2008 Dues, Calling Post & Directory Update
Board Members
Neighborhood History
By-Laws
Zoning Issues
Neighborhood
Location
Chesnut Charter
Elementary
Peachtree Middle
School
Dunwoody High
School
Brook Run Park
Brook Run Hospital Demolition
Brook Run
Skate Park Construction
Daycare, Preschools, Colleges
and other Private Schools
Dunwoody North Driving Club
(Swim & Tennis)
Home & Garden Club
New to the
Neighborhood ?
Area Recreation
Neighborhood Watch
Real Estate Agents
Recent Home Prices
Dunwoody Homeowner's
Association
Approval seen for Brook Run Plan Mar 25 2003 12:00AM The Dunwoody Crier By Kelly Conn
A plan to transform Brook Run, Dunwoody's former rehabilitation facility from its abandoned state to a countywide recreation and greenspace preserve, drew praise last week from the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, prompting officials to call for the adoption of the master plan.
The discussion at a work session prior to the expected vote, however, was not without a few fireworks as part of an ongoing feud between the county cheif executive and Commissioner Elaine Boyer.
The proposal was scheduled to go before the board of commissioners Tuesday, after The Crier went to press, along with a request for $800,000 to construct Brook Run's flagship project-a five-acre children's adventure garden located near the property's Peeler/North Peachtree corner.
To fund the playground, the board was asked to appropriate $400,000 from each of the parks bond development accounts for north DeKalb Commission Districts 1 and 6. The monies are derived from the $125 million parks and greenspace bond referendum passed in 2001.
Judging from the positive response the master plan elicited at last week's commission work session, it was expected to receive the board's approval. "I've heard so much about Brook Run-"I'm glad it's part of the whole county," District 7 Commissioner Lou Walker said following a project overview from planning consultant Ray Strychalski of EDAW, Inc.
According to the master plan, the 102-acre property is to be sectioned into three areas-"The Arts," "Nature's Way," and "Play!"
In addition to the playground, the 25-acre Play! area includes a skate park and picnic meadows. The Arts' 25 acres hold the Brook Run Theater-a remnant of the former rehabilitation facility-parks and recreation administrative offices, a veterans pavilion and The Great Lawn, a gathering space for concerts, arts festivals, outdoor theatre and other activities.
Nature's Way, a reforestation and stream preservation area covering half of the property, includes an expansive trail system, an aviary garden-the site of the former Brook Run hospital-and a horticulture center.
Project coordinators also aim to partner with the adjacent Peachtree Charter Middle School and create an active recreation area.
The master plan, developed in conjunction with DeKalb County, the Dunwoody Preservation Trust-the organization charged with leading the initiative-and EDAW, is in keeping with the state stipulation that 70 percent of the property is to be preserved as greenspace.
It also reflects feedback obtained from public meetings held in the north and south ends of the county. Planners intend to hold a final public meeting in the near future.
"It looks like a wonderful master plan process," said District 4 Commissioner Burrell Ellis. "I'm beginning to see some of the wonderful things we can do in our county."
District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer noted that the park's varied amenities would appeal to different age groups.
"I think (the plan) is fabulous," she said. However, some of the board members' enthusiasm was tinged with resentment.
"In order to move this project forward, we passed the parks bond referendum-I think we need to remember that," said Walker, noting that voters who opposed the referendum, predominantly from north DeKalb, now will benefit from the initiative.
The parks proposal stipulated that 70 percent of the funds from the 15-year, $125 million bond would be designated for the acquisition of greenspace, while the remaining monies would be reserved for improving existing parks and developing new facilities.
DeKalb Chief Executive Vernon Jones took Walker's point a step further, singling out Boyer for her lone vote against the referendum.
"I'd like to thank those commissioners who didn't use hypocrisy to get this thing started," he said. The chief executive then individually recognized the six commissioners who supported the initiative.
"Since you've made it personal," Boyer responded, "I'd like to make it clear that I opposed the referendum (because of a lack of planning regarding how and where the funds were to be spent)."
Boyer voted against placing the parks bond referendum on the 2001 special election ballot because the county had not prioritized the projects to be funded from the initiative.
"Asking the taxpayers to approve the money first is to put the cart before the horse," she said in a 2001 edition of The Crier, which she reiterated after the Tuesday meeting.
Following their contentious exchange last week, Jones and Boyer abruptly exited the work session and for several minutes engaged in a heated conversation outside the auditorium door.
"It's other people's money," Boyer told The Crier later. "(The chief executive) just doesn't get it."
İCrier Newspapers LLC 2003