The only thing left to do was to cut the ribbon. More than a year in the planning, city of Fayetteville officials June 1 formally opened Patriot Park.

Located across from Kiwanis Park at the intersection of Redwine Road and Old Senoia Road, the eight-acre park was a donation from Scarbrough and Rolader Development and Jeff Betsill Homes.

The ribbon cutting ceremony may have been low-key, but the significance Mayor Kenneth Steele attached to the project was not.

“This is the paradigm of public/private cooperation,” said Steele. “I’m not being facetious when I say that, because (Robert) Mr. Rolader not only donated the land, he did the work. We annexed this into the city at the same density as it was in the county. Had this property remained in the county we wouldn’t be standing here today dedicating Patriot Park.”

The facility was named Patriot Park, Steele said, because it provides the community a way to remember the participation of the many military veterans who live and have lived in Fayetteville and Fayette County.

“We have a lot of history military here. I’ve had preliminary discussions with VFW and American Legion. I think it would be a worthwhile effort if we do some research and have our own little wall or a statue or something like that for people who have been killed in combat,” said Steele. “It would be a great community effort to build on the theme of Patriot Park and have our own memorial here.”

Bob Rolader said the project was a joint venture of Jeff Betsill Homes and Scarbrough and Rolader Development. The area now called Patriot Park was originally a part of the Bellemeade subdivision development.

Patriot Park totals eight donated acres that were graded, landscaped with trees added and a one-half-mile track for walking or jogging. The land and upgrades needed to build the park totaled approximately $600,000, Rolader said.

“This was part of the overall Bellemeade annexation. We were asking for annexation and what we were able to do was take the overall acreage and create some lots that were a little bit smaller, but without any increase in density as you would basically have in a one-acre county development,” he said. “But we were able to get a tremendous amount of greenspace inside the neighborhood and donate eight acres of park out here.”

“We think it really is a win-win,” Rolader continued. “The county wins because they get to utilize this, they get an increased tax base. The city wins for the same reasons and the county doesn’t lose anything. A lot of people donate parks but they are open pieces of dirt. We thought why not have something the city and county residents can use. We hope it will be a good thing that will last a long time and we think it will be.”

City Manager Joe Morton said Fayetteville historian John Lynch was already working to produce a list of fallen soldiers to help determine the size needed for a wall. Morton was also quick to praise the participation of Fayette County Commission.

“The county worked closely with us. We were able to tie into their parking lot (at Kiwanis Park) and we have a joint use agreement with them,” Morton said. “Often times we’ll get land, which is great, and then we have to find a way to develop it into a park down the road. Here, we’ve got the land and the facilities as well.”

Steele commended Fayette County Commission and Fayetteville City Council for envisioning the opportunity to provide the park for city and county residents.

“Most importantly I would commend Mr. Rolader for coming forward with an outstanding proposal to the city,” Steele said. “This is basically a turn-key park. This is prime land right in the heart of our community, right in the center of where probably 35-40 percent of our population. It compliments the county facility. Parents can come with their children for baseball practice and they can come over and get their excercise. I come by here and I see older people out walking, young mothers pushing their children,kids learning to ride bicycles. It’s just wonderful.”

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