If you are an artist who plans on submitting a proposal for Art on the Atlanta BeltLine 2011, join us as we walk and get to know the trail

The Art on the Atlanta BeltLine committee encourages artists to attend one of the following walks as an opportunity to talk about installation locations, project feasibility, and any other questions you may have.

• Saturday, March 12th – East Side Walk at 11 a.m.: beginning at Memorial Drive beside H. Harper’s Station and ending at 10th and Monroe Drive beside Park Tavern.
• Sunday, March 13th – West Side Walk at 11 a.m.: beginning at Washington Park (at Lena St.) and ending at Allene Avenue and Catherine Street.
• Saturday, March 19th – West Side Walk at 11 a.m.: beginning at Washington Park (at Lena St.) and ending at Allene Avenue and Catherine Street.
• Sunday, March 20th – East Side Walk at 11 a.m.: beginning at Memorial Drive beside H. Harper’s Station and ending at 10th and Monroe Drive beside Park Tavern.

You can RSVP to the walk online on our Art on the Atlanta BeltLine facebook page!

And download the request for proposals on http://art.beltline.org. Online submissions are encouraged and all submissions are due on March 28, 2011.

Get the full request for proposals on the Art on the BeltLine website here! Submissions are due on March 28, 2011.

Here is an overview from the Art on the BeltLine RFP:

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. is again presenting the public art initiative, “Art on the Atlanta BeltLine.” Artists are
invited to submit proposals for temporary works of visual and performing art to be a part of this event,
scheduled to take place September through November of this year.

In its first year, “Art on the BeltLine” became the largest temporary art project in the history of Atlanta.
Including over 270 visual artists, performers, musicians and historic preservationists, it was a
tremendous success, placing established and emerging artists together on the Atlanta BeltLine.

Now we are looking to do it again, to engage more artists, to bring more Atlantans into the corridor, to
merge art with landscape and to ensure that the Atlanta BeltLine is enjoyed by all.

The Atlanta BeltLine is an emerging system of parks, trails, transit and development that reclaims
abandoned railways. With an emphasis on cultural amenities and revitalizing neighborhoods, it has the
potential to redefine the city and make it a better place to live. Find additional information about the
Atlanta BeltLine at www.beltline.org.

Potential projects should reflect the historic, environmental, cultural, functional, urban design, and/or
aesthetic parameters of the sites and should be well-researched, well-planned and feasible. Although
not limited to the following examples, potential projects might include all or some of the following:

• Temporary art, sculptural or visual installations
• Gateway or entrance works
• Performance works of all kinds, including but not limited to music, dance, theater and performance art
• Transformation of existing structures or surfaces, such as bridges and overpasses
• Utilization of fences or screening devices
• Amenities for visitors – such as benches, bike racks, shade structures, recycling and trash collection receptacles
• Establishment of play areas or game sites
• Loan of existing artwork, such as sculptures or assemblages
• Murals
• Plantings or environmental works

Click here for information regarding our upcoming artists’ walks on the BeltLine! This is your chance to talk to people on the Art on the BeltLine committee and discuss possible sites for your work before submissions are due on March 28th, 2011.

In celebration of the grand opening of a new store on Atlanta’s westside, Anthropologie will be donating 10% of the evening’s sales directly to Art on the BeltLine! If you’re like me and the airline lost your luggage over Christmas, this is the perfect time to restock on clothes, accessories, and crafty household items. Plus, refreshments and wine are provided for your shopping + charitable donation pleasure! Here are the details:

• When: Thursday, January 13th from 6 – 8 p.m.
• Where: Anthropologie located at the Westside Urban Market, 1207 Howell Mill Road in Atlanta
• RSVP: by January 10th to 215.454.4550

And bring your friends! The invite says “you (and a guest) are invited,” so if you have a group, you may want to have every other person call and RSVP for two – I’m not sure how that will work yet. See you there!

The Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons invites us to join them on June 26th, 2010 for a Lantern Parade as part of Art on the BeltLine from Irwin / Krog, up the BeltLine trail, to Park Tavern in Piedmont Park!

Looking for something to do the next full moon? What about a Lantern Parade with Art on the BeltLine and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons? I just received this from Chantelle, who is putting together this swaray as her performance piece – and she needs all of us.

