BRASELTON - Don Clerici, P.E. – founder of Braselton-based BM&K Construction and Engineering – is accustomed to blazing trails within his industry. However, with the recent completion of the $1.15 million, 35-acre J.B. Owens Park in the City of Holly Springs, his company was afforded the opportunity to blaze actual trails in the first park built in the city since the 1980’s. Having been awarded the project by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners and Holly Springs City Council in May 2014, BM&K’s knowledgeable and experienced team of professionals set about to create a recreational destination that would comprise a playground, pavilion, playing field, and both concrete and natural trails. The park – designed by Foresite Group – had been in the conceptual phase since December 2012. After nearly three years in the making, the City of Holly Springs hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the park on November 20, 2015. In addition to Clerici and members of the BM&K Construction and Engineering team, Mayor Pro Tem Michael R. Zenchuk II, Councilman Kyle Whitaker, District 21 Representative Scot Turner, District 4 Commissioner Scott Gordon, District 2 Commissioner Ray Gunnin and representatives from the City of Holly Springs and Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce were all in attendance at the ceremony.
Special guests at the ceremony also included friends and family members of the late Mr. J.B. Owens – for whom the park has been named. Mr. Owens – a local resident who dedicated his life to recreation and athletics in Cherokee County – is perhaps best remembered for his instrumental role in the development of Kenny Askew Park in Canton. J.B. Owens Park – located at 2699 Hickory Road near Harmony on the Lakes subdivision is now open to the public.
“On behalf of our project staff and all of our employees, BM&K was proud to be the general contractor for the first park in the City of Holly Springs in over 30 years,” said Clerici. “We were honored to be part of the ceremony and share in this great occasion with the J.B. Owens family and the citizens of Holly Springs and Cherokee County.
Of course, parks mark just one segment of BM&K’s list of specialties. In addition to the highly revered construction and engineering firm’s work on J.B. Owens Park, BM&K’s ever-growing portfolio includes exciting renovations to Chateau Elan Resort & Winery, Oglethorpe County Courthouse and the historic Braselton Brothers Department Store in downtown Braselton, as well as the realization of streetscapes, numerous engineering and design projects, land acquisition and construction projects throughout Georgia. To learn more about BM&K Construction and Engineering, please visit www.bmandk.com.
