Atlanta Memorial Park gets repairs, rejuvenation

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

The Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy (AMPC) has reached 49 percent of its fundraising goal for its operations budget, the organization’s executive director says.

The Conservancy plans major renovations and upgrades to Bobby Jones Golf Course and Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, part of a long-range Master Plan. While the final draft Master Plan is under review with the city, AMPC is moving forward at the request of the Department of Parks and Recreation to make a difference on the greenspace west of Northside Drive.

While big changes are still to come, smaller, significant ones are happing on a regular basis, including the ongoing repair of the sewage pipe that crosses over Peachtree Creek in Memorial Park.

The pump station along Woodward Way has been removed and the second pump station along Wesley Drive was removed last week, according to a report in the AMPC monthly update.

The temporary pipes and rocks in the creek bed allow for the crews to work in the creek to make the repairs, thereby reducing the impact to the trees along the upper bank. No new footings will go in the creek bed. Instead, the new sewage pipe will be supported by concrete piers along the slope.

More than 150 employees from accounting firm Bennett Thrasher volunteered at the park on Oct. 30 and removed invasive plants, installed a planting bed that extends down into the park from the nature trail at Howell Mill, and built four park benches along Peachtree Creek.

For information or to make a donation, visit atlmemorialpark.org.

Georgia Tech students envision revitalized Memorial Drive

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

A group of students studying urban design at Georgia Tech are putting finishing touches on a final report for the City of Atlanta about the redevelopment of the Memorial Drive corridor from Downtown to Stone Mountain.

Residents and stakeholders got their first look at the bold plans, dubbed Imagine Memorial, at a public information session at the end of October.

The plan calls for major street improvements for motorists and pedestrians, transit routes, parks and identifies vacant and abandoned property that could be redeveloped. Atlanta City Councilmember Natalyn Archibong is supporting the effort to finally see the corridor revitalized.

The students in professor Mike Dobbins’ class have harnessed the power of social media to continue and update the Imagine Memorial plan since the public meeting, giving residents the opportunity to sound off on Facebook at facebook. com/groups/memorialdrivestudio. The students also created a Flipbook of plans and renderings you can see at the Facebook page.

Like the rest of Fulton and DeKalb counties, some parts of Memorial have faired better than others. In the city, the Capitol Homes slum was bulldozed and replaced with modern, affordable housing. New condos, restaurants and office buildings were constructed, especially along the Grant Park portion of the street at historic Oakland Cemetery.

Further east, the Atlanta BeltLine has been acting as a catalyst for regrowth, including tentative plans by Jamestown (the company behind Ponce City Market) to redevelop the old Atlanta Dairies complex into apartments, retail and offices. Developer John Wieland is planning townhomes near the BeltLine, while nonprofit WonderRoot will soon be moving into the old Tech High/Hubert Elementary and bringing classes and support for local artists.

A linear park called Capitol Gateway was supposed to stretch up Memorial from historic Oakland City to the Gold Dome, but the plan is on hold, since much of the property is currently operating businesses, including Daddy D’z barbecue.