Johns Creek Herald — August 26, 2021

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City Council passes 2021 millage rates

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Batter up SYDNEY DANGREMOND/APPEN MEDIA

Two years after the first cricket-specific infrastructure cropped up in Shakerag Park, the Johns Creek Cricket Association is continuing to lobby for designated cricket fields within city limits. President of Johns Creek Cricket, Shafiq Jadavji, has his sights set on Cauley Creek Park for the proposed expansion. Read more, Page 5.

Candidates qualify for Nov. elections

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Housing market reaches new heights

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Gunfire near school prompts added security JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Abbott Hill Elementary went on lockdown and increased its security presence Aug. 10 after reports of shots fired near the campus.

Officers were dispatched to the call at a residence near the corner of Abbotts Bridge Road and Surrey Park Trail, near the school’s front entrance road. Police asked Fulton County School Police to help administrators at the elementary school secure the campus.

Johns Creek police surrounded the residence where the gunshot was reported and contained the threat. After

PUBLIC SAFETY all students at the elementary school were dismissed, the department’s SWAT moved in to negotiate a peaceful resolution at the residence. A man was found inside the home dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Detectives continued to investigate the incident.

Woman calls authorities during road rage encounter JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Police were dispatched to a road rage incident along Surrey Park Trail on Aug. 11.

The victim said a neighbor began following her because she honked for her to move her Chevy Malibu, which was blocking the roadway. The victim said the driver followed her to a QT gas station at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and McGinnis Ferry Road then began screaming at her. At some point, the irate driver allegedly threw a glass perfume bottle at the victim’s window. She said the neighbor chal-

lenged her to a fight several times during the incident.

Police tried to make contact with the suspect at her home, but no one answered.

Police probe break-in at dog boarding facility JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Police responded to Unleashed Doggy Day Care, a dog boarding facility along State Bridge Road, after someone smashed the front glass door Aug. 12.

Surveillance cameras showed a male suspect try to open the front doors.

When he couldn’t open the door, he picked up a plant pot and tossed it through the glass doors.

The man then entered the business, knocked several electronics and other items off the front counter, then left.

Police said the man also threw trash cans and tampered with the entrance at a nearby business along State Bridge Road.

Fulton superintendent draws on military experience to fight COVID

By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com ATLANTA, Ga. — Creating plans to address the evolving COVID-19 pandemic has required battle skills Mike Looney learned during his days in the military.

“As a retired Marine, I learned that sometimes the best laid plans don’t work out in the battlefield,” the Fulton County Schools superintendent said. “Sometimes you have to make adjustments. And this is one of those times.”

Heading into August, Looney was optimistic the 2021-22 school year could begin as close to normal after a year and a-half of pandemic disruption.

“We truly believed that we had successfully managed the peak of the COVID curve,” Looney said at an Aug. 12 school board meeting. “In fact, I was somewhat defiant and resistant [even when] people started telling me otherwise.”

Over the summer, vaccination rates

were going up, positive rates were going down and schools could open mask optional, he believed. Then the Delta variant appeared.

Just days before school opened in early August, Looney was forced to backtrack to mandating masks in areas with “high transmission” rates, and consider virtual, remote learning once again.

As with all things “COVID,” the decision created a firestorm of pros and cons in the community.

Looney said in his nearly two decades as a school superintendent he’s seen a lot of heated discussions in board rooms and from parents. But none to the level that decisions on plans for COVID have brought forth.

“I don’t begrudge anybody for their passion, or their concern, because we all want [our] kids to be happy, to be healthy and be safe,” Looney said.

He noted the community is equally divided on plans for schools based on com-

munication he has received. At one point Looney said he was receiving about 60 emails an hour. Comments on his Twitter feed had to be disabled for some posts because of the intensity of comments.

Looney asked the community to “take a deep breath” and come together to help lower the lower the level of COVID spread so schools can get back to normal.

“I am very optimistic this spike is short-lived, and that we can very soon in a couple of weeks go back to where we had hoped we would be at the first day of school,” Looney said.

He noted decisions are not made in isolation, but only after talking with every board member to gather their perspective and ideas for their communities.

But as in the military, leaders own their battle plans.

“The operations of the school district are my charge as the CEO,” Looney said.

“And I have to protect the interest of all of our students, families and employees.”

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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 3

City Council sets millage rate for 2021

By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Johns Creek city leaders voted Aug. 16 to fund 2021 city operations without hiking the property tax rate. They also shaved a hair on the tax rate the city levies to pay off the $40 million parks bond passed in 2016.

The budget vote followed heated debate over how much cushion the city should be allowed to accumulate in its operating budget, and whether any excess revenues should be returned to local taxpayers.

Finance Director Ronnie Campbell presented City Council members with a staff recommendation for a millage rate of 3.986 for city operations and a parks bond millage rate of .411 — both unchanged from the current year.

Councilman Chris Coughlin pointed out that a .390 millage rate would provide sufficient funds to cover the parks bond debt service payments.

Campbell said Coughlin’s proposal would be “cutting it close, but from the standpoint of what we have calculated, what we’ve experienced before in the sense of cashflow and appeals, we would be okay.”

Coughlin’s suggestion to lower the bond levy passed unanimously.

It was a different matter for the levy on operations, the portion of property tax revenue that pays to run and maintain the city.

Councilwoman Stephanie Endres distributed printouts showing the city’s historic mill levies on property. Based on the information she gathered, Endres recom-

mended lowering the operations property tax by nearly half a mill, to 3.552 mills.

“I’m a purist in budgeting in that if it’s not in your budget, you shouldn’t keep the money because the budget is defined as an ordinance” Endres said. “I personally would like the rate to be significantly lower so that money can be returned to the taxpayers.”

Councilwoman Erin Elwood countered that Endres’ proposed “look back” approach to budgeting ran counter to her belief in budgeting with the future in mind.

“My concern is that I’m looking forward and in particular the town center,” Elwood said. “We’re going to have to probably buy land, we’re going to have to put a significant investment into that, and we don’t know exactly what that is yet, that isn’t defined. … We need to start squirreling away money now to be able to have the funding to be able to make that a reality.”

Elwood said the town center is a project the people of Johns Creek want, and the city should be prepared for that expense. She recommended keeping the operations tax rate at the staff’s proposed level.

Coughlin agreed with Elwood that money should be saved “to pay for the things we want,” but disagreed with her proposed method of gaining that capital.

“In the time of the budget season is when you do it,” Coughlin said. “If there’s something we want to set aside for the [town center], I’d say we put it in this budget right now.”

Elwood said that approach would lend itself to passing a subsequent millage rate

Eleven candidates file papers to fill five City Council seats

By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Eleven people have filed for public office in the Nov. 2 Johns Creek municipal election.

Qualifying closed on Aug. 18 and ran for three days.

Five seats are up for election including the mayoral seat and Posts 1, 2, 3 and 5. But what makes this election cycle unique is the lack of incumbents.

In all of the five races, there are no incumbents.

The mayoral post is contested by John Bradberry and Brian Weaver. Mike Bodker, the only mayor the City of Johns Creek has had, is not seeking another term.

Post 1, currently held by Lenny Zaprowski, will match Lee Heard Tucker

against Dilip Tunki. Mayor Pro Tem Zaprowski announced Aug. 16 that he would not seek re-election.

Rashmi Singh and Stacy Skinner have qualified as candidates for the Post 2 seat. The post was vacated by Weaver in early July as a precursor to his run for mayor.

Post 3, which is currently held by Bradberry, will feature a slate of three candidates: Bob Erramilli, Cassandra Littlejohn and Anthony Shorter.

Pablo Cecere and Larry DiBiase qualified as candidates for the Post 5 seat currently held by Stephanie Endres who opted not to run for re-election.

Residents have until Oct. 4 to register to vote for the upcoming election and can do so by visiting the Georgia Secretary of State website.

that was significantly higher in order to fund the town center down the road.

“To obtain the millions of dollars we are going to need for the town center, we are going to be looking at … preparing a budget for next year with a millage rate over 4 (mills),” Elwood said. “It would be a substantial increase, whereas we know that we have these funds available based on a millage rate that the taxpayers already saw based on the budget that was prepared last year.”

