FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County commissioners considered lease agreements for county departments ahead of completion of an administrative campus that will later house them.
The leases, introduced at the at a Jan. 15 work session, would cost the county a total of $148,884. Commissioners considered leases for water and sewer, public facilities, building and licensing, and employment services departments.
The county also considered a lease for the former Health Wellness Center, which the county plans to sub-let because the service was discontinued, said Russell Brown, Department of Communications director.
All of the leases are for spaces at a Cumming office park about a half mile west of the county’s current administrative center at 110 E. Main St.
The agreements make up a fraction of the total office space leased for county business.
See COUNTY, Page 12
North
metro governments plan to integrate new floating homestead exemption
By ZOE SEILER zoe@appenmedia.com
NORTH METRO ATLANTA — Georgia counties, cities and school districts have a month to decide whether to participate in the statewide floating homestead exemption established in House Bill 581.
The bill’s aim is to protect owner-
occupied homeowners from wild fluctuations in property tax assessments.
Voters across Georgia approved a referendum in November that puts HB 581 into practice. The bill caps annual property assessments at the inflation rate, which is based on the consumer price index. The law went into effect this month.
generally offsets or softens increases in the taxable value of property.
“The intent is to protect those homeowners. It does slow the growth of the digest for your residential homestead properties,” said Dante Handel, associate director of governmental affairs at Association County Commissioners of Georgia, which lobbies for and advises all
159 counties in the state.
Under the new law, residential property assessments — or the taxable value placed on a home – cannot increase more than the inflation rate each year. Only residential, homesteaded properties are eligible. The tax break does not apply to commercial,
FORSYTH COUNTY/PROVIDED
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Woman arrested on DUI after hitting mailbox
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 44-yearold Louisville, Ky., woman was arrested on an intoxicated driving charge Jan. 12.
Deputies were dispatched to a St. Claire Drive residence for a 911 hangup call, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office report.
The woman told deputies she had hit her mailbox while leaving the driveway. She said she wanted “some fresh air” because she and her boyfriend had been arguing.
The woman appeared intoxicated, and deputies conducted an intoxicated driver investigation, according to the report.
The woman was arrested on a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge.
— Jon Wilcox
Deputies arrest driver on false tag charge
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 26-yearold Cumming man was arrested on a fraudulent vehicle tag charge Jan. 11.
Deputies stopped a vehicle on McFarland Drive at Ga. 400 after noticing its tag was not clearly displayed, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office report.
The man told deputies he had obtained the vehicle five days prior and had no insurance.
Deputies checked the VIN and determined its registration expired in 2023. They also determined the tag did not belong to the vehicle.
The man was arrested on misdemeanor charges of attempting to misrepresent tag, failure to maintain insurance and expired license.
— Jon Wilcox
DUI suspect gives blood for testing
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 19-yearold Alpharetta man was arrested on an intoxicated driving charge Jan. 11.
Deputies stopped a vehicle about 10 p.m. on southbound Ga. 400 near Buford Highway for failing to yield, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office report.
Deputies began an intoxicated driving investigation after noticing signs of impairment from the driver. They suspected the driver had used drugs.
The man agreed to provide blood for testing.
He was arrested on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of drugs, failure to yield right of way to a vehicle and failure to use seat belts.
— Jon Wilcox
Avalon store reports theft of merchandise
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Sunglasses valued almost $1,000 were reported stolen from an Avalon store Jan. 4.
An employee told officers a woman had grabbed two pairs of sunglasses from a display stand while staff were busy, according to an Alpharetta police report. The woman concealed the glasses in her jacket and exited the store.
Police viewed a surveillance video of the alleged theft.
The woman had black hair and was wearing a pink hoodie, brown overcoat and black leggings.
The sunglasses, both Prada brand, were valued at a total of $892.90.
The employee said she suspected the woman had stolen from the store at least two times before.
The incident was classified as a felony theft by shoplifting over $500.
— Jon Wilcox
Storage unit manager reports break-in, theft
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell police are investigating a burglary at Extra Space Storage off Arnold Mill Road after a 58-year-old Milton man reported $2,500 in missing guitars.
The manager told police that the victim called Jan. 6 to report that someone had accessed his storage unit through its mesh-wire ceiling.
The manager said the client had last accessed the unit Dec. 14 with all items accounted for.
The victim told the manager that wire roofing was pulled back and two of his guitars were laying on the ground. The missing guitars include an $800 Grestch model 5120T with a red sparkle finish, an $800 Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s with a tobacco burst finish and a $600 Squire Fender with a candy apple finish.
Police said the manager found a 6-foot ladder lying on top of the wire roofing just a few doors down from the victim’s unit.
The officer said the manager recognized lettering on the ladder as belonging to another client with storage units near the victim’s locker. According to the manager, one of the other client’s units also had damage to the wire roofing.
Police found no tools used in the commission of the crime at the scene.
After listing the guitars’ serial numbers as stolen, officers said they would review security footage from the facility to narrow down the timeline of the theft.
There are no identified suspects.
Hayden Sumlin
Rotary partnership funds renovations for American Legion post
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta Rotary member Donna Murphy was as shocked as anyone when she received a college scholarship from American Legion Post 201.
“No one gave me a heads up,” Donna Murphy said.
Murphy, a Realtor and lifelong Alpharetta resident, took that scholarship and ran with it. After completing a degree in management information systems at UGA, she has found career success while contributing to the community, serving as a member of the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals and the president elect of the 400 North Association of Realtors.
“It really just touched my heart that a group like this was willing to invest in young adults in the community and hope that we would step up and do other things,” she said.
