The sports fields at a south DeKalb County park will soon get a facelift, which community leaders hope will encourage kids to go outside.
DeKalb leaders and the Atlanta Braves announced a partnership Tuesday to fund improvements to Gresham Park’s baseball and football fields. New synthetic turf, fencing and concession stands will be installed throughout the park, located near Clifton Church Road.
Tellis Holloway, the president of baseball at the Gresham Park Athletic Complex, said during a news conference that the area has plenty of talent.
“With that talent, we’ll now have the fields to go with it,” he said.
The county is spending $3 million in special purpose local option sales tax funds to finance the improvements. The Atlanta Braves are also contributing $1.5 million. The improvements were announced in recognition of national Park and Recreation Month, which is July.
Holloway said he hopes the improved fields will motivate kids in the area to get off the couch, put on some cleats and pick up a football, baseball glove or bat.
“There are too many kids in our community, especially African American kids, that are sitting home and doing nothing ... our kids don’t go outside anymore,” he said. “We have to do a better job of getting our kids in these recreational parks in our community, and (with) projects like this and getting new fields and making this an attraction, we can make that happen.”
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