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Dr. Fifi: I’m OK with it. It’s two gay holidays together. It would be nice to have some warmer weather, but I’m just happy to be back in Piedmont Park. It’s National Coming Out Day, and National Coming Out Month in October. That has a lot of significance. I heard a lot of people are traveling to Atlanta Pride because it is in October. More people will be here. Any time we come together as a community we’re strengthened. I’d prefer June, but the fact that we get it back in Piedmont Park, it really doesn’t matter to me when it is.

Ken: It’s an abomination. Gay Pride is the anniversary of Stonewall. Stonewall is in June, not October. It has nothing to do with Halloween. It has to do with significant events in the Gay calendar and significant events that happened in June. That’s part of our history. We don’t change history. I’m all about Piedmont Park. However, you need to honor what you need to honor, and location is not the reason we do this. I am ashamed of the Pride Committee for agreeing to this. I know people on the committee that are my friends, and I am ashamed.

Chris: Piedmont Park would only let us to do [this] weekend, and it turned out to be Halloween. Having it on Halloween will inspire people to dress up more, participate more, and it will be a lot more fun than everybody sweating in the heat in June. Having it at the different time of year does not take away from what happened at Stonewall. Around the country, Gay Pride has been celebrated at different times. It makes no difference in remembering those that were at Stonewall. We always have those thoughts with us, whatever month it would be.

(Photos by Jeff Slate)

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1. Hundreds of fish die in Piedmont Park’s Lake Clara Meer (Turns out it was more like thousands of fish that perished, reportedly from dissolved oxygen. Who knows what Sir Paul thought?)

2. AJC may abandon Marietta Street (Today we learned the paper’s new HQ will be in the action-packed ‘burbs come next June.)

3. Why I want a public option (Andisheh Nouraee clearly states why there needs to be an alternative to private health insurance.)

4. Columnist’s solution to gay sex in parks? Attack dogs. (Marietta Daily Journal resident curmudgeon enlightens us with his wonderful idea of how Marietta City Council should send gays “back to Atlanta where they belong.”)

5. Fulton, Forsyth ban chaining your dog (Beginning Sept. 4, dogs in Fulton County cannot be chained or tethered to a fixed object unless held by an attendant or by the owner.)

(Photo by Thomas Wheatley)

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1) Paul McCartney plays Piedmont Park.

2) Flux finds a new home at the Mark.

3) Steely Dan plays Chastain Park Amphitheatre.

4) Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performs at the Rialto Center for the Arts.

5) Apache Cafe hosts the Black August 30th Anniversary Commemoration Concert.

See more Atlanta events.

(Photo by Kevin Mazur)

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The location is set, permits have been secured and lips are being puckered as upwards of 1,000 participants are expected to gather Saturday at 2 p.m. in front of the visitor’s center at Piedmont Park to take part in the Great Nationwide Kiss-In.

Atlanta is one of over 50 cities across the country that will simultaneously engage Saturday in lip-locking — a grassroots-led response to incidents in Salt Lake City and El Paso where gay couples were arrested or kicked out of restaurants for sharing a brief kiss.

Surveillance video of the Salt Lake City incident:

While the sheer size of the crowd expected in the park for the event tomorrow is striking enough, it’s even more surprising that the event was organized by a 17-year-old.

(more…)

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1. Beltline proposal near Piedmont Park prompts concerns about density (How dense is too dense at 10th and Monroe?)

2. Thoughts on passing of Atlanta LGBT rights leader Allen Thornell (Beloved activist, 38, dies after suffering a stroke.)

3. Letter to editor about Georgia reservoirs hilariously suburban (Second only to CL, the Marietta Daily Journal has some of the best letters to the editor.)

4. Oxendine attacks Obama on behalf of big donors (The Ox has to look out for his base — which, is, of course, big insurance companies.)

5. MARTA service cuts start Aug. 15 (Bus route 23 — which runs along Peachtree, linking Midtown to Buckhead — gets the axe.)