Councilman John Bradberry argued for stability in tax rates year after year, saying he would support the staff-suggested rate of 3.986.

Coughlin then presented a compromise rate of 3.886 which he said would still provide the excess cash Elwood and Bradberry desired.

Councilman Lenny Zaprowski offered his take on the tax debate, saying he found it odd his colleagues were arguing over what amounted to an average $11 tax reduction when the council recently enacted a $60 fee to households to launch a stormwater utility. He said he agrees with returning surplus to taxpayers, but the council should regroup with a plan to accommodate future obligations without accumulating more than would be necessary.

Millage rate primer To help fund their budgets, governments set a millage rate — or tax rate — on property. One mill brings in $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. In Georgia, a property’s taxable value equals 40 percent of its appraised — or real — value. A home with a real value of $400,000, for example, would have a taxable value of $160,000.

“We want a tax here to pay for stormwater, we know we don’t have the money to pay for all that even, but yet we’re willing to cut this and that,” he said. “It’s just kind of silly to me.”

Endres made a final plea for a lower milage rate, pointing out that when the city receives excess funds from a millage rate, those funds get funneled to an unassigned fund where they’re not earmarked for any projects and aren’t accruing interest at an efficient rate.

Mayor Mike Bodker called the vote, and the motion to maintain the operations levy at the same rate passed 4-2, with Endres and Coughlin voting nay.

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Probe into Oxbo realignment project rings up $71,000 tab

By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com

by the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

ROSWELL, Ga. — While the city investigates how Roswell’s Oxbo Road realignment project fell behind schedule, Transportation Director Muhammad Rauf says it may be another 12 months before the work is completed.

Meanwhile, Roswell has paid $71,507.32 to date for an independent investigation into the reasons for the delays.

The project is over a year past its initial completion deadline, and in February, delays forced the city into a $2.5 million settlement agreement with one of the landowners. But despite several setbacks, Rauf said in an email Aug. 16 progress is being made.

“There has been some significant and very visible activity at [the] site by the utility companies and also by our project contractor who has done extensive earthwork in the past few months,” Rauf said. “Also, a few months ago the City Council resolved the last property acquisition issue that was causing the hold-up.”

The goal of the project is to eliminate the staggered intersection at Ga. 9 and convert the portion of Oxbo Road near Mimosa Boulevard into a two-way street. It is also expected to provide new turning lanes on Ga. 9 and Oxbo Road along with a new traffic signal, helping solve a host of safety and mobility problems.

Rauf said police logged 169 crashes and 46 injuries at the Ga. 9 and Oxbo Road intersection from 2016 to 2020. So far this year, two crashes and one injury have been reported. The intersection is considered one of Roswell’s top five highcrash intersections.

Georgia Power and other utility companies are currently finishing up utility relocation on Oxbo Road. The city’s contractor, E.R. Snell, has brought in fill and begun grading for the upgrades to the intersection. The project is funded

Probe into delays continues In 2017, Roswell purchased 0.36 acres of land belonging to a family-owned hardware store at 685 Atlanta Street for $3 million. Under terms of the transaction, the city would provide the property owners a pad-ready site on or before Oct. 25, 2020.

But the city failed to meet the deadline, citing delays caused by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The settlement subsequently discharged the city from all damages and claims. Now, Rauf said staff is working on a construction change order with the city’s project contractor.

“Once that is approved by the City Council, hopefully in the next month or two, the contractor will have the green light to continue with major construction activities at [the] site,” Rauf said.

After the Herald inquired about the status of the investigation Aug. 17, Mayor Lori Henry posted a statement on Facebook where she confirmed the investigation was in its final stages. Few details about the investigation have been shared with residents since it launched in February.

Jarrard & Davis, a law firm specializing in local government, is leading the investigation. Henry said they have been combing through thousands of documents dating back to 2006 when the city began discussing the project. They include emails, meeting minutes, contracts and agreements, personnel files and more.

“It is a very comprehensive and thorough investigation, and although we do not have an exact completion date of the investigation, I am looking forward to receiving the final report and sharing it with you,” Henry said.

Kathy Baker, executive assistant to the mayor, also said that because no interim reports were required, they will not be available to be released either.

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In 2017, Roswell paid $3 million to buy a little over one-third of an acre belonging to a family-owned hardware store at 685 Atlanta Street. Under the sale agreement, the city was obliged to provide a pad-ready site on or before Oct. 25, 2020. Shown is the property as of Aug. 18.

Moving forward Councilman Matt Tyser, the council’s liaison to the Roswell Transportation Department, has made it a point to drive by projects “frequently” to check on them.

Liaisons are appointed by the mayor to keep tabs on city operations, but they are prohibited from running or instructing department heads who take their direction from the mayor or city administrator.

Tyser said he meets with Rauf two to three times a month to review any items or requests he plans to bring forth to the council as well as issues from citizens.

“Those get shared with the other council members, and, as with the TSPOLST 2 projects, try to gain consensus on what we all think and what we should present to the public for input to final decisions,” Tyser said. “In the case here, my questions [for Rauf] are about timing, any delays or any funding needs.”

In May, the City Council agreed to purchase additional parcels and acquire temporary easements on other property to complete the Oxbo realignment project – the final land transactions that had

been delaying the project, Rauf said.

Costs included paying property owner Leslie Reed $299,000 for portions of land and a temporary easement at Maple and Atlanta streets. The city agreed to pay Reed an additional $75,000 to remove three residential structures on those streets.

Rauf did not disclose whether the design and construction costs for the project have gone up recently and, if so, by how much. However, since the project began, city records show its overall cost has risen from $9 million to at least $13.9 million, including the settlement amount.

Rauf also declined to say when the city will be done working on Reed’s property so the appropriate portions can be returned to her and what the next major construction activities are once the contractor receives the green light to move forward.

“All that is still a work in progress,” Rauf said.

A committee discussion about the Oxbo realignment project is expected to take place at either the Sept. 14 or Sept.

29 meeting at City Hall.

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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 5

Cricket Association continues to lobby for park space

By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Two years after the first cricket pitches and batting cages opened at Shakerag Park, Shafiq Jadavji continues to call for expansion of the sport within Johns Creek.

Right now, cricket-specific infrastructure within the city is confined to Shakerag Park and is only well-suited to athletes 13 years old and younger, said Jadavji, president of the Johns Creek Cricket Association. Currently, the park has six cricket batting cages and two pitches.

This is why, he said, he’s calling for construction of full-scale fields and pitches in Cauley Creek Park.

But, designated cricket fields are not in the plans for Cauley Creek at this time.

“Typically, with rectangular fields, we use them for multiple sports,” Director of Recreation and Parks Kirk Franz said. “We rarely dedicate a field to one specific sport because it helps us to be able to call them multipurpose fields.”

There is also some misalignment as to the necessity for full-scale fields. According to Franz, it can come down to what type of cricket athletes are playing.

“Adults can play on a smaller field, it just requires them getting more of a tennis ball instead of the traditional hard cricket ball,” Franz said. “And so, I think what Shafiq is referring to would be similar to Atlanta Braves baseball fields.”

For John McCombe, coach of the Northview High School cricket team, the biggest concern is getting a space large enough to have regulation play, whether the field is solely for cricket or not.

“We can play this modified version, but if you’re going back to the full version of the game, particularly with high school kids, we’re going to need that kind of bigger space, because you have someone who’s 18 years old can hit that ball quite a ways,” McCombe said.

From McCombe’s perspective, what is necessary are some regulation cricket pitches and wickets.

“Really if you have those in place, the actual surrounding grass area doesn’t matter so much as long as you can reserve it when it’s time to play,”

SYDNEY DANGREMOND/APPEN MEDIA

Shakerag Park currently sits as the cricket epicenter for Johns Creek, boasting six cricket batting cages, two cricket pitches and a scoreboard for matches.

McCombe said.

The proposed first phase of development for Cauley Creek Park features four lighted multi-purpose sports fields. McCombe said that if some pitches were placed in between the fields, the field space could be used effectively for adult cricket play.

