Sandy Springs Crier - March 14, 2024

Sandy Springs offers incentives to keep Newell within the city

► PAGE 5

Public safety projects gain steam

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — With a new public safety and courts complex on Morgan Falls Road a year from completion, Sandy Springs is a month away from opening a $3.6 million Police Fleet Center 2 miles north on Roswell Road.

The Sandy Springs Public Facilities Authority, which includes members of the City Council, met March 5 to hear the latest construction

updates on the Fleet Center at 8475 Roswell Road.

Sandy Springs has gone through multiple iterations of plans for both facilities and initially intended the Morgan Falls site to be a “one-stop shop” for all things law enforcement. But due to space restrictions, parking and a desire to fit a future firearms training center and fire station all on the 12.5-acre property, leaders later opted to build the Fleet Center at a separate site.

Completion of the new Police De -

partment Headquarters and Municipal Court on Morgan Falls Road has a scheduled completion date of March 2025. The budget for construction and sitework is just shy of $36.7 million, not including the $10.9 million purchase of the site in October 2020.

Dave Wells, director of facilities and capital construction, said the Roswell Road facility will be completed in April. He also said a budget amendment for a transfer between

St. Patrick’s gala enters 2nd year with City Green freshly surfaced

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Northside Irish Culture & Arts, is gearing up for its 2nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 23 in Sandy Springs.

A shortfall in funds this year has scrapped plans for the parade, but the focus will be on the festival, celebrating Irish music, dance and culture.

The city is wrapping up installation of synthetic turf at the City Green, a 4-acre park on Galambos Way, just in time.

The celebration honors St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. It also gives Metro Atlantans an opportunity to wear green on the City Green and soak in all things Irish.

Mike Moors, president of Northside ICA and former local president of The Ancient Order of Hibernians, said he and a few members of the north metro Irish community created the nonprofit during the pandemic to bring a St. Patrick’s Day celebration to the area. He also emphasized the annual event is distinct from The Ancient Order of Hibernians, a fraternal organization founded in New York City in 1836.

“[Sandy Springs] Mayor [Rusty] Paul has been a big supporter, and we have worked with the folks at the city,” Moors said. “There was an Irish band that played in early 2022 at the Performing Arts Center, and then we decided to go for it.”

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

A look at the construction of the Sandy Springs Police Department’s Fleet Center March 6 at 8475 Roswell Road. Construction and site work for the project will be completed in April, city officials said.

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Sandy Springs vs. Forsyth Sandy Springs Forsyth

Each week Appen Media requests police incident reports to inform residents about the safety of their community. Sandy Springs continues to withhold what it calls the “narrative reports.” It is the only city Appen Media covers that follows this practice, which goes against guidance from the Attorney General, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Sheriff’s Association, Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia and Georgia Press Association. Appen Media will continue pursuing the release of more detailed documents that belong to the public in order to inform residents how safe – or unsafe – their city is.

Make plans to attend the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival!

This FREE, general admission event takes place from 10AM to 6PM at Blackburn Park in Brookhaven, GA. FREE parking and shuttles are available at the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe MARTA station

100+ Vendor Artist Market | Kidz Zone | Food Trucks

Saturday Morning Classic Car Show | Sunday Dare Devil Dog Performances

This year ’ s headliners are +LIVE+ and Barenaked Ladies!

5K benefiting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is on Saturday, March 16th

Barenaked Saturday,

Sandy Springs seeks to level home linked to drug trade

By CARL APPEN carl@appenmedia.com and HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Sandy Springs City Council authorized its legal counsel March 5 to prosecute the condemnation and seizure of a home at 4808 Kitty Hawk Drive.

City Attorney Dan Lee said the action comes because the house is a tool in a drug manufacturing operation and because the property is unfit for habitation.

Police Chief Kenneth DeSimone and Building Inspector Jonathan Livingston filed the petition, Lee said.

In June 2023, local and federal law enforcement raided the property and discovered a marijuana growing operation.

City officials said the home had been modified to be a large-scale grow house, filled with hydroponic equipment, air scrubbers and processing stations.

The transformations contributed to the unsafe conditions of the house, according to the filing.

Because of the presence of black mold, exposed electrical wiring and

compromised structural integrity, Lee said the condition of the home has rendered it unfit for habitation.

During a conversation with City Councilman Andy Bauman, who lives on the same street, Lee said prosecution of the two people arrested during the raid is pending.

While the two suspects directly tied to the house have not gone to trial, Lee drew a connection from them to others associated with the property who, he said, have pleaded guilty to similar charges.

“It is evident and uncontested that the house was purchased with Mexican cartel drug money for the purpose that was discovered by our police department,” Lee said. “That is to grow and manufacture, not just marijuana, but THC products to be sold.”

Lee also claimed the two arrested last year during a traffic stop and cash seizure were “undocumented aliens.”

