Two city related meetings on Thursday Feb 20th - 6 pm Demolition Meeting for Former Shallowford Elementary - 7 pm City of Dunwoody Town Hall.

Demolition Meeting for Former Shallowford Elementary - Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at at Chesnut Charter Elementary School, 4576 N. Peachtree Road.

The DeKalb County School District is hosting a public meeting to outline its demolition plans for the former Shallowford Elementary/Chamblee Middle School. This event is also this Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at Chesnut Charter Elementary School, 4576 N. Peachtree Road.

Town Hall Meeting - Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Dunwoody High School Auditorium, 5035 Vermack Road.

The Mayor and City Council Members are hosting a Town Hall Meeting and we want to hear from you! This event is this Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Dunwoody High School Auditorium, 5035 Vermack Road. This is your chance to participate in conversation focused on community issues and topics selected by citizens. Visit www.ConnectDunwoody.com to become engaged.

Back 30 Acres of Brook Run is now open.

After scrutinizing misstep after misstep of the demolition of the buildings at Brook Run Park, especially the $500,000 amendment to a $1.3 million dollar contract; I am happy to announce that the back 30 acres of the park are finally open. I’m both happy that it is finished and saddened at the quality of the fill dirt and/or top soil that they used. I was hoping for lush fields for grass but there seems to be more rocks then blades of green. I was hoping for relatively flat fields where soccer could be played but understandably the ground was returned to sloping hills which drains to the creek. That being said, I’m still happy those buildings are gone.

Just the other day, I walked through the area and stood in the middle of 30 acres of wide open space; it was enormous, quiet and wonderful. I would like to encourage as many people as possible to go back there and enjoy the sounds of silence, the trees rustling in the wind, the birds (and cicadas) singing and smell of fresh air.

The residents of Dunwoody and even the new City Council can dream of grandiose plans for this space but the City will have to first legally obtain the property and then find additional funding to fund those grandiose plans. It’s my opinion that both of those propositions will be difficult and because of that the land will be left in its passive state, and to be honest that is just fine with me.

The Brook Run dog park association, Just a Walk in the Park has already requested that the dog park expand into that area but a recent e-mail from Mr. Marvin Billups, Asst Director of DeKalb Parks and Rec. stated that the county is still reviewing the idea.

I don’t have enough facts to even try to have an opinion on the proposal but I do know that the more people that use that section of the park the safer it will be, therefore any idea promoting passive use is probably a good start.

The next chance I get, I think those rolling hills of open land would look wonderful speeding underneath the tires of my mountain bike. I hope to see you out there.

Directions: 4770 N Peachtree Rd, Dunwoody, GA 30338 and drive all the way to the very back, past the dog park and past the chain link fence (that should be removed soon?)

Expect Fireworks at DeKalb BOC Meeting on Tuesday

Remember that only Vernon Jones sets the agenda of all DeKalb BOC meetings.

A resolution to Support Legal Action against the Incorporation of the City of Dunwoody was placed on the agenda for this Tuesday, right before the Democratic primary which will decide the race for DeKalb CEO. This matter is politically charged and was probably placed on the agenda not because Mr. Jones wants to take expensive legal action against the State of Georgia for the City of Dunwoody’s creation, but because it could be used as a wedge issue dividing the County in half. If that is the case, it will probably be played as North DeKalb vs. South DeKalb, and sadly probably also along racial lines too. The Justice Department has already ruled on the matter therefore the pending lawsuit has no merit, or it would have gone forward months ago.

Now ask yourself, who set the agenda item and why? Who running for office does it help and who does it hurt? Is this action politically motivated, I think so?

DeKalb politics is a grand blood sport where power and influence is often wielded to attack their political foes. If only the same amount of energy were put towards making DeKalb a better place to work and live, we would all be better off. Unfortunately this is DeKalb County, change is slow and the referendum for SB 52 which limits the CEO’s power doesn’t come up for election until November.

Immediately following the Dunwoody lawsuit item on the agenda is a third contract extension for Brook Run Park and the last time I checked the work at the park was completed and checked off by Parks Department. So why is the contract being extended? For what work and for how much? The last time they extended the contract it was for only an additional $500,000 on top of the original $1.3 million dollar bid.

I have already made inquiries and it looks like another open records request may have to be made.

DEKALB COUNTY GEORGIA
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MEETING
JULY 8, 2008

E. PRELIMINARY ITEMS

E1. Resolution to Support Legal Action against the Incorporation of the City of Dunwoody

Parks & Recreation
E2. Change Order No. 3 to Contract No. 07-900545 with Dore & Associates Contracting, Inc. Demolition of Designated Structures at Brook Run Park

Dunwoody dog owners ask to expand the dog park into the back of Brook Run.

The Henry Jones off-leash dog park, named after DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones' dog Henry, is located in a back corner of Brook Run Park in Dunwoody. If you own a dog it is a wonderful location with ample parking, friendly people who share a common bond, nesseled under shady trees with the brook running through it which gives the dogs (and the owners) a great amount of joy. The users of the dog park formed their own association named "Just a Walk in the Park" to protect and maintain the area and with their dedication the dog park is one of the biggest attractions in Brook Run.

Now this group is trying to do something that I haven't been able to get the county to comment on for months and that is to answer the question, Why are the back 30 acres of Brook Run park still closed to the public? JAWITP has written a letter to the DeKalb Parks Department asking to expand the dog park into the closed area and with Henry Jones as a supporter of the idea, how could Mr. CEO and the parks department say no?

All 102 acres of the park need to be used on a regular basis because it is this use by everyday citizen's that keeps the facilities in working order and keeps those who would otherwise be up to no good, away. A good example of this would be the building being used by the handball athletes, they may not have fulfilled their promise of handball lessons to the community but because they were there; that building has been maintained with running water & electricity and there is little or no graffiti in sight.

