Dunwoody Crier - August 31, 2023

Asset forfeiture reports submitted for fiscal year ‘22 ► PAGE 8

August 31, 2023 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976

Six qualify for Dunwoody City Council races DUNWOODY, Ga. — After several days of candidate qualifying last week, Dunwoody is headed full steam toward election season in the fall.

City officials reported four incumbents and two other candidates will appear on city ballots in the election on Nov. 7, 2023. Councilwoman Stacey Harris will defend the Post 4 seat against challenger Chris Ozor, while Post 5 Councilman Joe Seconder will face off against Marianella Lopez.

Lopez serves as director of the Corners Outreach Music Academy, while Ozor lists his occupation as software engineer. Both candidates are Dunwoody residents, but neither currently has a registered campaign website.

Incumbent Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch will run for reelection unopposed, as will Post 6 Councilman John Heneghan.

— Alexander Popp ALEXANDER POPP/APPEN MEDIA

OPINION: BIGGERSTAFF Too many dairies in North Dekalb to name ► PAGE 12

Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch and city leaders cut the ribbon on a section of multi-use trail along Winters Chapel Road Aug. 28.

City leaders celebrate Winters Chapel Road trail completion City leaders have cut the ribbon on the first phase of the Winters Chapel Road multi-use trail project. See story Page 3

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All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.

Another burglary reported at Dunwoody self-storage DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police are investigating a burglary that allegedly took place at the Public Storage facility on Dunwoody Park Aug. 20.

A victim reported his storage locker at the facility was entered sometime between July 29 and Aug. 20, and items worth about $4,000 were stolen.

The man said his unit’s combination lock was cut off and replaced with a different one.

The report identified no suspects, but documents show two other burglaries were reported at the facility on Aug. 14 and July 11.

Luxury vehicle stolen in Perimeter Center DUNWOODY, Ga. — Police reports said that a Mercedes worth $70,000 was recently stolen from a Perimeter area restaurant.

Officers responded to Seasons 52 on Perimeter Center West in Dunwoody at about 7 p.m. on Aug. 18 after a victim discovered his car had been stolen. Reports said the vehicle was parked in the lot when the owner entered the restaurant at about 6 p.m. and was missing about an hour later.

No security cameras captured the incident, but officers learned the vehicle was spotted on FLOCK traffic cameras at about 6:30 p.m. while traveling on I-285.

The vehicle was marked as stolen in police databases, but officers were unable to identify a suspect in the case.

PUBLIC SAFETY 27-year-old arrested, claims to be toddler DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police arrested a 27-year-old Atlanta woman for driving with an open container and making false statements Aug. 18 after she was found driving with an open bottle of liquor and claimed to be born in 2021.

Officers were dispatched to an address near Meadow Lane at about 10 p.m. Aug. 18 responding to a wreck and found a suspect claiming not to have a driver's license with her, but providing a name and a birthdate in 2021.

Justifiably, officers were skeptical of her claims, reports said.

“It was impossible for [the suspect] to be born two years ago, and so I pressed further,” officers said in the report.

The driver was taken into custody after admitting she gave a false name and birthday. Officers also located a half-empty liquor bottle in her glove box.

The driver was charged with open container violations, failure to yield, driving while license suspended, and making false representations to police. She was transported to the DeKalb County Jail without incident.

Car passenger flees police for active warrant JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Police pulled over a Johns Creek woman Aug. 14 for driving with a suspended license but found her passenger had an active warrant for theft.

The passenger, a Johns Creek man, told police his license was “taken away” when police asked if he could take possession of the driver’s vehicle, the police report said. But when information returned that the passenger had an active warrant for theft by taking, he exited the vehicle and ran on foot westbound on Plantation Bridge Drive.

Police caught up with the passenger, placed him in handcuffs and transported him to the North Fulton County Jail in

Alpharetta. Police charged him with obstruction of law enforcement officers.

Lego shoplifters arrested for giving police fake names JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Police arrested two men Aug. 16 for giving false names after they were caught shoplifting from Target on State Bridge Road.

Police were provided with the suspect’s vehicle description and tag number. Store clerks were not able to identify what the suspects stole, the police report said.

Police located the suspects, a Decatur man and a man from Snellville, and saw multiple items in their backseat with security seals including four LEGO sets, a headset and a Google Wi-Fi booster. When police confronted the two suspects, they both provided fake names.

The report said Target did not want to prosecute but wanted the suspects trespassed. So officers charged them with giving false names and were transported to the North Fulton County Jail in Alpharetta.

Driver arrested for speeding, suspended license JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Police stopped a driver on McGinnis Ferry Road for speeding at 60 mph in a posted 45 mph zone Aug. 17.

When police ran tag information on the driver, a Lawrenceville woman, they learned her license was suspended for a failure to appear in Suwanee. As the officer waited for assistance to conduct a search, the driver began honking and yelling, the police report said.

Police asked the driver to exit the vehicle and placed her under arrest. As police placed the driver inside their patrol vehicle, she began calling the officer racial slurs, the report said.

Police transported the driver to the North Fulton County Jail in Alpharetta.

Police charged her with speeding and for driving with a suspended license.

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Dunwoody Nature Center to host free Saturday event DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody NaTell the Crier ture Center will host its monthly Free First Send your photos, announceSaturday event Sept. 2, from 11 a.m. to ments and letters to newsnoon. room@appenmedia.com.

Nature Center officials said this month’s event theme is “Reptile Roundup” and will feature a craft, activity, guided hike and The Dunwoody Nature Center is located unique meetings with a real-life reptile. The at 5343 Roberts Drive in Dunwoody. For event is free to all ages and families do not more information visit https://dunwoodyneed to register ahead of time. nature.org.

You talk, we listen.

The Crier is parking the Talk Back section right here on page 3 for the foreseeable future. Send your letters to newsroom@appenmedia.com by Sunday night and they’ll end up here that week. Park locations, tree-lined medians and backyard chickens welcome.

Rules of engagement: • Typically we restrict letters to 300 words. To limit fury from the copy desk, try and stay below that line.

• We normally do not publish letters written in response to other letters. We are going to waive that policy for the time being.

• We won’t publish your letter or name without explicitly getting your approval.

PHOTOS BY ALEXANDER POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Dunwoody city leaders said the 12-foot-wide trails on Winters Chapel Road provides a vital trail connection for the surrounding community and will advance the city's goal of becoming more pedestrian and bike friendly.

City leaders celebrate Winters Chapel Road trail completion DUNWOODY, Ga. —Dunwoody city leaders have cut the ribbon on the first phase of the Winters Chapel Road multi-use trail project.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 12-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle path was held Aug. 28 at a site near Fountainbleau Way in Dunwoody.

