Last week, we learned that Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management has 345 vacancies, which includes 180 positions for what Commissioner Mikita Browning described as mission-critical roles. Her department is budgeted for 1,615 positions, but she told city councilmembers that they’re competing with the private sector and neighboring counties for talent.
Browning said the department is also looking at which vacant positions are necessary but “non-mission critical.” Councilman Dustin Hillis pointed out that the department put 204 of those open positions on hold.
“We may have some employees who may not be gainfully busy,” Browning said. “We’re looking at ways to salvage them and move them to other areas where there’s need.”
The Watershed report comes as the city continues to seek and retain more police officers. We also know the city is trying to prioritize hiring for the departments of Parks and Recreation and Public Works, which filled 80% of its positions last month. Additionally, the city is trying to fill vacancies in its sustainability office.
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Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Speaking of Parks and Rec, a council committee recently advanced a resolution for the department to work with the Atlanta Housing Authority to provide afterschool and summer camp services to the children of families served by AHA. The city would charge families $35 per child per week to serve children between the ages of 5 through 17.
Parks Dept. Deputy Commissioner Doug Voss said the program would operate from 17 city recreational sites. He also said AHA is willing to help pay the program fees for families. The city’s existing summer program served 2,500 children last year, he said.
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Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond recently said several residents are using the Historic Washington Park Tennis Center for pickleball games. The park — Atlanta’s first recreational green space for Black people — is designated for tennis, and several famous Black tennis athletes played there.
As Commissioner Justin Cutler explained how the city is going to hire a tennis operator to manage the city’s tennis programs, Cutler also said half of Washington Park’s courts are painted with pickleball lines. However, much to Bond’s relief, councilman Byron Amos confirmed there are no pickleball lines at the park.
“I know pickleball is a new fad but I don’t want that fad to trample on the history and legacy of Washington Park,” Bond said. “There are lots of courts around the city where people can play pickleball, but there’s a handful where Arthur Ashe played, where Olympic athletes from the African-American community played, and to see pickleball played on those courts is somewhat culturally upsetting.”
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Credit: Hyosub Shin
Credit: Hyosub Shin
Former Mayor Shirley Franklin is going to be honored by Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management. A ceremony was scheduled Monday to celebrate the renaming of the Water Supply Program at the former Bellwood Quarry after Atlanta’s 58th mayor.
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The Atlanta Regional Commission recently allocated $11 million in federal funding to the Atlanta Beltline. The Southside Trail is slated to receive $6 million for construction beginning September 2023. The Northeast Trail will receive $5 million for work that’ll begin in 2024.
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In other news, the Detroit-based Rocket Community Fund recently unveiled plans to work with the Beltline and the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership to invest $750,000 into the preservation of 2,000 affordable housing units in the city.
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The Atlanta City Council is on recess for the next two weeks. They’ll return to the council chambers for a full meeting on Jan. 3. Until next time, be safe and enjoy your holidays.
Send us tips and feedback at Wilborn.Nobles@ajc.com.
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