InTucker Magazine

Ask Rip – June 2018

“Ask Rip” Answers to Your Parks Questions 

Rip Robertson is the first Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Tucker. He takes the job with years of experience in Parks and Rec, as well as Public Works. Rip is a former Military Intelligence Analyst for the U.S. Army and is active with the Army Reserve.

Regina Ferri – I live by Cofer Crossing and Lawrenceville Highway and I no longer drive. My question is: is there a park around this area at a walking distance?
Tucker Nature Preserve is right around the corner from you on Lawrenceville Highway across from the Tucker Precinct police station. While it’s one of our smaller park properties, it is quiet, peaceful and has areas for walking or to sit and watch the birds.

Debbie Holiday – When will the drinking fountain and the sinks and countertops in the restrooms at Henderson Park soccer fields be replaced?
This past soccer season there wasn’t a usable drinking fountain for the players. We are working on all of those maintenance issues. First and foremost, we needed to look at safety issues in our parks and having potable water is on that list. In addition to the soccer side of the park, we will also be looking at the drinking fountain by the playground on the Livsey side of the park.

Aster Lekene – I always have the most difficult time finding an updated schedule of classes at Tucker Rec and Kelly Cofer Pool. Any plans for making it easier to access?
In the coming days, the City is launching a newly redesigned website that includes a revamped
tuckerga.gov/parks page. We will have additional information on that site, as well as in quarterly programming brochures that we hope to introduce in the fall. As for Kelley Cofer Pool, all the days, times and fees are currently on our website.

Kathryn Floor – Are swim lessons offered at Kelley Cofer Park pool?
Yes, there will be free group swim lessons on a daily basis. These will happen the first 30 minutes that the pool is open each day. Individual swim lessons can be arranged through Aquatics Management, who operate our pool. Just ask any of our friendly lifeguards next time you’re at the pool and they can provide you details!

Randy Winkler – Where does the possibility of pickleball stand?
We get a lot of questions about different activities people would like to see in our parks. These include pickleball and frisbee golf, not to mention those who want a dog park. These are all great ideas that we are going to be exploring in our Parks and Recreation Master Plan process. This process, which will feature community meetings and surveys, will be the best way for people to let us know what programs are needed and what parks or facilities need to be expanded and improved in Tucker.

I wish I could give you a better answer, but this is the reality of being a new city that just assumed responsibility for our parks. All of our surrounding cities that have been established for a while have gone through a Master Plan process for Parks and Rec and, once we do ours, we will be better informed on how to improve upon what we have in Tucker.