An urgent call to action for everyone interested in saving the last piece of Seven Branches Legacy Park. Short version: This petition was completed 3 years ago - one parcel remains - please email your mayor and council today asking them to start action to acquire the last parcel remaining in Seven Branches Legacy Park today.
Please read to the end for needed action. But first, an update on the progress to date for Seven Branches: On the very last Council meeting of their term, in December of 2017, the previous Roswell City Council voted to purchase the third of four sections of the Seven Branches Legacy Park. This is the section that borders Eves Road and Holcomb Bridge Rd. It was purchased with funding from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, at a rate of one-half a percent interest. Because of the interest displayed by the citizens of Roswell, our Council responded and to date has purchased roughly 50 of the total 53 acres in the Park, with just one parcel left unacquired.
We now have access to the Easternmost end of the property. However, no action has been taken by our new Council to purchase the last remaining 2.84 acres on the Westernmost end, near the entrance to Martins Landing. We have heard the argument that because of the fact that the property has multiple streams on it and is fairly narrow, it is largely undevelopable and will continue to be of little interest to prospective buyers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Imagine if someone was to purchase this property and hold hostage the entry and exit point to the Park.
Our Mayor ran on a platform favoring purchasing the Park, and even appeared in a video which promoted this purchase. We have been in contact with the owner of this last section, and he would very much like to sell it to the City at a greatly discounted price. The City has had this information for months now and has not acted. As we all know from the recent furor over the proposed development of Big Creek Park, the people of Roswell do not want to surrender even one acre of forested land that others before them have fought so hard to maintain.
It is imperative that you contact the Mayor and Council to let them know how important it is to complete this last small transaction, before it is too late. Please bring it up whenever and where ever you can in person, by email, and on other channels such as social media!
Contact email addresses are as follows -- please email your elected officials and ask them to act now:
All of mayor and council: RoswellMayorandCouncil@roswellgov.com
Mayor Lori Henry: mayorhenry@roswellgov.com
Council Member Matt Tyser (Recreation and Parks Liasion): mtyser@roswellgov.com
Council Member Sean Groer: sgroer@roswellgov.com
Council Member Matt Judy: mjudy@roswellgov.com
Council Member Michael Palermo: mpalermo@roswellgov.com
Council Member Marie Willsey: mwillsey@roswellgov.com
Council Member Marcelo Zapata: mzapata@roswellgov.com
This effort has been the culmination of over three years of work by many of our neighbors and friends in support of this last, great, passive park for Roswell. Please help us convince our Representatives to do the will of the people and purchase this last critical piece!