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By Debra Lynn Gold
Many of us know Chastain Park for the concerts we attend and the ball games our kids play there. We may even use the jogging/'dog parade' PATH around the golf course or take a tennis lesson or swim in the newly refurbished pool. But perhaps the best kept secret in the park is the Chastain Arts Center at 135 West Wieuca Road, perched on the hill between the Master Grill and the playground area.
Historically significant and originally built in 1910 as an almshouse for the indigent of Fulton County, the building has housed the Arts Center since 1968. The facility is now part of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs of the City of Atlanta. Chastain Arts Center is dedicated to community education offering both children's and adult classes. Year round youth programs include kids from age 2 to 18 in pre-school, after-school, and home-school classes. An eight week summer art camp for kids provides cultural enrichment as well. Both day and evening adult classes welcome all folks regardless of skill level. There's something for everybody including painting, drawing, ceramics, jewelry/metals, frame-making, printmaking, stained glass, floor-cloths, and many special workshops. The teachers are all highly qualified and accomplished professionals in their fields. The studios are always abuzz.
You'll also find art on display at the two galleries. The highly regarded City Gallery at Chastain is adjacent to the Arts Center and showcases contemporary art. Within the Arts Center, the smaller Berse Gallery exhibits a variety of fine arts and crafts.
Terms run for 10 weeks year round with new classes beginning September 25. A complete course catalog can be had by calling the Arts Center at 404.252.2927 or by stopping in for a visit to see the buzz for yourself.
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Starting in late November we started to get distress calls and emails from neighbors complaining about discolored water. At first it was localized in the area around Loridans and Wieuca Road.
However, in June and a in early July we experienced repeated widespread "boil water" advisories affecting most of North Buckhead. This happened 3 or 4 times and were accompanied by wide-spread brown water. We were told that the causes of these problems were electric power failures at the Northside pump station, compounded by the lack of proper cross-flushing maintenance of the system which sweeps accumulated rust from the water mains and pipes.
These problems were compounded by localized pipe breaks caused by contractors using heavy equipment in the city right-of-way. This stirred up additional rust as well as shutting off our water for hours.
Rust damaged so many loads of neighbor's laundry that we put instructions on how to how to find "Iron Out" on the top shelf of the laundry section of the neighborhood Publix. [We don't normally make commercial endorsements or plug grocery chains, but many people had this same problem.]
As a result of our many problems and like problems throughout the city, the Mayor Franklin issued a 4" thick statement of specifics about how United Water, the privatized operator of Atlanta's water system, demanding that the problems be fixed under threat of contract termination.
The City provided excellent support to our (Continued on page 7)
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