February 2019 - Sandy Springs Reporter

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FEBRUARY 2019 • VOL. 13 — NO. 2

Sandy Springs Reporter COMMUNITY

City cracks down on short-term rentals P4

Perimeter Business

Mall parking lots become prime real estate PAGES 5-9

SPECIAL AD SECTION ■ PAGES 24-26

Fear rises as GDOT eyes back yards, houses for toll lanes

ROBIN’S NEST

Dad jokes? They just don’t age well P15 AROUND TOWN

From Y soccer fields to the World Cup P16

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HEAR OUR PODCASTS Interviews with newsmakers and community news updates IN FEBRUARY ► Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst ► Buckhead Coalition President Sam Massell

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Dunwoody resident Bob Wolford stands in a narrow Georgia Department of Transportation right of way in the Georgetown neighborhood that could be consumed by the new toll lanes. He is among the residents worried about possible land-taking and noise impacts to homes and community facilities.

Bus transit would work on I-285, consultants say

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net

► Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul ► Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal Go to ReporterNewspapers.net or ‘like’ our Facebook Page for our next podcasts

A new bus system running along the planned I-285 toll lanes is the most feasible solution to provide east and west connectivity in the area, transportation consultants working with several cities along the interstate said in a report at the Sandy Springs City Council Jan. 22 retreat.

BY JOHN RUCH, DYANA BAGBY AND EVELYN ANDREWS

The study was the result of meetings initiated in 2017 by Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst with officials from Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Doraville, Smyrna and Tucker as well as Perimeter Community Improvement Districts and the Cumberland Community Improvement Districts, which all helped fund it.

The effort looks at how to incorporate

As the Georgia Department of Transportation moves ahead on plans for a new system of toll lanes along Ga. 400 and I-285, frustration and fear are rising among residents concerned about a different toll – the one on their homes and back yards for possible landtaking.

At three community meetings in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs in January, GDOT officials disappointed residents by claiming it’s too soon to know property impacts of the lanes, which could require widening the highways and which may rise over 30 feet

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See FEAR on page 19

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LaureateMed.com A concept sketch of the new spring, showing the canopy, the glass-enclosed spring and the seating area.

FILE/JOHN RUCH

CITY’S NA M E S A KE S P R I NG R ED ESIG N TO B E C O M P L ETED I N 2 0 2 0

For Appointment Call: 404-892-2131

Heritage Sandy Springs hopes to complete reconstruction of the city’s namesake spring by the end of 2020.

The elaborate redesign was originally planned to be finished in early 2018, but was been delayed by permitting issues. The historic spring on Heritage Green, a park between Blue Stone Road and Sandy Springs Circle, is currently hidden under a metal grate and wooden pavilion. The new design would let the spring bubble up as a small, glass-enclosed fountain under an abstract canopy surrounded by seating.

Carol Thompson, the executive director, said they are launching a fundraising effort to raise the final $100,000 needed to construct the redesign.

The group has to wait until winter months to do the project due to being busy during the spring and summer season with weddings and other community events, Thompson said.

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The Community Assistance Center received a $25,000 donation from the Georgia Power Foundation, putting the nonprofit over its $2.4 million fundraising goal.

The CAC met its Building Hope Campaign goal late last year. The campaign funds support the nonprofit’s new building at 8607 Roswell Road, expanding the nonprofit’s thrift store and food pantry and growing adult education and career training programs.

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S PR I N G S C I N EMA C OMP LETES RENO VATIO NS, PL A N S GRA N D RE-OP EN ING

CITY R ECEIVES “G R EEN C O M M UNI TY ” C ER TI FI C ATI O N

The renovated Springs Cinema & Taphouse announced its grand re-opening for Feb. 7 after several months of construction.

Formerly the Lefont Sandy Springs, the move theater at 5920 Roswell Road in the Parkside Shopping Center was sold in 2017. Along with the name change, the new owner has added a full bar, “luxury electric recliners” and a total façade and interior renovation. The theater stayed open during construction.

The Lefont served as an Atlanta Jewish Film Festival location for many years, but, due in part to the renovations, it can no longer be used. The new seating lowers how many people the theater can accommodate, making it too small a venue for AJFF, theater owner Brandt Gully said.

