Memorial Park pond closed for renovations

WUGA | By Havivah Saltz

Published August 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM EDT

Two men stand in front of a construction site wearing hard hats and safety vests. — Memorial Park Facility Supervisor John McKinney and Nature Division Administrator Jace Besold pose in front of the upper pond construction at Memorial Park.

Memorial Park in Five Points is one of the most popular parks in Athens. But for now, residents are going to have to find an alternative, because most of the park is currently closed for construction. The construction is part of SPLOST 2020, which among other things, provides funding for the renovation of the park. WUGA’s Havivah Saltz went to see the construction in person.

You can find a Project Overview of the Memorial Park Improvements and a rendering of the project plans on acc.gov. You can also check the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Facebook page to see the latest developments, and the pictures of the turtle relocation.

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Havivah Saltz

Havivah Saltz has been with WUGA since 2023 as an on-air host and the producer for African Perspectives. She got her start in radio on WOBC FM at Oberlin College (class of ‘23), and she’s also worked as an on-air host on Athens' Power 100.1 and Magic 102.1. She is currently the interim producer of Athens News Matters. Outside of work, you can find Havivah making art, writing fiction, practicing Japanese, petting her very round cat, and watching concerning amounts of TV.

See stories by Havivah Saltz