Forsyth County approves automated gate system for Mary Alice Park
Mary Alice Park visitors will soon need a park pass at the gate, as Forsyth County moves to enforce parking fees and control entry on busy days.
Forsyth County approved an automated gate system for Mary Alice Park that will require visitors to present a park pass at the park’s entry and exit points. The change is designed to improve park operations, move traffic more smoothly and support parking enforcement at one of the county’s busiest Lake Lanier recreation sites.
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved the gated VenTek system during its Feb. 19 meeting, after earlier signing off on nearly $48,000 for the project at the request of Parks and Recreation Director Kirk Franz. County officials said the system will be installed later this spring and will function as a ticketing-style gate, similar to parking deck security gates, to more broadly enforce parking fees at Mary Alice Park.
The practical effect for park users is straightforward: driving in will no longer be as simple as pulling up and parking. Visitors will need to show a park pass to enter, and the county has said the automated setup is meant to improve visitor flow while giving staff a better tool for enforcement. That matters at Mary Alice Park because as many as half of visitors were not paying the daily parking fee, creating a recurring revenue and compliance problem that county leaders moved to address.
The gate plan also fits with other rules Forsyth County already has in place at Mary Alice Park. The county says it closes entry on weekends and holidays once the park reaches capacity, does not reopen until the next day and does not allow same-day reentry. County officials have described the park as a popular destination with lake access and amenities, and the county began operating the site in 2023 through a lease arrangement with the City of Cumming and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The new system is the latest operational change at the park rather than a standalone upgrade. By pairing automated entry with pass enforcement and capacity limits, Forsyth County is tightening control over how Mary Alice Park is used on the busiest days at the lake.
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