Forsyth Herald - November 17, 2022

We Treat Peripheral Neuropathy

Forsyth County electors reject transportation sales tax pitch

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County voters narrowly defeated a proposed transportation sales tax that would have brought in an expected $250 million over the next five years.

Money from the tax was targeted for dozens of roadway projects throughout the county.

The one penny sales tax was rejected by 50.19 percent of voters. Totals show 49,681 votes cast for the measure and 50,066 votes cast against it.

On Wednesday afternoon, District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills said she was disappointed by the outcome of the election and the loss of so much potential tax revenue meant to improve local roadways.

Mills said a lot of factors likely led to TSPLOST’s defeat, including local anxieties about overgrowth, the state of the economy and misconceptions that circulated online about the tax. But regardless of why it failed, Mills said the loss will have a huge impact on the community.

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Angela and Dave Thompson, owners of Fuel Coffee in Alpharetta, recently expanded their operation to Halcyon in Cumming. Barely a year after opening their first location on Main Street in Alpharetta, the couple say their goal of making the business community-oriented has caught on. See story, Page 4

County OKs apartment development near Lake Lanier

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — In a split vote Nov. 8, the Forsyth County Commission approved plans for a mixed-use development on 58 acres off Holtzclaw and Pilgrim Mill roads near Lake Lanier.

The Cottages at Shady Shores will feature with 295 apartments and nearly 30,000 square feet of commercial office space.

At a public hearing held for the project Nov. 3, attorney Christopher Light said the project will combine conservation greenspace amenities with a multi-use, live-work space that will complement the county’s planned administration campus development along Freedom Parkway.

“All the iterations we went through, this is what we landed on as the best for the community and the most benefits,” Light said.

Mindful of the considerable traffic problems in the area, Light said the project calls for entrances and frontages on Freedom Parkway and Holtzclaw Roads, connected by a new parkway through the development, that should divert 50 percent of traffic from Pilgrim

Mill Road.

“That’s a big deal and this is the only plan that can accomplish that,” he said.

In addition to the way they’ve oriented the project, Light said they’ve also pledged to set aside 29 acres of the property, almost all the frontage along Pilgrim Mill Road, for a preserve green space area, with a multi-use trail and dog park.

District 5 Commissioner Laura Semanson said at the Nov.8 meeting that for her, all of these factors weighed heavily in the development’s favor.

“It’s no secret that I’ve probably been the least favorable toward apartments commissioner on this board,” Semanson said. “I’ve not typically been supportive of them in the past, but when I looked at this, there’s a couple of factors that to me, made this plan work better.”

Plans for the development faced opposition from a number of residents at the Nov.3 public hearing.

Community opposition centered around traffic concerns, impacts on local schools, and concerns the project wouldn’t match the general character of the area cited in the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

The property was zoned “lake

providers and families, Turner said.

residential,” which allows for singlefamily homes at a density of no more than 1.7 units per acre. The rezoning to “master planned district” allows The Cottages at Shady Shores to have no single-family homes and a density of 5.1 units per acre – all of them apartments.

“When we think of this project, it’s not well received, apartments don’t go over very well, genuine concern on the traffic, and really not buying into the concept that the cut through road will divert a bigger piece of traffic than we have today,” resident Stuart Kyle said. “I just don’t see a compelling reason to go against the community.”

Other residents spoke in favor of the proposal.

Responding to a resident who asked why the development couldn’t be built elsewhere and not in the Forsyth County community, resident Marc Morris said he was frustrated with the arguments made in opposition.

“I heard something a minute ago that disturbed my soul, ‘They can go live somewhere else.’ Who are they? Are they people that don’t look like us? Think like us? Worship like us? Who are they?”

Morris said. “It really bothered me, and I hope it bothers you.”

Morris said with the way the property is currently zoned, the entire property could be clear cut and developed for nearly 100 houses, but instead, it will be mostly preserved and developed with little impact on the area.

“This really is a generational decision,” Morris said “And that property has already sold. They can clear every tree right down the Pilgrim Hill Road and we get to look at 93 homes. How about we keep those 30 acres and protect those for the generations ahead so that our children and their children can enjoy it?”

After a brief discussion at the Nov. 8 work session meeting, the project was approved 3-2, with District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills and District 3 Commissioner Todd Levent opposed.

Following the vote, Mills said that she saw the merits of the proposal but found portions of plan problematic.

“I did not feel like it confirmed to the comp plan,” Mills said. “I felt like it was setting a bad precedent.”

developmental delay, Tina Turner, deputy director of child health services at DPH, told the board.

Georgia requires screenings for all newborns for hearing problems so that they can receive early treatment and intervention. Beginning next month, the DPH will roll out an educational campaign about congenital cytomegalovirus to health-care

The agency also is putting together a work group to look more closely at increasing CMV screening efforts in newborns in Georgia. Most other states have such a screening program in place, said board member Dr. Cynthia Mercer, an OB-GYN.

The Nov. 8 meeting was the first in recent months in which COVID was not discussed in detail.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Fuel Coffee expands to Halcyon in Forsyth County

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Finding a coffee shop these days is almost too easy. Turn a corner or throw a stone and you’re bound to find a new pop-up shop or break a window at Starbucks.

But finding a truly local coffee house that makes every customer feel like a regular is something special.

For more than a year, Angela and Dave Thompson of Fuel Coffee in Alpharetta have been serving thousands of customers with that feeling as their main mission.

“We are your community coffee shop,” Dave Thompson said. “We just love being a part of the community. And we want you to have that feeling.”

The Thompsons started Fuel Coffee off North Main Street in Alpharetta in March 2021 and have expanded to open their own coffee roasting operation, and now a brand-new location at Halcyon, which opened just weeks ago.

Dave, a longtime veteran of the corporate restaurant world, and Angela, a former director of procurement, started their business during one of the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses were closing their doors and laying off workers to stay afloat.

As manager responsible for multiple restaurants in the Atlanta area, Dave said the breaking point came when he was forced to lay off nearly 300 people on a single day, closing some restaurants and saving others.

