Brookhaven Reporter - March 2024

Three stories of people and organizations giving back to the community

TRUTH TOLD SLANT

Residents get briefing on presence of deadly fentanyl

By Bob Pepalis

Law enforcement officials and a mother who lost her son warned about the dangers of fentanyl during an awareness program held at Byers Theatre in Sandy Springs in February.

Dan Salter, retired DEA special agent in charge and current director of the AtlantaCarolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, opened the program by sharing statistics that showed how prevalent fentanyl has become.

He said the CDC determined that fentanyl was the leading cause of death for people ages 18-45 and in 2022 more than 109,000 died from overdoses. DEA lab testing has shown that 7 out of every 10 pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.

From 2019 through 2021, the number of drug overdose deaths by fentanyl among adolescents ages 10 to 19 years has risen 800 percent in Georgia, Salter said.

He said he’s a big advocate of people having Narcan handy, as an overdose can happen anywhere. The nasal spray can quickly reverse the potentially fatal effects of an opioid overdose.

But even as drug cartels are cutting other drugs with the cheaper-to-produce fentanyl and making fake pills almost impossible to tell apart from actual prescription drugs, they’ve introduced another drug.  The DEA said Xylazine, a powerful sedative that has been approved for veterinary use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is being mixed with fentanyl. Xylazine is not an opioid, so Narcan doesn’t work to reverse it.

The number of overdose deaths involving Xylazine in Georgia from 20202023 increased by 1,120 percent, with 183 reported deaths in 2022.

Angela King shared the story of losing her college-aged son, Jack, to a fentanyl overdose on Thanksgiving. He was not someone who took drugs, she said. On the night before Thanksgiving, she and her husband, Mike, knew their other kids were

at home in bed and Jack was at a friend’s place around the corner. They went to sleep anticipating a family Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving Day, Mike started calling his son, but Jack didn’t answer his phone. So his dad went to that friend’s house. When he got there, they were all still asleep and Mike tried to wake his son up.

“But Jack didn’t wake up. His nails were blue, and he was already gone,” his mother said.

King said Jack will have no more birthdays, no more Thanksgivings, no more Christmases, no more beach trips, no more spending time with family, no graduating from college or getting married.

“Saying ‘don’t do drugs’ isn’t working,” King said, adding that kids were playing Russian roulette when they go to parties and take pills.

She promised she would be talking with legislators to get laws passed and would speak to anyone or group that would have her as a guest.

“I hope that I’ve reached just one person tonight, saving one life. If I’ve done that, then I’m doing what’s right for Jack in honor of him,” King said.

Salter said fentanyl doesn’t discriminate.

“I don’t care where you live or sit politically. It’s killing people indiscriminately,” he said.

Ryan K. Buchanan, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said he and his staff with law enforcement’s help work to keep the people in the district’s 46 counties safe by prosecuting drug traffickers and cartels.

Buchanan said fentanyl could now be found in every part of Georiga, so no one was safe from its effects.

Audience members asked questions about marijuana laced with fentanyl. Salter said some believe the burning will break down the fentanyl and remove its toxicity. He’s not convinced that’s true. However, he does hear that vaping marijuana does not eliminate the dangers of fentanyl.

Dan Salter, director of the Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA, Armando Roche, drug intelligence officer for the organization, and Angela King, who lost her son to an overdose, answer questions from the community. (Photo by Bob Pepalis)

Search continues for arson suspects connected to training center

Happy Clients

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ROBERT C.

By Dyana Bagby

An arrest was made on Feb. 8 in connection to a series of arsons that city officials say are part of targeted attacks by opponents of the Atlanta public safety training center. More arrests are expected to be made soon, according to city officials.

John Robert Mazurek, 30, of Atlanta, was arrested during an early morning raid by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. He is charged with first-degree arson for the July 2023 burning of eight Atlanta police motorcycles.

The motorcycles were parked at the Atlanta Police Department’s special operations precinct on South Industrial Parkway, formerly the Atlanta Police Training Academy. An officer at the precinct when the fires were set was not injured.

Opponents of the training center call the complex “Cop City” and took credit for the arson.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Mazurek was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into dozens of acts of vandalism and arson at police facilities, construction sites, and private businesses by opponents of the training center.

“Despite the almost 30-plus arson attacks that have occurred across the state and in this country, we’ve been very fortunate no one has died yet,” Schierbaum said. “We’ll continue to hold people accountable so everyone that has been involved in these acts are in jail and before a judge.”

Police also announced last month a nationwide billboard campaign to advertise up to $200,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of “anarchists” responsible for the arson attacks against the training center.

Even as police search for the arsonists, more fires were set around Atlanta in protest of the training facility. In January, a fire was set at a southeast Atlanta construction site where townhomes are being built by a company that had done work on the training center. In midFebruary, an Atlanta Police patrol car was set on fire in front of an officer’s home in southeast Atlanta.

Despite the attacks, construction has not slowed at the 85-acre complex being built in the South River Forest, according to the city. The complex is 70% complete, the mayor said. It is slated to be completed in December and be operational in January 2025.

Author, speaker, historian: Janice Rothschild Blumberg dies at 100

By Collin Kelley

Janice Rothschild Blumberg, the noted author and speaker on Southern Jewish history, died on Feb. 21 at age 100.

The Atlanta native had recently celebrated her centennial birthday on Feb. 13. Rothschild Blumberg was the widow of Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild, who was the leader of The Temple synagogue in Midtown when it was bombed in 1958 and an ally of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

After the rabbi’s death in 1973, she married David M. Blumberg of Knoxville, who was the international president of B’nai B’rith from 1971 to 1978.

Rothschild Blumberg held leadership positions in organizations, including the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum and served as president of the Southern Jewish Historical Society.

The Buckhead resident was a frequent lecturer at universities, synagogues, museums and academic conferences

across the country. Rothschild Blumberg authored numerous books, including “One Voice: Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild and the Troubled South” and “Prophet in a Time of Priests: Rabbi Alphabet Browne 1845-1929.”

APD Chief Darin Schierbaum and Mayor Andre Dickens speak to the press about the arson cases connected to the public safety training center. (Courtesy APD)

Janice Rothschild Blumberg

DeKalb Schools eye $200M dual campus

By Logan C. Ritchie

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is moving forward with a plan to build a middle and high school on one campus in Doraville for $200 million.

Construction on the school property is slated to begin this fall with the middle school opening in 2027, followed by the high school in 2028. The new dual campus is designed to help relieve overcrowding at Cross Keys High School and Sequoyah Middle School.

The new campus will be built on the site of the former Cary Reynolds Elementary School, which has temporarily moved to Brookhaven while an expanded Dresden Elementary is completed, and Sequoyah Middle School.

Sequoyah Middle students will remain in the current building until the new school is built. When construction finishes, DCSD will relocate the middle school students to the new building and demolish the existing buildings to construct athletic fields and parking.

The opening of the new campus means DCSD will have to redistrict students from Cross Keys High School, according to Doraville City Councilmember Andy Yeoman.

According to a project report,

GMC Architects and Gilbane Building Company have been hired by DCSD to start the design development phase.

The high school is being designed as a five-story building. “The team will continue to update the estimates as the design progresses,” the report states.

The school is planning for a shared kitchen with separate dining for each school, two learning courtyards, an auditorium and black box theater, three gyms, and two media centers.

Recreation facilities include a football and soccer field with bleachers, an eightlane track, a baseball/softball field, four tennis courts and a concessions building with storage, team lockers, and restrooms.

DCSD is forming a selection committee to recommend a new school name, mascot, and school colors.

Doraville City Councilmember Stephe Koontz said the school plan is what the city needs to “turn the corner.”

Funding for the project is being drawn from E-SPLOST, a 2021 voter-approved education tax to approve a list of schools including a new Cross Keys Middle School, modernization of Druid Hills High School, updated IT systems and security, busses, new roofing, and HVAC system upgrades.

A rendering of the new dual campus in Doraville. (Courtesy DeKalb County Schools)

The current Sequoyah Middle School. (Courtesy DeKalb County Schools)

Brookhaven wins 2023 City of the Year for EV infrastructure

By Logan C. Ritchie

Looking for a place to charge an electric vehicle? Brookhaven has 19 EV charging stations across the city.

Recognized with the EV Association’s 2023 City of the Year Award, Brookhaven has more EVs registered per capita than any city in Georgia.

“In 2016, Brookhaven did not have any EV charging stations. Now we have them all over the place. They are in our parks, our public safety buildings, and even City Hall,” said former Mayor John Ernst, who accepted the award on the city’s behalf.

