Skate park built at residents' expense - AJC Editorial

CityLife Opinions: Skate park built at residents' expense

By John Heneghan
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/26/07

DeKalb County is about to open Georgia's premier skate park at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody, just three blocks from my home. As the father of three young boys, you would think that I would be ecstatic over this type of attraction being so close. Well, I'm not. You see, I am also president of my subdivision's homeowners association. Residents of our neighborhood have witnessed the clear-cutting of more than five acres of aged hardwoods to allow for construction of the attraction.

Now that it is here, we must endure bright lights and music blaring through speakers until 10:30 p.m., seven nights a week.

Four years ago, a 16-point comprehensive master plan was developed for the park. One of the suggestions was a skate park for teenagers and post-playground kids. The park, according to the plan, would be sculpted to fit the existing topography and wooded areas.

Instead, the largest, most technical skate park in the Southeast with professional-grade attributes stands where a huge grove of trees once stood.

You see, DeKalb County wants this $2.1 million attraction to generate revenue for other parts of the county. So when the county reviewed the small skate parks in Decatur, Gwinnett and Athens (none of which have lights, staff, remain open after dark or charge a fee), they decided to go much bigger, charge admission and maximize revenue by adding lights to extend the hours so this facility could "produce" revenue.

The immediate residential neighborhoods surrounding the park did not ask for Georgia's biggest commercial skate park to be installed, but it was, and we certainly did not ask for it to be open so late.

I met with Commissioners Elaine Boyer and Kathie Gannon who, after visiting the park, agreed that hours should be rolled back and additional trees planted to re-establish a visual screen from Peeler Road.

Supposedly, these two commissioners convinced several upper levels of DeKalb management of the mistake being made with the extended hours of operation. Boyer made a formal request to CEO Vernon Jones for an official modification of the proposed hours of operation. Unfortunately, in spite of what the commissioners' recommendations were, the request was denied.

It would appear that Jones is no longer acting in the best interest of ALL DeKalb residents. If he were, he would have recognized the flawed policies instituted by the parks department and followed the recommendations of the commissioners elected to speak for us. Instead, Jones is a candidate for the U.S. Senate first and foremost. It would appear he is using the operational policies of this Dunwoody skate park to make a statement to his other DeKalb constituents hoping to gain some warped sense of political favoritism from this matter.

Ironically, Jones is campaigning on the improved "quality of life" platform in DeKalb. Funny, I never thought lower property values meant improvement.

Heneghan is president of Dunwoody North Civic Association.