“As this theater was one of the main venues for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for so many years, we were disappointed to learn that the organizers decided to utilize another Sandy Springs venue,” Gully said in an email. “We would have liked to have participated in this great community event, especially to showcase our beautiful new renovated theater. We wish the AJFF great success and hope that one day the Festival comes back to The Springs.”

An AJFF spokesperson confirmed the theater would no longer be used and said the film festival “treasures our long and unforgettable history” at the venue.

“To serve our ever-growing audience demand,” AJFF will hold many screenings and the closing event at the City Springs Performing Arts Center, Leah Sitkoff said in an email.

Sandy Springs was among seven communities recognized by the Atlanta Regional Commission for policies and practices that contribute to the efficient and sustainable use of resources. The city received the Silver certification as part of the ARC’s Green Communities program.

Among the steps cited as reasons Sandy Springs received the certification were building City Springs and its “smart” underground parking deck; partnering with Trees Atlanta for a residential planting program; building a cistern under the City Green to collect runoff; and offering city employees transit incentives, according to the release.

FR EE TAX C L I NI C M O V ES LO C ATI O N

A free tax clinic held each year in Sandy Springs will have a new temporary home at the North Fulton Government Service Center while the library undergoes renovation.

The program, AARP TaxAide, will begin at the government center, 7741 Roswell Road, Feb. 5 and will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday through April 11 with an additional session on April 15, an announcement said. No appointment is necessary.

Another site in Sandy Springs is the Dorothy C. Benson Senior Multipurpose Complex, 6500 Vernon Woods Drive, which will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays beginning Feb. 4.

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4 | Community

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City begins cracking down on short-term rental properties

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net

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Sandy Springs is cracking down on short-term home rentals nearly a year after passing registration and licensing rules and has begun issuing citations to the many who have not yet complied.

The City Council in February 2018 passed rules requiring owners of short-term rental properties listed on sites like Airbnb to receive a business license and pay hotel taxes to try to get a handle on the controversial trend. The ordinance went into effect in May of 2018, but the city did not start enforcing it until January.

The city monitored the rental sites to send notification letters to property owners last year, hoping to register all of the 100 properties it found by the end of the year.

“You have 30 days from the date of this letter to register your short term rental, apply for a business license and fill out the appropriate paperwork for tax purposes,” the letter said.

By mid-January, only two had registered, city spokesperson Sharon Kraun said in email.

The city has started issuing citations to those who have not, Kraun said.

Eight properties were removed from the list after owners said they are no longer used as a short-term rental, she said.

“We are also checking the listings daily to watch for new ones. They will be notified once identified,” Kraun said.

Sandy Springs explicitly allowed short-term rentals for the first time in its new zoning code, which went into effect in late 2017, and passed the registration and license requirements to create some regulation.

Owners of short-term rentals are required to pay all hotel/motel taxes and $125 in fees for the business license, which must be renewed annually at the same price. Other requirements include notifying adjacent property owners and homeowners associations, providing detailed records of rental activity to the city, and giving emergency contact information to everyone living within 500 feet.

Property owners must also post the city’s noise ordinance and be inspected for compliance with all building and fire codes.

The enforcement came as the metro area prepared to host hundreds of thousands of visitors for the Feb. 3 Super Bowl and related events.

Atlanta officials have said their city was planning to implement rules until after the tourist boom. Atlanta City Councilmember Howard Shook suggested the city use Sandy Springs’ model.

Metro Atlanta cities and local governments across the nation are working on how to regulate the rental properties, which have become controversial, especially in big cities like Atlanta, where they can compete with hotels while avoiding the same taxes and regulations.

They can also attract misbehaving guests, as with Buckhead mansions that have attracted a “mansion party”and a gunfire incident.

The Brookhaven City Council voted in late 2018 to completely ban short-term rentals in many residential neighborhoods as part of a rewrite of the city’s zoning code.

State legislation introduced in previous lawmaking session threatened to wipe out any local control on short-term rentals, drawing remarks from Jim Tolbert, Sandy Springs assistant city manager that the bill was “frightening” and “dangerous.” The bill stalled and did not get a vote, but it could return in some form.

