Letters to the Editor - April 02 2008

I want to express that residents adjacent to the forest are not the only ones concerned about the county’s and PATH Foundation’s plans (“PATH trail blocked,” News & Views, March 12).

I live about one mile from Medlock Park. I have no property interests at stake. However, I use the trails in the forest regularly. That wooded space is a rare opportunity here in western DeKalb County to walk undeveloped wooded trails.

We have other maintained paths to enjoy the outdoors in our area. Lullwater Park at Emory, the path around Mason Mill Park and the nature preserve in the Medlock Park neighborhood are a few examples. Our only alternatives for truly natural spaces are the Chattahoochee River Recreation Areas a long drive away.

If DeKalb County is genuinely interested in promoting walking for our neighborhood residents, I suggest the county invest in sidewalks, which most of our streets are lacking.

I wish the county and PATH would acknowledge the irony in constructing a trail to which many users will have to drive and park to access.

– Robert Smariga, Decatur