Board approves land deals, easement adjustments and purchase for new county park

Columbia County commissioners on April 21 approved a series of property actions that included accepting donated acreage for a road connector, modifying temporary easements, selling a small parcel back to a health system, and moving forward with purchase of land intended for a new county park.

The board accepted a donation from Branch Springs Development LLC of roughly 9.96 acres to obtain right‑of‑way and temporary easements for the Horizon South Parkway and Chamberlain Road connector project. Commissioners also approved reducing a previously approved temporary easement for Parcel 062037 to 0.02 acres (a reduction from 0.05 acres).

Separately, the board approved a purchase‑and‑sale agreement with Wellstar Health System Incorporated for a 0.62‑acre parcel and the acceptance of associated drainage easements; staff said the county had purchased some land from AU Medical Center years earlier in the Gateway extension work and was selling back this parcel under state law because the original owners had requested it.

The board also approved a purchase agreement with Ooch Creek Development Company for land intended as a new county park (described in staff comments as a Patriot Park–style facility south of I‑20 with basketball complexes, multipurpose fields, walking tracks, splash pads and nature play areas). Staff told commissioners money is available to construct the park and that the purchase price reflected a rate of $40,000 per acre, below an independent appraisal. The motion to authorize the purchase carried.

Commissioners heard that negotiations with contractors for a connector project were ongoing because bids initially came in higher than budgeted.