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Decatur parks director outlines youth athletics pilot, accreditation push and bike programs
Summary
Decatur’s parks director reported the advisory board is recruiting volunteers for a youth athletics pilot called 'Hoop Helpers,' expanding senior and bike-safety programs, and preparing to pursue national parks-and-recreation accreditation; community forums and a bicycle-friendly survey were announced.
Dr. Ruby Epps, director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Decatur, told the commission the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is engaged in outreach and program development, has 11 appointed members (one current vacancy), and recently added two youth members to advise on programming.
Epps highlighted a pilot youth-athletics advisory group — branded locally as 'Hoop Helpers' — that grew out of parent feedback about the recent basketball season. Deanna Kisutani, a Parks and Rec board member, said the pilot will run four short sessions to gather rules-and-regulations feedback, on-the-ground surveys at game nights, and a final reflection to inform program changes. "We had a meeting...and we decided to do something about it," Kisutani said, describing how the group gives parents a structured way to provide real-time input.
On volunteer recruitment, staff said the department aims to provide basic coach training and digital resources (preloaded apps with drills) to make it easier for parents and community members to coach. Epps noted Decatur runs a large youth program: "We have close to 800 kids in basketball," and said two coaches per team is the department’s goal to ensure adequate adult supervision.
The department also described community-wellness work, including an Active Living Everyday program for seniors (free classes run by certified instructors at Fire Station 1, 6–7 p.m.), monthly Walk & Roll days, a bike-bus program for students, community mobility walks, and newly certified league cycling instructors to lead safety classes.
Epps said the department plans to seek accreditation from the National Recreation and Park Association, a "very tedious" process expected to take about one to two years that requires documented policies, procedures and cross-department cooperation; staff are conducting a SWOT analysis to identify gaps and will ask the advisory board for support.
Staff also flagged upcoming projects — the Oakhurst master plan, the Ester Teen area mural, and ordinance reviews for parks operations — and said the advisory board will help develop Friends-of-Parks guidelines and a fee-schedule review to be informed by community forums ahead of the next budget cycle. The city’s Bicycle Friendly Community application is open (Decatur currently holds silver status and is seeking gold); the public survey is open through Oct. 5.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Decatur Recreation Center; public comments are invited at those meetings. The presentation concluded with youth board member Harper Waterson introducing herself and describing student-led ideas for field stewardship.
