Parks smoking ban, Mims Park proposal OK’ed by Atlanta City Council

• NMF
• Sixteen-acre park would be built, maintained and operated by nonprofit

‘Twas a busy day yesterday in the Atlanta City Council.

In addition to once again debating the use of bullhooks on circus elephants and giving the greenlight to a $4 million art exhibit at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, councilmembers gave the greenlight to a ban on smoking in Atlanta public parks and a proposal to turn mostly vacant lots in Vine City into a majestic, $55 million park.

People caught puffing tobacco in greenspaces or recreational facilities could be slapped with a fine of up to $1,000 or six months jail time. Or a judge could make ‘em go the old community service route. Councilmembers carved out a few exceptions to the rule in such places as Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood and Chastain Park. Councilman Howard Shook, who represents much of Buckhead, was the lone “no” vote because he thought the legislation was too intrusive. Mayor Kasim Reed, who gave Parks Commissioner George Dusenbury the OK to pursue the measure with Councilmembers Joyce Sheperd and Alex Wan, is expected to sign the legislation.

The mayor’s also expected to take up the National Monuments Foundation, the nonprofit operated by classical-architecture buff and sixth-generation Atlantan Rodney Cook, on its offer to build, operate, and maintain a 16-acre greenspace along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard on the borders of Vine City and English Avenue. The park, which is based on designs by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, would include an 80-foot “Peace Column,” statues of notable Atlanta “peacemakers,” a retention pond, and an urban farm, among other features. In addition to concerns about flooding in the area, some councilmembers expressed concern over whether the proposal, which supporters say would create jobs and give the long-impoverished neighborhoods a jolt of life, could make the area too pricey for existing residents. Not to mention other families who might one day want to call the historic part of Atlanta home.