See what is actually going on at
Brook Run Park. Watch this video.
Former councilor wants Brook Run trail halted and replaced
From The Dunwoody Crier: Tuesday, March 26, 2013
By Danny Ross
It has been 15 years since that fateful day in April 1998 when the worst devastation in the 192-year history of Dunwoody occurred. That was the day a tornado swept through our community, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, knocking down 25,000 trees and taking one life. It was a defining moment. The devastation brought about by this tornado ripped our community apart; at the same time it brought our community together like nothing before or since.
In the aftermath, neighbors could be found helping neighbors; churches could be found helping parishioners; community organizations such as the Dunwoody Preservation Trust, Dunwoody Nature Center and the Dunwoody Homeowners Association mobilized to replant the “Forest of Dunwoody,” raising more than $250,000 to plant 25,000 trees. In short, the community made Lemonade out of the Lemons that had been dealt to this community.
Next month, 40,000 people will gather at Brook Run Park to celebrate Lemonade Days, an annual festival sponsored by the Dunwoody Preservation Trust to mark this unforgettable event. It will be a family affair. Kids of all ages will find their way to our largest park to again eat cotton candy, hot dogs and homemade ice cream and participate in our community
carnival, experiencing the excitement that harkens back to another era of days gone by.
Specimen trees removed
Ironically, in the midst of this, not more than a few hundred yards from where the Ferris Wheel and the Merry-Go-Round are spinning, the largest devastation of our urban forest since the tornado of 1998 is occurring at Brook Run. I invite you to go to YouTube.com and key in the words“Brook Run Trail” and you will see what I mean. Trees, including a specimen American Beech tagged to be saved (see photo below) and a Shagbark Hickory, are being destroyed by the hundred, to make way for a multi-use trail that was not part of our Parks Master Plan. These are extremely rare trees, especially because of the size.
Much has been made about the removal of these specimen trees in the urban forest. When this was reported to the city, the city manager made a statement on WSB-TV that there was “some confusion about the trees to be saved ” and later issued a press release that the specimen Beech tree was not cut down. This was not true as you will see from the YouTube video and the photo below.
The survey: priority for walking trails
During the development of the Parks Master Plan, literally hundreds of interested citizens participated in building the framework for our 156-acre park system. The city hired a consultant (Lose Engineers) to assist in developing the plan. Community meetings were advertised and held, and together with a comprehensive 25-page survey, the priorities were established. From that survey, we learned that the most wanted facility identified was the need for more “walking trails,” for the community to safely walk and experience the beauty of our urban forests.
Brook Run Park was originally developed as a hospital campus that housed hundreds of mentally impaired individuals. Dormitories were built, a series of walking trails were developed and even a theater was built to facilitate the needs of the residents. In 1998, the year of the tornado, the state repurposed the facility from a hospital to a park, selling the property to DeKalb County with deed restriction conveyances that 70 percent of the land would be green-space.
Change of plans
During my term as your councilman-at-large, we unanimously approved a 1.3 mile 8 foot wide pervious (permeable) walking trail. The trail was to cost $130,000, with $100,000 of that being covered by a Department of Natural Resources grant. The trail was to be constructed on the footprint of the existing trails that would require little loss of trees and minimum land disturbance. During the year after I retired from the City Council, the new
administration, without any public input or meeting changed and approved a 12 foot impervious (not permeable) concrete multi-use trail with much of the trail to be located off the existing trail, creating significant destruction of the urban forest. Nearly 300 trees have been taken down and the cost of the trail has expanded to $420,000 for a shorter .7-mile trail. The survey crews are working today to map out the course for phase 2 of the multi-use trail, which is estimated to cost at least as much as the first phase. To date, no hydrology
study has been completed on the impact phase 2 will have on the Brook Run streams.
No public meetings held
You may have read in one local newspaper where the mayor stated that “12 public meetings were held and that an overwhelming majority of the community were in favor” of the revised plan. You may also have read in the Crier that the city manager stated during a council retreat that “two public meetings were held” to discuss the new plan. In a recent open records request, it was revealed that “no public meetings were held regarding the revised plan.”