The Latern Parade is on Saturday night, June 26, with a full moon rise at 9:15! What luck! We will have a tailgate line-up 8-9 at Irwin & Krog and step off at 9pm. We expect to arrive at Park Tavern around 10:30ish, where will tie the lanterns to the fence and have a cold one! We have 4 lantern-making workshops coming up. They are free and only a 30 minute to 2-hour time commitment. A lantern would be a lovely memento for anyone to have from the 1st ever Art on the BeltLine! But the Coleman in your garage works just fine, too.

All the info is here: www.gratefulgluttons.com.

It‘s time to install art on the Beltline!!!

Come be a part of the art! Help hang those beautiful, wild, and creative birds that you and your neighbors made. Give a hand to groom the grounds of The Pardoned Eden garden. Participate in placing the perfect punctuation to a community art project!

Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 from 10-5 behind the Depot on Memorial Drive.

Rakes, shovels, ladders, wire, and other knickknacks are appreciated. Woman power, man power, child power and everything-in-between power are needed!

It’ll be a party (with some of the fixins).

You do not have to be a resident to come help. You do not have to be an artist. You do not have to have made a bird or participated in this project before. ALL ARE WELCOME!

In case you haven’t heard, The Cabbagetown Artist Tribe was awarded the opportunity to contribute art to the Atlanta Beltline, which will be popping up around Atlanta this spring. It’s a community art project and your neighbors spent the last two weekends making beautiful and creative birds as part of the project. Now it’s time to install and complete the work. Come join and be a part of it!

• What: 5% day at Whole Foods on Ponce to benefit Art on the BeltLine
• When: Wednesday, May 26th from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Why: The donation will be used for Art on the BeltLine, which will support the creation of visual arts, performing arts, and historic site interpretation in the BeltLine this May-October!

For more information on this big public arts exhibition, visit art.beltline.org.

Please bring a reusable water bottle and gloves; tools will be provided.

• The clean-up on the west side will be on Saturday, May 1st at 9 a.m. – meet at Gordon White Park.
• The clean-up on the east side will be on Sunday, May 2nd at 1 p.m. – meet at the intersection of Somerset and the BeltLine.

Please visit the Hands on Atlanta site here for full details, directions, and to RSVP. You can also email me, Jenny, at jenny.p@mac.com.

Thanks so much to Gina with the Atlanta ToolBank, Kim with Hands on Atlanta, Keep Atlanta Beautiful, and the BeltLine team for helping to make these two Art on the BeltLine clean-ups happen!

About Art on the BeltLine:

Join us May through October 2010 as we celebrate the reawakening of old railroad corridor as Atlanta’s new public place with a kick-off arts event staged from late spring through summer. This spring, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. plans to open nearly 8 miles of the future BeltLine corridor to pedestrians and off-road bicyclists via an interim trail. Visual arts, performing arts and historic site interpretation will direct the public’s attention to this amazing resource that encircles downtown Atlanta!  Potential projects are expected to include temporary sculptures and visual installations, environmental art, murals, transformations of building facades that border the corridor, public performances and more. There also will be a series of historic markers and way-finding signs to orient and introduce the public to Atlanta’s new linear greenway.

Some of our volunteer opportunities include staffing the booth at local festivals, becoming a BeltLine Ambassador, administrative help in the office, Art on the BeltLine, social networking, and much, much more!

• What: BeltLine Volunteer Kick-Off 2010
• When: March 18th from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Park Tavern on Piedmont Park at the corner of Monroe and 10^th Street in Midtown

Busy summer schedule? Not sure if you’ll have time to volunteer? We still encourage you to come out anyway so you’re trained and prepared to volunteer whenever it’s convenient for you.

Please feel free to bring your friends, family, colleagues, and anyone else who might be interested in learning more about the BeltLine and our volunteer program. You don’t have to have volunteered previously to attend and, of course, you’re under no obligation to volunteer by attending.

If you have other ways you would like to get involved with the BeltLine, please email festivals@beltlinepartnership.org.

As always, a HUGE thanks to all of you who make it possible for the BeltLine booth to appear at over 15 festivals each year and spread the word about the future of Atlanta’s transportation! We look forward to seeing every one of you out at a festival this coming spring, summer, and fall!

