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Johns Creek recreation staff review winter programs, park projects and rental policy questions
Summary
Recreation staff reviewed fall–winter events (including a block party with about 1,000 attendees), outlined park projects such as new courts, trail work and wayfinding signage, and answered board questions on rental capacity, rates and how park maintenance is funded.
Erica, a representative of the Johns Creek Recreation & Parks Department, told the board the department’s November–December programming was well attended and previewed spring events. She singled out a Holly Jolly block party with about 1,000 attendees, a Breakfast with Santa for roughly 40 children, and an adaptive lunch with Santa serving 19 participants, and invited the board to upcoming Lunar New Year, Battle of the Bands (March 7) and Daffodil Days events.
“Our mission is to create fun for everyone, through parks, programs and partnerships,” Erica said, describing the department’s focus as it prepares a monthly manager spotlight series and a staff-introduction rotation to the board.
Erica introduced department managers including recreation manager Kara Perel and capital projects manager Matthew Pate. Pate described recent capital work: additional pickleball courts at Newtown, about three-quarters of a mile of asphalt-trail improvements, standardized wayfinding signage to be installed across parks, animal-enclosure work and an amphitheater at Archer Mill, and other site improvements. He also said the city recently received a certificate of occupancy for Fire Station/Police Substation 63 and expects a ribbon-cutting in March.
On rentals and finances, the department presented a quarterly rental summary showing types of use across courts, fields and private rentals; Erica said the packet shows 13 organized 5K events in the past year. She said year-to-year differences reflect operational changes — for example, the Johns Creek Sports Association now programs some fields — and offered to supply detailed Q4 and annual totals on request (exact year totals were not provided at the meeting).
Board members asked whether rental fees cover maintenance and capital replacement costs. Erica said the city separates maintenance and a refresh/replacement budget from rental revenue; rental fees are not intended to fully fund asset replacement (she noted the useful life of turf is roughly 10 years). The department currently uses separate resident and non-resident rates and does not plan to adopt broad demand-based pricing; fees are typically reviewed about every five years.
Erica said she would follow up with the board on Park Place usage breakdowns and other requested data. The board did not take any formal action on parks policy at the meeting.
