Buckhead’s parks are in good shape, with some new ones coming soon, Atlanta’s Parks and Recreation Department leader said.
“What we’ve been able to do under Mayor [Andre] Dickens is move our vision to reality,” said Justin Cutler, the department’s commissioner.
Cutler, who has been in charge of the department since 2022, provided an update on Buckhead’s parks at the Buckhead Council of Neighborhood’s monthly meeting Feb. 13 at Piedmont Center. He thanked the representatives of Buckhead neighborhoods who attended the meeting for their hard work in volunteering to improve and maintain their communities.
“As our mayor says, Atlanta is a group project. … He wants to create more volunteer opportunities,” Cutler said.
His update included info on parks under construction, parks planning improvements, and newly acquired properties that likely will be transformed into parks.
Future projects
Cutler’s presentation included some park projects still in the planning phases:
- A 30-acre property that was owned by Lucinda Bunnen, a photographic artist who died in 2022, could be transformed into a park once the city acquires it. Cutler said the city and its public and private partners have raised $10.5 million so far and hopes to close on the land in September.
- The Chastain Park Conservancy has announced its strategy to convert the Palisades area’s 40 acres of unused land into a park, and Cutler mentioned it and the two other parts to the capital campaign the organization is planning. The two other portions are adding a three-story parking deck in the Witches Cave area and making improvements to the pedestrian area at the intersection of Powers Ferry Road-Chastain Park Avenue to address safety issues.
- Also at Chastain, its golf course is planning to improve holes 13 and 16 by moving the tee boxes and even rerouting a driveway that goes under the hole 16 tee box. It’s also planning to install a memorial to Alfred “Tup” Holmes, who was the first black golfer allowed to play on an Atlanta course. The southwest Atlanta course that bears his name is adding a museum dedicated to Holmes, Cutler said.
- The Galloway School’s athletic complex on Defoors Ferry Road may one day be bought by the city and used as a public park. “There are some challenges about this space,” Cutler said. “The track is sometimes up and down. The space previously was used for a landfill. Our goal is to provide park area where we don’t previously have it.” The property has soccer and baseball fields plus a track and a bathroom building. One man at the meeting asked, “What’s your confidence level on acquiring it?” In response, Cutler said, “Our intent, after we acquire the parcel into use it for normal use but then look at possibly refurbishing the track and/or fields. … The neighbors are concerned about sports field lighting.”
Current problems
Cutler also took questions from attendees, including neighborhood group representatives, about issues with their park projects.
- Regarding Standing Peachtree Park, Cutler mentioned a kayak launch, a Muscogee Indian flag display and bridge installation regarding a trail connecting to the Beltline. Then, a woman and a man spoke about concerns they had with the park, including its entrance’s appearance and a sidewalk gap. Of the gap, the man said his organization has met with Atlanta City Councilman Dustin Hillis’ office but not the parks and recreation department. In response, Cutler said, “We haven’t been at the table for those conversations, and we can in the future.”
- During a Q&A session following Cutler’s presentation, a woman said, “WSB-TV has a report tonight about 3,000 miles of water lines being replaced. There are trees marked in Peachtree Hills Park, and the city is not saying why. Do you have any idea why 40 trees have been identified for this?” In response, Cutler said, “I don’t think it’s a matter of disclosure, but we need to know.”
Moving Atlanta Forward
Cutler ended his speech with an update on 16 Moving Atlanta Forward projects. Moving Atlanta Forward is the city’s 2022 infrastructure package that included three measures Atlanta voters approved in a referendum that year (two bonds and a special sales tax being renewed) to collect $750 million. These are all park projects in council Districts 7 and 8. Three are in the planning/scoping phase, three are in the engineering/design phase, four are under construction, and six are closed out.
In an interview after the meeting, Cutler was asked which park project he’s most excited about.
“It’s like picking your favorite child,” he said. “It’s a tough question. I’d say all of them, but what we’re most excited about? I think really it’s to continue to improve maintenance. Recently, we received an increase in our millage going to parks and recreation services, so we’ve been making a lot of investments in repairing parks, updating parks, increasing trash pickup and reducing graffiti, as well as providing our park ranger program. That’s been able to reduce crime in parks and increase safety.”
When asked which projects may be the most challenging, Cutler first said the biggest issue could be having a large enough staff to handle all of them.
“I mean we have the resources but with our milage program we’ve been able to hire more staff,” he said. “I think that anytime you’re building anything, you don’t know what you’re going to get, being able to have flexible enough plans to address any challenges that come up.”