You don’t have to take our word for it – check out this BeltLine volunteer video! (and yes, that’s me in there talking about our stellar volunteers!)

We enjoyed a stunningly snowy walk on the Atlanta BeltLine's west side trail - be sure to check out the next one this Saturday, February 27th! Click the photo to check out more wintery west side BeltLine photos on flickr!

This weekend’s BeltLine walk may not look like it did two weeks ago >>>>>
but it will be awesome – and you should be there! Whether you are an artist answering the call for artists’ submission for Art on the BeltLine, or a volunteer interested in bringing the BeltLine to life, or you’re just curious to see what all this fuss about transit and trails is all about, you should come out! Here are the details on this Saturday’s BeltLine walk:

• What: A six mile walk through Atlanta’s west side neighborhoods along the BeltLine
• When: this Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 12 p.m.
• Where: Meet at the tennis center at Washington Park at the dead end of Lena Street (map it!)

Artists’ submissions for Art on the BeltLine are due March 12th!! Please visit the website for more information: http://art.beltline.org.

Please leave a comment if you have questions or need more details. And please email me or leave a comment if you’re interested in volunteering – I’ll be helping the BeltLine out with volunteer coordination for our festival program as well as Art on the BeltLine.

Last year's Signing of the BeltLine yeilded 108 plywood signs at 54 BeltLine crossings - this year's goal is 216! Photo courtesy of Angel Poventud, not sure which artist.

Last summer, dozens of Atlantans came out for the Signing of the BeltLine – a grassroots project that involved 108 plywood boards, hand-painted and hung two-to-a-crossing along the entirety of the Atlanta BeltLine. Did you see those signs and wonder what those signs were? Did you wish you’d been able to participate? Well, it’s happening again! Whether or not you’ve wielded a paint brush before, your help is needed! Especially since the goal is to double the number of signs to 216 to place four at each of the BeltLine’s 54 crossings!

• What: Signing of the BeltLine 2010
• When: Saturday, February 20th, 2010 from noon until complete
• Where: Eyedrum Gallery at 290 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Atlanta, 30312
• Who: YOU! Everyone is needed to paint signs, no matter the level of artistic skill
• What you need: Bring any paint and paint brushes you may have lying around the house, as well as the determination to paint as many boards as you can handle

Questions? Please feel free to contact Angel Luis Poventud, official BeltLine Cheerleader at anotherloudperson@yahoo.com or 404-892-8306.

The Atlanta BeltLine is inviting Atlanta artists and residents to rediscover our historic rail corridors as they are transformed into the future of Atlanta’s transit! Coming this June 2010, the BeltLine will launch a massive public art event taking place along the eight miles of open hiking trail. “Art on the BeltLine: Atlanta’s New Public Place” will showcase visual arts, performing arts, and historic site interpretation to direct the public’s attention to this amazing resource that encircles downtown Atlanta, thus increasing the level of awareness and fostering a sense of ownership to ensure that the BeltLine becomes a truly public amenity.

We just released the call for artists to submit proposals this week and, already, this public art project is taking on a life of its own! In conjunction with performances, sculpture, music, art, and more within the BeltLine corridor itself, galleries and festivals along the path are already gearing up with their own tie-in events – and it’s all happening quickly! So how can you get involved?

Submit an Artist’s Proposal to Art on the BeltLine

Visual and performing artists are invited to submit proposals for temporary works of visual and performing art to be a part of this May through October event. Potential projects should reflect the historic, environmental, cultural, functional, urban design, and/or aesthetic parameters of the sites and should be well‐researched, well‐planned and feasible. Although not limited to the following examples, potential projects might include all or some of the following:

• Temporary art, sculptural or visual installations
• Gateway or entrance works
• Performance works of all kinds, including but not limited to music, dance, theater and performance art
• Transformation of existing structures or surfaces, such as bridges and overpasses
• Utilization of fences or screening devices
• Transformation of the backs of buildings
• Amenities for visitors – such as benches, bike racks, shade structures, recycling and trash collection receptacles
• Establishment of play areas or game sites
• Loan of existing artwork, such as sculptures or assemblages
• Murals
• Plantings or environmental works

Direct from the Atlanta BeltLine temporary call for artists:

Potential art projects may be designed for site‐specific installation, but this is not a requirement. Contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches, innovative uses (or re‐uses) of materials and new technologies are encouraged. Applicants are asked to consider ways in which some level of community involvement might be facilitated in the creation or ongoing interaction of the projects.