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Perimeter Business

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Winter 2019 | A fast-food empire rises P6

Mall parking lots become prime real estate for new development

Special An illustration of the Hyatt Place hotel that is being built behind the Twelve24 office tower on a former section of Perimeter Mall’s parking lot. The hotel is slated to open next year.

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

project on the former Belk’s store site to include a new hotel and restaurant and a 12-story office tower.

“What you’re seeing today throughout country ... is the urban coming into the suburban,” said Mark Hunter, CBRE’s lead retail property management professional based in Chicago. CBRE is a commercial real estate and investment firm.

“Developers such as Brookfield are trying to densify their sites to make a more urban, town center feel, and not have a sea of parking lot,” he said. “They want to create a more live, work, shop, play environment.”

Even Walmart, known for buying up large tracts land on the outskirts of a city to build their super centers, is looking to redevelop portions of their large parking

As high-density developments continue to make inroads in the once sparse suburbs of north Atlanta, property owners are finding a new area ripe for redevelopment – large, expansive parking lots.

Mall owners in Dunwoody and Buckhead are already monetizing their sites and their parking lots with the additions of hotel and office towers, but the future could include residential as well.

Perimeter Mall’s owners, Brookfield Properties, got the green light from the city of Dunwoody last month to build two restaurants on nearly three acres of a far corner of their massive parking lot on Ashford-Dunwoody Road in the heart of Perimeter Center. Construction is slated to begin this year.

Two years ago, Trammell Crow purchased nearly four acres of Perimeter Mall’s parking lot from the mall’s former owner, General Growth Properties, and is now building a 16-story office tower and 10-story hotel on the site adjacent to the Dunwoody MARTA station.

At Phipps Plaza, owner Simon Property Special Group, while not selling Two restaurants are slated to be built at the corner of Ashford-Dunwoody Road and Perimeter Center West, off any of its parking lot, a former section of Perimeter Mall’s parking lot. is instead building a new

lots into “town centers” that are intended to bring people together not only to shop but to play in green spaces or even go bowling.

Walmart officials made the town centers announcement last year at a retail conference in Atlanta. Parking lots at stores in Colorado, Texas and Washington are already being redeveloped to include a centralized plaza surrounded by off-site retail, like restaurants and coffee shops, on land once set aside to park hundreds of cars.

Dunwoody Economic Development Director Michael Starling said he was not aware of any plans to create a “town center” at Perimeter Center’s Walmart on Ashford-Dunwoody Road. Their parking lot is shared with several other retailers, he said, and the current Walmart town centers are being built at standalone stores.

But as mall owners and other property owners see their parking lots sit large-

ly unused, like at Perimeter Center, there is a push to “maximize their footprint,” Starling said.

Selling off chunks of mostly unused parking lots is not a new trend, though.

Hunter said it has been common practice for mall developers to buy dozens of acres of land and then sell off peripheral pieces to a business like a fast-food restaurant to help pay for construction and renovation of the mall itself.

Today’s mall owners are building more and more of what Hunter calls “food and beverage pads” in parking lots to stake out off-site places for restaurants and cafes, for example. Entertainment is also trending upward, he said, and hotels continue to be valuable commodities.

Office demand is high in Buckhead and Simon Properties’ decision to build an office building at its mall makes sense, Hunter said. The market also creContinued on page 9

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A Sandy Springs company aims to build a fast-food empire

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net

A Sandy Springs-based company that began as the Arby’s restaurant chain is creating a fast-food empire, buying up other familiar brands and filling up a new headquarters.

Inspire Brands takes on reviving dying restaurants through complete interior refreshes, menu changes and bringing humor to the businesses’ social media, such as Arby’s popular jokes with celebrities, the CEO said at a Jan. 24 luncheon held by the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce.

The company was formed in early 2018 after Arby’s purchased Buffalo Wild Wings and the regional chain Rusty Taco, and more recently acquired Sonic. Arby’s has been headquartered in Sandy Springs at 1155 Perimeter Center West, and is expanding into Three Glenlake Parkway, about a mile west of its current home, to hold all of the companies. The company received over $1.1 million in tax incentives from the state and city for the move and expansion.

