$1.8M To Benefit Reopening Of Intrenchment Creek Park In East ATL

EAST ATLANTA, GA — A $1.8 million plan will benefit the reopening of Intrenchment Creek Park after it closed in March due to safety concerns, DeKalb County officials said Tuesday.

The park, located at Bouldercrest Road, closed after hidden traps and devices "designed to injure, maim or cause death" to people and pets were found, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said in March. Some of the threatening items were pieces of wood with nails protruding out of them, as seen in photos previously provided by county officials.

Officials said financing the plan will derive from the 2023 Tourism Product Development Fund, which comes from hotel and motel taxes.

The funding will go toward the construction of new amenities at the park, including a pavilion, trailhead, remote control airplane runway and walking trail.

“I thank the Board of Commissioners for supporting our request to fund the redevelopment and reopening of Intrenchment Creek Park,” Thurmond said in a news release. “We are excited about the investment in the new amenities and will work to expedite construction.”

Intrenchment Creek is near the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, also known as "Cop City," and the South River Forest Basin near Constitution and Key roads. The center has been the focal point of protests for several months, some of which have turned violent.

Authorities have responded to the training center site multiple times, arresting protesters in December on domestic terrorism charges and returning in January during a joint task force clearing operation. The operation turned deadly when a Georgia State trooper was shot and the person accused of firing the gun was shot and killed by law enforcement. Body cam footage of the shooting's aftermath was released on Feb. 9 by the Atlanta Police Department. A subsequent protest in downtown Atlanta was held in the name of Manuel "Tortuguita" Teran, the person accused in the shooting. Teran's family has since sued the City of Atlanta, seeking records related to Teran's death. A private DeKalb County autopsy report showed Teran was shot more than 50 times, and the report listed Teran's manner of death as a homicide. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation forensics report showed Teran's hands had "particles characteristic of gunshot primer residue." A violent protest in early March was held at the site of the future site of the training center, where 23 were arrested after being accused of throwing fireworks, Molotov cocktails and other items at authorities. Three people were charged in late May for money laundering in connection with financial crimes at the future training center site. The GBI told Patch at the time no additional information was available on the financial crimes.

The Atlanta City Council voted Tuesday with an 11-4 vote to approve construction for the $90 million training center, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Taxpayers in the City of Atlanta will allocate $67 million toward the center, according to the outlet.