When it opened in the mid-1960s, Selena S. Butler Park was a green jewel in a downtown community near the city's historic Auburn Avenue. Named for a community activist, the park is a short walk from Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth home and grave site.
Over the years, the park fell into disrepair. In 2005, the city demolished an adjacent housing project, displacing many of the park's core users.
In 2008, a tornado further devastated the park. It was closed and soon became a hangout for prostitutes and drug users.
Soon, though, Butler Park may shine again. The city plans to begin sprucing up the park in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, which had remarkable success with its first park revitalization in Washington, D.C.
Community involvement will be key in the restoration. Partners in the effort include the city; the Atlanta Housing Authority; Park Pride, a non-profit that works with communities to improve parks, and Friends of Butler Park.
Read the entire USA Today story here.
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2 comments:
We need housing units, not parks.
How does a tenant resolve a problem before it escalates and management can't seem to help because they have their own issues of two many cooks in the kitchen. Is there any system in place for mediation before court actions?
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