“I was renting refrigerated trucks, taking them around from one restaurant

to another,” he said. “Every single place we went to, coffee shops were thriving in the pandemic, where everyone else was struggling to figure out how to survive.”

When the couple finally knew it was time for a change in October 2021, the idea of opening a coffee shop together came up and the rest was history.

But they didn’t want to open just any coffee shop, Angela said, they wanted to open a coffee shop for people like them, people who asked questions and didn’t know everything about coffee. A community coffee shop, where anyone was welcome.

“When we were thinking of doing the coffee thing, we toured 1,000 coffee shops around Atlanta,” Angela said. “One thing that we found was missing is we felt out of place if you walked into certain coffee shops, and you didn’t know exactly what certain orders or drinks were.”

In just a few months from that decision, they opened their first location off North Main Steet in Alpharetta.

Beyond being coffee lovers, Angela and Dave Thompson had no experience in the coffee industry or roasting coffee beans, so they relied on help of other

industry professionals and family to learn and become professionals in quick order.

Dave said he and his son-in-law, who now works as the company’s head roaster, worked side by side for months to learn the trade.

“He and I learned kind of shoulder to shoulder, so he’s roasting for us right now,” he said.

The couple has also put their daughter and sons to work, making the operation a true family business. With the help of their family, they were able to

“Every single place we went to, coffee shops were thriving in the pandemic, where everyone else was struggling to figure out how to survive.”

DAVE THOMPSON, co-owner, Fuel Coffee

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Fuel Coffee’s new location in Halcyon has quickly become a hotspot for remote workers and coffee lovers alike.

Halcyon:

Continued from Page 4

launch the Halcyon location this October in the development’s Market Hall, which is a huge step for their business, Dave said.

With a foothold in Alpharetta and south Forsyth County, Dave said that he can see the coffee shops expanding into areas like Roswell, Johns Creek, Woodstock and Canton. With their roaster churning out beans by the barrelful, they might even try starting a bean subscription plan in certain areas.

“In a previous life, I did run 10 restaurants for a while, and I feel like I could get it to 10,” he said.

But no matter how many locations they start, Dave and Angela said they won’t lose sight of the community feeling that started their business in the first place.

“If we have, two locations, or 222 locations, I always want to make you want to feel that small-town feeling,” Dave Thompson said.

Visit Fuel Coffee in Alpharetta at 800 N Main St, Alpharetta, GA 30009, or at the Forsyth County location 6330 Halcyon Way, Alpharetta, GA 30005. Learn more at www.fuelatl.com.

Constitutional amendments approved by wide margins

By DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat

ATLANTA – Georgia voters overwhelmingly ratified all four legislative proposals on the statewide ballot this year.

Three of the four received support from more than 75 percent of the electorate Nov. 8, while the proposal garnering the least “yes” votes still won by 18 percentage points.

Two amendments to the Georgia Constitution drew the strongest support. A constitutional change prohibiting statewide elected officials and members of the General Assembly from being paid after they have been indicted for a felony and suspended from office passed with 88.5 percent of the vote.

Georgia lawmakers took up the legislation after hearing complaints that then-state Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck was still being paid his salary of $195,000 a year after being suspended in 2019 by Gov. Brian Kemp. Beck was indicted and later convicted of fraud and money laundering.

A second constitutional amendment arising from a strong tornado that hit Heard, Coweta, and Fayette counties last year got the most support of the four proposals on the ballot, winning 91.9 percent of the vote. It will let cities, counties, and local school districts temporarily exempt disaster victims from paying property taxes.

Voters also passed two other tax relief measures that were on the ballot as “questions” rather than as constitutional amendments. Question A, which passed with the least support at a still-solid 59.1 percent, provides a property tax exemption for equipment used in the timber industry.

Question B expanding an existing property tax exemption for agricultural equipment by applying it to equipment shared by two or more family farms sailed through with 76.5 percent of the vote.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

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Valdes wins District 5 seat on Forsyth School Board

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. —Republican Mike Valdes cruised to victory Nov. 8 as the next Forsyth County District 5 Board of Education representative.

Valdes secured 64 percent of the vote, 11,414 votes, and will replace incumbent Kristin Morrissey, who chose not to run when the previous District 2 lines were redrawn early this year.

Valdes, an engineer, defeated

Tax:

“It’s very disappointing we don’t have that resource to help our citizens now,” she said.

The county signed an agreement with the City of Cumming in July laying out the formula by which proceeds from the tax would be split.

Forsyth County was to receive 92.3 percent – or $231 million – of the $250 million projected collections. Cumming’s share was set at just over $19 million Forsyth County had earmarked

In an email following the election, Valdes said he was pleased by the results and thanked residents of District 5 for their support.

“I’m excited to get to work, and I look forward to representing all the residents of District 5, even those that did not vote for me,” he said. “My door is open.”

The newly redrawn Forsyth County District 5 encompasses a large wedge of south Forsyth County, stretching from the border of Fulton County into Cumming.

$173 million for capital projects to offset congestion and “critical” new roadway connections, $27.7 million for multi-use trails and sidewalks, $20.7 million for intersection safety improvements, $4.6 million for existing roadway resurfacing and improvements, and $4.6 million for the Forsyth Quick Response Program, which will approach roadway problems that can implemented quickly.

Cumming had proposed three projects, including the $13.6 million Cumming Bypass Phase 1 and 2, $5 million to construct an additional lane on Ga. 20 from Samaritan Drive to Castleberry Road, and $500,000 for roadway resurfacing and maintenance.

Democratic challenger Elaine Padgett running on a conservate platform promising transparency and fiscal responsibility.

VALDES

Republican office holders run the table in statewide races

By JILL NOLIN Georgia Recorder

ATLANTA — Georgia’s U.S. Senate race may be headed for a runoff, but Republicans swept all other statewide races Tuesday and dashed Georgia Democrats’ hopes of building on recent electoral wins to loosen the GOP’s grip on state government.

In addition to sending Gov. Brian Kemp back for another term, voters reelected Secretary of State Brad Raffens perger, Attorney General Chris Carr and state School Superintendent Richard Woods to four-year terms. They also gave Kemp-appointed Insurance Com missioner John King his first elected term.

