What better way to know what residents of Clayton County want with regard to their county-sponsored recreation programs than to go right to the source, the citizens of Clayton County?

This is what officials with the Clayton County Parks and Recreation Department are asking as part of a community meeting agenda designed to get input from residents, said Amy Keeney, marketing and communications manager with the recreation department.

Following last week’s meeting in Lovejoy, recreation department officials have scheduled two others.

The next one is Aug. 30 at Panhandle Park, 10930 Panhandle Road in Jonesboro, beginning at 7 p.m., with the final one being Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. at the Jim Huie Recreation Center, 9045 Tara Blvd. in Jonesboro.

With the new Lovejoy Recreation Center scheduled to be completed in November, the department wants residents to speak out in regard to Clayton County recreation programs available now and those they may like to see made available.

“We are here to serve the recreation needs of the community and to do so, we need to know exactly what those needs are and how we can respond to meet them,” Keeney said.

She added that with the final two community input meetings on Thursday at the park and Saturday at the recreation center, the recreation department has scheduled them on different days to make public attendance as convenient as possible for residents.

“Our recreation centers are designed for our residents,” Kenney said. “We want to offer programs that our residents are not only interested in, but will participate in.”

According to recreation department Director Detrick Stanford, these public meetings will be listening sessions for recreation officials.

“These are meetings designed to give us an indication as to how we can best serve you, no matter your age or interests,” Stanford said.

“It is our job to meet your recreational needs and desires,” he said, “and we want to know how well we are serving you and what other programs or events you’d like to see offered.”

Keeney added the recreation department’s new Rec Track on-line registration service, for signing up individuals and families to be included in the program, will begin shortly.