South Fulton Transitions Parks, Aims to Move to ‘New Level of Excellence’
On May 28, the Parks and Recreation Department transitioned to the City of South Fulton from Fulton County. The department’s staff manages 693 acres of park space, which includes 17 parks, 10 facilities and over 30 athletic fields.
Tony Phillips, the department’s director, has hinted that the transition will be marked by sweeping changes, including new policies and procedures. His goal is to propel the department to a “new level of excellence.”
The department has already launched CivicRec, a cloud-based software platform used by parks across the country to centralize operations. Accessible via the City of South Fulton’s website, the platform allows residents to create an account, register for activities, reserve facilities and more, at their convenience.
“In the past, when we would register for swim lessons, I would literally have parents outside the recreation center at Welcome All [Park] at 6:45 a.m. in the morning trying to make sure they got one of the precious few spots that we have,” said Phillips.
“This changes that whole dynamic in that now like many other agencies you’re used to dealing with, you can do that from a smartphone or computer.”
Phillips says that the platform will also help the department improve communication with residents by allowing staff to send information and alerts by email and text. Perhaps most importantly, the system now allows the department to centralize revenue collection and allow for regular reporting and a greater level of accountablity.
Other changes that the public will likely see soon will target youth athletic programs. The Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with youth athletic associations for approximately 20 years to provide sports programming. The arrangement has led to successes as well as challenges.
One challenge has been illegal vendors, which the city may soon address by formally procuring concessions services. Other issues will hopefully be alleviated by the city’s new certification program for coaches.
Scheduled to kick off in June, all volunteer coaches will be required to meet certain requirements, including mandatory participation in a clinic facilitated by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and a background check performed by the South Fulton Police Department. Coaches that earn South Fulton’s new certification will receive a photo badge. The badge will be required for all coaches to access the field during practices and games.
Parents that have questions about the changes being instituted by the Parks and Recreation Department are invited to attend a series of meetings (flyer below) planned for June 4 at Welcome All Park, June 5 at Sandtown Park and June 7 at Burdett Park. All meetings will take place at 6:00 p.m.
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