Sandy Springs Conservancy

Conservancy partners with CRK for 3rd annual Sweep the Hooch

conservancy — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:06:13 +0000

IT’S TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING! Before you scrub the baseboards and beat the carpets, head on down to the Chattahoochee to expend a little spring cleaning effort on the great outdoors.

Sandy Springs Conservancy is helping out Chattahoochee River Keeper with their Third Annual Sweep the Hooch Cleanup, a multi-site cleanup within the 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Held on April 13, the Sweep the Hooch Cleanup will tackle 21 sites with the assistance of walkers, waders, and paddling volunteers.

In previous years, this event has collected and removed 3.81 tons of trash from the Chatthoochee, including 1.2 tons of recyclable materials such as glass, plastic, aluminum, metal and tires.

If you would like to join Team SSC/Morgan Falls, the Conservancy’s CRK Sweep the Hooch team, register at theChattahoochee Riverkeeper website. Once at the signup page, in the 4th box type Team SSC/Morgan Falls as your clean-up location. Launch will be from kayak/canoe dock above the dam. Members of the Conservancy will be there to help launch and dock boats and collect trash. Paddlers and walkers welcome!

Abernathy Greenway Phase IV Construction and Median Update

conservancy — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:05:04 +0000

THE CITY CLOSED BIDDING on Phase IV construction of the Abernathy Greenway on February 21 and should award the winning bidder a contract to complete many of the amenities on the north side of the Greenway. These include landscaping & irrigation, walking paths, lighting, retaining walls and perimeter fencing, picnic pavilion, bathrooms, and parking. The specialized playground surface for the Playable Art Park will be constructed through a separate bid to be issued later this spring.

At the request of many citizens and neighborhoods, the City will install plantings in the medians along Johnson Ferry and Abernathy Roads. Scheduled to start in early March, the landscaping will include native plants which are drought resistant and require low maintenance.

SSC, City of Sandy Springs bring walking trails to Lost Corner

conservancy — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:04:10 +0000

A KEY AMENITY FOR LOST CORNER will be a walking trail through the wooded areas, with benches, small picnic areas and stream crossings. The City, recently awarded a Department of Natural Resources trail grant, is working with SSC, the grant’s community funding partner, to write the bid package for trail design and construction. The contract should be awarded later this spring and we anticipate completion of the trail this fall. Look for more details in our April newsletter.

Lost Corner blooms this spring

conservancy — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:03:32 +0000

THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT LOST CORNER! Here is a update on the progress of the property.

Over the next few months, the city will be stabilizing, restoring and upgrading the Miles Family 1920′s bungalow house located at Lost Corner. The city put out an RFP in the fall of 2012 to gets bids from contractors. The house will also be brought up to code for public use so it can accommodate groups of visitors, as right now it is a single family residence. The intention is to move this project forward as soon as possible and the work should start in the spring and be done over the summer.

The Community Gardens will be open this Spring. The target opening date for planting is April 15th. The community gardens will have 60 raised beds which can be applied for by Sandy Springs residents through a lottery system. Lottery applications are scheduled to open from March 15th to March 31st and the winners will be chosen on April 1st. Look for more information coming soon about the lottery applications. Attached is draft plan of the garden layout. NOTE: This a draft plan only and is subject to change.

A public meeting was held for the community to review the entrance and parking lot plans this past November. Some revisions were made and the plans were reviewed by the Mayor and City Council in December. Construction will start in the fall of 2013. In the meantime the Community Garden recipients will have access to the community garden and can use the existing driveway which will have temporary parking.

Playable Art Park: “Dragonfly” Artists Say Farewell

conservancy — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:01:01 +0000

The Playable Art Park Steering Committee held a Hail & Farewell gathering for Alexis Gregg and Tanner Coleman, artists of “Dragonfly”, the first fabulous completed Park sculpture at Abernathy Greenway. After eight weeks of intense work of constructing thousands of bricks with volunteers and professionals into the highly creative and exciting “Dragonfly”, the 54ft long, 9ft high and wing span of 42ft carved brick climbing slide, the artists move on to their next assignment as Artists in Residence in Montana. They will return to Sandy Springs next spring 2013 for the Grand Opening of the Playable Art Park—joining five more giant spectacular sculptures on which children can climb and play.

