History, Parks Take Stage at North Buckhead Civic Association

North Buckhead's history once looked like an empty slate, but the picture is now growing full with color and drama.

In cooperation with the North Buckhead Civic Association and the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, the Buckhead Heritage Society is discovering a wealth of information about the area through its oral history project.

Heritage Society Executive Director Erica Danylchak presented a slideshow at the North Buckhead Civic Association's annual meeting Thursday night about the fascinating history of the area, which she said was little known previously. The gathering was the group's 40th annual meeting. The Heritage Society is also conducting video interviews with notable Buckhead people. The interviews can be found on the organization's website.

Such nuggets as the early days of Wieuca Road, once Stephens Mill Road, where estates like the Herrington Estate flourished, and the past lives of the and the as alms houses were offered.

Today's history in the making was not neglected as the group received an update on , where a state of the art . Another highlight of the night was the Ga. 400 trail, which

District 7 City Councilman Howard Shook, who received an award from the civic association for his work in developing green space in the community including the Buckhead Collection campaign, addressed safety issues expressed about Little Nancy Creek Park, which is on a busy section of Peachtree-Dunwoody Road. Shook recently secured funding for a crosswalk at the site, but said other work is needed, such as eventually developing sidewalks along Peachtree- Dunwoody.

"It's a leap of faith to press a button and venture out on Peachtree-Dunwoody, but that is what we have now," Shook said, emphasizing he asked a traffic engineer to do the safest design possible for the crosswalks recently installed.

Shook said he'd like to eventually see sidewalks along Peachtree-Dunwoody. He predicted that the city would in the near future ask the voters to approve another bond issue for public works projects, which might include the sidewalks. Shook promised he'd "try to make it project specific" so voters could see which work they'd be funding.

While he said he doesn't like developing parks without sidewalks, he wants to acquire parkland whenever it becomes available, with the aim of installing the sidewalks later.

While the meeting's political cast was muted this year — Buckhead representative and House Majority whip Edward Lindsey didn't appear as scheduled because it was the last night of the legislative session — the meeting attracted two GOP candidates for the State Senate District 6 seat, and .

Commander Robert Browning said the community continues to do well in cutting crime, although it had spiked a bit with the springlike weather since January. He urged residents to continue to be vigilant, not leave valuables in their cars, and call 911 if suspicious activity is observed.