Georgians promoted a trio of Repub lican state senators – Burt Jones, Tyler Harper and Bruce Thompson – to higher office.

State Sen. Burt Jones overcame con cerns about the role he played as a fake elector in the 2020 presidential election to become lieutenant governor. He was one of the two GOP candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump who survived the primary election.

Jones won with the narrowest mar gin with 51.42 percent of the vote to Democrat Charlie Bailey’s 46.4 percent, giving him enough to avoid a runoff. In Georgia, the top vote-getter must reach 50 percent to win without going into overtime.

“Our campaign was successful because we ran a positive, truthful campaign focused on the issues that Georgians truly care about,” Jones said in a statement, referring to economic messaging like a pledge to continue cut

ting the state’s income tax rate.

Bailey, a former prosecutor who put democracy at the center of his cam paign, conceded Wednesday.

“Last night, across the entire coun try, voters stood up and fought back against attacks on our Democracy,” Bailey said in a statement the day following the election. “Although we came up short, the fight to defend our Democracy must continue. The survival of our nation depends on it. I will never give up on that fight, and I will never give up on the fight to ensure every Georgian has an equal shot and an equal opportunity.

“Now we must focus all of our efforts on re-electing Senator Warnock to the United States Senate,” Bailey said.

Warnock will face Republican Her schel Walker in a Dec. 6 runoff after neither candidate reached 50 percent.

State Sen. Jen Jordan, who ran for attorney general and put reproduc tive rights at the center of her cam paign, racked up more votes than any other Democrat other than Warnock. She finished with nearly 13,000 more votes than the Democratic nominee for governor, Stacey Abrams, even though Jordan was farther down the ballot.

But it wasn’t enough. Carr ended up with 51.9 percent of the vote. Jordan conceded Wednesday morning, and Carr posted a message on social media shortly afterward saying he had won another term.

“Over the next four years, I look forward to building on the progress we have made attacking gangs, human trafficking, elder abuse and more,” Carr posted to Facebook.

Jordan, who flipped a Cobb County

Senate seat in 2017 and made national news in 2019 for her dissent during the debate on Georgia’s abortion law, hinted of more to come.

“Although this chapter has come to an end, the fight for a safer, more equi table Georgia continues,” Jordan said in a statement Wednesday. “We may not have received the results we were hoping for last night, but the work is far from over. It is now more important than ever that we continue to support and elect leaders who will prioritize the health and safety of Georgia families. Leaders who will stand up for women and defend our right to make the most personal decisions about our own bod ies. Leaders who will reject partisan political agendas and put people first.”

In the race for agriculture commis sioner, Harper will take the reins from Republican Gary Black who unsuccess fully ran for the U.S. Senate. Harper beat Democrat Nakita Hemingway by 8 points.

State Sen. Bruce Thompson was elected labor commissioner, succeeding outgoing Commissioner Mark Butler. Thompson beat Democratic state Rep. William Boddie by nearly 7 points.

And Raffensperger, who benefited from Democratic crossover voting in the primary, beat Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen by about 9 points. Raffens perger was one of Trump’s top targets following the 2020 presidential election and had already survived an intense intraparty challenge earlier in the year.

This story comes to Appen Media through a reporting partnership with Georgia Recorder, a nonprofit newsroom that covers statewide issues.

JILL NOLIN/GEORGIA RECORDER

Georgia Republicans running for state offices had a good night Nov. 8. Most of them campaigned together Monday, but sena torial candidate Herschel Walker has largely campaigned separately.

Longtime House leader will not seek another term as speaker

By JILL NOLIN Georgia Recorder

ATLANTA — The longtime leader of the Georgia House of Representatives an nounced Nov. 4 that he will not seek another term as speaker.

House Speaker David Ralston, who has led the chamber since 2010, said in a statement that he needs to focus on a “health challenge which has arisen recently.”

The Blue Ridge Republican said he plans to finish serving as speaker until January to “ensure a smooth transition for my successor.” A new speaker will be elected on the first day of the new legisla tive session set for Monday, Jan. 9, which means the Legislature will now convene with new leadership in both chambers.

Ralston, who ran unopposed in the Nov. 8 General Election, said he plans to continue to serve as a state representa tive, making him one of 180 lawmakers in the chamber. He was first elected to the seat two decades ago.

“Serving as Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives has been the honor of a lifetime, and I owe a heart felt thank you to my colleagues for the trust and confidence they placed in me thirteen years ago,” Ralston said in a

statement.

“I need to take time to address a health challenge which has arisen re cently, and the House needs a speaker who can devote the necessary time and energy to the office. I love the House and want to see the honorable men and women who serve in it succeed.”

The north Georgia lawmaker has been a moderating influence in the Re publican-controlled Legislature who has preferred tax policies over some of the more extreme hot-button social issues

his Republican colleagues to the right of him have floated.

In a chamber with tightening mar gins, Ralston managed to attract bipar tisan support for his continued leader ship. And news of his decision to step down as speaker was met with respect on both sides of the aisle.

“It is a sad day for Georgia,” said House Minority Leader James Beverly, a Macon Democrat. “My friend, Speaker Ralston, is the only speaker I know. He taught me so much about governing and

working across the aisle. His leadership will be missed in the House Chamber.”

Stacey Abrams, a former House minority leader and the Democratic nominee for governor, said she learned from Ralston’s example.

“As Minority Leader, I worked closely and well with him as speaker,” she tweeted. “Our politics differ, but my respect is deep + absolute. God bless my friend as he faces this new challenge.”

Ralston is one of the most powerful elected officials in Georgia, and when he called a proposal a “non-starter,” that was usually the end of the conversation because the speaker is charged with bringing bills to the floor for debate. He also jealously guarded the House’s in dependence from the Executive Branch and at times, butted heads with Republi can Gov. Brian Kemp.

“The Speaker of the House is not elect ed to be the best friend of the governor,” Ralston said at the close of this year’s leg islative session. “That’s just the way it is. We’re an independent body over here, and I value that, and I try to protect that.”

