Trail Completion Plans

The county, working with a different contractor than the one currently under legal challenge, hopes to complete the middle section of the trail that was left unfinished within the next few months.

Help replant the South Peachtree Creek Trail

CHCA, MANA, and the SPCT Oversight Committee invite you to join them in replanting areas that were cleared for the new multiuse trail connecting Medlock and Mason Mill Parks. Under the direction of local resident and county greenspace manager Dave Butler, we will ultimately be planting a mix of young native hardwood and evergreen trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. It will take more than one session.

We will start at the concrete section at the Mason Mill end on Tuesday, October 28, at 4:00 p.m. and work until dark. Please meet at the Mason Mill Park Tennis Center parking lot.

From the county, Dave will obtain the plants and borrow a four wheeled vehicle for transport of the plants, tools, and mulch. Volunteers are encouraged to bring shovels, trowels, gloves, and their own drinking water. Dave will instruct us in the proper methods for planting. Please come plant a tree, adopt a tree, or just cheer us on. Hopefully we can finish replanting by the end of the year.

Blog Update 2

An addendum to the previous post: I am not attempting to censor opinions but it has been my experience that people will say things with a level of contempt in a blog that they would never use to their neighbors face. I took exception to the thread that started talking about the schools and home prices. This has always been a flash point in our neighborhood and I did not think it added to the discussion of the trail. If I had more time I might have edited their comments, but I find that rather presumptuous and if it was me I would rather have my whole comment deleted than have someone edit it.

Blog Update

I appreciate the enthusiasm of everyone commenting on this site but I've decided to remove the Three Forks supporter comments from this blog. It's not that I want to stifle their right to speak, it's just that they have their own site to post to.
If you are a Three Forks supporter here is where you can go:
Three Forks Site: http://www.3forksalliance.org/

If you want to read constant bickering; go to the Go DeKalb site: http://godekalb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8946&Itemid=2873

Our purpose is to give the supporters of the path a place to discuss it, calmly and rationally. If you try and encourage neighborhood division I will delete the post.

Thanks for starting this

Thanks all for providing this forum for trail supporters. I see tons of people on it, all ages. For me, the greatest benefit is having a connection to Mason Mill from the east side. Mason Mill was really only convenient to adjoining landowners. The trail has opened it up to the entire neighborhood.

SPTC Support Letter

Dear Commissioners, Judge Adams and Chief Executive Officer Jones,
I'm writing to you in support of the South Peach Tree Creek (SPTC) Trail located in my neighborhood, Clairmont Heights. While I understand the recent court ruling concerning land disturbance permits and the contract funding process discrepancies I still firmly support the trail's location and its construction. It is my wish that the SPTC be finished and opened as soon as possible.
I urge each of you to work toward finding an acceptable solution so that the SPTC trail can move forward to completion and be opened to the enjoyment of the residents tax payers. Simultaneously, I urge each of you to not consider removing the trail as desired by the 3 active members of Three Forks Heritage Alliance. This would be wasteful, environmentally damaging, and incongruent with the needs and desires of the communities served by the trail.
This trail has a documented history of community support and input that can be found on the Clairmont Height Civic Association (CHCA) website at www.clairmontheights.org <file:///\\www.clairmontheights.org> . I knew about the trail plans as early as 2005 before moving to the area - the plans, maps and the input process were described on the County's official website and reported on an earlier version of the CHCA website.
The Three Forks Alliance has made many false claims and repeatedly threatened and attempted to intimidate those of us who do support the trail. Copies of such emails sent to trail supports by 3 Forks Officers can be sent to you at your request. Three Forks members have went so far as to contact my employer to make false claims about me when I insisted that they remove the 52 unpermitted signs they posted along the neighborhood's entry and on utility poles near my yard.
Our community should not be held hostage by the Three Forks Organization. The trail is needed and wanted by the vast majority of persons living in the communities it borders. It is a masterpiece of engineering of which the PATH organization and the County should be proud.
Please take an active role in solving the legal and contract process issues related to the SPTC trail so that the trail can be finished and opened for the public to enjoy.

Take Action, Save the Trail

Neighbors,

There has been lots of controversy surrounding the PATH pedestrian/bike trail that connects Mason Mill and Medlock Parks. I’m sure you’ve had articles and flyers stuffed in your mailbox by 3 Forks Alliance, a group who claims to represent the neighborhood and the environment. They represent neither. They are a “not in my backyard” group who wants to limit access to Mason Mill Park by having the current boardwalk/cement trail removed. Your tax dollars paid for the trail and it would be a waste to have it removed. It’s a well constructed bike/path trail that will connect Medlock and Mason Mill Parks, the library and eventually Emory University. The PATH Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was contracted by the county to build the trail. They have paid for ½ of the construction costs ($600,000) as well as future perpetual upkeep of the trail.

3 Forks has stopped construction of the trail with an appeal to the Supreme Court. They want the current construction which includes the boardwalk, bridge and cement path ripped up so there is no access or connection between Medlock and Mason Mill Park. 3 Forks also wants the official entrance to Mason Mill Park on Willivee Place hidden to discourage use by our neighbors.

The trail by PATH has already become an active part of our neighborhood. Kids and parents walk and bike there and neighbors meet there. It would be a shame to see this vital asset to our neighborhood disappear.

If you want to see the pedestrian bike trail joining Mason Mill and Medlock Parks completed, please email your commissioners, CEO, Burrell Ellis and Judge Adams.

Commissioner Jeff Rader jrader@co.dekalb.ga.us
Commissioner Kathie Gannon kgannon@co.dekalb.ga.us
CEO Vernon Jones ceo@co.dekalb.ga.us
Burrell Ellis Burrell@BurrellEllis.com
Superior Court Judge Adams gaadams@co.dekalb.ga.us

We must save the trail

PATH and Dekalb County have started a beautiful bike trail along South Peachtree Creek, linking Medlock Park and Mason Mill Park. A small group of neighbors have fought the completion of this trail and we are tired of them trying to hijack this project.