To let everyone in on a secret that hasn't been kept very well, the back of the park is open with walking trails leading directly back and there are numerous holes in the fences that anyone could slip past if they really wanted to. At one point even the construction gate leading to the back was ripped from it's hinges and months later hadn't been replaced by the county. So to say that the back is closed is a misnomer, it's open but not patrolled by the security officer who is usually stationed at the front guard shack and the County probably wouldn't want to be liable if you were running on the rocky soil they used as fill dirt and got hurt because of the rough terrain. Other than that, it's open and I am guessing that it is being used on a regular basis.

I am really interested in seeing the reply from Ms. Marilyn Boyd-Drew, Director of DeKalb Parks because the demolition contract is over, site restoration has been completed and the County has even signed off that all of the asbestos was cleaned up properly.

So what is the hold up? I'm not sure but I have been asking for quite a while, June 3rd, 2008, October 17, 2007 and September 12, 2007.

Below is the letter from JAWITP requesting the expansion of the dog park.

Marilyn Boyd-Drew, Director
Parks and Recreation Department
DeKalb County
1300 Commerce Drive, Suite 200
Decatur GA 30030

Dear. Ms. Boyd-Drew,

This note is in response to our discussion at the May meeting of the Citizens Advisory Board.

Immediately after the off-leash area at Brook Run Park opened in January, 2006, CEO Vernon Jones responded to privacy concerns from a neighboring subdivision and ordered the size of the original area reduced by nearly half. His commitment at that time was to expand the off-leash area across the creek and up the hill to where the hospital building stood. Now that that area has been cleared, and with the increased traffic with warmer weather, carrying out Mr. Jones’s commitment would be appropriate and timely.

Forty percent of households have dogs. What the off-leash area at Brook Run has afforded those DeKalb citizens is the opportunity to use the public green space for all the reasons those green spaces exist. Dogs are “socialized,” which is beneficial for them as pack animals, and they get the exercise they need. Much more importantly, the park serves the people of the community. Users of the park get outside much more than they would otherwise. They can walk with their dogs in a beautiful green space rather than the street. And the park has offered a wonderful place for DeKalb citizens to make new friends and to meet with old friends.

The off-leash area occupies about two acres in a hundred acre park, but accounts for much more than two percent of the park’s use. An expansion to double its space seems reasonable. Four percent of the park’s space to serve forty percent of the community seems very reasonable.
When we at Just a Walk in the Park adopted the park, we made a commitment to help the county keep the area clean, healthy and enjoyable to use. We have done that to the best of our ability. Our commitment to the park is demonstrated by the activities we have performed:

• We have twice provided a FREE seminar on dog behavior and dog park etiquette.
  
• We have twice provided FREE six-week sessions of basic dog obedience training classes.
  
• We used our own money to purchase an additional bench for visitors' seating within the dog park.
  
• We continually clean the park of both human trash and dog waste. Volunteers gather every single month to maintain this, a county property. Maintenance workers tell us that ours is the only park in the county that has such a support group, and they admire our diligence in maintaining the park ourselves. We call upon the Maintenance Dept. only when absolutely necessary.
  
• We have taken it upon ourselves to bring in fill dirt to repair holes dug by dogs.
  
• Our volunteers recently devoted three hours of a Saturday morning to clear away more than two years’ worth of debris that was causing damage to the fence line. In addition, we planted both monkey grass and grass seed which not only beautifies the park but contributes to the protection of the grounds.
  

The commitment shown by 200 JAWITP members would of course extend to an expanded area. We will do whatever we can to maintain this most needed space, including fund raising for any expenses beyond the county’s budget restraints. The enclosed petition with 350 signatures, collected almost casually in a weekend, indicates the depth of community support for the park.

Sincerely,

Laine Sweezey, President
Bill Goss

Update on open records request, Does Brook Run have buried asbestos? When will the 30 acres of park land be available?

30 Acres of Closed Park Space

I have a habit of requesting public records and posting them on line and I apologize for hyping the Brook Run Park asbestos cleanup without completing the story.

As a reminder, Brook Run is a 102 acre park in Dunwoody where DeKalb County contracted to have five abandoned buildings removed at a cost of 1.3 million dollars. Towards the end of the project, additional asbestos was “discovered” and the cost of the project jumped by an additional $500,000 dollars. I have made several open record requests regarding this property and it is my belief that this project has been mismanaged and financial games have been played. The county’s response to my open records requests have varied between extremely unresponsive (they flat out lied to me once stating that there were no records available and then were caught in the bold faced lie with the $500,000 extension happening the next week) to bending over backward to assist me. This time the response was very good.

Mr. Dave Butler, the Environmental Manager for the DeKalb Parks Department whom I have known and talked to in the past, cooperated fully by providing everything I asked for in order to assist me in verifying that the County has done the proper due diligence as it relates to cleaning up the Brook Run property. Mr. Butler provided the hundreds of waste manifests proving the movement of the concrete to the landfill, internal e-mails, maps /drawings and the check list which states that the Brook Run project is now complete.

In an e-mail to me regarding the possible burying of asbestos, Mr. Butler gave me his personal account of the asbestos removal.

During removal of the Therapy Building foundation and subsequent grading of the site, I made twice weekly inspections of the work, the environmental inspector from Planning and Development made weekly inspections, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) visited the site several times. There was no evidence of demolition debris buried on site. The remaining fragments of stone, brick, or concrete that you may see on the surface were left behind after loading out the stockpiles of debris.

