Decatur is close to officially renaming the old United Methodist Children’s Home property “Legacy Park,” probably later this month. Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne admitted she wasn’t quite sure of the official procedure for such a process.
“We probably need to get the commission to adopt that name,” she said. “It’ll probably be part of adopting the final master plan [for the site] which is tentatively scheduled for [Sept. 17].”
The city bought the 77-acre property in August 2017, and the final master plan will delineate uses for the site’s various sections.
The United Methodist Children’s Home, founded in 1871, had occupied this land just outside Decatur since 1873. Last October the Home moved its operations to a single-story office complex in Tucker. Menne did say that the UMCH “suggested we find a new name.”
“Legacy” was a prevalent word cropping up during the many community input sessions held throughout this year.
“People kept talking about how we wanted to honor the legacy of the [UMCH],” Menne said. “We also kept hearing about creating a legacy for future generations by keeping much of this property green space.”
At some point a new sign will get erected out front, although the address will remain 500 South Columbia Drive.
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