In records obtained by Appen Media last year, Sandy Springs officers classified one subject as a U.S. citizen and did not provide resident status for the other. Those same records also say the incident was not gang-related.

See DRUG, Page 8

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

From left, Assistant City Manager Chris Owens, City Attorney Dan Lee and City Manager Eden Freeman discuss the condemnation and seizure of 4804 Kitty Hawk Drive. City officials said the home is uninhabitable after local and federal law enforcement discovered a marijuana growing operation there last June.

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AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA Actors with Jerry’s Habima Theatre rehearse for the upcoming production of “Into the Woods, Jr.,” a musical composed of various classic fairy tales opening March 7. The theater, housed in the Marcus Jewish Community Center, stands as the only professional company in Georgia that features actors with special needs.

Theatre offers belonging, kinship to performers with special needs

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — When Kim Goodfriend founded Jerry’s Habima Theatre more than 30 years ago, it was an uphill battle getting others to believe in the project.

The theater, housed in the Marcus Jewish Community Center, stands as the only professional company in Georgia that features actors with special needs.

“This really was like an idea and the kind of thing that you say ‘yes’ to when you’re young and foolish and 20-something,” Goodfriend said, who partners with the Blonder Family Department for Special Needs. “You just say ‘yes.’”

Goodfriend recalled one of the first shows, where someone with a group home accused her of exploiting the actors, then

walked out, taking about half of the cast on the stage with them.

At that time, staff would coach actors backstage, reminding them of where to go, and with upgrades in technology, the theater began to use prompters as well as pulling in actors to anchor scenes and act as a guide. In the last two years, though, actors have mostly performed on their own.

“Our actors are carrying all the scenes and are doing just fine, and when they go up a little bit, they rescue each other,” Goodfriend said.

The ability to adapt is key to the success of Habima.

“...It’s about what you can do, not what you can’t, and as cliché as that sounds, every voice, every soul has something to

See THEATRE, Page 12

Appen Media staff to visit Sugo for Johns Creek ‘Listening Tour’

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Staff reporters with Appen Media will be all ears at its open forum at Sugo in Johns Creek March 21.

The forum provides visitors the chance to offer suggestions and feedback on coverage.

Beginning at 4 p.m., staff will be onhand for around an hour. There will also be a short Q&A session.

This is the third stop on the newsroom’s “Listening Tour,” a seven-month series touching base in each of Appen Media’s coverage areas. In January, the group set up shop in Dunwoody, and in February, they heard from residents in Roswell.

All stops are open to the public and free to attend.

An RSVP is not required but appreciated. Visit appenmedia.com/join to let us know you are coming.

City approves incentives for corporate relocation to Queen Building space

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Newell Brands is preparing to relocate its global headquarters less than 2 miles south from 6655 Peachtree Dunwoody in Sandy Springs to the Queen Building on Concourse Parkway.

Representatives for Newell Brands applied to the city Jan. 25 requesting a waiver of building permit fees and business occupational taxes for the buildout of their corporate headquarters.

Newell Brands, a global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and commercial products, is known for products like Coleman, Rubbermaid and Sharpie.

The Queen Building at 5 Concourse Parkway lies in the heart of Perimeter Center and stands 31 stories with almost 700,000 square feet of Class A office space.

The property is a part of the Concourse at Landmark Center, a 2.2 million-square-foot development just north of I-285 and immediately east of Ga. 400.

“The new site will serve as our world headquarters of our multinational business that is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange,” a spokesperson for Newell Brands said. “We routinely bring business contacts from around the world to meetings at our headquarters which further promotes the city.”

Following the recommendation to approve the incentive application from city staff, the City Council will vote March 5 whether to approve or deny the incentives.

With the national office vacancy rate at a record-breaking 20% in the fourth quarter of 2023, a new major tenant in the Queen Building signifies a jump in the regional competitiveness of the Perimeter Center.

With councilmembers expressing concerns about office vacancy rates at the Jan. 30 annual retreat, the city is expected to keep the global headquarters in the city.

City staff said the publicly traded company is in the final stages of exploring relocation options both inside and outside of Sandy Springs, including Dunwoody. They also said the application for incentives will help the corporation determine the final costs and benefits of selecting Sandy Springs.

Staff expects the corporation to sign an 11-year lease commitment for some 181,000 square feet of office space.

Newell Brands is expected to invest $30.4 million for renovation and another $20.8 million for furniture, fixtures and

5 whether to approve an economic incentive request for the relocation of Newell Brands’ global headquarters

equipment. The corporation is anticipated to occupy the first floor and seven others.

If Newell Brands elects to stay in Sandy Springs, it will retain 890 jobs and add 165 new jobs, with an average wage of $130,000.

Based on information that Newell Brands submitted to the city Feb. 7, the relocation project satisfies the tier three qualifications in the city’s Economic Development Incentive Policy, last updated in 2017.