The link below contains a good portion of the records (except for the waste manifests) and the final project checklist which shows that everything has been completed in the park.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/images/BrookRun_openrecords_043008.pdf

With that being said, I believe the back of Brook Run Park is still closed. Why?? The work is done and there are 30 acres of beautiful park land waiting to be explored, why is it still closed?
If anybody finds out, please let me know, I have been asking that same question for months.

Oh, and if you happen to talk to the DeKalb County Parks Department, please ask them when the benches for the Children’s playground are scheduled to arrive? I have been asking that question for years.

Has Brook Run been properly cleaned up or was it just buried? Show me proof & test results.

Brook Run the 102 acre park in Dunwoody has had its share of problems through the years but it has so much potential to be a spectacular park. The county just tacked on $500,000 change order to a $1.3 million dollar demolition contract to do asbestos abatement and the citizens of area want to make sure the work was done properly.

A thorough review of previous documentation shows that building materials were allowed to be buried on site even though initially that was not suppose to happen. What is troubling is the fact that those buildings were completely destroyed inside & out prior to demolition and asbestos was strewn everywhere including outside the buildings.

I have filed what I hope to be the final open records request on the Brook Run demolition so that the county and their contractors can prove that they did the proper abatement and removal of the asbestos.

Open Records Request for Brook Run Final Cleanup

Documents provided by DeKalb County but questions about Brook Run remain.

On Friday, DeKalb County provided 131 pages of documents concerning the demolition of the structures at the back of Brook Run Park; many of which were available at the time of my previous requests but not provided until now. I was particularly interested in the analytical test results proving that the moisture barrier embedded in the two concrete foundations truly requires a $500,000.00 contract extension. I was promised on Friday of a quick response on the documentation of the asbestos and will post it on line as soon as it is received.

Besides the proof of additional asbestos, I am again questioning the promises made to the community in regards to the $11.5 million dollars promised specifically for Brook Run Park, promises for new park benches, promises for shade sails for the playground as well as replacement trees that were removed in the construction of the skate park.

Most of the information provided is e-mail correspondence between the County & the following four companies.

1. Dore & Associates Contracting, Inc., Bay City, MI
2. Corporate Environmental Risk Management (CERM), Atlanta, GA
3. Tristar of America, Inc., Norcross, GA
4. Abatech Services, Inc., Snellville, GA

The e-mail below was sent to DeKalb County on Friday evening thanking them for the 131 pages of documents that can be obtained at the link immediately following.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/images/BrookRun_OpenRecords_Demo_110207.pdf

Dear Mr.’s Smith & Stamps, thank you for providing me the documents I requested in my latest request, it is much appreciated.

I went though all of the documents separating them into two separate piles, one for skate park documents and the other was for demolition documents. I have placed the demolition documents in chronological order, scanned them into an electronic format, and have made them available on my website servers as shown below.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/images/BrookRun_OpenRecords_Demo_110207.pdf

Mr. Stamps you are already aware on the one document that I was specifically looking for that was not provided in the pile. I asked for the analytical test results proving that the moisture barrier imbedded on the two concrete foundations was actually proved to be asbestos and you stated that Mr. Dave Butler probably received such documentation from the environmental firm CERM in their proposal (found on page 42). For a $500,000 contract extension, I am very interested in seeing the test results for the two building foundations believed to be asbestos.

At the Oct 23^rd BOC Meeting, Commissioner Gannon asked a question on the Change Order for Triad (E10) as to where the money for this parks project was going to be coming from. She was informed that the money would be coming from the last Parks Bond Referendum. Since the Brook Run demolition was also advertised to be completed in the parks bond referendum, I take it that the $20,000.00 increase for Change 1 and the $470,000 increase for Change 2 will both be subtracted from the $11.5 Million promised for Brook Run Park in the 2005 Parks bond referendum? Is that the case?

On July 12^th, I attended the County Wide Parks Master Plan meeting at the Mason Mill Recreation Center and because it wasn’t a public meeting whereby I could make a public statement; I was instructed by Commissioners Gannon & Rader to give Mr. Billups my prepared statement. I talked to Mr. Billups after the meeting, provided him my prepared document, asked about obtaining an electronic copy of the large color Master Plan of Brook Run crated by EDAW and followed up the meeting with an e-mail (attached) again asking questions regarding Brook Run. My requests for information & documents in this case were never acknowledged, nor answered, therefore I will repeat them again.

The first question was concerning the accounting of the expenditures and the balance of the $11.5 million dollars available for future development of the master plan. I have attached the latest general breakdown of the parks bond money but I am looking for it broken down to the park level as promised it would be (at least for Brook Run). Is this type of detailed information accessible, if so, the community deserves a full accounting of where the promised $11.5 million dollars are being spent and what funds are still available?

2001 Bond - Parks Improvement Projects

2006 Bond - Parks Improvement Projects

The second item was concerning the promised reforestation along Peeler in order to block the view of the skate park. Commissioner Boyer in a private meeting with community representatives, myself & Mr. Billups, Ms. Boyer asked Mr. Billups if she still had money available in a specific fund (special projects?) for additional trees. At the time, she was informed that there was money available for the trees and Ms. Boyer made a public statement in the Dunwoody Crier that a “massive re-landscaping” needs to be done along Peeler. I have yet to hear of a reply from Ms. Boyer regarding this item but take it for grated that the drought would have a negative affect the trees being installed.

The next item I inquired to the Parks Department on was public statement of Mr. Billups who stated to the Dunwoody Crier that additional benches and shade awnings were to be installed at the Children's Adventure Playground. I asked for confirmation of the quote & asked if a timeline might be available for these improvements? To date, Mr. Billups has never replied to my request for a timeline for these improvements.

Though the County has yet to answer my questions above, they did fulfill my final request of July 12 to install speed limit signs in Brook Run Park. Thank you.

