By Rebecca Gaunt
Parks Director Steve Roberts presented the design concept for the new Chalker Park at Monday’s Kennesaw City Council work session.
The new park, to be located at the intersection of Smith Drive and Cherokee Street, is part of a land swap deal with Sanctuary Properties.
The original 1.3-acre Chalker Park, located off Poplar Drive, east of Russell Drive, was a neighborhood park. It was updated in 2015, but in 2018, the equipment was removed due to frequent flooding and vandalization, according to city officials.
In July 2021, City Council approved a proposal to abandon that property so it could be developed by Sanctuary as part of the 57-acre mixed-use Eastpark Village project.
In exchange, the city received the 1.44-acre tract for the new park.
Roberts said the funds for the park will come from the developer and the next few years of impact fees from the development.
“We’ll probably do it in two phases. Those phases, and what will go in what order, will be dictated on the cost of the land work and what we could have left over at that point to be able to do as much as we can,” Roberts said.
He told the Council he anticipated the half-mile walking trail being one of the first projects, followed by the dog park. The inclusive playground would likely come later.
Plans also include picnic tables, pavilions, and a bathroom.
The park’s parking lot entrance will be off Smith Drive to lessen the impact on the busy Cherokee Street corridor.
The park will form a U-shape around the Bangkok Cabin Authentic Thai Cuisine restaurant, which will remain in its location at 3413 Cherokee St. with its own parking lot.
Plans for the park were a discussion-only item on the agenda. A formal vote is not currently scheduled to move forward.
Rebecca Gaunt earned a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in education from Oglethorpe University. After teaching elementary school for several years, she returned to writing. She lives in Marietta with her husband, son, two cats, and a dog. In her spare time, she loves to read, binge Netflix and travel.