Park Becomes East Cobb’s Town Square
Marietta Daily Journal
2009 Community Fact Guide
Story by Kim Isaza
East Cobb has its own social networking site — the East Cobb Park. On most any day of the year, residents gather at the park to enjoy its 20-plus acres of space in which to play and simply be together. And they have the Friends for the East Cobb Park to thank for it. In the 1990s, Mary Karras was president of the East Cobb Area Council, part of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and challenged her members to create a lasting contribution to the community. Sunny Walker, who with her sisters has operated Frameworks Gallery now for 35 years, shared her vision for a park. “It occurred to me we were missing a gathering place,” Walker said.
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Friends for the East Cobb Park past presidents: Mary Karras, Kim Paris,
Sunny Walker and current president, David London |
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Photo by Thinh D. Nguyen |
“We had great schools, a healthy retail environment, but we didn’t have a town square. We’re pretty much a community of neighborhoods, but we tended to be somewhat isolated from each other within these neighborhood enclaves. Once you have a park and you are comingling, it creates such a wonderful synergy.” Several other members knew she was on to something, and the idea grew. The group spun off and created a nonprofit organization called Friends for the East Cobb Park. Karras was the first president of the Friends. “We began to hunt for land, and we had several false starts,” said Karras, who has been a banker in Cobb County for nearly 40 years.
“We looked on Johnson Ferry Road, then Post Oak Tritt … We were getting very, very dejected.” The Friends spoke to county leaders and agreed that if the Friends could raise the money to purchase land for a park, the county would pay to develop it. Elbert Bowles approached Karras about selling his family homestead of 13 acres on Roswell Road, between Old Canton and Providence Roads.
The sales price was $900,000, or about $69,000 per acre. But signing the sales contract was only one step. Next, the Friends needed to raise the money. Kim Paris, a development officer with the WellStar Foundation and a past president of the Friends, recalled a complete community effort to bring in the bucks. “All the East Cobb civic clubs — Civitan, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary— contributed,” Paris said.
“A teacher at East Side Elementary was on our board and one of her students had an idea to sell ‘Park Pal’ magnets. In addition to generous gifts from individuals and families, we received contributions from local businesses and schools, neighborhood associations, and were awarded grant funding from foundations in Cobb and Atlanta. Kessel Stelling, president and CEO of the Bank of North Georgia, called major corporate partners. Everyone helped. I think we ultimately raised about $1,030,000 for the initial effort.”
The park was dedicated on June 28, 2003, with Johnny Isakson, now a U.S. Senator, and County Chairman Sam Olens among those helping cut the ribbon. For Walker and Karras, the park they once dreamed of now provides many happy memories. “Mary and I talk all the time about how we were raising our families when we started the park, and now we take our grandchildren there. It has survived in such a beautiful fashion,” Walker said. “One big goal was to get cross-generational socialization.
We were of course having more elderly in our community, and we didn’t have the assisted living centers or day recreation. There wasn’t really any place to go unless you went to a restaurant or a mall. That was a huge goal, and I think that has happened. We have a lot of seniors who take advantage of the walking path. We see a broad range of ages at the park.” Paris, whose daughter conducted her sweet-16 party at the park, said some park events have proven so popular that they have evolved into traditions. “The holiday tree lighting is great, and we look forward to a menorah lighting this year. There are summer movies, and the weekly Ultimate Playdate,” she said.
“It’s really neat to see younger families getting involved. I fully expect that my grandchildren will enjoy the park.” David London, who has lived in east Cobb for more than 30 years, became president of the Friends in January. Through donations and memberships, the Friends aim “to provide events and enhancements in the park that the county does not have the budget to pay for,” such as improvements to the bathrooms, upgraded signage throughout the park, additional charcoal grills and picnic tables, and additional dirt for leveling the playfields, London said.
But for the last few years, donations haven’t quite matched expenditures on the extras that make East Cobb Park special. Last year, the Friends began promoting its memberships to help pay for the added amenities. Annual memberships are $35 for families, and $100 for businesses.
Visit www.eastcobbpark.org for more information. It’s one of London’s goals as president to make the Friends more visible to the park’s many users. “It’s a common misconception that tax dollars are covering all of this,” London said. “The county owns the park and certainly does a lot, but they can only do so much. We are out there organizing these events, and making sure all these things happen.” Karras agreed.
“The fundraising has to be continued to keep the park what it is,” she said, noting that a partnership between the East Cobb Civitan Club and the Friends, for instance, has raised $75,000 for the park over the years. “We need more partnerships like that,” she said. This summer, the park is adding a very special area — an all-abilities playground, with equipment donated by Resurgens Charitable Foundation. It’s one more example of the pioneering public-private partnership in east Cobb, Walker said. “The beauty is that we all have a stake in this park, and it’s in our best interests to keep it well taken care of,” Walker said. Added Karras: “The park has far exceeded anything we ever imagined it would be. It has turned out to be a jewel for East Cobb.”