Gwinnett Daily Post

Staff Photo: Brendan Sullivan Officials interact with Lawrenceville Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson's great nieces Elizabeth Carter, 3 and Kathryn Carter, 3, after the ribbon cutting ceremony which was held at the Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville on Tuesday. The ceremony celebrated the completion of the 7.3 million worth of renovations including trails, pavilions, benches, playgrounds, sports fields, seasoned outdoor pool, tennis center and a community recreation center.

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Judy Jordan Johnson handed pieces of ribbon to her 3-year-old great nieces Tuesday and knew her father would be proud.

The ribbon was from a ceremony celebrating a $7.3 million, sales-tax funded project to transform Rhodes Jordan Park, the Lawrenceville park named for her father, the former mayor.

"My father was one who believed in family and he believed in fun and he believed in fellowship," Johnson, the city's current mayor said, adding that the family patriarch would be proud of the park that has amenities for his great-grandaughters Kathryn and Elizabeth Carter to seniors. "He would love the Gwinnett County park system. ... It is with a grateful heart that I say thank you."

The park, which Gwinnett County government has operated since 1991, has been home to a scenic lake, a swimmming pool, playgrounds and baseball and football and tennis facilities for generations. The recent renovation added soccer fields, horseshoe pits and basketball courts and renovated pavilions. It also restored portions of the lake and created a trail around the entire body of water.

A public celebration will be held Saturday, March 31 to coincide with the beginning of spring break. The event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will include carnival games and inflatables, a bike safety rodeo, live music, human gyroscope, crazy hair, trolley rides, a yard sale and other activities. Admission is free, and food concessions will be available for purchase.