InTucker Magazine

Ask Rip – September 2018

Rip Robertson is the Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Tucker.

Peter Berg – What are the City’s plans for improving security and prevention of vandalism within the parks facilities? Overall, I feel safe in the parks, but am concerned about keeping our nice things nice and our image intact.

Peter, one of the top priorities when we assumed responsibility for our parks earlier this year was ensuring the safety of our guests. One of the possible steps we identified was security cameras. We are in the initial stages of examining how helpful and effective these will be. Currently, we have testing going on in two parks (Peters and Kelley Cofer) and we will be looking at extending that into other parks as we go forward.

As far as vandalism, we are looking to clean that up immediately. We have parks staff and landscaping contractors in our parks every day, which helps combat any problems. To fully address it, we also rely on guests enjoying our parks to call us and let us know if they see something.

Sharyn B. – Are there plans to perform any upgrades to the playgrounds (equipment and surfaces) at Kelley Cofer and Henderson Parks? They are sorely needed.

I’m glad to say things are on schedule for playgrounds in both those parks to be replaced this fall. As you may have heard, the City won a grant for replacing playground equipment in three parks, as well as at Tucker Recreation Center. It was a matching grant, so the Mayor and City Council had to vote to approve funding to make this happen. They did and we are expecting to have brand new playgrounds in place by Thanksgiving.

James Miller – Between the Tucker Soccer Park (on Henderson Road) and Lavista Road, there are no sidewalks. There are sidewalks between the park and Henderson Mill Road. People on the Lavista side would find this park to be much more accessible if they had a safe walk. Can you assist with this?

James, while this is a subject that impacts use of our parks, it is not something that falls under the purview of Parks and Recreation. The good news here is that our City Engineering staff has been in close contact with DeKalb County and we are hopeful that you will see these sidewalks become a reality in the next year.

We understand that there are other pressing needs around the City impacting our parks. Because of that, let me take this opportunity to remind you of the Mayor’s invitation (cover page) for the community to get involved in our ongoing plans and studies, specifically the Trail and Transportation Master Plans. Your input will be critical to helping us identify ways to improve the accessibility of our parks.

Selene Alvahuante-Viggiano – Where can I find the classes and activities schedules, as well as pricing for kids at Tucker Recreation Center?

I hope you’ve had a chance to check out our new-look website. Tuckerga.gov has been redesigned in every sense, including a brand-new Parks and Recreation page. On this page, you’ll find a link to our updated class and activities schedule. You can find additional details about these activities on our new Parks and Recreation Facebook page. Should you have more specific questions involving pricing, feel free to call or stop by the Rec Center and our staff will be happy to help you.