Third phase of improvements at Lake Tobesofkee to update campsites, safety features
The Macon-Bibb County Commission approved the use of $75,000 for design services to update RV sites, water and electrical hookups, and replace borders and seawall.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Since 2021, Lake Tobesofkee has seen improvements in staff facilities and recreational activities. Now, Macon-Bibb County is shifting its focus to improve campsites and address safety concerns at the lake.
If you’ve gone camping at Arrowhead Park on Lake Tobesofkee in recent years, you may have noticed some features in need of improvement.
That’s why in June, the Macon-Bibb County Commission approved the use of $75,000 of SPLOST funding to upgrade amenities for campers and improve safety features as part of a third phase of improvements to the Lake’s parks.
Lake Director Donald Bracewell said many of the campsites in the parks have not been updated since the park was built in 1972.
“The sites have not been extended or lengthened in quite some time, and campers are getting much larger,” he said. “We try to do our best we can accommodate.”
The county has hired Dunwoody/Beeland Architects, Inc. in Macon to provide architectural design services for both Arrowhead and Claystone Parks.
The architecture firm worked on the first two phases of improvements which brought new features to the parks such as ranger houses, restrooms, pavilions and pickleball courts.
According to District 6 Commissioner Raymond Wilder, funding for improvements will also come from revenue generated by Lake Tobesofkee itself.
“It’s one of the few places that we have as far as recreation that is an income producer. It takes care of itself,” Wilder said. “People come here, they pay here to camp, they pay here to boat. And it’s important that you keep it up to standards.”
Now, Bracewell said he plans to update assets the park already has. Improvements will include the widening and repaving of RV sites, replacing borders around picnic tables and grills, extending water hookups, replacing electrical boxes and replacing 250 feet of seawall at waterfront sites.
He said improving safety and accessibility are his number one priority.
“I’m hoping that campers, when they leave this place, they’ll say they had a great time at Lake Tobesofkee in Macon-Bibb County and return,” Bracewell said.
A start date for Phase III has yet to be determined. Bracewell says architects will first make an assessment of the park, and improvements will be made based on their design.
