New park in Milton will host patriotic ceremonies.

by Nicole Dow; Neighbor Newspapers

September 18, 2013 01:30 PM 

Residents and visitors should be able to enjoy a new park in the city of Milton by the end of the year.

Mayor Joe Lockwood and the City Council unanimously approved an agreement Monday for the construction of a park at Deerfield Parkway and Webb Road.

Jim Cregge, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said the one-acre, triangular-shaped park will serve two main functions: to provide outdoor exercise opportunities and to honor veterans and reflect on the peace military service members have provided.

The park, which is estimated to cost about $160,000, will include a .15-mile wheelchair accessible path. There will be outdoor exercise equipment along the path including a curling board, a sit-up board, a cardio walker, a rowing machine and an elliptical.

The park will also feature a flag plaza where the city will hold its future Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. There will be nine flags — one for each branch of the military, one for soldiers missing in action or who were prisoners of war, a United States flag, a state of Georgia flag and a city of Milton flag.

Closer to the park’s opening, which is tentatively slated for early December, the parks and recreation department will sell brick pavers which buyers can personalize to honor veterans.

Another feature of the park will be a peace pole, which will be donated by the Alpharetta Rotary Club, Cregge said. The peace pole will have the phrase “may peace prevail on earth” written on it in multiple languages. Peace poles have been erected across the world since 1955 with the movement starting in Japan, he said.

The name for the park has yet to be determined. Right now the project is referred to as Deerfield Park, but Cregge said Veterans Memorial Park or Veterans Memorial Peace Park might be alternative options.