Walk the trail around the pond at Roswell Area Park this week and you'll see new logs at the waterline, native and aquatic plants along the edges, and 35 new trees planted across the project area. The City of Roswell says the turtles and frogs started coming back before construction was even finished. Fishing is still off-limits, though. The city plans to release about 15,000 fish in phases as the pond settles, and it expects fishing to resume in late summer or fall 2027.
Most of Roswell's park system is in that position this season. The infrastructure is done, and the parts people come for arrive on a later schedule. Projects from the voter-approved 2022 bond have been finishing one at a time since September. Most of them reopen first and add their best features afterward. A Roswell resident planning a December weekend has more rebuilt ground to use than a year ago. The river park, the fishing and four new playgrounds belong to the 2027 calendar.
Roswell Area Park is where the pieces overlap
The pond project wrapped with a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 10. It took nearly a year of construction and cost about $3.1 million in 2022 bond money. Crews dredged the pond, rebuilt the embankment, added forebays and upgraded the stormwater system, and improved the retaining walls and the trail around the water, according to the city's announcement on Roswell Connections.
The finished pond also cleared the way for its neighbor. Once the pond work wrapped, Crabapple Center's back parking lot reopened and its main lot was repaved. Crabapple Center is the city's 20-acre performing arts facility, and part of its Phase 3 renovation is about better access to Roswell Area Park. A new sign went up at the Crabapple Road entrance in October, and the landscaping there is scheduled to be finished by December. The $87,500 landscaping job, paid for by the 2022 Parks Bond Program and the city's Tree Bank Program, includes:
- 14 trees
- 96 shrubs
- 621 native ornamental grasses
- About 3,300 square feet of turfgrass
- A new irrigation system
The building itself will take longer. Renovations started in April 2026, and the city now expects to finish in early 2027 so that two new HVAC units can be installed. The specialized dance floors in the renovated classrooms go in after the HVAC units. Until then, the center's gym is filling in for volleyball while other city gyms are renovated. The city says performing arts participation has grown 80% since 2021, and the extra studio space is meant for that demand.
Roswell Area Park is also one of four parks getting a new playground. So one property has a finished pond, a neighboring building due in early 2027, and a playground replacement due by June.
Liberty Square's Nov. 21 reopening runs on a different budget
On Saturday, Nov. 21, the city holds a ribbon-cutting at Liberty Square Park, 1280 Mission Hills Court. Arrival is at 10:45 a.m. and the ceremony starts at 11 a.m. A Community Day follows. Roswell Connections lists the afternoon's activities as:
- Guided park tours of the improvements
- Community meet-and-greets
- Food, specialty snacks and beverages
- Children's games and activities
- Raffles and giveaways
The 21.4-acre park wasn't paid for with bond money. Its redevelopment came from a $2.2 million state grant under Georgia's Improving Neighborhood Outcomes in Disproportionately Impacted Communities program. The grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and administered by the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget. A public open house in June 2025 gathered feedback that helped shape the design, according to the city. When the city moved the project forward in December 2025, the planned scope included a pavilion, restrooms, parking improvements, playground features, a passive field, new plantings, and stormwater controls. The guided tours on Nov. 21 are the first public look at how that plan turned out.
Fields and lights came back first
Sports facilities were among the first bond projects to come back fully. On Sept. 24, the city reopened the two artificial-turf soccer fields at Grimes Bridge Park. The work also covered a rebuilt retaining wall, a plaza and stairway, fencing and netting, and restoration of the detention pond. The September announcement listed a 29-tree landscaping plan as the next step.
A week later the city finished its citywide lighting upgrade: 699 LED fixtures on 167 existing poles at athletic fields and racquet courts, reported complete on Oct. 2. The new lights reached every athletic field and racquet court before the year's earliest sunsets.
Roswell's newest trail link has been open since July. The Hardscrabble Road multi-use trail runs along Hardscrabble and King roads, and the same project added turn lanes, improved signals, and repaved and restriped the road.
The 2027 calendar, in order
The projects still to come are the ones people use most: the river, the playgrounds and the fishing pond. They're listed below in order of their expected dates.
- Early 2027: Crabapple Center's building work. The city moved the finish date to fit in the two new HVAC units. Once they're in, the dance flooring and barres can be installed.
- By June 1, 2027: Four new playgrounds. On Oct. 13, 2026, the Mayor and Council unanimously approved a $1,468,683.14 contract with Dominica Recreation Products to replace the playgrounds at East Roswell Park, Groveway Community Park, Roswell Area Park and Sloan Street Park. The total authorization is $1,542,117, paid from the 2022 Parks Bond Program. Each playground will be replaced at some point before the June 1 target.
- Summer 2027: Riverside Park reopens. The park on the Chattahoochee closed at dusk on Feb. 1, 2026, ahead of a renovation with a $13.8 million total budget, $12.3 million of it for construction under a contract with MAPP. The project is part of the city's River Parks Master Plan, which aims to link recreation areas, natural areas and trails along the river. Construction started with a groundbreaking on March 13, 2026, and the city projects substantial completion in July 2027.
- Late summer or fall 2027: Fishing returns to the Roswell Area Park pond, once the restocked fish population is established.
Riverside is the biggest single item on that list. It'll stay closed for the whole holiday season and the spring after it.
Holiday dates that fall on finished ground
The city's holiday events this year mostly happen in parks and venues that aren't under construction. That makes them a good way to see the finished projects alongside the familiar spots.
- Nov. 27–28: Roswell Holiday Expo at the Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, 5000 Commerce Parkway, from 4 to 7 p.m. Visit Roswell lists it as free and open to the public.
- Dec. 4, 6 to 8 p.m.: Roswell's Annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree at Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton St. The City of Roswell's free event includes performances and a visit from Santa.
- Dec. 11: Candy Cane Hunt at East Roswell Recreation Center, 9000 Fouts Road. Registration is required and goes through the City of Roswell.
- Dec. 12–13: 2026 Holly Jolly Market at 11000 Alpharetta Highway, with free admission, holiday shopping and family entertainment.
The Candy Cane Hunt is at East Roswell Recreation Center, and East Roswell Park is one of the four parks on the playground replacement list. Families who register for the hunt will be visiting a park whose playground is due to be replaced before June 1.
The park projects are changing the parts of Roswell people use every week, and that matters at home too, whether you're near Riverside Park on the Chattahoochee or close to Roswell Area Park. If you'd like to talk about how these changes affect your street, Strong Tower Realty can help. Request a free home valuation or speak with a local agent today.
