Creek Nation soldiers trained at Camp Gordon
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Neighborhood endures forecast of soggy street By CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Like death and taxes, a significant water leak on Dunwoody’s Peeler Mill Court seems certain almost every year. Longtime resident Erin Smith said during the 20 years she has lived at the home with her husband, Dwight, and their children, there have been at least 15 minor or major water leaks in her front yard. She lives at the top of the hilly street and has personally witnessed the devastation both to her yard and that of her neighbors’ yards at the end of the cul-de-sac. “It’s almost an annual event that we wake up to water pouring down our hill,” she said. “On Halloween, the water kept gushing out for three hours before the crews arrived.” The incidents have happened so often, it’s prompted some dark humor, according to the residents. During Halloween, after another early morning leak, several jokesters erected tombstones around the repair spot. One proclaimed “Buster Pipes – Cracked Under Pressure,” while another memorialized “Walter Pressure – Slowly Sputtered Out.” And finally, one tombstone paid respects to “Count E. Maintenance – Buried and Forgotten.” “If it wasn’t such a waste of money, it might be funny,” Smith said. “But this has gone on way too long. We had another major leak last Thursday, and it’s getting to be ridiculous.” DeKalb County officials say that the leaks have been caused by a county-wide aging water and sewer system that will be repaired over the next 10 years at a cost of $2.4 billion. “This area is serviced by a 6-inch-diameter concrete pipe that was originally installed in 1968,” a statement by DeKalb County said. “Since 2011, there have been five water leaks in the public system at this location, according to Department of Watershed Management records. Additionally, there have been two private water leaks at this location.” Ben Greenwald, who has lived with his family on Peeler Mill Court since 2016, said there have been several incidents since he moved in, and at least four in the past month. “It seems to be escalating, and the fixes that they are doing seem to be little more than just patching, rather than actually addressing the problem,” Greenwald said. “It’s frustrating watching thousands of dollars in taxpayer money being wasted in this
ERIN SMITH/PROVIDED
Neighbors on Peeler Mill Court tried to make light of a serious flooding situation on their street, but they say they’re tired of the increasing number of water main breaks.
manner, as well as the inconvenience to all the neighbors.” Greenwald said the incidents and the repair process seem to occur in a predictable manner. “First, you go to turn on a faucet or a shower, and there is no water coming out, so we look outside and there’s all the water running down the street,” he said. “We then call DeKalb County, which sets off a two- to five-hour process of them coming out, turning our water off, digging a trench, fixing something, and then putting the dirt back in. And then everything works great, until it doesn’t.”
See STREET, Page 4
Dunwoody funds sidewalks along Winters Chapel BY CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. – The Dunwoody City Council took immediate steps and made future plans to make the Winters Chapel area more walkable. At its Nov. 8 meeting, the council approved a $1.6 million contract to Wilson Construction to build the first phase of streetscape improvements, which will include: • Adding a 12-foot wide, concrete, shared-use path with lighting on the west side of Winters Chapel Road; · Adding a crosswalk and pedestrian refuge island at Congregation Beth Shalom; • Realigning the end of Dunwoody Club Drive to intersect Winters Chapel Road at more of a right angle and adding sidewalk on the south side of Dunwoody Club Drive; • Adding a stormwater collection system and raising the elevation of the roadway to address poor drainage and to retain rainwater runoff from the additional impervious surface. In addition, the council discussed asking for Atlanta Regional Commis-
See SIDEWALKS, Page 4