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By Maria Saporta
Published on: 07/11/05
Behind the security gates at Fort McPherson lies a wonderland of majestic trees, historic buildings, tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, fashionable homes and acres and acres of green space.
It's a part of Atlanta that most locals have never seen.
But that could change if the recommendations of the 2005 round of the Base Realignment and Closure process are implemented. BRAC has called for the closing of Fort McPherson along with three other military bases in Georgia.
Fort McPherson , in southwest Atlanta near East Point, has 550 acres of rolling hills with 100-year-old trees as well as some buildings that date to the late 1800s.
"It's a place that has special meaning because of its beauty, because of its historical attributes," says Felker Ward, who has been tapped by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin to chair the redevelopment of the base if it is closed. "I still get goose bumps when I'm involved with ceremonies on the parade field."
Ward, who was an inspired choice by Franklin to chair this effort, was stationed at Fort McPherson in 1967 after returning from Vietnam where he was an Army pilot.
Nearly all of the last seven years of his 20-year military career were spent at Fort McPherson, which remains his geographic connection to the military.
He reached emeritus status after serving as civilian aide to the secretary of the Army. And he continues to use the commissary and visit the base for social occasions as do other retirees.
"Fort McPherson is the heartbeat of this area of our city," Ward says. "There are people working there who have worked there all their lives; people who were there 30 years ago when I retired. It's a place that's near and dear to me. My fondest hope is that the BRAC Commission will see the wisdom and not close either Fort McPherson or Fort Gillem (a Clayton County base also slated for closure)."
Yet as a military man, Ward believes the Atlanta community and all the stakeholders around Fort McPherson must prepare for the possibility that it will be closed.
"It would be imprudent to sit and wait until a final decision is made to do the planning," Ward says. Already, Ward is meeting with community and public officials to assure them that the planning process will be inclusive.
"We are going to start with a blank sheet of paper," he said. "My job is to create a platform so a myriad of ideas from every source can come and be aired."
Ward, 72, who has been a major player in the Atlanta business community for decades, received a degree in architecture before embarking on his military career. While stationed at Fort McPherson, Ward attended Emory Law School, graduating in 1971.
He practiced law for 15 years until he began his own investment firm, Pinnacle Investment Advisors, in 1988.
During that time, Ward has been a civic leader. Most recently, he served as president of the Atlanta Rotary Club. He is on the boards of AGL Resources, Atlanta Life Financial Group, Abrams Industries and the Atlanta Falcons.
And Ward has been willing to take on tough civic assignments. He mediated the 1980 racial incidents in Wrightsville; he helped investigate the cheating scandal in the Atlanta Police Bureau in 1978; and he was appointed by former Gov. Joe Frank Harris to serve on the Forsyth County Biracial Committee after a brotherhood march was attacked by an angry white mob.
Ward was willing to accept the job to chair the local redevelopment authority for Fort McPherson because of its significance to the city.
"You have got 550 acres of some of the most beautiful real estate in Georgia," Ward says. "Think about what's being done with 127 acres at Atlantic Station and you can see the potential of what you could do with 550 acres. This could be the next magnet for where people want to live in Atlanta."
In many ways, the amenities already exist. There's a bowling alley, a movie theater, a gymnasium, a library, a baseball field, a community center known as the Commons, existing residential areas from the prosperous "Staff Row" where the senior officers live to the more modest family housing areas.
The Department of Defense requires local redevelopment authorities to consider the needs of the homeless when looking for the reuse of the land. Several of the barracks could be converted to residences for the homeless as well as affordable housing.
The possibilities are endless. Fort McPherson is close to the Beltline. It has beautiful green spaces that could become city parks. The parade field could become an outdoor performing arts venue. There's a MARTA rail station at its front door. And there are several first-class office buildings that could become corporate headquarters for local companies.
As part of the redevelopment process, the Department of Defense usually donates the property if it is to be used for a public purpose. If the land is to be used for commercial purposes, it is then appraised and sold.
Ward said he expects the planning process to take a couple of years with the actual implementation occurring over a decade.
For Ward, this is a great way for him to give back to the community by working with all the various stakeholders to create a unified vision for a part of town that has been off-limits to most Atlantans.
"It's an opportunity to affect the momentum, the growth potential of south Atlanta and indeed all of Atlanta for years to come — if we do it right," Ward says. "And we intend to do it right."
Media Relations Contacts:
Nick Gold
404-584-3457
ngold@aglresources.com
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