Dearborn Park Midway Woods Neighborhood Association Deaborn Park Meeting
- The last publicized Friends of Dearborn Park meeting was back in February, where we had nearly 20 folks eager to assist in planning and execution. The notes from that meeting, which were also posted on MWNA website, are shown below.
- there were several Winnona Park residents that were at the Feb 2013 meeting as well and would like to be included
- From your notes it appears you have made the decision regarding the dog park before you’ve made the master plan, shouldn’t you devise a master plan and then decide where within the park it should be located?
- I’m sure you are looking for active participation from the entire community and will try to get as much involvement and input for all of your neighbors before moving forward and that all meeting regarding the park will be publicized well in advance.
- A master plan so we can decide how we want the park to look is a fantastic idea
- Thanks for taking on this position within our community
BTW: when are park benches arriving?
KP
Friends of Dearborn Park Meeting Minutes
Posted on February 13, 2013 by environmental
2/11/13 Meeting Minutes
Focus
We proposed a few things to focus on in the coming years. New Pavilion, Tree house/club house, Dog area, Park Furnishings, i.e. benches and swinging benches near creek/trail, permanent trash cans, kiosk for sharing park info (trail map, announcing events, bird walks, art in the park, meetings, etc. When voted upon, the top two priorities were unanimously voted as Pavilion and Furnishings (tied with 11 votes each), and Club House (with 7 votes). Grant Applications to secure funding for these will begin next Monday, February 18th 6pm at Columbia Presbyterian Church – all welcome.
Dogi Pots to be installed
Ruby Lewis with Dekalb County will have one installed this week. Kevin Polite will decide best placement within park. Ravonda recommended at trail head.
Signage
Discussed adding signs near tables that tell people not to place hot ash on the tables,. as well as a sign that has the correct emergency number to call (for non-crime emergencies), because it can be confusing who should handle the call; either City of Decatur or Dekalb County.
Park Sign Graffiti
At Park Drive has graffiti on the letters – Rebecca will email Ravonda for signs to be maintained.
Dog off leash area
We discussed making an area (perhaps within old ball field behind Oldfield Rd?) where dogs can do off leash – since they must remain on leash in the park. To make it happen we will need: grant for lights, water fountain and dog bowl/fountain. Then a friends group would need to adopt the dog area to provide upkeep such as: rotation areas to let grass return, putting in pea gravel, litter pick up, check on area after heavy rains. Mason Mill Park is a good example of a dog off leash area (off Desmond Dr and Clairmont Rd).
Basketball Fencing
Basketball players would like fence to keep their balls out of the creek. Rebecca will email Ravonda to get fencing installed. It will be about the height of the basketball hoop, and coated green to be most aesthetically pleasing. This is standard in all county parks.
Land adjacent to park
It was mentioned that some land near the park may still be privately owned. We should reach out to Pam and Bruce or John (unsure of names?) who own an acre there. Rebecca will follow up on this.
Splash pad
2771 Columbia Dr. Exchange Recreation Center and Park will have a splash pad installed by 2014. We discussed the possibility of a splash pad in Dearborn, but it would attract many visitors from outside the neighborhood, cost a lot to install and maintain, and there is no parking available for such an influx of visitors.
Kevin Polite
From: rick_baggenstoss
To: MidwayWoods@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, August 9, 2013 9:39 AM
Subject: [MidwayWoods] Calling for Friends of Dearborn Park
Dearborn Park is one of the great assets of our neighborhood. For years the MWNA, Renewal Construction, Dekalb County, Park Pride, and the City of Decatur have worked hard to improve the Park. A lot has been accomplished to make it a standout park in the surrounding area, but there’s much more we can do to preserve and enhance its beauty and the usefulness to park goers.
After years of clean up sponsored by Renewal Construction, Dearborn park is much more walkable, safe, and stabilized. Ivy, kudzu, and privet were choking out the younger native plants and trees. Volunteers, County, City, and Park Pride have logged close to 1000 hours stabilizing and recovering areas of the park.
A great benefit of the Renewal sponsored event has been the momentum the Park has gained in the eyes of our County Commissioners and local park supporters. When donors seek a Park supported by the neighborhood where they can make an impact, Dearborn Park is very high on the list.
Now we are at a transition point. We have eliminated most of the large patches of undesireable undergrowth, built some new paths, installed a new playground, and most recently, added some exercise equipment. Benches are on the way. Huge progress!
This year, the Friends of Dearborn Park, MWNA, and Park Pride hope to create a Master Plan with a particular focus on adding a dog park. A Master Plan is a conceptual vision for the Park. It serves as the guide for keeping our efforts on track as we continue to invest in the Park. It should incorporate strategies for making the park more beautiful, safe, and useful.
Having addressed the needs of our your kids in the neighborhood, the Park has a second important group of stakeholders – dog owners and the dogs. This month and next, we will build the first Master Plan for Dearborn Park and plan a dog park. At the end of September, we will submit and compete for a grant to fund the dog park.
If you have an idea for how the Park can be more safe, beautiful, or useful to you and others, please email environmental@midwaywoods.org so you can be invited to our brainstorming and planning sessions.
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