“This new section on Winters Chapel is the city’s first path outside of the park trail system in the Brook Run/ Georgetown areas,” Dunwoody Public Works Director Michael Smith said. “It is a significant step toward connecting the city from east to west.”

Phase 1 of the project includes a

half-mile trail section on the west side of Winters Chapel between Dunwoody Club Drive and Charmant Place. The project added wider paths for multiple uses, new streetlights and landscaping, crosswalks and a new stormwater collection system.

Funding for the $1.6 million project phase was raised through the city’s special purpose local option sales tax.

Phase 2 of the project will be funded through federal grants and will extend the trail another half-mile from Charmant Place south to Peeler Road.

— Alexander Popp

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Rivermont Golf Club celebrates 50 years in the game

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — It’s not often that you hear of a family owned and operated golf club, or one that takes so many environmentally green measures, but that’s Rivermont in Johns Creek.

Chris Cupit, owner and general manager of Rivermont Golf Club, is the son of one of the guys who started the place in 1973. In July the club hosted the Georgia Amateur Championship for the first time as part of a week-long celebration to mark its 50th year. There were also parties for the club’s 700 members and a night of fireworks.

Cupit and his mother Lynda are neighbors and live on the golf course.

Cara, Cupit’s sister, will soon run a Pilates studio that was recently built next to the clubhouse. A brown spritely dog named Hobbes, after “Calvin and Hobbes,” acted as an escort to the new building.

Cupit said family-owned private golf clubs are an unusual model. There are member-run clubs, he said, but there’s an increasing number of companies who consolidate.

“We have to be successful, and we have to make money because it's our livelihood,” Cupit said. “But our focus is on so much more. My mom will say it's her ministry.”

Chris Cupit is the owner and general manager of Rivermont Golf Club, where he lives. The club, located on Rivermont Parkway in Johns Creek, celebrated 50 years in operation this year and hosted the Georgia Amateur Championship for its first time in July.

impact on Rivermont in a story from 2015.

Hurd reported Hoban’s “organic maintenance philosophy” earned him the Environmental Leader in Golf award from the Georgia Golf Environmental Foundation.

Cupit said Rivermont uses less than a pound of nitrogen per acre in a year, whereas golf courses tend to use four to five pounds of nitrogen per acre annually. Homeowners typically use one to two pounds of nitrogen per acre, he said.

He also said Rivermont’s irrigation uses recycled water.

“We're the last bit before it goes in the Chattahoochee,” Cupit said. “So instead of all the runoff going from the neighborhoods going right into the river, we capture it.”

1988 and since then, have fostered a sense of community among its members and beyond, like with the Rivermont Women’s Association.

While the club never had any exclusionary policies like other clubs at the time, Cupit said his family recognized the ladies wanted to be more involved and allowed not only members, but also women in the surrounding neighborhood to join.

The association has an investment club, a book club, a lunch bunch and several bridge groups. That day, about a dozen women played the card game in the dining area. The association also regularly brings in guest speakers.

A social sport There’s 100 people waiting to become a member at Rivermont, Cupit said, in part due to the growth in golf’s popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Golf was one of the few things people could safely do.

The pandemic reminded everyone of how they’re social creatures, he said, contributing to the mission of Rivermont.

“If we can help people find friends and develop relationships, and have fun being together, centered around golf … that’s what we want.”

While he didn’t follow his father’s footsteps as a pro, Cupit played golf in college and involves himself with the game today whether it’s through volunteering with the Georgia State Golf Association or with the United States Golf Association as a rules official.

Cupid said he loves golf because it has some “old fashioned values,” defined by walking with a bag and not being bombarded by screens, and he enjoys that the game is “primal.”

“You get to hit a ball with a bat,” he said. “It's fun to whack something.”

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Family history Cupit sat in his office on the second floor of the clubhouse, stately and tastefully dated, describing the story of his father David, how he came over from a big golfing family in Texas. David, who died in 2003, was one of 10 kids, and one of five who became a golf professional.

Cupit’s father moved to Atlanta and began working at the Atlanta Country Club in the ’60s, then Ansley Golf Club. Before making Rivermont what it is today, David was the first head golf professional at Dunwoody Country Club.

The Cupits became the sole owners in

Eye on environment Rivermont Golf Club has become known for its innovative green practices.

To fertilize the course, the club’s “mad scientist” Mark Hoban brews compost tea using worm manure, or worm castings, fish hydrolysate and mycorrhizal fungi, brought in from different areas around the country like Alaska.

Hatcher Hurd, former editor and writer for Appen Media, detailed Hoban’s positive

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Sandy Springs OKs out-of-county jails

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Each year, the Sandy Springs Police Department arrests close to 3,500 people on a wide range of charges — everything from murder and aggravated assault to driving under the influence and disorderly conduct.

And without a Sandy Springs Municipal Jail, arrested individuals must be placed in custody with outside authorities, sometimes dozens of miles away, while the wheels of justice slowly turn.

But unlike municipalities that house inmates in their local sheriff’s office custody regardless of whether the arresting charge is for jaywalking or felony murder, in Sandy Springs what you’re charged with determines whether you’re sent to the clink in Fulton, Cobb, or Pickens counties, and how much time you can expect to spend there.

That also means a variation in how much the city pays to house arrestees.

At a July 18 meeting, the Sandy Spring City Council unanimously approved contracts with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Smyrna Police Department to house short-term and longterm inmates who may be awaiting trial in municipal court or serving sentences up to one year.

“The City of Smyrna Police Department runs its own jail and has been the primary provider of this service to the Sandy Springs Police and Municipal Court Services since 2018,” officials said in late June memos. “Due to the Pickens County Sheriff's Office being a significant distance away, it is not the best choice for processing arrestees from the city, but it does provide an appropriate jail location for those people that are under sentence.”

Records show that of the 2,351 people jailed by the Sandy Springs Police Department in 2022, 1,504 were processed and held at the City of Smyrna Jail for between one and five days on city ordinance and traffic violation charges.

McGinnis said another 1,308 people were cited and released in 2022.

Arrestable city ordinance charges include public urination, vandalism, entering automobiles and making false statements to police.

But the most common city ordinance charge is issued for “disorderly conduct,” which is cited nearly every day and has a wide range of meanings and interpretations from “throwing bottles, paper, cans, glass, sticks, stones, missiles, or any other debris on public property,” to acting violently, fighting, or standing in a street or sidewalk, “so as to impede the flow of vehicular traffic.”

If you are arrested for any of these items you will most likely be taken to the Smyrna jail.

Sgt. Matthew McGinnis, Public Information Officer for the Sandy Springs Police Department said all arrestees charged with felony or misdemeanor state charges are housed at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. In 2022, that number included about 850 individuals.

