The Dirt on PATH400

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

Hmmm, what to talk about today? If only the magic 8-ball provided more insightful guidance than “reply hazy, ask later.” Even my consultation with CHATGPT resulted in a trove of information on PATH400 but fell short of sparking a fresh topic. Perhaps it’s time to turn to you, our dear readers, for inspiration. What would pique your interest for upcoming editions? Share your wisdom by replying to this email.

The latest excitement is that some of our big walls are undergoing a stunning transformation! Here are a couple fun before and after photos. What’s even more interesting is how these are built: these walls aren’t crafted from stacked stone; they’re actually made from poured concrete cleverly disguised to resemble authentic stonework. How, you ask? By inserting a mold into the form before pouring the concrete. Once the concrete dries, voila! You have a fancy, picture-perfect wall!

Before & After

Cocktail Party Tidbit Alert! Those fancy concrete molds are called form liners. Your construction lingo is just growing by leaps and bounds. Who needs Babbel to learn construction speak?

Additional Construction & Progress on PATH400

Miami Circle Gateway: Did you know that PATH400 is situated right at the very top end of Miami Circle, just by Eclipse di Luna (sangria… mmmm, that sounds delightful!)? If you’ve attended our Party on the PATH event, you might already be in the loop. But if not, you may have missed it since it’s not immediately obvious. However, fear not! We’re gearing up to rebuild the roadway leading up to PATH400, making it more prominent and inviting for all. Once this roadway portion is complete, we’ll be enhancing the area with sculptural art components to craft a gateway suitable for Buckhead’s signature arts district. Thanks to the support of Councilman Shook, your local TSPLOST dollars are helping turn this vision into reality. Be sure to mark your calendars for this year’s Party on the PATH event to witness the (hopefully) finished product firsthand!

Loridans to Sandy Springs: The bids are in, but as seems to be the trend with construction projects nowadays, they’ve exceeded our engineers’ budget estimates. So, I’m back to searching through sofa cushions, looking under rocks, wandering around with my metal detector and chasing rainbows to find the pots of gold to fill the $1.2M funding gap. Despite the challenge, I’m optimistic that we’ll secure the necessary funds and kick off construction sometime this summer. Fingers crossed!

Steel: As you may recall from last month’s update, we are experiencing delays with our steel provider, and unfortunately, I have to report that not much has changed since then. (Those who know me can surely picture me banging my head on the desk in frustration.) While we have made some strides with facilitating communication, there is still no end in sight. Currently, we are four months behind schedule on the steel portion of the project. However, there’s a glimmer of hope that we may be able to make up some of this delay, so we’re holding off on adjusting the total project opening date just yet. In the meantime, I encourage you to make the most of your time strolling, jogging, or driving down Mountain Drive while it’s still available to you!

Raise the Rails Fundraising Campaign

Many of you know your neighbor Brigitte Peck. What you may not know is that she is our fundraising consultant! Here’s an update from her:

“If you haven’t had a chance to drive down Mountain Way now that it’s temporarily reopened, take a minute to go by and see for yourself just how high up that bridge will be. Once you do, you’ll understand why Livable Buckhead decided to install higher and more protective railings on this new section. Thanks to donors who have already contributed over $20,000 toward the project. Read more and make your gift today to help us raise the rails!” – Brigitte

Hard Hat Tours

I would like to give a shout out to some extra special guests who were on one of our last tours. First, founding chairman of BATMA (the predecessor of Livable Buckhead) and the man who hired me some 25 years ago, Doug Crawford. Doug was scheduled for hip surgery but braved the tour anyway! We were also joined by the Corrells, who love PATH400 so much they were back for their second (or is it third?) tour!

Our next construction tour will be Saturday, April 27th at 12pm. These regularly fill up fast so don’t wait to secure your spot! RSVP here.

Pond Clean Up Update

Remember last month when I emphasized the importance of maintenance? Well, I’m thrilled to share some fantastic news and photos with you! During the Maxine Rock Day of Service, a group of dedicated volunteers rolled up their sleeves (and donned some oh-so-sexy waders) to tackle the daunting task of cleaning up the pond located between PATH400 and GA 400. You wouldn’t believe the amount of trash that accumulates from the highway, but thanks to the efforts of our brave volunteers, it’s all cleaned up. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Livable Buckhead’s Chairman Bob Stoner, along with staffers Helen Petersen and Donna Dodson, as well as Emory’s badminton team and the Rock family for their invaluable contributions and hard work!

Buckhead Walk + Run Club

With the time change upon us and the sun staying out a little longer each evening, our weekly run club will once again be hitting the PATH400 trail! Join the Buckhead Walk + Run Club every Tuesday at 6pm at their starting location, Citizens Market Atlanta. Click here to learn more.

Big Peach Social Ride – Volunteer Opportunity

If you’re passionate about cycling, community, and making a positive impact, we invite you to join our volunteer team this Sunday, March 24th at 2pm! Big Peach Ride + Run and Propel ATL will lead a 6-mile social ride along Buckhead’s PATH400. This is a great opportunity to meet the local biking community and celebrate the connections along PATH400! PATH Foundation’s May Hays will be present to provide construction updates and info on future connections along the trail.

Sign up to volunteer!