Swimming, kayaking among new activities at Sterling Creek Park in Richmond Hill

The City of Richmond Hill is taking steps to ensure residents have more amenities to support their quality of life and outdoor recreation is taking center stage.

The lake at Sterling Creek Park will be available to the public through a variety of activities to include swimming, paddleboarding and kayaking. According to Mayor Russ Carpenter, the only recreational activity that was available to the public was fishing.

“I’m very excited about expanding Sterling Creek Park,” said Carpenter. “It’s a dream that we have had on council to open that up. Residents have often said we need more recreational activity, and we think this will add to our park system. DNR advised us when we deepened the lake how to provide better fish beds. On a basic level, we just want to provide more activities for families.”

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Carpenter said he would like to see residents make more use out of the park, saying it is a valuable resource to the community.

“Many of our residents are very outdoorsy,” said Carpenter. “There are existing bike and running trails and we would like to use those as well."

The city will host the Sterling Creek Park Open House May 4 to celebrate the new amenities.

“These exciting changes to the lake area are just the beginning,” said Carpenter. “We’re developing a comprehensive master plan to guide Sterling Creek Park’s future. A steering committee is working diligently to explore ways to make the park even better, incorporating the community’s wants and needs.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: More outdoor activities will become available at Sterling Creek Park