Hall County was recognized at the Annual Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Conference with a Georgia County Excellence Award for its Cooperative Management Agreement with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to co-manage several federal parks in Hall County.
“The Georgia County Excellence Awards is an annual program that recognizes innovative spirit and ingenuity of Georgia’s counties and their leaders,” ACCG Executive Director Dave Wills said. “We are grateful to our partners at Georgia Trend for their continued efforts to acknowledge the outstanding work of our local governments.”
ACCG and Georgia Trend Magazine presented the Georgia County Excellence Award to six Georgia counties that demonstrated innovative and cost-effective approaches to solving local issues with local programs and initiatives. Hall County met this criterion with a first-of-its-kind cooperative management agreement with USACE, which transferred the day-to-day operations of Bolding Mill, Duckett Mill, and Old Federal campgrounds to the County.
“This award is truly an honor to receive,” District 2 Commissioner Billy Powell said. “Hall County takes great pride in our community’s parks and greenspace, so being able to help a neighbor manage their facilities and create additional leisure space within the County for our citizens and visitors is a win-win for both of us. I am genuinely proud of my fellow Board members, County leadership, and Hall County Parks and Leisure for their work on this project and for seeing the value in this unique partnership.”
In October 2022, USACE approached Hall County with the cost-sharing Cooperative Management Agreement to keep the parks open and accessible to the public after budget constraints risked closing the three parks. A year later, the Hall County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the agreement, and parks staff began managing the day-to-day operations.
“Since taking on these additional parks, Hall County Parks and Leisure has reinvested more than one million dollars in user-generated fees back into the three parks, while enhancing operations and staffing, expanding campground seasons and improving customer service,” Hall County Parks and Community Services Director Brent Holloway said. “Since we have taken on this partnership, similar agreements have been made in Forsyth and Dawson counties, further exemplifying Hall County’s vision to set the standard for excellent local government services.”
Hall County will be featured in the upcoming June edition of Georgia Trend Magazine, where readers can learn more about this award-winning project.
