Park experts ask city officials to increase maintenance budget, ‘Phoenix Flies’ historic preservation celebration returns, first-ever Rising Voices forum – SaportaReport

by Fulton Watch News Feed

Next week marks Presidents’ Day, celebrated on the third Monday in February. The holiday was first recognized on Feb. 22, 1800, to celebrate George Washington’s birthday the year after he died. This was one of the first federal holidays ever established, coming just behind Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Independence Day.

On to other recent, local news:

The City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation is responsible for maintaining 4,477 park acres. (Photo by Hannah E. Jones.)

Park experts ask Atlanta city officials to increase budget for maintenance

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, several park advocates joined the Community Development/Human Services Committee meeting to implore city leaders to increase the funding in the City of Atlanta’s FY2024 budget for park maintenance. The park experts each made a statement during public comment, including Park Pride Executive Director Michael Halicki, Park Pride Director of Communications & Policy Rachel Maher and Esther Stokes, a former Park Pride board member who currently serves on the Georgia Audubon board.

Many of Atlanta’s parks are well-loved but the high volume of activity can lead to litter and other maintenance issues. These concerns are primarily due to a lack of sufficient resources for the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), which is responsible for maintaining 4,477 park acres around the city. 

As of December 2022, 26 percent of full-time positions in the DPR were vacant due to funding restrictions. 

The recent Moving Atlanta Forward bond package will allocate nearly $150 million to park and recreation center improvements and expansions but, as Halicki put it, “these investments do nothing to address the week-over-week, year-over-year costs of implementing and adhering to park maintenance standards.”

“I think we can do better; I think we deserve better,” he said. “We need a robust, public discussion to arrive at a goal that sets us on a path for day-to-day…

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