City and county projects moving forward in 2026

Last year saw a lot of growth for White County. With new businesses starting up each month and a big new restaurant like Dairy Queen opening, there has been a lot to keep up with. As 2026 gets rolling, though, there are a handful of projects going on in the county that are expected to finish this year.

The new White County Health Department is expected to finish sometime this summer. Anyone that has passed by the corner of Mose Drive, next to Old Smithville Highway, has likely seen all the groundwork being done. The project was officially unveiled with a groundbreaking in May 2025 and based on the looks, construction has been going well. Every day, crews have been hard at work getting the location ready for the building. The new building is going to be a massive upgrade for the White County Health Department, offering a new facility with much better accessibility to the highway.

Just across from South Carter Street Park, the skateboard park is getting really close to completion. In June 2025, the old building just below AutoZone was demolished. A new skate park was promised right after, with work beginning shortly thereafter. Most White Countians remember the old skate park that was by the Sparta Hardware building. The building had to be demolished, in 2024, once bricks began to crumble off, which led to the shutdown of the skate park because of its location near the building. Since then, there has been no skate park in the county for nearly two years. The new park already has a fenced in section by Bockman Way, and the new pavilion with restrooms is now under construction.

Lastly, the splash pad just behind the YMCA is showing progress.  This project has been highly anticipated since its unveiling in early 2025. In July 2025, the groundbreaking commenced, but the construction work has not begun yet. As 2026 progresses, work is expected to begin soon with all the equipment and materials being on site. The dirt for the groundwork has also been moved. The splash pad itself is expected to be finished first, with the playground put in after, then a sidewalk along the street leading to it. The City of Sparta expects to have the splash pad up by the end of the school year.

Mayor Jerry Lowery has been giving updates on his Facebook page for the splash pad and skateboard park projects. The health department is excited for their new facility, and they will provide updates once the construction nears closer to completion.