City Parks

BROOKHAVEN AT 10

In its first decade, Brookhaven rebuilds and expands parks

When the city of Brookhaven incorporated on Dec. 17, 2012, it inherited 11 parks and recreational facilities, totaling 270.8 acres, from DeKalb County. Brookhaven has since added parkland and greenspace, notably the 33-acre Ashford Forest Preserve in 2017.

The city’s primary funding source for park improvements was an allocation from the Homestead Option Sales Tax (HOST). In April 2018, HOST was replaced by EHOST (Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax). This change provided additional property tax relief for homeowners, but it also eliminated the funding source for capital improvements in Brookhaven parks.

At 2018, Brookhaven voters authorized up to $40 million in capital improvements to Brookhaven parks and facilities. Below are some of the major bond projects undertaken with the money. Visit www. BrookhavenGA.gov/ParksBond-Ref for a comprehensive list of parks bond projects, their costs, and status. Ashford Park Splashpad In June 2021, Brookhaven officially opened the new Ashford Park Splash Pad with a little help from throngs of Brookhaven children who attended the event. Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst and District 2 Council Member John Park kicked off the festivities as a family of patients of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta turned on the water jets for the first time. New Pool for Briarwood Park

Brookhaven’s newly renovated Briarwood Park pool made its debut in September 2020, just in time for a few final laps before the summer ended. It was the first major construction project utilizing a portion of the $40 million Park Bond capital improvement funds. Brookhaven Park Improvements

Improvements to Brookhaven Park began immediately after the city acquired the front half of the park from DeKalb County in April. The fence along Osborne and Peachtree roads was removed and landscaping was cleaned-up. Planned improvements include a larger parking lot and new building at the dog park that will include restrooms, pavilion, and a deck with grills like the existing building. Improvements will also be made to the sidewalks within the dog park. A new, larger playground will replace the current small playground. The new playground area will have restrooms and a small pavilion. Lynwood Park

In October 2021 the city awarded $9.25 million for all of the improvements to Lynwood Park that will transform the historic school-turned-recreation center, as well as the surrounding park area, while marking its historical significance to the city. Improvements will include a splashpad, new pool, pool house, parking lots, and landscaping Also, the city will install a bronze plaque inside the building listing the names of all recognized Trailblazers and install granite entrance monuments, identifying the neighborhood of Historic Lynwood Park. Granite monuments and historical markers also will tell the history of the area and its role in Brookhaven’s history. . “The Lynwood Park upgrades will be the most the most transformative changes out of all of the Park Bond upgrades, and they will all be happening simultaneously,” said Mayor John Ernst. “We will be wrapping up the Parks Bond projects at Lynwood [in 2023], which is the grand finale.” Murphey Candler Park

The Parks Bond program includes multiple projects for Murphey Candler Park. The Horseshoe Road project was completed and opened for public access in July. The project rebuilt the road, giving visitors better access to the park, and added parking spaces for existing pavilions. Nestled within the Horseshoe Road is the Community Green, which opened earlier this year. The green features a small stage and seat walls and is intended as a gathering and creative space for small groups. After the opening of a trail along Nancy Creek last year, the north boardwalk opened in September, and a trail on the dam is under construction..

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Scenes of the city

The Reporter asked Brookhaven photographer Donna P. Williams to record images portraying her community. Here’s some of what she found.

Top row at left: Randy Lewis, owner and chef at The Ashford; top right: Sumi and her daughters, Shiva, 2, and Radha, 4, at Town Brookhaven

Middle row: left to right, Oglethorpe University student Kate Arett, Oglethorpe Museum of Art curator of collections John Daniel Tilford; Oglethorpe student Sula Paw; OUMA director Elizabeth Peterson; museum collections manager Druonna Collier; students Ashrakat Hassan and Sophia Sobrino

Bottom row: Catherine Schenck, 3, at Town Brookhaven.

Celebrating 10 YEARS of Brookhaven!