The incentive policy allows the city to hold large employers accountable for following through with redevelopment and revitalization efforts.

With more than 100 jobs created, $5 million invested and 10 years committed, Newell Brands qualifies for expedited permitting, a building fee waiver and a 3-year business tax waiver.

Staff in the Finance Department said the estimated value of waived fees will not exceed $282,000.

“Our employees and visitors often leave for lunch or after work stopping to eat, shop and play in the businesses in Sandy Springs,” a Newell Brands spokesperson said. “We also have a subset of employees that choose to live close to work, and will buy or rent housing, raise families and ‘do life’ in Sandy Springs outside of work hours.” The city anticipates renovations to begin in fall 2024 and the relocation to occur sometime in 2025.

— Hayden Sumlin

FILE PHOTO

A view of northbound Ga. 400 shows the Queen Building, or Concourse Corporate Center V. The Sandy Springs City Council will vote March

to the iconic building.

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Alpharetta has spent around $5 million of the $29.5 million parks bond voters passed in 2021. The bond account has accrued $2 million in interest, and city staff anticipates an additional $1.4 million this fiscal year.

Alpharetta drops plans to prioritize parks bond

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta officials have backed down from plans to discuss reprioritizing the projects approved in the 2021 parks bond referendum.

The City Council raised the idea at its annual planning retreat Jan. 2122 after Parks and Recreation Director Morgan Rodgers said the $29.5 million bond budget fell some $5 million short from completing the work outlined in the original projects list.

At the retreat, City Councilman Dan Merkel and Councilman Brian Will supported an agenda item to consider prioritizing the bond projects. City staff tentatively scheduled the item for discussion Feb. 26, but the topic did not appear on the City Council’s agenda at that meeting.

In a phone interview with Appen Media Feb. 29, City Administrator Chris Lagerbloom said since the

retreat, councilmembers have grown satisfied with the Parks and Recreation Department’s plans to use the bond account interest money, and there are no plans to discuss any changes to the parks bond.

“With all the members of council saying they’re satisfied, there’s really no reason to have a discussion because we’re not going to be moving any money around,” Lagerbloom said. “And I don’t want the public to think that we’re trying to shuffle money from one project to the next. Right now, we’re just maintaining the status quo.”

Plans for funding

Rodgers said the parks bond budget discussion at the retreat accounted for inflation and the cost of business, labor and materials. The $5-6 million shortfall estimate included all bond projects.

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Drug:

Continued from Page 3

Part of the city’s argument is that the drug operation reaches far beyond the scope of the two who were arrested. Lee alleges that the lender, the purchaser and the seller were all “involved in it.”

“If I’ve ever seen a property that was used in the commencement of a crime, this is it,” he said.

To remedy the situation the city seeks not just to seize the property but condemn and destroy it.

The actions are rare in the city, according to Lee. In his 11 years with Sandy Springs, “we may have done this once,” he said.

City Councilman John Paulson asked about the requirements for issuing a condemnation and seizure.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever done both of those at the same time,” Paul-

son said. “The condemnation, I get, the place should be torn down, raised and regraded.”

Lee said state law allows for the seizure of a property that is acquired with ill-gotten gains or used in an illegal manner.

As explained at the meeting, the city will notify the county, the lender and the property owner of the condemnation process.

From there, “they have to come and make a claim for it,” Lee said.

Lee said the lender is in Denver, Colorado, and the property owner is currently incarcerated in Los Angeles, California.

“The property will be seized, taken off the criminal market and placed back on commerce,” Lee said. “It will become a viable part of the neighborhood again.”

The City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the condemnation and seizure.

Councilman Andy Bauman discusses the property at 4804 Kitty Hawk Drive, which is declared unfit for habitation. Bauman said he worked closely with City Attorney Dan Lee to determine a course of action for the residence.

CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS/PROVIDED

An image shows a street-facing view of 4804 Kitty Hawk Drive. City officials said local and federal law enforcement discovered a large-scale drug operation at the residence last June.

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

Calendar

POP-UP PERFORMANCE SERIES: MARLA FEENEY BAND

What: Marla Feeney, an Atlanta-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, will perform. With a love for jazz and classical performance as well as country, blues, bluegrass, folk and special ethnic music, Feeney plays violin, clarinet, saxophone and flute.

When: Thursday, March 14, 7 p.m.

Where: Mimosa Hall and Gardens, 127 Bulloch Avenue, Roswell

Cost: $35

More info: roswellartsfund.org/popup

THE SLAVE DWELLING PROJECT: LECTURE AND AUTHOR DISCUSSION

What: Joseph McGill, Jr. and Herb Frazier will discuss their book

“Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery,” a personal account of one man’s groundbreaking project to sleep overnight in the countless, oftoverlooked, former slave dwellings that still stand across the country, the fascinating history behind those sites, and how he has used the experiences to shed light on larger issues of race in America.

When: Friday, March 15, 6 p.m.