“Smyrna Jail is short-term holding for city ordinance violations,” he said. “Pickens County Jail is our long-term holding facility for city ordinance violations. That is determined by the Municipal Judge when they are sentenced.”

Between January and August of 2023, just two individuals were housed in the Pickens County Jail.

The Smyrna Jail is a 64-bed facility built in 1997 located about 17 miles from Sandy Springs, while the Pickens County Jail is a larger facility about 50 miles away from the city.

By agreeing to the updated inmate housing agreements with Pickens County and the City of Smyrna, officials also approved a sizable increase in what it pays to house inmates outside the county.

Through the new 2023 agreement, the per-inmate cost at the Smyrna Jail will increase by 40 percent, from $50 to $70 per day, requiring an increase of more than $190,000 to the police department’s budget.

Officials said their agreement with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, which caused per-inmate costs to rise about 20 percent from $45 to $55, will offset the increase in Smyrna costs.

Sandy Springs leaders were also presented with an option to hand municipal jail services off to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office at the North Fulton County Jail in Alpharetta, for $60 per inmate, per day, plus a portion of the cost for maintaining and operating the jail.

However, city leaders seemed hesitant about the option, citing “numerous historical coordination and performance issues,” they have faced while dealing with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

While they do use the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta to house some inmates, neither Sandy Springs nor the county could provide Appen Media with any documents laying out the terms of their shared use jail agreement.

The only other cost savings option, city officials said, would be to release more people with a copy of their charges instead of booking them into jail.

The Sandy Springs City Council approved the inmate housing agreements without any further discussion.

SHRED IT AND FORGET IT! Saturday, September 9th 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM St. Patrick's Episcopal Church 4755 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody Join your community in donating non-perishable goods to the church's food pantry, MalachisStorehouse.org.

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dunwoodyga.gov | 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., Dunwoody GA 30338 | 678.382.6700

LATINO | HISPANIC heritage celebration

September Highlights

4 Labor Day 5 Art Commission Meeting Board of Appeals 7 Zoning Meeting City Hall closed

City Hall | 7:30 a.m.

City Hall | 6 p.m.

Committee 14 Sustainability Meeting City Hall | 8 a.m.

National Night Out Brook Run Park | 5 p.m.

Heritage 17 Latino-Hispanic Cultural Celebration Ashford Lane | 1 - 4 p.m.

8 Butterflies & Brews Community Bike Ride Groovin’ on the Green: 9 Singer Songwriter Showcase 18-23 Back to Spruill Week Dunwoody Nature Center

Village Burger | 3:45 p.m.

Brook Run Park Amphitheater | 6 p.m.

9-10 11 Budget Committee Meeting Butterfly Experience Dunwoody Nature Center City Hall | 1 p.m.

Dunwoody City Council Meeting

Authority 21 Development Meeting City Hall | 5 p.m.

City Council 26 Dunwoody Meeting (Tuesday) City Hall | 6 p.m.

Budget Committee Meeting

29 Opening Night

Council / Planning Commission / Development

30 Farm-to-Table Dinner

City Hall | 6 p.m.

12

Spruill Center for the Arts

City Hall | 8 a.m.

Authority Joint Meeting

City Hall | 6 p.m.

Stage Door Theatre’s 50th Season: Tuesdays with Morrie Dunwoody Preservation Trust Donaldson-Bannister Farm

FILE PHOTO

Park study: Chattahoochee River bolsters North Fulton community SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — National Park Service officials said more than 3.5 million people visited the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in 2022, spending millions of dollars and bringing thousands of jobs to North Fulton County communities.

A recent National Park Service report shows that $176.6 million was spent around the park in 2022, supporting 2,372 jobs in the area. The Chattahoochee River National Park is a 48-mile waterway corridor stretching from Buford Dam in Forsyth County to Peachtree Creek in Atlanta.

“Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area provides great opportunities for outdoor recreation in the Atlanta region and attracts many outof-town visitors,” Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Superintendent Ann Honious said

National Park Service economists gathered this data as part of a nationwide park visitor spending analysis. Officials said the study showed the lodging, hospitality and restaurant industries were most affected by park attendance in 2022.

Officials said that 312 million visitors spent nearly $24 billion directly around national parks.

“Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said. “With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 300 million visitors every year.”

To learn more about the Chattahoochee River National Park visit www.nps.gov/chat.

— Alexander Popp

Nonprofit plans program on navigating dementia SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Atlanta chapter of Adult Children of Aging Parents will host a free program on communicating with loved ones who have dementia Sept.

13 at the Town Square Sandy Springs Adult Day and Alzheimer’s Resource Center.

The educational event “Communicating with Individuals Living the Dementia Experience” will feature three techniques on navigating the subject, as well as discussions on relationship building and overcoming obstacles.

Dementia Team Lead Staci Hannah of the Georgia Department of Human

Services will present the program. Hannah specializes in supporting those living with dementia and their caregivers. She also owns Graceful Journey, a coaching business on navigating terminal illness.

Registration opens at 5 p.m., and refreshments will be provided. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. in Suite 130 in Building 1 at 8601 Dunwoody Place in Sandy Springs.

More information on ACAP Atlanta programs is available at acapcommunity. org/upcoming-events.

— Shelby Israel

Dunwoody Crier 8/31/23 Crossword Across

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A Place for ALL Jews Ashkenazi Orthodox Rabbi Yitzchok Werbin 5075 Roswell Rd 1 mile inside I-285 Sandy Springs

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DATA: CARL VINSON INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT CHART: CARL APPEN/APPEN MEDIA

Data for Milton was unavailable. A police official told Appen Media the city did not submit their report due to an oversight, but had remedied it after it was brought to their attention.

Metro Atlanta police agencies report totals from 2022 state asset forfeiture

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com METRO ATLANTA — While public safety departments across Metro Atlanta receive annual funding from local governments for operational costs, a portion of these agencies’ expenses are covered through local asset forfeiture.

A forfeited asset is property or currency that has been determined to be the benefit or proceed of a crime by a state superior court judge.

Once an agency is granted a forfeited asset, it is distributed among the law enforcement groups that participated in the investigation. Assets that are not currency are assigned a fair market value and may be liquidated through sales, such as on auction-based sites like GovDeals and PropertyRoom or through a Federal Firearms License holder.

State law requires departments to report annual asset forfeiture funds to the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a financial reporting database for local governments.

Alpharetta, Roswell, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, Sandy Springs and Forsyth County each reported a list of expenses

covered by forfeited assets in the 2022 fiscal year to the Carl Vinson Institute.