22 percent approve the new plan
Over 1,100 people have signed a petition to not build the 12-foot trail and in an independent poll advertised in the Crier, 78 percent of the 1,200 participants disapproved the new trail plan. Although this is not a scientific poll, it is the only one that has been taken since the trail plan was changed and it does represent a large population of Dunwoody citizens.
EMS plan?
In several council meetings, members stated that a major reason for the trail was to make it available for everyone and to insure that the EMS vehicles could travel to those in need along the trail. It was recently revealed by the City Engineer that the three bridges planned for phase one will not support the load of an EMS vehicle. When the city manager was asked about this, he stated that entry points would be provided along the trail to facilitate EMS vehicles to traverse any where along the trail to help a victim. Problem is that
no turn around areas have been provided for these large vehicles. In a conversation, Chief Eddie O’Brien indicated that this would not work and an alternative plan would have to be developed such as a golf cart or a Polaris ATV type vehicle, permantly stationed at the park. An 8’ walking trail could easily accommodate this type of vehicle in an emergency situation.
Trail unsafe for intended use
A copy of the planned trail is shown on the city website. The trail has four 90-degree or nearly 90-degree turns, making it unsafe for bicycles. I am a bicyclist, having ridden two of the past eight Bicycle Rides Across Georgia (BRAG). The characteristic of a true multi-use trail is demonstrated by the Silver Comet that spans from Atlanta to Anniston, Alabama, which is nearly straight, has little incline (2 degrees) and required no tree removal to build, since it was constructed on a old railroad track bed.
A 4-foot wooden trail can be ADA approved
One of the advantages expressed by the city manager is that the 12-foot trail is ADA approved. The same can be said for an 8-foot trail when used as a walking trail. Bicyclists can enjoy safely riding on the many wide streets inside the park.
Finally, the trail is being built along two creeks that run through the park and flow into Nancy Creek. The trail route is planned to have land disturbance within 75 feet and even 50 feet from the streambed, and thus does not comply with the current city ordinance. At one point the trail is located 25 feet from the streambed.
Hydrology study questioned
According to Dr. Brian Wellington, a Syracuse University civil engineer and an expert in hydrology, the study conducted by the contractor does not meet the state standards and could cause more flooding downstream. Some of the neighborhoods have already flooded twice during the past five years and to increase the risk to these communities should be a major part of the decision to revert back to a pervious smaller foot print trail. None of our communities should be placed at risk and I am convinced they would be with the 12-foot trail plan.
Trail is ill-conceived
In short, the trail is ill conceived and being constructed without any public input. With a 22 percent approval rating, it is fair to say that this decision should be rethought. You may ask, what would you suggest, since the trees have already been removed for the first phase? After all, the trees that were cut cannot be replanted. The answer is simple. Use the recently
cleared path and construct an 8-foot pervious trail (asphalt or concrete). Then continue the trail in phase two on the trail path used by the mental hospital, thus requiring minimum tree removal and land disturbance. The cost would be lowered.
Dark clouds are gathering
The tornado of 1998 ripped our community apart, but the community was strengthened by joining together to rebuild the damaged homes and destroyed forest. Today dark clouds are again gathering. Our forest has again been ripped apart, but this time the community, with a 22% approval rating of the 12-foot trail project, is also being ripped apart. Let’s learn from the past. Revert back to the 8’ pervious surface and save our precious natural and financial resources. Please contact our elected officials and let them know what you
think. It will make all the difference! After all, lemons are a bitter taste to swallow.
By Danny Ross
It has been 15 years since that fateful day in April 1998 when the worst devastation in the 192-year history of Dunwoody occurred. That was the day a tornado swept through our community, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, knocking down 25,000 trees and taking one life. It was a defining moment. The devastation brought about by this tornado ripped our community apart; at the same time it brought our community together like nothing before or since.
