PATH Visit to Memorial Park

I promised to write about the PATH Foundation visit to Memorial Park. Here is what I have learned about the event:

Executive Director Ed McBrayer did make a courtesy visit Thursday evening, March 20, at the invitation of the current MPCA president to meet with him and the path study committee which was created last fall "purely for... "information gathering" and (to identify) "options (if any)" according to the October 2007 Newsletter.

There were several members of the MPCA path study committee, and about a half dozen other people, who may have been there to check on what the committee was up to. However, it didn't become clear, because the minute one of them opened his mouth to ask something, the current president of the MPCA immediately that anyone who was not a member of the study committee should please "defer"--his word-- "to those who have done all the hard work." Too bad, as he later reflected; perhaps their input would have been helpful. There wasn't even the nicety of having people introduce themselves. It might have been revealed that several in attendance were members of the MPCA's Park Committee, who also have done a lot of hard work in Memorial Park, and for many years longer than the path study committee's brief existence.

McBrayer seemed thoroughly confused as to what he was doing there. He admitted he had been told over and over, going back to the early days of PATH, by both the MPCA and its predecessor, Springlake Civic Association, that PATH is not welcome in Memorial Park, and will never be accepted by the neighborhood. Anyone who has lived in these parts a while -- and been paying attention -- might be aware of this history.

McBrayer did mention that no sooner did he receive an inquiry from the current MPCA president about the possibility of putting a PATH trail in Memorial Park, that the letters started pouring in once again from vociferous, outraged opponents of such a project.

McBrayer was assured, however, by the current MPCA president that the neighborhood is overwhelmingly in favor of paving around the park, as evidenced by a comprehensive (sic) survey, in which the majority had indicated they were very concerned about the issues of safety and erosion.

There was a tour of the the trail. McBrayer addressed each area, suggesting what PATH would do to Memorial Park. It was incredible! One attendee actually thought he was having fun with them, coming up with the craziest, most outrageous ideas he could possibly think of, just to see if anyone would burst out laughing and say, "I get it, Ed! You're messing with us, right?"

First he said he'd get rid of the on-street parking from Northside to Woodley, have the concrete 10' or 12' PATH trail put partly in the street, narrowing Wesley Drive (thus slowing automobile traffic to a crawl). Getting City approval wouldn't be a problem. He would then pave a 20-car parking lot inside the park at the curve of Wesley near Woodley. (Losing maybe 1/3 acre of park and the trees there). The paved trail would continue to take over the street until it gets to the dip in the ground past Wellesley, where all the beautiful flowering willows now stand. Then the trail would go off-road from about Wellesley (with a granite wall next to it) until it eventually went behind the houses). He suggested homeowners could mark their favorite trees in that area so the trail could meander, and perhaps avoid losing some of the better ones. The paving must be at least 25' from the vegetation that grows within the stream bank.

Now for the best part. The ditch separating the open meadow from the woods needs a bridge two feet wider than the trail (who knows how high and long). Imagine it to be 14' wide! Right now there's a low spot next to a backyard fence, which is easy for most people under age 90 to hop across, especially when it hasn't rained for a couple of days and there's no water in it. Building an enormous bridge would require clearing out many trees and ground cover, bringing in lots of heavy equipment, and I imagine solving some engineering problems due to flooding and what McBrayer referred to as "mucky ground". (I wonder how many trees would have to be mowed down just to get the equipment to that area?)

On the other side of the bridge is wetlands. There is always standing water over much of the area, until the land rises steeply going up to the sidewalk on Howell Mill. McBrayer's solution? A raised wooden boardwalk spanning the field, twelve-feet wide, until it would join more concrete trail on the hillside, passing within inches of a private property line.

Maybe he was just pulling their legs, and maybe he wasn't. Maybe PATH would really want to spend a million or two to wreak havoc on a nice little natural green space for no reason than it's there. Or maybe they're looking to eventually join Memorial Park to the Beltline, and it would have to be a wide, concrete, multiuse trail. Memorial Park and the neighborhood would look nothing like it does now.

From all reports, even the members of the study committee were horrified. Hopefully, they realized the neighborhood won't accept this kind of devastation of Memorial Park. They seem to be back to beating the bushes for funding for some other type of pavement.

Word of warning when begging for money. There are going to be strings attached. There is no free lunch.

