Welcome to Central Park

A ribbon cutting ceremony on October 18, 2005 marked the end of a two-year revitalization project and grand opening of Atlanta's Central Park.

The $200,000+ revitalization project included new turf, sprinkler systems, goal posts, scoreboards and bleachers. Funding for the project was a collaborative endeavor featuring $62,000 from The Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, $80,000 from the NFL Youth Football Fund Grassroots Program and LISC, $66,000 from United Way, and $5,000 from Central Atlanta Neighbors. The construction, landscaping, and project management services were graciously donated in-kind by Hardin Construction, Hughes Good O'Leary & Ryan and Jones, Lang, LaSalle respectively. BlueCross BlueShield donated the two new scoreboards which will be installed early November.

Students from Charlie W. Hill Elementary helped dedicated the newly renovated athletic fields at Central Park and learned the fundamentals of football from Falcon players at the United Way / Atlanta Falcons Hometown Huddle, a League-wide initiative where all 32 NFL teams simultaneously work in the community through their United Way partnerships. After the ribbon cutting ceremony, the game plan continued as Falcons players, including tight end Derek Rackley, tackle Kevin Shaffer, safety Kevin McCadam and wide receiver Jerome Pathon, instructed the children on the fundamentals of the game and conveyed the importance of physical fitness.

Participants in the ribbon cutting included: Mark O'Connell (United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta), Beverly Smith (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), Penny McPhee (The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation), Dianne Harnell Cohen (City of Atlanta Parks), Jim Maddox (City of Atlanta), Carl Hair (Hardin Construction), Derek Rackley (The Atlanta Falcons) and students from Charlie W. Hill Elementary.