Sandy Springs will construct a nearly $5 million Veterans Park plaza across from the City Center campus in the heart of downtown. A large water fountain and sidewalk across the park entrance will mirror the same features outside the Performing Arts Center on the opposite side of Roswell Road.
Designs were shown during a City Council work session on March 16. Park construction is expected to start by the first quarter of next year and be completed within 10 months, Communications Director Sharon Kraun told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We really wanted to celebrate that this is the heart of Sandy Springs, that you’ve arrived at City Springs,” said John Fish of Barge Design Solutions of Atlanta during the meeting. “That’s in part what the dual fountains will do.”
The park space is moving closer to reality after years of controversy. In the mid-2010s, businesses that had operated for decades at the park space were forced to move. And last year Sandy Springs settled a dispute in Fulton County Superior Court with a company that rented billboards on the property.
The 2-acre park plaza will extend from the Roswell Road triangle at Mount Vernon Highway and Johnson Ferry Road to the Sandy Springs Library. Designs show a 12-foot-wide multi-use trail along Johnson Ferry Road that will connect to the Sandy Springs MARTA station.
People approaching the plaza from Mount Vernon Highway or Johnson Ferry Road would see green space with benches and an elevated sculpture in the center of the main park area. The central space would include monuments to veteran military personnel. Flowering trees, plants and artwork would also be placed throughout the park, according to the design.
Councilman Chris Burnett suggested opening the park to honor veterans or first responders in the fall of next year.
“What a great way to launch the park on Veterans Day 2022,” Burnett said. “Maybe beforehand on 9/11, but let’s set a goal and do our best to achieve it.”
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