In 2019, Brookhaven City Council passed an ordinance requiring that all

commercial developments and multifamily housing complexes must provide EV chargers, while any new single-family homes must have wiring installed to accommodate EVs.

In 2023, the city budgeted for the purchase of 15 hybrid or EVs for the Brookhaven Police Department. The community development department, the city manager’s office, and the parks and recreation department are also scheduled to receive EVs.

EV chargers can be found at Blackburn Park playground, Blackburn Park tennis courts, City Hall, Ashford Park, Skyland Park, Lynwood Park, Briarwood Park, and Murphey Candler Park.

Brookhaven tracks the usage of the

public chargers, how each charging session benefits the environment and calculates how many trees are saved in the process.

The Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) is the leading volunteer organization in North America that educates and advocates for the rapid adoption of electric vehicles.

Brookhaven’s sustainability efforts recently earned the Atlanta Regional Commission’s gold certification for enforcing Georgia’s energy codes, using geothermal energy to heat and cool its new Public Safety Building, and more.

City seeks $54 million from municipal bonds for infrastructure improvements

By Logan C. Ritchie

The City of Brookhaven will use an estimated $54 million from municipal bonds to pave streets and improve transportation, parks, and public safety equipment.

City Manager Christian Sigman said the bonds were connected to the voterapproved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) that ends in 2030.

“It’s important for the public to understand that when you make good progress in the city and you want to get stuff done, you go out and get bonds,” said City Councilmember John Funny. “So, yes, this is debt, but it’s a good debt because we’re actually getting projects done. That’s very important to the quality of living here in the city of Brookhaven.”

Also at the Feb. 13 meeting, the council voted unanimously to authorize the condemnation of a small portion of 2062 Cobblestone Circle to build the Briarwood Road multi-use trail.

The city’s 2016 trail plan recommends filling gaps and widening the sidewalks along the southwest side of Briarwood Road. To construct the 10-foot-wide paths between Pine Cone Lane and Logan Circle, Brookhaven will go to court to fight for condemnation and eminent domain.

Mayor John Park said it’s not a move the city takes lightly.

“We always do it as a last resort. Government can do a lot of good things. Government can also do a lot of things that can be abusive. We’re very careful to negotiate in good faith,” Park said. “This is not something that we like to do. But roads have to get built. Sidewalks and

paths have to be put in.”

Also in transportation, councilmembers voted to pay Alta Planning and Design $42,808 for additional engagement on the Brookhaven Multimodal Study. The contract brings the total spent with Alta to $222,592. After an outcry over the trails project last November, the public input period was extended to March 1.

Funny urged residents to continue providing feedback. It’s an opportunity for Alta to “hunker down and address the issues effectively,” he said.

During the meeting, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley introduced Collin, the department’s public safety assistance canine. Collin, a 2-year-old Labrador terrier mix, will spend his days at the public safety building, providing crisis intervention.

The council also voted to approve:

Spending $141,585 for emergency repairs on the Murphey Candler Park pool. At the end of the 2023 season, an inspection of the pool showed major damage, threatening the opening for the 2024 season.

Spending up to $326,000 with Dynamo Pool Management to manage the city’s pools and splash pads.

Spending $184,794 with Dewberry Engineers for engineering design for phases II and III of the Upper Poplar Creek drainage improvements project. The project will divert and reroute storm runoff from the intersection of Cartecay Drive, Ellijay Drive, and Coosawattee Drive, and homes that flood during intense rainfall.

Courtesy Brookhaven Police Department

named Dunwoody’s new police chief

By Cathy Cobbs

Deputy Chief Mike Carlson will become Dunwoody’s next police chief, succeeding Billy Grogan, who is retiring on June 1.

“Deputy Chief Mike Carlson has been with the Dunwoody Police Department since day one, and he has proven himself to be a strong and respected leader,” Dunwoody City Manager Eric Linton said in a statement released by the city. “I’m confident that he is more than ready and right for the top job. He has the support of officers in the department and members of the community.”

Carlson was one of the founding

members of the Dunwoody Police Department, joining as a sergeant in 2009. He coordinated the startup of the department’s Citizen Police Academy, Neighborhood Watch, and Chaplain programs. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 2015, major in 2019, and deputy chief in 2021, overseeing the department’s day-to-day operations.

“As Dunwoody’s next police chief, I will continue strengthening the partnership with our community, foster innovation, and provide the best training and equipment for our officers and staff,” Carlson said. “I promise to provide effective and compassionate law enforcement services to all who live, work, and visit this great city.  As the men and women of the Dunwoody Police Department continue to build upon Chief Billy Grogan’s outstanding legacy, we wish him a happy and well-deserved retirement.”

In 2022, Carlson retired as a captain with the Georgia National Guard. He began his part-time service in 2011 and was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2014. His awards include the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Meritorious Unit Commendation and Meritorious Service Medal.

“Deputy Chief Carlson’s record of excellence spans the entire history of the Dunwoody Police Department, consistently delivering outstanding service to the citizens of our community,” Chief Grogan said in the statement. “With unwavering confidence, I believe his leadership will propel the department to new heights of success.”

Carlson holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership/public safety from Reinhardt University and a master’s of Public Administration from Columbus State University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange, and the Senior Management Institute for Policing at the Police Executive Research Forum.

“Deputy Chief Carlson has played an important role in the building of our excellent police department,” Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said in the statement. ”He has innovative ideas and a real understanding of the Dunwoody community. I know Deputy Chief Carlson will continue to move the department in the right direction.”

The transition will begin right away, and Carlson will officially start his new role in April, the release said.

By Cathy Cobbs

The Dunwoody Homeowners Association announced its Feb. 18 annual meeting that Dash Hospitality’s David Abes will be the grand marshal at this year’s Fourth of July Parade.

Abes is the driving force behind an effort to create a multi-use entertainment and restaurant complex in the heart of Dunwoody that now includes Bar(n), Message in a Bottle, Morty’s Meat Supply and several food truck concepts.

Parade co-chairs Penny Forman and Matt Weber also revealed that this year’s parade theme is “Red, White, and You.” The parade is the largest in the state of Georgia, with more than 2,000 participants and 30,000 spectators. The DHA and Rough Draft are presenting sponsors.

Forman said three bands have already committed to appear at the parade: Dunwoody High School, a drum-andbugle corp, and the Spirit of Atlanta band.

Mike Carlson

David Abes

The Power of Neighbors

Three stories of people and organizations giving back to the community

By Cathy Cobbs

Can being a good neighbor combat loneliness?

Studies have proven that knowing just six neighbors can reduce loneliness, and helping a neighbor is even more beneficial for those who are experiencing issues associated with isolation. A 2020 study by NextDoor, in conjunction with Brigham Young University, found that knowing one’s neighbors has been linked to lowered depression, social anxiety and financial concerns, especially as it relates to the fallout from COVID-19.

Acts of kindness were also linked to improved mental health, even with the smallest gestures like waving or greeting those who live nearby.

But what happens when neighbors decide to take it a step further, beyond just saying hello? Grassroots efforts to help each other, studies have shown, benefit the

giver equally as much as the receiver. It’s the power of neighbors, whether it is done in an organized manner, or as an informal effort, that makes a community better.

The power of one becomes a community of support

Two years ago, Susie Griffin, the owner of Dunwoody Hair Co. Salon in the Mt. Vernon Shopping Center, came to work early one morning to find a homeless man sleeping on a bench near the entrance to her business. Instead of shooing him away, she took an interest in him.

“Ken, I came to find out, had grown up in Dunwoody,” Griffin said. “He never bothered anyone or threatened anyone or asked for anything. I felt quite safe when he was around.”

While not fully comprehending Ken’s history, but learning that he was estranged from his family, Griffin decided to help him. It was obvious that he suffered from a variety of mental issues, but Griffin

decided to help. She brought him clothes and food regularly. He wasn’t always near the shop, but he was around enough that it became a habit for her to provide him with a meal, snacks, or water.

Soon her clients and friends became engaged. When it was cold, they gave him a sleeping bag, when rough weather was predicted, they brought him a raincoat and umbrella. It soon became a community of helpers. Several of Griffin’s clients and employees would text her that they were stopping by the shop to drop off food and other items for Ken. The act of giving back was as much of a comfort to them as it was for Ken.

Ken told Griffin that he felt safe in Dunwoody, as he had roots in the community. He would disappear for a few days and then show up again. Once, when he had been missing for several weeks, Griffin drove around Atlanta, finally spotting him on a street corner in

Decatur.