Combined, the Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs police departments and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office reported some $398,675 in expenses covered by forfeitures.

Milton Police Capt. Charles Barstow said the Milton Police Department initially did not provide an asset forfeiture report to the Carl Vinson Institute due to an oversight. The report has since been submitted, and it is pending approval by the institute as of publication.

Of the six Metro Atlanta agencies that have available reports, Roswell was the biggest spender, recording around $140,174 in expenditures covered by state forfeiture funds. Some of these expenses included training, employee travel, equipment and facilities.

The Dunwoody Police Department reported the lowest dollar amount of expenditures at $20,917, which covered training; law enforcement awards, museums and memorials; training; investigation; and facilities and equipment.

According to state law, local law enforcement agencies can use funds derived

Note: Funds received through the Equitable Sharing Program are counted as federal expenses but are still considered forfeited or confiscated assets in local jurisdictions’ budgets. This story contemplates only state expenditures. from forfeited assets “for any official law enforcement purpose at the discretion of the chief officer of the law enforcement agency receiving such distribution,” if the use does not replace other funds that have been appropriated for the purpose, or for salaries or rewards to employees.

Alpharetta provided a detailed list of expenses from its confiscated assets fund, including firearms, customized public safety Yeti cups and phone chargers.

Police departments can also cover specific types of training with forfeited asset funds. Roswell and Johns Creek offered its officers Brazilian jiu jitsu, which officials said is effective in reducing injury to suspects and officers during arrests.

“There's no difference in how we spend the money, whether it comes federally or locally,” Alpharetta police Lt. Andrew Splawn said. “But once we have the money, it can be spent on things like training, equipment, initiatives. In fact, much of our second floor is paid for with asset forfeiture money. We got a SWAT bus and some other high-dollar items that are typically hard to budget for.”

For aiding in federal investigations, local agencies can also participate in the Equitable Sharing Program, an asset forfeiture effort operated by the United States Department of Justice that allows assets or proceeds from federal crimes to be liquidated.

The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participate in the program. Local task forces that participate in investigations related to each federal branch are eligible to receive funds from assets forfeited from the crimes.

Many agencies employ officers on task forces that are related to the federal law enforcement branches, such as the highdensity drug trafficking area or financial investigation teams.

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AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | August 31, 2023 | 9

Roswell student, friends escape deadly wildfire Group traverses devastation during Lahaina catastrophe

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — As the wildfires slowly enclosed Hawaii’s historic coastal town of Lahaina, Kristina Benbow quickly grabbed her laptop, wallet and passport.

“The smoke that was starting to get really black – we were starting to see orange and red,” Benbow said. “At this point, we were sobbing.”

She and her friend Natalie Moning are in their final year of pharmacy school at the University of South Carolina. To have some fun during their nine one-month rotations, they applied to a Walgreens in Lahaina and arrived at the home of Bill and Lorri Robusto July 30, about a week before the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.

The Robustos have been integral to the Lahaina community for more than 20 years, with Bill as the pharmacist at the town’s Walgreens. He retired last year after a 46-year career in the field but continued to host students in the guest house behind his home, a 5-minute walk from the beach.

In an aerial shot taken a day after the group escaped, the Robustos’ property had been reduced to ash.

Only the frame of Bill’s Ford pickup truck was left standing.

According to an Aug. 18 report from Maui Now, more than 2,100 acres have been burned in Lahaina, aided by winds from Hurricane Dora.

There have been 114 deaths. Local media have also reported more than 1,000 people remain unaccounted for.

There was no outside communication for the town of Lahaina. Power went out at 4 a.m. that Tuesday morning, Aug. 8., and cell phone service had been lost.

After Benbow and Moning were sent home from Walgreens, they arrived at the Robustos at 10 a.m., and heard shingles ripping off surrounding homes from the violent winds. Beach chairs and tables slammed into the house.

“It was like out of a movie,” Benbow said. “It was very scary.”

Flames trickled down a hill across the street from the neighborhood, first seen by Lorri who had stepped onto a neighbor’s roof. There was a fire truck out there, but no one in authority gave orders to evacuate their area.

Everyone was on their own.

“The lack of knowledge of what was happening was really difficult,”

KRISTINA BENBOW/PHOTOS PROVIDED

Natalie Moning and Krisina Benbow, pharmacy students at the University of South Carolina, join a sunset dinner cruise three days before the wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii. They planned to stay with Bill Robusto, a retired pharmacist, and his wife Lorri for a month to work at a local Walgreens.

To make a donation to Bill and Lorri Robusto, visit www.gofundme. com/f/maui-fires-robusto-familyhome.

Benbow said.

It wasn’t until the group heard explosions – propane tanks at a gas station down the street – that they gave themselves five minutes to pack belongings.

They left at around 5:30 p.m., but others didn’t leave for another hour.

“We would pass by people on the road, and we'd roll down the window, and be like, ‘Hey, do you know what's going on?’” Benbow said. “No one really knew.”

As they were leaving the neighborhood, flames were to the left and right, but the Robustos stayed positive with the hope that winds would go the opposite direction. They told Benbow and Moning not to worry and did what they could to distract them, with pictures of cats and videos of whales.

“They were fantastic,” Benbow said.

After hours of driving, the group finally found a hotel room outside of Wailea, and Benbow made first contact with her family in Roswell.

Smoke from building flames is seen from a porch in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 8.

There wasn’t any sleep that night, and Benbow says when she closes her eyes to sleep nowadays, she sees the flames coming down the hill and has thoughts about what she could have done differently.

But she says she’s getting better, surrounded by family. Moning, too, is back with family in Maryland.

Since FEMA arrived on the island, the Robustos have been placed in a

condo on the other side of Maui and have seen major support from Benbow and Moning, who launched a fundraising campaign to help them rebuild their lives. As of Aug. 21, nearly $27,000 has been raised.

“We've been blown away,” Benbow said. “There's been complete strangers donating. It's been incredible. We've been very thankful to everyone who has donated.”

10 | August 31, 2023 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

NEWS

Johns Creek halts medical cannabis dispensaries

A split council tosses nearly $8 million to Creekside Park with FY23 surplus

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek City Council voted to stall medical cannabis dispensaries in the city for 90 days to study their appropriate zoning districts.

Before the vote at the Aug. 22 regular meeting, Community Development Director Ben Song said city staff received two inquiries about Johns Creek opening a medical cannabis dispensary in the past month.

“We were sort of caught off guard because generally we would treat it as just any other commercial use, which will be permitted in C-1, just like any other pharmaceutical or pharmacy,”

Song said.

Since Georgia’s Hope Act passed in 2019, the possession and sale of low-level THC oil has been legalized as medicine for people with qualified conditions, like cancer, Parkinson’s disease and autism. Song said the current state law allows for up to six operators with 30 dispensaries statewide.

