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Delayed park projects expected to finish by December
By Logan C. Ritchie
Improvement projects at two
Brookhaven parks are months overdue
because of “significant unforeseen
conditions that impacted the contractors’
schedules,” according to a city
spokesperson.
Briarwood Park and Brookhaven Park
renovations, which will total more than
$14 million, are now expected to finish by
December.
“Mass rock removal for the
underground detention system at
Briarwood Park, and the unsatisfactory soil
encountered at Brookhaven Park during
installation of the storm and sanitary sewer
systems caused delayed schedules,” said
Burke Brennan, Brookhaven director of
communications.
Access to both parks has been limited
during renovations, but Brookhaven parks
volunteer Steve Peters said it’s better for
residents to have some access rather than
none.
“People need the parks for so many
different things: the conservation series,
afterschool programs, basketball leagues,
swim team. There’s so much the local
community relies on,” Peters said.
Briarwood Park has been undergoing
a $7 million plan to add walking trails,
a community garden, a trail bridge,
tennis court and parking lot lighting, and
stormwater solutions.
Delays continued throughout the
City Council & Board Meetings,
4362 Peachtree Rd NE
Wednesday, Nov. 6
City Council
6:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. work session)
Wednesday, Nov. 6
Planning Commission
7 p.m. (5:30 p.m. work session)
Wednesday, Nov. 13
Arts & Culture Commission
5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 19
City Council
6:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. work session)
Wednesday, Nov. 20
Board of Appeals
7 p.m. (5:30 p.m. work session)
City Hall Closed
Monday, Nov. 11, for
Veterans Day
&
Thursday & Friday, Nov. 28
& 29, for Thanksgiving
Updates & more info at www.BrookhavenGA.gov/Calendar
summer, as updates on Brookhaven’s
website anticipated a grand re-opening
event was anticipated in May, the pool and
recreation center opening in early June,
and the community garden and loop trail
opening in July.
The community garden was continually
delayed. Unusable for years, the expanded
garden has missed another planting season
according to Briarwood Park Conservancy
volunteer Terrell Carstens.
At the June 26 meeting, the city
approved spending $161,000 for mass
rock removal at Briarwood Park which
Mayor John Park explained would help
with runoff.
“Our outlook is that we comply with
the same standards that we give to our
developers. Of course, that can also add to
the cost,” Park said.
In October, the city’s website stated
that “the contractor at Briarwood Park
is scheduled to return to complete the
garden fence and gates and complete
final site cleanup in the next few weeks,”
anticipating a ribbon-cutting “to be
scheduled to celebrate the completion of
the garden and the new trail and bridge.”
But a ribbon cutting is not scheduled
at this time, said Brennan.
The city said work has been
temporarily halted at Briarwood Park
because the recreation center is an early
voting location.
“The contractor will return
immediately after Election Day to
complete the garden and final clean-up.
This should now be complete in late
November,” Brennan said.
In Brookhaven Park, final coordination
with utilities including DeKalb Watershed
and Georgia Power is ongoing. Lose
and Associates is pushing to complete
Brookhaven Park in time for a seasonal ice
skating rink to open on Dec. 7.
Brookhaven Park, an 11-acre green
space, has been undergoing minor
renovations since April 2022 after City
Council members approved a settlement
and intergovernmental agreement with
DeKalb County.
Major renovations at Brookhaven Park
started in July 2023. The $8.8 million
improvements includes three pavilions, a
dog park and dog splash pad, an expanded
playground with restrooms, a walking
path, stage, and lighted parking lot. The
stormwater system has been modified, and
a community garden is thriving.
The $40 million park bond is still on
budget because other projects came in less
expensive than expected, Brennan said.
Brookhaven Park will be a winter
wonderland with themed movies, music,
food trucks, and more in December, the
Public Works department announced at
the Oct. 22 City Council meeting. The
activity may disrupt groups who use the
park for pick-up games of volleyball and
frisbee.
Courtesy City of Brookhaven
10 I NOVEMBER 2024
ROUGHDRAFTATLANTA.COM
