Enhanced Recreation and Reading Amenities Debut in Woodruff Park

December 9,2009

New Building to house recreation equipment and
reading materials for the Downtown Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATLANTA, GA – For the past last three years, the Woodruff Park Reading Room has offered an open-air urban oasis for Downtown employees and visitors to sit and enjoy periodicals and books. Now, with new infrastructure and an expansion, the retreat will offer even more to the park and its patrons.

By the end of December 2009 the Woodruff Park Reading & Recreation building will be complete and ready for use. The building will house reading material, recreational supplies for games and park activities available for check out, and a full time park staff member to round out the new hospitable and unique area located on the corner of Peachtree St. and Auburn Ave.

The project is only one of a series of improvements in Woodruff Park since July 2009. Since then other improvements including hardscape repaving, repairing seat walls and an investigation into to a sustainable water recovery system for the park’s two fountains have given the park a new polished look. Even though major improvements and construction are underway, the park currently has lighted decorations for the holidays. Additionally the waterwall fountain will be turned on before the end of the month adding even more festive flair to the area.

“These improvements especially, in Woodruff Park, are making it even more appealing to Downtown residents, employees and visitors,” says A.J. Robinson, President, Central Atlanta Progress. “It’s our mission and hope that this great park is embraced and utilized throughout the year.”

The new Reading & Recreation Room building is ADA accessible and is surrounded by new planters framing the area with boxwoods, lenten rose and annuals. The building will offer games for checkout like bocce, football, frisbee, and volleyball along with board games and other equipment.

The Woodruff Park Master Plan presents an exciting new vision for Downtown’s most important green space. The authority for the Master Plan is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Atlanta Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, Inc. (ADID), as approved by the City Council and Mayor in 2007. To maximize Woodruff Park’s unique potential and take advantage of the new MOU, it was decided that a design vision and supporting capital program was necessary. With this in mind, Nimrod Long and Associates (the Park’s designer) was hired by CAP/ADID to develop an enhanced design for the Park that would build upon its strong points and also remedy deficiencies, including necessary repairs and redesign of existing structures in the park.

Four objectives were outlined for the design team:
• Promote quick and efficient rehabilitation of the Park’s infrastructure
• Increase park users through additional amenities (formerly programs) and activities
• Create revenue-producing food service attractions
• Create attractive, safe and comfortable spaces

The project will be accomplished in two phases, determined by funding availability and priority needs. It is unlikely that significant future City resources will be available; therefore Central Atlanta Progress has developed a comprehensive fundraising program targeting support largely from private sources.

Media Contact: Sara Milton at smilton@atlantadowntown.com or 404-658-5908.

ABOUT CENTRAL ATLANTA PROGRESS:
Central Atlanta Progress, Inc. (CAP) is a Downtown business association with 211 members. Its mission is to build a 21st century Downtown as the heart of the Atlanta Region – a vibrant community with strong leadership and sustainable infrastructure that is safe, livable, diverse, economically viable, accessible, clean, hospitable and entertaining. It is governed by a 60 plus-member Board of Directors, including an Executive Committee that oversees the monthly operational decisions on behalf of the Board. The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) is a 510(c)(3) non-profit organization created by CAP to make Downtown safer, cleaner and more hospitable.