Where: Mimosa Hall and Gardens, 127 Bulloch Avenue, Roswell

Cost: Free

More info: roswell365.com

JOHNS CREEK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PRESENTS BRILLIANT BEETHOVEN

What: Join the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra as they commemorate Ludwig van Beethoven in this 200th anniversary concert celebrating the debut of his monumental Symphony No. 9, featuring soloists and the Johns Creek Chorale.

When: Saturday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Johns Creek United Methodist Church, 11180 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek

Cost: $20-50

More info: johnscreeksymphony.org

DON NAHSER MEMORIAL CONCERT

What: Sixty musicians with the Alpharetta City Band will perform a program of works including “Lincolnshire Posy” and “Children

EASTER BUNNY HOP

What: Bring the entire family for an interactive walk around North Pond at Creekside Park with vendors, a DJ and the Easter Bunny. Kids will follow the Bunny Trail around the pond to gather sweets and treats (tattoos/stickers) from local businesses after they snap a photo with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny.

When: Friday, March 22, 4:307:30 p.m.

Where: North Pond at Creekside Park, 11360 Lakefield Drive, Johns Creek

Cost: Free

More info: johnscreekga.gov

MARCH 14 — MARCH 24

of Sanchez” in its first annual Don Nahser Memorial Concert honoring the late founder.

When: Sunday, March 17, 3-4 p.m.

Where: Jeffords Hall at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 1015 Old Roswell Road, Roswell

Cost: Free

More info: alpharettacityband.com

INTO THE WOODS JR.

What: A production of Jerry’s Habima Theatre, “Into the Woods Jr.” weaves together the stories of some of your favorite storybook characters including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, a cunning wolf, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and a baker and his wife who have been cursed by a witch.

When: Until March 17, times vary

Where: Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Road, Dunwoody

Cost: $10-36

More info: atlantajcc.org

EASTER BUNNY HOP

What: Bring the entire family for an interactive walk around North Pond at Creekside Park with vendors, a DJ and the Easter Bunny. Kids will follow the

Bunny Trail around the pond to gather sweets and treats (tattoos/stickers) from local businesses after they snap a photo with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny.

When: Friday, March 22, 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: North Pond at Creekside Park, 11360 Lakefield Drive, Johns Creek

Cost: Free

More info: johnscreekga.gov

COMMUNITY EGG HUNT

What: This family event, hosted in partnership with Stonecreek Church on Cambridge High School’s football field, includes egg hunts for all ages and a sensory-friendly egg hunt at 3 p.m. Games, face painting, music and the Easter Bunny will be there. The event is free, but please pre-register.

When: Saturday, March 23, 4-6 p.m.

Where: Cambridge High School, 2845 Bethany Bend Road, Milton

Cost: Free

More info: miltonga.gov

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

What: Step into the enchanted world of this modern classic, based on the Academy Award-winning animated film of the same name.

When: Until March 24, times vary

Where: Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs

Cost: Tickets starting at $44

More info: cityspringstheatre.com

THE RUBY SUNRISE

What: Presented by Act1 Community Theatre, “The Ruby Sunrise” charts the course of the phenomenon of television through a girl named Ruby.

When: Until March 24, times vary

Where: Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, 180 Academy Street, Alpharetta

More info: act1theater.org

THE ART OF MOVEMENT GALLERY EXHIBIT

What: Focusing on the theme of movement, this exhibition presents artworks that depict dynamic motion, capturing the energy and fluidity of the human body, animals, or inanimate objects. The opening reception is March 16 from 5 to 7 p.m.

When: Until May 4, business hours

Where: Alpharetta Arts Center, 238 Canton Street, Alpharetta

More info: artsalpharetta.org

Serious, hardworking, ‘Mr. Steve’ was respected in Dunwoody

Stephen Spruill was born in Dunwoody in 1870 and grew up in a log cabin behind his grandfather’s house on Spruill Road. Today, that road is Ashford Dunwoody Road.

One of his chores as a child was to gather pine knots to help light the cabin. He remembered that his grandfather once paid him $1 to drive an “unruly” calf to cattle market in Atlanta.

The first school Spruill attended was a one-room log cabin, located where Spruill Center for the Arts and the Dunwoody Library are today. His teacher, Mattie Graham, lived with his grandparents.

“We walked to school through the woods, carrying our lunch pails containing such things as a baked sweet potato, sausage and a biscuit, and fried apple pies,” he recalled. (“The Story of Dunwoody,” by Elizabeth L. Davis and Ethel W. Spruill)

In 1903, a group of men decided it was time to build a Methodist church in Dunwoody. The group included Stephen T. Spruill, Henry Spruill, J.C. Spruill and John Cates. They met at Cephas Spruill’s blacksmith shop. Church members first met in 1899 at Dunwoody School. Lumber for the church came from the sawmill on Stephen Spruill’s land and from the sawmill of John Wallace in Chamblee. (“The Story of Dunwoody United Methodist Church, 1899 to 1963,” Mrs. D.C. Waybright, Jr.)