Correction re Rite Aid

Rite Aid has not discontinued King's delivery service, and doesn't have any plans to do so. If you want your prescriptions delivered, they still provide that service.

I apologize for the error.

Howell Mill Pharmacy (404 355-5650) also delivers. Our neighborhood is very lucky to have all this gas and time-saving convenience.

Cutting Down Trees on City Property

Let's clear something up.

The City is NOT subject to the "same tree replacement rules as everybody else." If trees are cut down on City property, the City of Atlanta has, by law, only to "try" to replace them in the same area, but they are not required to. All the City has to do is replace them within the same NPU. That could be miles away.

And they only have to follow up on the new tree for one season. If the replacement doesn't survive, that's it. Their job is done.

If they cut 100 trees in Memorial Park for a paving project, it's not assured at all that we'll get hundreds of new trees. It's possible that the replacement trees will go to some favored Beltline project that they're trying to pretty up and help out some big taypayers.

And if the trees aren't actually cut down, but are only damaged, and die a year-- or two -- or three later -- they don't come under the replacement ordinance at all. They just fall over like that one by the rubber path did a few weeks ago. It won't be replaced.

P.S. Sick, injured, dying or dead trees don't have to be replaced by the City at all. And since the Parks Department has no extra funds, I doubt if they are going to allocate money to upgrade parks when they are struggling to provide bare maintenance.

There are now about 25 such trees of various species marked for removal on the PATH trail at Sagamore-Peachtree-Battle, ranging from small magnolias to giant pines and oaks. You won't see PATH Foundation, after all this time, coming in with new trees.

RIP King's Drugs

The link in this title leads to a nostalgic website that is practically all that remains of a 56-year old Buckhead institution, King's Drugs at Peachtree Battle. It was briefly an Eckerd and is now Rite Aid Peachtree Battle store #11788. They've done a physical remodel, installed bright lighting and restocked the floor. The medical equipment, gift shop, designer cosmetics, high end candies, food and perfumes are gone. The pharmacy no longer does compounding, charge accounts or home delivery service. Unusual, interesting brands have been replaced by the exact same low-priced mass market merchandise found in every single chain drugstore in America. Yes, that's the free market. It had to happen.

But gone also are the familiar pharmacists and pharmacy assistants who greeted everyone by name for years, gave helpful advice and took care of our needs. Gone, apparently, is King's practice of hiring and training intelligent pharmacy employees who were courteous, welcoming and efficient. This is only speculation, but it looks as if they have dumped long-term, higher-paid, older employees for inexperienced low-paid, less qualified people. This is a guess from my most recent visit (which will sadly be my last).

For some reason, Rite Aid has reconfigured the pharmacy with high glass barriers which make it much more difficult to communicate with the pharmacists themselves, of which there are fewer on duty, leaving customers at the mercy of snippy teenage pharmacy technicians who rule the roost, and are just lawsuits begging to happen, in my humble opinion.

It might be to Rite Aid's corporate advantage to hint to their teenage pharmacy employees not to give customers medical advice, especially when it contradicts their doctor's instructions, when the customer has put the doctor's written orders right on the counter. And they should also not take it upon themselves to pontificate freely about actions of the drug they are recommending that are not only completely inaccurate, but dangerously conflict with a prescription that the customer happens to be picking up at the same time -- which is also written on the same piece of paper. (Not that Miss Knowitall would recognize the name of the drug, but she certainly acted as if she should have.)

The recalcitrance of this particular teenage pharmacy technician at Rite Aid Peachtree-Battle, Atlanta GA, #11788 (who wasn't wearing her name badge) was stretching my visit out to infinity. I just wanted to get my prescriptions, my non-prescription item and go home, as I really wasn't feeling well, but the teenage pharmacy technician at Peachtree-Battle Rite Aid #11788 just wouldn't give the item I needed, in the size I wanted. Since it was kept behind the counter, I couldn't just pick it up and take it to another register, and she did have my prescriptions as well. She wanted to argue and convince me to purchase what she thought I needed.

Eventually a supervisor showed up, and without apologizing or looking me in the eye, he simply took over and completed my transaction. I think she had terrorized him, too.

The only vestige of the King's Drugs era is the lovely lady at the cash register at the front of the store. I don't know how much longer she will be there. Rite Aid doesn't seem to know much about dealing with the public. I don't think they will appreciate her. Hopefully, another independent retailer in this neighborhood will snap her up. It would be a shame for us to lose her.

