*Offer expires 2/15/22.
Coupon must be present at purchase.
J a n u a r y 1 3 , 2 0 2 2 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 4 0 , N o . 2
Roswell sets course with new mayor, council members By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — A crowd sat shoulder-to-shoulder inside the Roswell Council Chambers on Monday for a chance to watch Mayor Kurt Wilson and three new city council members take the oath of office. Wilson’s swearing-in was followed by Peter Vanstrom, Will Morthland and Lee Hills, whose family members did the honors. They join returning council members Mike Palermo, Christine Hall and Marcelo Zapata. During the meeting, the council unanimously chose Palermo to serve as mayor pro tem. Palermo, who was first elected to the City Council in 2015, immediately tried to set a new tone for the mayor and City Council, saying he hoped they would “civilly” work together for the betterment of Roswell. “We’re not always going to agree on everything,” Palermo said, “but I think it’s really important that the whole community comes together for the dialog and how we move things forward. I could not be more excited than with these elected officials getting the opportunity to really represent our community.” Zapata did not attend the meeting on Monday, but Hall said she shared Palermo’s excitement. “We have a big agenda and a lot to get done, and I know that everybody is ready to get down to work to work for the citizens of Roswell, so welcome aboard,” Hall said. As Roswell Fire Department Chaplain Dorie Griggs conducted the invocation, she asked that the mayor City Council
School district faces employee shortages
► PAGE 3
ROSWELL 10731 Alpharetta Hwy, Roswell, GA EAST COBB 4880 Lower Roswell Rd, #135, Marietta, GA
inSIDEoutPaintCenters.com | (770) 702-8888
Covid cases soar across Fulton County By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com
CHAMIAN CRUZ/APPEN MEDIA
Mayor Kurt Wilson is sworn in by his mother, Judy Wilson, Jan. 19 at Roswell City Hall. lead with a servant’s heart and spirit of collaboration. “May all who enter this building be treated with respect, dignity and kindness,” Griggs said. “In a city made up of longtime residents and newcomers, may each voice be valued and heard for their unique perspective.” Following a reception in the rotunda, the City Council got straight to business and unanimously agreed to sign a contract with Gradeco Inc. for stormwater infrastructure enhancements along Fouts Road and East Roswell Park for $64,560. Interim Director of Environmental/Public Works Sharon Izzo said the
purpose of the agreement was to alleviate the excessive stormwater flow from Fouts Road that’s flooding a residential property on Quincy Lane. The project will extend the existing river stone-lined swale in front of 8990 Fouts Road approximately 50 feet south and then install 90 linear feet of 18-inch reinforced concrete pipe across Fouts Road. It also allows for future park trail connectivity. The City Council then unanimously approved a policy change that allows homeowners associations and nonprofit organizations to place private security
Milton football coach announces resignation
Food festivals revived in Roswell, Alpharetta
► PAGE 6
See MAYOR, Page 18
► PAGES 6-7
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The new year has seen an exponential boom in COVID-19 cases, positivity rates and hospitalizations throughout Fulton County. At their meeting Jan. 5, county commissioners received the latest data from the Georgia Department of Public Health and laid plans to increase access to testing. “The seven-day averages for cases, hospitalizations and percent positives as of today are all at record highs for Fulton County,” Doug Schuster, Fulton County planning section chief said. “Ninety-two percent of all new cases are from the omicron variant.” Schuster also provided data demonstrating increases recorded since the last BOC meeting Dec. 15. “County hospitalizations have increased 667% since the last BOC meeting and pediatric COVID admissions are up 771% since the last BOC meeting,” Schuster said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established benchmarks for measuring transmission levels of the COVID-19
See COVID-19, Page 19