By Clare S. Richie
On a stroll down North Highland Avenue in historic Atkins Park neighborhood situated between Ponce de Leon and Virginia avenues, you’d pass by restaurants, bars, eclectic shops, and historic homes. What you didn’t see was community green space, until now.
Four years ago, the Virginia-Highland Civic Association (VHCA) purchased two vacant residential lots at the corner of St. Charles and North Highland, across from Belly. Formerly the site of a city library that was demolished in 1990, the land had remained vacant for more than 20 years. “This land was ideally suited for neighborhood green space, and the VHCA pursued the project as a long-term initiative intended to revitalize that area of our neighborhood,” according to VHCA Board member Pamela Papner.
Now that construction is complete, the long-term vision for the .4 acre space – born out of many community meetings and countless hours of pro bono services- is becoming a reality. New Highland Park, as it is temporarily called, provides a place for recreation, walking, community gatherings and educational programs.
The park is also a citywide model for storm water management. Concrete from the previous library parking lot was removed, and the property was graded to slope toward a “self-watering” rain garden where native Georgia plants naturally remove pollutants. Capturing the rainwater on-site means less water in storm drains and city treatment facilities.
In order to purchase the land, the VHCA secured $855,000 in financing from the Georgia Land Conservation Loan Program. At that time, the VHCA also had a plan for increasing revenues from its annual Summerfest event, to significantly ease the debt burden. The plan is working. So far, 25 percent of the mortgage principal has been retired and approximately $660,000 of debt remains today.
The $150,000 raised for the construction of the new park came from incremental fund-raising activities, including a $50,000 grant from Park Pride, a “buy a brick” campaign, and the generosity of neighbors, local businesses and Atikns Park Neighborhood Association. VHCA is now focused on securing more grants to retire the capital debt.
Mark your calendars for the Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting for New Highland Park on Saturday, March 16, at noon (rain date March 23) so you can come thank all those who made this park possible. In the meanwhile, stop by after shopping at Wellspring Treasures or before dinner at Atkins Park Tavern. You may see my daughter’s teammate practicing her soccer moves with her dad as you all enjoy this green oasis.