In the aftermath, neighbors could be found helping neighbors; churches could be found helping parishioners; community organizations such as the Dunwoody Preservation Trust, Dunwoody Nature Center and the Dunwoody Homeowners Association mobilized to replant the “Forest of Dunwoody,” raising more than $250,000 to plant 25,000 trees. In short, the community made Lemonade out of the Lemons that had been dealt to this community.
Next month, 40,000 people will gather at Brook Run Park to celebrate Lemonade Days, an annual festival sponsored by the Dunwoody Preservation Trust to mark this unforgettable event. It will be a family affair. Kids of all ages will find their way to our largest park to again eat cotton candy, hot dogs and homemade ice cream and participate in our community
carnival, experiencing the excitement that harkens back to another era of days gone by.
Specimen trees removed
Ironically, in the midst of this, not more than a few hundred yards from where the Ferris Wheel and the Merry-Go-Round are spinning, the largest devastation of our urban forest since the tornado of 1998 is occurring at Brook Run. I invite you to go to YouTube.com and key in the words“Brook Run Trail” and you will see what I mean. Trees, including a specimen American Beech tagged to be saved (see photo below) and a Shagbark Hickory, are being destroyed by the hundred, to make way for a multi-use trail that was not part of our Parks Master Plan. These are extremely rare trees, especially because of the size.
Much has been made about the removal of these specimen trees in the urban forest. When this was reported to the city, the city manager made a statement on WSB-TV that there was “some confusion about the trees to be saved ” and later issued a press release that the specimen Beech tree was not cut down. This was not true as you will see from the YouTube video and the photo below.
The survey: priority for walking trails
During the development of the Parks Master Plan, literally hundreds of interested citizens participated in building the framework for our 156-acre park system. The city hired a consultant (Lose Engineers) to assist in developing the plan. Community meetings were advertised and held, and together with a comprehensive 25-page survey, the priorities were established. From that survey, we learned that the most wanted facility identified was the need for more “walking trails,” for the community to safely walk and experience the beauty of our urban forests.
Brook Run Park was originally developed as a hospital campus that housed hundreds of mentally impaired individuals. Dormitories were built, a series of walking trails were developed and even a theater was built to facilitate the needs of the residents. In 1998, the year of the tornado, the state repurposed the facility from a hospital to a park, selling the property to DeKalb County with deed restriction conveyances that 70 percent of the land would be green-space.
Change of plans
During my term as your councilman-at-large, we unanimously approved a 1.3 mile 8 foot wide pervious (permeable) walking trail. The trail was to cost $130,000, with $100,000 of that being covered by a Department of Natural Resources grant. The trail was to be constructed on the footprint of the existing trails that would require little loss of trees and minimum land disturbance. During the year after I retired from the City Council, the new
administration, without any public input or meeting changed and approved a 12 foot impervious (not permeable) concrete multi-use trail with much of the trail to be located off the existing trail, creating significant destruction of the urban forest. Nearly 300 trees have been taken down and the cost of the trail has expanded to $420,000 for a shorter .7-mile trail. The survey crews are working today to map out the course for phase 2 of the multi-use trail, which is estimated to cost at least as much as the first phase. To date, no hydrology
study has been completed on the impact phase 2 will have on the Brook Run streams.
No public meetings held
You may have read in one local newspaper where the mayor stated that “12 public meetings were held and that an overwhelming majority of the community were in favor” of the revised plan. You may also have read in the Crier that the city manager stated during a council retreat that “two public meetings were held” to discuss the new plan. In a recent open records request, it was revealed that “no public meetings were held regarding the revised plan.”
22 percent approve the new plan
Over 1,100 people have signed a petition to not build the 12-foot trail and in an independent poll advertised in the Crier, 78 percent of the 1,200 participants disapproved the new trail plan. Although this is not a scientific poll, it is the only one that has been taken since the trail plan was changed and it does represent a large population of Dunwoody citizens.
EMS plan?