Years later, she decided to return the favor. The Rotary Club raised more than $80,000 for improvements at the Legion’s aging post on Wills Road in Alpharetta. The money paid for refurbishing parts of the entry, foyer, bathrooms and dance hall.
It also has created a symbiotic relationship between the Legion and Rotary Club, which has long sought a convenient meeting place for its almost 200 members.
“If you join together for the greater good of the community, great things happen,” she said.
When she was a youth, Murphy’s father, Don Shaw, was a member of the Legion.
Murphy said she thinks the U.S. Navy veteran found a safe space at the post and enjoyed the camaraderie of other military service members.
She also remembers fondly how
Drop cloths cover areas marked for renovations in the American Legion Post 201 in Alpharetta. The local Rotary Club partnered with the veterans organization to fund and complete the work.
the post supported the community. They helped support her in college and sponsored her participation with Girls State. On every first Saturday of August, the post sponsored the Old Soldiers Day Parade.
“Oh my gosh, it was the biggest event of the year,” Murphy said.
Decades later, Murphy decided she wanted to help the post.
She and other Rotary members coordinated to raise the necessary funds, which Murphy admits were substantial.
At the Rotary’s annual Polar Bear Plunge,
Murphy coordinated support under the name Freezing for the Legion and jumped off a diving board into a frigid swimming pool in February while wearing a U.S. flag onesie.
“It was a total leap of faith, literally,” she said.
Countless attendees of the charity Under The Stars concerts provided a significant bulk of the funds.
The club and Legion also sold bricks in the memories of post members to create a walk of memories.
“We did everything and anything we
could,” she said.
Others supported the work directly by purchasing necessary items like toilets and paint through a charity auction.
Post Commander Bob Byrd said he’s deeply impressed with the improvements.
“It was just a fantastic job, a really good job,” he said.
He added that Rotary has proved to be an excellent partner with other efforts, like outreach to homebound veterans. The post and club will likely work together on future projects and are currently looking at possibilities.
“It’s quite a partnership,” he said.
Through an agreement, the Rotary Club funded and organized the post improvements. Dozens of light fixtures were replaced. Fresh coats of paint were applied to walls and molding. Bathrooms were redone. New flooring was laid.
The work and agreement has given the Rotary Club a new morning meeting space in the post’s dance hall. Previously, the hundreds of members met in the gymnasium of the First Baptist Church of Alpharetta.
That arrangement had its drawbacks as members were often required to promptly leave to make room for students and other functions
“It’s hard to find a space,” Murphy said. On Oct. 31, the Rotary Club held its first meeting at the post. Afterward, they lingered unhurried, enjoying chit-chat for the first time in a long time.
The improvements also have allowed the post to rent out the dance hall to other organizations and groups, adding to the group’s bottom line.
Murphy said she is now looking at additional enhancements.
“We’ve been searching for a home, and people feel like this could be our forever home,” she said.
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02/27/25 02/19/25
Alpharetta’s Mercantile Social provides creative escape
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The owners of permanent pop-up bar Mercantile Social know when they’ve done their job.
“I call it the wow factor,” co-owner Jonathan Phillips said. “[Customers] take out their phone and take a picture. Their mouths drop open.”
For the past four years, Phillips and his brother Mark have worked hard to make Mercantile Social much more than just another Alpharetta watering hole. Every season, the bar, at 20 N. Main St., selects a theme, reinventing its look and menu.
“It’s all about something unique and different,” he said.
This spring, the bar will allow patrons to raise their wands and glasses with a Harry Potter theme that will have them wondering whether they’ve enrolled at a school of witchcraft and wizardry.
“You’ll really feel like you’re in the Hogwarts dining hall, in a magical environment,” Jonathan Phillips said.
Floating candles will hang from a ceiling filled with clouds and lightning. A smoke machine will create an air of enchantment, and characters from Dobby to the Whomping Willow will adorn the walls of the cozy 1,800 square-foot space.
The bar will be sectioned into Hogwarts’ four houses — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. After taking a sorting hat quiz, customers can hang in their house’s area, which will be appropriately decorated to make them feel at home, and side-eye rival students.
Guests are welcome to wear Harry
Potter costumes to get into the spirit, Phillips said.
As with previous themes, Mercantile Social partnered with an interior decorator to bring the Harry Potter universe alive. Phillips said they prefer to work with local designers to support the Alpharetta economy and community.
An astonishing amount of preparation and detail go into decorating because it’s critical for guests to have their socks knocked off,
he said.
Mercantile Social takes its themes seriously, and feeding patrons’ imaginations is a central part of the experience.
Previous concepts include “Indiana Jones,” “Mean Girls,” the 1993 film “Hocus Pocus,” and the crowd-favorite Grinchmas holiday theme.
When the Phillips brothers purchased the bar, it reinvented itself with the Christmas pop-up theme only once a year.
The brothers, whose day jobs are in real estate, decided they loved the idea so much they wanted to make it a regular thing.
“When the opportunity came, we jumped on it,” he said.
Guests are sure to get a kick out of Mercantile Social’s dedication to the pop-up concept, but the bar is no slouch when it comes to the fundamentals.
A “Goblet of Fire” cocktail is one of many thematically inspired drinks at year-round pop-up concept bar Mercantile Social in Alpharetta.
PHOTOS BY: MERCANTILE SOCIAL/PROVIDED
Mercantile Social features an in-house kitchen to serve gourmet eats.
Mercantile:
Continued from Page 6
Drinks are served by bartenders whose skills make them closer to mixologists, Phillips said. Cocktails lean heavily into the wow factor, but they also are well balanced and tasty.
