Kirkwood’s Spring Fling back to normal after two pandemic years
Robert Barclift, Maddy Hart and Becca Wackym dance to the music during the Kirkwood Spring Fling at Bessie Branham Park on July 31. Photo by Dean Hesse.
This story has been updated.
Atlanta, GA — The Kirkwood Neighbors Organization met via Zoom on Thursday, March 10, at 7 p.m. for their monthly meeting.
Below are the major highlights from the meeting:
The 19th annual Kirkwood Spring Fling
COVID-19 canceled the Kirkwood Spring Fling in 2020 and rescheduled it in 2021, but this year things are back to normal.
The Kirkwood Spring Fling is set for May 14, 2022, from noon to 8 p.m., at Bessie Branham Park. The annual festival will include its Tour of Homes, 5k Road Race, Artist Market, and Wing Fling – a chicken wing competition.
You can sign up to run the race, be a vendor in the Artist Market, or apply to serve food during the Spring Fling here: https://www.historickirkwood.org/kirkwoodfling.
Prices for the 5k increase on April 3, and applications to be a supporting sponsor and/or a vendor are open through April 15.
The Spring Fling is the primary fundraiser for KNO each year.
New proposed mural festival: Off The Tracks
Carrie Padgett is part of Blank Canvas Massage and IMakeBigArt and pitched a mural festival in Kirkwood, Off the Tracks, to KNO for potential sponsorship and support.
A few potential muralists also joined the meeting to introduce themselves. The goal of the festival is to clean up the Kirkwood mural at Rockyford Bridge on College Ave. as well as update the mural along College Ave. Padgett is not on the KNO Arts and Beautification Committee and is working to independently solidify details.
The organization plans to further discuss the possibility of this new festival during next month’s meeting.
Disinvestment in neighborhood schools
$7 million in ESPLOST funding was recently pulled from Toomer Elementary due to enrollment projections.
Chair of the Education Committee, Taylor Cross raised concern about disinvestment in neighborhood schools in Kirkwood, East Lake, and Edgewood.
“Obviously, our children are the most important thing,” Cross said.
MARTA Reach program is up and running
MARTA Reach, on-demand ride-share service, is up and running. Similar to Uber or Lyft, MARTA Reach offers an app for users to download and request rides.
The program runs from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and it serves West Atlanta, Belvedere, and Gillem Logistics Center.
Click here to learn more: https://www.itsmarta.com/reach.aspx.
Update on rezoning of 2015 Memorial Drive
2015 Memorial Drive was annexed into the City of Atlanta a year ago.
Now, Empire Properties is requesting to rezone the property from R-4 to MR-3 to build 81 townhomes. The development team has met with neighbors and the Kirkwood Zoning Committee several times.
Zoning Committee Co-Chair Susanne Blam reported that there is general support for the increased density. Conversation has focused on making sure the development is environmentally sustainable, though, ensuring a few things:
– Adequate shade, greenspace, and native plantings
– Walkability and safety of cyclists
– Feels connected to the community
– Respects the canopy of the property as well as that of adjacent neighbors’ properties
– Safety on Memorial Drive, with the addition of a light or a protected crosswalk
Click here for more updates about development in Kirkwood.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified a committee member. This story has been updated with the correct information.
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