Great Dunes Park is Now Open!
The first eight acres of the new Great Dunes Park is now open. This area includes a 4,500 square foot event pavilion, picnic tables, several picnic pavilions, and much more. The connected beach access is handicap accessible which includes mats to allow wheelchair access across the soft beach sand.
The park will eventually extend all the way up to the Days Inn and Suites, which will make the park a sprawling 20 acres. Once completed, it will welcome guests and residents to Jekyll Island with nearly 20 acres of beachfront space enhanced by several picnic pavilions, a deck for beach events, a play area, beach access for the public, and more. The play area will include an 8,000-square-foot environmental area for kids and other natural recreational elements. This development project, which will encompass dune restoration where appropriate, and will also incorporate structural features to protect the environment, such as bio-swells to capture and treat storm-water run-off, sea-turtle-friendly lighting, and signage to educate visitors about the environment. Pedestrian-friendly markings will guide guests throughout the entire beachfront park.
The parking area at the existing convention center will be redesigned to provide parking for the new beach park and convention center, along with expanded family and group pavilions. A new beach deck will provide elevated views of beach and lawn activities, a shaded pavilion, and restrooms. Native tree and shrub plantings will enhance the beachside feel and provide durable, low-maintenance vegetation to protect the dunes and provide a natural habitat for wildlife. Signage will educate visitors about the environmental sensitivity of barrier islands. A walkway will connect Great Dunes Park to the future Jekyll Island Beach Village.
Southern Wilderness, of Edison, GA, was awarded the Great Dunes construction project at the end of November, and their winning bid was nearly a half million under the proposed $2.2 million budget for the project.