(Photo courtesy Atlanta Beltline Inc.)

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It was an eerie and stinky scene at Piedmont Park today as hundreds of dead fish floated on the surface and washed up on the shores of Lake Clara Meer.

Parkgoers were baffled by the event, which a Georgia Department of Natural Resources official interviewed by the AJC said was most likely caused by algae bloom. When the algae die off, the water’s oxygen can dissolve. If that was what caused today’s die-off, then the fish essentially suffocated to death.

Underneath dead fish washed ashore, you could spot schools swimming below nipping at the flies landing on the bodies. A spokesman for the Piedmont Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that helps maintain the public park, say it’s likely those fish will also die.

The AJC notes that these events are a common occurrence during the summer in the Southeast. Park officials expect more information to become available in the coming days. Additional DNR officials are scheduled to evaluate the situation on Monday.

After the jump, a statement from the conservancy’s president and CEO and more photos of dead fish.

(more…)

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WSB-TV reports that a man stabbed early Saturday morning in Piedmont Park is in critical condition and expected to undergo surgery at Grady Hospital.

Investigators said two men got into an altercation near a lake inside the park at about 3: 30 a.m.

Police said the perpetrator punched the victim twice and then stabbed him twice in the stomach.

Authorities said it was unclear if the victim knew the perpetrator.

Police described the perpetrator as a “black male, between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall, carrying a backpack.”

This morning’s attack is the second after-hours crime in Piedmont Park to make headlines this year. On May 28, 43-year-old Patrick Boland was killed near the same lake.

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Beltline officials have proposed allowing future developers to build up to eight stories at 10th Street and Monroe Drive. (Looking northeast from Grady High School)

Some intown residents who’ve never been ones to shy away from city and developer battles say they’re none too pleased with the proposed vision of the Beltline near Piedmont Park.

According to preliminary plans for the Beltline’s segment that stretches from Ansley Park to City Hall East, future developers would be allowed to build up to eight stories at the congested corner of 10th Street and Monroe Drive.

That’s a far cry from the twin Towers of Babel that Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason wanted to build on the same spot in 2006. But the reduction in size — and the fact that no specific development project’s been proposed — hasn’t stopped some residents from voicing concerns over what they say is an inappropriate vision for one of intown Atlanta’s most popular neighborhoods.

(more…)

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Dyana Bagby of the Southern Voice gives a thorough update on the killing of Patrick Boland, a 43-year-old gay man who was stabbed in Piedmont Park early in the morning hours of May 28. Bagby reports that Atlanta police still have no leads and are investigating the killing — and the stabbing of another gay male that took place shortly after Boland was attacked — as possible hate crimes.

When police arrived at Piedmont Park May 28 to investigate Boland’s death, there were several people in the park, some hiding in the bushes because they were there after the park’s closing time at 11 p.m.

But Willis said he does not care who was in the park for whatever reason on that night; he just hopes someone will come forward with a clue to solving the crime and helping Boland’s family find closure.

“The amount of blood at the scene and the blood trail — he ran quite a ways,” Willis said.

“Someone had to have heard something, him screaming or calling for help. There had to be some kind of altercation. One witness we did talk to was worried about being arrested. That [being in park after hours] is not a concern to me; that is low on my list,” Willis said.

Interesting details about why police don’t think robbery played a role in Boland’s killing is in SoVo’s article.

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Environmental news site Grist has an interesting post today questioning whether the controversial parking deck in Piedmont Park is as “green” — or LEED-certified — as its proponents have claimed.

But the pro-parking deck forces point to its green attributes, and even named it “SAGE”—for Safety Access Greenspace and Expansion. Per the Conservancy’s website, the garage was built to LEED standards, with shaded areas for cars to reduce heat island effect; increased access to the park for visitors; a “virtually invisible” structure within several years, when the potted trees finally blossom; special parking spots for hybrids and such; a top-level bike rack; and rainwater capture to irrigate the gardens.

