Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2G
i FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sundiy, March 28,18 M
SPORTS, LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT
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Photo/Stephen Underwood
Many believe that baseball is THE sport in Forsyth County - and what better place to collect evi
dence on that point than one of the facilities (in this case, Sharon Springs Park) of the Forsyth
County Parks and Recreation Department on a summer evening?
FC park and rec program
meets exploding needs
By Stephen Underwood and
Alton Bridges
Sports Staff
There are few organizations or
institutions more acutely aware of
the growth of our county than the
Forsyth County Parks and
Recreation Department. With all
of the families that have moved
into the county in recent years, the
department has been pushed as
hard as can be imagined to pro
vide recreational facilities for the
growing masses.
That said, the department -
under the veteran leadership of
Jerry Kinsey - has done an excep
tional job of building parks as fast
as county funding and manpower
can allow.
The biggest accomplishment
of the past year was the comple
tion of Sawnee Mountain Park,
which is located in the Ducktown
and Friendship area.
The park has 10 lighted athlet
ic fields (softball/baseball and
soccer/football), a walking/jog
ging trail (skates are allowed on
the paved trail), three conces
sion/restroom buildings and four
tennis courts. The facility also has
outdoor basketball courts, play
ground equipment and a pavilion.
These fields, along with the
ones soon to be added with the
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new Central Park, are the depart
ment’s attempt to meet the needs
of well over 3000 youth baseball
and softball players - not to even
mention the growing adult pro
grams. Burgeoning programs in
youth football and Forsyth
Rowdies soccer also underscore
the need.
But the department has not
only catered to ballplayers and the
like.
The Cumming Garden Club
and the parks and recreation staff
has created a butterfly garden with
native plants and a meditation and
reflection bench at Poole’s Mill
Park. A plaque in memory of
Charles Welch, who served on the
Board of Commissioners of
Forsyth County from 1972-1994,
was placed in the center of the
garden.
Some of the new programs
added in 1998 were drama work
shops, creative dance classes,
Special Olympics programs, ath
letic speed camps for young ath
letes, clay classes and a program
for youngsters called Safety
Town.
Very significant has been the
beginning of youth ALTA tennis
programs (ages 8-18 years), now
that Forsyth is within the range of
the Atlanta tennis giant’s pro
grams.
The FCPRD has also started a
countywide track meet for grades
K-5.
“All of our programs have
grown at least 10 percent in the
past year,” said Kinsey.
This year will bring about new
additions that are needed to serve
the people of Forsyth County.
This will include a community
building being constructed at
Sawnee Mountain Park that will
be used for summer day camps
and other classes and programs.
The biggest story of all,
though, is that construction will
begin on Central Park in August
of this year. This park will consist
of 50 acres with the athletic fields,
a walking/jogging trail, eight ten
nis courts and the Forsyth County
Parks and Recreation
See COUNTY, Page 3G
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Indoor gyms finally on ; . 5
horizon for city rec dept
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
Even as the calendar marched
inexorably toward spring, the
often-frigid mid-March weather
was another reminder of some
thing Cumming residents and
those all over the county would
like to have.
Another big indoor facility to
play basketball and other sports.
The wait will continue for
awhile, but hoop dreams are on the
horizon. The City of Cumming’s
big multi-purpose building (more
than a recreation center) is on the
drawing board and the sooner it is
built, the easier things will be on
the Cumming Recreation and
Parks Department’s biggest pro
gram.
Meanwhile, the department -
headed up by Greg Little - is
about to enter in to its spring/sum
mer phase. Registration for spring
and summer programs is begin
ning Saturday, April 3 at 9 a.m.
The traditional walk-up regis
tration will be taken at that time,
with those who mail in their forms
being considered starting Monday,
April 5.
Multi-purpose building to
house courts, stage
Back on March 16, the
Cumming City Council announced
in a meeting that it had awarded a
bid to the Alpharetta-based archi
tectural firm of Pieper, O’Brien
and Herr to design what is expect
ed to be possibly as large as a
40,000-square-foot facility.
It is thought that the building
will contain four basketball courts,
possibly side-by-side, but another
design could unfold as well. The
courts could double for tennis,
roller hockey, trade shows or
more. The building will also house
a stage.
“We’re in the process of work
ing with the architects and design
ers on the layout,” says Little.
“There’s still nothing specific.”
At one point, it was thought
that any stage that was part of the
facility would be exterior, but that
has been changed. But in any case,
concerts that are part of the
Cumming Country Fair could take
place there, as well as numerous
other events.
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Photo/Stephen Uncjerrwobd
The new staff of the Cumming Recreation and Parks
Department includes (L-R): Matt Payne, Sandra Bennett, Greg
Little, Jonathan Bennett, Theresa Brackett and Jack Search.
As far as the location of the
multi-purpose building, Little said
it would be adjacent to what used
to be the parking lot below and
across from the barn at the
Cumming Country Fairgrounds.
Seating is expected to be in the
range of 3,000-4,000 for theatrical
and musical performances.
“It opens things up for a lot of
other events, such as graduations
and so on,” said Little.
Along with the courts and the
stage, the building will house pro
gramming rooms and the like.
Little says the project will take
about 12-18 months from the time
ground is broken. The cost is
expected to take $3 million-plus
from the $4 million dollar
SPLOST allocation. “Knock on
wood, but we’re hoping to have it
for the 2000-2001 basketball sea
son,” he said.
The basketball program is, of
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course, the biggest concern for tFiq
department in terms of the need of
space. It’s growing at 20 percent 4
year - not to mention the tremen
dously successful Li’l Robkips .
Basketball Program.
“We had 122 teams this year,”
said Little, noting that spur sites
were used (just for games) thjsr
past season from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“We’re looking at 145 or so next
year.”
With the multi-purpoSe buflcK
ing not yet available for nPxt.witF
ter, and all of the school facilities,
the program is using being rriaxej
out, the department is looking.a(-
moving the schedule upajpopth’
this next winter and extending the.
length of the season - with ndt‘
everyone able to play every webk. ,
“We would start practicing in
November and have to start play-
See CITY, Page 3.Q