OC Park Athletic Association outlines programs, residency verification and park investments

Lucas, chair of the OC Park Athletic Association board, told the Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee that the all‑volunteer organization runs programs from T‑ball through 15U, operating multiple rec, all‑star and travel teams and using seven fields at OC Park. "in a year, we do about 1,300 registrants per year covering the fall rec spring rec summer all stars and travel," Lucas said, adding that registrations represent roughly 700 families across Johns Creek and neighboring cities.

Lucas described residency verification and the financial partnership with the city. "Per our agreement with, City of Johns Creek, we are required to make a capital improvement of a minimum $25,000 per year back to the park," he said, and the association has exceeded that requirement, contributing several hundred thousand dollars for field work and fencing over recent years. He noted tournament revenue and concession proceeds are also reinvested into capital projects.

Committee members pressed Lucas on capacity and access. Lucas said the group sometimes turns away "30 to 40" families a year because of limited field space; the board is evaluating options such as staggered registration windows, resident‑first registration periods and partnering with other nearby parks to absorb overflow. He also identified turfing an older field (referred to as "Lang") and quad netting as top capital priorities. The association and city staff agreed to explore software and verification procedures to support any resident‑first registration approach.