East Cobb Park has become popular, with many flocking to its trails and paths.

The grass-roots group that raised funds for the opening of East Cobb Park had their fingers crossed that the 20 acres would create a "sense of place" among the profusion of manicured subdivisions and strip malls. If people like Tammi Riley are any indication, the experiment has succeeded. "I really like this place," said the east Cobb resident, unloading her 3-year-old son from her sport utility vehicle on a recent bright, chilly day. "We come out here once a week. . . . We run laps and play on the slides."

That's music to the ears of Woody Snell, president of Friends for the East Cobb Park, which raised $1 million to buy the land, then deeded it to Cobb County officials for the park along Roswell Road between Old Canton and Providence roads. The nonprofit Friends group and Cobb County officials now are gearing up for a series of improvements to the park, which is less than 2 years old, beginning early in 2005.

On tap for the next phase of development:

• A 10-foot-wide trail running along Roswell Road from Indian Hills Parkway and East Side Elementary School to the park. Snell says the $800,000 county- and federal-funded initiative will provide walking and bike access to the park from the east and will help to create more of a linear park feel.
• Development of seven acres added to the initial 13 acres of the park, the so-called "Thomas" property to the west. A home on the property will be removed, 40 parking spaces added and nonpaved recreational trails created.
• A bridge over Sope Creek, which borders parts of the park, and a paved trail, both of which will connect East Cobb Park with nearby Fullers Park and its baseball and soccer fields.
• Paving of the parking lot just off Roswell Road, creating between 100 and 130 paved spots in the main part of the park.
• New and expanded restrooms.

Children play on the merry-go-round at East Cobb Park in Marietta, which is less than 2 years old and already set for a round of major projects. Officials hope to create a new trail and expand park facilities, including parking and restrooms.

Snell says funding for several of the projects will come jointly from Cobb Parks and the Friends group, which is busy with such fund-raising projects as selling named cobblestones along a park walkway. He estimates the nonprofit group will raise about $100,000 toward its share of the upgrades, with parks officials kicking in a similar amount for the Thomas property development, connection to Fullers Park, parking lot paving and restrooms. County officials say the restroom and parking lot expansions could begin in as little as a few weeks, depending on weather conditions.

Parks Director Jimmy Gisi said formal plans must be approved by the Cobb County Commission.
Snell said this first phase of improvements are just the beginning. "The park is great as it is, but it's an untapped resource," he said. "When we connect with Fuller and add the Thomas property, and eventually hook up with some green space the county's bought on the north side of Highway 120 [Roswell Road], we'll have nearly 100 acres in that part of east Cobb."
County officials say the park draws more than 400 people per day on average. Snell and Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs officials say parking spots are often hard to come by, and the stage and pavilion facilities are consistently in use.

Joggers and dog walkers bump elbows on the .33-mile trail, the playground is usually crawling with youngsters, and picnickers and Frisbee throwers spread out over adjoining lawns and wooded areas. Snell says more than 800 people attended the lighting of a community menorah this year, and a similar number showed up for a Christmas-themed event in the early part of December. "We want this to become a tradition," he said.

Gisi, who lauds the continuing public-private partnership as unique, said the popularity of the park has come without some of the common ills that are attached to urban green space.
He said there are no signs of wear or overuse to date, and vandalism and loitering have not been problems. Gisi thinks the sense of ownership that east Cobb residents feel for the park, coupled with heavy use and regular monitoring, has kept problems to a minimum. The weather caused the biggest problems this year, he said. "When [Tropical Depression] Ivan came through and pretty much flooded out the park, our maintenance guy was out there with tears in his eyes," Gisi said. Ivan washed away the playground base, sent picnic tables flying, trashed some of the trail and poured silt into the grass when Sope Creek overflowed.

Meantime, the park is picking up new fans. Recent first-time visitor David Hanafey, newly arrived from Massachusetts, praised the facility as "beautiful." "We'll get out here pretty often, any time we can make it with the kids," he said. "You can tell this area is being built up, and it's nice to keep an area where people can enjoy nature and streams and playgrounds."

Bob Andres - Photo Credits.
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