“A lot of pop-up bars will give you a martini with a candy cane,” he said. “We try to go above and beyond that.”
A “Hocus Pocus” inspired drink called the Black Flame Candle was built around tequila with blueberry and sage accents. Flaming cocktails are a recurring theme at the bar, and the Black Flame Candle was served ablaze with dark fire.
Other drinks, like those inspired by Hogwarts potions, change colors before the cutomer’s eyes. The “Harry Potter” theme also promises a butter beer inspired beverage.
The bar offers a full range of options for wallets big and small from cheap drinks for the college crowd to high-end Scotch whiskies and other aged premium liquors. They also can make any cocktail nonalcoholic.
An in-house kitchen also serves up delicious eats from mozzarella balls in homemade sauce to something Phillips calls an “Amish grilled cheese,” toasted bread with candied bacon, Brie, Amish apple butter and Granny Smith apples. When possible, the bar opts for ingredients from local distributors rather than big box brands.
“Everything is higher end quality,” Phillips said.
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Honored to be Voted: Best Dermatologist and Best Vein Specialist
Insist on the
BEST
Dr. Brent Taylor is a Board-Certified Dermatologist, a Fellowship-Trained Mohs Surgeon, and is certified by the Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine in the field of Vein Care.
He is an expert in skin cancer and melanoma treatment, endovenous laser ablation, minimally invasive vein procedures and cosmetics procedures such as Botox and injectables.
Kathryn is a certified physician assistant with over 22 years experience as a Dermatology PA and cosmetic dermatology.
Her specialties include general dermatology such as acne, eczema, rashes, hair loss, full body skin exams, abnormal growths etc. Kathryn also specializes in cosmetic dermatology including lasers, injectables, micro-needling, PRP, facial peels, sclerotherapy for spider veins and at home skin care.
Great news in Pediatric Melanoma
Isn’t it wonderful to hear that you are making a difference? Well, you are! All that hard work that you put in with children or grandchildren getting them to protect themselves from the Sun and wear sunscreen is making a difference!
A recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) of more than 76,000 pediatric melanomas confirmed a decline in melanoma incidence over the last ten years in children ages five and older. That decrease in melanoma is likely due to the measures you and your family members have taken during those years and during the prior ten to fifteen years when you worked so hard to protect them from the Sun.
And it is hard work. I have personally braved and endured myself. We all know what it’s like: The child in question seems to morph into a wet fish wriggling out of your grasp. Your slippery sunscreen hands don’t make it any easier! The rascal gets free, and you chase him or her down. Your drink gets knocked over. Sand gets on chairs, in bags and in other places you don’t want sand to get. It’s a task somewhere between roping a calf and getting a cat to take a bath. Grueling, grasping, groaning, finally it’s complete! The child may go and play. And in an hour and a half, you get to repeat the process all over again!
We know sun safety isn’t easy. What dermatologists ask of parents and grandparents is not a simple task. Is it really all worth it?
Yes! The results are in, and they are inspiring. This very encouraging study in the JAAD strongly suggests that all our hard work is paying off.
For children ages 10-14, there was a greater than 30% drop in melanoma between 2002 and 2020.
For children ages 5-9, there was a greater than 60% drop in melanoma between 2014 and 2020.
Interestingly, a small increase in pediatric melanoma cases for children ages four and younger supports that what we are doing is making a difference. Older children who develop melanoma are much more likely to have developed skin
cancer from sunburns and sun exposure. Babies and children under 4 years old who develop melanoma are NOT likely to have developed melanoma from sun exposure. (But they still need to be protected from the Sun). Instead, genetics, a chance unlucky mutation or non-sun related environmental factors are more likely to be responsible for melanoma in the extremely young. They simply haven’t had much time to be damaged by the Sun. The fact that melanoma in those ages four and under slightly increased but melanoma in those five and older dramatically decreased makes the claim even more credible that our efforts at sun protection are working.
Good news in pediatric melanoma is likely great news for these individuals’ entire lives. Our bodies have proteins called “mismatch repair enzymes” whose job it is to fix DNA that has been damaged by ultraviolet rays from the Sun. Unfortunately, these enzymes don’t do a perfect job, and many mutations in our DNA are with us for life. Our entire lives, these mutations increase the chance that we develop skin cancer. Dermatologists have tools including prescription creams and in office treatments that kill pre-cancers and reduce one’s sun damage, but some of the Sun damage from childhood and adulthood is always with us. The fact that pediatric melanoma has plummeted in the last ten years gives us great hope that these same individuals will develop far fewer cancers as adults as well.
When you protect your loved one as a child, you are likely helping protect him or her for life.
The next time you wonder, “is it worth it?...Should I really use that sunscreen, that UPF 50 sun shirt or take on the herculean task of wrangling a kiddo channeling his or her inner feral cat?,” the answer is YES. You are making a difference. And we only see these wonderful results at the population level in a published study because of many, many daily actions at the individual level – through the genuine care and love of many, many parents and grandparents who love their family and showed it through their actions. Keep up the great work!
Dr. Brent Taylor
Kathryn Filipek, PA-C
Brought to you by – Dr. Brent Taylor, Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta
Why did my Medicare prescription drug cost go up?
Medicare Deductibles and coinsurances for brand-name medicine are higher in 2025 than they have ever been before. But good news lies ahead! By the end of the year you probably will have paid less in prescription cost than in the past. Let me explain:
The new law (part of the Inflation Reduction Act), affecting Medicare Prescription Coverage, went into effect on January 1st, 2025.
The new law states that no Medicare beneficiary that has Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage will pay more than $2,000 for covered prescription drugs in 2025. Also, with this “cap” of $2,000, the doughnut hole has now gone away.