Proposed materials should be modestly priced and durable with minimal maintenance in an outdoor setting. All works must be designed to be safely removed at the end of the designated period, or disintegrate safely into the environment. No works or materials deemed to be dangerous, toxic or hazardous to public safety will be accepted and all construction methods must be adequate and safe for public interaction. While we would like to have projects that last throughout the six month time period, we are also interested in performance works or ephemeral works that could be scheduled to occur periodically throughout the time frame. If the location or its elements (trees, slope, etc.) might be part of the concept, we will identify volunteers to work with the artist(s) to help prepare the site, clear underbrush, etc.

This view from Inman Park Village toward Freedom Park bridge in the BeltLine corridor will be transformed into a massive Atlanta public art exhibition this summer as this stretch of hiking trail opens!

Proposed projects will be presented in the following sections of the BeltLine:

1) Stretch between Piedmont Park and DeKalb Avenue
2) Stretch between Wylie Street and Glenwood Avenue
3) Stretch between Washington Park and Allene Avenue

BeltLine walking tours will be conducted every Saturday along a section of the BeltLine. Artists are encouraged to explore the trails during one of these tours to be better educated about the terrain and history of the BeltLine (see timeline and calendar below).

There are three budget levels for the temporary projects: $1,000, $3,000 and $5,000. Please note that funds are limited and we encourage proposals at all three levels. The amount awarded will be at the discretion of the selection panel. Of the total grant amount, artists should incorporate a minimum of 20% as an artist fee in the budget that must be submitted with each proposal. The fee will cover the design (including artist’s fee) fabrication, shipping, installation, maintenance and de‐installation of the project. Artists may solicit contributions of materials or cash from other sources.

The timeline for informational workshops, BeltLine hikes, submission, juried selection, notification, and installation is as follows:

• Call for artist proposals published: February 2010
• Workshops: February 16, 17, and 18, 2010 (see full calendar for details)
• BeltLine walks to explore the corridor for site-specific submissions: February 13, 20, 27 and March 6, 2010 (see full calendar for details)
• Deadline for entries: March 12, 2010 at 4:00 pm
• Panel review: March 2010
• Accepted entries notified: Week of April 5, 2010
• Contracting and initial payment: Beginning week of April 12, 2010
• Installation period: May 8 – June 4, 2010 [Installations will be staggered beginning in May, projects must be installed no later than June 4th. A timeline and installation schedule will be developed with each artist or artist team.
• Exhibition officially opens: June 5, 2010
• Public events and performances: May – October 2010
• Final de‐installation: October 2010

Click here for the artists’ and volunteers’ google calendar, which will be updated as dates and events are solidified – so keep checking back! The official website for all things Art on the BeltLine is http://art.beltline.org. Easy enough, right?

Volunteer with Art on the BeltLine

This temporary art project will not be possible without the help of dedicated volunteers – and I know you’re out there because I’ve worked with so many of you! I am working with the committee on establishing our volunteer needs and schedule, so please stay tuned as we put out calls for volunteers as well! A few of the volunteer types we will be looking for include: an overall Installation Manager to coordinate the artists’ work along the eight miles of trail; artist liaisons to be the point of contact for a certain number of artists; volunteer crews to help clear and prepare sites for installation; folks to assist artists with their installations during their allotted set-up time; etc. If you’re interested, you can email me right now at jenny.p@mac.com and I will make sure I keep you posted as opportunities develop.

Donate to or sponsor Art on the BeltLine

In addition to a volunteer force, we’re also looking for generous donors who may have goods or services they are able to donate to help pull off this project. This could be anything from building materials to help with stages for performance art or a crane to help lift in heavy sculptures or printing services to help with the Art on the BeltLine guide maps that will be made available. We’re also looking for corporate sponsors who are willing to donate funds in return for us displaying your logo across marketing materials. We’ll also be developing this list of specific items we’ll be in need of, but in the meantime, if you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to email me at jenny.p@mac.com!

We hope to make this an annual public art event in Atlanta and appreciate everyone’s support in this inaugural year! From artists to volunteers to donors to sponsors, we’ll have a lot of talented people putting on this huge, one-of-a-kind event in Atlanta’s new public realm!

