Last week Gov. Robert Bentley announced a $125,000 grant that will be used to further development of Cherokee Rock Village near Sand Rock.

The press release announcing the grant, dated Aug. 15, stated that the money will be used to bring "greater attention to a little-known outdoor recreation area in Alabama."

The Cherokee County Parks and Recreation Department has been working for over two years to develop the park, which for a generation has sat little-used and mostly neglected atop Lookout Mountain since being purchase by the county in the 1970s.

The first time board member Gary Banister addressed the County Commission to seek sufficient annual funding to develop the park, he told commissioners it was time to move forward in an area where the county government had failed for far too long.

"We're competing with the Rocky Mountains, folks, and we're not doing anything about it," Banister said in September 2009.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund grant will be used to improve access roads, construct parking and camping sites, walkways and restrooms, and install infrastructure as part of the first phase of park development. Future plans call for hiking trails and horseback riding areas.

"Cherokee Rock Village is one of the many natural wonders found in Alabama," Bentley said in the press release.

The 200-acre park has been an international draw for rock climbers for years.
The Parks and Rec Board, with help from the Cherokee County Commission, will supply matching funds in an amount equal to the grant. The match is expected to come in the form of property acquisition, donated labor and material, and cash.