Since their construction in 2019, the cricket facilities at Shakerag Park have been used by athletes all over the country and remain consistently busy, Jadavji said.

He sees it as an opportunity for Johns Creek to become the cricket center of the Southeast and views cricket as a potential boon for economic development.

During public comment at an Aug. 16 City Council

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meeting, Jadavji said that cricket facility rental at Shakerag Park has earned the city $50,000 in revenue.

While Franz is proud of Johns Creek for being at the forefront of embracing cricket, he’s looking to the city’s neighbors for help support the growing cricketplaying population.

“We’re proud to be a city that has recognized its diversity and has built facilities to meet the needs of our citizens,” Franz said. “We recognize that cricket players don’t just come from Johns Creek, but we hope that we can be an example and a leader — and for our neighboring communities so that they may consider building cricket facilities at their parks that can help loosen the stress on the cricket facilities that we have.”

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Roswell woman pleads guilty after securing $6 million worth of COVID relief funds

By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — A local businesswoman has pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. government out of more than $6 million in loans meant to help businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said 49-year-old Hunter VanPelt, of Roswell, used six businesses that she either owned or controlled to submit false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications last year.

VanPelt, who legally changed her name from Ellen Corkrum in 2016, submitted the PPP loan applications under both names and falsely represented the average monthly payroll and the number of employees working for her companies, investigators said. She also allegedly submitted false IRS records, false bank statements and false payroll reports in connection with those applications.

Overall, Kurt R. Erskine, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said VanPelt requested nearly $8 million, of which she was able to secure more than $6 million. Federal agents were later able to seize $2.1 million of the money VanPelt received.

Kenneth A. Polite Jr., the assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said VanPelt “brazenly exploited this devastating national emergency for personal gain” and is now being held accountable for her conduct.

“PPP funds should be reserved for legitimate businesses and their hardworking employees who suffered economically as a result of the pandemic,” Polite said. “The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that anyone who takes advantage of COVID-19 relief programs will be brought to justice.”

Erskine said the six businesses VanPelt used to submit PPP loan applications were Georgia Nephrology Physician Associated, United Healthcare Group & Co., Nephrology Network Group LLC, First Corporate International, Corkrum Consolidated Inc. and Kiwi International Inc. But according to reports, VanPelt was previously indicted in Liberia, where she served as a former government official, under her previous name on charges including economic sabotage, criminal facilitation, conspiracy to defraud the government and making unauthorized transfers of funds from government accounts.

According to FrontPage Africa, an independent newspaper based in Monrovia, VanPelt’s charges were dropped less than a year ago before she pleaded guilty to bank fraud in the U.S. The PPP was established last year through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It allows qualifying small-businesses and other organizations to receive loans to use toward paying payroll costs, rent, utilities and interest on mortgages.

Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said PPP is key to survival for many small businesses during the pandemic.

“It is particularly disturbing that anyone would try to capitalize off a federal program at those business’ expense,” Hacker said. “The FBI will persist in its efforts to stop such fraud.”

VanPelt’s sentencing is slated for Jan. 4 before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at justice.gov/ disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 7

Alpharetta housing market reaches new heights Study: New homes are beyond reach for many households

By PATRICK FOX pat@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta’s residential building boom is not keeping up with demand, and new homes for households earning less than $100,000 are almost completely out of reach.

That’s the word from a new report presented to the city as part of its update to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

Since the update kicked off a year ago, the city has held online surveys and a number of steering committee meetings.

The housing element evaluates the adequacy and suitability of existing housing serving the current and future needs of the community.

Geoff Koski, president of KBA Advisory Group, said his firm began the study in January 2020 — before the pandemic — but its conclusions account for current available data. The trends present in July 2020 have not changed, in fact, they’ve accelerated, he said.

“The trends that we are identifying are still there, the price points have gone

Keeping up with the jobs While Alpharetta has led much of the region in job creation over the past decade, it hasn’t experienced an increase in housing to accommodate those new employees.

Alpharetta Johns Creek Roswell Atlanta Metro Region Total jobs 95,157 27,432 51,859 2,644,680 New jobs (2010-17) 24,983 8,837 11,767 435,618 % New jobs paying more than $40,000 63% 52% 42% 46% Ratio of new jobs to housing permits 2010-2017 9.4 5.4 8.2 2.4 Source: KB Advisory Group

up, but the trends are still there,” Koski said.

Right now, national and regional housing trends point to demand for smaller, single-family housing both for purchase and for rent, he said. There is less overall demand for large homes. The trend toward smaller family homes, he said, should continue for at least another decade.

“One- and two-person households really prevail, and that’s where the growth in the market is,” he said.

For-sale will continue to occupy the larger share of demand, he said, but there is growth in demand for rental

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housing. Another trend that continues is demand for mixed-use centers where housing is interspersed with retail and office.

As prices continue to climb, the need for affordable housing, or workforce housing, will continue, Koski said. Not only that, but Alpharetta continues to outpace the Atlanta Region in population growth. According to KBA Advisory market data, from 2010-20, the city averaged 1.6 percent growth. Fulton County averaged close to 1.9 percent. The region as a whole posted an annual growth rate of about 1.5 percent.

The study suggests that in order for

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Alpharetta to continue to attract business and residents, additional housing of various types will be necessary.

Right now, the study shows about 45 percent of the households in Alpharetta have three or more people. Fewer than half of them have children. Yet, there are more single-family homes in the city’s housing stock than any other type.

“There will always be one- and twoperson households that want a singlefamily home, but typically… they’re looking for an option,” he said. “It could be a single-family home, could be a

2018

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Gasthaus Tirol German & European Cuisine 770-844-7244 | www.gasthaus-cumming.com

310 Atlanta Rd • Cumming, GA 30040 Lunch: Tues. – Sun. 11a.m. to 2p.m.

Dinner Tues. – Thurs., Sun. 5p.m. to 9p.m. | Fri. and Sat. 5p.m. to 10p.m.

I think our customers are going to be surprised by our new tasting room but blown away by the spirits we serve.

CHRIS GREEN, Vice President and CMO 8 | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021

Legends Distillery opens new tasting room and VIP space

BY ADAM DARBY adam@appenmedia.com CUMMING, Ga. — Legends Distillery celebrated the grand opening of its new tasting room and VIP event space with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 14.

Mayor Troy Brumbalow cut the ceremonial ribbon unveiling the newly renovated space. Guests and residents enjoyed live music and food trucks serving burgers, wings, tacos, and more to compliment the spirits. The staff offered guests a free drink on the house to commemorate the next step for the acclaimed distillery.

“Our community here in Forsyth County and especially the City of Cumming has been truly spectacular,” said Vice President and CMO Chris Green.

“We’re getting great response from customers who have been loyal to our brand and those who are new to discovering Legends, and we feel like we can give back by offering a great location that is comfortable and inviting to visit whilst enjoying our spirits.”

In March 2020, SpiritsUSA launched their Legends brand before the onset of the pandemic. Due to COVID’s impact on local business, the distillery struggled to release their spirits until late August that year. Doors were closed for over a year before they could find their footing and launch their product to the public. “…To see the tasting room finally finished and opening to the public is a relief, and we’re excited about pouring our award-winning vodka and bourbons for our customers,” Green said. “What we’ve built and the spirits we make are truly unique, and I am so proud of the team we have here at Legends.”

The grand opening also marked the release of their new bourbon. The 122.4

NEWBUSINESSSPOTLIGHT

Legends Vice President and CMO Chris Green was happy to christen the new tasting room by pouring drinks for excited customers.

proof Single Barrel Bourbon will remain a distillery exclusive for guests visiting the location. After successfully marketing their spirits for purchase in more than 400 stores and restaurants in Georgia since their initial launch, Green made it his goal to provide a tasting room for customers to try their spirits before purchasing a bottle.

“When building a brand, you have to get the product into the hands of the consumer,” Green said. “So being able to pour our spirits for customers and allowing them to try Legends…is a great way to explore something new. We are confident that once you try Legends, you’ll be a customer for life.”

The award-winning distillery is at 210 Industrial Park Drive. For more information, visit www.SpiritsUSA.com or follow them on Facebook.