Kemp and Ralston were allies in more recent times, though. And the gov ernor said in a statement that he in

JILL NOLIN/GEORGIA RECORDER

House Speaker David Ralston celebrates passage of his sweeping mental health bill during the 2022 legislative session. Ralston announced Nov. 4 that he will not seek another term as speaker.

Speaker:

tended to continue to call on his “friend” for advice and counsel.

“David Ralston has been a steadfast leader for Georgia throughout his time as speaker, and our state is better off thanks to his wisdom and commitment to all Georgians while guiding the House through challenging times,” Kemp said.

Ralston was an effective political leader who campaigned statewide for his caucus and squelched a minor GOP uprising that challenged his leadership a few years ago. But he led with tender ness when the moment called for it and could be poignant in challenging times.

He also used his influence to el evate issues that can often fade into the background. During the 2022 session, Ralston put all his might behind a com prehensive behavioral health measure that passed even after far-right activists tried to sabotage it.

“He has earned a legacy of love and respect from the millions of Georgians and our families who have been impact ed by behavioral health issues, mental health and substance use disorder,” said Jeff Breedlove, chief of communications and policy with the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse. “He is a forever cham

pion, and that is going to be his legacy – is a forever champion. He has actually saved lives.”

In 2018, Ralston used his influence to push through major changes to the state’s adoption system, and under his leadership, bipartisan-led pushes like the overhaul of the citizen’s arrest law cited initially in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and a long-stalled hate crimes law were passed.

In an advisory announcing his plan to step down as speaker, Ralston also touted the passage of a long-term tax plan to fund Georgia’s roads and bridges in 2015, a proposal to gradually lower the state income tax rate in 2022, and a paid parental leave policy for state employees and teachers that passed in 2021.

But Ralston also presided over some of the more controversial votes in recent years, including the six-week abortion ban that passed in 2019 and took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. He also allowed a last-min ute change this year that enabled the Georgia High School Association to ban transgender athletes in girls sports after a similar proposal had appeared to stall in the House.

This story comes to Appen Media through a reporting partnership with Georgia Recorder, a nonprofit newsroom that covers statewide issues.

Sales tax talks continue as deadline to file nears

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County and Cumming officials say they have still not yet reached an agreement over how to split the 2023 Local Option Sales Tax, which is expected to generate nearly $60 million a year in tax revenues for the two parties.

City and County officials have until Dec. 31 to file their LOST agreement with the state of Georgia, spelling out how the tax revenues will be divided over the nest decade, or the tax will be discontinued.

LOST revenues are currently split with 87 percent, or about $50 million, going to Forsyth County and 13 percent, or about $7 million, going to the City of Cumming each year.

Informal talks between the two parties began in mid-summer, and the County Commission voted Aug. 9 to move the talks to formal mediation.

“The County and City agreed to enter into mediation, and we’ve completed one session, which

is confidential,” Forsyth County Commission Chairman Alfred John said on Monday. “The County and City continue discussions on multiple fronts, and it is our hope that we can have a settlement before the end of the year.”

John would not comment on what offers have been made between the two parties so far, calling the outcomes of the negotiation sessions “confidential,” but said that any agreement would preserve the wellbeing of county residents, without injuring the financial health of the city.

In a letter to the editor, Cumming Mayor Troy Brumbalow said the ongoing negotiations have caused the city to postpone its annual budget talks, which are typically held at the November council meeting.

“I believe the City of Cumming has sought a very fair percentage of the LOST revenue,” he said. “This percentage is the same percentage that the city has received for the past several years,”

Even if the tax does expire without

an agreement between the two parties, Brumbalow promised that the city will never impose a municipal tax.

“This means that the city will be forced to cut services in order to make ends meet,” he said. “Since Forsyth County will also see budget reductions if an agreement cannot be met concerning LOST, the Board of Commissioners will have to decide if the county will cut its services or raise property taxes.”

John said Forsyth County has no intentions of letting the tax expire without exhausting all options, but they are also preparing for what could happen if no agreement is reached.

“We continue to work towards a resolution, but the county management team has contemplated various options should the city not arrive at a resolution with the county,” he said. “The county has no interest in injuring the city or its financial health, however, the county has to look at the interest and wellbeing of county residents and taxpayers as well.”

David Cox: Writing tomorrow’s history today

BOB MEYERS

We are used to thinking of history as past events, accomplishments of individuals who have gone to their heavenly rewards, structures of unique styles or places where important events occurred.

But what about tomorrow’s history? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see it today?

Well, we can because tomorrow’s history is being written as we speak. We just need to look for it. Today we will look at two beautiful barns and the man who built them in North Fulton County that are sure to be viewed as historic by future generations.

The Scottsdale Farms main building in the Birmingham community and the barn until recently called the Yellow House Barn, now the 7th Hand Barn, in Alpharetta were built by David Cox, a talented builder who retired about a year ago following a career of 51 years. He erected an estimated 100 barns, a similar number of houses and innumerable renovations during his career, all within a 50-mile radius in North Fulton and Cherokee County. Both barns are very large structures built for different purposes. Scottsdale Farms was made to be a retail garden and home decor center with a sales floor and a café and bistro housed in a towering central hall of exposed beams. Thanks to the commitment of owner Luca Gianturco, Scottsdale Farms is a timber framed building with mortise and tenon joinery (more about that later), while 7th Hand Barn was built as an equine facility. With a luxurious upstairs living area, it was a precursor to today’s popular special event or party barns.

When David Cox was 10 or 12, he worked with his grandfather Troy Cox, a carpenter and farmer where the Blue Valley development in Cherokee County is today. David also worked with George Garner “my other grandpa” who was a part-time carpenter and farmer on Taylor Road in Milton.

As a teenager in the 1960s and ’70s David broadened his carpentry skills working summers for “Doc” Allen Myers, a homebuilder who moved to Alpharetta from Florida in 1962. He built many of the houses on Dania Drive in Alpharetta, among

others in North Fulton County, and according to his daughter Sharon Myers Mauldin, he was the first builder of subdivisions in Alpharetta.

Doc was a small, quiet man who liked to laugh, says David.

“He was very talented, good as gold. Most of his tools were ancient. When I met him, he was building whatever people wanted, a house, outhouse or shed. As he got older, he did trim work.”

