Tattnall Square Park : Community-loved, Community-led
By Adelia Henderson
MACON, Ga. — Filled with sidewalks, numerous trees and a flowing peace fountain, Tattnall Square Park brings an element of beauty to Macon’s typical urban scene.
However, the park didn’t always look so picturesque.
“Tattnall had a reputation, a small amount of crime associated with it. Its reputation was far worse than anything that had ever happened,” Mercer professor Andrew Silver said. “Mercer students were warned to not go.”
Chair of the Friends of Tattnall Square Park community organization, Silver has directed the recent renovations of the park that included planting hundreds of trees, installing a fountain and laying two campaigns of printed bricks purchased by community members.
However, most of the work has been done by the hands of volunteers, instead of the county.
“We have fitful volunteering,” Silver said. “Sometimes it’s high school kids…we have volunteer days where we get people to come on out.”
Silver utilizes his Building Community class as volunteers to spread mulch and pull weeds in Tattnall, while simultaneously teaching them about the function and upkeep of parks.
Mercer senior Tabita Strimbu said Silver’s class sparked her interest in volunteering at the park. Now, she serves as president of the Friends of Tattnall Square Park student group.
“We learned about public parks, why they are important to communities, and how they have lasting impacts and function as public spaces,” Strimbu said.
Macon-Bibb Parks and Recreation is responsible for operations, maintenance, and capital improvements to 128 parks and recreation areas in Bibb County, according to their website.
However, these efforts are often supplemented by volunteer organizations.
“They mow the grass, and they blow the leaves out from underneath the trees where the leaves should actually be,” Silver said. Our attitude is ‘we have to get this done, let’s just do it ourselves.’ I would love for them to do more. But other than that, it’s really bare minimum.”
Both Silver and Strimbu agree that recruiting volunteers to keep the park upheld can be tough.
“We don’t have a lot of members, so it’s difficult to get students to join,” Strimbu said. “It’s even more difficult to get them out on a weekday or weekend to help clean up the park, and to sacrifice their time to help.”
“What we need is a volunteer coordinator,” Silver said. “If we had one, it would be a whole lot better.”
If you are interested in volunteering with Friends of Tattnall, check out their Facebook page or their website here.