“I think our customers are going to be surprised by our new tasting room but blown away by the spirits we serve,” Green said.

PHOTOS BY: ADAM DARBY/APPEN MEDIA

Legends’ award-winning wheated bourbon has been the distillery’s staple since originally opening.

Business Name: Posh Hair Designz Owner: Taneasha Hines About the business: Posh Hair Designz is a hair loss salon spa wellness boutique located in Roswell.

I help women and children with alopecia, hair loss and scalp elements regain their confidence through hair and scalp wellness treatments and non-surgical hair loss replacement solutions.

Opened: July 2021 Phone: (404) 988-6645 Address: 629 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite 115, Roswell, Ga. 30076 Website: http://www.officialposhhair.com

Connect With Us In Alpharetta Upcoming Wednesday Social Dates:

July 21 August 18

September 15 October 20

November 17

For locations and event details: www.AlpharettaChamber.com

T: 770.495.0545 • F: 770.495.4646 11695 Johns Creek Parkway, Suite 100 Johns Creek, Georgia 30097

www.JohnsCreekChamber.com #MyBizMatters

Please join the newly created Creek Connect.

A community Facebook Group page powered by the Chamber to help connect the community on happenings, goods, services and recommendations.

October 8th • 6 – 11pm Atlanta Athletic Club

Open to the public • Registration required

4th Thursday of the month.

Check Chamber calendar for location.

The third Thursday of each month at Six Bridges Brewing

The 2021 Guidebook is now available.

Stop by the Chamber to pick up your free copy.

Every Wednesday at the Chamber offices

10 | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021

Sponsored Section

Benzene in Certain Sunscreens – What You Need to Know Brought to you by – Dr. Brent Taylor, Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta Alarmingly, a laboratory named Valisure detected toxic levels of benzene in 78 common sunscreen and after-sun products such as certain brands of aloe vera gel. Their findings are important because benzene is a carcinogen – a substance that causes cancer, and we apply sunscreen specifically to avoid cancer.

Benzene is known to cause leukemia and lymphoma. How exactly benzene usually causes cancer has not been fully characterized. It appears that benzene can create toxic breakdown products in the lungs and the liver. These products react with DNA to result in broken DNA and altered chromosomes. The disrupted genes can no longer keep cells from growing or can get cells stuck in a permanently growing state, and cancer is set in motion.

Benzene is a chemical solvent and a basic ingredient in the manufacture of many chemicals. According to the CDC, benzene ranks in the “top 20 chemicals for production volume” and is used to make plastics, resins, lubricants, dyes, rubber, detergents, drugs and more. Benzene is found at significant levels in cigarette smoke and in some e-cigarette vapors. As an aside, I recently saw a billboard on the side of the highway that said “Be Patriotic.

Vape!” A grand American flag was in the background of the billboard. If you know a youngster who is considering vaping, please let him or her know that there is no proven connection between vaping and patriotism (though scientists employed by the vaping industry may be working on it).

Given how common benzene is, it may be surprising to learn just how dangerous it can be even in small doses. In the United States, OSHA (the Occupational Health and Safety Administration) defines the permissible exposure limit as 1 part per million (ppm) in the air during an average work day. This is a limit for on-the-job exposure. In contrast, the limit set by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is 2 parts per million (ppm) for a drug product “with a significant therapeutic advance.”

The guidance is that benzene is not to be used at all if its use is avoidable, and the laboratory Valisure found no detectable benzene in over 200 sunscreen and aftersun products tested. Therefore, there is no reason that we should tolerate benzene in any of our sunscreens.

Valisure’s list of benzene-containing

sunscreens and after-sun products was broad and included major manufacturers. To see the lists of products that did and did not test positive, visit: https://bit. ly/3w8LyJL and https://bit.ly/3v8KzYP. Well-respected companies such as Neutrogena, CVS Health and EltaMD made both lists with some products testing positive and others not. More than 75% of the identified products are sprays. Unfortunately, there is no easy rule of thumb to avoid benzene. Dermatologists typically divide sunscreens into physical blockers (those that contain zinc and titanium to reflect the sun) and chemical blockers (those that use chemicals to “quench” ultraviolet rays). Regretfully, both physical and chemical blocker sunscreens are on the list of benzene-containing sunscreens.

Importantly, Valisure’s tests on the sunscreens did not identify benzene as a breakdown product of the tested sunscreens. Therefore, the presence of benzene appears to be from contamination [during the manufacturing process] and not from breakdown of the ingredients.

What should we do? The best approach is likely to pick a sunscreen from the noncontaminated list or not on the contaminated list and continue using sunscreen.

We know that the sun causes more than 3 million skin cancers per year in the United States. And we should be thankful that the FDA and laboratories like Valisure are helping to keep us safe. What did my family do? We threw away a sunscreen that happened to be on the bad list and still applied sunscreen during our most recent beach trip. No company is perfect. No process is perfect. No product is perfect.

Our job as parents, spouses or children is not to eliminate risk but to manage it to the best of our ability, and sunscreen continues to be a very important and proven method for reducing the risk of skin cancer. This was true even before Valisure’s research report. And Valisure appears to be helping us make sure that a good product gets even better.

If you or a loved one has a skin care need, consider Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta. Dr. Brent Taylor and Kathryn Filipek, PA-C are delighted to help you achieve your skin health goals. Dr. Taylor is a Harvard-graduate, a board certified dermatologist and vein care expert, and fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon. Kathryn Filipek has greater than 15 years of dermatology experience with expertise in medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology.

EMPTY NEST • Sponsored Section

AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 11

Tried & True - Classic Recipes from Our Community Brought to you by – Village Park Senior Living There is something universally inviting, comforting, and connective about the family dinner table. It’s the place where we not only share meals but where we share ideas, stories, and traditions with those we hold dearest. While the gatherings and the tables themselves may shift over the years, there are certain dishes that go from being passed around the dinner table to being passed down through generations. For Village Park Milton resident Sue H., one of those beloved family recipes is her signature dish—Sue’s Sesame Chicken & Asparagus Pasta.

This flavorful pasta dish has been one of Sue’s go-to meals for occasions ranging from a ladies’ luncheon to dinner on the boat at Lake Lanier, to a summer holiday dish when plated with a little sense of style. Loved by her husband and five children, all three of Sue’s daughters make this light and refreshing dinner for their families now on a regular basis. While many residents at Village Park choose to gather with friends for chef-prepared meals in the community’s bistro and full-service restaurant, Village Park Milton’s Cot-

tages & Bungalows, Independent Living, and 2-bedroom Assisted Living homes feature beautifully appointed kitchens where residents can continue to enjoy the classic recipes served at their family tables for years. We hope you enjoy this delicious meal passed down from Village Park families to yours.

This dish easily serves 4-5 people and takes less than 30 minutes to enjoy.

Sue recommends serving it with crispy bread and a crisp white wine.

Sue’s Sesame Chicken & Asparagus Pasta Ingredients: 8 ounces linguine 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sugar 6 tablespoons chunky peanut butter ¼ cup soy sauce 6 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon hot chile oil (Sue says to use to taste) 2 boneless and skinless cooked chicken breast halves 5 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted 1-pound thin asparagus, trimmed 3 scallions (green onions), white bulb and 3 inches green, cut into 2-inch

Bungalows & Cottages City Homes Independent Living Assisted Living Memory Care Village Park Milton 555 Wills Road Alpharetta, GA 30009 470.509.4557

Village Park Alpharetta 12300 Morris Road Alpharetta, GA 30005 678.740.3499

julienne 1 small cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into ¼ - inch dice Directions: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook at a rolling boil until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Place the garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and soy sauce in a food processor. Process for 1 minute.

With the motor running, slowly add the sesame and hot chili oils through the feed tube, and process until well blended.

Shred the chicken into 2-inch julienne and toss with the linguine. Add the sauce and 4 tablespoons of sesame seeds and toss to coat well.

Cut the asparagus on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths. Blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry.

Place the linguine and the chicken in a large flat serving bowl and arrange the asparagus on top. Sprinkle with the scallions, cucumber, and remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.

