Thursday, December 28, 2006

Brook Run - Skate Park Clear Cutting

Posted for Mr. Lowry to the original DNCA website.

Dear Mr. Vernon Jones,

A large stand of park trees (about 5 acres) has been clear-cut in Brook Run Park along Peeler Rd. The trees were cut all the way to the fence on 12/19/06 and 12/20/06 along an entire block. The trees will be replaced with about 4 acres of concrete, asphalt, stadium lights, stadium speakers and will operate into the night hours until 11:00 PM according to DeKalb County Code Book Code Section 19-26 Hours.
http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/parks/rules.htm
Here is information published on DeKalb Greenspace.
http://dekalbgreenspace.com/

The skate park's final design will be a commercial, revenue producing facility complete with food services, delivery trucks, etc. The revenue will be used for other parks in DeKalb County. This facility will cause traffic and public safety issues in Dunwoody. Dunwoody has always been commited to protecting our forest, reforestation, parks, zoning, development, traffic, quality of life, and property values.

A skate park was supported in public meetings for our post-playground children and teenagers. The skate park was to fit in with the existing topography and save trees. There was strong public support to keep Brook Run as a passive, natural greenspace, and even add to greenspace with the demolition of existing abandoned buildings and parking. There was opposition to adding parking, hardscape and active areas such as ball fields. We have plenty of that in the surrounding area.

The skate park design greatly changed from the original design. The final plan was never made public. DeKalb Parks (Marvin Billups) said they would hold a public meeting to present the final plan to the public. No meeting was held. No plan was made public. 'These facilities would be sculpted to fit into the existing topography and wooded areas', according to the original EDAW Plan for the park. Some of the planning documents can be referenced on the Dunwoody North web site www.dunwoodynorth.org . Reforestation was planned after the construction of the Childrens' Playground. Reforestation did not happen. Many of the small stick replacement trees have died.

Now, this will be the largest skate park/stadium in Georgia with an additional 200 parking spaces, and one of the largest in the country. The skate stadium would be OK for an abanded Wal-Mart site, but not in existing natural park land. The lights, sound, traffic and trash will pollute Dunwoody, late into the night. The worst will be in front of Dunwoody North, but will affect all of Dunwoody as we get additional regional visitors into our communities from every direction.

A mistake and lack of representation for the public support has occurred. We have been misled. This has been taken in a direction by DeKalb County that we did not want and is not needed. A vote for parks and greenspace and bonds has been wrongly used. Most areas of the state, and country are preserving greenspace. This has turned into a DeKalb County revenue producing commercial facility in the wrong location.

It should have a Stop Work order and a public review before the topography is destroyed soon by the grading bulldozers, and certainly before concrete and asphalt cover our greenspace. It is possible to reforest, reduce the size back to the original supported plan, or move the park to an area occupied by vacant building hardscape or commercially zoned property. We should act fast. The construction will be complete in six months.

Dunwoody will suffer permanently because of serious DeKalb County planning mistakes.

Hundreds of stumps are being cleared this week. Surveyors were staking Wednesday for Land Disturbance (grading) to begin within a few days.

Land Disturbance (grading) is done by large earth moving equipment. The natural rolling terrain will be further destroyed and flattened into a plateau, like a shopping center. This is done in a 'cut and fill' grading process. It will have a steep, unnatural slope to a storm water retention pond.

Approximately 1 acre of trees were clear-cut just for the retention pond which is required for this project. The retention pond is along Peeler Rd at Cherring Dr. You can see the pile of tree debris where the retention pond will be located.

All the trees were clear-cut in 1 and 1/2 days by monster sized Timber equipment. The grading will quickly and permanently destroy the rolling terrain.

Some mothers have commented that without trees at the Childrens' Playground, the equipment is sometimes too hot to touch. With fewer trees now, everything in the area will be even hotter.

It is shocking what is happening to Brook Run Park and Dunwoody's forest.

This project should have a Stop Work order issued before the grading begins. The project should then have appropriate reviews.

Thank you.
Paul Lowry, PE Licensed Engineer
Laura Potts, AIA Licensed Architect

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