In several council meetings, members stated that a major reason for the trail was to make it available for everyone and to insure that the EMS vehicles could travel to those in need along the trail. It was recently revealed by the City Engineer that the three bridges planned for phase one will not support the load of an EMS vehicle. When the city manager was asked about this, he stated that entry points would be provided along the trail to facilitate EMS vehicles to traverse any where along the trail to help a victim. Problem is that
no turn around areas have been provided for these large vehicles. In a conversation, Chief Eddie O’Brien indicated that this would not work and an alternative plan would have to be developed such as a golf cart or a Polaris ATV type vehicle, permantly stationed at the park. An 8’ walking trail could easily accommodate this type of vehicle in an emergency situation.
Trail unsafe for intended use
A copy of the planned trail is shown on the city website. The trail has four 90-degree or nearly 90-degree turns, making it unsafe for bicycles. I am a bicyclist, having ridden two of the past eight Bicycle Rides Across Georgia (BRAG). The characteristic of a true multi-use trail is demonstrated by the Silver Comet that spans from Atlanta to Anniston, Alabama, which is nearly straight, has little incline (2 degrees) and required no tree removal to build, since it was constructed on a old railroad track bed.
A 4-foot wooden trail can be ADA approved
One of the advantages expressed by the city manager is that the 12-foot trail is ADA approved. The same can be said for an 8-foot trail when used as a walking trail. Bicyclists can enjoy safely riding on the many wide streets inside the park.
Finally, the trail is being built along two creeks that run through the park and flow into Nancy Creek. The trail route is planned to have land disturbance within 75 feet and even 50 feet from the streambed, and thus does not comply with the current city ordinance. At one point the trail is located 25 feet from the streambed.
Hydrology study questioned
According to Dr. Brian Wellington, a Syracuse University civil engineer and an expert in hydrology, the study conducted by the contractor does not meet the state standards and could cause more flooding downstream. Some of the neighborhoods have already flooded twice during the past five years and to increase the risk to these communities should be a major part of the decision to revert back to a pervious smaller foot print trail. None of our communities should be placed at risk and I am convinced they would be with the 12-foot trail plan.
Trail is ill-conceived
In short, the trail is ill conceived and being constructed without any public input. With a 22 percent approval rating, it is fair to say that this decision should be rethought. You may ask, what would you suggest, since the trees have already been removed for the first phase? After all, the trees that were cut cannot be replanted. The answer is simple. Use the recently
cleared path and construct an 8-foot pervious trail (asphalt or concrete). Then continue the trail in phase two on the trail path used by the mental hospital, thus requiring minimum tree removal and land disturbance. The cost would be lowered.
Dark clouds are gathering
The tornado of 1998 ripped our community apart, but the community was strengthened by joining together to rebuild the damaged homes and destroyed forest. Today dark clouds are again gathering. Our forest has again been ripped apart, but this time the community, with a 22% approval rating of the 12-foot trail project, is also being ripped apart. Let’s learn from the past. Revert back to the 8’ pervious surface and save our precious natural and financial resources. Please contact our elected officials and let them know what you
think. It will make all the difference! After all, lemons are a bitter taste to swallow.
Brook Run path construction begins; dispute of Beech Tree diameter questioned as tree sent to wood chipper
Click on video to watch the fate of tree in the way of the 12 foot wide concrete path's construction
Former Dunwoody City Council Member Danny Ross letter about
Brook Run Trail Project
(reprinted with permission of Reporter Newspapers)
To the editor:
In just a few days, bulldozers and chain saws are scheduled to arrive at Brook Run Park, one of the last urban forests in our community, to construct the equivalent of one lane of I-285, where speeds of 70 mph are allowed, and in some areas cut down enough trees (a 50-foot-wide swath) to build four lanes on I-285. Over 330 trees will be cut to make way for this so called multi-use trail. It does not make sense!
Two years ago, the city completed a master plan with significant community input. During the development of the plan, the consulting firm conducted a survey and found that the number one desire of the citizens was to have “walking trails” through the park.
