Right after the tempest regarding Dunwoody Glen hit Category 5 status, an announcement was released by City Hall regarding "Clean, Shine, Fix Up Dunwoody" day on November 5.
This got me wondering: where exactly is all this cleaning, shining, and fixing up going to happen? The City Council and City employees have decided that the east side needs drastic redevelopment. Has there been any attempt to do any volunteer fixup in this area?
Here's the event announcement from City Hall. There's a vague reference to assignments and some mentions of Brook Run (stream cleanup, etc). Sounds great! More information on another website. Let's click....
Now we're at the North Atlanta Church of Christ website. Wait a minute - I thought this was a City event. Public/private partnership maybe? That would be OK. But say that on the announcement. There's no search box and the clean-up event isn't on the front page. Let's dig around a bit.
Under Calendars and Events, we find "Serve Day". No mention of a City of Dunwoody project, just anyone who wants to do some community fixer-upper service, just sign up and show up. This doesn't look like a City project, despite the main website saying, "...the City will be holding its Third Annual Clean up Dunwoody Day..."
The FAQ page has the following regarding what projects are going to be worked on:
Dunwoody Nature Center
⇒ Fire hydrant painting throughout the city of Dunwoody
⇒ City of Refuge
⇒ Ronald McDonald House
⇒ Many more!
Nothing outstanding here. Fire hydrant painting projects have happened in town before. Dunwoody Nature Center is an oldie but a goodie for community service. What is City of Refuge? Where is Dunwoody's Ronald McDonald House? What constitutes "many more"??
There's several videos from past years included as well. Brook Run and the Nature Center, Ebenezer Primitive Baptist, are obvious, but some other outdoor locations weren't clear.
Here's my question for anyone who knows: if Winter's Chapel / PIB is such a terrible part of Dunwoody that entire housing developments have to be removed to improve it, where is the volunteer effort to improve areas of that part of town? For example, everyone wants to "adopt a triangle" near the Farmhouse, who will adopt the traffic triangle at the intersection of Peeler and Winter's Chapel? Everyone wants to spruce up the landscaping at Brook Run, who wants to do the same on unused lots along Winter's Chapel?
There is NO criticism here of any of the charity work that has been done thus far under the banner of "Clean Up Dunwoody". I would like to know what volunteer efforts under this program have been done in the "less popular" parts of our City. They're not readily apparent, they're not in any of the videos I saw on the church site, and they're not listed on the City website. If the eastern parts of Dunwoody need to be "spruced" or "fixed", where are the volunteer efforts to do so? The comments section is open.
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14 comments:
Point of order: Not *everything* has to be a vegetable garden, and not all gardening/beautification efforts require raised beds. That is all.
I chose to delete my comments. I'm done. I go where help is needed and wanted, and it is needed and wanted somewhere else right now.
The "Serve Day" website does not list my church I go to in Dunwoody. My recommendation would be:
a) Let the City's "Volunteer Committee" run it and organize it from a school, or non-secular location.
b) Ask the "Serve" people to get more of the churches, synagogues and other volunteer organizations involved. Reach outside of the secular circles, too.
c) Go to the PCID and get some of the 50k employees to chip in.
d) Go to the apartment complexes and get some of those to help in.
It's only the 3rd year, so let's give them a bit of slack and let it develop. I'm all for being inclusive and letting it grow. Just like a greenway or neighborhood park. Start small, keep it with the local neighbors and see what develops.
After receiving emails from citizens last night who are interested in volunteering to help, I sent this email to City Hall this morning, with a cc to select Councilors. Working Girl, it is my hope that you will come dig with us if this happens. (FYI: per your comment, raised beds have some unique benefits for growing food, and I grow food, so that's what I propose when I offer to volunteer my time and money.) For those reading this, I posted the photo of the location on Twitter--you can see it @pattiebaker.
Mr. Tuller, Mr. Smith, and Ms. Drysdale: I am writing to inquire if the triangle at Peeler and Winters Chapel is available as an Adopt-a-Spot (see photo attached), and, if so, if a raised bed vegetable or herb garden would be allowed (as I know it is not allowed in the current Adopt-a-Spot rules). I asked this question a year ago (November 3, 2010--see email thread below) and have not yet received a definitive answer. There are some citizens who would like to Adopt-a-Spot for that purpose in that part of our city as it is a nationally-designated food desert (http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/fooddesert.html) and that location looks like it would accommodate it. FYI, both the City of Portland and the City of Seattle allow raised bed structures in a public right of way with a permit.
I'm all about aligning my hobby & knowledge (veggie gardening) with a volunteer activity. Pattie, I'll help you and your crew if you're allowed to plant vegetables in an east side adopt-a-spot location. If city hall wants the blighted areas freshened up, they will make it easy for citizens to take on small projects like these and will give you a quick approval. If someone else has adopted that island already and chooses to plant ornamentals, that's great too.
For example, everyone wants to "adopt a triangle" near the Farmhouse, who will adopt the traffic triangle at the intersection of Peeler and Winter's Chapel?
That triangle is currently being maintain by a local resident. The fact that y'all cannot see the improvements puzzles me, since the area looks very nice.
This resident is taking care of the triangle, but I am sure she would not mind a few extra hands.
I did notice! There is a cute path and pretty knock-out roses. There is no sign, however, and the city website Adopt a Spot map lists that spot as available, and there is a huge area that has nothing so it was hard to tell its status. I heard back from city hall about the fact that a resident is planting there already, so that's great. I asked what other spots were available in the food desert as none are listed on the map and haven't heard back yet.
I've read this blog several times and it seems to have a negative tone - I think it is the attempt at sarcasm. I think all of our elected officials have the best of intentions -- and also think that some could step back and listen a little better.
Pattie:
I think a garden would be great on Winters Chapel - I'm guessing that is what your comments were before you deleted them because of SDOC's comment. I'm sorry that you have not heard back from the city. Doesn't make much sense to me.
Ms. SDOC:
What does SDOC stand for? What's up with the complaining? East Dunwoody? Do you really think people in other parts of Dunwoody consider it the lesser Dunwoody? If that area needs to be cleaned up, then take the lead and stop complaining that others are not.
That is all.
Sorry if I offended you. I'm new to commenting on blogs. Again, really sorry.
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