“He said he just decided to walk there,” she said.

Ken returned to Dunwoody and the community outreach continued until a month ago, when he was hit by a car while crossing Dunwoody Village Parkway. He suffered pelvic fractures and significant head injuries. Griffin said it has become obvious that Ken can no longer survive on the street, and she and her community have been working to get him to a rehabilitation facility. It’s not easy.

“He needs a place to recover that specializes in homelessness and mental health issues, and there’s not a lot of them around here,” she said. “He’s 56 years old, never been on disability, and he needs an advocate.”

Griffin and her community of helpers said they are committed to helping Ken.

“I can’t do a lot to help people, but I can help Ken,” she said.

The power of soup

What started as a project to help children at Inman Park Middle School has turned into a citywide effort honoring the legacy of a man who inspired others to embrace philanthropy.

Jenny Levison, the founder of Souper Jenny, found herself in a dilemma. Her teacher friends told her of school children whom they believed had academic issues because of their poor nutrition and food deficits. Levison knew that providing help using conventional methods would mean a myriad of paperwork and red tape, so she teamed up with the school’s social workers, delivering fresh soup to those who were in need.

“There were plenty of organizations that provided packaged foods in backpacks, which is great, but we wanted to give fresh, nutritious meals as well,” she said.

That humble start has blossomed as part of Levison’s non-profit organization called The Zadie Project j (Yiddish for grandfather), which was inspired by her father, Jarvin, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 95. Each week, the project provides soup to school programs, neighborhood community clubs, children’s homes, senior citizen facilities, homeless food banks, and homeless youth outreach programs. Since its inception, the Zadie Project has packaged and distributed more than 100,000 quarts of soup to those in need.

Today, an all-volunteer team works to assemble about 800 quarts of soup per week at its Westside location, one of five stores in the Souper Jenny fold. The group

The city of Brookhaven bought the former Morrison Farms property on Osborne Road.

LaTonya Gates, Larenzia Lawrence, Lauren Taylor and Michael Cooper with PawKids.

(Photo by Isadora Pennington)

Soup from The Zadie Project. (Courtesy TZP)

Susie Griffin

is mostly comprised of Levison’s actor friends and neighbors.

“It’s just people helping other people, neighbors helping neighbors,” Levison said. “It’s truly a grassroots effort.”  Levison said giving back to the community gives her comfort in a chaotic world where it seems little can be accomplished by individuals.

“There are so many problems in the world that I can’t solve,” she said, “but I can focus on helping people in my backyard who are hungry.”

For more information about the program, visit thezadieproject.org.  The power to help communities rise up

On paper, LaTonya Gates didn’t have a chance.

Born in prison, the daughter of a heroin addict, Gates struggled with all the issues that often affect children in those

circumstances, including learning and behavioral challenges.

“I was kicked out of every school in DeKalb County,” she recalled. “Being born a heroin baby meant I had a lot of issues.”

It was only with the help of her grandmother, and a group of “strong African American women,” that Gates turned her life around, culminating with her being elected the president of her student body as a senior in high school.

It inspired Gates to put her energy and time into the community that helped her, and more importantly, needed her.

With the support of a predominantly Black church, Paradise Baptist, and majority-white Atlanta Westside Presbyterian, Gates bought “the largest drug house in the neighborhood,” renovated it, and started an after-school program called PawKids for children in the Grove Park community. It has now grown into a community enrichment program

providing family services, medical and mental health care, food and wellness resources, and learning support for families in need.

“Some called it a crazy idea, but I wanted to give back to the community that saved my life,” Gates said. “We are forming relationships with these children that will allow them to break boundaries.”

Most of the 50 children who attend the after-school program come from Title 1 schools that are the lowest rated in the city. But Gates said she isn’t discouraged.

“Poverty is a mindset that we are working with these children to overcome,” she said. “This isn’t a babysitting club. The children who come here want to work to be better.”

For more information about PawKids, visit pawkids.org.

The PawKids campus on Atlanta’s Westside. (Photo by Isadora Pennington)

SUSTAINABLITY

Protecting Atlanta’s trees is vital

I’m writing this on Arbor Day in Georgia, the third Friday in February. On this early spring day, I’m celebrating the magnificent trees in my Intown neighborhood, as well as the plantings that will take place in Atlanta and elsewhere. Small and large hands will smooth fresh soil around saplings and water their roots with the hope of a greener, cooler tomorrow.

In retirement, I’ve been studying trees more attentively. I love the woods in winter after the flow of sap in deciduous species has slowed and leaves have lost their energy and fallen to the ground. Trunks, large limbs, and branches that are largely hidden in summer’s green abundance are on display in all their architectural glory: the bared canopy of oaks, beeches, hickories, native magnolias, and sycamores. The irregular and expressive lines of trunks and branches never fail to stimulate my eyes and mind in ways that man’s angular shapes and straight lines cannot.

MARCH MEETINGS & EVENTS

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at Tucker City Hall, 1975 Lakeside Pkwy, Ste 350B, Tucker, GA 30084

• MARCH 2

2:30 P.M. Rubber Ducky

• MARCH 4 6:30 P.M. Downtown

• MARCH 21 7 P.M. Planning Commission

• MARCH 23 9:30 A.M.-1 P.M.

ABOVE THE WATER LINE

Sally Bethea

My favorite trees are sycamores and beeches. While many dislike the messiness of sycamores—shedding bark, raining seed pods, and huge, slow-to-decompose leaves—I am in awe of these beauties. In the winter, the pure white upper trunks and branches of sycamores present spectacular silhouettes against blue or gray skies. My eyes scan wooded areas, seeking their dramatic, white arms that reach for the sky in Hallelujah poses. Like me, sycamores love to have wet “feet,” and thrive along rivers and in creek ravines. How could I not love them?

Disappearing Trees

Most people would agree that mature trees add beauty to their surroundings and enhance property values. Less well-known are other essential services that trees provide at no economic cost. As more frequent and severe heat waves increase with climate change, trees can lower urban temperatures by an impressive ten degrees—and literally save lives. Georgia Tech professor Brian Stone Jr. says: “Trees are, quite simply, the most effective strategy we have to guard against

heat in cities.”

Trees can also help mitigate the effects of intense storms, like the shocking “rain bomb” that deluged downtown Atlanta last fall, flooding streets and buildings with fast-moving water. Their leaf canopies slow the speed of falling water and reduce soil erosion caused by flooding storms; they also provide ample surfaces where rainwater lands and evaporates. Tree roots take up water and promote ground infiltration.

Not many years ago, Atlanta’s tree canopy covered 49 percent of its land area; today, that number has dropped to slightly more than 46 percent—clearly moving in the wrong direction from the city’s goal of 50 percent coverage. Another 190,000 new residents are predicted to move into the city by 2050, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission: a 38 percent increase over current levels. Unless we take action now, new development to support this influx of people (roads, rooftops, and parking lots) will bring even hotter temperatures and increased storm runoff and flooding.

Why are we witnessing the slow, but steady, disappearance of such an important natural asset: Atlanta’s tree canopy?

Failed Protection Measures

More than twenty years ago, the Atlanta City Council adopted an ordinance to protect the city’s trees. At that time, climate change was barely a blip on the horizon for most civic leaders. Fast forward to today: clearly, the climate is changing. Protecting and enhancing our urban forest will make our city more resilient. A healthy, more robust tree canopy will help save lives and property from heat waves and dangerous flooding.

As has been acknowledged by virtually all stakeholders—city officials, developers, and tree and housing affordability advocates—the existing tree ordinance is unworkable. At a minimum, it must be amended and more funding provided for the city’s tree programs. Under the current system, “replacement” saplings are allowed as recompense for the removal of mature trees. Of course, these small trees cannot provide the cooling and flood mitigation services of larger species— and won’t be able to do so for decades, even a lifetime.

For the past decade, city decision-

Continued on page 16

• MARCH 11 7 P.M.

• MARCH 14 6 P.M.

• MARCH 25 7 P.M. City Council Work

tuckerga.gov

Atlanta’s lush tree canopy. (Courtesy Trees Atlanta)

makers have squandered multiple attempts to strengthen Atlanta’s tree ordinance through various stakeholder initiatives. Most developers, it seems, are fine with the status quo: ridiculously low tree recompense fees, relatively easy permitting, and minimal enforcement due to insufficient city staffing; they have no incentive to agree to amendments. Tree advocates are unable to agree among themselves on the best ways to improve tree programs. Housing affordability advocates say some ordinance provisions are harmful to their goals.

