The Dunwoody City Council at its Oct. 28 meeting responded to a citizen’s claim of fraud regarding discounts offered at Brook Run Park’s TreeTop Quest zipline attraction.
In addition, parks and police officials addressed an incident that occurred last week when two children entered the attraction after hours, and one had to be rescued by DeKalb County Fire Rescue after getting stuck on the zipline.
Community activist Joe Hirsch, who has initiated several lawsuits against the city regarding open records’ requests, sent an email to the city council and Rough Draft claiming that the city has not publicized the fact that Dunwoody citizens and city employees can receive a 10% discount when visiting the attraction.
In his email, Hirsch claimed the discount notification has been dropped three times from the website since the attraction opened in 2014, and he believes it is a “deliberate way to commit fraud on the residents of Dunwoody.”
Hirsch said he spoke about the discrepancy with Dunwoody Parks Director Rachel Waldrop two weeks prior to the Oct. 28 meeting, but no action has been taken.
At the meeting, Mayor Lynn Deutsch and Councilmember John Heneghan said the discount is still not present on the website. Waldron said the issue would be addressed immediately.
The council was set to renew a five-year contract with TreeTop Quest, but deferred the measure after discussing the discount issue and an Oct. 23 incident when two juveniles broke into the attraction after it was closed and one got stuck on a zip line.
Originally, officials reported that two boys were found on the zipline, but Dunwoody Police Chief Mike Carlson said while two children were found on the grounds, only one was hanging in the air. The juveniles told police that they found a harness at the base of a tree after they entered the facility.
The pair have been charged as juveniles with trespassing, Carlson said.
Heneghan said he was disappointed that TreeTop Quest officials had not addressed the discount snafu or after-hours break-ins.
“I’m disappointed that this happened, and that we haven’t gotten an explanation about what happened, an apology, an action plan,” he said. “It’s in their contract that they not let these things happen.”
“With them not following the little rules with the contract [regarding the discount], how should I know that they are following the big rules that involve safety?” he continued.
Deutsch said even though the offenders were juveniles, they needed to be held accountable.
“We can’t, as a society, let kids off for their poor choices,” Deutsch said. “We’re lucky that this wasn’t so serious.”
In other action, the council also heard a third quarter report from Economic Development Director Michael Starling, who provided a status report on ribbon cuttings, new business arrivals, and hotel usage.
He also discussed the branding message that city staff developed, stating that Dunwoody straddles denser urban OTP (outside the Perimeter) and lower density ITP (Inside the Perimeter), while retaining the characteristics of “a relatively affordable, convenient inner-suburb with those of a highly walkable amenity rich urban place.”
He also said branding efforts position Dunwoody as a “city of neighborhoods” that surround multiple commercial nodes.
“We lack large arterial highways that separate neighborhoods and divide the city, which gives Dunwoody a more cohesive and ‘neighborhood’ feel,” Starling said.
In other action, the council:
- discussed improvements to the Veterans Memorial at Brook Run;
- heard about a buy-back program for surplus public art;
- passed on the consent agenda a contract amendment with TriScapes for stormwater and sewer maintenance.
