Dunwoody Construction Project Updates For 4/26/13

By City of Dunwoody

Dunwoody Construction Project Updates for 4/26/13

New Georgetown Park Now Under Construction; Concrete Trail Poured as Brook Run Park Multi-Use Trail Takes Shape, and; Ongoing Sidewalk and Paving Improvements

Dunwoody, GA-April 26, 2013

The City of Dunwoody prepared the following overview to provide the public with an update on several beneficial and exciting infrastructure projects in different phases of active development and construction.

Groundbreaking Celebration Held for Georgetown Park
The City recently held a groundbreaking celebration to commemorate the start of work on the new Georgetown Park. The ceremonial groundbreaking was attended by City and County officials, John Wieland, Chairman of John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods and more than 75 residents and community members.

The entire 16-acre site will remain an active construction area until work crews complete all facets of the new Georgetown Park. Georgetown Park will include a central park square -- an expansive lawn featuring an event pavilion and a passive play area perfect for family picnics and casual outdoor activities. The square will also house a pair of bocce courts as well as a custom art installation.

A children’s playground with two separate play structures intended for children between three and twelve years of age will be created near the Chamblee Dunwoody Road entrance of the 16-acre site.

Once complete, the new park will be available for community-wide use and serve as the anchor public park space portion of the planned Project Renaissance redevelopment.

Home developer John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods is actively marketing the new home sites on the 16-acre property. The new development, called Dunwoody Green, will have approximately 70 high-quality owner-occupied residential homes interwoven with future retail development, Georgetown Park and the 3.3 mile Dunwoody multi-use trailway.

Brook Run Park Multi-Use Trail Update
This week progress on the trail became more tangible with crews completing more than 900 feet of concrete for the 12 foot wide multi-use trail. Over the next several weeks crews will continue additional trail grading and leveling work and pour concrete for the remaining portions of the trail, all following careful compliance with the approved trail path construction documents.

Crews have also begun work on the foundations for each of the three bridge crossings which will be constructed on the trail. Once the concrete trail and bridge abutments have had time to properly cure and set, crews will begin erecting the support girders for each of the wooden bridges at the crossings.

In order to provide additional information on the trail and construction progress, the City set-up and staffed a City of Dunwoody Trailway information booth during Lemonade Days. Traffic for the event was substantial and the City heard from many interested residents and community members. The response from the 300-plus people who visited and stopped by the information booth was overwhelmingly positive and many mentioned a strong desire to return to the park and use the trail once complete.

In early April, City of Dunwoody inspectors and staff met onsite with two representatives of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to discuss site monitoring activity. The EPD inspectors determined all EPD requirements regarding erosion and sediment control were in compliance with Georgia EPD regulations and that the project was adhering to proper regulatory procedures.

This most recent EPD determination was consistent with the March 1 EPD site visit to inspect the erosion and sedimentation control measures installed by the City. Following that visit, the EPD inspector concluded the City was going above and beyond state requirements to manage the construction site effectively.

As completion of Phase I of the trail takes place, the City has begun site surveying for Phase II of the trail, a three quarter of a mile, 12-foot wide multi-use concrete trail that will complete a 1.5 mile loop within the park.

The City of Dunwoody is committed to encouraging and facilitating active citizen engagement and plans to hold an open house in June to outline plans, answer questions and receive public input for Phase II of the 12-foot wide concrete multi-use trail. Throughout the Phase I & II multi-use trail construction, the City will continue to provide periodic updates to the public. The public will be notified of this open house once a firm date in June is set.

Sidewalk and Paving Improvement Projects
The City has installed a concrete curb for the construction of the new sidewalk project on Womack Road across from Dunwoody Elementary School. The curb was necessary for construction of the sidewalk and was specifically located to permit the potential future addition of bike lanes. As one of the few east-west corridors in the City with three adjacent schools and numerous neighborhoods, Womack Road is identified as a future bike route in the City's transportation plan. It is anticipated that bike lanes could be added on Womack between Tilly Mill Road and Vermack Road at relatively little cost during future repaving of the road.

The new enhancements are part of the City’s sidewalk improvement plan, created to provide an objective process to prioritize the City’s sidewalk projects. The City has identified 13 miles of future sidewalk improvements to add to the 22 miles already in existence. Work also continues to improve sidewalk accessibility by adding curb ramps and repairing uneven and broken sidewalks. Crews will be active over the coming months with this project as well as planned sidewalk projects on Meadowlake Drive and sections of Valley View and Happy Hollow roads.

The completion of these sidewalk projects will add infrastructure benefits valued at more than $800,000. In addition, at the April 22 City Council meeting the Council passed a budget amendment funding $300,000 for sidewalks on Hensley Drive and Mount Vernon Way and funding an evaluation of pedestrian safety improvements in school zones.

The Council also unanimously approved a contract for paving beginning in June. The City will be repaving roads according to the long-term paving schedule adopted by Council. You can review the City’s paving plans on our website at:
http://www.dunwoodyga.gov/Departments/Public_Works/Paving.aspx.

Since 2009, the City has budgeted more than $1,499,000 in sidewalk improvements and $4,800,000 for repaving roads. To date the City has paved more than 24.1 lane miles of roads, fixed 1,100 potholes on City streets and laid or repaired more than 4.07 miles of City sidewalks all within the 13.2 total square miles of the City’s boundaries. This has been accomplished in a short timeframe with no tax increases.

Lastly, the City of Dunwoody is committed to encouraging and facilitating active citizen engagement. To keep up with everything going on in Dunwoody, you can sign up for email updates at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/DUNWOODYGA/subscriber/new or check our website at http://www.dunwoodyga.gov.