Finally in the Brook Run Skate Park documents, I noticed that a Change Order for the completion of the Brook Run Skate Park was being prepared for an upcoming BOC Meeting and I didn’t see the dollar amount? I hope that it is nowhere near the extended costs of the demolition project and I guess the specific documents will be available after the BOC decision on the matter.

I look forward to obtaining the test results and other documentation from Mr. Butler proving that asbestos is embedded in the moisture barrier and maybe I will obtain answers to my other questions above.

Thanks,

John Heneghan, President
Dunwoody North Civic Association
http://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com

---

-----Original Message-----

From: Smith, Kendric E [mailto:kesmith@co.dekalb.ga.us]
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 3:14 PM
To: Dunwoody North Civic Association
Cc: Billups, Marvin F.; Stamps, James; Ernstes, Viviane
Subject: RE: Open Records - update requested

John,

The documents pertinent to the change order (#2) will be available at 5 PM from James Stamps in his office on the third floor - I think you have been there before. Strictly speaking, most of these documents were not in the custody of either Marilyn Boyd Drew or Viviane Ernstes, but we won't quarrel over that at this point. Also, we are waiving copying or staff assistance costs on the production of these documents, in view of the previous difficulty on this point, so you don't need to bring any money.

James Stamps also states that he has already given you a complete set of the contract, the site and grading plans, and environmental assessments. The documents produced today include any correspondence (mostly e-mails) between the contractor and purchasing concerning the proposed Change Order #2, which has been approved by the Commission, although we are not certain whether the CEO has approved or vetoed it. With this production plus the previous one, according to Marvin Billups and James Stamps, you should have complete copies of everything requested to the extent that it exists either in the Parks Department or in Purchasing & Contracting. No documents have been withheld as exempt under the Open Records Act.

As for the grading plans, Mr. Stamps insists that they are included in the material he gave you previously. Perhaps there is a problem with interpretation, in which case you may wish to have a builder / contractor review them for you. Please let me know if I can be of any help.

Regards,

Kendric

Kendric E. Smith
Assistant County Attorney
DeKalb County Law Department

DeKalb - Lack of Open Records regarding Brook Run Park, Dunwoody

Funny how in my earlier entry Rep. Jill Chambers would make it felony offense to deliberately violate the state’s Open Records Act and just yesterday DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon informed me that in DeKalb County, it was the responsibility of the DeKalb Department heads who report only to the CEO, therefore the CEO and his legal staff are ultimately responsible for these open records requests.

Below is an e-mail I sent late Sunday evening to Ms. Marilyn Boyd Drew, Director of DeKalb County Parks and Ms. Viviane Ernstes, Asst Deputy County Attorney; expressing my frustration at both DeKalb Counties disregard for Georgia’s Open Records Act but also the way the $500,000.00 contract extension was added to the DeKalb Board of Commissioners agenda without public notice. What is not published below are my three previous requests, dated September 23, October 2, October 14; all asking for basically the same information. I am hopeful that they will provide me the basic records for which I am asking for since I am sure the Commissioners reviewed the exact same documentation in order to quickly approve a contract extension of $500,000.00.

Dear Ms. Boyd Drew & Ms. Ernstes,

On September 23, 2007 I made an open records request for correspondence between the demolition contractor at Brook Run Park & the DeKalb Parks Department. On October 2^nd I was forced to make a second request because the County failed to even acknowledge my initial request and Mr. Billups then stated that he would have to talk to Ms. Kristie Swink for guidance. On October 5^th, I met with Mr. James Stamps of the Contracting Office who provided me contracting documents, mostly documents from the final completion of the Skate Park and change order number 1 for an additional 60 days to complete the rear of the park at no additional charge to the County. Mr. Billups was not available to meet at that time and neither were the documents available that I requested from his Parks Department. Mr. Stamps informed me during our meeting of October 5 that Mr. Billups would be getting back in touch with me in the near future. On Oct 14, I again send another request asking for documents and several days later (Oct 17^th?), when I still hadn’t heard from Mr. Billups, I called him at his office and he stated that there were no other documents or reports available regarding the work at the back of the park.

When I reviewed the published Board of Commissioners agenda for the October 23^rd meeting prior to the meeting, item E11 Change order number 2 for 07-900545 with Dore & Associates was not listed. It appears that this item was placed on the agenda the day of the meeting, most likely not allowing the Commissioners an ample amount of time to review the details of the contract and the related documentation, nor did this last minute addition allow the public to have input of any type.

This is the point I really do not understand. How is it that on October 17^th, the County Parks Department had no construction / demolition reports, or any correspondence between the Brook Run contractors & the county. Yet on October 23^rd, the county approves a $500,000 contract extension on a project initially bid for $1.3 million dollars. Why do I have the feeling that I was possibly mislead regarding the lack of correspondence between demolition contractors & the DeKalb Parks Department? Maybe it is just me, but if no documentation existed on October 17^th, and the CEO who sets the initial BOC agenda a week prior wasn’t aware of the need to change the contract, the County must have had extensive documentation provided to them just prior to the BOC meeting in order for them to spend $500,000 dollars so quickly. (I guess that will just come out of the 11.5 million dollars promised for Brook Run Park in the last Bond Referendum.) http://www.thecrier.net/articles/2005/10/11/front/brookrun.txt

Why did DeKalb fail to place a $500,000 addition to an existing $1.3 Million dollar contract on the Board of Commissioners agenda until the morning of the meeting? Was it because someone was trying to hide this fact from the public? Where is the proof that this asbestos now found on the site actually exists and is that a fair price for the work involved? Was a detailed environmental assessment completed and where was that report when I asked for public records on September 23^rd, October 2^nd & again on October 14^th?