He eventually started working for David.

Timber framing is a method of creating structures using very heavy timbers joined together with mortise and tenon joints where the end of one piece of wood, the tenon, is inserted into a hole, the mortise, cut in the other piece, usually at a right angle. Once the pieces are connected, a hole is drilled through the two parts and a peg is driven through the hole to firmly and permanently join the pieces of wood. No nails or bolts are used. A diagonal brace is often added where horizontal and vertical beams meet for additional stability.

David Cox was one of the first to build a mortise and tenon barn in Georgia. Because of the complexities involved, Luca hired Jerry Hopkins, a local structural engineer, to assure conformity of the building’s systems to

Fulton County codes.

Luca says: “I am a fanatic about history. I wanted Scottsdale Farms to be a unique tribute to the artisan builders who paved the way centuries ago.”

About a year ago, local businessman Mac Plummer and his wife Megan purchased the Yellow House Barn, a premier equestrian facility which they recently renamed 7th Hand Farm, a Biblical reference to the Hand of God. The barn is notched post and beam construction, a method that creates strong joints between vertical posts and cross beams. A post is notched at its end or wherever a beam joins it. The beam rests in the notch and is bolted to the post. The method is less complicated to build than mortise and tenon, but very strong nonetheless.

The elegant barn has 38 12x12-foot stalls in two wings, 8 wash racks and an attached giant indoor riding arena. Mac and Megan are updating and making improvements in the barn and in several other buildings on the 30acre property including a historic 19th century house. The barn incorporates many special features including beautiful interior stone archways separating the two wings and a double fence line surrounding the property so riders can safely navigate their horses

around periphery.

It is a busy place owned and managed by a committed couple. It will be interesting to see what innovations they have in store for the operation.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Pres ervation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net.You can email Bob at bobmey@bellsouth.net. To learn more about the Milton Historical Society, go to miltonhistoricalsocietygeorgia.org.Commission. He lives in Alpharetta.

Columnist

bobmey@bellsouth.net

BOB MEYERS/APPEN MEDIA

The landmark Scottsdale Farms garden center is a timber framed structure built of eastern white pine using mortise and tenon joints to create an exceptionally strong building. Evidence of mortise and tenon dates back 7000 years. The barn is about 60 feet high to the top of the cupola.

There’s still plenty to keep a person active in this world

When am I going to act on some of the things that I know would improve my life?

a high level, which I cannot do right now. I would rather not play. Maybe a thousand more hours at the back board would get me to where I could enjoy “playing” again.

RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com

I know that as we age, it is important to remain engaged and social as not doing this is linked to heightened risk of dementia and the like. Women in general, I think, tend to do this almost by default. But with men, I think we tend to become more solitary, more introverted as we age. My wife is in two book clubs, several faith-based activities - includ ing a centering prayer group - and is actively engaged in studying various subjects and authors including Rich ard Rohr. She recently had a reunion with her best friends from college; they meet every couple years and absolute ly enjoy that time. One of her friends is in a bridge club, plays competitive field hockey, studies Richard Rohr, is in several book clubs, and, as a thera pist, sees over 60 clients every week. I don’t see how they do it.

What about me? Ok, so I read a lot — alone — usually in a comfortable chair at home. I still have an interest in tennis but now, that translates into me going and hitting against a back board at Wills Park tennis courts — alone. But that’s how I learned tennis as a high schooler, and at one point I played at a fairly high level. I get asked to play with other folks these days. But I hate “playing” tennis with anyone unless I am able to play at

I swim off and on, usually at 5 a.m. at the Y — alone. Well, with maybe a half dozen other early morning swim mers. For years there was a woman who swam in the lane next to me — for years — and we would chat sometimes at one end of the pool. But we never learned each other’s names. We knew about each other’s families and such, just not each other’s name. How odd.

So, swim, tennis, work and family. That’s mostly it.

My daughter asked me this week if I could use my truck and pick up a futon for her. She recently relocated back to Georgia and is busy furnish ing her house. She is good at spotting bargains out there and never pays retail for anything. About a month ago she sent me to buy a thousand dollar brand new, still-in-the-plastic king-sized mattress from Overstock for $200. I couldn’t believe it.

The futon this week was in Johns Creek. Someone was moving and trying to get rid of the stuff they were not planning to take with them. I am sure my daughter saw the ad on Craigslist. My warning radar always goes off when Craigslist is involved in any transaction. There are so many scammers out there. It doesn’t seem to bother my daughter in the least.

So, I pulled up to the house and was looking for the phone number on my phone to call to let them to let them know I was there. I looked up and right next to my window was a

middle-aged man just standing there. I got out, and we introduced our selves. He was an entomologist (study of insects) from India and his wife, a computer programmer originally from Singapore. They had been living in the states for, I am thinking, the last 25 years or so and were moving back to India to take care of ageing parents. He took early retirement. I suspect he had his doctorate and was teaching as well as practicing in the field. She was not crazy about moving back to India; it was stressing her out.

So, I don’t know as much about India as I should, historically or socially. It’s a bit embarrassing to me. My knowledge of the country is more or less limited to having read “Freedom at Midnight,” a definitive long nonfiction novel about Indian independence from Great Britain as well as the incredibly bloody parti tion with Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. I know that India as well Pakistan are two of the 14 countries with nuclear weapons. I know that India is the world’s largest democracy, and that Pakistan has unofficial U.S. Airforce bases, is run by a military government, and is an Islamic coun try. Of note, two of our delivery folks at the newspaper were from India, and one of my favorite authors is Indian — Jhumpa Lahiri. Her “Interpreter of Maladies” is an amazing first book of short stories that I highly recommend. The rest of my knowledge of India is taken from watching the movie “Slum Dog Millionaire,” and the current book I am reading, which takes place in the slums of Mumbai — a city of over 20,000,000 — called “Behind the

Beautiful Forever’s” by Katherine Boo. The book has won tons of awards and so far, seems like a fabulous read.

So, when I heard that Anil and his wife were moving back to India, it surprised me, I have to admit. “Why” I thought. Even to take care of ageing parents, it just seemed, well, counter intuitive to my frame of reference.

