The Friends of Mabry Park – Where it all started.
Parks Bond Initiative
In November 2006, Cobb voters approved a referendum asking the county to issue $40 million in bonds for the purchase of new parkland. Commercial and residential development in Cobb County was booming, and the citizens wanted to secure land before there was no undeveloped land left. A citizen advisory committee, appointed by the commissioners, evaluated several submitted tracts and presented their list of properties to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners for final selection.
The Land
Mabry Park made the cut as part of the bond program and, in 2008, Cobb County acquired 26.5 acres from Ed and Sue Mabry Harris. This historical farm was saved for the people of Cobb County to enjoy as a future park. The Mabry family’s roots run deep in this part of the county, and the Mabry Farm is unique, having received the Centennial Farm Award in recognition of it being a working farm run by the Mabry family for over 100 years.
Although the land was saved through the bond program, there were no designated funds to build-out the park for public use. The Friends of Mabry Park, founded in 2009, strengthened awareness about the need for a passive park in Northeast Cobb.
The Friends of Mabry Park reached out through social media, promoted public involvement, participated in local community events, engaged with the local school system and neighborhood homeowner associations and held three park previews. Most importantly, the group raised funds and, in 2011, paid for the Master Plan build-out so the community could actually envision a place.
The Friends group weathered the recession, elections and funding debates, but finally reached the top of the SPLOST Parks & Rec list and the construction was paid for with 2016 SPLOST money.
We couldn’t have done it without a close partnership with the wonderful people at Cobb County Parks & Rec. along with our local Commissioners who were extremely supportive of our goals. The park finally opened to the public on May 2, 2019.
Contact Us
PMB #173
4651 Woodstock Road #208
Roswell, GA 30075
contact@mabrypark.org
Friends of Mabry Park Executive Board
Peter Hortman: President
Debbie D’Aurelio: Vice President
Rusty Medlin: Treasurer