Roswell parks manager outlines sustainable tending, native-plant standard and turf upgrades

Kyle Patterson, Roswell’s park service manager, described how the city maintains its parks while prioritizing sustainability during an interview on Inside Roswell.

Patterson said his team handles daily upkeep across the system and emphasized staff expertise: "I have a team that takes care of our beautiful parks," he said, noting certified training in turf management and chemistry among crew members. He cited staffing responsibilities that include parkland, indoor facilities and trail mileage and described an operations rhythm that begins with early-morning cleanup and resets after events.

The department distinguishes between daily operations and a special operations team that handles higher-level cultural practices and controlled chemical applications, Patterson said. "You're required by the state of Georgia to have a pesticide applicator's license to actually apply restricted use pesticides," he added, describing the license as a trained safeguard that allows staff to use products and timing that limit runoff and environmental risk.

Patterson said the city has a formal native-plant requirement for new landscapes. "At least 80% of the new plantings must be native plants," he said, and added that the parks division has pushed its internal standard toward about 95% native species to reduce inputs such as irrigation and fertilizer. He pointed to trees the department favors—including red maples and Sweet Bay magnolia—and said native plantings also support local wildlife.

On turf and athletic fields, Patterson said the department is moving to more resilient grass varieties for heavily worn areas. "It's called Tacoma 31," he said of a Bermuda grass variety the team uses in high-traffic zones; Patterson described it as tougher, quicker to green up and requiring fewer inputs than older varieties. He also explained that artificial turf fields require regular grooming and crumb-rubber attention to keep playing surfaces safe.

Patterson gave several numeric details about scale and use: he reported staff maintain indoor and outdoor spaces across the city, cited a figure of roughly 425,000 square feet of indoor facility space and said fields see heavy use—he estimated about 500 events per field per year. The transcript contains two different totals for park acreage given by Patterson (200 acres earlier in the conversation and later 1,200 acres); the department did not clarify which figure is correct on the program.

Patterson described ongoing commitments to new equipment and methods intended to reduce chemical inputs and labor while preserving playability. He framed the work as both technical and practical: "It is a science just as much as it is an art to apply them correctly," he said, and credited staff with professional-level experience from collegiate and professional sports settings.

Mayor Mary Robisho closed the segment by thanking Patterson and encouraging listeners to follow the city’s Earth Month programming. The conversation provided an overview of Roswell’s approach to balancing recreation, maintenance workload and environmental protection; the department did not announce new policy changes or budget decisions during the interview.