Keeping it Green

In one way or the other, Paul Burks’ life has been all about land.

For years, he helped Georgia communities secure grants and loans to save and protect their greenspace. (Until he retired in 2006, that was as director of the state’s Environmental Facilities Authority.)

Once he left the desk job behind, he set out to fulfill the nature junkie’s dream – to hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine – and was chronicling the journey he and his son undertook last year on a delightful blog called Huffin’ and Puffin’ up the Appalachian Trail (Unfortunately, an ankle infection sidelined Burks in Connecticut last year, but he’s determined to finish the trek, and soon.)

As someone who especially loves the hills and dales of his own little corner of the world, it’s no surprise that Burks is the guy to talk to if you want to know what’s up with parks in Virginia-Highland, from what will become its newest park, on the land across from Atkins Park Tavern, to improvements on Orme Park, its oldest.

He heads the Virginia-Highland Conservation League, a sort of a sister-group to the Civic Association charged with maintaining and promoting neighborhood greenspace. It was created in 2009 as a fund-raising arm – a true 501c3 – to seek out grants and tax-deductible donations.

“A few years ago, I was president of my Atkins Park Neighborhood Association,” Burks said. “We were interested in the little property at the end of our street – and making it into a little park. I met Pamela [Papner], she was the president of the [Virginia-Highland] Civic Association at the time, and she thought it was a great thing to do.”

Burks’ 30 years with the state has proven invaluable to both civic groups. It’s not just what he knows about land, but funding sources like the Georgia Land Conservation Program. A pet project of former Gov. Sonny Perdue, Burks said, it had funds for grants and loans.

“I was aware of the program,” he said. “I had already retired and left, but talked about it with the neighborhood association. Luckily they changed the law and let non-profits apply.”

Apparently all non-profits aren’t created equal. While the civic association was able to secure financing through the Georgia Land Conservation program – an $855,000 loan, at 3 percent, for 15 years – it didn’t have the proper classification to actually seek out tax-deductible donations, Burks said.

“We had the idea to create our own non-profit,” he said, “to raise funds for the new park, and also consider the other parks in neighborhood – like Orme Park, which had a master plan, but no money. . . If we had one, could get donations.”

To date, Burks says, the league has raised $77,000 for the construction of Virginia-Highland’s newest park – the square green lot at the corner of St. Charles and North Highland that’s being temporarily called “New Highland Park.” 

The grassy field, one of the last remaining spots for potential greenspace in that area, will become a passive park and rain garden, taking the stress off storm drains. On a recent Sunday, a family spread out on blankets and soaked up the sun by the sign for the new park. They didn’t seem as interested in plan details, spelled out in a stack of colorful handouts attached to the sign, as they were lured by the stretch of open lawn.

The league has also raised $202,490 for the renovation of Orme Park, the 6.6-acre jewel tucked back off Glen Arden, with a stream, a thick canopy of old trees, a variety of bridges and a playground.

Donations for both projects are still needed. At each park, visitors can grab a colorful brochure for details and timelines. Work is scheduled to begin at New Highland in June and even sooner at Orme.

Though Burks donates hours of time to the conservation league, and will be acting as something of a project manager as things move forward, he’s looking forward to getting back to the Appalachian Trail so he can finish what he started last year. Even if he can’t complete it in time (one 12-month window) to be considered an official “through-hiker.”

 “It’s the hardest thing I ever did,” Burks said, adding it’s also one of the best. “It’s probably best to do it when you’re 20 – don’t wait until you’re 60.”