Spruill’s parents and grandparents were active in Sandy Springs Methodist Church, so the family vacation each year was a week at Camp Meeting. They packed up and stayed in Sandy Springs for religious meetings, singing and spending time to visit with neighbors.

Stephen Spruill married Mollie Lee Carter of Sandy Springs in 1889, and they had 11 children. After her death in 1932, he married Ethel Warren of Sugar Valley, Georgia.

In addition to cotton and vegetables grown on the farm, there was a 50-acre orchard of apples and peaches. Produce was sent daily to Atlanta by mule-drawn wagons and later by car or truck.

Stephen Spruill was known as a kind, understanding man who lived simply. He was loved and respected in the community. Friends and neighbors called him “Mr. Steve.” One of his sons, Euil Spruill, said his father worked from daylight to dark with everyone else on the farm and “took no foolishness from anyone.”

In 1970, Euil Spruill reflected on the changes to the land where his family lived. He remembered standing on a knoll 50 years earlier, when all he could

see were mules and men working the fields. There was a commissary on the farm where tenant farmers and employees could buy flour, meal, lard, coffee, sugar and work clothes. The view in 1970 was the Perimeter Mall construction site.

(The Eagle, Tucker Federal Savings and Loan newsletter, November 1970)

Euil Spruill recalled, “One thing my father enjoyed was rabbit and squirrel

hunting. He had two or three hounds and roamed the place in his spare time.”

Stephen Spruill died in June of 1967, just two months before his 97th birthday. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Sandy Springs.

The Spruill home still stands today as Spruill Gallery and Gift Shop at 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody.

If you are curious about this 1950 pho-

tograph of the Dunwoody Methodist Chapel and the other people pictured, return to Past Tense next week.

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

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF

Columnist

AUSTIN FAMILY PHOTO

This 1950 gathering of Dunwoody Methodist Church Sunday School attendees includes Stephen and Ethel Spruill standing on the left side, front row of the photograph. Stephen Spruill is in a dark suit and Ethel Spruill is wearing dark gloves.

AI wave – When reality can no longer be ignored

RAY APPEN

Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com

I hate it when what I have been working so hard at avoiding or not seeing becomes so compelling and so intrusive that I must deal with it. Sometimes that “thing” is something personal and relatively trivial –like a toothache at the point a dentist can no longer be avoided, or like a mole that is starting to change shape and color and not going to see the dermatologist is no longer an option.

Sometimes the “thing” is not so individually personal but more “macro” in nature – like say an epidemic – like COVID 19. We collectively ignored it; dealt with it by isolating and getting vaccinated; denied it; recognized it; and so on – but at one point, no one could continue to not see it or deny its existence - even though we were told not to worry because it would just “magically disappear someday” – the height of scientific reasoning, knowledge and prudence.

Now we are in one of those “macro” situations, and the reality of the “idea” or the “concept” is getting real, fast. I am not talking about the war in Ukraine. It is still going to be a while before we collectively must face the realities of that war – including the direct consequences to us when and if Russia succeeds, which will probably happen if U.S. aid does not resume. Talk about penny-wise and poundfoolish to the most absurd extreme.

No, the unavoidable 900-pound gorilla that can no longer be ignored or swept under the rug is artificial intelligence – AI. To me, it is no longer this vague existential threat that “we” must “do something about.” It is here, now, and the impact is already hitting us in the pocketbook.

Here is a case in point: Atlantabased Hollywood movie and film producer Tyler Perry just announced that he's putting his Atlanta studio's $800 million expansion on hold indefinitely because of his concern that much of the utility of the physical production facilities could be done instead with software – AI software. Tyler’s expansion – four years in the planning – was to include construction of 12 new sound stages on his 330-acre production campus. Tyler was quoted as musing that “why would I go to the time, money and labor to build

production sets when I can sit in my office in front of a computer and accomplish the same thing with AI?”

The short term and long-term economic impact of Perry’s $800 million expansion could have been substantial. The number of jobs that could have been created in building the facility and post-construction use – from construction workers and engineers, to actors, grips, electricians, sound technicians, writers and editors – was massive. That is not to mention the tax base that would have been generated for the City of Atlanta; the power that would have been consumed; the number of hotel-stays and restaurants that would have benefited; the business generated for the real estate companies; and all the peripheral businesses that would have been created to support and supply the demands of the expanded studio. We are talking about a ton of lost jobs, lost revenue, and lost opportunity –all because so much of the core work now – and in the future – can be done with artificial intelligence software and computers.

Yes, not all those jobs are lost, and yes, one would assume more computer-related jobs will be created, but, as AI is increasingly used in the film process, a huge percentage of jobs formerly required will simply go away. Why spend more money than necessary in producing entertainment content?

