The Russellville Parks and Recreation Department has recently started renovations at Sloss Lake in an effort to make the park more accessible and family-friendly, officials said.

Park and Rec employee Dale Morris said representatives from the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Russellville Fire Department came out on Nov. 14 to hold a controlled burn in order to clean up some overgrown areas.

“The wooded area on the east side of the park has become quite overgrown and it needed to be cleared out so we could have easier access to the walking trail that needs some repairs,” Morris said.

“Some of the trees posed a potential hazard and were in bad shape, so they needed to be cleared out as well.

“Also, thinning out some of this overgrown area makes this part of the park at Sloss Lake feel safer and more open.”

Morris said the Park and Rec department has been working on renovation ideas for Sloss Lake for some time and will finally be executing some of these ideas this winter.

“The east side of Sloss Lake will be closed for renovations during the winter months,” Morris said.

“We hope to put in new piers on both sides of the lake, clean up and renovate the existing walking trail, and make the park a more family-oriented place so more people can come out to use it.

“Councilman Jamie Harris has really supported us on this project and we appreciate the city being willing to work with us so we can make this park a great place for the citizens.

“It’s a beautiful park with a lot of potential and it’ll be a great place for families to go once it’s cleaned up.”