Heading south on our BeltLine walk of the northeast corridor, we walked over these railroad cross ties. On our way back north, two small bobcats hard at work had already pulled up those same cross ties and tossed them into piles to be picked up and carted off. Look for mulch trails coming this spring!

This morning, a smaller crowd than usual set off on a six mile hike of the Atlanta BeltLine’s northeast corridor, headed from Piedmont Park to DeKalb Avenue. (The predicted rain deterred some folks from coming out and we hoped it would hold off until after 1 p.m., but that’s didn’t work out so well.) We had to watch our steps as we walked back and forth across the tracks of two small bobcats that were at work tearing up the railroad ties. Last month, the rails had been pulled up, but the cross ties remained. Not so anymore. On our way south, we tromped on some of the remaining ties and, on the way back north, walked past the piles of wooden beams the crew had extracted from the earth in the hour or two we’d been gone. It just keeps getting easier and easier to walk the path and if you haven’t already, I highly suggest you check it out!

I just did this walk a month ago with Angel and was doing it again so soon as part of our planning efforts to debut the first ever BeltLine public arts and exhibition coming to the 8 miles of open trail this summer and fall. By June 2010, artists will begin installing works of art, ranging from sculpture to performance art to horticulture, along the northeast and southwest sections of the BeltLine.

Who are these artists? We will be sending out a call for entries in two weeks for artists across metro Atlanta to submit proposals for their own public art projects that represent their take on the past, present, and future of the BeltLine and, most importantly, the welcoming of these historical parts of the city back into the public realm. This public art project will be a reawakening of an integral part of Atlanta’s past and a peak at the future of transportation and greenspace. So stay tuned for more details on the call for entries for artists and for the call for volunteers to support them in the near future!

A view looking north towards City Hall East on our Atlanta BeltLine urban hike this past Saturday. Click to see more photos of the walk, including a panoramic view of downtown as seen from the North Avenue bridge by the Masquerade!

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about the old Norfolk Southern railroad tracks coming up along the Atlanta BeltLine’s northeast corridor to make way for the new hiking path arriving in early 2010. We’ve done two major trash and underbrush clean-ups along this stretch (as well as in the West End), so I’m pretty familiar with isolated stretches, but this past Saturday morning I had the opportunity to walk a continuous three miles of the path from Piedmont Park to DeKalb Avenue with almost 30 other intrigued residents.

Eli Dickerson (of WonderRoot Urban Hiking) and Angel Poventud (BeltLine and Trees Atlanta volunteer extraordinaire) gathered our crew together behind Amsterdam Walk at the intersection of Monroe and Amsterdam in Morningside / Virginia Highland. Heading on the path up the hill behind the complex, we were greeted with a view of the Piedmont Park expansion, slated to be completed next year. We couldn’t hike north through the construction site to Ansley Park, but Angel gave us an overview and turned us around to head south.

The actual rails, dating back to the very early 1900′s, have been pulled up and set aside for future recycling, but the crossties are still in place for the most part. Everything is scheduled to be uprooted in the next several weeks and replaced with a mulch hiking trail in advance of the permanent concrete path to follow in the next few years. The walk itself transports you back in time, giving urban hikers a glimpse of Atlanta’s industrial past – the Terminus of old that was criss-crossed with tracks, railroad yards, industrial warehouses and factories.

For all those who complain about Atlanta traffic (and we all do), I highly suggest parking the car and taking a walk as the crow flies. It’s incredible how much ground you can cover on this flat railroad bed when you cut through neighborhoods, over and under major streets – a completely uninterrupted walk in the heart of Atlanta’s northeast quadrant. Not to mention the expasive, unique views of downtown and Midtown Atlanta – the old Sears building (now City Hall East) being one of the most notable. The path cuts directly beside the Historic Fourth Ward Park, a gem that is currently under construction from the Masquerade on North Avenue down to the skate park beneath Freedom Parkway. By next year, Historic Fourth Ward Park will sparkle with a new storm water retention pond (which will be as practical as it is aesthetically pleasing) along with almost eight miles of BeltLine trail open to the public.

This urban hike held another perk – the company. I had the pleasure of meeting (or getting to know better) a number of people – everyone with a varied background and different approach to their interest in the BeltLine.

