AJC - Take to Task: Lights out over courts at park

[rjluna2]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday May 21, 2010
Metro Section, page B2
Take to Task What's not working

Lights out over courts at park



Atlanta

   Last fall Take to Task helped Stephanie Harry get water flowing again from a pair of drinking fountains at her neighborhood park that hadn't worked in two years.  Harry hopes to ride the coattails of that success with her latest issue: lights over the park's basketball and tennis courts that she says also haven't worked in years.
   Harry lives near West End Park, which is on Lawton Street between I-20 and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard.  She says almost none of the park's lights worked until a few months ago when Georgia Power Co. came out and repaired most of the pathway lights.
   That left six nonworking lights over the basketball courts and eight over the tennis courts for which the city's Park Department is responsible.  Harry says these lights are critical to the park's usability.
   "The courts are essential at night," Harry says, "because it gives youth a positive way to spend their time and channel their energy.  Community coaches used to have practices here in the evenings and this hasn't happened since the lights have been broken."
   Harry contacted the Parks Department and was told the lights didn't work because a main line has been cut.  She was told the cost to repair the line was $21,000 to $34,000 and that the Parks Department didn't have funds available right now to do the work.
   This response didn't sit well with Harry, who believes the City's Watershed Department cut the line a few years ago while doing work in the area.  Unfortunately, Harry lacks documentation to substantiate the claim and the city seems unable to verify it.
   "Time elapsed, lack of good documentation and our own aging infrastructure all combine to make it difficult to tie a watershed contractor to the site" at the time, said interim parks commissioner Paul Taylor.
   Taylor says getting the lights in West End Park working completes with other priorities, but he hopes to take care of the problem soon.
   "I think we can afford the work," Taylor said, "but it will depend upon the quotes.  We're down an electrician and our skilled services staff will be preoccupied over the next few weeks with emergencies and getting pools and recreation centers ready for summer programming."
   "When the push is over," he continued, "we'll seek updated quotes on the [West End Park repair] work and try to get as much of it done over the next few months a possible."
   We'll keep you updated on progress.

John Becker.

[rjluna2]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, June 28, 2010
Metro Section, page B2

Take to Task What's not working

West End Park well-lit



Fixed

   Last year, with a little help from Take to Task, Stephanie Harry got water flowing again from a pair of nonworking drinking fountains at a par near her home so patrons could quench their thirst.  This summer she saw to it the city repaired lights over the basketball and tennis courts that hadn't worked in years so neighborhood youth can have a productive place to spend their evenings.  In both cases, Harry showed why she's West End Park's guardian angel.
   The park that Harry champions is on Lawton Street between I-20 and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard.  According to Harry, almost none of the park's lights worked until a few months ago, when Georgia Power came out and repaired most of the pathway lights.  That left six nonworking lights over the basketball courts and eight over the tennis courts for which the city's parks department is responsible.  Harry says the lights are critical to the park's usability.
   "The courts are essential at night," Harry says, "because it gives youth a positive way to spend their time and channel their energy.  Community coaches used to have practices here in the evenings and this has not happened since the lights have been broken."
   Harry contacted the parks department earlier this year and was told the lights didn't work because a main line had been cut.  She was told the cost to fix the lights was $21,000 to $34,000 and that the parks department didn't have the money to do the work.
   Paul Taylor, who at the time was interim parks department commissioner, told Take to Task in late May that the department was committed to doing the work but he couldn't say exactly when the lights would be back on.
   "I think we can afford the work," Taylor said, "but it will depend on the quotes.  Also, we're down an electrician and our skilled services staff will be preoccupied over the next few weeks with emergencies and getting pools and recreation centers ready for summer."
   Taylor said at the time he hoped to have the lights fixed within a few months.  As it turned out, his department made it happen in only a few weeks.
   On June 16 Harry e-mailed saying a crew was at the park working on the lights.  The really good news came June 21.
   "The lights are on again," Harry wrote in an e-mail, "and it makes me smile to hear children on the courts again enjoying the summer nights."
   "I want to thank the parks department, the AJC and you, Take to Task, for all your help getting the lights fixed," Harry wrote.  "Please know that you've truly made a difference in our community and we are very grateful."