This evening I met with Commissioner Gannon and I asked who in County Government was ultimately responsible for Open Records Requests and she replied the various Department heads who report only to the CEO, therefore the CEO and his legal staff are ultimately responsible. Ms. Gannon asked if I copied the DeKalb legal staff on my e-mail? I stated that I had and as you see Ms. Viviane Ernstes name is visible on the messages below. I hope that Ms. Ernstes or Mr. Linkous of the Legal Department will be able to assist the Parks Department to finally fulfill my renewed request for public information regarding the back of Brook Run Park so that I may post all of the documentation to my website as a service to the community. http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/index.htm

I then asked Kathie if the County Government had an independent auditing arm which followed up on and investigated instances of waste, fraud & abuse and she said that they did not. With a budget of $625 million plus various other bond revenues, I can not understand why the county does not? From the video of the BOC meeting, I remember someone stressing the fact that the lowest bidder was chosen for this project therefore this $500,000 dollar addition was acceptable and still within budget. It is this type of thinking that upsets residents watching good money being wasted if this project is going to be done hastily with no consideration of the price of the project.

I understand the reasoning to go forward with the project if it needed to be done, but I hope that due diligence was conducted in allowing this huge increase in the price of the project.

I have attached an open records request for records concerning the back of Brook Run Park and I look forward to hearing from you in the very near future.

Thanks,

John Heneghan, President
Dunwoody North Civic Association
http://www.dunwoodynorth.org
http://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com

Brook Run's back 30 acres are taking shape.

Just one of five building being demolished.

The DeKalb County Parks Department has notified me that the contract on the demolition of the old hospital buildings at Brook Run Park has been extended for 60 days in order for the contractor to do a proper job of "Site Restoration". If all goes well, the park will be reopening the rear 30 acres to the public in mid-December or early-January.

About a month ago, I started asking questions of county officials regarding the definition of site restoration as it related to flat usable spaces and the amount of parking and roads that were to be left intact in the back area.

I understand from talking to construction personnel on site that the plans just recently changed, saving several of the back roads and parking areas. In fact, new curbs were being installed the other day where construction equipment had been driving over the areas they thought were going to be demolished. Though I was not allowed to enter the property, I have attached several photos that I took over the fences that shows that the county is making a valid effort to transform this property into relatively flat usable park space.

Maybe the county and the contractors on site would be willing to open the back of the park for a short guided tour of the progress? I'm sure that "The Crier" and other interested news organizations would be happy to report of the efforts of the county.

Will 30 Acres of "Site Restoration" at Brook Run be usable space?

DeKalb County currently has about 30 acres of Brook Run Park closed due to the demolition of five buildings and once the buildings are gone the contractor is to do "site restoration" in order to return the property to natural green space. The documents received from an open records request made by the Dunwoody North Civic Association shows that the county has also contracted to remove roadways & parking areas in the back of the park (item 6 on page7); but the documents are confusing as to which specific roadways & parking areas are going to be removed. The definition of site restoration seems to state that the open fields created by the removal of the 5 buildings may not be flat for general passive, recreational use. With park space being so limited shouldn't the "site restoration" of 30 acres of valuable park land include a little more planning and direction then what is currently being given by the County? Do all the roads & parking surfaces serving the back area of the park need to be removed?

Last week I made calls into the County regarding these two concerns and due to the fact that I am currently out of town on business, I have been unable to get back in touch with County officials in order to get this detailed information. Because of this, I have typed this entry specifically for the County and attached a link to an abbreviated portion of the demolition contract which highlights my specific concerns.

Maybe I’m just misinterpreting these documents and the County has already planned useable general purpose fields with adequate roadways to access the back of the park? Hopefully the County will reply and alleviate my concerns. If I receive any information on this subject I will post the reply and any corresponding documentation provided to this site.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/images/Brook_Run_Demo_Site_Restoration.pdf

DeKalb Responds To Brook Run Criticism

Mary Swint
Friday, 15 June 2007

http://broadcastatlanta.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4995&Itemid=871

DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Department began demolition of the old hospital at the Liane Levetan Park at Brook Run in Dunwoody on June 15, two days after a crowd of residents complained about mismanagement of the park during a Bond Advisory Council meeting at Brook Run on June 13.

“We are proud to see improvements of our parks underway,” CEO Vernon Jones said Friday morning. “We are committed to our children and keeping our park facilities updated and the demolition of the hospital is a part of that plan.”

DeKalb County purchased from the state in 1998 the old Brook Run hospital and nursing home that were formerly used to treat mentally ill patients. In January 2001, DeKalb County awarded a $150,000 grant to the Dunwoody Preservation Trust to develop a master plan for the property. Later the county committed $11.5 million in park bond revenue for improvements to the park. The neighborhood and county park officials disagree over whether the community was involved in plans for the park.

About 30 community members protested on June 13 the county’s plans to operate a large new skate park until 10:30 p.m. every night at the park in a residential neighborhood and across from a church. They also complained about the size and noise of the skate park, which is expected to open sometime between June 21 and early July.

John Heneghan, president of the Dunwoody North Civic Association, said the community was also concerned about a lack of security at the 102-acre park, which is patrolled by one contract officer. Other community concerns were a lack of communications from the Parks Department about the fees for the skate park, a lack of benches in the shade at the children’s park, a problem with the creek and the clear cutting of trees on five acres.

