A Man-Made Walk in the woods?
Proposed concrete path upsets some Emory-area residents
by Andy Phelan
andy@dekalbchamp.com
A county proposal to build a concrete path through a mature hardwood forest valley that would connect two parks near South Peachtree Creek has some in the community here concerned their undisturbed green oasis will be lost forever.
Atlanta and surrounding counties, especially DeKalb, are already paved over, they say. Why spoil one of the oldest forests in the county, and for that matter part of a National Historic Register area, with nearly a mile of cement, boardwalks and an unwanted bridge?
It’s all part of the county’s master plan that includes connecting Medlock and Mason Mill parks, which are southeast of the intersection of Clairmont and North Druid Hills roads near downtown Decatur.
There are myriad reasons not to build the path, say folks from Three Forks Heritage Alliance, who oppose the plan. Not least of which is the loss of their beloved trees, which they estimate could be as high as 600.
Anything less than the county abandoning the project would be a major disappointment, they said.
County officials said no environmental impact statement has been conducted because it would significantly increase the cost of the $750,000 project, which is being paid with 2006 greenspace bond money.
So no one really knows for certain how many trees will be lost.
“Further study would be nice,” said Commissioner Jeff Rader, who represents the area and walked the proposed path trail recently. “But it is not within the scope of this budget.”
At a recent county board meeting, dozens of residents from neighborhoods that surround the parks came to voice their displeasure of the project slated to begin this month.
Robert Benson, a resident of Heritage Hills for 25 years, was none too pleased when he learned what the county and the PATH Foundation had in store for his wildlife haven.
“This proposed trail is ill conceived and unjustified on so many levels,” said Benson, who enjoys uninterrupted views of the rolling, tree-covered hills and meandering creek from his back deck and sunroom. “I would ask that the trail plan be delayed indefinitely until a specific need can be documented.”
As a University Heights resident for 15 years, Fern Garber also objects to placing concrete where a natural path now wanders through a landscape of oaks, hickories, pines, maples, poplars and magnolias.
Garber lives on Willivee Place across the street from where PATH will bring its construction trucks and bulldozers to build the path.
“This whole thing is destructive, intrusive,” said Garber, an active member of Three Forks. “Not to mention part of this proposed path sits in a flood plain. What’s the point of that?”
Garber and fellow Three Forks member Kent Moore, who is fighting a legal battle with the county over its use of eminent domain to take part of his land for the path, say PATH is nothing more than a concrete contractor and what’s proposed in nothing less than a road through the woods.
“It would be a shame to lose this,” said Moore, looking out over the dense forest. “Especially in the fall, it’s quite spectacular. Yes, there are people for the path, but most of us are against it.”
PATH Executive Director Ed McBrayer, who has helped create more than 100 miles of trails throughout the metro area, said Three Forks folks have it all wrong. He said less than 11,000-square feet of concrete will be poured for the path, which is less than the foundations of two homes.
“Our mission isn’t to destroy the forest,” said McBrayer, who indicated this is the second time he’s been asked to put a trail here. The first time was more than 10 years ago.
“Our purpose will be to provide access to the park the county owns for everyone, not just a few. And we’ll do it respectively.”
One of the people in favor of the proposed path is Nancy Ciliax, president of the Clairmont Heights Civic Association that represents about 800 homeowners. Ciliax said her board is split down the middle on the issue. She also sits on a Rader-appointed oversight committee taking a closer look at construction.
“I understand their (Three Forks) opposition,” said Ciliax, who is a bit dismayed at what she calls misinformation being distributed by the alliance. “But there are a lot of seniors and some disabled folks in these neighborhoods who would also like to enjoy the parks. And I would love to be able to walk to the library without having to get on the busy thoroughfares.”
The forest in question is about 40 acres altogether, and holds within its borders the old Decatur waterworks site, now dilapidated and covered by spray-paint art. Nearby the old Mason Mill once stood, and it’s said Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman crossed here during the Battle of Atlanta in the 1860s.
The CSX Railroad crosses along the forest’s northern flank and within this realm three creeks – Burnt Fork, South Peachtree and Glenn – come together. It’s home to blue heron, geese, woodpeckers, beaver, muskrat, deer and coyotes.
A 1930s-era stone bridge arches over Peachtree Creek just below the tracks.
In a letter dated Dec. 11, 2007, state Senior Forester Dale Higdon told concerned residents after he inspected the affected area that a concrete trail might “result in branch dieback and eventually death to some trees,” he said.
Higdon acknowledged that some trees here are more than 100 years old and “one is the largest Eastern red cedars in the metro area that I have ever seen.”
“It is advisable to have a tree evaluation done by an certified arborist to evaluate the number of trees that will be affected near the path route,” he wrote.
Rader, who called the exact route of the path a work in progress, said because many of us live near traffic-snarled streets, we are prisoners in our own neighborhoods. A paved trail connecting communities through what would otherwise be backpacking terrain is not such a bad thing, he said.
“We’re all surrounded in some part by busy roads,” said Rader. “We’re an auto-oriented society. This trail will allow alternative routes for non-motorized transportation. It’s a great resource for all of us.”
Moore scoffs at the idea of the paving over of the woods and calling it a transportation project. The former 20-year Midtown resident moved to escape the concrete jungle. Now he’s worried it’s following him.
“Look, the county couldn’t do this if it had any state or federal money involved because, by law, they would be held to a much higher standard environmentally,” said Moore, who has suggested an alternative route for the path but said it’s fallen on deaf ears.
“Shoot, even private developers would be held to a higher standard than this. Looks like the county just wants a ‘one-size-fits-all answer’ and for everyone else just to go away. It feels like this is being imposed from on high and plopped down in our back yards.”
Rader said that’s true, if state or federal funds were involved, the county could not move forward under its current plan.
“I’m very sympathetic to the concerns of the alliance,” he said. “Their concerns are my concerns. But they are committed to stopping the thing, and I’m not at that point. I’m committed to continuing to improve the process.”
For Garber of Three Forks, it’s the process of tearing a path for the construction trucks she fears almost more than the permanent concrete. She said her neighborhood isn’t the only one to feel disenfranchised by PATH – residents opposed to a similar project near Tanyard Creek in Buckhead also were roundly dismissed recently, she said.
McBrayer of PATH said he tried to avoid going through residents’ side yards but could not get the right of way from CSX for an alternate entrance. He admitted that while they will try to “dodge” everyone during construction, “it’s not going to be pretty” during construction.
“We’re going to have to take a lot of trees out to get in there,” he said. “A lot.”
Garber just shook her head.
“I would just like to see it left alone,” she said. “It’s so peaceful and quiet. There must be better options.”
While Ciliax, who is on the steering committee, acknowledged construction would be the ugliest part of the operation, she said much of the area would be replanted with trees and shrubs afterward.
“And we’re going to be flexible [in regard to where the path will be built],” she said. “If there’s an old, big tree, they’ll go around it. We’re not going to cut it down.”
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A view of South Peachtree Creek from the old bridge.