Bicyclists and pedestrians will get a new link between two parks in an older suburb just north of Decatur.

The PATH Foundation will team with DeKalb County to build a $1 million path that is part concrete and part boardwalk. The 7/10-mile-long route will link Medlock and Mason Mill parks.

WHEN WILL THEY START?

Construction should begin around the end of February, said Ed McBrayer, executive director of the PATH Foundation. It will take at least another year to conclude negotiations with CSX, the railroad that owns a right of way bisecting Mason Mill Park, he said. The path's western terminus is near the rail line, and users will have to walk over the tracks until a tunnel is built, he said.

WHERE WILL IT BE LOCATED?

The path will travel east from Mason Mill Park off Clairmont Road to Medlock Park off Willivee Drive. The PATH Foundation's long-term plans call for an east-west corridor across central DeKalb. This first segment will grow east to the county-owned horse park near North DeKalb Mall, and west through Emory University to a forest near the Zonolite Industrial Park. (See map below)

HOW WILL THEY BUILD IT?

McBrayer said the 10-foot-wide path will require a 10- to 30-foot-wide lane through the forest. He couldn't say how many trees will fall, but said large, old hardwoods will be saved. The boardwalk section will be the narrowest. The concrete path will require at least five feet of clear land on either side for the safety of users. He said small equipment, including "buggies" that don't need roads to transport concrete, will be used for most of the construction to reduce damage to the forest.

WHY ARE THEY BUILDING THIS PATH?

The new path will link Emory University to the road-locked Medlock suburb east of Clairmont Road. That means cyclists, pedestrians and skaters will be able to get from their homes to the university without traveling on busy and dangerous streets such as North Decatur and North Druid Hills roads. The elderly, those in wheelchairs and parents with strollers will also be able to enjoy the forest.

WHO CARES?

Some environmentalists worry about tree loss, erosion and the possibility of damage to the south fork of Peachtree Creek, which the path will parallel and cross. But cyclists who commute on busy roads are looking forward to a safer and less polluted traveling option.

Nearby residents are torn over the issue. Some want the forest in Mason Mill Park to remain free of concrete. Others look forward to the easier access and the link between Mason Mill and Medlock parks. The boardwalk will traverse a steep hillside between the parks that is difficult to cross.

TWO NEIGHBORS' VIEWS

Kathy Masterson and Glen Hardy each live in the nearby homes where they grew up, and they regularly walk to Mason Mill Park to stroll under the leaves. They played in the forest when they were children, and have divergent opinions about the path.

Hardy wants to continue walking his dogs on the dirt routes that he remembers from childhood. He doesn't want the intrusion of concrete. "There's very few places you can go to be just in the woods," he said.

But Masterson said the area has grown up, too. She initially opposed the path, but has changed her mind. It will allow more people to access the forest, she said, especially older people in the aging neighborhood.

"A lot of us have small perspectives," she said. "I understand wanting to keep it natural, but we've gotten so global."

 MICHAEL DABROWA / Staff
Map locates South Peachtree Creek Trail, including: Beginning of trail construction at old stone bridge pictured above. End trail construction at parking area, Medlock Park
Inset map illustrates the LONG-TERM EXPANSION, including Planned South Peachtree Creek trails and Other future trails. Outlines area of detail: South Peachtree Creek Trail.

Sources: DeKalb County, ECOS Environmental Design Inc.

 MICHAEL DABROWA / Staff
Sources: DeKalb County, ECOS Environmental Design Inc.