State Rep. Fran Millar, DeKalb Commissioner Jeff Rader and Dan Magee from the Parks Citizens Advisory Committee attended the meeting held near the children’s park at Brook Run.
Earlier in the week, Parks Director Marilyn Boyd Drew responded to Dunwoody resident Paul Lowry’s questions about Brook Run, which he had sent her on May 24 after being told he could not raise the questions at a meeting with the parks department.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/Drew_06112007_Brook_Run.pdf

In her letter dated June 11, Drew said, “Much of the landscape material will be lost due to the final grading plan. The demolition of the hospital and power plant will leave a very deep hole in the ground. The final grade will be resolved by a cut and fill method to reduce the amount of dirt to be hauled into the site. Thus, many of the plants will be destroyed. The abatement/demolition contract was awarded on January 23, 2007 and the notice to proceed was issued with a start date of March 15, 2007. The contracted period is 180 days, and the ending date is September 2007. We will not be placing any orange fencing around the trees as the significant trees are outside of the Construction area.”

“The park plan is being confused with the master plan,” Drew said. “The plan for the skate park was determined with input from the public. Until the design charrette was completed, the plan for the skate park did not exist. The final plan did include a speaker system for managerial control and entertainment. Lights were also part of the final plan, thus the development is following the adopted plan. The construction documents were reviewed and approved by the County's Planning and Development Department and all zoning buffer issues regarding the facility within the park were approved. The building was designed to handle a number of activities for small event rental, as well as food and beverage concessions,” She added, “Hours have not yet been determined.”

Lowry and others are concerned the skate park will become a regional attraction in their neighborhood.

In response to Lowry’s question about marketing plans for the skate park, Drew said in her letter, “The facility will be marketed in the same manner as we do with the swimming pools, recreation centers, golf courses and tennis facilities. We depend on fliers, public service announcements, press releases, DCTV. Citizens of DeKalb County between the ages of 8 and 45 are the target population. We anticipate patrons will come from the metro Atlanta area. The department will recommend resident and non-resident user fees. The actual cost has not been determined. We are not comfortable making predictions on attendance at this time; however, we will implement a managerial plan that is flexible enough to manage the attendance peaks just as we manage them at other Park and Recreation facilities.”

Lowry asked the Parks Department about future plans for more tree cutting in the park.

Drew responded, “We do not have plans at this time to fell additional trees, other than to remove those that may pose safety concerns; e.g., severely leaning, dead or diseased trees. The trees you mentioned that are flagged may have been the result of survey crews marking the location of trees for their engineered site survey plans. We will investigate further to confirm. Flagging will be removed by the end of June.”

“What is the plan for the maintenance facility and equipment space requirements?” Lowry asked park officials. “There are many trucks, equipment and material now stored in the park on hard courts, parking lots, fields, etc. There has been much trash including broken beer bottles in that area.”

Drew replied, “The plan is to continue to operate the North area maintenance facility at Brook Run. We are investigating options for screening the equipment from view by path users in other areas of the park. Debris found in and around the maintenance facility will be removed daily.”

In response to Lowry’s question about plans for walking trails, Drew said, “Walking trails in the park remains a high priority. We will determine the exact layout at a later date.”

Regarding security and public safety at the park, Drew said, “Security has and will continue to be addressed by a Security Guard, currently assigned 24 hours a day, seven days a week as well as the North Precinct, which patrols Brook Run as part of their overall community policing program. Parks and Recreation has met on-site with staff from the North Precinct relative to the upcoming opening of the Skate Park to familiarize them with the facility and to request input from them on overall park and facility security. Adjustments will be made as deemed necessary.”

Lowry also asked Drew about trash pick-up in the park along Peeler Road.

“Additional trash receptacles will be placed in the park by the end of June,” Drew responded. “Trash pick-up along the perimeter of the park will take place weekly. Maintenance of the right-of-way along Peeler Road is the responsibility of the Sanitation Department. We will contact Sanitation to initiate a coordinated effort to maintain the area.”

Lowry asked about some walking trails next to the dog park being fenced off and the dog park being moved due to complaints about the barking.

Drew replied, “The department was made to leave the area closed as walkers with dogs on a leash continued to use the trail and the dogs in the homes continued to bark. This area will remain fenced off. Walkers will have to exit that leg of the trail at the dog park and utilize the sidewalks along the roadway.”

E-mail to County regarding documents & benches

Dear Mr. Billups & Mr. Stamps,

Thank you for the opportunity to pick up the documents (in excess of 400 pages) this afternoon regarding the demolition of the Brook Run hospital which I have now copied to my civic association webpage for anyone who might be interested in reviewing them. I am happy to read about the Site Restoration plans & the fact that a tree survey will be conducted to ensure that no excess vegetation will be removed without your express approval.

As per my other request, I hate to sound ungrateful for the few benches you have provided near the big field & front entrance of the park but I wanted to make sure you understood that a few more benches strategically placed on the playground and near the restrooms would do wonders for the hundreds of visitors this park entertains on the weekends. Otherwise the seating on the playground will still be woefully inadequate!

Immediately below are the internet links of the documents you provided me today & down below are a few of the highlights that I was interested in learning about.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_open_records_in voice_Mar122007.pdf

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_Environmental_P hase_1.pdf

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_Demo_06-100027- ITB.pdf

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_Final_Environme ntal_Assessment.pdf (Large File 26 MB)

Thanks again for the documents regarding the demolition of the buildings & your possible consideration of a few more benches for the playground.

I will be in contact if I have any further questions.

Sincerely,


John Heneghan, President
Dunwoody North Civic Association

Hospital Demolition Documentation Received

DeKalb County has fulfilled my request for information regarding the Demolition of the Hospital & other structures at Brook Run. They have provided me three documents totaling over 400 pages; now I just need to figure our exactly what these pages say.