The City Council, of which I was one of the members, authorized the director of parks and recreation to seek out grant funds to construct this trail.
Before becoming a park, Brook Run had previously been home to the Georgia Retardation Center. Many years ago, six-foot trails were built to provide walking paths for the residents. Over the years, these trails deteriorated. In 2011, the city received a $100,000 grant to construct an eight-foot wide trail in the location of the original trails. This made sense. Without cutting any of the urban forest the entire trail (1.3 miles) could be completed and the city would only have to pay $30,000.
But somewhere along the way from issuing a request for proposal (RFP) to awarding the contract, the trail morphed into a .7-mile, impervious concrete trail (half the length of the planned trail) with a price tag of $420,000 (more than three times the cost of the original 1.3-mile pervious asphalt trail).
A second phase is planned where even more trees will be destroyed and the total cost of the 1.3 mile project will increase to an estimated $800,000. After deducting the $100,000 grant, the city will pay $700,000 for a trail that originally was scheduled to cost the city only $30,000 out of pocket.
No public meetings were conducted during this period because the city manager felt it was not necessary to solicit public input. After all, we were only increasing the width of the trail by 50 percent at an out of pocket cost increase of 23.33 times the original plan.
As a member of the council at the time, I voted for the 8-foot- wide asphalt trail, believing it met the needs reflected in our parks survey at a reasonable cost to the city. It would provide a walking trail that the citizens had indicated was a needed and desirable feature in the park. Families could safely walk the trail, pushing strollers or teaching their children to ride their bikes.
Now a retired councilman, I am opposed to the new plan and do not believe the benefits derived from decapitating our forest to construct this amenity are worth the cost.
We are attempting to construct a Dunwoody version of the Silver Comet Trail, a 100-mile, multi-purpose trail that stretches from Atlanta to Anniston, Ala. When this 12-foot, combination concrete and asphalt trail was constructed, not a single tree had to be cut down, because an existing railroad bed was repurposed. The trail is straight and the grade is no more than 5 percent.
As a biker, I have ridden the 400-mile Bicycle Ride Across Georgia twice in the past eight years. I ride the Silver Comet Trail several times each year, but neither I nor any serious biker will travel to Brook Run to bike .7 of a mile over hilly topography and on a curving and potentially dangerous trail.
This project needs to be stopped and rethought before damage is done to our forest and the two streams that flow through Brook Run. We do not need the equivalent of a lane of I-285 cutting through Brook Run. After all, all we wanted is a walking trail.
– Danny Ross, former Dunwoody city councilman
-- this letter was published on December 12, 2012 in the Dunwoody Reporter Newspaper
A plea for alternatives to trails in
Brook Run Park - by Jeff Coghill
(posted in the Dunwoody Crier, December 31, 2012)
Let me state from the outset that I, and just about everyone I know who would consider themselves to be an environmentalist of some degree, I am in favor of developing biking, walking, and jogging trails in Brook Run Park.
Such trails would be a great way for people to enjoy the park and give our children and grandchildren an exposure to a beautiful mature forest. School groups, scouts, birdwatchers and other folks would be able to use the forest in the park as a living laboratory for scientific and ecological learning.
Brook Run is a great asset to Dunwoody and deserves to be opened up to all. However, I believe there are some serious faults with the latest plans for the multi-use trail in Brook Run.
Let me digress a moment with some of the history of the plans for the multi-use trail in Brook Run. Shortly after Dunwoody became a city in 2008, there was an effort to develop, with plenty of public presentations and citizen input, a Master Plan for various parts of the city. This included Brook Run Park. The initial approved plan that came out of this process then was to create trails in the park based on existing pathways.
That pathway was shown labeled as a “nature trail” in the planning documents. The material to be used included wood chips, asphalt and boardwalks. The trail was initially proposed to be 8-feet-wide. In 2010 the city applied for (and received) a grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to develop a one mile trail of paved and unpaved trails and by restoring existing trails paths already built in the park. The cost was to be $129,320.