It’s great news for Medicare consumers, but not so much for insurance companies offering Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.
Who’s “footing” the bill if/when I reach $2,000 for covered drugs?
Insurance Companies - 60%
Drug Manufacturer - 20%
Medicare insurance - 20%
Based on these percentages, you can
now see why your drug costs are higher on the “front end”, or earlier in the year. The insurance companies are truly trying to make up for lost ground that they know is coming once Medicare beneficiaries reach $2,000 out-of-pocket for covered drugs using their Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.
Who’s winning with this new law?
While some who take just one brandname prescription drug might see their cost stay about the same, or go up because of higher deductibles and higher coinsurance, those who take multiple brand-name prescriptions are the winners and will see a major reduction in their cost in 2025.
This new law now gives Medicare Prescription Drug Consumers confidence that they can afford the prescriptions that they need, and takes high prices out of the equation.
Everyone takes a different set of prescriptions. To understand how this new law affects your prescription cost, you can visit the prescription drug calculator tool on Medicare.gov.
We are here to help! If you need a local Medicare insurance agent call us today at (770) 315-8145 or send us a message by going to www.SeniorSourceMedicare.com/ contact-seniorsource
Your Local Broker for Medicare Insurance Needs
Paige Gorman Agent
Talking winter weather and PET scans with Slats
I’m getting tired of shivering. How much can my teeth chatter before I start chipping them?
We had a little snow that darned near shut us down.
I’m sure any Buffalo
Bills fans took off their shirts, cracked open a few beers, threw giant snowballs at one another, then had a good laugh at our expense.
Pittsburgh denizens probably split their sides if they happened to catch a local weather telecast.
“Looky there, if you zoom in, you’ll see some snow on the ground. You’ll have to look hard, but there are at least a dozen flakes coming into view.
“But y’all turn off your Samsung and skedaddle off to the Piggly Wiggly before they run out of the necessary 3 B’s: bread, bologna and beer.”
In all fairness, our first significant snow since 2014’s “Snowmageddon” transformed the yard into a picture-
postcard winter landscape. It was a perfect time to hunker down and watch Netflix, football and read the latest Spenser novel on my Kindle.
With our steep driveway frozen solid, there was no way I was going to drive anywhere. Negotiating a drive to the street would have been like riding Space Mountain without guardrails or brakes.
Chances were pretty good my Acura, despite possessing all-wheel drive, would have been a most unwelcome décor addition to my across-the-street neighbor’s dining room.
It was peacefully enjoyable watching all the sledding, snowman-building, and youngsters having a great time while getting a bonus day off from the rigors of school.
Even more enjoyable was the respite from crime stories on the local news telecasts. I guess thugs and miscreants were too frigid to commit crimes.
As the weather gurus were setting the stage for more future climate mayhem, my solace was disturbed by a headache-inducing phone call.
Burford “Slats” McElroy channeled
his newscaster personality.
“I got an update for you,” Slats said breathlessly. “I got promoted.”
This was a head-scratcher. I didn’t know Slats had ever found gainful employment since that unfortunate accident with the short-fused firecrackers.
“I’m now the landscape supervisor here at Shady Acres Estates trailer park,” Slats said with a proud lilt in his voice. “They gave me the job after all that snow and told me to start shoveling. Problem is, none of my neighbors own a shovel and my hands are getting pretty cold.
“How do you know if I have frostbite?”
Slats then threw me a curve when he asked: “Enough about me. How are you enjoying that new dog that Santa brought you? And did everything work out at the vet?”
In order to take care of this headscratcher, I figured I’d need a garden rake.
I told Slats that, despite my doing my best oral argument since Gregory Peck in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the family vetoed my plan to get an English Bulldog as a companion. I even had a name picked out: Oswald Cobblepot, Ozzy for short.
I envisioned me and Ozzy taking naps, having a snore-off competition and see which of us could hit the highest decibels. I even vowed to eschew kibble for those Ozzy-food packets that are kept in the fridge.
“You said you were having a PET scan and I figured it was for your new dog.”
I smiled and answered: “No, Slats my amigo, the PET scan was to see if the cancer treatments were working.”
I told him the cancer had grown a bit, which was a setback and prompted a new treatment regimen. The good news was that the cancer hadn’t spread.
Slats proposed a deal: “I’ll keep shoveling and you keep fighting.”
Having a friend like Slats is as comforting as a warm drink on a frigid night.
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.
Is 2025 the year buying a home gains traction?
Home sales in Metro Atlanta were at 30-year lows in 2024. So, for me to predict that home sales will rise in the 2025 may not be that “special.”
But what might be special is that we could see a notable rise in housing sales in 2025 without prices rising substantially again. I am projecting that home prices in Metro Atlanta should rise, but only slightly…maybe 1-3 percent.
However, what is now beginning to make a difference is that instead of sellers cutting their prices (a practice we have seen over the years when a house is on the market for a period of time or when we enter a housing sales slowdown) they are beginning to offer incentives, like contributing toward closing cost and/or buying down rates.
For the past several years, we have only seen this behavior coming from the new homes area, and even then, it was not a whole lot. Today, we are seeing new home construction offer 3-6 percent seller contributions which can make a huge difference in cash to close as well as potential payments.
Just 3 percent on a $600,000 home can be $18,000 to go toward closing cost or even buying the rate down below current no point rates. In the past, you would see sellers cut their price on their home once listed at $600,000 by maybe $15,000. Sounds good right? Well, let’s see.
