PARTICIPATE
DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs invites community members to help shape the future of the County's trail and greenway network through the Trail and Greenway Master Plan planning process.
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Community engagement is essential for developing and implementing a master plan that reflects the community’s values. In-person and online engagement opportunities kicked off last Fall, which include a series of open houses, an online survey and map input tool, pop up booths, and intercept surveys!
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Scroll down to view details about upcoming meetings and events, and to catch up on past events.
Join our email outreach list and stay informed about upcoming engagement opportunities and other ways to get involved.
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Upcoming Events
We are gearing up for our second round of engagement anticipated this Spring into early Summer! These events will focus on recommendations refinement, where the community will have an opportunity to review and comment on preliminary recommendations.
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Want to learn about engagement to-date? Scroll down to the Past Events section to see what we've been up to!
Guided Walking Tours
WHAT:
WHEN:
Guided walking tours provide an opportunity for the community to see challenges or opportunities with the trail network first hand and discuss potential improvements to address them.
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Spots are limited and registration is required.
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Registration for this event has closed.
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Saturday, May 4th
WHERE:
1:00 - 2:00pm
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Arabia Mountain Trail
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Stone Mountain Trail
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2:00 - 3:00 pm
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South River Rail
Open House Event
WHAT:
WHEN:
WHERE:
Open Houses in this phase of the project provide an opportunity for the community to review and comment on preliminary findings and recommendations.
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Early Summer (tentative). The project team is hard at work confirming event details and will provide an update as soon as possible. Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop!
Stay tuned for updates!
Past Events
Open House Series #1
The first Open House series took place in different locations throughout the County in September and October. The Open Houses aimed to introduce the project to the community at-large and gather feedback from all areas of the County. Each Open House provided the same content so that participants could attend the meeting most convenient. Instead of a formal presentation, participants were guided through different “stations” which provided project information and opportunities for input. Participants shared perspectives on trail priorities and key challenges, needs, concerns, and ideas for improving DeKalb's trail and greenway network.
Redan Recreation Center
September 18 (Mon.) & 19 (Tues.)| 6 - 8 PM
1839 Phillips Rd, Lithonia, GA 30058
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Tobie Grant Recreation Center
September 26 (Tues.)| 6 - 8 PM
593 Parkdale Drive, Scottdale, GA 30079
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Exchange Recreation Center
September 28 (Thurs.) | 6 - 8 PM
2771 Columbia Dr, Decatur, GA 30034
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Mason Mill Park
October 4 (Wed.)| 6 - 8 PM
1340 McConnell Dr, Decatur, GA 30033
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Pop Up Booths
​The project team facilitated three pop up booths at local event to spread project awareness, promote the survey, collect input, and provide an opportunity to interact with community members where they were in the community, outside of a typical public meeting.
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Project booths were held at the Fisher Park Trail Event on August 19, 2023, at the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Festival on October 14, 2023, and at the DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson Annual Tree Lighting on November 28, 2023.
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Community Survey
The community survey was open between August 2023 and March 2024, which solicited feedback to help the project team understand how people use DeKalb's trail and greenway network.. Participants were able to share their perspective on needs and areas for improvement and provided direction on how trails and greenways in DeKalb could be improved to better serve the community. A community survey summary is in progress.
Map Input Tool
A map input tool was active between September 2023 and March 2024. Participants were able to provide site-specific feedback using the map input tool to pinpoint issues, opportunities and challenges, identify potential new trail connections, identify safety issues, and suggest improvements that would make the general public more likely to use trail and greenway facilities. A summary of input collected through the map tool is in progress.
Intercept Surveys
Intercept surveys are a useful way to get quick, on-the-spot feedback from trail users to better understand local needs and challenges around using and accessing the County's trail and greenway network. The project team facilitated intercept surveys over a two week period in November 2023.
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JOIN US!
OPEN HOUSES
These informal, drop-in style meetings aim to collect feedback from attendees through interactive activities, in-person and digital engagement.
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POP UP EVENTS
​The project team will have a presence at certain community events throughout the county to meet people where they are in the community, spread project awareness, and collect input.
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GUIDED WALKING OR RIDING TOURS
​Guided walking or riding tours will provide a firsthand look at challenges and opportunities associated with a county-wide trail and greenway network.
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COMMUNITY INPUT MAP
A online interactive map tool will enable the community to provide feedback around specific challenges or needs in the DeKalb trail network.
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COMMUNITY SURVEY
A survey will be developed that can be accessed online. Hard copies will also be available at public events.