Most importantly, no civic leaders or elected officials have stepped forward to make the tree issue their own and a priority. As community activist Saul Alinsky said: “No issue can be negotiated unless you first have the clout to compel negotiations.” I learned this lesson many times during my years advocating for the Chattahoochee River.

New Initiative

The city’s tree problems have received

renewed attention under Mayor Andre Dickens. Several modest amendments to the tree ordinance were implemented last year. While helpful, they didn’t address the most controversial subjects: protecting existing trees, setting higher recompense fees, limiting land disturbance outside building footprints, and meeting affordable housing needs.

In the fall, the city hired Michael Elliott, a Georgia Tech professor with decades of experience in mediating complex city disputes. He has conducted dozens of interviews and will lead group sessions over the next four months. As the process expert, Elliott will attempt to bring the stakeholders to agreement on practical and effective ways to improve Atlanta’s tree programs, while allowing development.

Some are optimistic about this new initiative; others are highly skeptical that any progress will be made unless an influential leader or leaders step forward to function as a “forcing factor” and compel tree negotiations. Think: Shirley Franklin and sewers. Mayor Dickens, will you be our tree leader?

Chattahoochee River cleanup Sweep the Hooch set for March 23

By Collin Kelley

As part of its commitment to achieving a trash-free Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) is hosting its 14th annual Sweep the Hooch cleanup on Saturday, March 23 from 9 a.m. to noon.

This watershed-wide day of service brings together more than 1,500 volunteers at dozens of parks, tributaries, and access points along the Chattahoochee to clean up litter.

Volunteers are equipped with gloves and trash bags before setting out on foot, wading in streams, or paddling canoes and kayaks to collect trash of all shapes and sizes for proper recycling and disposal.

This year, volunteers can choose to participate at one of more than 60 cleanup sites, beginning at the river’s headwaters in North Georgia and continuing along the river as far south as Columbus, Georgia. Sweep the Hooch is presented in collaboration with the National Park Service’s Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which will host 15 cleanup sites within the park boundaries.

Since 2011, thousands of Sweep the Hooch volunteers have collectively removed 236 tons of trash and recyclables from the Chattahoochee watershed.

“Sweep the Hooch has brought together so many communities, spread over 200 river miles, to protect and enjoy all the Chattahoochee has to offer,” Tammy Bates, CRK Outings Director, said in a press release. “Each year we recruit more volunteers and remove more trash, making this a truly impactful day of service to the waterways that we all rely on and enjoy.”

Volunteers can sign up for a cleanup site near them at sweepthehooch.org. Participation is free, but individual registration is required. CRK will provide the necessary supplies and will thank volunteers for their dedication with a oneyear membership to the organization.

Teams, clubs, and community groups are welcome to participate, but are encouraged to sign up early; once a site reaches capacity, registration for that site will close.

Photos courtesy of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

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Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson is reminding seniors to review their homestead exemption status. NEW for 2024, changes to income limits allow more seniors to meet eligibility requirements for special exemptions.

Conveniently check your exemption status online at DeKalbTax org or call 404-298-4000 during business hours for assistance. If you’re a homeowner with an H4, H9 or A6 exemption, no further action is required.

Don’t have a homestead exemption on file? Apply online, in person, by mail or drop box before the April 1 deadline. Age and income requirements must be met to qualify for senior exemptions. A basic homestead exemption must be on file to apply for special exemptions.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DEKALB COUNTY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS

Homestead exemptions provide a reduction in annual property taxes.

Special tax exemptions are also available for eligible seniors, disabled residents, disabled veterans or surviving spouse, surviving spouse of a U S service member, and surviving spouse of a peace officer or firefighter. Apply by April 1.

Age and income requirements must be met to qualify for all senior exemptions; seniors must be 62 years of age by Jan. 1 to apply.

Property owners must own and live at their primary residence as of Jan. 1, have all vehicles registered in DeKalb County, file income taxes from the property, and not have a homestead exemption anywhere else.

Homeowners who do not have an existing homestead exemption have until the April 1 deadline to apply for all exemptions

Once an exemption is granted, it automatically renews as long as you reside at the property or until a different exemption is filed and granted

AVOID DELAYS

Check your exemption status and apply online today!

DEKALBTAX.ORG

Ground broken for first segment of Silver Comet Connector

By Collin Kelley

Construction is underway on the Woodall Rail Trail, the first segment of the Silver Comet Connector in Atlanta.

The future trail follows Woodall Creek, a tributary to Peachtree Creek, in a preserved 10-acre tract of land filled with native plants and wildlife, according to a press release from the Upper Westside Community Improvement District (CID). The segment begins at the future Northwest BeltLine connection at Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard and Elaine Avenue and extends north to the intersection of Chattahoochee Avenue and Chattahoochee Row at The Works.

The trail will provide safe walking and biking infrastructure while protecting this forest preserve in an area of Atlanta that lacks sidewalks and greenspace, the press release said.

Grants from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and project partners Groundwork Atlanta, PATH Foundation, Trees Atlanta and the Upper Westside CID are driving the project forward, aided by a grant from the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Project.

“The Woodall Rail Trail is a testament to the commitment of our Upper Westside community, our project partners, and the enduring spirit of collaboration,” Elizabeth Hollister, Executive Director, Upper Westside CID, said in the release. “It symbolizes the shared dedication to creating a healthier, more sustainable, and interconnected Atlanta.”

To improve water quality in the previously neglected creek, the Upper Westside CID partnered with Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management

to design a bioswale, or a vegetated area with special soils and plants, to pretreat the water run-off from both Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard and Elaine Avenue before it enters Woodall Creek. This infrastructure is partially funded by a grant from DNR and will be constructed in the roadway.

Project partners Groundwork Atlanta and Trees Atlanta led volunteer groups throughout 2022 and 2023 to remove invasive plants from the 10-acre tract. Their ongoing forest restoration work during and after construction will include replanting native grasses, shrubs and trees along the trail.

The trail segment is named the Woodall Rail Trail because it winds along the banks of Woodall Creek and through sections of abandoned rail spurs that were once part of a vast industrial network.

The Silver Comet Trail is a nearly 100-mile paved, non-motorized path connecting metro Atlanta to Anniston, Alabama popular with cyclists, hikers and pedestrians.

In addition, Selig Enterprises funded and installed a traffic signal and crosswalk at Southland Circle, enabling safe passage for trail users across Chattahoochee Avenue. Selig is working alongside the PATH Foundation and the Upper Westside CID to weave the next portion of the Silver Comet Connector through their properties fronting Chattahoochee Avenue alongside Woodall Creek.

After a public invitation-to-bid process, the partnership selected IP Construction to build the trail. It expects the Woodall Rail Trail to open in the first quarter of 2025, the release said.

A rendering of the Silver Comet Connector.

(Courtesy Upper Westside CID)

By Logan C. Ritchie

Michelle Guterman and her mother, Karen Shmerling, are “previvors.” Both women tested positive for the breast cancer gene (BRCA) and took steps to reduce the chance of having cancer before it was detected.

Guterman, 39, grew up in Sandy Springs and attended the University of Georgia. As a child life specialist in Augusta and Washington, D.C., Guterman helped young patients, their parents, and families adjust to medical conditions. She and her now husband, Josh, moved to Atlanta where Guterman attended the physician assistant program at Emory University.

As a teen, Guterman volunteered at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The medical world was familiar because her father, Dr. Ricky Shmerling, is an

out the information about anyone in my family who had breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer. All the answers were no,” said Guterman, “So I did it and then went about my life, honestly.”

She was at the park with her daughter and husband when a call came in to let her know the BRCA-2 test was positive. She immediately called her parents.

“I don’t remember a lot of what she said because I was so in shock. I felt like she was wrong,” Guterman recalled.

Guterman’s mother refused to believe the news.

“I said, ‘There’s been a mix up. We don’t have a history of cancer in my family,’” said Shmerling, whose own test came back positive a few weeks later.

In September 2020, Shmerling had a double mastectomy and plastic surgery with implants. She was 62. “Michelle saved my life,” she said.

anesthesiologist. So when a colleague encouraged Guterman to take the BRCA test, it seemed like something she could do to help science. Little did she know she’d be a mid-30s mom diagnosed with a gene that is linked to breast cancer.

According to JScreen, a national nonprofit headquartered at Emory University’s Department of Human Genetics, everyone has genes that help prevent their bodies from developing cancer. If there is a harmful mutation in one of these genes, it will not work properly, significantly increasing the risk for cancer.

