Playground equipment for children 2-5 years old located at Jimmy Gill Park.

As the City of Athens continues to grow, so does the use of the many parks. Over the past year, the city has made efforts to improve existing parks while embarking on the construction of the new Sunrise Park on Pryor Street and plans to revitalize the Athens Farmers Market at Doug Gates Park. In all, the Athens City Council has allocated about $520,000 of its ARPA funds toward recreation.

“The interest in recreation continues to grow,” Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said. “For our citizens, it is an avenue for them to socialize and stay active. For our economy, it is an avenue to draw visitors to our city for tournaments, hiking, and excursions. Those visitors buy fuel, shop and eat while here, which supports our local economy.”

Sunrise Park

Sunrise Park is currently under construction on the site of the old Pilgrim’s Pride property on Pryor Street. The park will be built in phases, with the first phase including a playground and a splash pad with bathrooms.

The Athens City Council has allocated $1 million from the General Fund 2021 surplus to start the project and match Dekko’s $250,000 grant. The project will increase outdoor recreation opportunities for children and their families, giving them an area to become more physically fit and learn to socialize with members of the community.

“We had a dangerous eyesore in the middle of our city that will become a destination spot for families and tourists and an asset for Athens,” Marks said.

Athens Sportsplex

In late October, the Outdoor Fitness Court opened at the Athens Sportsplex. Created with people aged 14 and older — and with all abilities — in mind, the workouts are adaptable for all fitness levels, allowing participants to move at their own pace. Users also may download the free Fitness Court App which acts as a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness experience.

This Fitness Court was developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the City of Athens, and NFC to expand free access to high quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities around the state. The Fitness Court is the world’s best outdoor gym that lets people use their own body weight to get a complete workout using seven exercise stations.

“We continue to see recreation grow in our community, and this partnership and grant project are allowing us to offer another avenue for healthy activity in our city,” Marks said.

The City is also planning to provide additional parking to the Sportsplex in the coming year.

Big Spring Park

The Athens City Council recently accepted a bid from Lower Bros. Tennis Courts to begin retrofitting the three of the existing tennis courts at Big Spring Park to pickleball courts. This is great news to those who participate in the increasingly popular sport.

For the tennis players, one tennis court will remain, and the planned work includes resurfacing of all courts at the park.

Robert Allen Tinnon Park

Robert Allen Tinnon park located on Fifth Avenue is undergoing a major facelift. An additional practice field is being added to the park, upgrades to the existing ballfields are being made, and a basketball court is being added.

The Athens City Council recently approved $20,000 of the American Rescue Plan Funds to be used for new fencing at Robert Allen Tinnon Park.

Swan Creek Park

While no plans have been finalized, Mayor Marks has a great vision for the future of Swan Creek Park. He would like to build a Miracle Field.

“Miracle field is an all inclusive field for special needs children and adults to have an opportunity to play ball and to be involved in sports activities. It’s a national association. There’s rubberized surfaces — it’s children with wheelchairs, it’s children with all kinds of special needs that have the opportunity to feel like that they are included,” Marks said.

Another vision Marks has for Swan Creek Park is to convert the tennis courts located on the south end of the park into eight to 10 covered pickleball courts.

“So it’s a growing sport in we know that it’s going to continue growing,” he said.

Jimmy Gill Park

In spring of 2022, the new Jimmy Gill Park was unveiled. The park was moved to the former Woodland Golf Course. The new park features new playground equipment, two new pavillions, basketball court, and plenty of wide open spaces.

The Athens City Council recently approved additional fencing for the park. In particular, fencing will be added around the basketball courts.

Recently, Athens Cemetery/Parks/Recreation Director Bert Bradford worked with Holly Holman on a grant in which a promotional recreation video was created. In applying for the grant, it was determined that on average, 4,000 people utilize recreation in Athens any given day based on league participation, park rentals, and Rec Center traffic.