If they reduce the price by $15,000, that might save you $95 per month on a standard 30-year fixed rate. However, if you used the same $15,000 and bought the rate down by .75 percent in rate, you would save about $180 per month, almost twice the savings monthly.
Your response might be “but I am getting the house for $15,000 less if they reduce the price.”
I understand that, but are you selling the house in the next year or two? Probably not. So, net equity is not really a factor, and you are maintaining the values in your soon-to-be new neighborhood. Your soonto-be neighbors will like this, too.
Seller contributions were a standard thing until we entered in the 2020-2022 home sale environment, where we saw the “multiple bid” offers and each offer pushing the price higher and higher. That is when homes were on the market for fewer than 15 days and rates were below 5 percent. Today, houses are now on the market for almost 60 days, and in some cases more.
There are “bargains” out there to be had and sellers now willing to negotiate. Seller contributions coming back will lead us out of this historical slowdown in real estate sales, as I am not predicting that mortgage rates will fall notably in 2025. Perhaps rates might come back down to 6 percent, but that might not happen until this summer or even later in the year.
Sellers not cutting their prices and now giving contributions toward closing cost and/or points will be the catalyst needed to raise home sales in 2025.
I think I have shown that reducing the sales price, in many cases, is not the best deal for homebuyers. Overall cash to close
and payments will drive overall home sales for 2025. The pendulum has definitely moved in favor of potential homebuyers. Sellers who are smart should consider paying some toward closing cost and/or buying down the potential buyer’s rate. Payment and cash to close sells homes.
D.C. Aiken is vice president, producing production manager for BankSouth Mortgage, NMLS # 658790. For more insights, you can subscribe to his newsletter at dcaiken.com.
The opinions expressed within this article may not reflect the opinions or views of BankSouth Mortgage or its affiliates.
MIKE TASOS Columnist
D.C. AIKEN Guest Columnist dcaiken.com
PRESERVING THE PAST
A bell tolls in Georgia for Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter was our 39th president. His funeral motorcade stopped at his boyhood farm in Plains, Ga., on Jan. 4 at the start of a three-day remembrance of his life. There, an old farm bell was rung 39 times in his honor. That prompted me to write about the history of farm bells.
Many kinds of bells have played important roles throughout history. They were made in different sizes and different metals for various uses: farms, churches, fire departments, schoolhouses, factories, carillon bells, marine bells and more. Farm bells were typically 10 to 20 inches in diameter and weighed between 25 to 100 pounds. Most farm bells were made of cast iron.
Farm bell manufacturing was big business in the 1800s and early 1900s. Several large foundries manufactured bells but stopped production when they became less popular once telephones became available or during wartime when raw materials were scarce.
Farm bells were used primarily for notifying farm workers in the fields that it was time to gather for dinner. After all, they had no other means of communication. The bells were typically mounted on posts near the farmhouse and rung by pulling a chain or rope. They also served to alert farmhands of tragedies such as fires.
There is a famous scene in the 1985 award-winning movie “Witness,” starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis where the young boy Samuel secretly rings the family’s farm bell to alert the neighbors working in the fields about a criminal threatening the family. The neighbors dramatically rush to the farm and confront the criminal who is forced to surrender.
According to the authoritative website Tower Bells, more than 300 bell foundries have existed in the United States in the past three centuries. Some 200 of them produced traditional cast bronze bells while others worked with cast iron, cast steel or a combination of metals. Very few of the old companies still exist.
One notable exception is Bevin Bells, the oldest bell producer in the United States, founded in 1832 in East Hampton, Connecticut. At one point there were 30 bell companies in the town. Bevin Bells is the town’s sole survivor and the only company remaining in the U.S. exclusively
A worker at the White House gardens rings a bell in this historic photo dated September 12, 1922. The bell notified workers of important daily activities such as meals. mer people gather from Cherokee, Fulton, Forsyth and other counties for 10 days of “prayer, preaching, hymn singing, and fellowship.”
devoted to making bells. Although today, the company’s largest bell is 8” in diameter, at one time they forged large bells up 21” or greater that were likely also used on farms, in addition to ships, trains and other places.
Another pioneer company was C.S. Bell Company founded by Charles Singleton Bell in Hillsboro, Ohio, in 1875. One of the greatest and longest-lasting bell foundries, known as “America’s Original Farm Bell Manufacturer,” its bells were used on many of the 6,000 Allied vessels that took part in the invasion of Normandy. The company still exists but makes other products today. Many of its original bell molds and patterns were purchased in the 1990s by Prindle Station Bells a company that today casts bells using the C.S. Bell molds.
Yet another example is the American Casting Company in Birmingham, Alabama, founded by Dan B. Dimick in 1903. It produced a range of cast iron products including farm bells. The company no longer exists, but its farm bells are highly collectable.
The most famous bell in the U.S. is the Liberty Bell which weighed 2,080
FOX 5 ATLANTA/PROVIDED
The historic farm bell at former President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood farm in Plains, Georgia, is rung 39 times by the National Park Service to honor the former president. Randy Dillard and Karen Barry, the NPS’s longest-serving members in Plains, rang the bell.
NATIONAL BELL FESTIVAL/PROVIDED
A Sears, Roebuck and Co. spring 1912 catalog lists farm bell options for bells ranging from 35 to 90 pounds. Bells were mounted on posts or attached to porch railings and used to summon farm workers for dinner. The bells cost about $2 each. The ad says “Every farm, no matter how small, should have a good bell.”
pounds when cast in England in 1752. It was transported by boat to Philadelphia. The bell cracked the first time it was rung during its initial test ring. A substitute bell, known as the Centennial Bell, was cast in 1876 and hangs in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It did not replace the original bell because the original had by then become a powerful symbol of our freedom.
