Brookhaven becomes a city at 12:01 am on Dec. 17, and one of the responsibilities our new municipality will be undertaking is maintenance of local parks.
A couple of weeks ago, a loyal reader suggested this idea to us: Patch could serve as a source of information for our if we asked residents, what would they like to see in our city parks?
So, for the next eight working days (Monday through Friday, Aug. 20-29), Patch will be running a series of articles asking you: what would you to see in a specific park? Maybe slides or play areas, or more picnic tables, perhaps. What about swings, monkey bars, or baseball fields? Or maybe better lighting or safer parking areas.
For Tuesday, Aug. 28, we're asking you about . So share your thoughts with us in the Comments section below, or drop us an e-mail. We'll be happy to publish it.
Please pass the yellow mustard!
DeKalb County actually plans to redredge the lake during the next couple of months. The previous effort was never completed in a variety of ways, and several residents have been badgering DK ever since. They apparently finally came up with some more money to finish the job. Maybe this would be a good time for some of you who are more familiar with the subject to approach DK about an upstream filtration pond.
Please pass the yellow mustard!
1) No more pavement ANYWHERE! Baseball wants to add more parking throughout the park, and if they have their way, they would pave new parking areas vs gravel. 2) Keep all of the natural area as it is, with the exception of removing all non-native and invasive species (privet, kudzu, etc). Every arborist/naturalist I've talked to says the native understory trees and shrubs are desirable, and should not be cleared for new paths, picnic areas, and so forth. 3) Leave the upper field (County Corners) as an open play field. If the softball and baseball leagues need to use it for occasional practice, fine, but this should be left open for the general public to use. 4) Restore/renovate the caretaker's house and convert it to a community center. The idea posted above about having it house the city parks & rec department is a good one --- if we ever take that function in house instead of outsourcing it. 5) Beef up security patrols. People speed through the park, ignore stop signs and pedestrian crossings, park illegally, let their dogs run off leash, and create a number of other nuisances. The park is SO big, a single patrol officer on a bike could stay busy all day and half the night enforcing the law and park rules. 6) Fix the eastern lake shore. Everything on that side of the lake is in danger of just sliding off into the water.
P'tree follows a major Indian trail. In the mountains and hills major Indian trails always followed the easiest line to walk which were always on and along the ridges. Ponce de Leon is also another trail though not quite as major.
7) Build a bridge over Nancy Creek behind the stadium, so folks who live up in the neighborhoods along Harts Mill can safely WALK to the park. 8) As invasive and non-native plants are removed, replant with native and indigenous species. 9) Limit participation in the baseball and softball programs to Brookhaven footprint kids first --- then kids from outside the city if any spaces are left. Charge more for the outsiders to use our facilities. 10) Upgrade the playground equipment. 11) Upgrade the restrooms and unlock the ones at the ball fields. 12) Support the Murphey Candler Park Conservancy. They are developing a long-term master plan for the entire property. The city should take a back seat for any "improvements" to be sure they don't do anything in conflict with that plan. See http://www.murpheycandlerpark.org/ for more information on how to join and participate in fulfilling their vision through public/private partnerships.
There has been no talk of more dredging.
Never looked at it. Didn't need to knowing who it was for.
I'm sure its not. BTW, the first time I saw Murphy-Chandler Park was in 1961. It was gorgeous. The last time I was there, about two years ago, it seems to have gotten over-grown. Here's a tip I learned down in the Yucatan among the Maya who were thought not to practice any forestry. I observed them to, Instead of mowing down whole sections of trees to replant anew with trees that were beneficial (pitch, chicle-gum, etc) or ornamental, what they did was simply prune back trees from overcrowding the beneficial and ornamental trees already there. Also, they'd cut the lower branches of trees down to create head-space for paths instead of cutting all the trees down in a path. Also shade. In Ashord Memorial Park there is a cluster of nice, well grown trees already there that would need only, from ground-level up, the cutting of branches to about 7 feet high to have "more shade" without the expense of mowing them down to try and transplant specimens as large.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Continental_Divide Please pass the yellow mustard!
Keep in mind the principle of transferring parks from the County to the City at a nominal or free rate is based on all DeKalb residents having equal access to the parks and pool. So differential rates could only be charged for the league if the city started funding the actual league, which I think would be unwise. Though we could raise the rates from the current $20 surcharge for out of county participants - however we would need to work with the leagues on that. As others have pointed out the metro area has there is a lot of cross jurisdictional participation so one wouldn't want to unfairly burden the leagues with excessive surcharges. Here is a map of the footprint for the Murphey Candler Little League http://murpheycandler.org/source/mcll_boundaries.php For the Atlanta Colts Football and Cheerleading program I don't see a map though the registration form has a choice for DeKalb, Fulton or Gwinnett. And for the Girls Softball Program their website is down.
It seems light a waste of energy and a waste of money. Actually I'd like to see this audit done for all of the parks.
