As Parks and Recreation Director of Gwinnett County Chris Minor is responsible for the planning, strategy, and operations of the parks system. Gwinnett county is somewhat unique in that there is a dedicated 1 mil recreation tax, meaning the department has a steady funding source that is not in competition with the general fund programs. The recreation tax combined with SPLOST has allowed the system to grow to 51 park sites, 10,000 acres, 200 FTE, and a $67 M operating budget. Since the inception of SPLOST, the department has completed $750M worth of capital projects. As Director, Chris is not in parks as much as one would think. The position requires a lot of time handling HR matters, preparing presentations for the Board of Commissioners, project and budget oversight, coaching staff, public meetings, and interacting with park users and residents. The beauty of Parks and Recreation is that it has a little bit of everything, trades teams (plumbing, electrical, etc.), HR, Finance (budget, procurement, contracts), planning and land use, direct services (classes, events, aquatic centers), customer service, and construction. A stint in Parks and Recreation can make for a well rounded local government professional.
There are two recent projects that Chris would like to highlight. The first is the field conversion at Rabbit Hill Park. This project is special because it shows how government and the public can work together to meet a need, but also that it can take a long time to get it accomplished. The Bears Make a Difference program operates out of Rabbit Hill as a special needs, adaptive baseball league for youth. They were having issues with the fields due to them being natural turf and dirt. Our discussions started in 2017, and we were finally able to cut the ribbon in September of 2025. The other project is the Singleton Park and Greenway. This project is unique because it took an under utilized site and transitioned it to a beautiful neighborhood park. The project is also unique because it features funding from all three levels of government, Federal CDBG funds, State Improving Neighborhoods Grant, and Recreation Fund dollars from Gwinnett County. The site also highlights a partnership for our first large scale mural. In 2026, Chris is looking forward to opening two community recreation centers and three pickleball facilities.
Chris is the first Department Director of Parks and Recreation for Gwinnett as Parks and Recreation was formerly a division under the Department of Community Services. Two programming initiatives that he is proud of implementing are the introduction of Therapeutic Recreation and dedicated Outdoor Recreation. Therapeutic Recreation focuses on helping those with special needs, whether physical or mental, experience play. Outdoor Recreation programming helps the residents of Gwinnett reconnect with nature through hikes, kayaking, bird watching, fishing, etc. While these may sound like tasks that anyone can do, there are many that are uncomfortable with or inexperienced with being outside. A professional that can guide participants removes barriers to nature. The outdoor recreation programs are now some of the most popular in the park system.
Chris chose the UGA MPA program at Gwinnett because he realized when he became director that there was a lot he still needed to learn about local government. After a self-assessment, he noticed that he was not as strong in planning, strategy, and finance. He was familiar with the Gwinnett County way of government operations, but he reasoned there may be additional methods out there that may be beneficial. UGA Gwinnett also made sense for him as he prefers to learn in person, and the schedule works for a working professional. Having attended Carl Vinson Institute Programs at the campus, he realized that he really enjoyed the campus and being back in a learning environment. Chris feels that the MPA from UGA will help prepare me for the next step. Chris resides in Grayson, GA with his wife Jessica their two daughters and their rabbit Jem.
