Pike County Times

advanced search engine by freefind
PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. You can donate through PayPal at the link on the bottom of the page. Becky Watts: Phone # 770-468-7583 editor(@)pikecountytimes.com
 
Online
Welcome to Pike County Times.com

This online news website is owned and operated by Becky Watts. If you enjoy reading Pike County Times, consider buying an advertisement for your business or sending a donation to support the only free online newspaper in Pike County. Donations can be sent to: The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. Click here to donate through PayPal. Thanks for supporting Pike County's only free online newspaper!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Community Comes Together to Build Jacob's Way
By Editor Becky Watts

ZEBULON - A work of love honors a young man who was gone too soon. Jacob’s Way is a full 5K cross country course at the Pike County School System that was finished in honor of Jacob Woerner, who was a middle school student here at Pike County when he passed away. The Pike County High School cross country team recently hosted their first meet at home on the course.

Pike County Times visited when the cross-country teams and coaches, the Mt. Olive youth and men’s groups, and friends of the Woerners were working to expand the Pirate Treasure Chest Trail. A huge group of over 50 volunteers were working together to make this dream become a reality.

On that day on one side of the course, there were volunteers in one section who were cutting, removing, and replacing 853 boards on the 475-foot-long bridge that honors Leanna Parks, a Pike County High School who also passed away too soon. On the other side of a big field were volunteers across a field actually picking up sticks and raking an area that is now part of the cross-country course. The county helped with some of this work as well.

The idea for Jacob’s Way originated with cross country coach, Ken Smith. He told Pike County Times that the vision for this course was to take the outside of the field from behind the Agriculture/FFA Barn and connect the Pirate Treasure Chest Trail for a looped course. The trail connects the elementary, middle, and high schools for a 3.1 mile course.

Then an easement was granted and the old railroad trussel was cleared all of the way to the Middle School so it could be safely used for track. Coach Smith expressed his thanks for the use of the trussel for cross country. “It is a safe place to run with a shady canopy,” he said.

The redecking of the bridge will last for twenty years, and public use of the trail will help maintain it. There are Eagle Scout projects in the works to restore the benches along the Pike Treasure Chest Trail as well.

There are plans to stain the bridge in order to protect it for many years of use in our community and place inspirational messaging along the entire trail.

Clay Woerner, Jacob’s Dad, talked to Pike County Times and thanked everyone for coming together to make this project a reality. He hopes that people will be inspired to learn more about faith as they walk and run this trail.

11.2.19
Top