The oil must contain less than 5 percent THC. The product is different from CBD, which does not contain THC and is already being sold in the city.

Other North Fulton cities have issued a similar moratorium on dispensaries in previous years, including Alpharetta and Roswell.

Earlier this month, Dunwoody officials finalized an amendment to their zoning ordinance, allowing medical cannabis dispensaries in all their commercial districts but with a 1,000foot separation state requirement from schools, daycare and places of worship. Dunwoody also required a 2-mile separation between the businesses.

After Song’s presentation, Mayor John Bradberry requested city staff also look into the age requirement of tobacco sales to align the city ordinance with state requirements. In 2020, Georgia enacted a law that raised the age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21.

“I'm definitely hearing some things about how the age that kids are getting access to some of these things is getting lower and lower,” Bradberry said.

Councilmembers were all in favor of the moratorium, some sharing the same sentiment as the mayor. Councilwoman Erin Elwood said she supports the decriminalization of marijuana but understands the need for proper safeguards for young people in the community.

Also at the work session, the City Council continued its discussion on how to allocate $8.5 million in fiscal year 2023 surplus funds. Bradberry brought forth the need for $350,000 in retention bonuses for public safety

and another $200,000 for city offices, and the council gave unanimous support.

However, there was tension when discussing how the rest of the money would be spent, while keeping in mind the fiscal year 2024 budget, to be based on the newly adopted rollback rate of 3.646 mills.

Councilmembers were given a few options, but most of the conversation rested on funding Creekside Park or setting aside money to replace Fire Station 63, the city’s oldest fire station, in the future.

While the City Council conceded to send nearly $8 million to Creekside Park, it was a close call. Some stayed with their concerns about banking on next year’s surplus to fund Fire Station 63, which needs $6 million.

“That’s way too risky,” Councilwoman Stacey Skinner said.

Using funds previously set aside, the City Council later agreed to move forward with a $418,438 design and engineering contract for the new Fire Station 63. The building will be combined with a police south substation.

“I do want to emphasize this project is important for us internally,” Recreation and Parks Director Erica Madsen said at the work session.

“We're pulling together expertise from across all the different departments to really make this project a success.”

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Johns Creek Community Development Director Ben Song presents information on medical cannabis dispensaries and the need for a related 90-day moratorium to study the city’s zoning districts Aug. 22 at a City Council work session. Later that night, councilmembers voted unanimously to stall applications for the dispensaries.

›

AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | August 31, 2023 | 11

Calendar

AUG. 31 — SEPT. 10

MOVIES BY MOONLIGHT: ‘THE BAD GUYS’

What: Bring a picnic or choose your dinner from a food truck and enjoy “The Bad Guys” on the big screen at this free event. Movie begins after sunset.

When: Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.

Where: Heritage Amphitheater Lawn, 6110 Blue Stone Road, Sandy Springs More info: sandyspringsga.gov

HOME BY DARK CONCERT: UNION HILL PARK SERIES

What: The event, featuring Sarah Darling and Emily Shakelton, is part of a series that offers the opportunity to enjoy music by established and emerging performers and songwriters in an intimate setting under the covered pavilion nestled in the trees at Union Hill Park.

When: Friday & Saturday, Sept. 1-2, 8-10 p.m.

Where: Union Hill Park, 1590 Little Pine Trail, Alpharetta More info: homebydark.com

ALPHARETTA FARMERS MARKET

What: Every Saturday morning through November, more than a dozen vendors set up shop near the Town Green with locally grown produce, natural meat, gardeners with fresh flowers and plants, handcrafted gifts, jellies, sauces and soaps, homemade baked goods and more.

When: Saturday, Sept. 2, 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Where: North and South Broad streets, Alpharetta More info: alpharettafarmersmarket.com

JAZZ ON THE LAWN

What: Forever Pink Foundation, Inc. will present the “Jazz on the Lawn” music concert with performances by Groove Centric, PR Experience and DJ XL/ Xavier Lewis. All proceeds go toward funding grants, scholarships and other philanthropic thrusts of the Foundation.

Bring your cooler, picnic basket and lawn chairs to relax and enjoy the melodic tunes.

When: Saturday, Sept. 2, 4-9 p.m.

Where: Brook Run Park, 4770 North Peachtree Road, Dunwoody Cost: $75-$100 More info: jazzonthelawn.my.canva.site

JAZZ ON THE LAWN

What: Forever Pink Foundation, Inc. will present the “Jazz on the Lawn” music concert with performances by Groove Centric, PR Experience and DJ XL/Xavier Lewis. All proceeds go toward funding grants, scholarships and other philanthropic thrusts of the Foundation. Bring your cooler, picnic basket and lawn chairs to relax and enjoy the melodic tunes.

When: Saturday, Sept. 2, 4-9 p.m.

Where: Brook Run Park, 4770 North Peachtree Road, Dunwoody Cost: $75-$100 More info: jazzonthelawn. my.canva.site

SHOP, SIP & STROLL

What: This event, recurring one Friday a month through November on The Green, will feature 25-plus artisans and makers offering handmade items like candles, jewelry, pottery, skincare, gourmet food and more.

There will also be live music and drinks.

When: Friday, Sept. 8, 5-8 p.m.

Where: The Green at Crabapple Market, 12650 Crabapple Road, Milton More info: crabapplemarketga.com

MUSIC ON THE HILL: THE GEEK SQUAD

What: In this event, as part of a free outdoor music series every second Friday of the month through September, The Geek Squad Band will perform. Bring a blanket, unpack your picnic and uncork a bottle to unwind with sounds from this dynamic cover band.

FEATURE YOUR EVENT ONLINE AND IN PRINT! It’s even easier now than ever to promote your event to hundreds of thousands of people, whether online, through our newsletters or in the Crier and Herald newspapers.

When: Friday, Sept. 8, 7-9 p.m.

Where: Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill Street, Roswell More info: roswell365.com

AN EVENING OF SONG FEATURING INDIA TYREE

What: Join this event for a performance of musical theater standards by one of Atlanta’s talented singers, India Tyree.

When: Sept. 8-10, 7:30-9 p.m.

Where: Stage Door Theatre, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody Cost: $28 for adults; $20 for students; $15 for children More info: stagedoortheatrega.org

DOGGY DAZE OF SUMMER

What: Bring your pooch and enjoy the last days of summer at East Roswell Park for a free outdoor extravaganza.

When: Saturday, Sept. 9, 4-9 p.m.