Guterman and Shmerling took the at-home comprehensive genetic test by JScreen. BRCA is more prevalent in people of Ashkenazi descent.

“I remember sitting on my bed, filling

Guterman waited to take action. She wanted another baby, which her doctor agreed was safe. Then she waited for her second daughter to turn two before going through with a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

After a four-hour surgery, Guterman remained under observation. She came home with two drains, one on each side, to help remove fluid. The first week was especially hard because the drains restricted her movement, and the pain was greater than she’d anticipated.

“I needed a lot of help. My husband is an absolute angel,” Guterman said. “The girls had a tough time. It was hard for them to see their mom go from being so active to not doing anything at all.”

Guterman admits she’s “pretty Type A.” To make recovery easier, she bought button up pajamas, a few pairs of sweatpants, a shower chair, a drain holder for the shower, and a mastectomy pillow. She found staying on a schedule for pain medication difficult, so her husband helped. Sleeping has been a challenge because she often can’t get comfortable.

Still, she would do it all over again.

“I want to be around for my girls and I would much rather have a mastectomy prophylactically than with chemo and radiation,” Guterman said.

Shmerling is deeply involved as a JScreen volunteer, stating, “I want to be an open book about it because I might be able to help somebody else.”

Michelle Guterman and her mother Karen Shmerling. (Provided)

Communities of Faith

Holy Week

Andrew Young speaks to Brookhaven Chamber audience

Palm Sunday

9:15am Sunday School

10:30am Worship

Maundy ursday

7:00pm Communion Service

Easter Sunday

No rt hwe s t Pres byterian Ch u rc h

4300 Northside Drive, NW, 30327 northwestpresbyterianchurch.org

No rt hwe s t Pres byterian Ch u rc h 4300 Northside Drive, NW, 30327 northwestpresbyterianchurch.org

No rt hwe s Pres byterian h Northside Drive, NW, 30327 northwestpresbyterianchurch.org

Everyone Welcome!

9:15am Sunday School

10:30am Easter Celebration

11:45pm Easter Egg Hunt

Childcare Provided.

Plan to join us again Saturday, May 18th at 7:30 for Screen on the Green

By Logan C. Ritchie

Ambassador Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta and Civil Rights icon, spoke to the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce as part of Black History Month.

In conversation with Brookhaven City Council member John Funny on Feb. 8, Young regaled the majority-Black audience of business leaders, elected officials, and police officers with stories from the 1950s to the current day.

Young has seen and done it all. He traveled to 152 countries, tried to broker peace in the Middle East, taught children how to grow their own food, and negotiated for the rights of Black people to peacefully live, shop, eat, and vote.

Young recalled the rising violence in Birmingham, AL, in the 1950s when homes, churches, and Jewish facilities were being bombed. Young, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and Fred Shuttlesworth called a meeting with white businessmen in 1961.

“It was a series of discussions about very specific things that were discriminatory,” said Young, adding these

talks were held prior to demonstrations in Alabama.

It led to the Birmingham Manifesto, a list of demands for equal rights.

Funny recognized, “If it wasn’t for that meeting, many Black business owners like myself and Black leaders in the community wouldn’t be where we are today.” He said the men “put their lives on the line to go into these meetings and make a change.”

Young charmed the audience with stories about peaceful demonstration, building Midtown Atlanta, creating a safer city with community policing, and many travels. He even proved his knowledge of Atlanta sports.

He still knows all the words to the Negro National Anthem, something he thought younger generations had never memorized.

“My grandchildren are always talking about the stress and tension in their lives,” he said. “I never had anxiety because when I was about to flunk out, I’d get in the shower and sing.”

When asked if he’d return to the event again next year, he said he’d try his best.

“I’ll have a birthday next month, and I’ll be ninety-f—ing-two,” Young said.

Ambassador Andrew Young and Brookhaven City Council member John Funny spoke at the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce meeting on Feb. 8. (Photo by Logan C. Ritchie).

Andrew Young with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Courtesy The King Center)

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PRESENTING SPONSOR

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Georgia Center for the Book releases annual list of must-reads

By Collin Kelley

Georgia Center for the Book, the state’s Library of Congress nonprofit affiliate based in the DeKalb County Library System, has released its annual list of Books All Georgians Should Read for 2024.

Rough Draft is proud to announce that two of our contributors have made this year’s list including Above the Waterline columnist Sally Bethea for her memoir Keeping the Chattahoochee, and newsletter editor Julie E. Bloemeke, who co-edited Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology.

Books All Georgians Should Read 2024

↑ Bethea, Sally Sierer, Keeping the Chattahoochee: Reviving and Defending a Great Southern River  (Nonfiction)

Blake, John, More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew  (Nonfiction)

→ Bloemeke, Julie E. and Brookshire, Dustin (Editors),  Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology  (Poetry) Ductan, Monic,  Daughters of Muscadine (Fiction)

Jones, Anita Gail,  T he Peach Seed  (Fiction)

Keng, Natalie,  Egg Rolls & Sweet Tea: Asian Inspired, Southern Style  (Nonfiction/ Cookbook)

May, James Davis,  Unusually Grand Ideas  (Poetry)

Oakley, Colleen,  The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise  (Fiction)

Watson, Ruth P.,  A Right Worthy Woman  (Fiction)

Woo, Ilyon,  Master Slave Husband

Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom  (Nonfiction)

Books All Young Georgians Should Read 2024

Collier, Nicole D., The Many Fortunes of Maya  (Middle Grade)

Fang, X., Dim Sum Palace  (Picture Book)

Isley, Sierra,  In the Ring  (YA)

Lowery, Mike,  Everything Awesome

About: Dangerous Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts!  (Picture Book)

McCloskey, Shanda (Illustrator),  Nubby  (Picture Book)

Mufleh, Luma, From Here  (YA ) Strickland, Shadra,  Jump In!  (Picture Book)

Ross, Rebecca,  Divine Rivals  (YA)

Thomas, Angie,  Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy  (Middle Grade)

Winters, Julian, As You Walk On By  (YA)

Spruill Gallery’s ‘Through Lines’ showcases artists’ exploration of stitching and line construction

By Cathy Cobbs

Dunwoody’s Spruill Gallery opened its exhibition season in February with “Through Lines” featuring the work of Atlanta artists Amanda Banks, Gavin Bernard, and Amberly Hui Hood.

Spruill Gallery Director Shannon Morris said she was inspired by works using thread as she assembled the show, which runs through March 29.

“Through Lines” brings together three artists, whose abstract works explore cultural lines, intersections, and the construction practice of stitching and the formal element of line, according to Morris.

“While similar in concept and design practice, the artists employ different materials and colorways to create their works,” she said.

Self-taught mixed media fiber artist Amanda Banks, who resides in North Georgia, uses their surroundings as a source of materials – trash from the street, secondhand yarn and fabric, boxes of forgotten things,

or treasures foraged in the woods.

“I like to find scrap material and make a new purpose for it,” Banks said. “I work on a piece until it brings me joy.”

Banks, who describes their art as “childlike and playful,” said they work organically, sometimes pinning up a found material on a wall, then building on it until it is pleasing.

Banks most recently exhibited at Swan Coach House Gallery, Atlanta Contemporary Museum, East Tennessee State University, Slocumb Gallery, and in Rome, Ga., where they curated and exhibited in “Protest & Power “(February 2023) and “We Been Her”  (February 2022) in celebration of Black artists from the region.

British-born artist and designer Gavin Bernards’s work “explores the power of subtlety through meditative and durational practice, creating multilayered geometric installations through weaving and sewing,” according to a

Amanda Banks

Gavin Bernard

Spruill Gallery release about the artists.

His quilts on display for the “Through Lines” exhibit represent a new medium for Bernard, who became fascinated with making quilts for friends during the pandemic.

“I start in small sections and piece them together like a puzzle,” he said. “There’s a story behind each piece –mostly my thoughts and memories that come out as I am

constructing the pieces.”

One of the quilts on display is personal for Bernard, who will gift it to a good friend as a wedding present. The other one, created for the exhibition, took a year to complete.

“I’m always very self-critical, but I think these two are the best I’ve done so far,” he said.

Bernard presents his works for WonderRoot, Wanted Design, Dance Chance, Dashboard, Atlanta Beltline, Modern Atlanta, SXSW EDU, and Blue Heron Nature Preserve. He holds a residency at The Creatives Project and a studio at Echo Contemporary in Atlanta.

