Politics & Government

Lithia Springs Park Opens Today

Free refreshments, face painting, animal balloons, and other fun activities will be available from noon until 2 p.m., and ball games will continue through the rest of the day.

The is set to open the newest park in Douglas County today with ribbon-cutting and other opening ceremonies planned beginning at 11 a.m. The ceremonies are open to the public with free admission.

The new Lithia Springs Recreational Park, located at 2922 South Sweetwater Rd. at Mt. Vernon Rd., will officially open its three components:

  • Resurgens Orthopaedics All Abilities Playground–ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m.
  • Belcher Grove Contemplative Area–ribbon-cutting at 11:20 a.m.
  • Ball fields and Concession Stand–ribbon-cutting and opening ceremonies at 11:45 a.m.

Free refreshments, face painting, animal balloons, and other fun activities will be available from noon until 2 p.m., and ball games will continue through the rest of the day.

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The Resurgens Orthopaedics Playground was made possible by a generous $75,000 grant from the Resurgens Foundation. The Foundation feels that every child needs outdoor physical play, but that some of the children who need it the most–those kids with physical disabilities–miss out because they simply do not have suitable playground facilities. The Foundation has a goal of building at least one new “all abilities” playground annually. Outdoor play is essential to the full development of mind and body of young people, and Resurgens is taking the lead in making sure that this happens. Members of the Resurgens Foundation Board and Resurgens staff will attend the ribbon-cutting, and Resurgens will host an information tent from noon to 1 p.m.

The Resurgens Playground consists of a ladder wall, climbers, rockscapes, crow’s nests, slides, slides, swings and other active recreational features accessible to all children of every ability. The playground area also includes picnic pavilions and rest room facilities.

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The Belcher Grove honors the family of Mr. and Mrs. Doug Belcher, who lived on the property that is now the park, for many years. The Belchers and their children were involved in Lithia Springs area sports and recreation their whole lives, and their property, now the park, contained open fields and groves of trees, flowers, and vines. All of the children in Lithia Springs came to the Belcher family property to play pick-up games of baseball and softball and to just hang out. The Belcher Grove commemorates these times, and consists of tree, flowers and park benches where park visitors can enjoy a quiet area while watching ballgames. Mrs. Belcher and son, Mark, plus other family members, are anticipated to attend.

The park contains four ball fields: two 250-foot fields and two 200-foot fields. It has four batting cages, score towers, and rest room/concession facilities. All fields are lighted and irrigated. Scoreboards for the four fields have been donated by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Villa Rica/South Metro. Jimmy Hutcheson, a long-time resident of Lithia Springs who has been involved in area sports for many years, will represent Coca-Cola at the ribbon-cutting.

The Douglas County Parks and Recreation Department and Champions Fast Pitch Academy will offer Pee Wee Baseball/Softball activities for boys and girls ages three to seven years old beginning at noon. Free T-shirts and Frisbees will be available while supplies last. Information will be available on the Pee Wee Program as well as Summer Fast Pitch Camp for older children and teens.

The Parks and Recreation Department and Global Sports Authority will host a single round-robin baseball tournament on the fields beginning at noon.

The new Lithia Springs Recreational Park replaces the athletic fields and sports facilities located at the Woodrow Wilson and Lithia Springs Girls Park located on Mt. Vernon Road at Sweetwater Creek. These older parks are often flooded by Sweetwater Creek, making them unsafe for organized sports. Douglas County has received a $92,500 grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to make renovations to these old parks to transform them into passive recreation areas where families can have picnics, pick-up baseball games can occur, Frisbees can be thrown, and walkers can exercise. Douglas County is matching the grant funds with in-kind services. The renovation of these parks will be completed later in 2012.

The replacement of the Woodrow Wilson and Lithia Springs Girls Park with active sports fields that would not flood was the goal of Douglas County Commission Chairman Tom Worthan and former District 1 Commissioner Buddy Gordon (deceased). Worthan worked for more than 20 years with the youth of Douglas County. He played and coached baseball, football, softball and basketball. He held numerous offices in the Lithia Springs Girls Sports Club due to his daughters playing sports, and was Athletic Director of the Lithia Springs Recreation Club. Gordon was a tireless advocate for children, and wanted them to be able to have a safe place to play. He also advocated for the transformation of the old parks into areas where seniors could walk, and the new projects achieve both goals.

The new Lithia Springs Recreational Park, the Woodrow Wilson Park, and the Lithia Springs Girls Park areas will be managed and maintained by the Douglas County Parks and Recreation Department under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. The parks will be open daily.


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