Where: East Roswell Park, 9000 Fouts Road, Roswell More info: roswell365.com

To promote your event, follow these easy steps:

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SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: WHO’S BAD

What: Bring your blankets and lawn chairs to this free summer concert series, where the Michael Jackson cover band Who’s Bad will perform. Food trucks will be on-site. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Dogs are not allowed, except service animals. Music begins at 7 p.m.

When: Saturday, Sept. 9, 6-10 p.m.

Where: Mark Burkhalter Amphitheater at Newtown Park, 3150 Old Alabama Road, Johns Creek More info: johnscreekga.gov

CONCERT BY THE SPRINGS: STILL SWINGING

What: Get ready to hear horns, woodwinds, strings and percussion with the band Still Swinging. Lawn seating is free. No pets are allowed.

When: Sunday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.

Where: Heritage Amphitheater Lawn, 6110 Blue Stone Road, Sandy Springs More info: sandyspringsga.gov

Visit AppenMedia.com/Calendar Provide the details for your event including title, description, location and date Click the red button that reads “Create event” That’s it! Submissions are free, though there are paid opportunities to promote your event in print and online.

12 | August 31, 2023 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

OPINION

PAST TENSE

Too many dairies in North Dekalb to name Dairies played a major role in the economy of north DeKalb County from the 1930s up until the early 1950s. There VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF are too many Columnist for me to name and describe in one article. Today I will focus on a few of the dairies that were in Chamblee and Doraville.

According to “A Century in North DeKalb,” compiled by the First Baptist Church of Chamblee in 1975, there were 33 dairies in Chamblee and 200 dairies in DeKalb County in 1939. DeKalb County was the largest producer of Grade A milk in the south and had more dairies than any other Georgia county.

David Chesnut, whose family lived in Doraville along where Chamblee Tucker Road meets I-85, recalls dairies near the family home. The W. O. Pierce and P. E. Pierce Dairies were located on both sides of North Peachtree Road, between North Shallowford Road and Peachtree Boulevard. Irvindale and Chatham Dairies were located across from the railroad tracks.

David and Linda Chesnut later lived at the historic Donaldson-Bannister Farm in Dunwoody.

Irvindale Dairy was also across from the railroad tracks in Chamblee. Owner P. E. Hyde started Irvindale Dairy in 1918 with six cows, delivering milk in single horse drawn wagons. Thirteen years later, Hyde had accumulated 33 acres for his dairy business. By 1931, Irvindale was considered “one of the most modern dairies in the entire south.”

Former Chamblee Mayor Dub

Brown’s family owned a dairy farm.

Brown shared his memories of living and working on the family dairy farm in an oral history recorded in October 1987 at DeKalb History Center. The family dairy was located on two properties along Buford Highway. Everyone in the family worked on the dairy farm including his two sisters and two brothers.

The B. F. Lyle Dairy was located on ten acres along Woodwin Road between Winters Chapel and Tilly Mill Roads. The dairy sold to customers in Buckhead, Brookhaven, Chamblee, and Doraville, using their dairy truck to deliver buttermilk and butter.

The intersection of Buford Highway and Shallowford Road was once home to the I.O. Morton Dairy.

The Morton Dairy was on 62 ½ acres with a large rock dairy barn, milk house, large feed room, and three family homes. In 1949 the farm was up for auction, advertised as being near Lawson General Hospital and the General Motors plant.

Another dairy was located on part of the land where the General Motors plant was built-the J. H. Maloney Dairy. John Harwell (Bud) Maloney delivered milk to families in Doraville and other nearby communities. He also operated an Amoco station in downtown Doraville.

As job opportunities increased with the construction of the General Motors plant and other industries, nearby communities shifted from the land of dairies into the land of new subdivisions.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail. com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

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VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF/SPECIAL TO APPEN MEDIA

This 1939 map of north DeKalb dairies appears in "A Century of North DeKalb," compiled by the First Baptist Church of Chamblee in 1975.

THE INVESTMENT COACH

OPINION

AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | August 31, 2023 | 13

Is tithing one of your financial imperatives?

In Newtown Park in Johns Creek there is a free lending library in what looks like a big birdhouse.

Walking in the park almost every day, I always check the to see if LEWIS J. WALKER, CFP library there’s a new book Columnist that piques my The Investment Coach interest. Recently I finished “Blue Like Jazz,” a book by Donald Miller billed as “nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality.” A semi-autobiographical work, it’s a collection of essays and personal reflections of a young man wrestling with his conscience midst secular surroundings as he seeks to better understand the nature of God and Jesus, and the need for an authentic personal response to that understanding.

In a chapter on the subject of money, after learning that a friend, who always seemed broke and, in many ways, appeared to be non-religious, tithed, Don confessed to his pastor that he gave no money to the church. Rick, the pastor, asked why he didn’t give, and Don replied, “Because I have no money. Everything goes to rent and groceries. So am I exempt?” Acknowledging Don’s tough financial situation, Rick said, “Nope. We want your cash.” After a brief conversation, Don speculated that maybe he made about a thousand dollars a month as a struggling writer. Rick said the church wanted a hundred dollars, ten

percent, and counseled, “You should also know how much you make. Part of the benefit of giving a portion of your money is it makes you think about where your money goes. God does not want us to be sloppy with our finances, Don.” One reason folks engage a financial planner is because they don’t want “to be sloppy with finances.” They desire a well-thought-out and disciplined approach based on defined goals and objectives and life transitions timelines. In planning what your money and investments should do for you, questions are posed. Writer Mitch Anthony, in his best-selling book, “The New Retirementality,” offered a way to think about money based on Abraham Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs.” At the base of a pyramid titled “Maslow Meets Retirement,” Anthony starts with “survival money,” funds needed to handle everyday expenses and necessities. At the next level up is “safety money,” a reserve to meet “life’s unexpected turns,” emergency money.

Next you have “freedom money,” funds for life’s fun things, hobbies, travel, dining out, theater, sports, plus personal growth and education, etc. Higher on your pyramid, is “gift money,” funds for the people and causes about which you care deeply, including support and gifts to children, grandchildren, charities, etc. Sometimes “sandwich generation” needs for offspring (whether minors or adults over age 18), or aging parents or grandparents, may necessitate funding expenses out of cash reserves or deferring “freedom money” aspirations. At the top of your pyramid is “dream

money,” perhaps for a second home, motor home, boat, exotic trips. Dreams often are listed as “bucket list” items.