The colorful works of Atlanta-based artist Amberly Hui Hood are composed of contemporary rubber pieces using a bright color palette of traditional Korean textile technique called “pojagi.” The pieces are complimented with bright

thread accents throughout.

“It’s interesting to use two opposite mediums [thread and rubber] to make something sculptural and colorful,” Hood said.

Hood holds a BFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2017). She most recently exhibited at the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Swan Coach House, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, and Westobou Gallery.

Hood is the founder and owner of Studio 23 Atlanta, located in Smyrna, GA, which offers a wide range of classes for students of all ages and skill levels, including a Neurodevelopmental Art Program designed for youth and adults with disabilities.

Visit spruillarts.org for more information.

BALENCIAGA CRISTÓBAL

MASTER OF TAILORING

Photo by Neal Barr

Amberly Hui Hood

The Regulars

How author Gil Frank found inspiration at Le Bon Nosh

By Laura Scholz

Welcome to The Regulars, where we explore what it means to be a frequent restaurant patron. In this series, we’ll introduce you to everyday Atlantans and colorful local characters who have found a sense of belonging and community at restaurants and bars around town and what keeps these regulars coming back for more week after week.

Four shots of espresso.

That’s Atlanta author Gil Frank’s go-to coffee order at Le Bon Nosh in Buckhead. He’s been a near-daily customer at the French-stye bistro and wine bar since it opened on Irby Avenue in 2021.

A native of France and retired nonprofit executive who also co-founded Historic Westside Gardens, Frank turned to writing to process losing his wife to breast cancer in 2020. After attending a virtual writing workshop with grief expert David Kessler just a few months after his wife’s death, Frank realized he had an actual story to tell.

It became Frank’s first book, a 200plus page semi-biographical memoir about he and his wife that he began writing in his 70s. Frank published “Yocheved: The Friend of My Mind” in 2023.

The book is told in two parts. The first half chronicles Yocheved’s childhood in

Jamaica, adolescence in Europe, marriage to Frank, and illness, including excerpts from her cancer journal and personal poems and letters. The second part of Frank’s book explores the ups and downs of the couple’s two-decade relationship, immigration to Atlanta from Israel, and his experiences with caregiving, grief, and loss.

While working for three to six hours at a time from his usual small corner table in the light-filled Buckhead bistro, Frank slowly drafted the words, always with pen and paper before transferring them to his laptop. He wrote the book in English, but it’s also available in French.

Frank even met his editor, former barista Sika Noxolo, at Le Bon Nosh.

“English is my third language, and I write in a way that is different from many people,” explained Frank about his lyrical narrative style, influenced by his philosophy studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, classic French literature, and American authors Toni Morrison and Philip Roth.

“We just connected, and Sika was very receptive to my ideas,” he said of his working relationship with Noxolo, a first-time editor and full-time social media and marketing strategist. Frank often shared snippets of his work with other Le Bon Nosh staff members, including head barista Alacey Monoconduit.

“I first met Gil soon after we opened our doors at Le Bon Nosh in November 2021,” she recalled. “He was one of our first regulars. He was always warm and friendly.”

She first noticed the French-born Frank because of his daily uniform – all-black clothing with a black beret.

“His order struck me as very European since Americans rarely order espresso straight up,” she said of his usual coffee order, sometimes accompanied by a pastry to celebrate completing a chapter or round of edits. His favorite pastries? A financier and a traditional French croissant.

Frank might never have stumbled into Le Bon Nosh if it weren’t for a chance encounter with fellow community organizer and owner Forough Vakili’s husband, Ramtin. They bumped into each other in the Whole Foods parking lot just around the corner from Le Bon Nosh.

“He said they were working on opening a cafe and restaurant, and I decided to check it out one day after my shopping,”

he recalled. Frank immediately fell in love with the restaurant’s high ceilings, friendly baristas, and excellent coffee and started coming on weekday mornings to write. Last July, he held his book launch at Le Bon Nosh, with 10% of book proceeds benefitting the annual Thanksgiving meal he organizes with activist Precious Mohammed for neighbors in the Vine City and English Avenue communities – all in memory of his late wife.

community around the restaurant. It’s open all day for pastries and coffee and Frenchinfluenced dishes like jambon beurre, beef tartare, and confit duck leg.

“To walk in here and see all of these regulars like Gil and have conversations with them, it gives you that extended sense of family that is often missing in our lives,” Vakili said.

Currently writing his second book –this time a novel –Frank shares Vakili’s sentiments about the restaurant in the forward to “Yocheved: The Friend of My Mind.”

Frank says Le Bon Nosh provided him with a much-needed sense of community and companionship following her death.

“In 2022, I went to Israel and France for two months, and when I returned, people [at the restaurant] asked me where I had been and said they were worried and missed me,” he said. “It’s a place that invites people to communicate and be open with each other.”

Le Bon Nosh owner and chef Forough Vakili says she intended to create a

“The Café that welcomed me – Le Bon Nosh, where Alacey, Amber, Cullen, Pope, Johanna, and Forough Vakili and all her staff watched me write and with whom conversations allowed me to pause and recharge.”

Want to nominate a restaurant regular for an upcoming story? Send your nomination with a brief description to beth@roughdraftatlanta.com.

Atlanta author Gil Frank at his book signing at Le Bon Nosh. (Photo courtesy Gil Frank)

Sidetracked Wine Co. opens this spring in downtown Chamblee

By Beth McKibben

The team behind bottle shops Elemental Spirits Co. and The Zero Co. in Poncey-Highland will open Sidetracked Wine Co. later this spring in downtown Chamblee.

Located across from Asian brewpub Hopstix on Pierce Drive, Sidetracked Wine will sell vintages from small and family-owned wineries producing natural, low-intervention, and organic wines. In addition to retail sales, owners Cory and Malory Atkinson will also offer wine tastings and flights here.

“Our wine selection will be a reflection of both everyday staples and limited and rare bottles with cult followings from all around the world,” general manager and wine buyer Adam Urban says.

Urban and the Atkinsons want Sidetracked to serve as a place for people to ask questions and seek guidance on wine and wine pairings through personal consultations, tastings, and flights. Like Elemental Spirits, Sidetracked Wine will carry zero-proof options from the couple’s nonalcoholic bottle shop The Zero Co.

The Atkinsons opened Elemental Spirits next door to Manuel’s Tavern in 2020. The shop sells small-batch spirits and natural wines. As demand for nonalcoholic spirits grew, the couple added a tight selection of zero-proof options to the shelves at Elemental Spirits. The Atkinsons opened The Zero

Co. in 2022, just down the street from their original bottle shop. It became the first bottle shop to open in Atlanta dedicated to nonalcoholic spirits.

Sidetracked Wine Co. joins a growing list of restaurants and bars opening in Chamblee, part of a rejuvenation project underway in the city’s downtown district. This includes taproom and micro food hall Chamblee Tap and Market on Broad Street and the sprawling eco-friendly dining and entertainment district Block and Drum. Both are expected to open in downtown Chamblee by summer.

The future home of Sidetracked in downtown Chamblee. (Provided)

Elemental Spirits Co’s Poncey-Highland store. (Provided).

Providing more opportunities for women in the wine industry

March is Women’s History Month, so we decided to sit down with Amanda Kimbrough, a wine sales representative and coordinator of a local women in wine collective, to discuss the importance of community in not just our careers, but in our individual lives as well.

WOMEN + WINE

Katie Rice & Sarah Pierre

Your community can be the city you live in or the people who live in your apartment, but a sense of belonging is a necessary part of human engagement.

Amanda acknowledged the need to “love and be loved” and how this urge leads to humans surrounding themselves with like-minded people.

“Atlanta has fostered a community in the wine world that is unique to other cities,” she says, noting that it’s not uncommon for a group of wine buyers and sommeliers to meet up for bottle shares and networking.

Also unique to Atlanta is the abundance of women in the field. Not only are numerous wine stores womenowned, but restaurants across the city have buyers and sommeliers who are female. In the distributor arena, we have countless numbers of women out in the field selling wines and spirits, but leadership has mostly remained maledominated.

Your seat at the table.

edited by Beth McKibben.

Amanda has worked in both restaurants and retail and is among those who spend their days selling wine and spirits. She also helps bring together a diverse, inclusive set of women who meet up quarterly to share bottles, camaraderie, and fellowship.

Her goal is “to provide an opportunity for all the women in the Atlanta wine industry to learn each other’s names and faces.” She knows, too, that “community isn’t all bottle shares and fun. It sometimes can require uncomfortable conversations and sacrifices. We have to bend to be in community with people.”