Even Gary Trudeau who writes the Doonesbury comic strip picked up –almost immediately – on Tyler Perry’s announcement.

In his Feb. 25 script, Trudeau shows a talent agent pitching a new writer sensation to a producer. The producer incredulously replies to the talent agent the following: “Ted, anyone who doubts that AI can write a soap opera script has never watched a soap opera. Two years from now, AI output will be network quality! In three years, it’ll be cranking out peak TV and film scripts.”

The example of AI’s impact on the film industry is only representative of its impact on the entire current economic system. It will impact most jobs in most industries and services. More will be done with less – less employment. Yes, there will be an upside –somewhere – and yes, on some scale, new jobs will be created – somewhere, somehow. I wish I could see in that crystal ball, but I can’t.

So, fasten your seatbelt. It is going to get bumpy.

Across

1 Actress Sorvino

5 Child’s ailment

10 Check

14 Voiced

15 Lariat

16 Toothpaste holder

17 Slick thief

19 Soon, to a bard

20 Look for

21 Cuba, e.g.

23 ___ Cayes, Haiti

24 Fairy tale character

26 Berth place

28 Deer

29 City on the Ruhr

33 With 68 Across, old radio duo

34 Couch

36 Street sign inits.

37 Small rug

38 Conger

39 Query

40 Handful

41 Time zone

42 Herb for a feline

44 Bowed

45 Sand bar

47 Cape ___, Mass.

48 Blowgun missile

49 Expire

51 Jog

52 Mexican dish

55 Started a lawn

58 All excited

59 Needles, in a way

63 Primary

64 Stars

65 Ark builder

66 Coastal raptors

67 Affirm

68 See 33 Across

Down

1 Floor cleaner

2 Spring bloom

3 Subspecies

4 Acid neutralizers

5 Gator relatives

6 Rolling in dough

7 Durable wood

8 Colorado native

9 Terrace

10 Horse holders

11 Sandwich filler

12 Deep black

13 Darn, as socks

18 Make ready, briefly

22 Aerodynamic

24 Moppet

25 Keep

26 Demolish

27 Numbers game

28 The Nile and Mississippi have them

30 Less hazardous

31 Happening

32 Former Speaker Gingrich

33 Rock band equipment

34 Vast amount

See solution Page 13

35 Clairvoyance, e.g.

38 Plaudits

43 Compass pt.

44 Head or neck wear

46 Trues up

48 Face-off, of sorts

50 Aches

51 Recycle

52 Notability

53 Food thickener

54 Connect

55 “Go away!”

56 Collar type

57 At rest

60 “___ so fast!”

61 Egg cells

62 Timid

Festival:

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With more than 1,500 patrons at the inaugural event last March, Northside ICA organizers are looking for more sponsors and community outreach.

Festival organizers said they hope the weather improves from the cold and rainy event last year.

The festival will feature city and state officials; local and national Irish organizations; Irish arts, music and dance groups; neighborhood and civic organizations; churches, schools and families; Irish artisans and other attractions.

Moors said Ireland-native Kate Curran, a youth ministry director at Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta, will sign the “Irish National Anthem” in her native tongue.

“The AOH is a part the overall Irish community here in Atlanta, there’s several groups doing different things,” Moors said. “People don’t really like going downtown anymore, and we have a critical mass here on the northside.”

He said The AOH will participate in the 136th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 16 in midtown Atlanta.

Butch Elmgren, Savannah-native and owner of Thos. O’Reilly’s Public House, said the idea is to prevent competition with larger events the weekend of March 17 in Atlanta and Savannah.

Thos. O’Reilly’s Public House, 227 Sandy Springs Place, is a sponsor of and event organizer with the Northside ICA.

While the festival contracted with Guiness in 2023, organizers are teaming up with Sandy Springs-based Mutation Brewing this year.

He also said the Northside ICA festival bills itself as a more family-friendly event, rather than an afternoon of excessive partying.

Theatre:

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say,” she said. “When they come here as volunteers and they want to be in a show and be showcased, we’re going to figure out a way for that showcase to happen.”

Two actors in the cast for the upcoming “Into the Woods, Jr.” musical sat alongside Goodfriend, soon to get mic’d up and go through one of their last rehearsals, closing out three months of practice.

The production, led by a 35-member cast with special needs and one paid neurotypical actor, is a mix and match of classic fairytales, like “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Cinderella.”

Jonathan Roytenberg, in his first season with Habima, is playing a mysterious old man, and Amy Kahn, who has been involved since the theater’s founding, will act as Jack’s mother, a character angry over her son’s near-obsession with his pet cow.

Usually wearing a smile, Kahn said anger does not come naturally to her.

