The City of Statesboro Youth Council will host a ribbon cutting for its recently completed Chess Park on Tuesday, April 15, at 4:45 p.m. Statesboro’s City Council will conclude its regularly scheduled work session at 4:40 p.m. and invite everyone to walk over to the park.
In May 2024, the Statesboro Youth Council applied for a “Placemaking” grant through Georgia City Solutions, identifying key areas along the Willie McTell Trail in Downtown Statesboro that could benefit from improvement. As part of the proposal, the Youth Council suggested creating a life-size chess park, located across from the Downtown Dog Park.
Georgia City Solutions awarded the Youth Council a $500 grant for the project, which was further supported by match donations from Grice Connect and the City of Statesboro.
The construction of the Chess Park, along with other improvements to the Willie McTell Trail, was made possible through a collaboration with the City of Statesboro Public Works Department.
The department worked alongside the Youth Council to install the chess board, flower planters, and replace benches along the trail. This new park marks the first of several planned enhancements the Youth Council aims to implement along the McTell Trail.
After the park opens, the Statesboro Library will have chess pieces available for rent to use at the chess table.