Hm. Other than the last two ingredients, pretty much none of its touted green factors are particularly green, nor are they part of the LEED system. In fact, the U.S. Green Building Council has no record of the SAGE parking facility—it was neither registered (the first step toward certification) nor certified. And a parking garage isn’t eligible for LEED certification—a building, says Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, must have at least one resident to even be considered.

Foes of the parking deck weren’t mollified by the LEED claims—“Putting trees in pots on a concrete monstrosity didn’t transform the essential nature of the beast,” says [Friends of Piedmont Park board member Jack White]—but the even more troubling thing, at least to the folks who oversee LEED, is the misuse of their carefully crafted system. LEED has endured a lot of criticism in its 13-year history—for being too complex, not accounting for regional differences, costing too much to achieve, etc.—and has responded with a user-friendlier version, dubbed LEED 3.0, this year. But, says Horst, if a project isn’t officially certified, “you have no idea what [developers] mean” when they use the term. (The Piedmont conservancy did not return email requests for comment.)

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The Southern Voice raises an interesting question about why a former Wings bassist and ex-husband of model Heather Mills can be allowed to play in Piedmont Park, but the Atlanta Pride Festival had to reschedule the summer event until October.

…due to restrictions on city parks put in place during the drought, the official Pride festival has been postponed until late fall. Instead, a coalition of LGBT organizations are hosting Stonewall Week events through Sunday.

The Paul McCartney show — announced on June 24 and scheduled for Aug. 15 — is widely expected to draw a crowd as large or larger than the 50,000 who turned out to see the Dave Matthews Band in September 2007 for the Piedmont Park Conservancy’s Green Concert series.

But according to city officials, the concert is not a “Class A” festival.

“The Piedmont Park Green Concert Series is a Class B event. It is also a gated and ticketed event so it does not fall under the outdoor event policy,” said Sharon Davis, spokesperson for the city’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs department.

SoVo goes on to say the city’s dangerously close to contradicting itself should Mills’ former husband draw a crowd larger than 50,000 people. Now, we’ve never heard of this McCartney character, probably because we don’t listen to country music. But whoever he is, SoVo does raise a good point.

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Fomer bass guitarist of the popular 70s rock ensemble Wings, Paul McCartney, will play a concert in Piedmont Park on August 15.

Well-known Wings hits include “Goodnight Tonight,” and “Venus and Mars/Rock Show.”

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No worries, it’ll reopen tomorrow at 11 a.m. But ya see! This is why you people can’t have nice things!

From an email blast sent out to Piedmont Park Conservancy mailing list members:

After the jump, the obligatory Caddyshack clip, plus some copycats. (more…)

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Picking up from where this morning’s post left off, Project Q Atlanta says Liz Coyle has filed her paperwork to run for Atlanta City Council’s District 6 seat.

According to Project Q Atlanta, Beltline attorneys informed Coyle she would not be required to resign. The longtime community activist is now the third candidate vying to represent the Midtown, Druid Hills and Morningside neighborhoods at City Hall when Councilwoman Anne Fauver ends her term.

The news site also has some background on the district’s hot-button issues among its large gay community. (Think bar-closing hours and access to Piedmont Park for Atlanta Pride.) There’s also the issue of demographics: Since 1998, District 6 has been represented by openly gay women. Coyle, who’s heterosexual and married, will face off against Steve Brodie and Alex Wan, who are both openly gay.

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Cruising, or the act of meeting people for casual and/or anonymous sex, has always been whispered about as Piedmont Park’s most well-known after-hours recreational activity.

On May 28, however, the city was jostled by an early morning killing inside the city’s most iconic greenspace, a crime Atlanta Police think might have been related to cruising. (Police are still searching for a suspect in the case.) Somewhat surprising: According to an email from the APD Zone 5 supervisor to Midtown residents, police found more than 12 people, most with nearby residential addresses, loitering in the park the night after the killing.

