Smoke Rise Park is a lovely 10-acre park on Hugh Howell Road. It contains no concrete or asphalt. Instead, it consists of winding, mulched trails, wooden bridges/boardwalks, and wooden benches and trash receptacles.

Mason Mill Park is a 111-acre park on McConnell Drive in Decatur. Recent master plan construction installed what looks like massive amounts of asphalt and concrete, sod, and lollipop trees.

Which is the model for Henderson Park?

Both Henderson Park and Smoke Rise Park are in Commissioner Elaine Boyer’s district, but only one is in her neighborhood. Guess which?

SMOKE RISE PARK

In the January 2008 issue of Smoke Signal, Commissioner Elaine Boyer
announced funding for what would become Smoke Rise Park: “thanks to more than $700,000 I was able to obtain for the Smoke Rise community for two green space acquisitions and the development of the Silver Hill Loop trail to better connect the community. The passive parks and the pathways should become the focal point of our community… The funds are being appropriated from the county park bond referendum… green space along Hugh Howell Road (about 10 acres)… Tentative plans are for the Hugh Howell green space to include mulched trails, bridges, benches and lighting… I hope to see each completed sometime in 2008 so we can all spend more time outdoors in out own community without having to cross the highway to visit Stone Mountain Park.”
(Smoke Signal, Volume 40, Issue 10, January, 2008, page 7, Commissioner’s Corner, “A Good Way to Start the Year- Smoke Rise Will Get New Trails, And New Green Space,” http://www.smokerise.org/downloads/SmokeSignal0108.pdf)

SMOKE RISE PARK PHOTOS

Entrance to Smoke Rise Park on Hugh Howell

Wooden bridge at Smoke Rise Park

Wooden benches and trash receptacle at Smoke Rise Park

Mulched Paths and Wooden Bridges at Smoke Rise Park

MASON MILL PARK

Changes at Mason Mill Park are the result of master planning by the Parks department. Like the master plan for Henderson Park, the process involves a series of public input meetings.

According to the public meeting minutes, which are posted on the Parks department’s web site (http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/parks/pr-mason-mill-park.html), the public said it wanted less parking not more.

It also said it wanted to protect existing trees and preserve the natural quality of the park, “i.e., not highly developed (http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/parks/pdf/MEETINGMINUTES1stPublicMeeting.pdf).

Playground at Mason Mill Park

Relocated Community Garden at Mason Mill Park (mostly concrete?)

Concrete picnic areas at Mason Mill Park

Mason Mill Park Parking

Asphalt parking lot at Mason Mill Park

And still more parking at Mason Mill Park

More parking space at Mason Mill Park

WHICH MODEL FOR HENDERSON PARK?

The price tag for the current phase of Henderson Park master plan construction is $380K, which Boyer says “should be considered as the ground work for the entire project and the other elements of the project will have to happen in the future once additional funding is available”
(see http://www.hendersonparkgarden.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Boyer-response-040411.pdf).

The current phase will deliver a hard-surface driveway, parking lot, and trails as well as “a picnic shelter, picnic tables, grills, and receptacles, etc.”

The price tag includes the laying of sod in the playground area, but no playground equipment. Also unfunded for this phase are a restroom, overlook, expanded soccer parking, sidewalk, and soft-surface trails. It is unknown when funds will become available for future phases.

Which model do we want for our park – the preserved natural beauty of Smoke Rise Park or the concrete and asphalt of Mason Mill Park?

- Jack

For over a year a few of us have been trying to get the land approved for a community garden. We were concerned at first because of the need of a “master plan” from the County. But one year later, the master plan not only includes the land for the community garden, it includes some parking, a pavilion, playgrounds, walking trails and more. And these ideas came from citizens and it looks well on the path to breaking ground.

Hopefully the next steps will go as well as these initial ones and we will be tilling the ground in a few weeks.