For the first time since taking office about 70 days ago, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed visited the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods monthly meeting Thursday at Peachtree Presbyterian Church to take questions from members.

Reed took the chance to affirm his support of certain Buckhead issues.

“I’m very interested in the [Ga. 400/Intestate 85] interchange that Buckhead has needed for so long,” said Reed, noting his hope to partner with the council to make sure the estimated $39 million project will be on the list after a regional transportation bill is passed by the state Legislature.

Reed also said he would look at the size of the Atlanta Police’s Zone 2 and whether or not it was too large.

“You will not see me try to shift burdens of the city of Atlanta’s fiscal condition on this community which gives us so much so often,” he said.

Brenda Smith, representative of Mount Paran Northside Citizens Association, asked the mayor, a former state lawmaker, what his thoughts were concerning the bill in the General Assembly that, if passed, would help create a new Milton County in the current Fulton County north of Buckhead.

“My number one priority is the city of Atlanta. I don’t believe that the votes are there to create Milton County. At the same time I’m not going to engage in a battle with the [House] speaker pro-tem [Jan Jones, R-Milton],” said Reed, referring to the legislator who sponsored the bill to create the new county.

Council Secretary Gordon Certain asked what the Buckhead area could do to increase its parks and greenspace when land costs are so high, pointing out the disparity between the size of Buckhead and its ratio of playgrounds.

“What you are going to see in the 2011 budget is government that is forming itself so it has the money for special things like greenspace,” said Reed.

The council also brought up the issue of the struggle to build sidewalks near the new Sarah Smith Intermediate Campus on Wieuca Road.

“It’s been a disaster in terms of the lack of coordination between the city of Atlanta and Atlanta Public Schools,” said Certain, asking the Reed to help with preventing the issue from reoccurring when the new proposed high school is built.

District 8 Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean, who also was present at the meeting, said, “My wish would be that the school would be better partners in providing safety measures for moving children and their families in and out of the school,” said Ms. Adrean.

Reed said he was not aware of the issue but said he would work with the council on it.