“The one wish list item desired most by participants? They wanted to run.”

Consider Decatur. Four square miles, thoroughly landlocked.

Physical space is at a premium here, making many of the routine infrastructure and quality of life improvements a city might be inclined to make, from new schools and parks to affordable housing to large format community amenities, more complicated. And more expensive.

Just as it is today, that was the context in 2017 as well when city officials opted to purchase the 77-acre United Methodist Children’s Home in an historic bid since proven to be far more than just a green space acquisition.

Instead, it was an investment in possibilities — possibilities on full display the following year when the community came together to chart a course for the property’s future. It was then, perhaps unsurprisingly here in our landlocked city, hemmed in on all four sides by neighboring communities, that one wish list item quickly emerged as the one participants desired most.

They wanted to run.

The Legacy Park track and field in its final stages of construction.

A Uniting Force in the Community

The need — not to mention desire — for a running track in Decatur is nothing new. It’s an idea so pervasive that it’s mentioned over 150 times in the Legacy Park Master Plan.

It’s one of the plan’s most ambitious projects and now, just seven years in, construction of our beautiful, lighted, 8-lane track and field facility is wrapping up. As a collaborative effort between the City of Decatur and the Decatur Board of Education, who split the $7 million price tag, it’s been designed and constructed to serve both student athletes and the general public equally.

“The Master Planning process allowed for creative and imaginative ideas to emerge,” says Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett, “and to see this particular part of the plan coming to fruition truly serves as reassurance that we are a community that can come together and make decisions that benefit our community now and for future generations.”

A true, state of the art facility, it includes a competition-level track, synthetic turf athletic field, lighting, improvements to the existing gym, ADA-compliant access, a field house, public restrooms, and stormwater management. The field has been marked for soccer, lacrosse, football, and ultimate Frisbee. Areas for pole-vaulting, long jump, steeplechase, shot put and discus are also included.

“The track and field complex provides spaces for school athletics and activities, and a place for active play and community gathering,” continues Mayor Garrett. “Walking, running, kicking soccer balls with your neighbors are all possibilities.”

The all-purpose playing field as viewed from the air.

From Vision to Reality

The Legacy Park Master Plan, which envisions the track and field, was adopted in December, 2018. Thereafter, a working committee of community stakeholders — including parents of children attending district schools, school athletic coaches, local business owners, volunteers, and other like-minded citizens — formed LPARC, the Legacy Park Athletic and Recreation Coalition to advance the track and field’s implementation as a community priority.

Chief in the creation of the working group was Decatur Commissioner Kelly Walsh, an avid runner herself.

“Michael Harbin and I decided to convene a group of people to meet and discuss our shared hopes and dreams for some day, some way, building a track and field athletic facility in Decatur,” she recalls. “We saw a need to add field space for active living and school activities including soccer, lacrosse, band, ultimate frisbee, and more, and I learned from coaches and the athletic staff in the school system that we could create up to 50 more spots for middle and high school athletes to join a team and compete if we had a track and field.”

Thereafter, they launched an exploratory design process, including the development of a draft design with input from the City of Decatur and the CSD Athletic Department. Those efforts became the basis for the current partnership between our city and schools and the further discussions and more formalized schematics that’ve followed. Those schematics were ultimately presented for community review and comment in the spring of 2023, resulting in the final design now coming to fruition.

Breedlove Land Planning of Atlanta, a landscape planning and engineering firm, completed the design effort while the Sports Turf Company has managed construction.

“Part of the magic of Legacy Park,” adds Mayor Garrett, “is the variety of opportunities that not only co-exist there but thrive. Nonprofits with a variety of missions: arts, music, birds, working gardens, a pond and conservation area, a newly renovated accessible gym, an accessible playground, and spaces for gathering can all be found at Legacy. As people come to use and enjoy the track and field, even more residents and visitors will be able to more fully experience Legacy Park.”

“The beauty of a track,” concludes Commissioner Walsh, “is that it is always flat and smooth and runners, walkers, and rollers of all ages and abilities can use it to their benefit.”

Y’all come.

The running surface is complete, now awaiting lane markings.

Come Celebrate this Community Milestone

On Saturday morning, March 29, the Decatur community will gather at the new track and field to celebrate, explore, and kick-off a new era in Decatur sports and recreation. Everyone’s invited.

On hand will be our premier event sponsor, Fleet Feet, themselves one of the hubs of Decatur’s running community.

Come join us for this exciting community milestone:

> 10:00 am Ribbon Cutting

> 11:00 am First Lap

> 11:45 am Mascot Race

> 12:00 pm Sports Demos, Relay Races, Food, Music and More

Keep in mind: No food, beverage, or cleats allowed on the track surface. Parking will be limited. On-street parking can be found across S. Columbia Drive (where a crossing guard will be on-site to assist) or at Public Works on Talley Street. Or, leave the car at home and try walking or rolling instead.

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