Park Plans Important to Our Future BY HARRY JOHNSTON
One of Cherokee County’s challenges is providing enough parks for its growing population. In 2008, the Board of Commissioners (BOC) saw a need for a substantial increase in parks. The voters agreed, and approved a $90 million bond referendum to buy land and build facilities. Those funds were used for the Aquatics Center, Patriots Park, Veterans Park, the new baseball complex at Kenny Askew Park, and important upgrades at multiple existing parks, including the baseball complex at Hobgood Park. The program funded city park projects, including Woodstock’s trail network and Canton’s Etowah Park. It also paid for land for future parks or permanent green space in southwest Cherokee, the Sutallee community in west Cherokee and two large parcels on the river: one at Yellow Creek Road and another off Old Highway 5, between Canton and Ball Ground. After 13 years, those funds are running out. The last project will be the Buzz, a new indoor recreation complex to be built later this year at Veteran’s Park, named for former BOC Chair L.B. “Buzz” Ahrens. It’s designed for the eventual addition of an adjacent pool. The county recreation team recently completed a public input process, to determine how to use the two properties bought with park bond funds in southwest Cherokee on Highway 92 and Kellogg Creek Road. The community expressed a desire for passive parks, with gathering places and unstructured open space, plus walking trails within the parks, connecting them and throughout the area. That project could cost $30 million, and we don’t have that level of funding available.
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AROUND CANTON | May 2021
Located on 149 acres in northeast Cherokee County, Cherokee Veterans is one of the largest parks in the county’s park system.
Thankfully, Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds have exceeded expectations and can fund a modest initial phase within the next couple of years. In spite of land-use planning and zoning that provides some restraint on residential growth, the county continues to grow rapidly. We need to build out the park properties we have, and buy more for the future. We also need to explore a vision for a countywide connected trail network. Our park bond still has about seven years of payments remaining, but the balance is declining rapidly. We could consider another bond issue, if voters are willing to keep paying the property tax of about $50 per household per year to cover it. The current SPLOST program primarily is used to fund roads and
other infrastructure. It will need to be renewed in the next couple of years, if the voters are willing. We potentially could designate more of those proceeds to parks. We’ve had requests to consider a Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) to drive down property taxes. Almost all other counties in Georgia have a LOST, or a similar Homestead Option Sales Tax (HOST). Up to 20% of HOST funds can be used for capital projects, like parks and roads. These taxes require voter approval, and I’m not promoting either one. But, a HOST could be an alternative to a new park bond, while also providing for property tax reduction and additional road funding. As always, I’m interested in your thoughts. Email me at hjohnston@ cherokeega.com.
Harry Johnston is chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners. He's a retired CPA and accounting manager, and a former district commissioner.
