YMCA built on park land may cost DeKalb taxpayers
DeKalb County may be required to buy park land to make up for building a YMCA on property that was supposed to be preserved for outdoor use.
Terry West of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources told county commissioners this week that the county needs to rectify the situation.
DeKalb spent $15 million to build the YMCA at Wade Walker Park, but development of that land was supposed to be restricted because it was partially purchased with federal grant funds.
The foul-up also effectively disqualified DeKalb from competing for a $98,000 to fund a trail, and it's jeopardizing the county's plans to build a new library at the park.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