Many presidents were known for the gardens they or their wives kept on the White House grounds. Plants were grown in greenhouses or in glass conservatories adjacent to the White House. An article published in several newspapers in September 1922 had titles such as “Bell Calls President’s Gardeners to Daily Task.” The article says “In the heat of Washington hangs this old-fashioned bell…located in the ‘Propagating Gardens’ where all flowers and plants for the White House gardens are grown…. It is rung at 7:30 a.m., 12 m., 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The bell originally hung in the State, War and Navy Building” which is today’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House.
Paul Ashe is director of the National Bell Festival, a charitable organization dedicated to the preservation of bells. He says that the Propagating Gardens are long gone, and one of the most historic bells of the U.S. has disappeared. His organization is dedicated to finding the bell if that is possible.
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.
BOB MEYERS Columnist
COURTESY OF LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AND NATIONAL BELL FESTIVAL
Stephen Martin Cemetery has drawn care, attention
Between Perimeter Expo shopping center on Hammond Drive and Campus 244 at 244 Perimeter Center Parkway in Dunwoody lies the historic Stephen Martin Cemetery. Recent work at the cemetery and maintenance plus special projects over the last 10 years have made it a peaceful spot to sit and reflect or remember those who are laid to rest in the cemetery.
Back in 2015, members of Boy Scout Troop 434 out of All Saints Catholic Church began projects to improve the cemetery. David Savini built benches and a kiosk for the cemetery to display history and information for visitors. The two endeavors were his Eagle Scout project. Daniel Montgomery’s Eagle Scout Project was clearing out overgrowth of weeds and small trees along the gravel path leading to the cemetery.
Glen Fuse volunteered his time for over 10 years maintaining the cemetery by cutting the grass and trimming the surrounding hedges. He also kept the kiosk up to date with current information and placed a visitor sign-in book at the kiosk.
The kiosk was updated recently with documents and photos which tell the history of the people and the land where the cemetery is located. Chryse Wayman
County:
Continued from Page 1
In total, Forsyth County relies on nine leases to house departments. The agreements could cost a total of $446,302.80 in 2025, Brown said.
All nine departments are expected to operate in a new $114 million, 130,000 square foot County Administration Campus on 42 acres about 2 miles northeast of Cumming on Freedom Parkway.
The campus, slated for completion in early 2026, will serve as a home for 17 departments. It will also include a meeting space for the Board of Commissioners.
Construction began last March.
Cumming officials have opposed the relocation of Forsyth County’s government to the Freedom Parkway campus, saying the current offices benefit the city’s economy. The new building lies outside the city limits of Cumming.
Forsyth County employs about
and Journey Bradham of Dunwoody Preservation Trust joined me to complete this project.
Sam McEntyre of DPT organized the repair of cairn graves and broken headstones at the cemetery. Cairn graves are constructed from pieces of stone arranged to form a box indicating the location of a grave.
The three large cairn graves belong to Stephen Martin (1798-1866), his first wife, Frances Elizabeth Garrett (1800-1847)
County off-site departments
Forsyth County relies on nine offices in off-site leases to house departmental offices. The leases would cost the county $446,302 in 2025. The departments are:
• Procurement
• Capital Projects
• Environmental Health
• Public Facilities
• Water and Sewer
• Building and Economic Development
• Employment Services
• A space formerly used for the Health and Wellness Center
• Public Transportation
1,800 full-time and seasonal staff. Cumming has a population close to 10,000, according to U.S. Census data.
Forsyth County is asking the General Assembly to allow its legislative office to be located outside the county seat, where Georgia law requires official business to be conducted.
for members of the Martin, Spruill, Reeves and Hardigree families, among others. During World War I, John Hardigree trained at Chamblee’s Camp Gordon, then served as a Prisoner of War escort.
Homer Morgan (1900-1902), son of Luvader Spruill Morgan and Joseph Tilman Morgan, grandson of Sophia and Joseph Spruill, was buried near his greatgrandparents’ graves. His stone marker was recently repaired.
Campus 244 includes the former three-story office building that opened in 1975 as headquarters to Gold Kist Inc. and the Cotton States Insurance Group. (Atlanta Journal, June 4, 1974, “Gold Kist starts new building”)
The building has been repurposed into a five-story Class A office building, according to dunwoodyga.gov. The campus also includes Element Hotel by Westin and two restaurants scheduled to open in 2025.
and his second wife, Sarah Crowley (18121878). It is believed Stephen Martin’s grave site is the middle cairn. A smaller cairn grave may have been for a child.
Stephen and Sarah’s daughter Naomi married Thomas F. Spruill. Stephen Spruill, who grew up and lived in the home that is now Spruill Gallery, was one of the children of Naomi and Thomas F. Spruill. Another daughter, Sophia, married Joseph Spruill.
The cemetery is the final resting place
The City of Dunwoody Trail Master Plan includes the new concrete path that leads to Stephen Martin Cemetery. Until the trail opens, park on the Nordstrom Rack side of Perimeter Expo and walk toward the back of the parking lot. When you see Campus 244, turn left and follow the path to Stephen Martin Cemetery.
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.
The Board of Commissioners consider
agreements for county offices at a Jan. 14 work session.
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF/APPEN MEDIA
The updated kiosk of Stephen Martin Cemetery provides additional history. Campus 244 is visible in the background.
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
FORSYTH COUNTY/PROVIDED
The changing face of eastern U.S. forests
In March 2020, Americans became keenly aware of a fastspreading, globally transmitted disease called COVID-19. Soon pandemic became a household word, and everyone became concerned about its transmission and possible deadly consequences.