It took us about 15 minutes to load up my daughter’s futon as well as a coffee table Anil offered for free. Then we started talking about India — the government, the economy, where in India he was moving back to and more. We talked about his education; it was essentially free, and we talked about world events including COVID and some of the books I had read re lating to the topics. We talked at least a half hour about insects and com mercial agriculture on the industrial scale and how — he pointed out — dif ficult it was to produce it without the heavy use of pesticides and herbicides.

We talked about books. He gave me one — “Pax Indica: India and the World of the 21st Century.” I promised to send him a copy of “The Overstory” once he was sure of his new address in Southern India. I expect we will stay in touch, and I look forward to that.

I think we talked for well over an hour, maybe almost two. His wife came to the door, and without saying anything, communicated it was time for me to leave so they could get back to packing. They leave for India soon. We said our goodbyes, and as I drove off, I asked myself again, “Why I don’t get out more often, why I don’t make the effort?”

Dr.

‘Till death do us part’ should include plan for survivors

eventualities stemming from injury and illness, and the death of a partner and oneself. Life together is a series of transitions, some planned and some forced by circumstances. After the honeymoon reality eventually settles in, wrapped in a blanket of mutual support and respect.

wealth? Remember the part about richer or poorer, in sickness and health? Often the pledge, “till death us do part,” generates a fear of a “life insurance sales pitch,” but it goes beyond that one aspect of “What if?” planning.

LEWIS J. WALKER, CFP

While wedding customs and traditions vary from religion to religion and in secular society, vows generally are a significant and meaningful aspect of the joining of two persons in matrimony. Among the most wellknown traditional wedding vows are those derived from medieval England. In the Book of Common Prayer by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, we find couples promising each other “to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part.” That promise is a contract whereby the two people in the union pledge to share responsibilities.

A financial life planning plan recognizes the shared goals of prospering from a wealth and health standpoint, while providing for

People depend on you. In addition to your spouse, these dependents may be children, other family members and loved ones, dear friends. Depending on what you do for a living, they may be associates, partners, employees, members of the military, teammates, clients and customers. Community organizations, charities, and religious institutions depend on your support. As does everyone, you likewise depend on others for important aspects of your well-being. Do you and your significant other have plans in place to handle whatever life throws at you?

How you navigate the challenges of life as a team is a function of alternatives, resources, and expectations. How will you tackle challenges connected with health and

On October 6, 2022, a memorial Mass was held for the beloved spouses of the Saint Brigid Catholic Church Widowed Group in Johns Creek, Georgia. The Mass program listed the names of the departed, which sadly included my spouse of 55 years who passed away recently. Of the dearly departed noted, 23% were female, 77% were male. That’s a small sample but it illustrates the fact that on average women outlive men. Widows outnumber widowers by substantial margins. Susan Bradley, CFP, founder of the Sudden Money Institute in Florida, focuses on major life transitions, including the difficulties involved in being a caregiver and life after the death of a spouse or other loved one. She notes that 80% of men die married. Eighty percent of women die single. Have you prepared

for the likelihood that one of you will outlive the other? One of you will die before the other?

While death can come suddenly at any point in a marriage, you must prepare for the possibility of illness, incapacity, and struggle prior to death regardless of age. Severe illness or incapacity may not result in death but engender a life transition toward some form of “new normal” that may involve ongoing physical or mental limitations. When it comes to money and reserves pertinent to emergencies, and overall wealth, do you have a written Investment Policy Statement for your money that is clear to you, your spouse, whoever else who may have to step in, and your advisors?

Decisions regarding finances and the management of key assets are best made when you are mentally sharp, not in the face of decline, denial, and confusion. Are you reasonably certain that your bank balance will not go to zero before your heartbeat does? If you had a stroke or were otherwise impaired, and your spouse or partner

The holidays are just around the corner! We invite you to join us for a morning of holiday cheer at our

2nd Annual Jingle Jog & newly-added Nutcracker Brunch

on Sunday, December 4th benefiting The Summit.

Kicking off with a family-friendly, interactive stroll down the Boulevard at Avalon, the Jingle Jog will begin at 8:00 AM. Starting and stopping at the Hotel at Avalon, enjoy holiday-themed fitness stations, face painting, kids’ obstacles, and special appearances from our favorite holiday characters along your stroll. Afterward, the Nutcracker Brunch will be held at the Hotel at Avalon at 10:00 AM, where families can enjoy a brunch buffet, a mini Nutcracker performance by the Atlanta Dance Theatre, and interactive holiday activities!

Tickets can be sold separately or be purchased to attend both the Jingle Jog and Nutcracker Brunch at tinyurl.com/avalonjingle.

The funds raised from both of these events will benefit The Summit Counseling Center to further our mission - providing professional counseling, psychological services, school-based mental health, and community education services utilizing an integrated approach to care for individuals and families – Body, Mind, Spirit, and Relationships. Learn more about Summit at summitcounseling.org

For more information contact Rachel Newcomer,Director of Development, via email at rnewcomer@summitcounseling.org or by phone at (770) 605-4504.

Cumming delays budget over

tax stalemate

The City of Cumming will have to post pone hearings regarding the 2023 City Budget due to ongoing negotiations with Forsyth County concerning the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).

The City and county entered into mediation earlier this year, but since that process did not bring the two entities closer to an agreement, the City of Cum ming will not be able to hold its 2023 Budget hearings in November as usual.

Typically, city staff present the upcom ing year’s budget to the mayor and City Council at the regular City Council meet ing in November, then a public hearing is held at the December work session.

The budget is typically then adopted at the December regular meeting. If the City and county cannot reach an agree ment concerning the division of LOST revenue by Dec. 31, 2022, neither party will receive any LOST revenue in 2023.

Additionally, the ability to levy LOST by either entity will cease completely un til a new voter referendum can be held. Typically, the City of Cumming receives approximately $7 million a year, while Forsyth County receives approximately $50 million a year, from LOST. This revenue represents a substantial portion of each government’s yearly budget. If the City of Cumming receives no revenue from LOST, it will mean major budget cuts will have to be put in place for the city next year. But, even if this scenario comes into play (which we very much are hoping against), I want to thoroughly reassure City of Cumming residents that the city will NOT impose a City of Cum ming municipal property tax. The one thing that the entire City Council and

I can always agree upon: We will NOT reinstate a City of Cumming municipal property tax as long as we hold office.