Did I mention I don't recommend patronizing the pharmacy at Rite Aid store #11788, Peachtree Battle Shopping Center?

PATH Foundation Visit

The Gadfly has learned that PATH Foundation Executive Director Ed McBrayer came to Memorial Park at the invitation of the MPCA Path Study Committee last Thursday evening to discuss the possibility of a paved concrete PATH Foundation trail around Memorial Park! Such a project would make some big changes in Memorial Park and the entire neighborhood, but especially Wesley Drive.

I will post the details of this meeting as soon as I have all the information. I would appreciate any first-hand accounts of what transpired. Just email me. Thanks.

The Mailbox

I thought I'd share some of my e-mail with you.

How nice that nobody has had any argument or criticism of my opinions and ideas! Not a single one. This is really quite amazing.

There were, however, some doozies of ad hominem attacks.

There was the accusation that I am not really a human being (I'm a fictional character), have no heart, no brain and very little education. And there was that rather ungentlemanly remark, possibly comparing me to a farm animal. I was told I'm "rude" and "harrassing" someone who is only trying to help our neighborhood.

But still, no one found fault with my reasoning. They merely shifted the discussion to my scurrilous nature. (That's a poor argument. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.)

I can assure you all that I am medically homo sapiens, including all the usual internal organs. My educational level is about average compared to my correspondents.

It was argued that I should not publish independently, and particularly under a nom de plume, a device that has been used widely throughout literary and political history, going back to the Bible. For example (not that I dare compare myself with any of these luminaries) there are George Sand, O'Henry, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Lemony Snicket and the incomparable Alan Smithee. The best selling Primary Colors was published by "Anonymous" a few years ago. Unsigned writing by political dissidents and plain old gossips has been a tradition from Addison and Steele to Cholly Knickerbocker. There are numerous good (and bad) reasons for concealing one's identity.

I had no idea when I started this blog as a temporary lark that it would turn out that attempted bullying and venom from the president of the neighborhood association would give me serious pause about revealing myself, which I had fully intended to do after a few posts.

This MPCA leader says, (emphasis mine): "I personally think the idea of a blog is wonderful idea for the neighborhood, but only if it is managed in an open an honest manner, where the manager of the blog is known and accountable to the Board and where all comments are clearly associated with their author and, as a consequence, the authors are accountable for what they have to say. I have received a number of communications from other MPCA members expressing this same view (and, in particular, a sense of concern about anonymous postings for which no identifiable person is responsible). Sunlight is a remarkably good disinfectant and people who are standing out in the open for all to see tend to act more responsibly than those hiding behind masks."

This is really interesting thinking. Apparently he believes MPCA members should submit all material to the Board for approval prior to publication. I guess that would include a letter to the editor of the newspaper or a flyer for a lost dog. "Accountable" (repeated twice) has a rather chilling ring to it. It refers to myself and the comment of others. What is truly ironic is the "sunshine as disinfectant" reference, which originally came from Chief Justice Louis Brandeis, in championing the rights of ordinary citizens to keep officials and governing bodies honest by having them operate in the open. Brandeis' legendary judicial rulings were the foundation of our "open government" laws and the Freedom of Information Act. He would no doubt be mortified to learn that his remarks were being twisted to suggest that a private citizen heel to the demands for approval of an elected board, even though it is a quasi-official, all volunteer and voluntary membership outfit.

(What Brandeis really said was "Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.")

As to whether "a number of MPCA members" have said negative things about this site, that is another distraction, known as the "Bandwagon Fallacy." (If a belief is popular, then it must be true.) And who are these unnamed members? Why aren't they out in the sunlight? I guess when the Anonymous Shoe is on the Other Foot, it's a different story.

The lecture continues: "The MPCA is a private, not for profit, corporate entity, is governed by its articles of incorporation and its bylaws, and its members accede to those rules." Prior to that there was some irrelevant gibberish about how government may regulate slander, false advertising, etc. Whatever rules members accede to have nothing to do with this website. The MPCA, like any other entity, may censor its own publications. That's all.

There was also a red herring about my using the MPCA directory for "personal or commercial gain" and "violating a trust" because I sent an email to the neighborhood when I announced this blog, which is clearly not for commercial purposes. It has no advertising, nor does it sell anything. My purpose is to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to stimulate conversation and to provide a platform for communication for everyone who wants to speak out, including the MPCA president and Board.

