HEAD = BSA Performs Summer Vacation Checks

Traveling this summer? Make sure your Brookhaven Security Association (BSA) membership is active. If so, you can fill out an online vacation house check form and have the BSA’s off-duty police officers check your house while you are gone. Officers will inspect the perimeter of your home, check all doors and windows, and then call if anything is awry.

 

The BSA hires off-duty officers from both the Atlanta and City of Brookhaven Police Departments. The officers patrol the neighborhood in either a police vehicle or their personal unmarked car with a BSA decal.

 

In addition to vacation checks, BSA officers escort solicitors out of the neighborhood, investigate suspicious persons, respond to alarms, and serve as first responders in emergencies. They also serve as liaisons between members and the police departments, including writing and filing non-emergency police reports.

 

To join, you can send a check to BSA at P.O. Box 190105, Atlanta, GA 31119 or Venmo payment to @Brookhaven-Security.

 

Have a security issue? Contact one of these BSA board members:

 

 

 

HEAD = Vermont Park Seeking Funds for Erosion Control, Improvements

SUBHEAD = Making the Park a Fun Greenspace for All

 

Vermont Park has become a greenspace destination in Historic Brookhaven. To improve the two-acre area and make it even more usable, the Friends of Vermont Park kicked off a fundraising campaign in May with a neighborhood email and mailbox fliers to nearby residents.

 

Currently, the biggest need is erosion control, including curbs. “There’s no curbing,” says Diane Beck of the Friends of Vermont Park. “Rain goes downhill and goes into the park.”

 

To help with erosion, Diane and Anne Culley, another friend of the park, have been digging up liriope from the park’s floor and transplanting it along the banks. The two also are rescuing plants, boulders, bricks, and other useful material (with permission) from neighborhood lots with teardowns. They then repurpose the plants and other materials at Vermont Park.

 

Friends of Vermont Park is suggesting a $250 donation, which will go toward adding river rock drainage paths on steep banks, planting additional perennials on the banks, installing three drains and adding river rock to improve flow in current drains, and replacing washed-away stones along the park’s paths.

 

To expand the impact of neighbors’ donations, the group has applied for a matching grant up to $2,500 from Park Pride. As a city park, Vermont Park can receive grants from the organization that supports parks in Atlanta.

 

The Historic Brookhaven Neighborhood Association (HBNA) and Club Estates Garden Club (CGEC) have both assisted with Vermont Park efforts. HBNA pays for regular maintenance and has provided funding for plant installation, removal of trees and invasive species, and other special projects. CGEC has granted funds for planting, reinstallation of rescued plants, soil amendments, water supplies, and more.

 

Vermont Park is the only city park in Historic Brookhaven. In recent years, it has been transformed to include pathways, seating, stairs to the floor, hopscotch, and more. “It’s so fun to see three generations in the park together,” Diane says. “It’s now safe for kids to play there. People from all over the neighborhood come over to walk there.”

 

SUBHEAD = How to Help

To make a donation, visit https://parkpride.org/fwe-can-help/fiscal-sponsor/donate-to-a-local-park/ and choose Vermont Park from the “name of park” section.

 

You also can help Vermont Park by joining the water brigade. “We have a water source and four or five sprinklers that we move around,” says Diane. “And we have some plants that need hand watering.” Vermont Road resident Alicia Kessler monitors water needs and coordinates water volunteers. Email her at atkessler@comcast.net if you would like to join the effort. Note, the City of Atlanta pays for water at the park.

 

How else can you help? Donate a tree to honor a loved one and have it planted in the park. Friends of Vermont Park will help donors pick an appropriate tree species, find a good spot in the park, and connect donors with a plaque company. Email Diane at dbeckatl@bellsouth.net or Ann at annculley@gmail.com for more information.