State, Local and Private Partners Celebrate Preservation of 22-Acre Property in the City of Sandy Springs

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. – Through the joint efforts of the Georgia Land Conservation Program (GLCP), the city of Sandy Springs, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Sandy Springs Conservancy, 22 acres in the heart of Sandy Springs have been preserved as a passive park in a highly-developed area of Metro Atlanta. The Lost Corner Preserve is a 22-acre site located approximately 2,000 feet from the Chattahoochee River and is home to native perennials and pristine specimen hardwoods, some of which are 200 years old or more. The property is largely undeveloped except for a modest craftsman style bungalow.

“Protection of the Lost Corner Preserve is the kind of partnership effort we envision through the Georgia Land Conservation Program,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “The state and local governments, the landowner, and the private sector have all contributed to create a new park and preserve valuable greenspace.”

Funding for this project was first announced in April 2008 as one of four GLCP grants approved by the land conservation council and funded in the FY08 budget. A ceremony was held in Sandy Springs today to celebrate the closing of the property sale and to recognize the vision and commitment of Margaret "Peggy" Miles, the lifetime resident of the land. Miles donated generously to ensure that her vision of the property as a permanently protected community greenspace would become a reality.

“I am very thankful to the Miles family for this gracious act,” said Senator Judson Hill. “Public-private partnerships like this ensure we are able to conserve land for future generations to come.”

“This is another great day in the short history of the city of Sandy Springs,” said State Representative Joe Wilkinson. “I greatly appreciate Governor Perdue's support during the city’s creation and the state’s partnership in this land conservation project.”

“Conserving this site will give the city a wonderful, passive recreation space, with trails for walking, open space for relaxing, and natural areas where both children and adults can learn more about native Georgia,” said Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos.

Funding for the Lost Corner Preserve acquisition came from three sources:

• the City of Sandy Springs contributed 50 percent, or $416,000;
• a GLCP grant of $250,000;
• fundraising efforts by TPL and the Sandy Springs Conservancy (SSC) contributed $167,334.00; and
• the former landowner, Margaret Miles, sold the property at a deeply discounted rate.

“We were very pleased to have helped the landowner accomplish her three goals: to live out her years in her home on the property, to ensure the permanent preservation of its remarkable ecosystem, and to give city residents an opportunity to enjoy her land after her death,” said Helen Tapp, TPL’s Georgia Director. “This is also a terrific example of the power of partnership between the city, state, landowner and the generous citizen and corporate community”.

“The Sandy Springs Conservancy is honored to have partnered with TPL, the city and state in conserving this beautiful piece of land, and is delighted to now see the realization of the generous landowner’s wishes” said Joey Mason, chairman of the board of the Sandy Springs Conservancy.

For more information on the GLCP, visit www.glcp.ga.gov.

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