COMMUNITY

12 | August 26, 2021 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek

TIFFANY MORGAN/APPEN MEDIA

Valerie Jackson stands outside of the Ann Jackson Art Gallery with a Dr. Seussinspired mural from his piece, “Firebird,” which represented Seuss’s move to the West Coast.

Ann Jackson Gallery hosts annual Dr. Seuss art display

BY TIFFANY MORGAN newsroom@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — The Ann Jackson Art Gallery hosted its 31st and final public gallery showing of Theodore Seuss Geisel’s artwork, the artist also known as Dr. Seuss.

The Ann Jackson Gallery has been a family-owned business for 50 years and has had hundreds of showings since.

Owner Valerie Jackson said the show was a huge success.

“The turnout was amazing, as well as the love and support from our wonderful collectors and friends,” Jackson said.

Throughout the last days of July, nearly 150 people came to the showing to marvel at Seuss’s work. Dr. Seuss was most known for his children’s books, but much of art included his “hidden” pieces, as Jackson said, known as the secret art

Housing: Continued from Page 7 townhome.”

To meet the new demand for housing, Koski said, it takes a mix, both owneroccupied and rental.

The study shows that, compared to neighboring cities and to the Atlanta Region, Alpharetta has and is adding jobs at a much higher pace. Housing growth has not kept up with the demand, Koski said.

“While you’ve added a lot of jobs, your housing hasn’t kept up at the same

of Dr. Seuss.

Before his popular children’s books, Dr. Seuss’s artwork began with the U.S. Army in the animation and film divisions. He had over 400 political cartoons published. He also served as the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM from 1940-1948.

Jackson said she is proud of her Seuss collection, as their gallery is one of 50 in the world eligible to host his art. Jackson’s is the most extensive collection.

As earlier reported, the gallery, located in Roswell’s historic downton, has planned to cease public art showings due to expiration of a lease agreement.

But, the show may not be over.

Jackson said after looking at locations in Crabapple and talking with their current landlord, there might be hope to keep their family art business open. rate,” he said.

Even so, city records show that 2018 saw the largest number of single-family building permits — about 500 — since 1998, the height of the city’s housing boom when just shy of 700 were issued.

And while homebuilding is robust, Alpharetta’s housing market does not produce newly constructed for-sale detached homes for under $300,000, the study shows. And, it produces essentially none between $300,000-$400,000.

“If your household, combined, is not making six figures, you’re out of the market for a new home — really anywhere in the region, but particularly here in Alpharetta,” Koski said.

AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 13

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The information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted. Offer subject to errors, changes, omissions, prior sales and withdrawals without notice. HarryNorman.com | Atlanta North 770-622-3081 | The Collection at Forsyth 770-497-2000 | North Fulton 678-461-8700

14 | August 26, 2021 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek

SPORTS

Week 1 football recap (Aug. 20, 2021)

By JOE PARKER joe@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA 35, CHATTAHOOCHEE 0 Alpharetta shut out Chattahoochee Friday night to extend the Raiders’ win streak over their former region rivals to 10 games. The Raiders are 10-2 all-time against Hooch.

The Raiders’ win was powered by two touchdown rushes from Jake Gil, two touchdown passes from Ben Guthrie to Matteo Carriere and a scoring run by Alex Renken.

The Raiders led 21-0 at the half.

Alpharetta (1-0) will take a road trip to Alabama to take on national powerhouse Hoover on Aug. 27. Raiders head coach Jason Kervin was with the Hoover program for 12 years prior to coming to North Fulton.

Chattahoochee (0-1) will play its home opener against Gainesville Aug. 27.

MILTON 45, HAPEVILLE CHARTER 0 Milton kicked off its 2021 campaign as the No. 1 ranked team in Class 7A with a shutout over Hapeville Charter, the No. 7-ranked team in Class 4A, Friday night at home.

Milton’s defense held Hapeville to 211 total yards, forced two fumbles and a safety, and kept the Hornets to 0-9 on third-down conversions.

Meanwhile, the Eagles’ offense racked up 350 total yards.

After the Eagles opened the scoring with a safety, running back Jordan McDonald threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brooks Bortle to put Milton ahead 9-0.

Milton scored three touchdowns in the second quarter — two rushes from Scott Moskowitz and a 12-yard touchdown throw from Devin Farrell to Debron Gatling.

Moskowitz earned his third rushing score of the game to put Milton up 38-0 in the third.

Bryce Thornton capped Milton’s scoring with a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Milton is set for another battle of top10 teams Aug. 27 when the Eagles travel to take on No. 3-ranked North Cobb in a showcase game televised by ESPN. BLESSED TRINITY 34, WOODLAND (STOCKBRIDGE) 6 Tom Hall is now 1-0 as head coach of Blessed Trinity following the Titans’ 34-6 win at home over Woodland Friday night. The Titans have won their last 10 season-opening contests.

The Titans struck first early in the second quarter and led 20-6 midway through the third. BT added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

The Titans (1-0) will be home again Aug. 27 to take on rivals Marist in a battle of top-five ranked teams. It will be the sixth meeting between the programs, all of them featuring both teams ranked in the top-10 of their classification. The teams last met in 2019 with BT’s 33-30 win eventually sealing its region title that year.

FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN 31, CHRISTIAN HERTIAGE 21 Fellowship Christian began its Tim McFarlin era with a win in a battle of Class-A Private heavyweights Aug. 20.

The Paladins downed Christian Heritage, 31-21, on the road.

Nathan Chapman converted a 24yard field goal, Josh Cole had a 10-yard rushing score and quarterback Caleb McMickle threw a touchdown pass to Kyle Elphick to give Fellowship a 17-7 lead at the half.

After the Lions cut the deficit, McMickle found the end zone on the ground to put Fellowship ahead 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter.

With five minutes remaining in the game, Christian Hertiage scored to put the score at 24-21, but Cole responded a few minutes later with a 26-yard touch-

down run to put Fellowship back on top by two scores and seal the win.

Fellowship (1-0) is off Aug. 27 before traveling to take on Trinity Christian.

JOHNS CREEK 26, GAINESVILLE 10 Johns Creek scored 26 unanswered points and charged back to win its debut in the Corky Kell Classic Friday night at Gainesville. The Gladiators erased a 10-point deficit and went on to capture a 26-10 win in a game that was called due to weather with nine minutes remaining.

The Gladiators got off to a slow start allowing the Red Elephants jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but those were the only points they allowed.

Johns Creek found its offensive rhythm in the second quarter and used a short rushing score from Antonio Gilliam and a 28-yard field goal from McRae Ball to tie the game with three minutes left in the second quarter.

With just over two minutes remaining in the half, Johns Creek sophomore defensive tackle Alex Cunningham forced a sack on third down to push Gainesville into its own end zone on the ensuing punt. Terrian Williams blocked the punt, and the ball rolled out of bounds for a safety to give the Gladiators a 12-10 edge at the half.

Midway through the third, Johns Creek went ahead 19-10 behind a long touchdown pass from Kyle Durham to Brandon Palmer.

After Gainesville missed a field goal early in the fourth, Durham connected with Josh Thompson on a pass at midfield, and Thompson scurried down the sideline for a 50-yard touchdown.

Following Thompson’s touchdown, the teams entered the locker room due to lightning. After more than an hour, the game was called with 9:27 remaining in the fourth.

Johns Creek (1-0) will resume its tradition under head coach Matt Helmerich of playing an out of state opponent Aug. 27. The Gladiators will go on the road to

Other local scores: Lambert 28, Centennial 3 North Forsyth 27, Alcovy 7 Ridgeland 20, East Forsyth 0 Forsyth Central 62, Northview 0 Decatur 48, Dunwoody 7 Wesleyan 31, Mount Pisgah 0 Pinecrest Academy vs. Towns County (CANCELLED) Cedartown 7, Denmark 3 North Cobb Christian 24, St. Francis 14 face Travelers Rest in South Carolina.

ROSWELL 45, SOUTH FORSYTH 26 Roswell senior quarterback Robbie Roper threw six touchdowns Friday night at home to lead the Hornets’ 45-26 win over South Forsyth.

