Bennett Park reopens after $25.8 million Forsyth County renovation

Forsyth County will reopen Bennett Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, returning the county’s oldest park facility to service after a $25.8 million renovation.

The park at 5930 Burruss Mill Road in northeast Forsyth County will bring back a major public recreation site that county officials say has been closed during construction. The overhaul will add a community building, new baseball fields, two turf multipurpose fields, updated sports lighting, increased parking, picnic pavilions, a playground, and paved and nature trails.

County materials say Bennett Park opened in 1978 and covers about 30 acres. That makes the reopening more than a cosmetic refresh. It is a capital project aimed at modernizing a legacy park while expanding the county’s recreation capacity as growth continues to push demand for fields, parking and indoor gathering space.

Forsyth County has said the work is being paid for through SPLOST VIII, SPLOST IX and a $2.2 million State of Georgia grant tied to the Improving Neighborhood Outcomes in Disproportionately Impacted Communities program. County officials have also said the new community building could serve as a possible voting precinct and meeting space, giving the project uses beyond weekend sports and family outings.

The county broke ground on the renovation on Thursday, May 30, 2024, and previously said the park would remain closed until the work was finished. District 4 Commissioner Cindy Mills said Bennett Park has had an “incredible legacy” in Forsyth County, a nod to the park’s long history in local recreation and community life.

Forsyth County Parks & Recreation operates and maintains 30 parks countywide, and county officials have framed the Bennett Park work as part of a broader effort to provide safe, clean and inclusive public spaces. For families in northeast Forsyth County, the reopening will restore a familiar park and add amenities that can absorb more local use instead of sending more traffic to already busy fields elsewhere in the county.