College Park marked a milestone last week with the ceremonial signing of a lease agreement with Fulton County to establish a botanical garden at Camp Truitt.
College Park plans to spend $5.4 million toward the creation of the new public garden, which will have walking trails, a visitor center, and educational facilities across 32 acres.
Last March, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved the lease of nearly 40 acres of county-owned land located at 4300 Herschel Road to the city. The remaining eight acres of the property will continue to support existing Camp Truitt programs, such as the 4-H youth camp, the senior center, the GROWL community garden, and cooperative education initiatives.
Atlanta Botanical Garden hosted the ceremonial signing, which was attended by Mayor Bianca Motley Broom, Councilmembers Roderick Gay, Joe Carn, Tracie Arnold and Jamelle McKenzie, Harriet Thomas, who serves as chief of staff for Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts, Interim City Manager Lindell Miller, College Park’s city attorney Winston Denmark, and City Clerk Kelly Bogner.
During a regular council meeting on May 19, the officials approved the naming of the botanical garden after Gay in a split vote in which McKenzie was opposed, and Carn abstained.
Gay, a lifelong horticulturalist, has worked to bring a public garden to College Park for 30 years, a statement said.
“This garden will be an incredible addition to our community, offering residents and guests a peaceful urban oasis to enjoy nature and learn,” Motley Broom said in a statement. “It would not have happened without the unwavering commitment and vision of Councilman Gay.”
The councilman said that he wants Roderick Gay Botanical Garden to “stand as a cultural and environmental landmark for generations.”