Roper got his night going with a long touchdown pass to Ethan Nation, who had several catches for the Hornets in addition to contributing to South’s solid defensive play.

South Forsyth quarterback Ty Watkins hit Mason Capers nine-yard touchdown to cut Roswell’s lead to 8-6 early in the second quarter, but the Hornets responded quickly with a 49-yard pass from Roper to Nation to set up a 26-yard touchdown grab from Ethan Crite.

Just before the half, Roper tallied his third touchdown with an 18-yard pass to Ryan Hill.

South remained close with a 54-touchdown pass from Watkins to Chris Nelson to put the score at 23-13 early in the third. Roswell was again quick to respond with a 40-yard connection from Roper to Crite.

The Hornets extended the margin late in the third with tight end Zeke Moore hauling in a 9-yard touchdown from Roper. Just two minutes later, Roper threw touchdown No. 6 with a 13-

See RECAP, Page 16

AUGUST 29th • 2PM - 4PM @ First Baptist Roswell

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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 15

16 | August 26, 2021 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek

ROSWELL 45, SOUTH FORSYTH 26

SPORTS

Roper’s six touchdowns lead Hornets over South Forsyth

By JOE PARKER joe@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell senior quarterback Robbie Roper had a standout performance to lead the Hornets to a 45-26 win over South Forsyth at home Friday night in the season-opening game for both teams.

Roper’s six passing touchdowns are the most in a game for a North Fulton player since Centennial’s Max Brosmer threw for six scores in 2018.

“We give Robbie a lot of freedom to do a lot of things,” Roswell head coach Chris Prewett said. “The offensive staff had a good game plan to scheme things open, and Robbie had a really good night throwing the football.”

Roper had three touchdowns in each half that were spread among five receivers.

His first, a long pass to defensive back/wide receiver Ethan Nation, put Roswell ahead 8-0 in the first quarter.

Recap: Continued from Page 14 yard reception to Chris Elko.

South’s Jyi’Qez Green returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, and Watkins later scored his third touchdown of the night, a three-yard rush in the fourth quarter, but Roswell’s lead proved insurmountable.

Brett Gonda converted a 28-yard field goal for Roswell in the fourth.

South’s loss came in the debut for

In the second quarter, Roper hit Nation again for a 49-yard pass that set up a 26-yard touchdown throw to Ethan Crite on the ensuing play. Roper’s third score, an 18-yarder to Ryan Hill, put the Hornets up 23-6 just before halftime.

Roper continued to pile on the points in the second half, starting with a 40yard scoring throw to Crite midway through the third quarter to put Roswell up 29-13.

Roper capped off his scoring with two more touchdown throws in the third, a 9-yard pass to tight end Zeke Moore and a 13-yard connection with Chris Elko that put the Hornets up 4213.

While Roper led the way, Prewett said he was pleased to see so many players stepping up on offense in new starting roles, and that his team moved the ball effectively.

“We had a lot of big plays, but we also had a lot of good drives moving the

ball for eight, nine or 10 plays,” Prewett said. “We like to see that big-play ability, but you also want to be able to move the ball effectively and move the chains.”

Roswell’s defense had a solid performance that troubled South Forsyth with constant penetration at the line.

“One thing we really harp on is forcing some negative plays, and I think as a group we are really excited about is our defensive line, which played outstanding,” Prewett said. “They were in the backfield most of the night, caused a lot of that havoc at the snap of the ball. Defensively, we played hard. We made a lot of mistakes everywhere, but we got after it. We had really high execution at times and battled throughout the game.”

South Forsyth quarterback Ty Watkins had a three-touchdown performance, but the War Eagles were often stymied by the Hornets’ defense.

Watkins had a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mason Capers in the first

quarter, a 54-yard scoring throw to Chris Nelson in the third and a 3-yard rushing score in the final minutes of the game.

South’s Jyi’Qez Green added a special teams score by returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Overall, Prewett said he was pleased with how his new starters on both sides of the ball performed.

“We had a lot of kids that hadn’t really had a chance to play, and I’m really proud of how they came through in a big moment,” he said.

Roswell will now look to continue its streak of winning the “Mayor’s Cup” over crosstown rivals Centennial Aug. 27. The Hornets have won the last seven meetings between the schools, but Prewett said the matchup is always a good “litmus test.”

“It’s always a challenge and a fun environment,” he said. “We need to make sure we are healthy and correct our mistakes.”

head coach Troy Morris.

Roswell (1-0) goes on the road to battle for the Mayor’s Cup against Centennial Aug. 27 while South plays its home opener against Cambridge.

led the Wolverines offensively with four touchdown passes, while the defense forced three turnovers.

Stover connected with Jaycen Harris for a long touchdown pass early in the second quarter to put West ahead, 7-0. That score remained until West began to light up Panthers in the second half.

Senior tight end Oscar Delp hauled in Stover’s second touchdown pass of the night early in the third quarter. After a fumble recovery by West’s Connor Reidy and an interception from Hudson Brown, the Wolverines extended their

lead to 24-0 with a touchdown grab from Ryder Stewart.

Early in the fourth quarter, Stover completed his fourth touchdown with a 32-yard pass to Peyton Streko.

After hauling in an interception on defense returned to Carver’s 1-yard line, William Orris got the call offensively and rushed the ball in to give West a 38-0 lead.

West’s defense kept Carver off the scoreboard until the final minute of play.

The Wolverines are home again Aug. 27 to take on a perennially strong Cartersville program.

WEST FORSYTH 38, CARVER ATLANTA 8 West Forsyth made the most of hosting two Corky Kell Classic games for the second straight year with the Wolverines trouncing on Carver Atlanta in the second half to take a 38-8 win to open their season Aug. 18.

Junior quarterback Keegan Stover

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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 17

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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 19

Leashes, tails, and dogs on trails The other day I was hiking in northwest Georgia on a great trail that I’ll tell you about one of these days. It was a spectacularly scenic hike, and I look forward to sharing it with you.

But one thing STEVE HUDSON happened on my hike Get Outside Georgia, aa4bw@comcast.net that made me a little nervous. That thing was an encounter with a family and their unleashed dog.

There’s a prominent sign right at the trailhead which says that dogs are welcome as long as they’re on a 6-foot leash.

But the group coming toward me on the trail (a dad, a mom, three kids and a very large dog – but no leash) apparently wasn’t too concerned about that.

I’m kind of naturally cautious around unleashed dogs that I do not know, and I didn’t know this one. It was running far ahead of its people, charging down the trail toward me at full speed. It stopped about 10 feet in front of me and lowered its head and pulled back its lips just a little bit. I heard it growl softly.

Uh-oh.

“Good afternoon!” I called to the family as they approached. “Think you might be

able to leash your dog?”

“Oh, he won’t hurt you,” said the mom, and I heard the dad tell the oldest of the kids (who was maybe 10 years old?) to “go grab his collar.”

The youngster ran ahead and, as instructed, grabbed the collar of the dog.

But the dog didn’t like that too much and tried to pull ahead again, almost pulling the child over.

“Don’t worry,” the mother repeated. “He won’t hurt you.” And at that exact moment the dog growled softly again.

I stood still. The child, meanwhile, held onto the dog until the family caught up.

Then the dad grabbed the collar somewhat more forcefully, and the family squeezed by me on the trail.

As they passed, the mother said, just loud enough for me to hear: “Only a real jerk would worry about our dog. He’s friendly.”

I couldn’t resist replying.

“Well, you may know he’s friendly,” I said. “But I do not.”

That earned me another comment, which (since this is a family publication) I will not repeat here.

And that was the end of that.

But I found myself reflecting on the encounter as I continued my hike. Pretty soon, I started to wonder what an actual dog might think about such things, so

when I got home, I sat down on the sofa and invited our resident expert on All Things Dog to join me for some conversation. That, of course, is Ellie the Mini Schnauzer. I didn’t have to ask twice. She loves to hop up on the sofa and talk about things, and if a dog treat happens to be involved then so much the better.

“So,” I said. “Ellie. What do you think about leashes? Are leash-related matters secret in the World of Dogs, or can you speak of them openly?”