“We are very proud to call Sandy

SPECIAL

EVELYN ANDREWS

Inspire Brands CEO Paul Brown gives the keynote speech at the Jan. 24 Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce annual luncheon.

Springs home,” said Paul Brown, who has served as CEO since 2013, when the company was just Arby’s.

“We’re lucky to have this great corporate headquarters in our community,” Chip Collins, the outgoing chamber

An illustration shows what the Inspire Brands logo is planned to look like on the company’s new building at Three Glenlake Parkway.

chair, said before handing over the gavel to the next leader, Karen Trylovich.

The company plans to move in March into the new building, which is across the street from the MercedesBenz USA headquarters. The building

is being renovated, including installing one of the world’s largest test kitchens, Brown said.

“We are obviously thinking we are going to continue to grow,” Brown said.

“We have the building now. We’ve got to

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An illustration shows the plan for the interior of Inspire Brands’ new building at Three Glenlake Parkway.

tweet joked about singer Pharrell’s hat being reminiscent of the restaurant’s logo and became one of the mostshared tweets of all time, Brown said.

“I think social media is one of the biggest unlocks,” he said.

The restaurant has also tried to be “like a friend,” including through embracing comedian Jon Stewart’s frequent jabs about Arby’s, even running an ad as a farewell when he left The Daily Show in 2015, Brown said.

Inspire’s plan for Buffalo Wild Wings is a new menu, interior renovations, plating, building design and employee uniforms that will start coming out in March, Brown said.

Now the company is thinking about how turn around Sonic. Brown expects those changes in the next year or two, he said.

One change that they’re not sure about is bringing back roller-skating employees, Brown said, answering an audience question.

“There are logistical and human resource challenges, and our general counsel goes back and forth on how much he likes that,” Brown joked. “The fun aspect that it represents is certainly something we’d want to embrace more than it has been recently.”

Another change not currently on the table is expanding healthy options significantly, Brown said, responding to a question from the audience. While non-fried sides have been discussed and healthier sandwiches have been rolled out at Arby’s, healthy options aren’t what typically brings customers to the restaurants, Brown said.

“The challenge in that space is that people say they want something and do something else,” he said.

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buy companies to fill it up.”

“We’ve been very clear. We’re not going to stop with Buffalo Wild Wings and Sonic,” he said. And those acquisitions are expected to bring more jobs, he said. The company currently has 750 people based at the headquarters, up from 400 a year ago, he said.

“Hopefully, that will let us bring more people to our headquarters in Sandy Springs over time,” he said.

Inspire has started to specialize in reviving dying brands after its success with Arby’s.

“There will be moments in time where we take a brand or a company that needs to be turned around,” he said. “That was Arby’s six years ago, it’s actually Buffalo Wild Wings today, where we have to come in and rethink it.”

Arby’s struggled during the 2008 recession and during a merger with Wendy’s, which “wasn’t tremendously successful, to say the least,” but it has since turned around, now seeing increases in sales and expanding, Brown said.

That turnaround strategy includes finding what is unique about the brands, Brown said.

“We really want to be seen as thinking about things differently,” he said.

For Arby’s, that meant selling itself as offering “fast-crafted” fare, since Arby’s doesn’t see itself as offering fast food or as “fast-casual” fare, which typically costs more, Brown said. or Buffalo Wild Wings, Inspire Brands plans to launch a new ad campaign centered on creating memories at the restaurants, Brown said.

Changing Arby’s social media strategy has been key in turning the company around, Brown said. One famous

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Mall parking lots become prime real estate for new development Continued from page 5 ates a high daytime population of workers wanting a place to grab lunch or have a cocktail with friends at the end of the day. Phipps Plaza and its tenants provide all of these, and a new office building feeds those existing businesses.

The developments at Perimeter Mall and Phipps Plaza continue to be some of the best ways to densify an area such as an expansive parking lots, Hunter said.

The trend to watch out for, he added, is the addition of residential to the mix to truly create the live, work, shop, play environment that the real estate market is trending toward.

