Bessie Branham Park is the center of civic life in Kirkwood, the site of its annual Spring Fling and host to Neighborhood Planning Unit meetings.
But, according to Earl Williamson with the Kirkwood Neighbors Organization, the park has never received a broad renovation. That will change soon as work gets underway to replace the playground, deck, monument walls and to create a formal entrance at the Southwest Corner of the Park. There will also be some water remediation on the property.
Williamson is chair of KNO’s Bessie Branham Renewal Sub-Comittee.
“That’s been an ongoing problem,” he said. “The water never drains.”
Work should begin in the middle of August and will ramp up after Labor Day, he said. The work includes demolishing and rebuilding the current playground, and with any luck, it will be completed before the next Spring Fling in May.
The exact costs for all the work are unknown, though the southwest corner and monumental walls project are expected to cost around $92,000. Some money will come from TSPLOST 2.0, a sales tax Atlanta voters approved in 2022.
Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari’s office noted in a 2022 email to constituents that the bond approval included some measures to ensure the money is actually spent on time and projects get done, something that has not always happened in the city.
“We recognize that over the years, project delivery has become a top concern for most Atlanta tax payers,” she wrote. “That is why the City Council has proposed legislation that would create an accountability framework for these referenda.”
In a follow-up interview with Decaturish, Bakhtiari said there’s been significantly more committed to this project by the city and she’s working to get exact figures.
Williamson said that KNO has also raised $57,500 selling engraved bricks for the project.
He said that while historical records are scant, KNO is “fairly certain” the southwest corner was supposed to have a formal entrance that was never built.
He said that Bakhtiari also committed $120,000 from her office to replace the deck, preferably with composite wood material that will last longer and require less maintenance. At a recent KNO meeting, residents expressed frustration at a lack of communication from the Parks Department, which Williamson said is a reason he can’t give hard numbers on the cost of many of these improvements.
“The city won’t share numbers with us,” he said. “It’s an ongoing problem with this whole process, is the city not communicating, not sharing information, not sharing details.”
In some cases, residents are stepping in to do the work pro bono.
The restoration of the monumental walls, for instance, will be done as a side project and the contractor is scheduling it in between their other projects.
Williamson said Bessie Branham is Kirkwood’s “primary park.”
“Historically speaking, it is our original park,” he said.
Here is a message Williamson shared with the neighborhood that outlines the project’s goals and completion timelines:
SUMMARY:
Bessie Branham Park Renewal Field Walk Through Meeting – 7/9/2024
Anticipated Timelines
Initial monumental wall cleaning, mortar assessment, and prep June/August. Tasks will follow sequentially across 4-6 months:
— Cleaning and efflorescence removal.
— Remove deteriorated mortar and repoint with bead joint.
— Cleaning and repairing bronze plaques.
— Cast replacement elements for missing and broken architectural
details
— Engraved brick delivery 8/14/2024.
— Construction start last half August with SW corner patio, sidewalks, planter, walkway.
— Urban Treehouse deck restoration starts after Labor Day. Walkway completion from SW corner.
— Playground demolition/grading, water run off remediation, play equipment installation will follow in order TBD.
Concern Resolutions & Project Details
— The playground cypress shade trees will be preserved. This was facilitated by a more realistic consideration of play equipment root zone impacts. KNO will likely assume responsibility for care of these trees and the old growth Urban Treehouse hardwood.
— Playground footprint will be increased by approximately 20’ to the west.
— Playground equipment will include a zipline 100’ long with a 4’ drop and 6’ buffer at the sides.
— All rubber materials and surfaces will be removed. They will be replaced at play equipment installation with current best practice engineered wood fiber material.
— Parks no longer opposes scrap bleacher removals and their replacement with shade/picnic structures adaptively re-using the bleacher pads in Phase II Branham Renewal. The KUF Preserve shelter may serve as a model.
— The original Urban Treehouse deck depictions of trails, rivers, Great Lakes, etc. will not be incorporated at this time, largely because no one knows how it was so accurately done in 1994. Ideas are welcomed.
— The decks, ADA ramp, and other horizontal surfaces of the Urban Treehouse will be minimal maintenance composite materials courtesy of a donation from Councilperson Bakhtiari’s 5th District office. This will also likely allow an upgrade in materials from initial KNO estimates.
— The “New England” section will be rebuilt and gain a metal roof. Great rain fun for kids and adults who’ve never experienced metal roofs in the rain!
— Deck rail materials and style are under discussion and will likely be a mix of wood and metal in a more “modern” style.
— A set of stairs from “Florida” will connect to the playground footprint.
— KNO will remove and refurbish the “Woodsie Owl” decorations for re-use on the restored deck.
— Water runoff intruding into the playground from the playing fields and diamonds and below the Urban Treehouse decks will be re-directed to storm water collection derived from a proposal from Bessie Branham Renewal partner HGOR Architects. … The proposal is much more cost effective and less damaging than Watershed approaches.
— Additional water runoff interventions to address slope run off from the south edge are under discussion. These include plantings, run off “walls”, and relocating pathways from the SW corner.
Items For Continued Discussion
— The historic swing set (c. late 1940’s) may need fall zone certification to meet current play equipment standards. This involves relationships between vertical and horizontal dimensions and movement and may not be possible given the piece’s age. The contractor will be requesting a liability release.
— KNO will explore historical preservation possibilities, grandfathering, etc. Parks Department will be consulting City Law Department re. options.
— Relocation to functionally preserve the swing set may be needed. Several public spaces offer adequate footprints.
— Urban Treehouse deck materials, style, coverage requires further discussion.
— The stairway at the west edge of the Urban Treehouse will require further design discussion as well as related pathway placement and water runoff.
Grace Donnelly contributed reporting to this story.
This story was provided by WABE content partner Decaturish.
