Shall I compare thee…

Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead, gives us the dirt on PATH400 progress.

Love is in the air, so I figured it is a perfect day for me to talk about the love of my life…PATH400. Shhhh!!! – please don’t share this with my husband and son!

Let’s talk a little about the parts and people of PATH400 that I love…

You all know by now that I love love love construction!  We are still on track for an October opening for the Lenox Square to Miami Circle section (YEAH!!!!) and will be getting moving on Adina between Lindbergh and Garson in March and wrap that section up mid-summer.

Why do I love construction so much? Well mostly because I love boots and jeans, but I guess it is probably because there are some awesome people who make it fun!

• First is Pete Pelligrini at the PATH Foundation. Pete keeps all the cats herded and balls in the air so I can think it is all fun and games. He even sometimes lets me think that I am actually in charge (ha!).
• Next is the awesome contraction team at Lewallen Construction . Peggy and Larry Lewallen are just the best and who doesn’t just love a chick in charge of construction? All of our various foremen on site have put up with my annoying questions with grace and patience. Kevin, JB, Gordon and Terry – thanks for making me feel welcome on site and only heckling me behind my back.
• Next is Cedric McKitt at MARTA . Cedric keeps us in line and makes sure we aren’t doing anything that might cause issues with those tracks and that power substation. He is there when we need him and always helps us along and keeps me from touching the 3rd rail. He also knows that if we come across a snake when I am there, he is chief snake wrangler.
• Norfolk Southern Railroad . Who loves the railroad? We do! They have been a fantastic partner and are just getting started with us going under their main freight line (who wouldn’t be nervous about that?)

So, of course, another thing we here at Livable Buckhead love is trees. It is no secret that we have to take a bunch of trees out along the way, but we pay a lot of attention to making sure we put them back and create a nice healthy forest environment. We have a few awesome partners that keep us green and leafy!

• Steve Sanchez at HGOR is our tree whisperer! Steve comes up with all the awesome landscape plans and make sure my baby looks pretty and includes all those native species that are good for the environment.
• Jasen Johns is one of the City of Atlanta arborists and otherwise known as the tree fairy! Jasen oversees the tree bank for the City and loves PATH400, so he helps us get trees and we help him meet the City’s needs to plant more.
• Chad Weaver at Camden is one of Buckhead’s developers who established a partnership with Livable Buckhead to make sure the trees they weren’t able to accommodate on their site were dedicated to PATH400.

Of course there are many other people and partners on PATH400 that I love – our designers and engineers (Perez Planning and Design and Heath & Lineback engineers…) our partners at the City of Atlanta, the Buckhead CID and PATH Foundation.

Show us you love us and donate to PATH400.