The Dirt on PATH400
Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead, gives us the dirt on PATH400 progress.
Construction Update
Good afternoon, PATH400 party people!
I’m coming to you live from the middle of the Mountain Way Common Bridge! Check it out! 👉🤘 I am 80 feet up in the air, walking across that bridge! Well, technically they won’t let me go where the safety stuff isn’t fully in place (probably because they saw me run smack into a cable and knock my hard hat off – I tried to be smooth and act like it didn’t happen, but pretty sure they saw me). The bridge goes all the way across now. YEEEHAW! I do have to say I’m feeling really thankful to all those folks who helped us raise the money to increase our handrail height – it’s a long way down.
BTW – Just because that bridge campaign is over doesn’t mean you can’t donate! Your gifts to greenspace in general, and PATH400 in particular, mean Livable Buckhead gets to keep turning super cool ideas into reality.
The bridge is the big sexy fun part but guess what!! While we were all distracted by the bridge magic, they snuck in and paved the trail all the way to Wieuca Road! You heard that right. And yet again, I missed putting my initials in the wet concrete. Darn it!
Teacher’s Pet
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love the construction side of my job and the people who do this stuff amaze me. So I wanted to take this opportunity to embarrass the heck out of one of the guys on this team that I just find amazing – Victor Sandoval.
Victor is the Superintendent on the project. This means he’s the one that knows the plans like the back of his hand; he coordinates the subcontractors, makes sure safety protocols are being followed, schedules materials delivery, and is generally turning those pretty drawings into reality. Victor is THE SHIT (excuse my profanity) in my opinion, but he HATES being in the spotlight so I had to sneak these pictures of him when he wasn’t looking.
Every time I am on site with him, he knows the answer to every question, anticipates
every problem, and has thought so far ahead on how to build this thing that there is no way he will back himself into a corner. He has a boatload of certifications and training in everything from excavation to OSHA, but two of my favorites are “Competent Person” (I kid you not!) and HAZWOPER 40! (Yeah, it’s real.) I guess 24 years of experience has taught him a thing or two 😊
Aside from being fantastic at his job and always smelling good (inside joke: we harass him because he always smells good even when he’s onsite in the sweltering heat!) Victor is just a great guy. He is a straight-shooter, fun to be around, and obviously a great dad as evidenced by his adorable 4-year-old son – Akana Ortiz – who can’t wait to follow in his dad’s footsteps to build bridges too!
Hard Hat Tour
There’s nothing better to do in the middle of the sweltering heat than come outside in the sun, put on a hard hat and tromp around a construction site, so we added some new tour dates! Our next PATH400 construction tour will be Saturday, August 24th at 10am – secure your spot before it fills up!
Buckhead Restaurant Week
For those of you in North Buckhead and Peachtree Park, here’s a fun idea for you: take PATH400 to your favorite Buckhead restaurant between now and July 27th for some great eats! Buckhead Restaurant Week is back, featuring special deals and prix-fixe menus from over 40 of Buckhead’s finest eateries. Visit buckheadrestaurantweek.com to view all the participating restaurants and their menus! Click here to explore participating restaurants.
