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WWW.5ANDY5PRINGSGA.ORG
This is the site of the Abernathy Linear Greenway Park in
Sandy Springs which will feature a “playable art” park when
completed. The project is several months behind schedule.
For a larger version, go to www.reporternewspapers.net.
Abernathy delays keep
art in storage
BY DAN WHISEMIWT
danwhisenhunt@reporternewspapers.net
Sandy Springs’ Abernathy Greenway
Linear Park project is months behind
schedule because of construction delays
and attempts to satisfy angry neighbors.
Council members and park propo
nents say the wait will be worth it. The
current plan calls for creating more than
20 acres of green space at the intersec
tion of Abernathy, Brandon Mill and
Johnson Ferry Roads.
The city estimates the cost will be
$13.6 million, and Finance Director
Karen Ellis said the city has budgeted
$7.5 million for it. City spokeswoman
Sharon Kraun said the city will receive
$800,000 in federal money for the cur
rent phase of the project.
The park’s showcase feature is “play
able art” donated to the city by North-
side Hospital and coordinated by the
Sandy Springs Conservancy. In July, one
artist began installing a dragonfly sculp
ture, the first of several pieces that were
selected for the park as part of a contest.
Sandy Springs Conservancy Exec
utive Director Linda Bain said the city
has received the other art pieces and has
stored them inside the former Target
property on Johnson Ferry Road. The
city purchased the Target building in
2008 as part of its plans to revitalize the
city’s downtown.
“Ideally we would’ve been able to in
stall these structures in a site that was
already prepared and ready to receive
them,” Bain said. “This has had some
setbacks that were unanticipated, but we
were adaptable.”
City officials broke ground on the
park in 2010. The Playable Art project
was anticipated to open in fall 2012, but
was pushed back to spring 2013 because
of construction on Brandon Mill Road.
Councilman Chip Collins, whose
district includes the greenway, said the
park now could be ready by early 2014.
The city recently rebid Phase IV of the
project, originally scheduled to begin in
summer 2012.
Residents’ concerns about the park
and the road widening have caused
some of the setbacks.
The Georgia Department of Trans
portation revised its schedule for wid
ening Abernathy Road after residents’
complaints convinced GDOT to lower
the grade of Brandon Mill Road. That
began in July and was supposed to be
completed in September. GDOT re
ported in its November update that
its contractor finished the job. GDOT
moved its completion date for the road
widening from Jan. 31 to Feb. 28, ac
cording to its website.
Residents have also complained
about aspects of the park’s design.
In February 2012, the city agreed to
revise its plans for adding parking and
a pavilion to the greenway after neigh
bors told the council the project would
increase traffic and decrease their prop
erty values. The council decided to move
bathrooms to the center of the park and
to evaluate usage before building addi
tional parking on Wright Road.
City Council said it would still build
a 36-space parking lot on the north side
of the property along Abernathy Road.
Collins said GDOT’s construction
delays for the Abernathy Road widening
project altered the city’s schedule.
“We’ll eventually have a park and,
hopefully, after it’s done, it’ll all be for
gotten whether it opened in 2013 or
2014,” he said.
Bain said the conservancy and the
artists understand the situation. “It’s the
nature of public roadwork,” Bain said.
“I don’t think you can point a finger of
blame. It’s just that these things happen
and we have had some significant de
lays.”
Correction
The Sandy Springs Reporter, in the Feb. 8-21 edition, misstated the name of Holy
Spirit Preparatory School in the caption to a front page photograph of the school’s
varsity cheerleaders.
2 | FEB.22 —MARCH7,2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
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