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Hogansville is getting a new park thanks to the Holland M. Ware Foundation and a funding partnership between the city and county.

Holland Ware Park is expected to be ready by next spring for residents of Hogansville. The new park will offer a soccer practice field, dog park, playground and community garden.

The park will be located at the former McGee Field, located near the Active Life Senior Center. The space currently has the remnants of a baseball field that has not seen much use in many years.

The renovations are being paid for thanks in part to a grant from the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation. The foundation approached the county about doing a recreation project in Hogansville and ultimately landed on a revamp of the old McGee Field.

The foundation proposed a grant of a million dollars, asking for the funds to be matched dollar-to-dollar. Hogansville and the county have agreed to contribute $500,000 each to the project.

Architect Skip Smith said the next step for the project is to put it out to bid, which the commissioners approved on Tuesday.

Smith said the designs include several optional add-ons that could be included in the project in phases. The preliminary plans include a covered pavilion with restrooms where parents can watch their kids play. The optional amenities include a small amphitheater and a skate park. 

The ball field is already graded and very little dirt will need to be moved, so that will keep costs down, Smith said. The soccer field could also be used for football and other sports, he added.

Smith said they anticipate four to seven bids, so they will get competitive bidding prices. The bids will be opened on May 22 for approval at the June 17 meeting, with actual costs for the project.

“Hopefully, we’ll begin construction right after the Fourth of July, July 7, 2025, and be substantially complete around March of 2026 and open to the public in the spring of 2026,” Smith said.