Yesterday, October 27th, Conservation Park held its official ribbon cutting ceremony.  The park has been in planning for ten years, and is now a reality for those in and visiting PCB.  Walkers, bicyclists, park rangers, firefighter, police, donators, and those behind the project were all out to celebrate the new park in Panama City Beach!  Bay County’s Chamber of Commerce and Panama City Beach’s Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon, as this was a joint effort between the two.

What is Conservation Park?

With over 3,000 acres near Panama City Beach Parkway and Highway 79, Conservation Park is now home to “Gayle’s Trails,” bridges, eight boardwalks, picnic areas, and an outdoor classroom.  The boardwalks curve around the trees that were already there so that none needed to be removed for the paths.  Trails and bike paths are over 22 miles long in total.  There are hopes to extend the trails to St. Andrews and Camp Helen in the future.  The park is not only intended to serve as a place for recreation and outdoor fun, but to help recharge the wetlands in the area.

The park is in connection with a wastewater treatment plant nearby, where the water will be distributed through fourteen stations into the wetlands.  This water distribution will help to keep West Bay clean.  Approximately 18 million gallons of wastewater will be sent to the park each day, so that it can naturally be filtered back into the water cycle.

Celebrating the New Park

Saturday, October 29th, a family fun day will be held at the park to celebrate its opening.  Starting at 8am, there will be a family fun run (a 10K, 5K, and one mile) followed by giveaways and hotdogs/hamburgers for lunch.  (Lunch will be served from 12-2pm)  The park is located at the end of Griffin Drive, past Business Commerce Park.

Stop by and look at the new trails and outdoor recreational area!

Here are some pictures of the ribbon cutting and the park: