Makeover of state park Jekyll Island kicks off with Ga. Gov. Perdue attending groundbreaking
By APMonday, December 7, 2009
Jekyll Island makeover gets underway in Georgia
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. — A big makeover is underway at Jekyll Island, where officials hope to make the state park more attractive to tourists.
Gov. Sonny Perdue joined board members of the Jekyll Island Authority on Monday to break ground on Great Dunes Park along the beach. Perdue said the project will result in a “reinvigorated” Jekyll Island.
It’s the first phase of a facelift designed to attract tourists and convention groups back to Jekyll Island. Tourism has fallen from a peak of 2.1 million visitors nearly a decade ago to 1.49 million in fiscal 2008.
The 20-acre park will replace Jekyll’s cracked concrete boardwalk with a new 10-foot-wide tabby-style one that curves around dunes and connects to the rest of Jekyll’s trail system.