“When you’re in it, it changes you and you learn to be someone else,” Kahn said. “We have a great director. That really

2020 U.S. Census results.

Some famous Irish Americans include former presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, Tom Cruise and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush issued the first proclamation declaring March as Irish American Heritage Month. In subsequent years, Congress passed legislation designating the month as a celebration of Irish Americans. Since 1997, presidents have issued annual proclamations for the observance of Irish American Heritage Month.

On Jan. 17, representatives from The AOH along with Caoimhe Ní Chonchúir, consul general of Ireland in Atlanta, presented Gov. Brian Kemp with a crystal bowl from Dingle, Ireland, full of shamrocks from a Peachtree Corners farm.

Sandy Springs Mayor Paul signed the local proclamation Feb. 27.

While Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain from 1801 to 1922, a period known as “an Gorta Mór” or the Great Hunger, from 1845 to 1852 saw the systematic starvation of 1 million Irish people and the exodus of another 1 million.

Contemporary analysis of the British government’s role in the humanitarian crisis attributes the mass starvation in Ireland to an inadequate response.

The potato blight throughout Europe during the period did not result in mass starvation in other nations, except in British-controlled Ireland.

The Irish population recovered to its pre-1845 level in 2022.

“There’s a lot of things that are kind of stereotypes, green beards, leprechauns and things like that,” Elmgren said. “There’s a whole lot more to it, Ireland is rich in culture, history and arts.”

Irish American history

More than 9 percent of Americans or 32 million people reported having Irish ancestry, according to

Proceeds from Jerry’s Habima Theatre enable the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta to provide scholarships to participants to ensure that its programs and services are accessible to everyone in the community.

helped.”

Mary Nye Bennett, director for “Into the Woods, Jr.,” is assisted by stage managers Amy Schwartz and Bekah Medford, who led a warm-up of vocal and movement exercises. A total of 17 have helped produce the musical.

Kahn, who has an intellectual disability, described how working with Habima has built her self-esteem.

“You’re accepted, and no one looks at you,” Kahn said. “I have a disability, and no one treats me any different. It is hard work — when I get really frustrated, it is sometimes hard for me, but I have worked through some things.”

“Yes, you have,” Goodfriend chimed in.

Agreeing with Kahn, Roytenberg, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, raised the importance of the camaraderie found at Habima.

“It’s inevitable that you’re going to be able to bond with people,” he said.

While funding the festival remains a priority for Northside ICA organizers, Moors also discussed the nonprofit’s charitable partners.

“If we can raise enough money and we have overage, then we will contribute,” Moors said. “The charities that we support would be the Hibernian Hunger Project and Solidarity Sandy Springs.”

Both organizations aid food-insecure families.

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Kim Goodfriend, center, is the founding artistic director of Jerry’s Habima Theatre.

Amy Kahn, left, and Jonathan Roytenberg, right, have roles in the upcoming production “Into the Woods, Jr.” which runs from March 7 to March 17.

BUTCH ELMGREN/PROVIDED

From left, Mike Moors, president of Northside Irish Culture & Arts; Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul; Ryan Curry, organizer for The Ancient Order of Hibernians National Board; and Butch Elmgren, owner of Thos. O’Reilly’s Public House, celebrate a proclamation Feb. 27 declaring March as Irish American Heritage Month.

Police:

Continued from Page 1

the separate projects is needed to recoup expended funds as construction wraps up.

“Substantial completion is the end of [March], and we will be finished with it next month,” Wells said.

The approved amendment moves less than $575,000 in contingency, used to compensate for cost uncertainty, from the headquarters and court buildings to the Fleet Center. It covers more than $500,000 for the removal of unsuitable soil and the increased cost of the fuel system.

“The issue was the installer,” Wells said. “Their scheduling would not be able to do it before April if we delayed it [and] they would have to come back in August.”

Wells said preventing a delay with the canopy avoids further holdups with the underground fuel tank. Smaller expenses include changes to fencing, electrical systems and bathrooms.

Construction of the Fleet Center is a month ahead of the original May completion date.

Last May, the authority approved around $46.9 million in construction costs for all three buildings.

Bond:

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Not factoring in Farmhouse Park, the Alpha Loop and the Wills Park Equestrian Center, Rodgers said the city needs $3.5 million to complete work on Old Rucker, Union Hill and Wills parks, as well as the artificial turf at Webb Bridge Park.

“When we drill down to the numbers, what we really need is just a little over $3 million to complete those projects, above what’s funded right now,” Rodgers said.

As of Feb. 29, Lagerbloom said the parks bond account has accrued some $2 million in interest, and staff anticipates another $1.4 million in investment earnings in the 2024 fiscal year.

Rodgers said it is hard to say whether Farmhouse Park and the Alpha Loop will need more funding in the future. The Alpha Loop and Farmhouse projects have not been started, and the Equestrian Center improvements are a partnership between the city and the Wills Park Equestrian Foundation.

“We don’t know yet for the Farmhouse and the Alpha Loop exactly what we’re going to build, so we don’t know if it’s going to be over or under because we’re still trying to figure out all the details,” Rodgers said.

