InTucker Magazine

July is National Park & Recreation Month

Celebrated annually in July since 1985, this month of recognition is an opportunity to highlight how Park and Recreation Departments across the country help build strong and vibrant communities.

Park and Recreation professionals provide vital services to our communities — from protecting open spaces and natural resources to providing activities and resources for everyone. Park and Recreation Month encourages everyone to reflect on the exponential value parks and recreation professionals bring to their communities.

It’s also a month for Park and Recreation professionals to thank all the volunteers and community members that participate in maintaining the parks, attending community events and participating in our programs. The efforts of volunteers is greatly appreciated and feedback that allows for continued growth is always welcome. Each of Tucker’s parks and facilities have Friends groups that fall under the umbrella groups of Friends of Tucker Parks. These groups work with the City hand-in-hand to improve our parks and volunteer their time and talent.

The City of Tucker is an active member of both the Georgia and National Park and Recreation Association’s (NRPA and GRPA). These professional organizations help local agencies meet national goals and standards to aid them in serving their communities.

Tucker invests annually in the park system and continuously works towards meeting not just state and national goals but more importantly, community goals. There have been many accomplishments from the initial Parks Master Plan adopted in 2019.The completion of these accomplishments triggered the need to update our Master Plan in 2024. This update will assist the City to move forward with capital improvements, programming and staffing.

Park maintenance is ongoing and new programs and activities are brought to the community that have been identified as part of the master plans. The Parks and Recreation Department has seen several changes over the last year with new outdoor programming, water aerobics and new youth camp offerings. More big changes are coming, not just in programming but in the parks as well.

• Upgrades and construction at Tucker’s Fitzgerald Field Sports Complex are almost complete and will open this fall.
• The Tucker Town Green in downtown Tucker will start construction this fall, and the hope is to open by late summer 2025.
• There are plans to completely renovate Johns Homestead Park, including the replacement of the dams at Twin Brothers Lake to assist in creating a safe and thriving area, new access points from, the surrounding neighborhoods, a new lake trail and parking.
• There are also plans to add new parking and pickleball play at Tucker Recreation Center, new tennis courts at Rosenfeld Park and access to Lord Park with a planned disc golf course.

The parks are in great shape, and the daily usage by residents is heartwarming to staff. Every effort is made to maintain the parks in a safe and accessible way. We also continually look for ways to engage with our community. In celebration of Park and Recreation month, everyone is encouraged to post fun experiences in the parks and in any recreation programming in Tucker on Facebook and Instagram. Use the hashtags #PowerofParks and #WhereYouBelong when posting.

Come out and celebrate by visiting one of the many Tucker parks or one of our Summer of Fun events and activities. And as always, the department is accessible through the City website at www.tuckerga.gov/parks or call the Rec Center directly at 470-481-0205.