This means that the cty will be forced to cut services in order to make ends meet. Since Forsyth County will also see budget reductions if an agreement can not be met concerning LOST, the Board of Commissioners will have to decide if the county will cut its services or raise property taxes (which would impact both county and city residents).

I believe the City of Cumming has sought a very fair percentage of the LOST revenue. This percentage is the same percentage that the city has re ceived for the past several years. In other words, despite ever-increasing costs, the City of Cumming is not asking for any more revenue from LOST than it has received for many years – the same percentage that the county has been amicable to for all of those previous years. While I understand the City of Cumming’s population is much smaller than that of Forsyth County, we also have to bear in mind that many of the retail developments from which LOST monies are generated are located within the Cumming city limits; therefore, the percentage the city seeks, I believe, is very reasonable and fair.

I genuinely hope that the elected officials of Forsyth County and the City of Cumming can reach a fair agreement soon; otherwise, our entire community –both city and county - will suffer in 2023.

Troy Brumbalow, Mayor of the City of Cumming

OPINION

Let’s fix some things in college football

PAT FOX Managing Editor pat@appenmedia.com

I’ve loved college football since the days of Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes and Pepper Rodgers. It offers something few sports can lay claim to – the ability to suspend cynicism and believe that coaches are honorable, players love their school, and college sports programs are honest.

Even so, there are some alarming trends creeping into the game.

Offensive holding College football affords fans the freedom to love and hate without guilt. I love Georgia. I hate Oklahoma.

Up until last year, I loved Clemson. For some reason, the school’s marching band – between plays – began holding the final note of “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath” by Hector Berlioz. So annoying was that prolonged discord, it gave me a headache, and I no longer watch Clemson games.

This year, Oklahoma’s band began doing the same thing, holding the fourthto-last note of its school fight song (stolen from Yale’s “Boola Boola” decades ago), which gives me yet another reason to hate them.

The NCAA has a rule stating that a team can be penalized if their band interferes with the signal-calling of an opposing team. It’s a dead ball foul. This note-holding business could qualify as

targeting, so great is the risk of head injury. Bands can enhance the college football experience, but they should be reminded of their place. The show is on the turf, not the sidelines.

More irritation

While we’re on the subject, can we stop with the obnoxious commercials repeated over and over during games?

I don’t want to single out any one culprit, but I hold particular contempt for the abject silliness of the T-Mobile commercial in which a mob of wide-eyed maniacs run toward the camera in slow motion to get their hands on a new iPhone.

While the image is muddle-headed enough, the fact they are running to the strains of Carl Orff’s mildewed “Carmina Burana,” is more than I can stomach.

In fact, let’s retire “Carmina Burana” from all airwaves – a work so derivative that a critic once described it as “music that a gland would write.”

Again, I don’t want to pick on T-Mobile, a telecom giant that has twice successfully sued other companies for using magenta, a color it claims to own. So, nothing personal, T-Mobile. Really.

Style points

Penn State has only recently dug its way out from the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal that tarnished a once-proud program. That’s good, because I’ve always loved the minimalist approach the school takes to its threads.

The Nittany Lions wear navy and white. Simple. No emblem on the helmets. No

names on jerseys. The team has all the appearance of a work crew setting out to demolish a building.

That’s in stark contrast to the trickedout, revolving-door wardrobe at the University of Oregon.

By virtue of having Nike co-founder Phil Knight as an alum, the Ducks now have more than 327 different uniform combinations with every color imaginable (except magenta), according to bleacherreport.com. This is a team more suited to Bravo TV than ESPN.

Dazzling and garish, the Ducks’ uniforms always scream for attention, begging fans to focus on fashion instead of…say, the scoreboard, which might read: Georgia 49, Oregon 3.

While I’d love to isolate on Oregon, this emphasis on style over substance can be traced back to Iowa coach Hayden Frye. When he came to the school in 1979, Frye changed the Hawkeyes’ uniforms from the traditional, black-and-gold slice of butter on a coal pile to an exact replica of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, another team I hate.

Frye reasoned that dressing his perennially mediocre team to resemble the most dominant football franchise of the 1970s would turn them into winners.

Since suiting up as faux Steelers, the Hawkeyes have gone 325-203, a winning percentage of .624. They’ve played in 32 bowl games (Who hasn’t?), with a record of 15-16-1.

The lesson: There is a middle ground between originality and theft. It’s the same in any profession. Forge your own brand, elevate it by succeeding, and stick to it.

If you enjoy trout fishing in Georgia, you should be a happy camper right about now. Why? Because as of Nov. 1, Georgia’s Delayed Harvest trout fishing season has begun!

Delayed Harvest, or “DH” as it’s often called, is a special program under which portions of certain Georgia streams are managed under special regulations. DH waters are too warm for trout during the summer, but through the winter months their waters cool enough to provide good trout habitat. Georgia’s five DH fisheries (Amicalola Creek from Steele Bridge downstream to GA 53, the Chattooga River from Reed Creek down to GA 28, the Chattahoochee in Atlanta from Sope

Creek to US 41, Smith Creek downstream of Unicoi Lake in Unicoi State Park, and the Toccoa River from 450 feet above the Sandy Bottom Canoe Access downstream to a point 0.4 miles above Shallowford Bridge) are managed under artificialsonly, catch-and-release regulations from Nov. 1 through May 14. The idea is to provide some great wintertime trout fishing, and a focused stocking program helps ensure that there will be good catch rates and thus lots of smiles on lots of anglers’ faces.

This year there are plenty of stockable trout available, too, and so all five of those waters (including the Chattahoochee section) will be stocked.

“We are excited to resume Delayed Harvest stockings on the Chattahoochee River below Morgan Falls Dam this year, thanks to excellent trout production in our state hatchers, and the low, fishable flows we are seeing in the river currently,”

says Georgia Trout Stocking Coordinator John Lee Thomson. “With the Lake Burton Fish Hatchery renovation complete and trout inventories returned to historic levels, the Chattahoochee DH should provide a great trout fishing opportunity near Metro Atlanta.”