• Robby Astrove, Program Coordinator with Trees Atlanta, has been the #1 advocate of the BeltLine Arboretum and has been actively working with schools along the BeltLine to “better connect students to nature through service and explorations… collective outdoor learning, student leadership opportunities, and hands-on projects..”(more to come on that in a future post!).
• Michael Bryan of Emory is studying the public health impact of the BeltLine and how having a network of trails can lower obesity and health issues due to increased walking and physical activity (side note: he would love to tackle green roofs and document the potential for them here in Atlanta – love it).
• Craig Durkin of Concrete Jungle has been mapping residential fruit trees across metro Atlanta, harvesting the fruits and nuts when in season, and donating the fresh produce to the Atlanta Community Food Bank (more to come on this project, too! I’ve read about what they’ve done in Portland and look forward to following Craig’s expansions). Check out his blog here, www.Concrete Jungle.com!
• Jack Walsh, in the small world that is Atlanta, is my neighbor and, as it turns out, is a producer and editor for Public Broadcasting Atlanta (we’ll see each other running in the morning and have crossed paths volunteering for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, but never talked about our day jobs). He was out on that cold morning to cover urban hiking and the hidden places that you can uncover. Look for the story to come out around April!
• Eli Dickerson and I also had the chance to talk more. We met initially at the Trees Atlanta Fall Fest where we had information tables next to each other (his had composting worms) and I found out that he works for Fernbank Science Center, a place near and dear to my heart. Stay tuned for more from WonderRoot Urban Hiking and more!
• And, of course, Angel – the fellow BeltLine volunteer who, in another small-world twist, is a CSX train conductor for the rail line that runs directly behind my house (home to the future Brain Train? we’ll see).

Ready to go on an urban hike yourself? Stay tuned to Angel’s facebook page or Eli’s blog – they happen just about every Saturday. And, come April of next year, prepare yourself for an all-day hike of the full 22-mile BeltLine loop!

This could be you! Evan Zeigler, one of our star volunteers, showed visitors around the BeltLine booth at Virginia Highland Summerfest

Are you one of the many people who volunteered with the Atlanta BeltLine at local festivals over the past two years? Thanks to all of you, we just wrapped up our second successful festival season! And the BeltLine would like to thank you – and offer you food in exchange for your feedback. Next week, the BeltLine is hosting an end-of-year event for all of our volunteers to meet each other as well as the BeltLine staff and to ask everyone how we can improve your volunteer experience.

• What: An invitation to BeltLine festival volunteers to come out and meet one another and give feedback on volunteer experience
• When: Thursday, December 10th, 2009 from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
• Where: 660 Apartments at 660 Ralph McGill Blvd., Atlanta, 30312
• RSVP to Sharron at Sharron@beltlinepartnership.org or 404.446.4407

Look forward to seeing you there!

BeltLine railroad tracks were pulled up and recycled last week behind Rathbun's Steak in Inman Park! (thanks to Lee Harrop for sending this photo along!)

…and say hello to the new walking trail that’s slated to go down in Atlanta’s northeast section of the BeltLine! Thanks to Lee Harrop, Program Management Officer for Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., for sending along this photo on November 15, 2009 after a large section of abandoned railway was removed and recycled.You can check out this future section of trails and transit by walking south along the tracks from Park Tavern at 10th Street and Monroe or stopping by one of the businesses on Krog Street in Inman Park – which is exactly what a group of us did on Friday evening.

A group of BeltLine staff and supporters gathered on the smoking patio of Rathbun’s Steak – informally renamed the BeltLine Patio – several of whom walked down the tracks from Piedmont Park. Kevin Rathbun even came out to say hello and ask about the latest in Atlanta’s biggest transportation project. Within a year or so, a hiking path will be installed and a previously overgrown stretch will become a high-traffic urban connection.

Keep up with photos and progress on the Atlanta BeltLine website or by joining over 1,500 other folks on the BeltLine facebook group!

