"20+ years ago a group of dedicated neighbors (many didn't even have children) raised funds, secured permits and built a wonderful playground that was enjoyed by thousands of children." The Friends of Peachtree Hills Park wrote that line in a July 17, 2026 newsletter to explain why the old playground had to go. The same email said the safe lifespan of a public playground is 15 years, so the old one had run past it by several years.
The new playground is almost finished. The way it was paid for repeats how the first one came about. The City of Atlanta is paying for the equipment. Money raised by neighbors is paying for the pieces that make the space usable after dark and keep the park's history in place. That split runs through the whole renovation, from the pavilion to the Recreation Center's walls.
The City Paid for the Equipment. Neighbors Paid for the Rest.
The Friends' project page says the equipment is being installed with City of Atlanta funding. Privately raised money covers a separate set of improvements. The donated money pays for:
- A renovated pavilion with stone column details and seat walls
- A new roof for the pavilion, which was taken off for replacement in September
- Lighting for the playground and pavilion area, the first lighting that part of the park has ever had
- Reinstalling the original commemorative bricks from the earlier playground project, along with new personalized bricks
The bricks show the arrangement most clearly. In an August 17 newsletter, the Friends called the project an accessible, all-ages playground and said a donation of $500 or more came with a brick, with an August 26 deadline. The September newsletter pushed that deadline to Wednesday, September 16. So the new pavilion area will hold two sets of names: donors from the last neighborhood-led build and donors from this one. The Friends' project page still says fundraising is open.
The lighting matters every day. A playground with no lights is mostly unusable on winter evenings, and lights are the one improvement on the list that adds usable hours instead of just improving the look.
How Long It Took to Reach "Almost Finished"
The project's dates were set by a contractor schedule and a City approval process, and the newsletters show both. Here is the timeline from the Friends' archive.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 24, 2025 | Friends report that Parks hired Lichty Commercial Construction, which "will break ground" in August |
| March 27, 2026 | Neighbors gather at the pavilion at 11 a.m. for the groundbreaking |
| July 17, 2026 | Work is moving, with hopes of finishing "long before what the signs say (October!)" |
| September 11, 2026 | Equipment going in, pavilion roof off, ribbon-cutting expected "in a few weeks" |
| October 9, 2026 | Playground "almost finished," waiting on Parks Department approval |
About seven to eight months passed between the contractor's planned August 2025 start and the March 2026 groundbreaking gathering. From that gathering to "almost finished" took about six and a half months. The October date on the construction signs now looks about right.
Why There Is Still No Opening Date
The September newsletter expected a ribbon-cutting within a few weeks. The October 9 update changed that: "The playground is almost finished! Once it's complete and the Parks Department gives the OK, I'll let you know when we'll have the ribbon-cutting."
This follows from the funding split. The equipment belongs to the City, so the City decides when it opens. The Friends can raise money, recruit volunteers and invite neighbors to a groundbreaking, but they can't set the opening date for a City playground. The Friends' events calendar on peachtreehillspark.org and the mailing list will post the ribbon-cutting once Parks approves it.
The Rec Center Is Next, and the Same Split Decides What Stays
The Recreation Center at 308 Peachtree Hills Avenue NE faces the same question of what the City replaces and what neighbors keep. In a May 20 newsletter, the Friends said the Parks Department would "soon begin" renovating the building. The work is expected to include renovated restrooms open to the public and a slightly larger building.
Enlarging the building means taking down the mosaic on the front facade, and the newsletter warned this "may damage it and prevent re-installation." The pet murals on the side of the building are a different case. They were mounted on panels that can be removed, stored and put back. The art that was built to come off the wall is the art that will survive. The newsletter gave (404) 546-6788 as the number for questions.
No start date, budget or closure notice for the Rec Center has been published since that May announcement. The City's recreation center directory still lists regular hours of Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Two dates are on the winter calendar. Youth basketball practices start at the Recreation Center on Wednesday, November 4. The season begins Friday, December 11.
Some Things Can't Be Moved
Trees are the one thing in the park that can't be taken down and put back later. The same July 17 newsletter passed along word that the City would replace an existing sewer line with larger pipes, starting in September, as part of Atlanta's federal sewer consent decree. According to the Friends, the route runs from Peachtree Hills Avenue along the side of the Rec Center next to Hillgrove, through the trail area volunteers keep mulched, back through the park along the creek, and on toward Alexander Park across Lindbergh.
The newsletter said the pines along the Rec Center and the 100-year-old oak and beech trees in that path would be cut down. It pointed neighbors to the City's Department of Watershed Management for details and to ask whether another route was possible. The Friends' later newsletters have not updated the sewer work. The Watershed department is where the current route and schedule would be posted.
The Volunteer Work That Never Stops
The construction is temporary, but the volunteer work is ongoing. It also shows what neighbors are looking after along the creek where the sewer line is expected to go.
Certified volunteers monitor the park's water through the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream program. The state's site record lists site S-2033 as a stream in Peachtree Hills Park that feeds Peachtree Creek. The Friends also track a second location near the Hurst Drive entrance. Testing covers chemical, bacterial and visual conditions. The chemical tests measure air and water temperature, conductivity, pH and dissolved oxygen. The bacterial tests check for E. coli. The latest sample was taken October 2, 2026, and the Friends posted the results notice three days later. Anyone who wants to help can find training workshops and local coordinators through Georgia Adopt-A-Stream.
Trees get the same kind of care. On August 8, volunteers working with Trees Atlanta mulched several dozen trees planted in earlier Trees Atlanta projects. The Friends reported in that August 9 newsletter that a pawpaw planted near the community garden two years ago is now bearing fruit.
The park's own plant list includes pawpaw, persimmon, American beautyberry and bald cypress. Its wildlife page records red-tailed hawk, barred owl, great blue heron, eastern bluebird, cedar waxwing, gray catbird, two salamander species, broadhead and five-lined skinks, raccoon and river otter.
Neighbors built the first playground on their own, and two decades later they paid for the bricks, lights and stonework around the City's new one. Once Parks signs off, the ribbon-cutting will be held at a pavilion with stone seat walls, new lights and two sets of commemorative bricks.
Peachtree Hills Park is one of the places that make this neighborhood feel close-knit, and at Jared Sapp we keep track of changes like these street by street. If you'd like to talk about what the park's renovation means for your corner of Peachtree Hills, Let's Connect.
