Newspaper Page Text
COMMUNITY
City officials debating how best
to get advice on parks
By JOE EARLE
joeearle@reporternewspapers. net
Dunwoody city officials are trying to
decide how best to get advice on what
the city should do to improve its parks
and recreation programs.
The problem? Too many opinions
and too many advocates with strongly
held opinions.
During Dunwoody City Council’s
Jan. 14 meeting, Mayor Mike Davis
asked members of the council what they
thought would be the best way to en
gage citizens to get advice on the city’s
parks.
“I don’t know the right answer, but I
think it’s something we, as a city coun
cil, have to consider,” Davis said.
Councilman Terry Nall said the issue
arose during debates over the location of
the dog park in Brook Run Park. Also,
he said, after the voters rejected a bond
issue for park improvements, the city
has to move “incrementally over time”
to improve parks and will need to con
sider advice from residents.
But council members appeared to
reach no solid consensus on what to do.
Their discussion centered on whether
the city should appoint a citizens board
to advise city officials, create a subcom
mittee of the council to handle parks is
sues or continue periodic meetings be
tween the city parks directors and the
heads of organizations that operate pro
grams in the parks.
In a memorandum to the council
members, City Manager Warren Hut-
macher listed advantages and disadvan
tages to having a parks and recreation
advisory committee. Disadvantages
outnumbered advantages two to one.
The advantages he listed were that the
body would act as a conduit to stimu
late public involvement, would be a po
tential advocate for parks and recreation
funding, would vet proposed policies
prior to the council’s involvement and
would be able to provide advice to the
city’s parks staff.
The disadvantages he listed were
that the group could cloud who was in
charge, could be perceived as a political
tool, could lead to other advisory com
missions for other departments, could
conflict with other city boards, and
could conflict with the goals and plan
ning of organizations that now provide
parks and recreation programs.
Councilman Doug Thompson said
that “parks are my passion,” but he op-
“I’m against a citizens
parks board for a lot of
reasons. We will get special
interests who want to be on
a parks board.... We have
to be very careful about
who we get. What we
learned from park planning
is that what a perfect
park is for one person
is not what a perfect
park is for another.”
- DOUG THOMPSON
COUNCILMAN
posed putting together a citizens advi
sory board to deal with parks and recre
ation issues.
“I’m against a citizens parks board
for a lot of reasons. We will get spe
cial interests who want to be on a parks
board...,” he said. “We have to be very
careful about who we get. What we
learned from park planning is that what
a perfect park is for one person is not
what a perfect park is for another.”
Councilwoman Lynn Deutsch ex
pressed concern that such a board would
be divisive. “I am afraid that we will be
setting up a committee of citizens who
will be at each other’s throats,” she said.
After the discussion, Davis said it ap
peared the council had rejected the idea
of a citizens advisory board.
“I’m glad we cleared that off the ta
ble,” he said. “I don’t know how many
emails you get, but I get a lot of them
from people wanting to be on a parks
board.”
Dunwoody Government Calendar
The Dunwoody City Council usually meets the second and fourth
Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Dunwoody City Hall located at 41
Perimeter Center East Suite No. 103.
For a complete and up to date schedule of Dunwoody City meetings,
visit http://www.dunwoodyga.gov/Residents/Calendar.aspx
j
UNCLE JULIO’S
fINE MEXICAN FOOD
WdmU
*Drink Specials
Every Wednesday/All Day
$ 2 Corona
Prirnno ranrl f'nrnno I inh+
Corona and Corona Light
Frozen Ritas
Swirl, Frozen Margarita, Frozen Strawberry Margarita
&
Frozen Sangria
sc Patron
Patron Silver Margarita On-The-Rocks, Patron Cosmo-Rita,
Patron Skinny Margarita
*excludes Patron Classic Margarita
Pitchers
House Margaritas & Sangria
(on-the-rocks)
All Day/Everyday!
1140 Hammond Drive
Sandy Springs, GA
678.736.8260
* Wednesday drink specials only at our Sandy Springs location
DUN
www.ReporterNewspapers.net | JAN. 25 — FEB. 7,2013 | 3