In talking with clients early in the planning stage, it is useful to understand religious preferences and affiliations as some folks practice tithing. For many, tithing, money donated for God’s purposes comes “off of the top,” given as part of “survival money” with faith that our Lord will provide. When Don decided to tithe, he emptied his checking account that contained only eight dollars. But shortly thereafter he got a lucrative writing gig with a magazine plus well-paid speaking engagements at retreats and conferences. Each time he took ten percent off of the top for his church and another ten percent went into a savings account. His life, attitude, earning power, net worth, and sense of wellbeing, improved dramatically. As an advisor I have heard the same story over and over; those who give time, talent, and treasure to causes about which they care report getting more done with more energy and success in work and play. Interesting how that works!

The concept of tithing one-tenth of your income first appeared in the Old Testament. Leviticus 27:30 instructs, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” The 10% requirement specifically comes from the Hebrew translation of tithe, or “ten.”

Philanthropy is an important aspect of financial planning, which can be combined with prudent tax planning. Some Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by asking

whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the oppressive Roman Emperor. Pointing out that Caesar’s face appeared on the coin of the realm, Jesus replied, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21). For those blessed with significant income and net worth, it’s prudent and acceptable to minimize taxes while doing good. Various types of trust vehicles may be employed. Gifting common stock with embedded taxable capital gains may make sense compared to giving cash. Insurance vehicles may provide tax free cash to heirs while some of the estate assets go to charity. Those taking mandatory distributions from qualified retirement plans like 401(k) or IRA plans, may donate up to $100,000 per year as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to approved charities while having the money excluded from taxable ordinary income. That may help to lower Part B Medicare premiums.

Mark Victor Hanson, author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” opined, “Discover the joy of giving and you will discover the reason for living.” Life without purpose is a train wreck.

Lewis Walker, CFP®, is a life centered financial planning strategist with Capital Insight Group (CIG); 770-441-3553; lewis@ capitalinsightgrp.com. Securities & advisory services offered through The Strategic Financial Alliance, Inc. (SFA), which is otherwise unaffiliated with CIG. Lewis a Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).

Roxy kills a Copperhead in a late-night battle The way I see it, there are three ways to look at snakes.

There are those who pay the creatures no mind.

Others are fascinated and will participate on social media sites trying to one-up one MIKE TASOS another when it comes Columnist to identifying whether you’ll be close to bodily harm should you step on one like it while walking barefoot in the yard.

But majority rules whenever folks are anywhere near one of these slithering creatures. They refuse to leave the house until someone has blasted the reptile to smithereens. They’re the ones who quote the Bible about snakes being “evil,” quoting Genesis and relaying how the no-good belly-crawler tricked Eve and now we have a passel of bad things because Eve didn’t refuse the apple.

In my house, everyone except me is scared to death every time someone says there is a snake in Forsyth County. We used to have a big, gorgeous white king snake that would use our yard as a thoroughfare every summer.

“Welcome back, Whitey,” I would say.

“Help yourself. Treat our lot like it’s your own Golden Corral.”

Vicki and the boys, whenever there is a snake on the premises, lock the doors, close the shutters and turn out the lights, refusing to go outside until Dad has given assurances that “Mr. No Shoulders” has departed.

My brother Matt refuses to visit because there are snakes in Georgia. I’ve told him you can step around a snake to avoid it.

How can you dodge an earthquake.

So far, you’re probably thinking: “Okay, he’s a little goofy and kinda likes good snakes that eat bugs and whatnots.”

A recent occurrence in the neighborhood could have turned out a lot worse. In summary, there was an encounter where

the final score turned out to be Roxy, the 80-pound pit bull-mix, besting a Copperhead in a fight to the finish.

As part of a bedtime ritual, neighbors Josh and Alethea let Roxy out to do her business before bedtime. Roxy didn’t want to go to bed, instead staring at the grass.

Josh said she was very lethargic and not herself. She was producing a Niagara Falls amount of drool and still staring out into the yard.

If Roxy was a boxer, she would have been dancing with her arms stretched to the sky like she was Muhammad Ali after a win.

Josh investigated, grabbing a flashlight, paying little mind to the stick in the yard.

After all, the stick wasn’t moving. Roxy had vanquished a six-foot Copperhead, but not before the snake bit Roxy an estimated five times.

It must’ve been a whale of battle. Roxy was hurting and needed help. It took two vials of antivenin and a stay at All Pets in Alpharetta, a facility that luckily had the

antidote to the poison that was coursing through Roxy’s body. She was discharged after a night of treatment and came home.

She was in excellent hands. After all, Alethea is a nurse. Roxy received antibiotics and there was no sign of infection or necrosis. All told, with the antivenin costing $495 a vial, the entire episode cost Josh and Alethea around $2,000.

It was a most unfortunate encounter and the snake didn’t mean to put a hurtin’ on Roxy. After all, it was just being a snake.

And now it’s a hatband.

Copperheads are around these parts, and they aren’t looking for a fight. If you see one, don’t shoot it, unless it’s with a water hose. They just want to eat a mouse or a frog.

Mike Tasos has lived in Forsyth County for more than 30 years. He’s an American by birth and considers himself a Southerner by the grace of God. He can be reached at miketasos55@gmail.com.

14 | August 31, 2023 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

GARDEN BUZZ

OPINION

Have a question? Ask a master gardener.

Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteers (MGEVs) assist the UGA Cooperative Extension in providing horticultural information using research and the of the GABRIELLE LATORA resources University of Georgia.

Guest Columnist Here are a several recent questions that came to the help desk at the Fulton County Extension office.

Question: My Bartlett pear bloomed beautifully in early spring, but then the stems started turning brown and died. I’ve learned it may be due to fire blight so I cut off as much as I could and sterilized the pruners. It still looks like the tree will die. Is there any remedy for this disease?

Answer from MGEV Dana Hallberg: I’m sorry for the loss of your pear tree due to fire blight. As you have already done, prune any affected plant parts, making sure to clean pruners with isopropyl alcohol or disinfectant wipes between cuts. This will help prevent spreading the disease. Dispose of pruned limbs in the garbage or burn them. Next year, apply fungicides/bactericides preventively.

Most fungicides will not make a difference on plants that are already showing symptoms. The publications above have suggestions about pruning symptomatic branches, along with information on what products to apply and when.

Question: I’ve noticed large mounds in a mulched area in the alley behind my house and huge hornets flying around the mounds. There are also some dead cicadas on the ground nearby. I managed to get a few photos of the hornets. What are they and do I need to be worried?

Answer from Extension Agent Gabrielle LaTora: Your photos confirm that these are not actually hornets, but Eastern cicada killer wasps! Cicada killers, even though they’re huge, are not aggressive and are only interested in hunting cicadas.

The male wasps like to “patrol” and

might be more interested in people than the female wasps, but they can’t sting.