Environmental Study – Phase 1 and limited sampling & testing, Brook Run Facility.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_Environmental_P hase_1.pdf

Invitation to Bid, No. 06-1000027; Demolition of Designated Structures at Brook Run

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_Demo_06-100027- ITB.pdf

Brook Run Pre-Demolition Assessment – September 2006 (Large File, 28 MB)

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_Final_Environme ntal_Assessment.pdf

BrookRun Hospital Webpage Created & Ghost Sighting

Due to the March 7th Crier article regarding the closed section of Brook Run, the rumors of it being haunted, & the impending demolition of the hospital, a separate DNCA webpage has been dedicated to these matters.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/index.htm

'Wanton destruction' at Brook Run building

http://broadcastatlanta.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3561&Itemid=871

March 6, 2007
By Cathy Cobbs
For The Crier

A beautiful Sunday on the playground at a local park. Families are gathered around the park’s swing sets and water features, socializing while their children explore and play.

Down the road, in the same park, on the same afternoon, a group of teenagers, armed with spray paint cans, start decorating the walls of an empty building on the grounds, unconcerned about a group of men observing them.

It’s not the first time this former hospital building has been defaced. In fact, it’s difficult to find a part of the 300,000-square-foot structure, which has been documented to contain asbestos, that hasn’t been damaged or destroyed.Virtually all the windows have been shattered. Doors have been kicked in.A fence surrounding the building lies flat to the ground. Profanity-laced and gang-related graffiti and pornographic images cover the walls.

Signs that fires have been set in the building exist in several areas, and one forlorn couch sits in the building’s reception area, blackened and burnt. Exposed electrical wires and sockets, along with insulation and ceiling tiles, hang down from the ceiling. Empty 9-mm shells and 12-gauge shotgun shells litter the floors.The location for this scene of yin and yang, light and dark, good and evil? Dunwoody’s Brook Run on North Peachtree Road.

“It’s the worst place you could ever imagine, worse than Camden, New Jersey, which is absolutely the most terrible place in the world to live,” said one Dunwoody resident who toured the building several weeks ago. “It’s just one horrible thing after another.”

“I was incredibly shocked,” said another resident who also toured the facility several times. “It just goes on and on and on. The wanton destruction of this building, the unsafe conditions, is just beyond belief.”

The duo said the damage done to the hospital building isn’t something that happened overnight. In fact, it’s been years in the making.

“It’s obvious people have had access to this building for years and years,” the second resident said. “This isn’t something that happened over a weekend or two.”

At least one of the people touring the hospital isn’t surprised at all.

John Heneghan, a Dunwoody North resident, has been in and out of the old hospital building during the last six months, and has witnessed the degradation of the area.

“I was there six months ago and then again recently, and not much has changed,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get someone to secure that building for a long time.”

Heneghan said his concern is the graffiti and destruction is moving away from the hospital and into areas closer to the Children’s Adventure Playground at the front of the park’s entrance.

In a letter written to CEO Vernon Jones in late January, Heneghan said, “Behind the theater and behind a single story office building, the boarded up windows of the building had the plywood taken down, many (about five) windows were completely broken out, the lights were on and front door side glass panel was wide open. I stuck my head in the back window and noticed signs that people had used the space in the not-so-distant past. I see this as a major safety factor for our neighborhood children and a lack of due diligence as to the management of this property.”

In a February 15 post on Dunwoody North’s website (www.dunwoodynorth.org), Brook Run Conservancy’s Nick Nicodemus said, “In follow-up to conversation, (Police North Precinct Commander) Major Gillstrap has assigned Lt. Tracy the responsibility for checking out vacant buildings at Brook Run for suspicious activity. In conversation with Lt. Tracy today, DeKalb Police will be making daily sweeps of the park beginning Friday, February 16th.”

DeKalb County Spokesperson Kristie Swink confirmed that complaints had been received about “the after-hour activities” at the hospital and that police had been contacted to increase patrols in the area.

In addition, Swink said a $1.3 million contract had just been awarded to Dore & Associates, Inc. for demolition and asbestos abatement at the hospital. The contract also includes demolition of the park’s power plant and several dormitories near the power plant.

“The work is expected to start by March 15,” Swink said. “I don’t have information as to when the work is supposed to be complete.”

Local residents remain particularly concerned that authorities haven’t secured a facility known to contain hazardous materials.

“This is a known hazardous materials site, which should never be open to the public,” one citizen said. “It should be secured and barricaded and it is not even close to being anywhere near that.”

Meanwhile, children and their families continue to play on the park’s nearby playground. And the former hospital building remains open and unsecured, an open target for continuing vandalism, danger, and trouble.

Reprinted with permission from the Dunwoody Crier: www.thecrier.net.

Request for Demolition Documentation & Benches

Good Morning Mr. Billups,

Thank you for your offer to assist me if I had additional questions, I have several. I was at Brook Run on Sunday and noticed that one bench was finally installed around the great lawn at the front of the park (away from the actual playground) & there appeared to be two others planed in that same area since there were templates laid out on two other concrete slabs. I also noticed one picnic table in the front shelter and another near a shelter on the playground, thank you for those. I take it that installation is moving slow on these items and was wondering exactly how many benches were purchased for the playground so that parents can watch their children? From what I could tell, on most weekends there are parents standing everywhere and there should be enough seating so that the rock walls are not further damaged. If only several benches are installed on the concrete pads away from the actual swings & slides, the seating on the playground will still be woefully inadequate. Please let me know how many benches have been ordered for parents to sit near the various swing sets & slides. I have again included my PowerPoint presentation which clearly identifies locations as where benches could possibly be placed in the playground, at the back entrance near the parking lot, as well as several near the restrooms.

http://www.dunwoodynorth.org/brookrun/hospital/Brook_Run_Park_CAB_01232007.pdf

In your letter below, you also mentioned that the demolition contract was being finalized for the hospital & I noted that it was awarded to Dore & Associates on January 23rd therefore I would have expected that the demolition would have begun already? My constituents & I am very interested in seeing that these buildings are properly removed as fast as possible and that it be done properly, therefore I would like to request a full copy of RFP 06-100027 “DEMOLITION OF DESIGNATED STRUCTURES AT BROOK RUN PARK” any and all addendums, maps and literature, as well as a copy of Dore’s bid proposal. If there are any other contractual agreements, demolition plans or statements of work, I would also like to obtain these copies as well. I am hoping that the terms of the “site restoration” is fully documented so as to return as much of the property to green space as possible.

