the newly named Pine Knob Trails, pickleball and a skate park — are moving through design and budgeting. The court approved a $29,998.50 fireworks contract split with the city to support a July Fourth concert and celebration.
Tommy Barton, Boyle County Parks and Recreation director, told the Boyle County Fiscal Court on Feb. 10 that multiple joint city–county capital projects are advancing, including rehabilitation of three baseball/softball infields (about 90% complete), the newly named Pine Knob Trails (formerly Alum Springs Mountain Bike Park), and design work on a pickleball complex and a skate park.
Barton said the pickleball project has received initial renderings and that designers will return with revised drawings after consulting local players. A public meeting for the skate-park design is scheduled for Feb. 24 at Genie Rogers so skateboard users can review and comment before the project is finalized and put out to bid.
Barton also reported that replacement playground features for Millennium Park have been ordered and that crews will install a rubber play surface once weather allows (installation requires sustained temperatures near 50°F). He said AEDs have been placed inside park buildings and that aging doors across facilities are being replaced as part of routine capital maintenance.
On a potential joint indoor recreation center, Barton said the city and Branstetter Carroll are working with the hospital on a memorandum of agreement and that public input has been robust: staff reported roughly 600 survey responses and additional in-person engagement through Saturday basketball events. The partners plan a stakeholder meeting and aim to present a recommended plan to both the city and fiscal court by April.
Barton and former judge executive Tony Wilder described planning for a two-day Independence Day celebration that will include a large concert (Barton said organizers estimate between 5,000 and 10,000 attendees for a headliner) and a fireworks display. The city has appropriated $40,000 to the effort, and the fiscal court previously set aside $33,333.
The court approved a contract with PyroShow for fireworks on July 4 for $29,998.50, roughly $2,000 above last year’s cost, with the additional cost to be split between city and county. County officials said their 2026 budget includes $12,500 for fireworks and voted to move an additional appropriation to cover the difference. The motion to pay the extra amount carried unanimously.
The court also discussed event logistics including parking management, staging, lighting and sound, security firms for on-site crowd control, coordination with Danville police and the sheriff’s office, and provisions for accessible parking. Organizers said staging and some costs are still being finalized and that they will return with visual materials and finalized contracts as details are secured.
The court did not set final contracts for every festival item at the meeting; Barton said staff will return with updates and visual aids once contracts and vendor arrangements are complete.
