Improvements to the Glenloch recreation area are on the way, thanks
to funding fast-tracked by the Peachtree City City Council.
Originally, staff had recommended spending $12,500 this year to get
the kiddie pool there back up and running; the kiddie pool had been
closed for some time due to the lack of a filtration system, which
the funds will provide.
Council went one big step further, however, and decided to spend another
$40,000 this year for improvements that were originally planned for
next year, at the suggestion of councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford. That
allows the basketball court and playground to be relocated for safety
reasons, and landscaping and erosion control measures to be implemented,
said Mayor Steve Brown.
The improvements are in part a response to problematic activity that
has been reported at the recreation area, which includes a playground,
tennis courts and a basketball court, Brown said.
After receiving complaints of underage kids smoking and hanging around
the parking lot, Brown conducted periodic visits to evaluate the problem.
Brown says he found, and interrupted,Êa drug transaction in the parking
lot one day. It happened after Brown followed a youth who was hanging
out at Glenloch but not playing basketball or tennis.
As the young man walked into the parking lot, he approached a white
car that pulled in, Brown said.
“He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and put his hands
in the car,” Brown recalled.
As this happened, Brown said he continued walking toward the car,
reaching the hood of the vehicle, continuing to stare at the youth.
When the kid spotted him, the vehicle quickly backed out of the parking
lot and the youth ran away, the mayor said.
Brown called police to relay tag information from the car and later
learned that person was under investigation for drug-related activity.
“We’re not going to stand for that stuff,” Brown said.
While getting a kiddie pool going doesn’t sound like the ultimate
solution to curb drug activity, Brown says it will bring more families
back to the pool “adding to the eyes and ears out there.”
“We weren’t attracting families anymore,” because small
children had no place to play in the water, Brown said.
The city is also considering adding a video surveillance system like
the ones used at the library and the Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic
Center, Brown added.
Brown said the city is trying to focus on improving existing areas
instead of trying to build new recreation amenities. At Glenloch, the
city has already added new playground equipment, refurbished and updated
the pool’s filtration system, added a new fence around the pool
and replaced all the split rail fencing with white vinyl fencing, to
the tune of $45,000.
Brown also noted the city recently refurbished the Beaver Dam playground,
which serves the Wynnmeade and Ashton Woods subdivisions. Before those
improvements, the area had been “really neglected,” Brown
said.
The idea is for the city to spend efforts on maintaining and improving
the recreation amenities it has, Brown said.
