The Liberty County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved more than $600,000 in park, waste and vehicle purchases.

The board approved $55,341 in improvements to Briar Bay Park, more than $369,000 in waste-department truck purchases and $185,028 in repairs to the Liberty County Courthouse Annex.

Liberty County Recreation Department Director Jimmy Martin presented the Briar Bay Park improvements request and provided photos of the park. The project, to be funded with recreation SPLOST money, was approved by the recreation board at the 2012 recreation planning session, Martin said.

Improvements include replacing roofs on the pavilion and dugouts; replacing the chain link fence around the pavilion; kitchen repairs; installing kitchen appliances; sealing and painting concrete floors; restroom upgrades; replacing picnic table; painting the basketball court and trimming trees. They also will remedy some drainage issues with a catch-basin.

“I was totally shocked about the condition of the park,” BoC Chairman John McIver said. “I think someone usually makes a comment about ‘Why do we always have to come to Hinesville for recreation?’ So, when we have a park like that, you’ve got no choice but to come to Hinesville — so I hope that with the investment we’re going to make, … the citizens take much more liberty to use it.”

Public Works Department Director Clenton Wells presented a request from the solid-waste department to purchase a front-load garbage truck and a knuckle-boom dry trash truck. The board accepted a $236,198 bid from Bunch Truck and Equipment LLC in Garden City for the front-load truck. For the knuckle-boom truck, the board approved a $133,416 bid from Roberts International Trucks in Richmond Hill.

James W. Buckley & Associates Architects project architect April Mundy presented an overview of the four qualified proposals for exterior repairs to the courthouse annex. Contractors Lavender & Associates scored the highest on evaluation and had a $185,028 proposal, Mundy said. Lavender & Associates also completed the renovations to the Historic Liberty County Courthouse.

County Administrator Joey Brown said the committee did not accept two recommendations to lower the stoop on the porch and to change the diameter of the columns because the changes are more cosmetic than structural.

Mundy said the columns are being replaced, but the replacements will be the same size as the current columns.