Amanda spoke on the importance of networking, saying “It forces you to be around those who might not be ‘your people’ but also the next step is looking to find common ground. We all have our unique contributions.”

For the young professional, this helps to develop skills that can translate into any arena of life. Communities are built by the strengths of individuals coming together. “Community is a sum of parts,” Amanda says. “Everyone contributes something, whether big or small, to create a strong, thriving community.”

For those of us who have worked in the business for many years, we have seen a lot of change in the hospitality industry. The Atlanta-based organization The Giving Kitchen, which helps provide emergency funds and resources for service industry workers, has opened the dialogue for labor inadequacies and practices around the field which has spread to national engagement.

We have seen a growth of women entrepreneurs in both the restaurant

and the retail sector around the city. These changes can be attributed to the community in which we live and the people who have helped to build it.

“We have to buy out of the idea that there is only one seat at the table,” Amanda says. “Success means competing together, not against each other.”

For future growth, we must also consider what the wine industry is lacking. While the Atlanta community is diverse and continues to be a leader, the wine industry as a whole needs to take note. Overall, racial equality and inclusion of those in the LGBTQ+ community are vastly underrepresented. With the understanding that “Atlanta Influences Everything,” our responsibility is to look forward and be an example of what a full and healthy community can look like.

Of course, we can’t forget what wine does best: Bring people together! Here are Amanda’s suggestions for your Spring wine enjoyment:

• A glass of Ultraviolet Sparkling with a big glug of Momenpop Blood Orange Aperitif is a perfect Sunday Spritz.

• Anything that Maya Hood White makes, but especially Early Mountain Petit Manseng from Madison, VA.

• Statera Winery where “Meredith Bell is doing the hard work” when it comes to labor practices and sustainability. Amanda loves the 2021 Chardonnay Pet Nat from Willamette Valley, Oregon.

Culinary Dropout opens in Dunwoody

By Beth McKibben

Culinary Dropout opened Feb. 21 at Ashford Lane in Dunwoody, joining the recently opened Politan Row food hall.

Dunwoody becomes the second Atlanta-area location of the Arizona-based restaurant and live music venue. Culinary Dropout first opened at the Brickworks along the Marietta Street Artery in Atlanta late last year. Like its Westside counterpart, the Dunwoody outpost has live music, sports on multiple televisions, and a large patio.

The Dunwoody location is open for both lunch and dinner as well as weekend brunch. The menu includes pizza, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees such as 36-hour pork ribs during lunch and dinner. Weekend brunch offers banana bread French toast, a breakfast burrito,

and a fried chicken biscuit. Look for cocktails, beer, and wine from the bar.

The revamp of the former Perimeter Place shopping complex on Olde Perimeter Way included bringing new locations of restaurants like Grana, Superica, and Hawkers Asian Street Food to the Dunwoody development.

Politan Row at Ashford Lane opened earlier this month, taking over the food hall space once occupied by the Hall at Ashford Lane. The Hall suddenly closed after just two months at the complex last summer with some former employees accusing owner Jamal Malek Wilson of unpaid wages and dubious hiring practices. Politan Row includes nine restaurant stalls, Mamacita’s Cuban Cantina restaurant, and cocktail lounge Okay Anny’s.

Amanda Kimbrough (Special)

The Move: Three dishes to seek out this month

By Beth McKibben

Editor’s Note: The Move is your new monthly guide to the top food finds from Senior Editor Beth McKibben, who oversees restaurant and dining coverage at Rough Draft.

↑Pesto BEC biscuit at People’s Town Coffee Bar

55 Milton Avenue, Peoplestown, Atlanta | IG @peoplestowncoffee

The bacon, egg, and cheese (BEC) biscuit at People’s Town Coffee Bar comprises a fluffy, folded egg, crispy bacon, and gooey cheddar cheese cascading down the sides. The addition of bright green pesto gives this BEC an herbaceous pop. The savory breakfast sandwich can come on either a toasted bagel or Southern-style biscuit. Opt for the biscuit provided to the coffee bar by Juniper Cafe, from the team behind Humble Pie and Lazy Betty. Pesto BEC biscuits are only available on weekends and sell out fast, so I arrive before 10 a.m.

↑Agedashi tofu in Doraville and Edgewood

Yebisuya, 6035 Peachtree Road, Doraville | IG @yebisuyaramen

Dead End Drinks, 130 Arizona Avenue, Edgewood | IG @deadenddrinksatl

An essential izakaya dish full of umami, agedashi tofu comprises three to four large cubes of firm tofu typically fried in potato starch and served in a warm soybased sauce. It’s garnished with chopped scallions, daikon radishes, and fresh ginger. I’m partial to the agedashi tofu at Yebisuya at the Super HMart complex in Doraville. Four lightly fried tofu cubes arrive in a rich soy broth topped with grated daikon radishes, scallions, and shaved nori (dried seaweed). Nori gives the dish added crunch, hints of salinity, and extra savoriness. Try the agedashi tofu at Dead End Drinks in Edgewood, too.

↑Seven-Layer Country Captain Crunchwrap at SamWitch

Halfway Crooks Biergarten, 60 Georgia Avenue, Summerhill | IG @samwitchshop

Several new restaurants shine the spotlight on sandwiches, including Bona Fide Deluxe in Edgewood, Humble Mumble in Midtown, The Best Sandwich Shop in Poncey-Highland, and The Velvet Hippo in Avondale Estates. Add my new favorite sandwich slinger SamWitch to this list, and the Seven-Layer Country Captain Crunchwrap Superb. You’ll find SamWitch serving from a bright yellow shipping container at the Halfway Crooks beer garden in Summerhill on the weekends. Operated by Chef Mykel Burkhart and Sam Wilson Burkhart and Chef Tyler Oliver, the crunchwrap is stuffed with smoked chicken, fragrant garlic-ginger basmati rice, sweet potato and almond spread, queso fresco, shrabbage, and raita. The tortilla is lightly fried, giving the exterior ample stability to hold the contents of the sandwich in place.

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Spring into some well-crafted gin

By Cory Atkinson, Kristina Ferdinand, and Stephanie Saputo

IN THE SPIRIT

WITH ELEMENTAL SPIRITS

Something about Spring beginning to bloom and the winter chill replaced by a warm breeze gets us in the mood for the floral and botanical notes of a well-crafted gin cocktail. Gin has been having a renaissance since, well, the Renaissance. It was born in Holland as a medicinal tonic known as “Genever” and made from malt and juniper. The juniper was used as a flavoring agent to cover up the intense and rich flavor of the malt and made the genever much easier to consume.

After brandy was heavily taxed as an import in England and regulations allowed for unlicensed genever production (bathtub gin, anyone?), the British took hold of the cheaper genever and made it the national alcoholic drink of England. They ended up shortening the name to an easier-topronounce “gen” which eventually became the “gin” we all know and love. Now, a few

hundred years later, gin is truly one of the most expressive and terroir-driven spirits available.

To be called gin in America, the only real definition is that it has to have the characteristic flavor of juniper. That's not a lot to go on, which allows the category to be pretty widespread in terms of flavor profiles and styles.

The more classic older styles are designated London Dry, which is as simple as it sounds – it is dry! This means there are no sweeteners or flavoring agents outside of botanical (read; fruits and herbs!) but this style tends to be very juniper-forward. And then there's Old Tom, which was classically sweetened with licorice (originating from when people made their gin in the bathtub and had to sweeten it because, yeah, bathtub.) Now, Old Tom is often barrelaged to give a richer, softer flavor.

A little later on, the Navy Strength style gin emerged with a unique backstory. It was historically stored below deck on British naval ships, often next to gunpowder. This gin had to be at least 114 Proof (57% ABV) to be considered “navy strength,” so if a little gin spilled on the gunpowder it would still ignite.

In more recent history with the emergence of craft distilling, Botanical gins have become more popular. This

distinction is broad and can be almost anything but tends to have many botanical combinations added as the name suggests. Monkey 47 is made from, you guessed it, 47 different botanicals. Talk about a party in a glass.

Requiring only neutral grain and juniper and no time barrel aging, gin is commonly a product that new distilleries start making and bottling right away. New expressions of gin are now made all over the world, each showcasing unique expressions of where they are from. Most times, distillers use local botanicals to show a sense of terroir like St. George in California or Barr Hill in Vermont. So, with this gin boom leading to so many options, how do you choose?

Do you like classic Gin & Tonics?

Nothing better than a super dry, juniperforward London Dry gin to make the best G&T.

How about a luscious martini?