Conceptual plans for the Farmhouse Park trail, a staircase and path that will lead to the site, were presented in January 2023 at the City Council’s previous retreat.

The city has an agreement with the developers of the lot immediately to the east of Farmhouse that would create access down to the site and shared parking, pending buildout of the lot.

At its March 4 meeting, the City Council was slated to discuss the $7.5 million that was approved for the Alpha Loop in the 2021 parks bond.

The council’s authority

At the latest planning retreat, councilmembers floated using the anticipated $3 million in interest to wrap up work on the parks projects closest to completion. That would have left out Farmhouse, Wills Park and barns at the Equestrian Center.

At that time, councilmen Will and Doug DeRito supported using the money dedicated for Farmhouse on the other projects facing funding deficits.

While Alpharetta’s 2021 parks bond drew overwhelming voter support, passing by a 3-1 margin, city councils do have authority to change projects named in a bond.

Georgia code allows local government commissions or councils to deem a bond project unnecessary and remove it from funding. Such a decision would require a two-thirds vote of the governing board.

City Attorney Molly Esswein said a city council could bring forth a resolution related to park bond expenditures if a purpose in the original notice is no longer necessary, or if circumstances have changed since the bond was adopted and an expenditure is no longer practical or feasible.

If the city adopted such a resolution, the bond money and interest could be used on something substantially similar or to pay off debt on the bond.

Esswein emphasized councilmembers cannot arbitrarily make changes. The City Council would have to define its reasoning for the change in a public presentation.

About 10 percent of the $2 million contingency, originally budgeted for all three facilities, was allocated to the Fleet Center.

As a result of the amended budget, $700,000 in contingency remains for the new Police Headquarters and Municipal Court buildings.

For now, the Police Department and Municipal Court will continue to lease space in an office complex at 7840 Roswell Road.

The authority also approved an application for the Georgia Power Electric Transportation Make Ready Grant.

Wells said the program’s financial assistance of up to $200,000 covers most of the costs of infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations at the Morgan Falls Road facilities.

“Georgia Power will design, install, own and maintain the behind-the-meter electrical equipment up to the charger,” Wells said. “It will be both public safety and public-facing vehicle chargers.”

Councilwoman Jody Reichel asked about EV chargers at the new Fleet Center.

While the equipment at the future Police Department and Municipal Court will be for Level 2 charging and public use, Wells said the Fleet Center will use Level 1 chargers for police personnel.

“The Level 2 [charging station] is improved somewhat, as far as amperage,” Wells said. “So, it does speed it up a little bit.”

A defense of Farmhouse

Alpharetta Natural Resources Commissioner Michael Buchanan, who is also a local filmmaker and author, wrote and codirected “Saving Farm House,” a documentary detailing the history of the Farmhouse site as a social and trading hub.

Buchanan said he was unaware of the site until some six months before releasing the documentary. For him, supporting the Farmhouse Park is about raising awareness of where Alpharetta began.

Buchanan said visiting the site for the first time and seeing people’s names and the date “1912” carved into the stone of the rebuilt dam made him realize the site’s significance.

With rapid growth and development abound in Alpharetta, he said it is comforting to know there are a couple of acres nestled away that have remained unchanged since the 1850s.

“And it’s one of those things where, once it’s gone, it’s gone,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan spoke at a Feb. 26 City Council meeting, frustrated that plans for the park have not moved forward. He also criticized the previous discussions of prioritizing other bond projects over Farmhouse.

“To do so would bring into question whether or not voters could trust the council in some of these future referendums,” Buchanan told the council. “I would think that’s not a road elected officials would travel.”

A council perspective

Alpharetta City Councilman Donald Mitchell is a longtime supporter of the Farmhouse project. Mitchell and former Councilman Ben Burnett championed the

addition of the Farmhouse project in the months leading up to the November 2021 bond.

When discussions at the retreat turned to Farmhouse, Mitchell blasted any suggestion of shifting money from the project.

“So much of Alpharetta has been changed, and I think in many ways made better, but it’s a way to honor our predecessors,” Mitchell said in an interview Feb. 28. “And it would be the first heritage park that the city has. And there’s an authenticity about it that other parks will never be able to have because it’s our original settlement.”

Mitchell also emphasized the importance of honoring what Alpharetta residents voted for in the bond referendum.

“Especially, when 75 percent of our citizens have voted for a project, it’s important for us to get it done and to do it like we’ve promised and committed to,” he said. “And if we can’t do that, we shouldn’t be in office. If we can’t be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, we shouldn’t be in office.”

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

From left, Dave Wells, director of facilities and capital construction, provides updates on the Sandy Springs Police Department’s Fleet Center March 5 to councilmembers Melody Kelley, Melissa Mular and Mayor Rusty Paul. Wells said unsuitable soils and scheduling issues with fuel tank installation drove up costs.