With the success of this year’s Youth Summerfest: Jammin’ for Jesus still fresh in people’s minds, the good news just keeps coming for Turner Street Park, as City Commissioners approved the Cedartown Parks Commission’s request to begin raising funds for the park rebeautification project at their August meeting.

Jane Wyatt, Chairman of the Cedartown Parks Commission, unveiled the master plan for construction at the park, which seemed to satisfy and impress the commission, as well as Cedartown City Manager James Stephens.

“The Cedartown Parks Commission has a proven track record of success,” Stephens said later. “They have been good for the City.

As the master plan is seen through to completion, the park, which Wyatt called the “heart” of the Turner Street community, will be completely overhauled.

“We are going for the Cadillac model,” Wyatt told commissioners.

Joy Fredrick, former resident of the Turner Street area and coordinator of Summerfest for the past five years, said that the park should now serve to give community children hope. She hopes that the new renovations will serve to bring more children back to the park.

“When I was young, the park helped me stay out of trouble and have a positive outlook on life,” Fredrick said.

According to figures issued by Jordan, Jones and Goulding and Format Architecture and Design, the construction and renovations at Turner Street Park will cost an estimated 2.5 million dollars, which includes the construction of a new community center.

The vision for Turner Street Park, according to the master plan, “is as an active recreational city park programmed for use by all age groups, as well as providing new facilities for the growth of Polk County’s recreational needs.”

Wyatt told commissioners that the main request from those in the community was for a new community center to be built on park grounds. The opinions of the Turner Street community were gathered over the course of two public meetings.

According to the park master plan, the center will feature a full basketball court, classrooms, meeting room, kids play room, kitchen and bathrooms.

As for the park itself, new additions are numerous and will include pedestrian walkways, open play area, age-specific playgrounds and the possibility of a small amphitheater.

The lack of on-site parking will also be corrected, as the Master Plan calls for 40 parking spaces.

Additionally, the park will receive several upgrades that will match the appearance of other Cedartown parks, such as a stone wall around its perimeter and a sign to better identify the park.

Fundraising efforts for the two phases of construction have already begun, according to Wyatt, and several grants have already been received - including a small grant from the Department of Health for walking trail construction.

Wyatt said she has hopes that the first phase, which will include general landscaping, walking trails, baseball field renovations and parking lot construction, will be completed by next summer, which has Fredrick feeling optimistic.

“There are a lot of people coming together to make it happen,” she said.