Visitors to Lauderdale County are able to take advantage of several outdoor opportunities thanks to Pat Harrison Waterway District, and recent investment has made those attractions better than ever.
In a meeting Monday, Pat Harrison Executive Director Danny Box said the District manages nine total parks and two of them are in Lauderdale County. Both Dunn’s Falls and Okatibbee Water Park are owned and operated by Pat Harrison.
Box said several improvements have been made to Pat Harrison’s parks since his tenure began in March 2025, including the hiring of two part-time staff members at Dunn’s Falls. Previously, the park was closed Monday and Tuesday to give the operators time off. With the addition of part-time help, the park is now open seven days a week.
“I thought it was significant simply because you have people coming down the interstate that see the sign about Dunn’s Falls and they just go there out of curiosity,” he said. “In the time that I’ve been there, I’ve met people from upstate New York, the state of Michigan and I think it was Indiana.”
At Okatibbee, the addition of Patty Fant as manager has benefitted that park as well. Box said Fant has family connections to Meridian and proved herself up to the task while working at the District office in Hattiesburg.
“I had the opportunity to evaluate her for about eight or nine months there in our office, and I felt like she would do a wonderful job here, and I still believe that. Her heart’s in it. She wants to make it all that it can be, and we’re really happy to have Patty there on board,” he said.
In neighboring Clarke County, a project to repair a ruptured dam at Archusa Water Park is moving forward with engineers projected to finish the design by the end of the year. Once complete, the project can be put out for bids.
In addition to improvements at individual parks, Box said Pat Harrison is also making steps forward in how the public can make reservations. A new website for the District, along with the capability to make online reservations, is in the process of being rolled out.
“In the 21st century here, if you can’t do things online, you’re at a disadvantage as an agency or any entity,” he said.
Flint Creek has already been rolled over to the new online platform, with Dry Creek and Big Creek transitioning Monday. Other parks are set to follow with the goal of having online reservations available for all nine parks by Spring.