In Atlanta, millennials opt not to live in the suburbs initially and prefer the intown experience, he said. But as they get married and have kids, some will move back to the suburbs for their children’s education. As that continues to happen, mall owners could see a desire for more residential living where there already exists a shop, work and play development.

In the San Francisco Bay Area last year, for example, mixed-use residential communities were planned at shopping malls in Richmond, Newark, Fremont and Daly City, according to the San Francisco Business Times. The Newark City Council last year approved Brookfield Properties, owner of the NewPark

Mall and the owner of Perimeter Mall, to build 1,800 residential units in parking lots surrounding the 1.1 million square foot mall.

“There will still be the retail core within some malls ... but as you see the evolution of work, play, shop and live, there will be a move to integrate all four cate-

gories,” Hunter said. “Those that do it will be very successful.”

The moves by malls and places like Walmart to create new spaces is because there is essentially too much retail space in the U.S. per capita, Hunter said. Building in parking lots is part of “right-sizing the footprint.”

“Most of these locations, and Perimeter Mall is a very good example ... they’re taking advantage of the changing demographics and shopper needs to stay ahead. The whole shop, work, live, play environment is so important to today’s customers,” he said.

Phil Mosier Construction crews work on the parking deck portion of the Twelve24 office tower in Dunwoody. The 16-story office tower is being built on what was once a part of Perimeter Mall’s parking lot. The office tower is slated to open in 2020.

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A master of illusions on his life of working wonders

BY JUDITH SCHONBAK On a small notepad, illusionist Vitaly Beckman draws a leaf. With a simple motion, he slides his hand down the page and the leaf turns green and comes to life. Literally.

He lifts it off the page and hands it to an audience member.

He can also make your driver’s license picture disappear (don’t we all wish that could happen) and make it appear on someone else’s.

He makes pictures in a photo album move; brings a winter-bare tree spring into life with leaves, which he throws into the audience.

He teleports and levitates objects, including a paintbrush that paints by itself.

Vitaly, who performs under his first name, is hailed as a master of illusion by critics and audiences alike around the world. He designs and invents every one of his illusions. At 31, he is among the youngest well-known illusionists, and is making a name for himself, including performances on Broadway. He makes his first performances in Atlanta on Feb. 9 and 10 at the Marcus Jewish Community Center Atlanta in Dunwoody.

Born in Belarus, his family emigrated to Israel, where he grew up in Haifa. The magic bug bit him at

an early age and he was performing at age 14. His parents urged him to pursue an education that would result in a realworld job, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering . He left that field, however, after only a few years to pursue his passion for magic and illusion.

The Reporter caught up with Vitaly from his home in Vancouver between stops on his “Evening of Wonders” tour.

Q: What took you from Israel to Canada?

A: I wanted to live in North America and my brother lived in Vancouver. There

seemed to be so many possibilities and venues to perform in Canada and the United States. My big dream was to make it to Broadway.

Q: When did you first get interested in magic and illusion?

A: I played around with card tricks when I was 8 or so, but from a very early age, I drew and painted. I always had a small notepad with me and would draw whatever caught my eye. In fact, my parents thought I would be a painter. When I was 8, they gave me a magic kit. It intrigued me, but mostly I pursued art. I love all the arts: visual, music, theater, everything.

Q: It seems the seed had been planted.

When did you get serious about magic?

A: I saw David Copperfield on TV several times and was so amazed at what he could do. So, I started practicing, figuring things out as I went along. I started performing for family, friends when I was 14.

Q: Did you have a friend or mentor who helped you?

A: No. And there was no internet or YouTube. I did it by trial and error. It’s a long way to learn. I invented my own method.

It opened my creativity. I never did or do anything by the book. For me, magic is an artform and it brings art to life.

Q: How do you come up with a con-

stant stream of material?

A: The trick is to never stop thinking. I think about new illusions all the time: at a movie, in the shower, walking – anytime and anywhere. I think about it, too, while I am performing.

Q: You always involve your audience members, often oneon-one. Why do you make that part of your performances?

A: I love the audiences. On stage, I feel that I bring art to life in that moment with the audience. I want to encourage and rebuild their childhood sense of wonder and bridge the gap between dreams and reality. In a way, I want to show them that there are no limitations to their dreams or imaginations. I love that magic brings joy to people.

