City Administrator John Hamilton recognized by Alabama Recreation and Park Association
Published on December 4, 2017
The City of Huntsville’s Department of Parks & Recreation nominated City Administrator John Hamilton for the Lay Award, a state-wide recognition of those who champion Parks & Recreation initiatives and programs in Alabama communities.
Mr. Hamilton won the award and was recognized by the Alabama Recreation and Park Association on November 28, 2017.
Below is an excerpt from his nomination letter:
Recently, Huntsville’s signature Big Spring Park East underwent $350,000 in renovations to update sidewalks and address drainage issues on the main lawn. Sidewalks were reconfigured and widened. New benches were added and landscaping was improved. Mr. Hamilton set the vision for this project and took a direct leadership role in improving this public amenity. His hard work and dedication can be seen in this project and many others, described below, throughout the City of Huntsville.
The City’s most popular park, Big Spring, received $2 million in renovations, ranging from a host of infrastructure repairs and upgrades to replacing crumbling seawalls, improving pedestrian connectivity, adding new lighting and electrical outlets, fountains, and more. To save money and time, the City performed half of the work with in-house crews. This project, too, was led by Mr. Hamilton.
John Hamilton was the driving force behind Huntsville’s $22 million renovations of the Brahan Spring Park Natatorium. This project was years in the making.
Architectural design for the Huntsville Aquatics Center (previously known as ‘the Natatorium’) with Nola VanPeursem Architects began in January 2015. The firm worked to address a long wish list of amenities desired by users and produced a plan that is high-tech and beautiful. The design included three pools, including what is being called the Legacy pool (the existing Olympic sized pool), the Instructional pool and the Competition pool.
The Instructional pool was to replace the James A. Williams Aquatic Center in downtown Huntsville and John Hamilton ensured that it would not be closed until the Instructional pool was complete. Mr. Hamilton understood the importance of the James A. Williams Aquatic Center to users, especially those who used it as a form of physical therapy. The new Instructional pool is 36-feet wide by 75-feet long, with a shallow end of three feet and the deep end of seven feet. There is a ramp with handrails that leads down to the water as well as stairs and an ADA accessible chair lift. There are therapy jets in one area and the pool is heated to 90 degrees. It’s lit by a LED system and by a 64-foot glass wall.
Mr. Hamilton’s vision has also been instrumental in planning for the City’s new multi-use expansion of John Hunt Park. New park amenities on the former golf course will include a cross-country running track, walking trails, a mountain bike facility, dog park, and disc golf course. It will continue to serve local golfers with an expanded, lighted driving range. The proposed design for the new multi-use park takes advantage of the rolling contour of the 140-acre property and existing six miles of paved paths to provide a variety of experiences for bikers, runners, and walkers. It will neighbor the 30-court Huntsville Tennis Center (currently under expansion), soccer and youth league baseball fields and new sand volleyball courts recently approved for construction.
Not only will the renovated park serve Huntsville residents, it can become a tourist attraction, according to John Hamilton. The facility can be used to host competitions that will draw visitors to Huntsville, boosting the local economy through tax revenue and money spent by visitors at hotels, restaurants, and retail. The running trails can also provide a new venue for 1K – 5K races, routinely hosted in the downtown area.
During a time that many cities and states are seeing a decrease in their parks and recreation budgets, the City of Huntsville is lucky to have such a huge advocate for parks and recreation in Mr. John Hamilton.