You talk with your dog, too, don’t you?

Anyway, she was silent for a moment as she considered. Then she said: “Well, secret they are [doesn’t Yoda talk that way?] but you are trustworthy and so I can tell you a few things.”

She paused again and then added, “If there are squirrels nearby, then the leash is definitely a hindrance. After all, it is difficult to a pursue a fast-moving squirrel while tethered to a slow-moving human,” she added, “though we Dogs do our best with what we’ve got.”

“I grant that squirrel chasing would seem difficult when leashed,” I agree, “though I have little personal experience in that area. But what I am really curious about is how you feel about being leashed when we’re out hiking on a trail somewhere. Care to comment?”

“On the trail, eh?” she says. “Don’t trails often have signs that say leashes are required?”

“Yes, many of them do,” I say.

“Well, that seems reasonable,” Ellie said, “and that should be that. In fact, the Dog High Council encourages all People to use leashes whenever they take us for a hike or a walk.”

“Really?” I say. “I’d think you’d want to run free and feel the wind in your ears and all.”

“Oh, wind in the ears is exquisite,” Ellie says. “But here’s the deal. We Dogs don’t want you People to be worried when we encounter one another on the trail. Me, I’m a cute and adorable little thing, as you know, and I wouldn’t hurt a fly. But the people we meet while hiking might not know that. They might be concerned that I might not be cute and adorable but might, instead, be aggressive and fierce and prone to do scary things like growl or bite.”

“In other words,” she adds, “it’s the old ‘you-may-know-she’s-friendly-but-I-can’tbe-sure’ thing.”

I pause to write that down and then realize that it’s essentially what I said to the folks I met on the trail.

“So,” Ellie continues, “the bottom line is that walking your Dog on the leash makes everybody feel better. You don’t have to worry about me taking off after some squirrel, and other folks using the trail don’t have to worry about me at all.

It’s a win-win for all concerned.”

So, there you have it, folks, straight from the World of Dogs.

Use the leash. It’s the courteous thing to do.

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20 | August 26, 2021 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek

OPINION

Hat tip to Mayor Bodker On March 20, 2020 I got an email from Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker. COVID had just started to ramp up. It was sent, I assume, to a list of subscribers to a CARL APPEN newsletter from the Director of Content City of Johns Creek. and Development carl@appenmedia.com The email had a large block at the top with the headline “COVID-19 Message from Mayor Mike Bodker.” It was early in the rise of coronavirus, right around the time cities in North Fulton and around the globe had started shutting down.

The email laid out some of the steps

the City of Johns Creek was taking in response. Some were related to the city’s administration. The city “closed City Hall, cancelled sports programs and city events through May 10, and closed athletic fields and at all city parks.”

Other decisions directly affected local businesses. The city extended the deadline to renew occupational tax licenses. At the same time, it suspended indoor dining, a move that immediately hurt the owners, managers and employees of the more than 80 restaurants in Johns Creek. It could not have been an easy email to send. Voting to infringe on personal liberty is one thing. Broadcasting it is another.

And then the emails kept coming.

Almost every week for the past year now I’ve gotten one of those messages “from the Desk of Mayor Mike Bodker.”

Some were positive. On Feb. 8, an email mentioned “the decrease in the number of new cases and new hospitalizations is encouraging and this is the direction we need to continue pursuing.”

Others were compassionate, recognizing the losses faced by many and asking residents to “work to keep our families and loved ones safe.” And some remain cautionary. The Aug. 18 edition reflected that while we all expected the pandemic to be in our rearview mirrors by now, “unfortunately, it’s not gone away.”

Every email I read was informative.

Whether the COVID data was positive or not, flattering to the city or otherwise, the updates kept coming.

Public officials know they have to make decisions that will be unpopular.

It’s part of the job. What is also part of the job, but not always done, is communicating honestly about those decisions.

We have seen firsthand how cities can treat information like a game of cat and mouse. City clerks and records officers will charge exorbitant fees to produce public documents. Communication directors will try to “scoop” our reporters or forbid department heads from taking their calls.

But it’s not just the free press that cities fight when it comes to readily accessible information.

At a nearby public forum, I heard a council person complain about not receiving the large packet of materials beforehand. They asked the city attorney, “can we see this information earlier in the week, so we can go through it and come to the meeting prepared?”

The attorney replied, “I could, but if they are prepared earlier that means they are available to the public earlier.

My job is to protect you, and I’m doing that by giving you as little information as possible.”

One could argue that Mayor Bodker and the Johns Creek City Council had no choice but to limit indoor seating and forbid large gatherings. But they didn’t have to talk about it. They could have remained silent or shifted the blame to someone higher up the civic food chain.

They could have pointed the finger at a county, state or federal official and said “our hands are tied.” But they didn’t.

And they definitely didn’t have to send emails every week reminding residents about the prickly topic, associating themselves with whatever tempestuous emotions the pandemic seems to bring out.

But they did.

Elected officials should act in the public’s best interest. Their city attorneys and communication directors should do the same. Mayor Bodker didn’t have to send those emails, but he did. Because it was the right thing to do.

OPINION

AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 21

Pandemic brings added appreciation for high school sports GEORGIA — At any level, sports gives fans a community with a common cause. It provides a level of entertainment few other pursuits can provide, because it can, almost simultaneously, hand us JOE PARKER the “thrill of victory” Editor joe@appenmedia.com and the “agony of defeat.” It allows us to cheer on our flesh-and-blood “heroes” and witness their failures and triumphs in real time. Sports can be a showcase in overcoming adversity, show us that underdogs can still triumph, exemplify the nature of hard work paying off.

But sports also provide an escape from our daily troubles.

For a few hours, we can let go of our day-to-day anxieties, stressors and burdens to envelop ourselves in a game, a community and a common goal of “win.”

And amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we need this escape more than ever.

Perhaps the most lasting impact of the 2020-21 high school sports season

was not games won, trophies lifted or the bragging rights of beating a rival, it was just the appreciation of getting to suit up and play or watch our teams hit the field.

This was amid many new rules put in place because of the pandemic. Hundreds of competitions were cancelled statewide due to COVID cases, sometimes just hours before they were set to begin. Many teams played in front of empty stadiums.

Still, all were thankful that full seasons were played in all sports, especially following the cancellation of the 2020 spring season and the devastation and disappointment of all those involved in high school baseball, lacrosse, soccer and other sports.

I recently spoke with Johns Creek head football coach Matt Helmerich, who put things into perspective.

“We always talk about not taking anything for granted, and the kids have seen that first-hand now,” he said. “After last year, they know nothing is guaranteed.”

That feeling, of not taking sports and competition for granted, may be

the biggest storyline of the 2021-22 high school season. And every player, coach and fan will enter this year with a sharply increased love and admiration for the game.

The trouble is, we are far from seeing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many, and I put myself in this camp, thought we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel a few months ago.

But with the highly transmissible Delta variant and pandemic fatigue that has seen many people dismiss strong social distancing measures and ditch their masks, regardless of vaccination status, we enter the 2021-22 even worse off. When the 2020 high school football season kicked off a few weeks late, the weekly average of new cases statewide was about 2,000.

At kickoff for this season on Aug. 20, that figure was over doubled, and the statewide healthcare system is again overwhelmed. Unfortunately, many reports from these physicians is that the fourth wave is hospitalizing more and more younger, healthier people.

It could easily be argued that, due to the current state of the local health-

care system and the highly contagious nature of the Delta variant, even among those inoculated, we should actually be entering the 2021 high school sports season with even more safety regulations in place than last year. Instead, the state’s prep sports governing body, the GHSA, has essentially said it will approach this season, for now at least, as a “return to normal” while allowing local control over certain safety measures.

I truly hope it’s not a regrettable decision.

I sincerely wish that all these great student-athletes and coaches we have in North Fulton, Forsyth County and Dunwoody are able to play full seasons.

I hope that all involved with teams, from equipment managers, fans and parent volunteers to the coaching staff and players stay safe and healthy throughout the season and get to fully enjoy the escape that high school sports can provide from our daily troubles and worries.

One thing is for certain — they will not take any workout, team meeting, practice or game for granted. As fans, neither should we.