But I did not get the addresses from any directory. I simply copied them from an MPCA email header -- which some may recall, was immediately re-sent to the entire group in a "reply all" by the very same writer who now points the finger at me with the above accusation of being self-serving. This takes irony to new levels.

A final communication ended in what is commonly described on message boards as a "flounce", and with a comic twist:

"Those things being said, the MPCA Board and the path committee have strongly suggested that there be no further communications with you in any form. Consequently, to the extent that you email me or any of the other members of either body in the future, your email will be deleted unread. If you wish to come out of the cold and engage in constructive discourse with civil society, my telephone number is listed below. I will be happy to take your call". So there!

For the record, I never originated any email to either body. I only replied to a couple of mails sent to me by the MPCA president, but when he responded to me, he added CC's to a lot of other people, which I never even noticed. (Gmail is a little sneaky.) Some of them responded to me and I wrote them back. That's all.

Other mail: I was told I have too much time. I don't agree. I think I am lucky to have whatever time God gives me. I don't think a person can have too much. But what this person suggested I do with mine was a bit strange: "plant something or pick up pinecones" I cannot imagine why I would remove pinecones from the woods. They are not trash. They are part of the ecosystem. (It is illegal to remove them from a National Park.) Now if she had said go pick up beer cans from the roadside, I would have thought that was a good idea. She urged me to do good for Memorial Park. The obvious answer is that this site is intended to help the park. I try to do other good things, and I hope I see the writer there too. She is welcome to post her comments, using her real name or an ID. Comments will not be edited as long as they follow the rules. I welcome opposing opinions.

All the email has not been negative. I have gotten lots of good feedback and suggestions for topics. I appreciate those. Most important has been the useful information and tips, which will show up in future entries. Keep them coming. I am glad to have you read and comment whether you agree or not.

To: Odd Number Addresses on Wesley Drive

People who live on the part of Wesley Drive whose homes back up to the park were recently polled by a member of the MPCA's "Path Study Committee," or whatever it's called, to ask if they would accept a paved trail running behind their homes. I don't know whether the two households on Howell Mill who also back up to the park were asked. It hardly matters.

Those polled weren't given any specifications on the proposed trail or the process that would be required to install it. How wide would the trail be? What paving materials would be used? Where would it be placed? What kind of heavy equipment would be brought in to build it? How much grading would be done to the path? Would a bridge be built over the drainage ditch? At what point? How wide would it be? Would the trail connect to the sidewalk at Howell Mill, thus going within a few feet of the property line of 2487 Howell Mill? How many trees would be cut down altogether? What effect would this project have on flooding of yards and basements? When will the engineering studies commence and who is going to pay for them?

They were simply asked whether or not they were favorably disposed to a rather vague idea of some sort of surfaced trail behind their homes, or alternatively, a city-installed sidewalk on the street front (which as far as I know, isn't among the City's funded sidewalk plans). Perhaps it would be more useful for those homeowners to have a little more information on the consequences of a paved trail behind their homes.

Let's ignore for the moment the issue of flooding, although the land there is mostly flood plain, which has flooded many times in the past. Paving could exacerbate the problem. (But people can get flood insurance.)

Let's just look at one possible type of trail that the MPCA is considering, and actually soliciting: a concrete trail built by the PATH Foundation . If you don't know what this would be like, you have only to walk over to the intersection of Northside Drive and Woodward Way. Cross the street where Sagamore bears off from Woodward, and you will see a PATH sign, an enormous bridge and a 10' wide concrete path that meanders a bit over to Peachtree-Battle Avenue (including a second large bridge), where it meets an ordinary sidewalk. If you walk this trail, you will pass the back yards of several houses, including the new construction on Sagamore that has been on the market for many months. The trail runs parallel to its driveway. There is no landscaping to screen the house from the public path, and there is almost always standing water.

A few years ago, there was a forest there which shielded homes from Northside Drive traffic. PATH Foundation clear-cut a 50'wide swath (no, that's not a typo -- fifty feet) in order to bring in equipment and build what you now see. They replaced a few trees, but some of those died. PATH did not follow their own site plan, nor did they get approval for removing the trees. Many people think the result is an eyesore, and somewhat inane, that's still not the point.

