Development is finally under way on parts of a highly anticipated park in Columbia, but court battles and funding struggles over the years have slowed the process.

It may take until 2010 to complete the development and restoration of the 300-acre Blandair property, said Gary Arthur, director of the county?s Department of Recreation and Parks. The land, near the intersection of Routes 29 and 175, will become a county park, complete with a mansion for events, a nature center, playground and athletic fields.