walking trail, basketball court John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Nature: trails, tree, plant and wildlife sanctuary Ridgeview: nature trails, picnic pavilion, playground Windsor Meadows: benches and trails located at the intersection of Windsor Parkway and Northland Drive by Nancy Creek Island Ford: home to the headquarters for the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, this unit is located entirely within Sandy Springs. It is also home to the Hewlett Lodge, a former home dating back to 1941 that was acquired when the park service bought the land surrounding the home in 1979. East Palisades: this park compromises the Fulton County portion of the Palisades unit. Powers Island: this park is a part of the Cochran Shoals unit of the Chattahooche National Recreation Area. Government Officials Mayor: Rusty Paul District 1: John Paulson District 2: Melody Kelley District 3: Melissa Mular District 4: Jody Reichel District 5: Tiberio "Tibby" DeJulio District 6: Andy Bauman City Manager: Eden Freeman Services Sandy Springs was noted for contracting private companies to perform the majority of its services in a public-private partnership model of government at the beginning of its incorporation in 2005. While many governments contract with private-sector companies on a per-project basis, Sandy Springs is believed to be the first American city to outsource its services for the majority of ongoing operations. They chose to do so as an economic response to the Great Recession. The city regularly hosted delegations from other governments that were interested in the model. Services not outsourced include police, fire-rescue, and city management. The city moved away from the private-public partnership model in 2019 when it was realized how much money was lost to private contractors and hired 184 full-time city staff that work at the new City Springs development. It now operates as a hybrid model, outsourcing projects to private companies as needed. The city estimates $14 million will be saved over the next 5 years from hiring full-time staff. The Sandy Springs Police Department (SSPD) is the city's police department and took over services from Fulton County on July 1, 2006, with 86 original police officers recruited from various police agencies from all over the State of Georgia. The department currently has an authorized staff of 149 full-time sworn officers and 11 part-time officers. Additionally, SSPD also employs 23 civilian staff members who handle duties such as records, permits, GCIC, and fleet maintenance. The current Executive Officer