Something with a little salt (or saline) for balance makes a fantastic aperitif cocktail. We'd suggest Isle of Harris from Scotland in a Classic Martini.

Negroni fan? We love an herbal, heavyhanded botanical style to hold up to the bitterness of the Campari. Try Occitan out of the Piedmont region of Italy.

Gin, just like a bottle of wine, can transport you when you smell the bouquet and taste the botanicals. Open yourself up to embracing the quality, craft and sensory experience a good gin cocktail can provide. It might be transformative – at the very least, it's bound to be a killer cocktail.

Courtesy Elemental Spirits Co.

Lenbrook senior living complex in Buckhead celebrates 40 years

By Dyana Bagby

Mary Virginia Davis, who turns 90 in February, enjoys the amenities provided at the Lenbrook senior residential complex in Buckhead.

“I don’t have to cook anymore,” she said with a chuckle. “When a lightbulb goes out, I make a call and someone comes to replace it. When my dishwasher broke down, the staff was here quickly to fix it.”

Davis moved into Lenbrook with her husband, Jarrett L. Davis III, in 2009, after selling their longtime Buckhead home. The choice to move to Lenbrook was an easy one, she said, after she spent years watching the care her parents, two aunts and her husband’s parents received while they lived there in the 1980s.

“I was there two to three times a week and I saw what it meant to them, and particularly what it meant to me, to know that my folks had a safe place to be and they would be taken care of if I couldn’t do it,” she said.

“And so I decided that’s what I want to do.”

Her husband died four years ago. Davis said that the community at Lenbrook is so crucial as people age and what she loves most about living there.

“People say they don’t want to move into Lenbrook because people are dying there,” she said. “That’s true, but you’ve got someone to grieve with, and you’ve got someone to go on with.”

Founded by Atlanta businessman Jack Clark, Lenbrook was established 40 years ago to offer seniors a new concept in retirement living by providing options for independent living, assisted living, and healthcare.

Lenbrook opened the 17-story Brookhaven Tower in 1983 at 3747 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, straddling the Brookhaven border. It is Atlanta’s first not-for-profit life plan community, also known as a continuing care retirement community.

The Brookhaven Tower included 200 apartments and offered a range of amenities, including healthcare, a fitness center, a library, a salon, a main and private dining room, and a billiard room.

Forty years later, Lenbrook’s campus spans 10 acres and includes a 25-story Lenox Tower and the Kingsboro at Lenbrook with about 550 residents.

Amenities now include a variety of indoor and outdoor dining options ranging from casual to elegant; a 9,000-squarefoot resort-style fitness center; walkable gardens with areas for gardening flowers and herbs; a regulation-size croquet lawn; valet parking; and concierge services.

Health services are available campus-wide, including a clinic, assisted living center; and a Medicare-certified skilled nursing

health care center offering rehabilitation services, memory support, and long-term care.

Lenbrook was founded as a not-forprofit, independent facility and is governed by an independent board of directors and a management team.

The 40th anniversary is a time to celebrate, but also a time to reflect on the value of the original vision of Lenbrook, said Lenbrook CEO Chris Keysor.

“In order to have an enduring legacy for the community, Lenbrook remains a nonprofit, has an independent board

of directors that oversees the governance of the organization,” he said.

“The board focuses on really always putting mission first, values first, and the desire never to never to sell out, to always be there for that next generation of people.” he said.

Keysor said occupancy at Lenbrook is back up to 97.5% after a significant decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are about 400 people on a waitlist. The cost to live at Lenbrook includes an

entrance fee of just under $300,000 and roughly $3,500 in monthly fees.

The fees cover housekeeping, dining, about 3,000 enrichment programs a year, and fitness and wellness programs, he said. Health care opportunities and services offered to residents were once private pay, but Lenbrook now provides a rehabilitative health care facility that’s certified by Medicare.

Mary Virginia Davis, a resident at Lenbrook for 14 years. (Courtesy Lenbrook)

The Lenbrook senior living complex in Buckhead today includes two high-rise buildings, seen in the background, and the Kingsboro at Lenbrook, independent residences called Flats and Villa. (Courtesy Lenbrook)

Lenbrook’s Brookhaven high-rise tower opened in 1983. (Courtesy Lenbrook)

Summer Camps

Josh Powell Camp has been getting kids active in the great outdoors every summer since 1972.

Seasonal Camps

 February 19 - 23

 March 25 - 29

 April 1 - 5

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7. July 15 -

8.

9.

Great SUMMER activities: swimming, archery, canoeing, arts and crafts, fort building, gaga ball, and more!

Registration Open February 15th at Noon for ages 5 - 9

5242

Summer Camps

SUMMER DAY

June–July 2024 | Ages 2–17

Register now for a summer filled with dance! of programs for all ages and levels. No audition required.

Two convenient locations:

Virginia-Highland Centre 404-883-2178

Buckhead Centre 404-303-1501

Learn more at centre.atlantaballet.com/summer-programs

PRE-K - 12TH

JULY 3 - JULY 26 OPEN

Summer Camps

Take CENTER STAGE

AMEX’s Centurion Lounge opens at ATL

Build cha racter. Grow confdence. Be c reative.

alliancetheatre.org/camps

By Collin Kelley

American Express has opened its new 26,000-square-foot Centurion Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The largest lounge in the Centurion Lounge network features a locally-inspired menu from Atlanta-based Chef Deborah VanTrece, numerous seating options for guests to relax or work before their flight, outdoor terraces with views of the airfield, and The Reserve by American Express, a bespoke whiskey bar serving signature cocktails designed by Centurion mixologist

The Centurion Lounge is located in

“The new Centurion Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will serve travelers in one of the airports our Card Members visit most,” said Audrey Hendley, President of American Express Travel, in a press release.  “It features amenities we know travelers enjoy, like outdoor terraces, and plenty of space to relax, along with local touches infused throughout the menus and design, that guests will remember long after their trip.”

The lounge’s design is inspired by Atlanta’s reputation as “the city in the forest” and features a 50-year-old olive tree and a 3,850-square-foot custom light sculpture that represents a forest canopy.

The lounge showcases commissioned artwork from local artists including a new, textural interpretation of the quintessential American Express watchdog by Lucha Rodríguez and a large-scale multimedia piece by Michi Meko that draws inspiration from Georgia’s landscape. Additionally, a 60-foot mural of abstracted leaf-like shapes, painted by Evan Blackwell Helgeson, stretches from the interior dining area to the exterior

Chef Deborah VanTrece, James Beard Award semifinalist and owner of local

the lounge. The custom menu includes Black Eyed Pea Biryani, Za’atar Grilled Chicken Thighs with Green Tomato Chimichurri, and Twisted Soul Salad with Strawberry Peppercorn Vinaigrette. Additionally, there is a dedicated food and beverage station with gluten-free and vegan options, including protein bites, salads, smoothies, and immunity booster juice shots.

“Atlanta has become such an interesting melting pot of cultures and cuisines. I’m thrilled to partner with American Express to bring food that celebrates these traditions, along with the best southern ingredients, to the Centurion Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport,” VanTrece said in the release. “Travel has inspired my approach as a chef and I feel blessed that, through this collaboration, I’ll be able to share my creative vision for food and hospitality with travelers from around the world.”

The Reserve by American Express is the first dedicated whiskey bar in a Centurion Lounge. The cocktail menu features five specialty whiskey cocktails, including Drink a Peach with peach-flavored whiskey and bitters and Mayme, Tailored, highlighting an American whiskey with ginger beer. Guests can also choose from over 20 classic and new American whiskeys.

Atlanta restaurants Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, Oreatha’s At The Point and La Panarda brings her take on modern, global soul food to

Interior off the Centurion Lounge. (Courtesy AMEX)

Chef Deborah VanTrece speaks at the opening. (Photo by Keith Pepper)

LINDSAY LEVIN TEAM CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE PLATINUM

QUENTISS SERVICK PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

MARGARET SALLEE LEADING EDGE

LESLIE ROSE HONOR SOCIETY

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MEGAN PRIMROSE LEADING EDGE

ANNE CARPENTER HONOR SOCIETY

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MARK GASPARRO HONOR SOCIETY

LEVEL UP TEAM CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE DIAMOND #1 Medium Team, Companywide

CAROLYN PHILLIPS-LONG PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

CHINYE ENURAH LEADING EDGE

EMIKO YANG HONOR SOCIETY

JODI YARBROUGH HONOR SOCIETY

LAURA MEHL CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE PLATINUM

AMANDA ROSE CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE GOLD

MONICA PARKER CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE GOLD