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22 | August 26, 2021 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek

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Prepare for unexpected power outages with a Generac home standby generator

Stroke & Cardiovascular disease are leading causes of death according to the AHA. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection! Call Life Line Screening to schedule a screening. Special offer 5 screenings for $149. 1-833-5494540

Help Wanted Autos

The Herald and

Miscellaneous

Bargins

Household Haulers Gutters

COVERING NORTH ATLANTA – IN PRINT AND ONLINE!

Alpharetta-Roswell Herald • Milton Herald • Johns Creek Herald • Forsyth Herald • NorthFulton.com

CONTACT US AT 770-442-3278

AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | August 26, 2021 | 23

SERVICE DIRECTORY Concrete/Asphalt

RETAINING WALLS Block or Wood

Contact Ralph Rucker.

Many local references.

Honest, punctual, professional and reasonable prices!

Haulers

Bush Hogging, Clearing, Grading, Hauling, Etc.

Painters Nailed It Gooder LLC Painting & Handyman Services Painting, wood work, pressure washing, light fixtures, & more! Guaranteed to love my work just as much as my prices!

770-865-1786

Many local references-

Pinestraw

678-898-7237

678-898-7237

Driveway

Home Improvement

PINESTRAW, mulch delivery/installation available.

Firewood available. Licensed, insured. Angels of Earth Pinestraw and Mulch.

770-831-3612.

$250 OFF NEW DRIVEWAY!

Mention this ad. Concrete driveway specialists. Driveways, Pool Decks, Patios, Walkways, Slabs. A+ BBB rating. FREE ESTIMATE. Call Rachael at 678-250-4546 to schedule a FREE Estimate. 30 years of experience. ARBOR HILLS CONSTRUCTION INC. Please note we do have a minimum charge on accepted jobs of $5,000.

Flooring PHILLIPS FLOORING Hardwood, laminate, carpet & tile installation and repairs. We do tile floors, showers, tub surrounds and kitchen back-splashes.

Re-grouting is also available. Call 678887-1868 for free estimate.

Gutters AARON’S ALL-TYPE GUTTERS Repaired and Installed. Covers, siding, soffit, facia. www.aaronsgutters.com.

Senior citizen discount! 770934-2766

Handyman Matthew the Handyman - Interior/Exterior Work 404-547-2079.

Call Ralph Rucker

Phillips Home Improvement We offer drywall, painting, carpentry, plumbing and electrical.

Basements finished, kitchen and bath rehabs.

All types flooring.

Also total home rehab for those who have a rental house or one to sell.

Call 678-887-1868 for a free estimate Finegan Home Improvements LLC: License #RBQA004932.

R e m o d e l i n g , handyman. 34 years experience. Basements finished, decks, screen porches, doors, drywall, painting, flooring, custom kitchens, bathrooms.

All insurance. Paul Finegan 404-353-5611

Landscaping

Roofing

Pressure Washing

PRESSURE WASHING

Residential & Commercial.

Best service and most reasonable prices since 1999.

Appen-Rated 99. Home: Driveways, Fences, Decks, Home exteriors, more.

Commercial: Offices, Restaurants, Tennis Courts, Pools, Apt. Complexes, more. All Pro Pressurewash call 770-766-5566 for Mark.

BOLD TYPE WILL MAKE YOUR AD

Top Rated • Appen Rated • BBB • Angie’s List

CLASSIFIEDS@APPENMEDIA.COM

WE

ROOF REPAIR & REPLACE

LEAKS

Call for a FREE Estimate!

770-284-3123

STOP

$200 Leak Repairs or 10% OFF New Roof

$200 leak repair. Up to 8 penetrations. (1-story house, up to 7/12 pitch). Some restrictions apply

$500 OFF* New Roof Purchase

Cannot combine with any other offer or discount.

Valid GA only. Present coupon AFTER getting quote.

ROOF LEAKING? Call us for roof repair or roof replacement. FREE quotes. $200 OFF Leak Repairs or 10% off New Roof. Affordable, quality roofing. Based in Roswell.

Serving North Atlanta since 1983. Call to schedule FREE Quote: 770-284-3123.

Christian Brothers Roofing

Roof Repair and Replacement

CONCRETE

CONCRETE CONCRETE DRIVEWAY SPECIALIST

McKemey concrete

Driveways • Patios • Walls • More Call or Text to

678.648.2010

$150 OFF

*

Any service over $1500

Competitive Pricing Many Local References

TREE SERVICE

770.744.2200 99

Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts 770-512-8733 • www.yellowribbontree.com

30 Years Experience

NEW DRIVEWAYS

Pool Decks, Patios, Walkways, Slabs

$250 OFF*

Mention ad for $250 Off. New Driveway. Cannot combine coupons.

BBB A+ Rating

FREE ESTIMATE Call 678-250-4546 Minimum job is $5,000

ARBOR HILLS CONSTRUCTION INC.

TREE SERVICE

Call or Text to

Call Us For A FREE Quote

24 hour emergency service. Licensed, insured. Workers Comp, insurance claims. 25+ years experience. Family business. Free estimates. We Love Challenges!

Serving North Atlanta Since 1983.

Affordable Quality Roofing. Based in Roswell. *Offer expires 10 days after publication

Tree Services COMPLETE TREE SERVICES Appen-Rated 98 Text or Call us for a FREE quote appointment.

Tree removal, Pruning, Stump grinding, Free mulch, Fully insured, Emergency 24/7 770-450-8188

99

*Offer expires 10 days after publication

Call Us For A FREE Quote

Ralph Rucker

OR EMAIL US AT

• Ceiling Spots • Blistering • Rotting • Buckling Spots Call For A

99

Retaining walls (brick or wood), grading, sod, tree services, hauling, topsoil & more.

CALL 770-442-3278

ROOF TROUBLE? FREE Roof Analysis 770.744.5700

Full STAND OUT Service LANDSCAPING Tree Services Company

678-898-7237

ROOF

ROOF

• Highest rated by customers • Tree removal and tree trimming

• We save trees too • Certified arborist • Licensed/insured

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2011 thru 2017

770.450.8188

Call Us For A FREE Quote

98 • Tree Removal • Tree Pruning • Stump Grinding

• Full Insured • Free Mulch • Emergency 24/7

24 | August 26, 2021 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek

WE BUY ALL JEWELRY! Your estate jewelry & diamond specialists for 60 years.

Schedule a private appointment.

Paying Premiums for Vintage Rolex and Omega Watches

770-751-7222 Call or Text www.iroff.com

3960 Old Milton Pkwy #300 (1.5 miles East of 400)

Restyle or Custom Make Something New! We Take Trade-Ins.

Gold is at a 7 year high!

You get the best price in town, and immediate payment!

Over 75% of Our Business Comes from Satisfied Customer Referrals!

Jewelry

Gold

Silver

Diamonds

Gemstones

Coins

Watches

Estate jewelry Fine Jewelry Platinum Jewelry Diamond Jewelry Gemstone Jewelry Designer Jewelry David Yurman Tiffany & Co. Cartier

Gold Jewelry Broken Jewelry Gold Watches Dental Gold Gold Coins Gold Bars Gold Nuggets

Sterling Silver Silverware Flatware Bowls Silver Jewelry Silver Bars

All Sizes All Shapes All Cuts All Qualities Loose or Set Chipped/Broken

Sapphires Rubies Emeralds All Precious Semi-Precious Loose or Set

All Gold Coins All Silver Coins All Platinum Coins Silver Dollars Collectable Coins Paper Money

Rolex Cartier Omega Patek Audemars Piguet and other brands Paying up to $150,000

2008-2019 00

FREE CASH EVALUATION

GA 4

Webb Br id g e Rd

Must Present Coupon.

JC

Tuesday – Friday: 10AM – 5PM Saturday: 10AM – 2PM • Sunday & Monday: Closed *Appointments may be available outside of traditional store hours.

Old M

ilton Pkw k P y t n Kim oi P ball dge Rd th Bri Nor

GA

400

wy

WINNER

Best Of North Atlanta Presented By

Brian Iroff GIA Graduate Gemologist