Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield conceived the plan during the 2004 legislative session. Under his leadership, funds were allocated to the Department of Parks and Recreation for materials and to the Career Tech agency to hire a project instructor. Labor was furnished through the Department of Corrections inmate work center at Gene Autry.

Crutchfield said he wanted to preserve historic park buildings and give inmates the skills they would need to survive after their release. "It's been a great collaborative effort," said Dom Garrison, superintendent of skill centers for the Career Tech Department. "We are working to make sure the inmates have marketable skills and reduce recidivism."

Instructor Mike Stringfellow talked about the project during a tour stop at the "resting house" near the E.J. Johnson Memorial Bridge. Native wood from the park was used to replace the building's roof trusses, and wooden shingles were added during the renovation.

"The rock was already in good shape," he said. "There's no reason why it won't last 200 years."

Stringfellow praised his crew, which averages about six or seven at any one time. He said more than half of the released men have found employment in the construction trade and the rest have found other types of well-paying jobs.

"My guys have been really good hands," he said. "I'm really proud of them."

"I think we've hit a home run with it," Crutchfield said. "This is a model that can be replicated all over the state.

"Future park projects include campground renovations and new hiking trails. "I'd like to see a second group working on walking trails," the senator said.