CLICK HERE to watch the meeting recording from the Virtual Open House.
PARTICIPATE
DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs invites community members to help shape the future of the County's trail and greenway network through the Trail and Greenway Master Plan planning process.
​
Community engagement is essential for developing and implementing a master plan that reflects the community’s values. In-person and online engagement opportunities kicked off in Fall 2023, which included an open house series, an online survey and map input tool, pop up booths, and intercept surveys! Input collected through community and stakeholder engagement will ultimately help shape plan recommendations and outcomes.
​
Scroll down to view details about upcoming meetings and events, and to catch up on past events.
Join our email outreach list to receive project updates.
​
Upcoming Events
We just wrapped up the second phase of engagement which focused on recommendations refinement. The community had an opportunity to review and comment on preliminary recommendations illustrated in the Vision Network map and described during the Virtual Open House.
​
Scroll down to the Past Events section to learn about previous events and access meeting materials.
Past Events
Virtual Open House
A Virtual Open House was conducted August 15, 2024 over Zoom with upwards of 136 attendees. The project team discussed​​ preliminary plan outcomes and recommendations as well as community and stakeholder input collected to date. This meeting also served to solicit input on the draft Vision Network.​​​​​​​​
​
Weren't able to attend? You can view the meeting recording and presentation slides below.
Guided Walking Tours
Guided walking tours provided an opportunity for community members to see challenges or opportunities with the trail network first hand and discuss potential improvements to address them.
​
Three community walking tours took place Saturday, May 4th, 2024, across different locations: Arabia Mountain Trail, Stone Mountain Trail, and South River Trail. A stakeholder walking tour including representatives from offices of elected and appointed officials, County departments, and trail advocacy groups was facilitated in late July 2024 along Peachtree Creek Trail at Mason Mill Park.
​​​​
Open House Series #1
The first Open House series took place in different locations throughout the County in September and October 2023. The Open Houses aimed to introduce the project to the community at-large and gather feedback from all areas of the County. Each Open House provided the same content so that participants could attend the meeting most convenient. Instead of a formal presentation, participants were guided through different “stations” which provided project information and opportunities for input. Participants shared perspectives on trail priorities and key challenges, needs, concerns, and ideas for improving DeKalb's trail and greenway network.
Redan Recreation Center
September 18 (Mon.) & 19 (Tues.)| 6 - 8 PM
1839 Phillips Rd, Lithonia, GA 30058
​
​
Tobie Grant Recreation Center
September 26 (Tues.)| 6 - 8 PM
593 Parkdale Drive, Scottdale, GA 30079
​
​
Exchange Recreation Center
September 28 (Thurs.) | 6 - 8 PM
2771 Columbia Dr, Decatur, GA 30034
​
​
Mason Mill Park
October 4 (Wed.)| 6 - 8 PM
1340 McConnell Dr, Decatur, GA 30033
​
​
Pop Up Booths
​The project team facilitated three pop up booths at local event to spread project awareness, promote the survey, collect input, and provide an opportunity to interact with community members where they were in the community, outside of a typical public meeting.
​
Project booths were held at the Fisher Park Trail Event on August 19, 2023, at the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Festival on October 14, 2023, and at the DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson Annual Tree Lighting on November 28, 2023.
​
​
Community Survey
The community survey was open between August 2023 and March 2024, which solicited feedback to help the project team understand how people use DeKalb's trail and greenway network.. Participants were able to share their perspective on needs and areas for improvement and provided direction on how trails and greenways in DeKalb could be improved to better serve the community. A community survey summary is in progress.
Map Input Tool
A map input tool was active between September 2023 and March 2024. Participants were able to provide site-specific feedback using the map input tool to pinpoint issues, opportunities and challenges, identify potential new trail connections, identify safety issues, and suggest improvements that would make the general public more likely to use trail and greenway facilities. A summary of input collected through the map tool is in progress.
Intercept Surveys
Intercept surveys are a useful way to get quick, on-the-spot feedback from trail users to better understand local needs and challenges around using and accessing the County's trail and greenway network. The project team facilitated intercept surveys over a two week period in November 2023.
​
​
JOIN US!
OPEN HOUSES
These informal, drop-in style meetings aim to collect feedback from attendees through interactive activities, in-person and digital engagement.
​​
POP UP EVENTS
​The project team will have a presence at certain community events throughout the county to meet people where they are in the community, spread project awareness, and collect input.
​
GUIDED WALKING OR RIDING TOURS
​Guided walking or riding tours will provide a firsthand look at challenges and opportunities associated with a county-wide trail and greenway network.
​
COMMUNITY INPUT MAP
A online interactive map tool will enable the community to provide feedback around specific challenges or needs in the DeKalb trail network.
​
COMMUNITY SURVEY
A survey will be developed that can be accessed online. Hard copies will also be available at public events.