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Chatham County renames Lamarville Park for longtime community volunteer Bertha Mae Cummings
Summary
The board approved a resolution to rename Lamarville Park as Bertha Mae Cummings Park to honor a community volunteer who organized neighborhood activities, secured equipment and led a neighborhood watch.
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted July 18 to rename Lamarville Park as Bertha Mae Cummings Park in recognition of Cummings' decades of neighborhood service, Commissioner Tanya Milton said while reading a resolution into the record.
The resolution, which commissioners read and then put to a vote, documents Cummings' efforts as an unofficial park manager who secured playground and sports equipment from Chatham County Parks and Recreation, organized summer lunch programs, block parties and back-to-school drives, and initiated the Lamarville Neighborhood Watch. Commissioner Milton asked family members to come forward for the reading and presentation.
Family members and neighbors described the impact of Cummings' work at the podium. Kenneth Dandy, a relative and neighborhood volunteer, told commissioners that Cummings had helped secure a formal basketball court after the neighborhood had previously used a bicycle rim nailed to a pole as an improvised hoop. "She really at least got us a goal," Dandy said, describing the playground improvements as an example of her longtime advocacy.
The motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded; the transcript records the board voting "aye," and the resolution was signed by Chairman Chester Ellis. County staff said Parks and Recreation will update signage and schedule a dedication event.
Commissioners and family members planned a future date for a public dedication and thanked staff who aided the renaming process.