The Playable Art Park is a joint venture between Sandy Springs Conservancy and Art Sandy Springs, in cooperation with the City of Sandy Springs and Fulton County Arts Council, with funding from Northside Hospital. This collection of playable sculptures will be an educational, active, and visual element in the Sandy Springs landscape for children to have fun!

For information contact: www.playableartpark.org, www.sandyspringsconservancy.org orwww.ArtSandySprings.org

Fair Play: Find SSC’s booth at the Sandy Springs Festival

conservancy — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:19:00 +0000

COME FIND SSC at theSandy Springs Festival Business and Civic Expo, near the entrance to the Entertainment Lawn. Hear the latest news on Lost Corner, the DragonFly at the Playable Art Park, Abernathy Greenway and much more!

How Green will our City Center be?

conservancy — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:17:30 +0000

Goody Clancy City Meeting:

Wednesday, September 19, 6 – 8 PM at City Hall

HERE’S OUR FIRST OPPORTUNITY to see how input on the City Center meetings in June will take shape. SSC said loud and clear that we want major greenspace in and around our Town Center, a sentiment echoed by the community at large. Planning Firm Goody Clancy will make short presentations complete with drafts of conceptual plans on Wednesday, June 19 every 30 minutes between 6-8 PM at City Hall.

SSC envisions a town center based around a large green space – a central park- connected to our other parks, commercial areas and in-town neighborhoods by a network of tree-lined sidewalks, becoming the center of energy and a springboard for the revitalization of downtown.

Sandy Springs Conservancy Friends Lost Corner

conservancy — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:15:48 +0000

LOST CORNER PRESERVE is getting some friends. Last year, the City of Sandy Springs asked that a Friends of Lost Corner non-profit group be created to help turn this 26 acre preserve into a usable and enjoyable place for residents of Sandy Springs. Friends of Lost Corner (FOLC) has recently incorporated. Trisha Thompson Fox and Cheryl Barlow, both instrumental in working with the owner to deed the property as a preserve, are the co-presidents of FOLC. Both are board members of the Sandy Springs Conservancy. Click here to see a recent Sandy Springs Patch Article about Friends of Lost Corner.

Last month, the Sandy Springs Conservancy, gave a $5,000 grant to Friends of Lost Corner to help cover their start up costs. “This grant from SSC is key to the success of our organization,” said Cheryl Barlow, “Without it, we would have to fundraise immediately. Now we are able to turn our attention fully to projects that will serve the public, like the community garden which is slated to open this spring. This grant shows SSC’s commitment to partnerships that promote parks and greenspace.”

Last month, the city received $90,000 in Lost Corner trail grant money from the State Department of Natural Resources to match $25,000 donated by the Sandy Springs Conservancy. With volunteer hours factored in, the entire budget for the trails comes in at just over $121,000. FOLC is working with the city to put in the trails, landscaping, necessary infrastructure, and upgrade the house from a single family residence to a public meeting place.

Dragonfly nearly complete at Playable Art Park

conservancy — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:13:42 +0000

SPINE-TINGLING NEWS: Dragonfly, our first Playable Art sculpture, is almost complete. This week, artists Tanner Coleman and Alexis Gregg installed the huge glass mosaic eyes and poured the concrete base for the stairs and slide along Dragonfly’s spine.

The Sandy Springs Conservancy with a grant from Northside Hospital and in joint venture with Art Sandy Springs is creating the Playable Art Park at Abernathy Greenway – six fabulous sculptures for kids to play on. The sculptures are expected to be open to the public by May 2013. Click here for more information on the Playable Art Park.

Thank you, Sandy Springs: Residents ask for green light on green space

conservancy — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:12:55 +0000

WHEN THE CITY hired architectural firm Goody Clancy to develop a plan for our downtown, SSC asked that citizens in Sandy Springs consider the benefits that a large green space would have on our City Center. In line with our mission, SSC advocates a “green town center” - a central park - connected to our other parks, commercial areas and in-town neighborhoods by a network of tree-lined sidewalks, becoming a springboard for the revitalization of downtown.

We asked that you attend the public input meetings sponsored by the city and Goody Clancy to voice your opinions. The SSC board was so pleased to see the large turn out for these public meetings and that every group that presented their vision of a town center included a central green space.

Thank you for your participation and your support for a Green Town Center.

We anxiously await the plan that Goody Clancy presents.

Here is a copy of the letter the Sandy Springs Conservancy Board sent Mayor Galambos and the City Council underscoring our community’s desire for a large central green space in the Sandy Springs Town Center.