Females are very unlikely to sting unless they’re being handled or accidentally squeezed. The adults are busy during mid-late summer building their nests and collecting cicadas for their larvae inside the nests. They should be done flying by early September. The larvae will overwinter in the spots where the mounds are and emerge next year from those spots. I wouldn’t expect a huge explosion in the population, but you will see wasps in that area next year if you leave the mounds. If you decide to remove them, you can apply insecticides listed for wasps or grow plants or turfgrass in that spot. If you decide to disturb the mounds during the summer, I would do so at night when the females are inactive, and wear protective clothing (or leave it up to the professionals!).

I would encourage you and your neighbors not to worry about them and to leave them alone since they’re great pollinators and beneficial predators of cicadas.

Question: What can I do about ambrosia beetles in my crape myrtle and fig trees?

Answer from Extension Educator Norlethia Harris: Unfortunately, once you start seeing signs of an ambrosia beetle infestation there is not much you can do to get rid of them. The beetles bore into the trunks of trees and produce frass (insect poop) that looks like toothpicks sticking out of the trunk. This is the main sign that you have the beetles. Ambrosia beetles also inoculate the tree with a fungus that feeds the emerging larvae. This fungus then clogs up the vascular system of the tree and affects its ability to take up water.

If you are seeing signs of the beetle on a small number of branches, we recommend pruning the infected limbs and safely burning or bagging them and removing them from the site. If the damage is more extensive, you will have to remove and dispose of the entire tree to prevent the beetles spreading to other trees.

Ambrosia beetles are attracted to trees that are stressed, e.g., trees that may not be receiving the right amounts of water, nutrients from the soil, or are stressed from the environment. The two

Want more?

If you have a question about your landscape or garden, contact the North Fulton UGA Extension Office at 404-613-7670 or northfulton.extension@uga. edu. Or find a local UGA Extension office by calling 1-800-ASK-UGA1 or visit https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices.html.

PROVIDED

deep freezes we had this past winter (in December and March) resulted in trees being stressed and susceptible to the ambrosia beetles. The best solution to an ambrosia beetle attack is early identification and early removal and disposal of infected plant material. You also want to make sure that the trees remain as healthy as possible. This means planting tree species that are suited to our climate here in Georgia and to the particular characteristics of your yard or landscape and fertilizing and watering

appropriately.

Happy gardening!

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative.

Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net.

More information Your local Fulton County Extension office does soil testing and plant disease diagnostics. Follow instructions for taking soil and plant samples and bring them to your local Fulton County Extension office.

Pricing: • Routine Soil Test – pH, Lime, P, K, Ca, Mg, Z, Ma ($12 per sample) • Expanded Soil Test – S1 + Na, Fe, Cu, Cr, Mo, Ni, Cd, Pb, CEC, % base saturation ($14 per sample).

• Homeowner Plant Disease Sample ($10 per sample)

About the author This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Gabrielle LaTora, agriculture agent in Fulton County’s Extension office. An entomologist by training, Gabrielle is interested in insects on farms and in gardens and is passionate about closing the gap between people and their food. In addition to helping coordinate Fulton’s Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program, Gabrielle oversees the North Fulton Community Garden, answers clients’ questions about gardening and natural resources, works with urban farmers, and delivers educational programs for Fulton County residents.

AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | August 31, 2023 | 15

16 | August 31, 2023 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

OPINION

PRESERVING THE PAST

A story of three different churches BOB MEYERS Columnist

In a sense, this week’s column is a sequel to a recent column I wrote telling the story of Amariah Hembree (17811855) and the house he built in Roswell around 1834, along with its modern day restoration and renovation. Amariah and his family

together with 13 other Christians met in the Hembree home on July 16, 1836, to establish the Lebanon Baptist Church.

It was named after the community of Lebanon and was to be the first church in the area to welcome black members.

Caroline Dillman in her seminal book, “Days Gone by in Alpharetta and Roswell Georgia,” described Lebanon as “a thriving village,” located in the general area from where Holcomb Bridge Road goes over Big Creek to the intersection of Highway 9 and Holcomb Bridge Road.

Early Roswell pioneering residents such as Roswell King and people living in other local areas depended on Lebanon for their supplies, post office and services such as blacksmithing.

Amariah’s son James, a carpenter, built a structure, possibly a log cabin, on Houze Road about a mile from the Lebanon business center to serve as a church reportedly at a cost of $158. A cemetery was built next to the church. During the Civil War in 1864 Union soldiers badly damaged the church. Repairs were done but a new church was built at the corner of Highway 9 and Holcomb Bridge in 1866 where it remained for about 130 years.

In 1996 the Lebanon Baptist Church purchased 28 acres on Crabapple Road which is the church’s current home.

The original cemetery remains on Houze Road. The cemetery is not easy

BOB MEYERS/APPEN MEDIA

The Lebanon Baptist Church cemetery has some 145 memorials including members of the founding Hembree family and many blacks in mostly unmarked graves. to find and is surrounded by houses.

Some 145 memorials are there. Most of the tombstones are illegible. Many original church members are buried in the cemetery including at least 20 members of the Hembree family and more than 70 unmarked fieldstones, most likely anonymous black graves. One identified slave named Jone worked in the home of John Bulloch, grandfather of former president Theodore Roosevelt. Amariah Hembree and his wife Sara Minton (17811856) are buried in the cemetery. Burials took place until the 1980s, although most took place many years earlier.

Two slaves, Burt Hembree and his brother Alec Hembree, were ordained as

ministers by the Lebanon Presbytery circa 1839/40.

Around 1847-1855 the black congregation of the Lebanon Baptist Church established their own church, the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and cemetery.

Burt Hembree was the first pastor with Alex Hembree serving as a deacon. The original church, located at the corner of Holcomb Bridge and Highway 9, is gone.

The Pleasant Hill Church purchased land and built a new church on Pleasant Hill Street in 1922 with members contributing the labor. In 1963 the building was replaced by a new church in the same location. The cemetery was established in 1855 and has more than 112 graves.

It is located off Old Roswell Place. Burials continued until the early 1960s.

Circa 1871 white members of Lebanon Baptist Church donated land for a missionary church and school which was built in 1885 at Zion Circle in Roswell by a group of African American Christians.

The original one room Zion Missionary Baptist Church building was destroyed by fire in 1885. Its replacement was severely damaged by fire in the early 1960s and torn down in 1963 to be rebuilt the following year. In 2001, Zion moved in to a new 77,000 square-foot building on Zion Circle.

Thus, three historic and successful Roswell churches, The Lebanon Baptist Church, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and the Zion Missionary Baptist Church, are linked together over time in unique ways. Brian Peterson, Senior Pastor of the Lebanon Baptist Church since 2012, says “The partnership and faithfulness in the gospel of these three churches for more than a century is a clear demonstration of the sovereign grace of God.” Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@ bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.

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