As the sun begins to set on our summer season, I encourage you to not lose sight of the fact that the parks in Johns Creek are still open and available all year long, and they have something for nearly everyone. And, equally important to note, we have more parks on the way with new amenities. When you have a moment, I invite you to look at the vision for what we have in store by visiting: https://youtu.be/yK4bxnGGuvI

Johns Creek has more than doubled its park space over the past three years, and we have five new parks under design, which will bring our total number of city parks to nine once they are all complete. Of note, our largest park, the yet-to-be-named Cauley Creek/Quail Hollow parcel, will become the third largest park in metro Atlanta with more than 190 acres of both active and passive recreational opportunities. The potential is very exciting.

The City Council and I are anxiously awaiting our next review of the latest draft design plans in the coming weeks. You may view what has been proposed to date by visiting JohnsCreekGa.gov/RecreationandParks/Parks-Design-Project.

Weve already begun putting the forty-million-dollar Parks Bond to use, which was voted on by our residents in 2016, and we have added three synthetic turf fields to help support improved recreational opportunities for youth sports.

The next steps for the City Council include approving the new parks designs and prioritizing the phasing and construction timelines for each. We are all anxious to move forward with advancing the new parks, but it is very important that the City Council take a methodical approach to better ensure we make the most of each dollar spent on behalf of our community.

I know how much our parks system means to Johns Creek citizens, and I believe it is a critical piece in the fabric of our community. From sports and concerts to leisure and events, our parks continue to provide great opportunities for people of all ages and abilities in our community to actively come together, to learn more about each other, and to both enjoy and improve our lives in general.