Most Americans in 2020 never encountered a disease that had spread so rapidly and had such dark consequences. Going back in history, in 1952 there was an epidemic of polio, a viral disease that attacks the human nervous system. As a result of donations to the March of Dimes and the discovery of the Salk and Sabin vaccines, the risk of a polio pandemic in the U.S. is now zero!
Reaching further back into history, you probably remember studying about the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-19 and the Bubonic Plague that rapidly spread throughout Europe, killing an estimated 50 million people, or 50 percent, of the European population in the 1300s and 1400s.
Pandemics are not isolated to humans. Pandemics have ravaged the population of a wide variety of plants and animals as well. I would like to concentrate on three tree pandemics.
American Chestnut
As a child, I lived near a mountain range in western Pennsylvania called Chestnut Ridge. Even though we hiked in the forests near our house, I never saw a chestnut tree. Soon, I became curious about the catastrophic loss of the American chestnut tree in the wild. Before 1930, an estimated 4 billion American chestnut trees existed in the forests of the eastern U.S. These trees were the dominant hardwood species, and their large, high energy content chestnuts provided a food source for a wide variety of insects, microorganisms, birds and mammals.
The chestnut forests were rapidly changed by a microscopic package of bad news! A dying American chestnut tree was first observed in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in 1904. It promptly was determined to have been infected by a foreign invader, a fungal disease that was given the common name American chestnut blight.
Fungal diseases can spread rapidly because they reproduce by microscopic spores. The wind spreads these species-specific, microscopic messengers of death quickly. In three short decades, the wind carried the chestnut blight spores throughout the entire eastern U.S., causing an American chestnut pandemic. By 1930, so many American chestnuts died from blight that the logging industry began to clearcut all the remaining healthy American chestnuts, devastating Appalachian forest ecosystems from Maine to north Georgia and Alabama. By 1940, they were declared extinct in the wild. This event has been described as the “most devastating forest event ever!”
Today if you walk in any eastern U.S. forest, you will find that oak trees now occupy the habitats once populated by the life-sustaining
About the author
This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Carole MacMullan, a Milton resident and Master Gardener since 2012. Carole describes herself as a born biologist. Since childhood, she loved to explore the out-of-doors and garden with her mother. When she entered college, she selected biology as her major and made teaching high school biology her career for 35 years. Shortly after moving from Pittsburgh, she became involved with the philanthropic mission of the Assistance League of Atlanta (ALA), and in 2014, completed the Master Gardener program and joined the North Fulton Master Gardeners (NFMG) and the Milton Garden Club. Carole uses her teaching skills to create a variety of presentations on gardening topics for the NFMG Lecture Series and Speakers Bureau.
selective breeding and bioengineering with the goal of creating a healthy, viable and disease-resistant American Chestnut. The hope is to create hybrids of both species that will grow and thrive in their former habitats.
Southern pine beetle
American chestnuts. Nutritious, high-energy acorns produced by over 70 species of oak trees, 28 of which inhabit the forests of Georgia, now sustain a diversity of microorganisms, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. As a result, oak trees are now the dominant or keystone trees of eastern U.S. forests.
American Elm
There are more than 30,000 Elm Streets in the United States and many town and city parks, such as Central Park in New York City, that enjoy the beauty and cascading form of the American elm tree. These highly desirable urban trees also encountered a deadly fungal disease, Dutch elm blight. As the name suggests, the disease was first detected in the Netherlands in 1921 and was introduced to the U.S. for the first time in the 1970s. Many towns were forced to cut their streetscape trees. Currently, my hometown of Westmont, Pennsylvania, has the longest continuous tree-lined street of American elms in the United States. Luzerne Street is home to approximately 195 well-tended American elm trees.
Through the efforts of selective breeding for resistance to Dutch elm blight, two new, disease-resistant elm hybrids are now available. Additionally, the American Chestnut Society is engaged in a two-pronged approach using both
One of the most common forest diseases facing Georgia landowners and foresters is the Southern pine beetle. Pine beetles bore through the bark of pine trees and create tunnels as they consume the xylem tissue that makes up the annual rings. Without the xylem tissue needed to transport water throughout the tree, the tree will die. Since I moved to Milton in 2008, I have witnessed the death of hundreds of young, venerable pine trees in the forest behind my house. If you see a pine tree with peeling bark and exposed tunnels made by the pine beetles, please consult an arborist to confirm the extent of the beetle infestation. If confirmed, please take action to destroy and remove the tree or trees from your yard to prevent the spread of this disease that is devastating our southern pine forests,
Let me end with this quote, “We are all interconnected - people, animals, our environment. When nature suffers, we suffer. And when nature flourishes, we all flourish.” Dr. Jane Goodall
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. Previous Garden Buzz columns are featured at: https://appenmedia.com/opinion/ columists/garden buzz/.
Save the dates for NFMG’s 2025 signature events: Garden Faire on April 12 and Garden Tour on June 7. Learn more at nfmg.net.
CAROLE MACMULLAN Guest Columnist
CAROLE MACMULLAN/PROVIDED
American Chestnut Tree with disease canker caused by the American Chestnut Blight at Berry College
Homestead:
Continued from Page 1
industrial or non-homesteaded properties, such as rentals.
Under Georgia law, a home with a fair market value of $750,000 has a taxable value of $300,000 – or 40 percent. The new law would not allow the taxable value of the property to increase more than the inflation rate each year, no matter how much the home gains in real value.
For example, if a home’s real value appreciates by 10 percent over the course of a year, its taxable value would not reflect the same increase. Instead, its taxable – or assessed – value would increase only by the inflation rate, which right now stands at 2.7 percent.