If there are any fees in order to obtain all documents related to the demolition & restoration of these buildings, my association would be willing to pay the replication costs.

Thanks in Advance,

John Heneghan, President
Dunwoody North Civic Association

County Officials Discuss Brook Run Skate Park, Demolition and Lease

http://godekalb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3318&Itemid=871

Mary Swint
Wednesday, 24 January 2007

A group of North Dunwoody residents complained to the DeKalb Parks Advisory Board on Jan. 23 about the new skate park being built at the Liane Levetan Park at Brook Run and a lack of benches and security.

Earlier, the Board of Commissioners approved demolition of buildings at the park, a former state hospital for the mentally disabled. Commissioners also deferred a vote on a dormitory lease.

Paul Lowry, an engineer who lives near the park, told the Parks Advisory Board about five acres of trees have been clear-cut recently although the EDAW study in 2003 called for a 27,000 square foot skate park.

“The size and scope of the skate park is way beyond the EDAW study,” Lowry said. “My request is to stop the construction and reexamine the plans.” The skate park was supposed to be fit in with the existing treescape but plans have been changed to include stadium lighting, speakers, a new building with rooms for parties and a retail shop, and an additional 200 parking spaces.

Marvin Billups, deputy director of park planning and development, said it was too late to stop the project because a contract has been awarded.

“The scope was determined at a public forum,” he said. The retail operation was included in the EDAW study to reduce expenses. The parking area for the skate park will include 80 to 90 spaces that were left out of the children’s park, Billups said, adding that the park’s theater needs more parking spaces. The speakers will be used for controlling the skaters and the lights will be used at dusk but not at night.

“We have not strayed from the Master Plan,” Billups said. He said the new building will cover the same footprint as an old building that was removed because it would have cost too much to renovate.

John Heneghan, president of the Dunwoody North Civic Association, was not allowed to address the Parks Advisory Board but he gave them a letter and photographs of Brook Run Park. He said the Children’s Adventure Garden needed benches for parents who watch their children play. He also noted the fence on Barclay between the park and Peachtree Middle School needed repairs and a building behind the theater had been vandalized.

Earlier Tuesday, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a contract for the demolition of five buildings at Brook Run Park for $1,345,950. The structures include the therapy building, the power plant, and three dormitories. The lowest bidder for the project was Dore & Associates Contracting Inc. of Bay City, Michigan. Diversified Environmental Management Inc. of Chamblee was named as a subcontractor for asbestos removal. The term of the contract is 180 days.

At their Jan. 23 meeting, the BOC also voted to postpone its vote on a proposed lease of one dormitory building to Forging New Tomorrows, Inc. (FNT). The non-profit plans to use the building to house U.S.A. Team Handball athletes training for the 2007 Pan American Games and 2008 Olympics.

At a special meeting on Jan. 16 with representatives from Forging New Tomorrows, Inc. (FNT), Audit Committee members Burrell Ellis and Elaine Boyer asked FNT to answer a list of questions about the non-profit’s organization; the status of Team Handball, which has been decertified; sporting events sponsored by FNT; the economic impact of these events on DeKalb; and the number of athletes training at Brook Run and schools they attend. FNT is supposed to provide answers before the committee’s next meeting on Feb. 6. Commissioner Elaine Boyer said on Jan. 24 that she has not received answers yet.

At the BOC meeting, CEO Vernon Jones said the vote on the lease has been deferred for a month and a half. He said he wanted to send the same list of questions to the Spruill Center.

Nevin Lash, a consultant who helped prepare a Master Plan for Brook Run in 2003, said Building 6 marked on a map attached to the proposed lease, has 29,416 square feet and can house 86 people in 39 double rooms and eight single rooms on two floors. Dr. Marc Gutekunst, head of FNT, said about 90 percent of the handball team live in the Atlanta area and only a few athletes may live in the dormitory. The lease sets the rent at $1 per month for up to three years. Housing athletes in the dormitory would not be the highest or best use of the building, Lash said, but it would be compatible with future uses described in the Master Plan. “The ultimate use is to turn it into a day or overnight nature-based summer camp for county children or seniors,” he said.

The county bought the former Brook Run hospital property from the State of Georgia for $5.5 million under an Acquisition Agreement dated Dec 18, 1997 and a Lease/Purchase Agreement dated April 17, 1998.

In the sale, the State set some restrictions on DeKalb’s use of the 102 acres in Dunwoody. One condition said the property may not be sold, leased or licensed without the expressed written consent of the Georgia State Properties Commission and without their consent, any sale, lease or license would be void. The agreement said the county could allow other parties to use the property on a short-term basis, but only as part of the county’s use of the property for parks and recreation purposes, public education purposes or public cultural purposes. Another restriction said no less than 70 percent of the property shall be used as urban green space.

DeKalb paid more than $3.7 million and the State settled a lawsuit brought by DeKalb for the remaining $2.4 million. In the 1997 lawsuit, DeKalb sought to recover more than $30 million from the State collected under DeKalb’s Homestead Option Sales Tax (HOST), according to the April 2001 deed.