“Leaving a legacy” : Dawson County closes on land donated by Anne Styles for future park

This land, which has been donated by longtime resident Anne Styles and her family, is located off of Ga. 183 and Elliott Family Parkway in the central part of Dawson County. 

“How appropriate that all these children are here, and we closed on this today,” Fausett said during the Board of Commissioners’ Nov. 17 meeting. 

During the meeting, Parks and Rec Director Matt Payne also recognized children from Parks and Rec’s elementary girls’ flag football, second grade football and cheer teams for their Super Bowl wins this past season. 

“She’ll leave such a legacy for all of these kids…I’m so thankful and we want you [all] to enjoy it,” Fausett said to the crowd. 

The BOC previously approved the acceptance of the land donation during their Aug. 4 voting session and undertook a three-month due diligence period.

County attorney Angela Davis said Fausett has been “living and breathing this one with me for a long time” since Styles initially approached the county wanting to donate the land almost two years ago. 

BOC Chairman Billy Thurmond also voiced his gratitude, thanking Styles for the “huge donation to Dawson County citizens” attorneys and Fausett because “she put a lot of time and energy into this project to make it happen” by coordinating much of the conversation between the county and Styles. 

Fausett noted that like any proposed park, there will have to be planning for it, though a passive park with walking and biking trails seems to be the preference for the land, which sits in the more rural District 1. 

“The county is just so blessed to have this…y’all just look forward to that because great things are coming,” Fausett added. “Good things come to those who wait. It’s another great day in Dawson County. We’ve had a lot of great days, and this is one of them.”