About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2015)
Page 10A LOCAL The Champion, Thursday, April 2 - 8, 2015 Zip line adventure comes to Brook Run Park by Ashley Oglesby ashley@dekalbchamp.com Dunwoody Parks and Recreation department held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 25 for its newly installed obstacle course in Brook Run Park. Atlanta-based company Treetop Quest partnered with the city to build a tree canopy obstacle course and zip line adventure that would operate at no cost to the city and share generated revenue from admission fees with the city. The obstacle course was designed and installed based on guidance and expertise of certified arborists. The course was installed with wedges and prefabricated platforms that are affixed to the canopy without nails, screws or drilling into the trees. Parks and recreation manager Brent Walker said, “It took a lot of discussion, a lot of meetings, a lot of conversation with our city council.” “We saw an opportunity where we could offer something more than our neighbors were offering at no cost to the city residents. We want to continue to brand Dunwoody with things like this to not just make it fun for the residents that live here but also find ways to bring people from other communities to Dunwoody,” Walker said. Tree canopy obstacle courses are popular recreational destinations for middle- and high-school aged children, as well as adults and corporate event planners. Gwinnett County also has an operational Treetop Quest that has 80 to 100 teens and pre-teen participants throughout the year. Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis said the addition of Treetop Quest is exemplary to the city’s business model. “This is a public private partnership which is all about the fact that the city provides the infrastructure- the forest, and a private company comes in and provides the entertainment. “Most of what we do in this city is public-private partnerships,” Davis said. He added, “Our employees are actually contracted to the city and are not actually city employees, which gives us a lot of flexibility and gives up the opportunity to get the very best people. What we do as a city and what we’re doing here with Treetop Quest is very much in line with what we believe.” The new course activates parkland previously unused. For hours and admission rates visit treetopquest.com. Dunwoody residents receive a 10 percent discount with proof of residency. w&icorojB y * \ - i Irt j v3 . m Dunwoody opens four courses in Brook Run Park containing 52 obstacles and 12 zip lines. Parks and recreation manager Brent Walker explains the vision behind the partnership. Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis shares his beliefs on how the partnership with Treetop Quest will benefit the city. Mayor Mike Davis with Treetop Quest’s owner Luc Peyre celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the zip line.
