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Kenwood Park has a problem — it’s TOO popular, some feelTue, 04/28/2009 - 3:45pm
By: John Munford
Fayette County officials are looking at ways to deal with the overwhelming popularity of Kenwood Park. The 65-acre facility, located in north Fayette off Ga. Highway 279 near Kenwood Road and the Clayton County line, opened in October 2007 and features a running track, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, soccer fields, a walking trail, a playground and picnic facilities. In recent months it has become apparent that the park is almost too popular, Fayette County officials have indicated. Sometimes every parking space is full, leading patrons to park their vehicles on the side of the entry road to the park, said Fayette County Chief Marshal Ed Collins. The marshal’s office is charged with security at all county facilities including Kenwood Park. “Usage is really high,” Collins said. “Word is out about the park.” Another issue is that many park patrons don’t live in Fayette County, Collins said. A similar complaint led Fayette resident Kathy Allgood to address the County Commission at its April 9 meeting. Allgood explained that one day she conducted a survey of auto tags in the park, and of the 60 vehicles, 45 were from out of county. Allgood said she became upset during one park visit when another patron walked a leashed pit bull dog, which caused her to fear for her young grandson and her own dog that she was walking at the time. Because the pit bull was on a leash, there was no action the marshal’s office could take, Allgood said. Potential solutions being considered include the possibility of erecting security gates, perhaps combined with some sort of entry fee, Collins said. Another possibility is that residents may have to sign up with the recreation department to use amenities such as the basketball and tennis courts to prevent overcrowding. The picnic pavilions have also been popular at the park, Collins said. Collins said it has been difficult for marshals to get patrons to leave the park at night when it closes. But there are some events after dark, such as community movie showings. The county owns a total of 172 acres at Kenwood Park, and it was initially planned to build the park in three phases. But the $6.4 million price tag for phase one eclipsed the initial $2.5 million budget that was projected for all three phases. login to post comments
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