Consider the possible consequences to your privacy and safety. For instance, one house that backs up to this PATH installation was broken into from the rear and robbed of more than $50,000 worth of jewelry, cameras and other items after the trail was open. The investigating police officer told the owners that "PATH is a robber's best dream."

PATH Foundation trails, according to their charter, must be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, multi-use (accessible to all non-motorized traffic, including wheelchairs, bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades). Such a trail must be wide, flat and smooth, requiring extensive grading. The dense woods that are now the view from your deck or patio will be reduced to something like what you see at Peachtree-Battle. You will have increased traffic behind your houses, as well as cars parked in front. There is certainly more liklihood of trespassers in back yards, as there is no visibility from the street. Our paid Security Patrol does not patrol on foot, so they won't be checking the area. Neither will on-duty police. Most of the joggers and strollers who use Memorial Park now are not even aware of that secluded area. Is a paved trail that helpfully directs everyone back there a good idea? Maybe you might want to install some serious security fencing.

PATH Foundation, which arguably does desirable projects in suburban and rural areas, and along abandoned railroad beds, but not so much in developed urban spots, is being vigorously opposed by intown neighborhoods they are proposed to enter, including Collier Hills, Peachtree Hills and in DeKalb County. The battles have been and continue to be rancorous, pitting neighbors against each other. In Memorial Park, our association was actually formed over similar proposals. We withdrew from Springlake Civic Association in 2001 over these very same divisions.

Memorial Park is not on the Beltline, which is partnering with PATH and the City of Atlanta, enraging people all over town for their dismissive attitude towards property owners. Memorial Park would be safe from PATH's ugly design and environmental insensitivity, if only certain Powers That Be would stop inviting them in with open arms.

Doggy Etiquette

Among the many good things the MPCA does to help with the upkeep of Memorial Park is to supply bags for the public to use for picking up dog droppings. There are two dispensers on Wesley Drive, one in front of the playground and one near Riada Drive. They are well-stocked by the Park Committee. The Civic Association in the past also lobbied with the City of Atlanta to place more trash receptacles at intervals in and around the park for the convenience of dog walkers to deposit these bags. The City has also put up signs warning people to pick up after their pets. Dog poop is not only annoying to step in, but it can spread parasites among animals. It smells terrible and is hard to clean from shoes and carpets.

Of course, I'm sure that everyone who lives here is courteous, thoughtful and law-abiding. So I'm not talking to anyone in particular. But one Memorial Park resident and dog owner tells me she has made it her practice deal with dog walkers she meets who are not so meticulous. She hands them a poop bag and reminds them of their civic duty.

She says, "I was uncomfortable the first few times I approached a dog owner and handed them a bag, but then I realized this is MY neighborhood and I have a right to demand that others respect it."

The law is the law. Dog owners must scoop the poop. Dogs must also be leashed on public property or under voice control. Etiquette is another matter. Handing someone a bag and nicely asking them to pick up is better than calling the cops. It's more effective than a dirty look or making a big show of kicking leaves over the offensive mess. It's particularly important to scoop when the poop is right on the walking trail, on someone's lawn, or near the playground.

There are many points of etiquette, not only between dog owners and non-owners, but and between dog owner and dog owner. And there are the dog/child meetings. Some kids run right up to every dog they see. Some dogs love kids and some are very nervous around them. Some parents are very nervous about any contact between their child and any dog, no matter how calm the dog. A responsible dog owner should always check with the parent before allowing their dog to contact a child. (Please don't let your dog run onto the playground unleashed.)

Posting on this subject is probably opening a can of worms (pardon the pun). I'll stop now and leave it up to the rest of you. Post comments as you see fit.

Trees and Paving

First: my sources tell me that there was a posted notice back in August, 2007 at 837 Wellesley, regarding the demolition of the house, and the planned removal of six trees. My apologies if my post implied anything improper. I still wish that the builder might have incorporated at least one large tree into the site plan.

Second: While there are definitely pros and cons to paving a path in or around Memorial Park -- and I offer a forum for that discussion -- the health and welfare of trees is certainly not among the benefits.

So if anyone wishes to talk about why they want to pave the path, he or she is invited to state all the good reasons to build it, and whatever positive benefits that they think will come to the neighborhood and its residents.

(It would be useful to offer some meaningful details of the project that is being considered.)

But let's be honest. There will absolutely be loss of trees, whatever is done. It's a matter of which ones and how many.