Leon County's first fully ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant park was dedicated the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 10. The play space, near the shores of Lake Jackson, memorializes a former county administrator.
For 20 years until his 2011 retirement, Parwez Alam - known to everyone by his initials "P.A." - ran county government with a gentle voice and sometimes an iron fist in a velvet glove. Now, three years after his death, the new park at the end of Fuller Road bears his name. And County Commission Chair Rick Minor noted the park's unique shock-absorbing surface playground can be enjoyed by children of all ability levels.
"What you see today is an important step in our commitment to make our community's spaces more accessible and we will continue to identify new opportunities to creatively reimagine our spaces to meet changing citizen needs."
And the county's new Parks Director Amanda Heidecker said two more locations are now in the immediate works.
"The St. Marks Headwater Greenway Phase Two and our Pedrick Pond Playground and Park that we look to incorporate in the coming year."
Also on hand for the PA Park event were several former county commissioners and county staff who served during Parwez Alam's tenure at the courthouse.