The Brookhaven City Council has approved a $391,678.88 contract with Integrated Construction and Nobility to begin work on Murphey Candler Park’s community green project.
The council approved the contract during an Aug. 24 meeting. The community green project is part of the city’s $40 million park bond, which voters approved in 2018.
The community green project has sparked controversy in the past. After tree cutting earlier this year, some residents expressed concern over the decision to put parking on Horseshoe Road, also known as “the loop road.” Residents also expressed concern over the community green project, fearing it would be more like an amphitheater and bring more traffic to the park.
City officials have previously stated that the community project will not include an amphitheater and is not intended for large crowds or concerts. In voicing her support for the project, Councilmember Linley Jones stressed again that the community green would not be an amphitheater.
“I think that truth will be borne out as this project is constructed,” Jones said.
Still, some residents spoke up during public comment to voice their concerns. Brookhaven resident Pamela Burnett spoke on behalf of residents who are looking to keep parking out of the loop road.
“We keep getting the answer that you are doing the loop road because it was what the voters approved and it can’t be changed,” she said. “Virtually every project in the bond has changed …so your stock answer is ridiculous, and quite frankly, insulting.”
Jones, whose district includes Murphey Candler Park, put her full support behind the project and said although the city has tried to incorporate residents’ feedback into plans, it cannot change the “fundamental character” of what residents voted for in 2018.
“To the extent that any changes we would make will change the fundamental character of providing what our bond promised, which was parking on the Horseshoe, we cannot do that,” Jones said “We have minimized it. We have made it safer. We have provided cameras. We have eliminated tree removal. We have reworked it. But we must do what we committed to do.”
Parks Bond Program Manager Lee Croy said work should begin in four to five weeks, and the contract allows for up to a four-month build.
