Coweta reopens Welcome Park – Newnan Times-Herald

Coweta County Parks and Recreation cut the ribbon on the renovated Welcome Park in the western part of the county on Friday.

The renovated park features open green space, fitness equipment, a walking trail and in the future, a playground, said Jim Gay, the county’s parks and recreation director.

The park has been a part of the community for many years, and during the ribbon cutting ceremony, Commissioner Tim Lassetter talked about facing future Commissioner Bill McKenzie on the baseball field in their youth.

Gay said, however, that in recent years, the park had deteriorated to the point where it had become a “hazard” and an “eyesore.”

A task force conducted a number of years before determined a need for more open green space, Gay said, and while the county had started doing demo work on the park before the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic accelerated the need for that open space.

“In 2018, the Board of Commissioners appointed a Recreation Task Force to hear feedback from the community regarding parks and recreation,” said Kelly Mickle, assistant administrator, at the ribbon cutting. “Along with hearing public comment at meetings, the Task Force conducted a survey. A common theme in the survey responses was a need for more passive recreation options, as well as opportunities for all ages and those who do not play a team sport.”

“We were telling people to get outside and enjoy the outdoors,” Gay said. “People sought an opportunity to go outdoors and do things. We took what, at one point, was just sitting there and barely utilized, and we turned it into something that will be a big addition for our park system.”

Gay said the park, as well as Madras Park, represents a new philosophy for the parks and recreation system in Coweta County, which has gone more toward diversifying recreational opportunities. Previously, Gay said the park system in Coweta County had focused more on youth sports, rather than something that could benefit the entire population.

“We’re seeing a lot more people in the parks that we weren’t serving before —, different age groups, levels of ability; we’ve made a really big impact in creating something for everyone,” Gay said.

“Over the past couple of years, our Parks & Recreation staff, along with our Facilities Management and Public Works staff have worked together to make improvements and add passive features to both large and small parks across the county using SPLOST funds,” Mickle said. “Our goal has been to try and touch every community. The redevelopment of Western Park is the most recent of those improvement projects, and we hope that it will benefit citizens in this community for years to come, providing space to walk, run, toss a ball, have a picnic, etc.”

Welcome Park is located at 1792 Welcome Road in Newnan, and is open from dawn to dusk. Pets are welcome, but owners are asked to clean up after their pets and keep them on leashes.