The Southern Voice has posted a video tour of the park’s alleged cruising trails. Along its winding path, SoVo’s unidentified cameraman discovers various objects — used condoms, crushed energy drinks, a copy of the redesigned AJC. Be sure to check out the excellent article about cruising in Piedmont Park written by SoVo’s Dyana Bagby.

After the jump, a 1983 video of a Piedmont Park cruising spot that apparently no longer exists.

(more…)

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The California Supreme Court today upheld a controversial ban on gay marriage that was narrowly approved last year by the state’s residents.

Gay rights supporters will gather in Piedmont Park tonight to oppose the court’s decision to uphold the ban.

From the Southern Voice:

Atlanta activists plan to rally in Piedmont Park beginning at 5:30 p.m. to protest the decision as part of “Day of Decision” events taking place across the country. Protesters will gather at 14th Street and Piedmont, according to organizers.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Atlanta cyclists will gather near Piedmont Park on Wednesday evening to remember fellow bike riders killed or injured by motorists on public roadways.

Details from the Atlanta Ride of Silence Facebook page:

Join cyclists worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph/20 kph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.

For Atlanta riders, meet at Charles Allen & 10th at 6:45pm. Please wear a black armband to honor those who have fallen, we’ll have some on hand as well. We will have a sign-up sheet you can sign to indicate if you’re riding in memory of someone in particular. A few words will be said, then our ride will leave promptly at 7pm.

To sign up as a confirmed guest, visit the Atlanta Ride of Silence Facebook page. For more information about the worldwide event, visit the official Ride of Silence website. If you’re interested in spreading the word about Wednesday’s event, check out the organization’s blog and resources page. Both have templates for posting information on sites like Craig’s List, logos you can download and other organizing materials.

(H/T to Maigh; Logo courtesy of Ride of Silence)

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Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver’s unexpected exit from the District 6 race yesterday took nearly everyone in the politically active and tight-knit neighborhoods she serves by surprise.

In a Tuesday interview with CL, Fauver said the decision, which she’s wrestled with for the last two months, largely came down to two things: frustration with city politics and the desire to try something new.

“[Atlanta] once had a strong council and a weak mayor,” Fauver said. “That’s been reversed. That can be very frustrating because council is supposed to determine policy…As of now, we don’t.”

Fauver added that it’s difficult to juggle a career and serve in City Hall. The job of a councilmember, which pays $39,000 a year and is supposed to be a part-time gig, is more like a round-the-clock position.

“It’s four years,” she said, referring to another term. “Four years on top of eight years is a little bit longer than I want to do it. I’m frankly looking forward to a new challenge and I don’t know what that will be.”

(more…)

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1) The Atlanta Dogwood Festival returns to Piedmont Park.

2) Comedian Mike Epps performs at the Fox Theatre.

3) Relativity, Morale Hazard, Untitled (Street Performances) and Videos open at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center.

4) Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts Jr. reads and discusses Before I Forget at Decatur Library.

5) The Nighthawks play Blind Willie’s.

(Photo courtesy Atlanta Dogwood Festival)

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For most of the Beltline’s history, concerns about displacement have largely focused around slowly gentrifying neighborhoods in Southeast and Southwest Atlanta. The land and homes are less expensive and ripe for the picking by a developer agog at the thought of a project near the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit.

But at Monday morning’s Atlanta City Council meeting, councilmembers heard from concerned residents who feared a plan to save a key part of the $2.8 billion project would potentially uproot them from their homes.

At yesterday’s special-called meeting, council unanimously OK’ed a deal reached by the Georgia Department of Transportation, Amtrak and Beltline officials that saved residents near the Piedmont Park the headache of high-speed trains lumbering nearby on tracks called the “Decatur Belt.” The move also saves the entire Beltline project — late last year, the city poured money into the area when it purchased the property from a Gwinnett County developer for at least $66 million.

