Renovations Coming to Jailhouse Park in Byron

BYRON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – If you happen to make a stop in downtown Byron, you might have to look twice in one of their parks. Officials are planning new renovations to the park, and have already gotten the ball rolling.

When you’re driving down Main Street in Byron a street sign pokes out to Jail House Alley.

As several Byron residents like to say if you’ve passed the railroad tracks you’ve missed it.

In the alley lies Jailhouse Park, a sort of hidden treasure, surrounded by years of history.

A peaceful and serene place, where city officials say they needed some big upgrades.

“In an effort to bring more people downtown, and get them to stay. We have several events that happen throughout the year, and we’re adding more to it. This was really needed in order to maintain people down here at the park,” Tiffany Peavy, the Byron Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, said.

Peavy thinks the biggest thing that catches your eye, looks like it’s been there for years.

The park has brand new restrooms. The city is paying for the upgrades using a grant from the USDA.

“We applied for it because the city of Byron is rule development. We got, it’s up to $99,000 that you can get, we got close to $40,000 to be able to put these bathrooms in,” Peavy said.

And the story gets even better, BJ Walker and his brother Jacob were born and raised in Byron, they actually built the restrooms.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and energy, trying to make the thing look aged, a hundred years old. Reclaimed tin, the brick, the things like that and even in the interior decorating,” Walker said.

“Anytime we can do things like this to help out Byronites we enjoy doing it,” he said.

A team of brothers, bettering their hometown, and they’ve got plans for even more.

Up next, a gateway project that will beautify downtown main street, all in effort to bring more people to the city.