Recently my fiance Sue (who lives in Mableton, just past the perimeter in south Cobb) mentioned that Cobb County was accepting proposals for new parks. I'm the sort of person who explores every area I encounter pretty thoroughly, so the first thing which came to mind was an area along the west side of the Chattahoochee between the sites where Proctor Creek and Nickajack Creek feed into the river. The part of this section I've explored most thoroughly is along Riverview Road between I-285 and 78 (the old Bankhead Highway, which is called Veteran's Memorial in Cobb County).
There are a half dozen reasons that I think this would be an excellent site for a linear park, but the three main ones are historical, ecological, and local quality of life.
The historical reason is that a number of the Shoupades, which were ingenious Civil War fortifications, are near that stretch of river spanning present day Smyrna and Mableton. Roberta (Bobby) Cook has been leading an impressive effort to preserve the remaining Shoupades.
Click here for a description and explanation of the shoupades.
The ecological reason should be pretty obvious to anyone who knows the area. It's become somewhat of a dump. Everything from refrigerators, to tires, to Styrofoam cups wind up either on the banks, or in the river itself, in addition to all the activities related to water usage and sewage. Cleaning up the area surrounding the river along that stretch would be a benefit not only to Cobb County, but to all the areas south of the park.
As for quality of life, it's a rapidly developing area, and having a beautiful stretch of trails along the river for walking, jogging, or cycling would be a wonderful enhancement to the south Smyrna and Mableton area.
Assuming a concept this ambitious were accepted, I think the primary goal should be the health of the river, so ecological and preservation considerations should take precedence over the recreational aspect, but I see no reason the two things couldn't go hand in hand.
I've created a photo album with some shots of the stretch of river along Riverview Road. I haven't quite figured out the topography yet. Some of these shots are of what seems to be an inlet to the west of the river, and some of the shots are of the river itself. Click here to enter the photo album.
