Clay County developing an outdoor recreation master plan to help create more opportunities across the county for residents.
The county began forming the master plan after receiving a $20,000 grant from the Department of Health. UCDD Community Development Planner Megan Reagan said the county recently completed a survey where county residents provided feedback on what they would like to see in the future as far as recreational opportunities.
“A lot of the input that we’ve received so far has talked a lot about water sports recreation, access to more playgrounds in more of the rural areas of the county, although Clay County is rural in general, but there’s been a lot of good input that we have seen so far,” Reagan said.
Reagan said a town hall will be held on August 27 for residents to get a first look at the master plan and provide further input. Reagan said Clay County’s natural assets make outdoor recreational opportunities almost endless.
“Clay County is one of our most beautiful counties in the region,” Reagan said. “The region itself is beautiful at large, but Clay County has Dale Hollow, there’s a lot of Army Corps land, and there is a plethora of outdoor recreational opportunities in Clay County.”
Reagan said giving Clay County residents access to more opportunities will allow residents to thrive. Reagan said more opportunities can also boost tourism in the county.
“Dale Hollow is a huge asset to Clay County as well as the rivers that feed into Dale Hollow,” Reagan said. “With that, millions of tourists visit Dale Hollow every year, and when they camp, it’s always nice for them to have something else to do besides just staying on the lake day.”
Reagan said the master plan will make Clay County a tourism destination rather than the Dale Hollow itself. The Town Hall will be hosted from 5pm-7pm.