What began as a drainage improvement project in Ridgeland and grew into the expansion of outdoor recreational activities at Freedom Ridge Park is nearly complete.
Drive on Lake Harbour Drive Extended headed to Highland Colony Parkway, perhaps for a trip to Costco, and on the north side one can easily view the green space complete with bridges and paths.
The ecotourism park at Freedom Ridge Park lacks landscaping and interpretive signage, but those are coming, said Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee.
The $4.5 million project includes the installation of a new lake, stream bank improvements and the restoration of the original lake on the site.
Gravel trails, bridges and rails and most of the trees, shrubs, ground cover and grasses are in place. Benches, picnic tables and trash receptacles are there, too.
The park serves two purposes: it will improve the hydraulic capacity of the Purple Creek basin, which will help resolve major flooding, reduce erosion and siltation and preserve the stream bank in the immediate area as well as areas of Ridgeland, Madison County, Jackson and Hinds County, while offering a unique ecological environment with native plant species and wildlife, McGee said.
“The trails and bridges will provide visitors with direct access to these natural areas and the interpretive signage that highlights the park’s distinctive features an educational value,” he said. “This addition will offer the community a wonderful opportunity to exercise, explore and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings.”
Ken Hackman, a bird-watching enthusiast, has watched the progress of the ecopark and plans to enjoy the natural setting. “I look forward to birdwatching there after the plants have filled out,” he said.
Hackman hopes the park will include many native plants that pollinators such as bees and butterflies, which have been threatened by habitat loss, pesticides and climate change, will find helpful.
“Pollinators need native plants,” he said. “We have a tendency to plant beautiful flowers but no native plants.”
Butterflies lay their eggs exclusively on specific host plants that provide food for caterpillars once they hatch, Hackman said. For example, Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed; Swallowtails on parsley, dill or fennel; and Painted Ladies on hollyhock, thistle or mallows, he said.
Hackman also hopes there is an opportunity for Mississippi Native Plant Society, which has a chapter that includes central Mississippi, to become involved with the park’s landscaping.
People like to plant showy plants, but native plants can be showy, too, he said.
Yaupon holly, Virginia sweetspire, witch alder, showy milkweed, red buckeye, Canada goldenrod, smooth hydrangeas and wild azaleas are among the numerous plants selected for the park, McGee said.
“We are considering stocking the pond in addition to the natural succession of species that will be in the ponds,” he said.
Hemphill Construction Company, Inc. began work on Nov. 18, 2024, on the park and was originally scheduled to be completed by May.
“It appears it is going to be finished slightly ahead of schedule,” McGee said. “Hemphill Construction took advantage of great weather patterns that allowed them to get the work completed quicker than planned.
“We are hopeful for a ribbon cutting ceremony in April.”
Waggoner Engineering, the lead engineer for the project, partnered with Garver, LLC for hydraulics, calculations and pond design and with ALTA for schematic planning and landscape architecture.
A transfer of $2 million of Madison County’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation that was matched with a $1.83 million grant from the Mississippi Municipality & County Water Infrastructure Grant Program as well as a $1 million grant from the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund has funded the project. In addition, Madison County granted the city of Ridgeland an additional $500,000 for the Purple Creek tributary work.
Alan Hart, director of public works for the city of Ridgeland, said the addition of the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund funding provided an opportunity to add elements to the drainage projects that take the Freedom Ridge Park to another level.
Freedom Ridge Park contains numerous outdoor recreational facilities and areas including four regulation baseball/softball fields, four regulation soccer fields, four picnic pavilions, two playgrounds, two concession/restroom facilities, a lighted walking trail, a 3-acre pond and natural/wooded areas.
Last June, Ridgeland voters approved an increase in the city’s convention and tourism tax that will provide funding to increase the size of Freedom Ridge Park and enhance its offerings.
The proposed expansion plans include adding baseball/softball fields, new batting cages with artificial turf, officials’ headquarters, pickleball courts, full-size artificial turf soccer fields, a festival/special events area, multi-use trails that connect to the city’s existing trails, playgrounds and pavilions.
The improvements would give the city the ability to host tournaments for up to 100 teams each weekend and that would generate income for the city. Currently, the park can accommodate a total of 24 teams.
“We are in the process of acquiring the final amount of property for Phase 2 of Freedom Ridge,” McGee said. “Once that is finished, we will authorize final design and then bid the project.”
