Sugar Hill sees sweet boost with unique park

With the city's blessing, four soccer squads have run drills for the past month on turf the size of three football fields. It's the largest patch of contiguous artificial green in the Southeast -- and the first of its kind in Gwinnett County.

On Saturday, Sugar Hill leaders will mark the grand opening of the 66-acre Gary Pirkle Park. The $7 million park -- $5 million from city coffers, the rest from SPLOST funds -- also will boast a 90-foot playground pavilion powered by solar energy, lighted walking trails and a city-run community garden.

In addition, city leaders say, the park makes the biggest statement to date about what Sugar Hill wants to be known for: recreation.

"What we're trying to do in Sugar Hill is get some sense of identity," Councilman Steve Edwards said. "It always seems like we're known as the city next to Buford and Suwanee. We're trying to build a community around recreation."

It's a natural fit, he said. After all, Sugar Hill has its own city-run golf course, sits near Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River, trumpets new dance studios and indoor rock-climbing facilities, and is within five miles of more than a dozen other parks. In 2009, the city expanded its other park, E.E. Robinson, by 20 acres to 54 acres.

Nearly a year ago, the Gwinnett enclave of 17,000 started marketing itself as "The Recreation City."

"We didn't just pick something out of the air and make that our slogan and try to become that," said Mayor Gary Pirkle, whose name graces the entrance to the park. "It became very obvious to us that this is what we are ... . The park is an extension of that."

It's also an extension of the city's ongoing efforts to attract businesses. This year, city leaders will begin turning dirt on a half-mile downtown district, eventually peppered with restaurants and coffee shops and anchored by a new $9 million City Hall -- paid for in cash.

But good times and good cash flow didn't come easy for Sugar Hill. In the 1990s, the city had to borrow money to make payroll and faced bitter battles over a proposed asphalt plant, cement plant and landfill. In 2001, residents tried to kill the city altogether.

Many credit Pirkle with navigating the city through the turbulence. The City Council named the park after him in 2006.

"He's been one of the big advocates for the city saving for projects rather than spending and then collecting the money later," Mayor Pro Tem Mike Sullivan said. "Everyone around us is faltering, and we have money in the bank."

Resident Scott Pasell said the park is a great addition to Sugar Hill, but he believes it should have been named after one of the city's historical figures, not a sitting mayor.

"I don't care who it is. If you're in office, you should not have things named after you," said Pasell, who lost a bid for City Council in November. "If you have your name on something, you want it to be the best of the best. You could start spending a lot of taxpayer money to get top-of-the-line amenities."

Resident Jay Peterson, president of the Lanier Athletic Association, said the park will build community spirit for the feeder program to the new Lanier High School. The group, which offers youth football, baseball, softball and cheerleading, will use the park while waiting for its own to open in 2014.

"We actually have a place we can call home, even if it's not our permanent home," he said. "I think it's awesome."

Opening

What: Grand opening of Gary Pirkle Park
When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: 6195 Austin Garner Road, Sugar Hill
More information: www.cityofsugarhill.com

Phase II

Construction start date: 2012
Price tag: $1.5 million to $2 million
Main features: A tennis complex, with at least eight courts, and a putt-putt golf course mirroring the city's golf course