APPLING, Ga. (WJBF) – A piece of land in the heart of Appling has just been donated to the county for greenspace.
For the donor, it’s a place to restore history in hopes of moving Appling forward.
The Pollard name runs deep in Appling.
“My husband’s mother grew up in the house next door to the courthouse, as a child. Her father lived there, her grandparents, explained Helen Pollard.
When Pollard moved to Appling with her husband more than 60 years ago, she says the county seat was booming.
The heart of Appling, she feels, is a spring that runs along Shucraft Road.
“The Stagecoach Inn was right here. This spring furnished every house and all the county offices in Appling with running water. There was no pump, explained Pollard.
Now, Pollard is preserving the spring by donating about an acre of her land to Columbia County, which includes the spring.
“It’s too important to let it be lost or to ignore and that was my main focus when working with the county,” said Pollard.
Jonathan Williams is the landscape architect for the county.
“It’s more of a place for you to come and meet for a conversation or read a good book,” said Williams.
Williams says there will be beautiful landscaping and a gazebo over the spring.
“That’s what we’re doing here. Meeting the old with the new,” said Williams.
Pollard hopes this preservation will bring new life to the quiet town
“I think we need to be involved in planning a model village instead of trying to bar everything from happening,” said Williams.
Pollard hopes to see a restaurant or specialty shops.
” I’d love to see people build their homes and raise their children here because it’s a wonderful community to live in,” said Williams.
Right now, there’s no name for the Appling greenspace.
Phase one, funded with SPLOST money, is expected to be complete by the end of April.
