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Request to use city parks prompts Stone Mountain to make overdue repairs

DeKalb County

Request to use city parks prompts Stone Mountain to make overdue repairs

McCurdy Park is one of the city parks that needs improvements. Photo obtained via the city of Stone Mountain
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This story has been updated. 

Stone Mountain, GA — Two requests to use city of Stone Mountain parks have prompted the City Council to move forward on making some overdue repairs to the city’s greenspaces.

Two groups have asked the city to use the sports facilities at McCurdy and Medlock Parks.

McCurdy has three baseball fields and Medlock has a football field, basketball courts and tennis courts.

“However, both parks require completion of necessary improvements and maintenance before the facilities will be deemed adequate for baseball and football program use, respectively,” City Manager ChaQuias Miller-Thornton said in a memo attached to the City Council’s May 18 work session agenda.

The City Council decided to move forward with an inspection of all of its parks facilities, buildings and equipment to get estimates about the needed repairs.

Miller-Thornton said the parks require upgrades to their restrooms, fields, lighting, concession buildings, dugouts, pavilions, playground equipment and scoreboards.

“Although some projects have been awarded and/or completed, the city has needed to wait to build up a reserve of SPLOST funds because of a large transportation project that was deemed a top project,” Miller-Thornton said. “The city continues to fund regular operational maintenance of its parks through annual general fund allocations.”

She said the city prioritized surface drainage repairs, storm pipe repairs, road repairs, and retaining wall construction at Sexton Drive.

The city has four parks and the biggest needs are at McCurdy and Medlock parks

“Extensive repairs and improvements to McCurdy and Medlock parks have been identified, ranging from $250,000 in necessary improvements to the Medlock building and fields facilities and $600,000 in parking facility and associated stormwater utility upgrades,” Miller-Thornton said. “Projects that have been awarded and/or completed in the two years or so have been approximately $105,000 worth of improvements in Leila Mason Park (facility roof), Medlock (facility improvements/tennis court and basketball court resurfacing), McCurdy (fence improvements), new trash receptacles in all parks.”

She said these park improvements have been a topic of conversation since the implementation of the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, but the recent facility use requests prompted the discussion at Tuesday’s meeting.

“The city anticipates approximately $854,000 in SPLOST dollars for parks and recreation over the term of the SPLOST (15% of total approximate, anticipated $5.69 million),” Miller-Thornton said. “Currently there is over $1.7 million in the city’s SPLOST fund with approximately $1 million obligated for current transportation projects that are underway.”

She said the city plans to provide the City Council with inspection reports and cost estimates for projects at the city’s parks.

“Cost analysis for some priority needs have already been presented to council by the Administration and Public Works Department,” Miller-Thornton said. “Council is tasked with prioritization of projects at that point.”

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