• What: Fall in the 4th with live music, food & drinks, an artists’ market, and more!
• Where: by the Masquerade off of North Avenue and North Angier
• When: September 26th, 2009 from 12 – 7 p.m.
• Why: to raise money for the Historic Fourth Ward Park Conservancy

The Druid Hills Environmental Club is throwing the second party, which is their 3rd annual fundraiser for Trees Atlanta. Below is an announcement from Matthew Tyler of the Druid Hills Environmental Club:

I just wanted to let everyone know that there will be a benefit concert for Trees Atlanta, Fall Fest, on Saturday, September 26th at the Trees Atlanta headquarters! There will be a lot of great local bands food from Raging Burrito, and presentations from several organizations like Green Peace, the Georgia Conservancy, and WonderRoot. All ages are welcome (we are trying to get as much age diversity as possible this year), the music is family-friendly and there will be a lot of fun things to do for everyone. This is our third year and we are expecting 250+ people this year!

Here is the facebook page! Be sure to become a fan and be on the lookout for the event invitation and share it with everyone you know!

• What: Druid Hills Environmental Club’s Fall Fest with live music
• Where: Trees Atlanta’s Kendeda Center on Chester Avenue (map it!)
• When: September 26th, 2009 from 3 – 7:30 p.m.
• Cost: $10
• Why: to support Trees Atlanta and making Atlanta a greener, more environmentally-friendly city!

Sign up now!

Liz Coyle, Tom Gordon, and dozens of other BeltLine volunteers come out to help distribute information at local Atlanta festivals!

You can register for our volunteer management center here (those of you that have volunteered before have probably already received emails from Sharron through the system, so you can use your email and password to log in). If you have any issues, just email me and let me know and I can help you out (jenny.p@mac.com).

#1

• What: Mechanicsville Reunion
  
• When: Festival hours are from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 8th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the festival.
• Where: Dunbar Center at the corner of Fulton Street and Windsor. We’ll let you know where the BeltLine booth is going to be located within the festival!

#2

• What: Grant Park Summershade Festival
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 29th and Sunday, August 30th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the festival.
• Where: The festival will be located in Grant Park next to Zoo Atlanta (and along the future BeltLine transit!). We’ll let you know where the BeltLine booth is going to be located within the festival!

#3

• What: Atlanta Arts Festival
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 12th and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 13th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the expo.
• Where: Piedmont Park

And stay tuned for these upcoming festivals!

• The Atlanta Home Show at Cobb Galleria on Sept 25th – 26th, 2009
• HOToberfest in Glenwood Park on October 3rd, 2009
• Cabbagetown Chomp & Stomp in Cabbagetown at the beginning of November
• Enviro Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center on November 14th – 15th, 2009

We do ask that BeltLine volunteers attend a BeltLine 101 session to learn the basics of the BeltLine and to get the latest info on issues and developments. We have a few coming up – just click BeltLine 101 session for more details! Thank you in advance for your help!!

For Immediate Release, July 9, 2009

Contact: Ethan Davidson, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
(404) 614-8325, edavidson@atlbeltline.org  

Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, Georgia Department of Transportation
(404) 631-1835 

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND ATLANTA BELTLINE, INC. REACH AGREEMENT ON EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO PURCHASE LAND IN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST CORRIDORS FOR BELTLINE

Agreements Advance BeltLine Transit and Trails

Atlanta, GA – Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Commissioner Vance Smith, Jr., and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) President and CEO Terri Montague today announced entering into a purchase option agreement that, if exercised, would give the BeltLine control of the Southwest and a portion of the Southeast Right of Way (ROW). The agreement gives the City the option to acquire all of the remaining GDOT ROW along the BeltLine Corridor as contemplated in the Five Year Work Plan. Under the terms of the agreement, GDOT will give ABI exclusive rights to purchase the property until June 30, 2012. In the meantime, ABI has secured a lease of the property in order to begin preparing it for public use in the coming years.

The BeltLine Five Year Work Plan called for acquiring 35 to 37 percent of the 22 mile BeltLine ROW by July 2011. Through this agreement, 48 percent of the corridor is now secure for use by the BeltLine. ABI completed the purchase of the 4.6 mile Northeast corridor in October, 2008.

 ”We are extremely pleased to participate in a project that will advance transit and mobility options in the city and the region,” Smith said.

“This is a great milestone for the BeltLine. I am extremely grateful to the board and staff of the Georgia Department of Transportation for making this BeltLine transaction a priority,” said Terri Montague, President and CEO of ABI. “By securing the Southwest corridor and a portion of the Southeast corridor, the BeltLine is now ahead of schedule on Right of Way acquisition, and controls close to 50 percent of the BeltLine corridor. This agreement will allow ABI to continue transit and trail planning activities and open parts of the corridor up to the public within the next year.”

