Peachtree City's $500,000 playground project at the Braelinn Recreation Center is starting over. The vendor behind the City Council-approved design is no longer honoring its price, Recreation and Special Events Director Harold Layton told the Recreation Advisory Group at its Oct. 19 meeting — and because the design is proprietary, the city cannot simply take it elsewhere.
we are back to square one— Recreation Advisory Group Oct. 19 minutes
Layton asked the company to return with concepts at three price levels. The goal, according to the Oct. 19 minutes, is a 'destination park' with Peachtree City built into the design. Ideas floated at the meeting included a golf cart climber, a golf club entryway, and a climbing structure modeled on local characters Flat Creek Floyd or Manny the Manatee. A representative of playground company PlayCore also walked the group through seven principles of inclusive play.
The next step is Monday, Nov. 9, when the Recreation Advisory Group meets at 8 a.m. to take up a separate but related item: a ninja course design for the Braelinn Recreation Center, 201 Loghouse Road. The agenda packet includes a drawing set from Greenfields Outdoor Fitness dated Oct. 5. The manufacturer's manual specifies the outdoor fitness equipment is intended for users 13 and older. No price or start date appears in the packet.
The Braelinn project has been in motion since at least June, when Layton told the advisory group the council wanted to move ahead with two projects at the recreation center, with a target completion of spring 2027. At a June 4 work session, the council reviewed four renovation options — including a possible ninja course — according to Fayette-News. No final decision was made at that session.
While the flagship Braelinn playground resets, two smaller projects are moving forward. The advisory group voted unanimously on Oct. 19 to approve new designs for Rockspray Park and Smokerise Park — both toddler playgrounds for children ages 2 to 5 that were destroyed when trees fell on them. Layton told the City Council in August the equipment was a total loss. Each replacement is estimated at $50,000 to $60,000, funded through insurance money topped up with SPLOST sales tax dollars. Once a purchase order is approved, a 'coming soon' sign will go up at Rockspray; the group was told equipment takes eight to ten weeks to arrive after ordering.
The Oct. 19 meeting also addressed other park improvements. The group selected a wood-style exterior for a new two-stall restroom at Battery Way Park — the lakeside park with the public boat ramp on Lake Peachtree — siting it outside the floodplain to preserve trees. Layton noted more than 138,000 visitors had spent more than ten minutes at the park. The same meeting approved the 30% design for the rebuilt Kedron pool.
The Recreation Advisory Group advises the city and does not control spending itself. Monday's meeting is open to the public. The city's daily newsletter says it will update coverage when the group acts on the ninja course and when new Braelinn playground concepts come back.
Why it matters — Peachtree City residents who use Braelinn Recreation Center — or who have been waiting on new playgrounds at Rockspray or Smokerise — now have a clearer picture of where their tax and insurance dollars stand, and a public meeting Monday where the next piece of the plan gets its first review.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Council members at the June work session favored a ~$630,000 option including new playsets, soft surfaces, and ninja equipment.
- specific cost range of $500,000 to $1 million and favored $630,000 option attributed to Fayette-News
Reported by peachtreecitydaily.com, fayette-news.net, thecitizen.com, hoodline.com
Where this comes from
Written by Papalocal's AI from these outlets' reporting. It can miss or misread things; the outlets are the record.