J.L. Cook Memorial Park holds grand reopening, ribbon cutting

J.L. Cook Memorial Park ribbon cutting

ATHENS, Tenn. (WDEF) — J.L. Cook Memorial Park in Athens, Tennessee has officially reopened.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department held the grand re-opening and ribbon cutting on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

They began renovating the park back in 2022 and completed those renovations over the summer in 2023.

The new additions to the park include two new playgrounds. One of those is for children aged 2-5 and the other is for children aged 5-12.

The city put a rubber surfacing over the entire park and added a catering kitchen to the pavilion. They also added fencing around the playground and basketball courts.

The public may now rent out the pavilion and kitchen on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition to the park renovations, the J.L. Cook Heritage Foundation also completed the J.L. Cook historical marker. This marker is a tribute to the African American school that used to stand on the park grounds.

They added a 5-foot-tall and 9-foot-wide historical marker, featuring a news article by the former principal, Professor W.E. Nash. The marker also includes images of the school and students.