Council Likely to Take Ballfields Out of Brook Run Park Plan

Three baseball fields proposed for the southwest side of Brook Run Park are likely to disappear from Dunwoody’s Parks Master Plan tonight.

The city council is scheduled to make some final changes to the parks plan tonight during a council work session and council meeting.

It appears a proposal to move the baseball fields from the Dunwoody Nature Center to Brook Run Park will be taken out of the plan, after the proposal came under scrutiny from neighbors of that area of Brook Run Park for several reasons:

• the area floods heavily already, and removing trees and flattening the area out caused concern of more flooding issues

• the plan would remove several trees in that area and decrease the canopy

• increased traffic, noise and lights in the area

Councilwoman Adrian Bonser felt those issues were too problematic to move forward with the plan.

“I did a list of pros and cons on this plan, and the cons far outweigh the pros,” she said. “That’s why the ball fields need to be taken out of Brook Run.”

The flooding issues as well as taking out trees in that area were at the top of Bonser’s list.

She said it seems ironic that part of the city’s plan increase space for the Dunwoody Nature Center – where the baseball fields are now –  was by removing established trees in Brook Run Park for the ball fields.

Bonser and other city councilors are looking at a new proposal.

“What seems to be emerging is a consensus that rather than put three ball fields at Brook Run, we will identify another location for them on a property that the city does not yet own,” said Councilman Robert Wittenstein.

At Brook Run, in the place of the ball fields would be a more passive recreation area, he said. The idea would be to level out the land and possibly put in some sort of terraced seating area.

“There would be no lights, no risers, no concessions stands and no stage or shell for performances,” Wittenstein said.

This fall, the city is likely to send a referendum to voters to help pay for revamping the city’s parks and acquiring some new park land.

“Some of that land acquisition would involve finding a location for the three fields,” Wittenstein said.

While the city doesn’t have much open land, Bonser said there are some possibilities around town.

“There have been properties available,” she said. “Nothing in particular that we are looking at.”

Bonser said the neighbors of the proposed ballparks, on Brook Runs southwest side, were happy to hear about the possible change.

“They are ecstatic,” Bonser said.