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Promise
of nature preserve virtually unattainable
By
Barry Figa
Special to GwinnettForum.com
LAWRENCEVILLE - - Perched high upon the ridge I stared into the
vast expanse below. The view was intoxicating. In the distance I
saw a large bird of prey circling his lair as the last glimpse of
sunlight cut through trees to cast a warm glow upon shimmering pools
of still water. In the distance I suddenly became aware of, and
then transfixed upon, an out-of-place wooden boardwalk. The gray
weathered wood appeared out of nowhere only to disappear into the
heart of this magical place.
My mind quickly teased me into asking, "Now how in the world
do I get down there?" My eyes darted about looking to solve
this riddle and then I slowly turned around to face the behemoth
behind me. The transformation was so shocking at first I steadied
myself, being careful not to stumble backwards into the abyss.
The reality of the situation began to take hold of my senses. The
"magical place" is an 87-acre Nature Preserve and the
"behemoth", a maze of lights, stucco, concrete and pavement,
is the new Mall of Georgia. As I stood in the middle of these two
very different worlds, my curiosity was soon overtaken by regret.
How is it that something so approachable be so out of reach? How
is it that I can be denied access to something that was promised
to so many others and me. I've paid my dues at the endless stream
of retail establishments. I've waited patiently for the traffic
to clear from Georgia Highway 20 so I can pull out of my subdivision
and get to the places I need to be. And yet the one place I want
to go to is inaccessible.
Further inquiry was warranted and the result was somewhat expected.
"The situation is out of our control", exclaimed Scott
Higley, marketing director for the Mall of Georgia. Quite simply,
of the 500 some-odd acres encompassing the Mall of Georgia, 87-acres
of wetlands, could not be developed and were set aside. This was
to become a "gift to the community" from a corporate entity
somewhat in compromise for the millions of dollars spent on roads
and capital improvements paid for by taxpayers.
However, of all the sites available that surround the Nature Preserve,
the one ultimately selected for the Nature Center, which would link
the outside world to that gray wooden boardwalk is, as explained
by Mr. Higley, "unacceptable and will not support construction".
The wall of earth, which served as my aforementioned perch, is
the rough equivalent of an earthen dam. The weathered sign that
proclaims to be the future location of the Nature Center is precariously
placed on the edge of this manmade cliff. According to Mr. Higley,
no one can agree on how to provide access to the Nature Preserve
"without disrupting the environment".
It has been almost two years since the opening of the mall and
still I remain hopeful that the Mall of Georgia will make good its
promise to provide us with our Nature Preserve. However, under the
guise of environmental stewardship the final decision to complete
this project must be, as expected, and I'll quote Mr. Higley, "economically
viable".
Will the Nature Center ever be developed? Must Gwinnett and all
of the Mall of Georgia customers (from throughout Georgia?) wait
and wait and wait for this nature preserve? Or is this a mere hollow
corporate promise that has been broken?
We wait, without the preserve to enjoy, to see.
-- 30 --
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