By 2012, with no public presentation or input of a revised plan, the original concept had been altered by city officials. The new plan was to build a 12-foot-wide concrete path ‘trail’ entirely through uncut forested areas. The trail would be designed to accommodate bicyclist, joggers, and walkers. It would also be built to accommodate people with disabilities.
The cost is now up to $420,000 for the first part (Phase I) of the new multi-use trail. A minimum of 337 trees would be cut down. More importantly, a construction zone is to be created to build the trail.
This would extend the actual cleared area to between up to 20 to 50 feet depending on the extent of the earth moving to be done, depending on how much earth moving and engineering works were necessary. There was no indication of any effort to restore existing trails as originally planned.
In the immediate future, the next part (Phase II) of the multi-use trail in Brook Run will extend the Phase I part of the trail to completely encircle the park. Although the location of the Phase II trail runs parallel to many open areas in the park, the actual path is shown to be built only through existing uncut forested areas. This trail will also be 12-feet wide plus the whatever necessary construction clearance zone is necessary along the full length of the Phase II trail. Hundreds of more trees will be destroyed in Phase II. It’s as if someone were trying to maximize the destruction of trees.
I have discussed this proposed plan for Phase I and Phase II with bicyclists, joggers and parents with children. Bicyclists are not excited about biking along a trail with sudden sharp turns or with skateboarders, joggers, groups of strollers walkers and children hanging around or strolling along exploring the woods.
Similarly, joggers would generally prefer to do their running on “soft trails” such as those made with boardwalks, wood chips or even cleared dirt. They say it is easier on their feet, knees and other joints. The parents I talked to say they are not overly keen on taking their family—especially small children— out on a trail that would expose their children to faster moving runners and bicyclists.
So far, all of this sounds to me, like a plan that is environmentally destructive, potentially unsafe and really doesn’t best meet the needs of those it is intended to serve.
And it is three times more expensive than originally planned.
But beyond these concerns, I find myself absolutely bewildered by the city council’s complete intransigence on this matter. City officials have never presented the revised version of the this multi-use trail plan in any full and forthright manner to the citizenry. They say the changes from the original plan to what is now a 12-foot concrete ‘roadway’ to the current plan involves only “details” that do not warrant a public review. They do not seem at all interested in considering any alternative suggestions. Further they appear to be and are apparently upset that someone would question this plan or suggest any changes after it has already been blessed by the city council.
There are some very reasonable and cost-conscious alternatives that should be considered before irreparable harm is done to the forest and the grounds of Brook Run Park. What about directing the new trails along already cleared, open ground where feasible? Perhaps build a separate bike path using, in part, the existing roads where possible? How about refurbishing the old trails, as originally planned, for jogging paths? These possibilities could make the park more attractive to the intended users and allow a reduction of the 12-foot width of concrete and the number of trees to be destroyed in both Phase I and Phase II.
The construction of the multi-use trail in Brook Run Park has recently been stopped by a temporary restraining order issued by the DeKalb County court. The court found that the hydrological study regarding creeks, runoff and drainage affecting neighboring property owners was so flawed as to warrant further consideration by the court. A hearing on this will be held in Decatur on Jan. 4.
We are building a great little city here and we need to do it right the first time. The idea of building trails in Brook Run Park is a good one and we need to move ahead. However, the idea of willfully destroying the natural environment in order to open it up so people can enjoy trails in a now decimated forest makes no sense.
We can have good, accessible trails for everyone to use—bikers, walkers, joggers and families with children. Unfortunately the city’s current plan does not do that.
But that’s just one gardener’s opinion.
I would urge everyone, whether you agree with me or not, to contact your the mayor and city council representative or the mayor to let them know your thoughts on this.
Jeff Coghill has been gardening in DeKalb County for more than 30 years and has probably killed at least one of each kind of plant he has tried before getting another one to thrive. He is a gardening volunteer at the Dunwoody Nature Center and works closely with members of the DeKalb Master Gardeners group.