Enjoy a Walk in Biffle Park and a Special Treat

On May 11, 8 a.m., meet at the gazebo in Biffle Park for a fun walk with neighbors and new friends.   The address is 5221 Biffle Road, Stone Mountain.We’ve had two great walks already – and it was a wonderful way to exercise with neighbors and get to know them.

This time, we’ll include a short walk down one of the cleared golf course trails so you can see the progress the Hidden Hills Civic Association is making in the area. The walk will last just under an hour. 

We hope you can join the Walk on May 11. There will be one more on May 18, 8 a.m., so mark your calendar.  All this fitness is preparing us for the annual Hidden Hills 5K on the 2^nd Saturday of June. You can register for that event on the We Are Hidden Hills website.

Advocate for Our Parks

The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will hold a Parks Citizen Advisory Board Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at the East Central DeKalb Community Senior Center, 4885 Elam Road, Stone Mountain, Ga. 30083. At the beginning of the meeting, the public is invited to ask questions. Then, the Parks director gives status reports. We encourage you to attend because parks with advocates get better service!

The parks that serve the Greater Hills community include Hairston, Biffle, and Wade Walker. In order to protect and improve these parks, we need community advocates to speak up and pitch in.  Parks improve our quality of life and help to attract businesses and residents to the County. First-rate parks and recreation programs and facilities are a competitive advantage for DeKalb County in economic development.

Parks provide tremendous benefits to communities –they give us natural areas for recreation, and they help conserve our green environment and protect our watershed. Spending time outdoors reduces stress and improves health.  There are economic benefits as well.  The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) reports that last year, parks and recreation agencies generated more than $201 billion in economic activity and supported almost 1.1 million jobs.

To dive deeper into the benefits of parks, read the NRPA report.

If You See Something, Say Something

The Friends of Hairston Park have been working hard since 2017 to improve the park. Recently, the Friends were shocked to discover that someone stole two planters next to the kiosk. The Friends raised the money to build the kiosk and purchase the pots, and they were finished just a few months ago.  These planters were heavy. The thieves had to carry them at least 30 feet to reach the parking lot.  If you have any information about the pots, please write to FriendsofHairstonPark@gmail.com.

This is not the first time we have experienced setbacks in Hairston Park. Many of our lovely signs were destroyed, and some people have been tearing up the plants in the nature garden. We all want nice things in our community, but there are people who have no respect or are so angry that they seek relief in doing harm. If only they would put that energy into giving back, they would be so much happier. May the volunteer spirit engage their souls.

In the meantime, we need your eyes and ears on the park. Speak up if it looks safe to do so. If you see vandalism in action or other criminal behavior, call 911.  The Police Department needs to know what’s going on in our parks.  Also, report problems to the Parks Dept. at 404 371-2111.

Median on S. Hairston/Redan

Yes, we know that the median across from Kroger needs sprucing up.  The Greater Hidden Hills CDC provided all plants and much labor for the initial installation in 2017. The plants continue to thrive. We have spent more than $7,500 and hundreds of volunteer hours keeping it up over the years. The County has not had to lift a finger on that strip in seven years.  But now, we ask for County help because we simply do not have the funds or volunteers to do what is needed. We asked the County to provide mulch, trimming and week whacking to get it back into shape.  We have reached out to Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson to help us get the County to respond. She says she is working on it. 

We have received complaints from neighboring communities about the look of the median. They often compare it to the beautiful medians on Wesley Chapel/I-20 and Wesley Chapel/S Hairston, without accounting for the fact that the businesses in that area tax themselves to maintain the medians. We have relied on donations.

We are certain that attractive public space builds stronger communities and enhance economic development. If you would like to join us and urge the County to spruce up this 400-foot stretch of median, please write to the commissioner at: mdjohnson@dekalbcountyga.gov and copy Director of Constituent Services, Demetrius Pinkett, at lpinkett@dekalbcountyga.gov

We would like to thank those of you who have contributed to the Greater Hidden Hills CDC this year.

We work on behalf of all communities in and adjacent to the Hidden Hills overlay district. We would appreciate your financial donation.

Membership is $25 for individuals and $125 for neighborhood associations and businesses each year. 

or donate directly through PayPal:

Thank you for reading.  Let’s keep working together to leave our community better than we found it!

Comments? Questions? Our email is GHHCDC@gmail.com