Cabbagetown Initiative 501c3 Community Development Corporation was formed in 2000 to address the greenspace needs of the Cabbagetown neighborhood. The Wallkeepers Committee was founded by the CI Board in 2008 to explore assuming maintenance responsibilities along the Wylie Street wall from the property owner, CSX Transportation, and eventually invited curators to install murals. By 2016, over 90% of the wall’s length was covered in murals. The Board approved landscaping updates and shrub removal in 2019, and the entire horizontal stretch from Carroll Street to Pearl Street was covered with murals that September.
The Board of Directors maintains the Memorandum of Understanding with the property owner, and oversees landscaping contracts, and approves major changes in the plantings and seating areas. Policy proposals are drafted by the Wallkeepers Committee Chair, and approved by the Board.
The yearly project budget is created in committee and brought to the February Board meeting for consideration, where the grants calendar is discussed, as well as goals and plans for the year. Working closely with the elected Treasurer and staff Accountant, the Wallkeepers Committee develops the installation event, and plans expenses, revenue sources, and community outreach such as approvals and support by Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association.
A dedicated CI liaison, usually the Parks Committee Chair, works with Wallkeepers Committee and the Forward Warrior team to identify tasks and benchmarks. Fundraising strategies and potential sponsors are coordinated with the Chomp & Stomp Festival Committee, but most ground level development is the work of Wallkeepers.
Promotional work, marketing, and social media campaigns are coordinated with the Forward Warrior curator, participating artists, and select partnerships (such as the ATL1000 media awareness campaign, or relevant small business sponsors).
Cabbagetown is a small community with a large volunteer base and a long history of grassroots leadership. Many representatives from various organizations and committees participate in the process of all neighborhood events, and there is so much collaboration that it’s sometime confusing to outsiders. It is not uncommon for a resident to serve on two or three boards and as many committees, but the main participants are as follows: Cabbagetown Initiative 501c3 Community Development Corporation, Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association, The Stacks Lofts Condo Owners Association, and the Patch Works Art & History Center (501c3), with various specialized or site-specific tasks tackled by subgroups such as Cabbagetown Community Garden (Forward Warrior Welcome Tent), Cabbagetown Concert Series (FW DJ Tent), Georgia Vintage Goods (Maker’s Market), Chomp & Stomp Organizing Committee (Merchandise / Payment Processing), Cabbagetown Technology Committee (Social Media & Web Development), and more. Theoretically, there are dozens of committees, but in practice, it’s just a bunch of people who live around the block.
Somehow, good work gets done.