The park is overgrown in some places. The county did a horrific job of "trimming" not long ago. They left poision ivy but yanked out several beautiful redbuds a friend had planted and was taking care of because they didn't know the difference between a weed and a tree!! I was saddened to see them drive their huge mower into the weeds on the east side just below the upper field where a mama duck was living and raising her 10 babies (I had recorded them the day before marching to the lake for a swim). They also wiped out the places on the bank leaving the ducks and geese without natural shelter. Just butchered the place. Hopefully we can now have a trained maintenance crew (not a bunch of outsourced contractors) to take care of the park on a regular basis.
http://brookleighatlanta.com/ "Central Park Brookleigh is being built around a Central Park to be owned by DeKalb County and maintained by the Brookleigh Master Association. Over 100 new trees, new sod on finished lawns and street lighting will be completed in May, 2012. Interior sidewalks, a Gazebo and hardscapes are scheduled for completion by the end of 2012."
About the "divide" discussion - DeKalb is served by two watersheds, the Chattahoochee (the nancy creek and peachtree streams) and the Ocmulgee (the South river). The dividing line (divide) for these two systems is a line from just south of Tucker through Decatur to about the intersection of the downtown connector and I-20. Locally, there is a ridge line along Windsor Parkway putting Town Brookhaven in the Peachtree North Fork watershed, and Silver Lake in the Nancy Creek Watershed. The South River flows to the Atlantic. The County issue is that we withdraw water from the Ocmulgee Sourh river system, but return it after processing to the Chattahoochee system. This is an EPA problem for us.
http://dekalbwatershed.com/water.html http://dekalbwatershed.com/sewer.html http://dekalbwatershed.com/snapfinger.html Please pass the yellow mustard!
Call Bob Lundsten and confirm, if you'd like, but I am pretty certain that DeKalb has plans to redredge and fix the things the prior contractor neglected to finish --- before the city takes possession.
I've been thinking of "redbuds" for days. A redbud in Ashford Park along Redding appears doomed. I always prefer indigenous plants and trees. "...a friend had planted and was taking care of because they didn't know the difference between a weed and a tree!!..." They do hire grunts, but whenever I spoke to them they were willing to learn. The problem was that they do what their bosses tell them they have to do. "...Hopefully we can now have a trained maintenance crew (not a bunch of outsourced contractors) to take care of the park on a regular basis..." Fat chance. We've have been having a continuing problem at the condos where I live. The place did beautifully since its conception some thirty-five years ago by the people living here enjoying the work of its landscaping (less mowing). We called it (and still do) "grandfather rights." Its been "outsourced" to "installers" though, who, whenever something goes drastically wrong blame, the illegals they hire who only do what they are told to do too. My advice, don't let any agency get in the way of taking over. Just get some neighbors together and form a garden club rightfully claiming "grandfather rights." And to Hell with any government's codified rules. Also, I do hope you understood the Mayan forestry thing. It preserves the canopy as well.
Yes, park was installed a couple of years ago right after it was deeded & designed. NorSouth & partners didn't water it, and nearly everything died. Complaints filed with the County, et al by several individuals and groups. Replanting took place a couple of weeks back. Not sure they put in 100 trees, yet, but there are at least 50 new ones out there. Their commitment is for 100. No gazebo, etc. yet. Park will transfer to city. Not sure about management agreement. It should. If not, the city will have to renegotiate or take on maintenance itself. First thing is that the city (and committees and commissions and 4th estate) will have to recognize its existence --- which they apparently have not, yet.
Half of them were farmers and gardeners back home. You should see what they do with nothing but machetes. Cut and side-trim whole lawns. They do everything right and are glad to listen to instructions as long as you address (no matter how informal) their on-the-job, hands-on foreman. The only thing I don't like is a marked tendency to prune shrubs and hedges to look like elephants, giraffes and snakes. But that's not a stateside problem. If they didn't have their landscape owners or a government agency telling them what they have to do, they'd do what a polite, even wilderness gardener like yourself, would tell them. Also, they, like anyone else, like praise for a job well-done. The greatest praise being "muy artistico." You do that, and you'll have them eating out of your hand. Same with barbers and hair-dressers.
Someday, he might tell Elaine.
As Mayor, I'd bring that to a stop immediately and plug whatever breeches they've made so far. It's not nice to mess with Mother Nature.
Just sub-contract some illegals directly. No intervening landscape company or quasi-government agency posing as goody-two-shoes. Hand them some machetes, a pail-full tacos and plenty of horchata (rice water with real vanilla flavoring).
While it may be an EPA problem, it points to the immediate need for strong legislation regarding inter-basin transfers. It would be nice to see our state come into the 20th Century on water resources management.
http://dekalbwatershed.com/water.html "The Chattahoochee River is the drinking water for DeKalb County. The water is treated at the Scott Candler Water Filter Plant and then distributed to DeKalb County customers. Click here for more information."
If I ever see Bob I'll ask. But probably won't use up my self allocated amount of emails or phone calls to ask.
I go by there all the time but haven't been inside lately, I need to do that. I'm interested to see the PATH trail
has existed for years. Engineering has requested a permit form DNR. Start the work now. The CEO would get major points if he toured the shoreline and park with the neighborhood"
The neighborhood has some people with experience and they discussed some of the design shortcomings. While folks recognized at that point that a delay would risk the project with the Brookhaven City vote already passed by the legislators. But the feeling was that it wasn't right to spend money on a plan that might not work or be as effective. The county people after meeting with these people agreed that they should revise the plans even though it meant supplementing the EPD application. It was felt this would not delay things. Unfortunately it might have. Though none of this involved dredging the lake.