GOOD HOPE — The City of Good Hope’s Municipal Park will be getting a little bigger after the Good Hope City Council approved the purchase of a 33-acre plot of land adjoining the park.

The $220,000 purchase of the land, which runs from behind the Municipal Park pond to the Deer Run subdivision on County Road 437, was approved during Monday night’s council meeting.

Mayor Jerry Bartlett said the initial plans for the land include walking or biking trails with a centrally-located pavilion and bathroom, and the city has the equipment to cut down trees and clear the land for many other features that the council can decide on in the future.

“It will be a work in progress, but it will be something that we can offer our citizens, as we continue to grow, somewhere to go to ride their bicycles and walk and do exercise,” he said. “Eventually, down the road, I would like to see something like Sportsman Lake where we have a few pavilions that people can use.”

The city is currently in the process of selling another piece of property on County Road 437, which means the proceeds of $172,130 from that sale can go into this purchase and leave the city with an additional $47,870 to pay for the 33 acres of land, Bartlett said.

Bartlett said the purchase of the land will be good for the city’s residents because it will bring more options for recreation, but owning the property will bring more value to the city as well.

“By buying this piece of property, it’s going to create more net worth, it’s going to create more value for the city, and it’s going to create a place for our citizens,” he said.

With the number of people moving into the city, and the land’s close proximity to subdivisions that are already built or are under construction, the additional land should be put to good use by the city’s residents, he said.

“With the influx of people that we’re going to be having, with people moving to Good Hope, I just think this 33 acres will be an asset to our park,” he said.