Cities, counties and school districts can opt out of the new state exemption. But, they must first hold three public hearings and notify the Secretary of State’s office by March 1. This is the only time a local government can opt out.
If a local government takes no action, it will be automatically “opt in,” and owner-occupied homeowners would receive the floating exemption.
If a city or county already has a floating exemption, like Fulton County’s 3 percent floating homestead exemption, then homeowners would receive whichever is more beneficial if the local government has opted in on the new state law, Ryan Bowersox, assistant general counsel for the Georgia Municipal Association said.
In cities or school districts that offer a flat-rate homestead exemption, the floating exemption would be added on top of that.
The floating homestead exemption would provide some predictability regarding property taxes if a local government participates, according to Latisha Gray, director of communications for GMA.
“As a homeowner stays in their home, over time, they can come to expect consistent change/increase in their home’s taxable value,” Gray said. “This helps avoid the possibility of a rapid increase in a given year, which can possibly result in a greatly increased property tax bill compared to the previous year.”
She added that the exemption will impact cities differently depending on the makeup of their tax digest and how often homes sell.
“If a city was required down the road to raise their millage rate to maintain the same level of revenue due to the exemption, the tax burden would shift more to the nonhomesteaded portion of the digest,” Gray said.
Non-homestead properties, such as commercial, industrial, agricultural, and multifamily residential, will continue to be taxed based on their fair market value.
Renters will not see the benefit of the homestead exemption, because they are treated as commercial properties, according to GMA General Council Bowersox.
Here’s a look at what area cities, schools and counties are planning to do::
• Alpharetta does not intend to opt out of the statewide exemption, as the city already has a floating exemption in place.
“As the new law allows both to exist simultaneously, and the proper exemption will be applied to the benefit of the property owner, I do not see any reason to make a recommendation to the mayor and City Council that we opt out,” City Administrator Chris Lagerbloom said.
Finance Director Tom Harris added that Alpharetta, Roswell and Milton brought legislation forward to the state legislators to create a floating homestead exemption to “be based on the difference between the current assessed value and an adjusted base value of the homesteaded property” within those three cities. The exemption was approved in 2018.
“The adjusted base value is the initial assessed value at 2018 or at time of homestead, if later, adjusted annually at the lesser of 3 percent or CPI (Consumer Price Index),” Harris said. “In essence, this exemption will cap the annual growth in value to which the millage rate applies to the lesser of 3 percent or CPI.”
• Dunwoody has a property assessment freeze in place and does not plan to opt out of HB 581. The freeze would remain no matter what the city decides regarding the statewide floating exemption.
“The City of Dunwoody already has a property assessment freeze in place that is actually more restrictive than the new state freeze in that it doesn’t allow for inflation,” Dunwoody Communications Director Jennifer Boettcher said. “‘Opting out’ regarding HB581 only applies to the new statewide freeze, not the one currently on the books in Dunwoody.
• Fulton County has a 3 percent floating homestead exemption. The County Commission decided to opt into the statewide exemption.
“We want to be clear that Fulton County is committed to property tax relief for homeowners,” County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said in a statement. “Our action today [Jan. 8] will ensure that they get the best deal possible.”
All homeowners who have a Fulton County homestead exemption in place automatically receive a floating homestead exemption. For those receiving the new floating exemption in the 2025 tax year, the property’s assessed value in 2024 will determine the exemption’s base value, the county says.
• Fulton County School District plans to opt out of the exemption and will hold hearings Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. at the South Learning Center, 4025 Flat Shoals Road in Union City.
According to a Fulton County Schools presentation, the district has an exemption that’s capped at 3 percent or the CPI, and HB 581 is only capped at inflation.
“Exemptions will perform identically until inflation goes over 3 percent, then the FCS exemption is more beneficial to the taxpayer,” the presentation says.
• Forsyth County has not made a final decision, but the county commission will receive a recommendation from staff to not opt out of the statewide exemption.
“Any board decision on the matter will determine that, however,” Forsyth Communications Director Russell Brown said.
• Forsyth County Schools intends to opt out of HB 581 and will hold hearings on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m., Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. at 1120 Dahlonega Highway in Cumming.
“Our primary goal is to provide a safe, connected, and thriving learning experience for every student in our district,” Mike Valdes, Forsyth County Board of Education chairman, said in a press release. “We want to ensure that any decision we make reflects the values and priorities of our community, which is why hearing from our stakeholders is so crucial.”
• The Johns Creek City Council decided to not opt out of the statewide exemption, meaning it would go into effect in the city.
“Essentially, [the] council was in consensus to take no action as a homestead exemption is already in place,” Johns Creek Communications Director Bob Mullen said.
The city has a local floating homestead exemption that was approved in 2018.
“The council discussed and decided not to ‘opt-out’ to ensure residential homeowners will receive the floating homestead exemption that would be most beneficial to them (either the existing one that was already in place or the one created by HB-581),” Mullen said.
• Milton also doesn’t plan to opt out of the statewide exemption, “resulting in the City of Milton taxpayers receiving the best possible tax exemption,” Milton City Manager Steven Krokoff said.
The city has a floating exemption in place that caps property assessments at 3 percent or the CPI, whichever is less, Krokoff added.
• Roswell has not responded to Appen Media’s requests for a comment and does not have information available, but the city does have a local floating homestead exemption in place.
• Sandy Springs is in the same situation as the other North Fulton cities and plans to take no action regarding the statewide exemption.
“We have had a floating homestead similar to HB 581 for many years, so we have no plan to opt out,” Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said.
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