One neat things about the Delayed Harvest season is that it gives trout anglers an opportunity to be involved in Georgia’s trout stocking program in a hands-on kind of way. For example, members of several Trout Unlimited chapters have already lent a hand by helping Department of Natural Resources personnel to stock trout into the state’s various DH waters.

Want to try your hand at stocking some trout yourself? There will be opportunities for that coming up too. For example, one day during Thanksgiving

week, the hatchery truck will roll into the parking area at the Whitewater Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, where it will be met by a cadre of volunteers (maybe even you!) who will help stock trout into that portion of the “Hooch DH.” All you need to help out is a 5-gallon plastic bucket and some waders (or clothes you don’t mind getting wet).

When will this happen? The exact date has not been nailed down as of this writing, but watch websites such as North Georgia Trout Online (ngto.org) or various Georgia Trout Unlimited chapter websites for details on the exact date and time. I’ll do my best to let you know here, too, as soon as I find out.

These volunteer-assisted stocking events are an enormous amount of fun, and I remember one in particular. I was there with bucket in hand and my muchloved but by now somewhat bedraggled fishing hat perched atop my increasingly hairless head. It’s an old hat, and it

Part:

Continued from Page 14

impaired, and your spouse or partner was not available to act, who would get the emergency phone call?

Who has the authority to act in your behalf if you were incapacitated? Who has Durable Powers of Attorney to act for you in financial, business, medical, and other matters? When did you last review these documents? Are they current? Do you have backup if the primary designee cannot act? Have you discussed your wishes with your family? What would be the economic impact on those who depend on you given prolonged incapacity? The latter question is important to closely-held business owners. What would be the economic impact on your “business family,” your employees and key associates? What would be the impact on your family if your enterprise is the primary engine for family cash flow and wealth accumulation?

If you were permanently inca pacitated, what would you want done regarding your investments, business interests, real estate, your treasured “stuff,” pets, your health care? What do you want done at your death re garding the above? What do you want relative to funeral and burial arrange ments? If you’re a military veteran, do you understand your benefits? Where is Form DD-214? Have you had a dis cussion with your family about such

really is looking kind of battered these days, but I like it and it fits and it helps keep me warm.

The assembled volunteers made quick work of stocking several thousand trout – and once the stocking was done the fishing commenced. Yes, it’s okay to fish on stocking day, even right after the fish have been put in. In fact, I encourage it. It can make you feel like God’s gift to fly fishing, and sometimes we all need a little bit of that sort of thing.

Anyway, I’d rigged up my rod with the idea of catching a few before heading back to the house. But mostly I was just wandering around enjoying the moment – and that’s when I noticed a dad with his two young daughters. The kids, who were probably about 6 and 8, had been helping stock fish, and they’d worked hard.

Hmmm, I thought. Here’s a chance to have some fun.

I approached the dad, introduced myself, and asked if he would mind if I hooked a fish on my flyrod and then let one of the kids bring it in.

“Can we, daddy?” the oldest asked excitedly – and the dad said sure!

matters? If an adult child has to step in, what does she or he know?

Do you understand your actual living and testamentary estate plan, which may be very different from the one you think you have? Wills, trusts, ownership forms, beneficiary desig nations, operating agreements for a closely-held business, or other legal documents may govern what happens. Insurance contracts, including life, health, disability, liability, and proper ty and casualty, are pertinent to fund ing in emergency situations. When did you last undergo an in-depth review of all documents critical to “What if?” eventualities?

The answers to these questions form the basis for a holistic and com prehensive financial, estate, invest ment, life transitions, and “peace of mind” plan. Winston Churchill warned, “He [she] who fails to plan is planning to fail.” “Failure to plan” is a decision, but not one likely to make you, or those who love you and depend on you, happy.

Lewis Walker, CFP®, is a life cen tered financial planning strategist with Capital Insight Group; 770-441-3553; lewis@lewwalker.com. Securities & advisory services offered through The Strategic Financial Alliance, Inc. (SFA). Lewis is a registered representative and investment adviser representative of SFA, otherwise unaffiliated with Capital Insight Group. He’s a Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).

We were standing in shallow water just a few yards from a spot where lots of newly-stocked trout were holding in the current, so it took just a moment to fool a fish into taking the fly. Once I hooked it, I made great ceremony of putting the rod in the hands of one of the kids. I showed her how to bring in the fish, then netted it and held it for photos and happy congratulations all around.

Then…

“Can I do it again?” she asked. Her dad nodded yes. I flipped the fly out into the flow again and in less than a minute had another trout on the line. She landed that one too. More pictures, more high fives.

Then…

“Can I do it again?”

This went on for about a half dozen fish. But Younger Sister was watching.

She looked at me and said, “Mister, that’s a funny hat.” Ahh, flattery will get you everywhere! But that was only preamble. The real question came next: “Can I catch one too?”

“How about it?” I asked the dad, and he said “Sure!” – and so I hooked another trout and this time handed the rod to Younger Sister. She too did a great

job, encouraged more or less constantly by Older Sister, who by now of course was an experienced veteran. It was great!

Younger Sister landed four or five, and then it was Older Sister’s turn again.

And that’s what we did for more than an hour. I’d hook a trout and give the rod to one of the kids, who would then bring in the fish. It was enormous fun, and we kept at it for quite a while until the kids got cold and we finally called it an afternoon.

Later, another fly fisher mentioned that he’d seen me helping the kids catch all those fish.

“Didn’t you mind not landing them yourself?” he asked me. “Didn’t you miss getting to fish yourself?”

Well, no, I didn’t miss it. I didn’t miss it at all. It was a hoot helping those two catch those trout, much more fun than it would have been to catch them myself. Besides, I got a great story out of it.

But they got a lot more. Those two kids had more fun than the law allows – out-of-doors, standing in a river, discovering must how much fun fishing for trout can be – even if your mentor is the dude in the funny hat!

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Brian Iroff GIA Graduate Gemologist