But the vote came without some last-minute amendments thanks to Marietta Street residents who said Amtrak, GDOT and Beltline officials’ plan to save the Decatur Belt merely shifted the burden of high-speed rail on to them — and placed their homes at risk. According to rough plans presented to GDOT’s board last week, the alternate plans for high-speed rail serving Atlanta involve expanding the tracks and potentially seizing property. The buildings and lofts in which the residents could very well be some of those.

(more…)

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The dispute that potentially derailed Atlanta’s smart-growth future seems to be officially coming to an end.

The Georgia Department of Transportation today ended its role in the dispute over railroad tracks in northeast Atlanta considered vital to the Beltline, the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit proposed to one day circle the city.

During its monthly meeting, the department’s board unanimously voted to remove its objection over the Beltline’s plans for the “Decatur Belt,” a 4.3-mile rail segment that stretches from Ansley Park to DeKalb Avenue.

(more…)

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Jason: It would be a minute and a half before I’d pee on that tree right there — but unfortunately I’m with a girl right now, so you know how that goes. When you’re with somebody, you sit there and wait, and you continue to wait until you make it to the one port-a-potty they have at Piedmont Park. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be waiting. I’m good right now. Maybe in another 10 minutes it could get a little urgent. They have 50 port-a-potties we can’t use. It’s fenced off unless you want to pay $30 to go to [Park] Tavern.

Bianca: I’ve been here about 10 minutes. I don’t even know what I’ll do. But [the park's new public restroom] looks really cool. I don’t know what it is. It’s not a port-a-potty. It looks really automatic and up-to-date. So that does make you want to stay a little longer. I’ll wait 10 minutes, or maybe more. I want to see what it looks like inside. It does look new and clean. If it was a regular port-a-potty, I’d probably find a bathroom before I got home. But because of the way it looks, I’ll stay longer.

Susan: I will wait awhile, because I don’t have to go that bad. But my girlfriend just paid $10 to cut in line after we waited about 10 minutes, after they denied her at those port-a-potties. She really had to go but I don’t have to go that bad. I figure I already have this spot in this line; I might as well take advantage of it while I’m here. I’ll have to go in 20 minutes, I’m sure. I don’t want to start this whole process all over again.

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More photos from Yoga in the Park here.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Beltline, Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak officials have until tomorrow afternoon to update the U.S. Surface Transportation Board about the fate of the Decatur Belt, a strip of abandoned rail in Northeast Atlanta which all sides say they need to control for very different rail projects. (Here are some maps of the project and area in question.)

Late last week, residents of several at-risk neighborhood organizations — including Poncey-Highland, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward — asked Amtrak and GDOT to scrap their plans for commuter or intercity rail running along the Decatur Belt. (Click here to read their Word Document press release.) While all the agencies promised to work together to try and resolve the issue, they’re keeping mum on how things have progressed. On Tuesday, Mayor Shirley Franklin told U.S. Congressman John Lewis the sides are still negotiating. Nonetheless, keep checking back for updates about the story.

In other Beltline news, some areas of the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit that would require rezoning are scheduled to be discussed — and possibly voted on — by the Atlanta City Council’s Community Development and Human Resources Committee on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m.. Included are project areas near Old Fourth Ward, Grant Park, Northwest Atlanta, and others.

A full list of the areas follows after the jump. If you want to get involved, stop by City Hall or contact your councilmember.

(more…)

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1. East Atlanta neighbors stand up against crime (Ken Womack’s eavBuzz.net helps folks monitor their ‘hood — in real time.)

2. GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans fired (Chief of beleaguered transit agency later tells CL her sob story.)

3. Piedmont Park residents not cool with tunnels under Atlanta (But the rest of the city thinks they’re pretty awesome.)

4. Smart-growth guru smacks Atlanta (Andres Duany is to Atlanta what Toby Young is to overcooked fish.)

5. Strip-club arson case gets seamy (How could it not?)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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