The segments of ROW in this transaction run from Allene Avenue to Lena Street in the Southwest (3.12 miles) and from Wylie Street to Memorial Drive in the Southeast (.36 miles). Both former freight rail lines are unused and have been granted abandonment by the federal Surface Transportation Board, which will allow ABI to proceed with planning and implementation of transit and trails for these segments. At this time, ABI is partnering with MARTA to complete and Environmental Impact Statement by summer 2010 that will help to determine how the optioned property would ultimately be used for transit and trails.

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About the BeltLine:

The Atlanta BeltLine is a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that will shape the way Atlanta grows over the next 25 years and beyond.  The project provides a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly to each other. The BeltLine is the most comprehensive economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment projects currently underway in the United States. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI), formed by the Atlanta Development Authority, is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the BeltLine in partnership with other public and private organizations, including City of Atlanta departments. For more information about the BeltLine, please visit www.BeltLine.org.

About the Georgia Department of Transportation:

The Georgia Department of Transportation is committed to providing a safe, seamless and sustainable transportation system that supports Georgia’s economy and is sensitive to both its citizens and its environment.  For general information on the Georgia DOT, please visit our Web site (www.dot.ga.gov).

Learn more about the BeltLine here!

The last weekend in June (the 26th – 28th), Atlanta will welcome the Go Green Expo to the Cobb Galleria! With a tall line-up of eco-friendly speakers, educational events, free environmental product giveaways, and eco-friendly vendors, the environmental expo is sure to be a hit for its second year in a row. And it’s free to the public on Saturday and Sunday! So you can learn how to effectively go green (or greener) in your life and affect positive change on the environment – no matter how big or small the contribution. Every little change adds up! Check out the full schedule and line-up of speakers by clicking Go Green Expo.

We’re also looking for volunteers to help staff the BeltLine booth!! As always, the Atlanta BeltLine project is continuing to develop new projects and gain momentum among Atlanta residents. We’ve done Virginia Highland Summerfest and the Reynoldstown Wheelbarrow Festival so far in June and plan on doing the Atlantic Station Access & Mobility Program this Saturday and the Go Green Expo the last weekend in June.

• What: Go Green Expo
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26th; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27th.; and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 28th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the expo.
• Where: Cobb Galleria Centre, Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339

Sign up now!

Scroll down to the “staff BeltLine booth at festivals” where you can register for our volunteer management center (those of you that have volunteered before have probably already received emails from Sharron through the system, so you can use your email and password to log in). If you have any issues, just email me and let me know and I can help you out (jenny.p@mac.com).

We do ask that BeltLine volunteers attend a BeltLine 101 session to learn the basics of the BeltLine and to get the latest info on issues and developments. Please check the Atlanta BeltLine website for upcoming BeltLine 101 session dates, times, and locations.  Thank you in advance for your help!!

Sign up now!

Scroll down to the “staff BeltLine booth at festivals” where you can register for our volunteer management center (those of you that have volunteered before have probably already received emails from Sharron through the system, so you can use your email and password to log in). If you have any issues, just email me and let me know and I can help you out (jenny.p@mac.com).

#1

• What: Virginia Highland Summerfest
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th and 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 7th. Our volunteer shifts are in two hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the festival.
• Where: Virginia Avenue, in between North Highland and Inman Middle School. We’ll let you know where the BeltLine booth is going to be located within the festival!

#2

• What: Reynoldstown Wheelbarrow Festival
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 13th. Our volunteer shifts are in two hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the festival.
• Where: The festival will center on the intersection of Kirkwood Ave and Flat Shoals Ave (map it!). We’ll let you know where the BeltLine booth is going to be located within the festival!

#3

• What: Go Green Expo
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26th; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27th.; and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 28th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the expo.
• Where: Cobb Galleria Centre, Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339

We do ask that BeltLine volunteers attend a BeltLine 101 session to learn the basics of the BeltLine and to get the latest info on issues and developments. We have one coming up this Thursday, June 4th, at City Hall East at 6 p.m. Thank you in advance for your help!!