Q: Did your education as a mechanical engineer help you devise your illusions?

A: In one sense it did. The most important thing it taught me was how to think well.

Q: There is a code of honor among magicians that they do not reveal to non-magicians how the magic is done. Do you follow that code?

A: I do. The real reason for it is that it preserves the enjoyment and sense of won-

FEBRUARY 2019

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Art & Entertainment | 11

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der for audiences. Magic of various kinds has been around since ancient days.

Q: Your journey took you to the superstar magicians’ Penn & Teller show “Fool Us” in the summer of 2016. You succeeded in fooling them. Were you surprised?

A: I thought I had a chance, but, yes, I was surprised. I won the “Fool Us” trophy and a spot in their Las Vegas show in the fall of 2016. It’s been great exposure for my career.

Q: You said you dreamed of taking your illusions to Broadway, and you made it. Tell us about that experience.

A: In 2018, I performed in the Off-Broadway Westside Theatre, the same one where Penn & Teller launched their career in the 1980s. The show ran from

mid-June to the end of September. It was a dream come true. It was an honor and a privilege. I had heard that it takes a lot to astonish New Yorkers, but the audiences were amazing.

Q: Do you have favorite illusions that you perform?

A: I have several, but making people’s photo disappear from their driver’s license and reappear on someone else’s is fun and I enjoy how it amazes them.

Vitaly: An Evening of Wonders Marcus Jewish Community Center Atlanta Feb. 9, 8 p.m. (Sold out) and Feb. 10, 5 p.m.

Info: eveningofwonders.com or mjcca.org

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Jewish Film Festival panel to discuss the alt-right’s ‘Age of Rage’

BY DOUG CARROLL Radical involvement in the alt-right was all wrong for Shannon Martinez, who now works to help others leave the deadend road she was on 30 years ago.

Sexually assaulted by two men at age 14, Martinez says she “took all the unprocessed trauma and shoved it down,” looking for acceptance in the neo-Nazi, skinhead subculture — and looking to inflict her pain on others.

“They’re Nazis, they have to take me in,” she says she reasoned at the time. The price of admission was to overtly espouse an ideology of hatred, and she willingly paid it for nearly five years.

“I was consumed with rage and self-hatred,” said Martinez, now program manager for the Free Radicals Project and using the hard lessons she learned to redirect those who have turned to violencebased extremism.

“Because I’ve been there, I can listen to the stories behind the stories without judgment,” she says.

Martinez, 44, a mother of seven who lives in Athens, is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion following screenings of “Alt-Right: Age of Rage,” a documentary film that is part of this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. A local showing of “AltRight” is scheduled for Feb. 18 at Regal Perimeter Pointe in Sandy Springs; it also screens Feb. 7 at the Regal Atlantic Station.

The 106-minute film tells the story of the alt-right through two of its most prominent provocateurs, Richard Spencer and Jared Taylor. It also includes the perspectives of anti-fascist militant Daryle Lamont Jenkins and scholar Mark Potok.

Potok, who is scheduled to be part of the panel discussion, says the term “altright” represents “a rebranding of white supremacy for public relations purposes.” He says social media have revolutionized how such groups come to light and are covered.

When traditional print and TV media ignored such groups 50 years ago, Potok says, the strategy was largely effective.

But that doesn’t work in the Facebook and Twitter age, he says.

“There are thousands of outlets that will pay attention,” said Potok, 63, who lives in Montgomery, Ala., and is a senior fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. He was with the Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent civil rights advocacy organization, for 20 years.

“Educating people about these groups is the real inoculation,” Potok said. “The idea is to expose the truth and tell facts about their leaders that they don’t want known. You give them some coverage, but you point out what these groups really are.”

Martinez, who has spoken at the United Nations on extremism, says that individuals who become intensely involved

want more than this?’ For me, there was only the present, and she connected me to the resources to put other things in play.”

The process of disconnecting from the subculture, Martinez said, was a “slow undoing” that included college studies in New Mexico and still involves making amends to those she hurt.

“This lifestyle is like an abusive relationship and the feeling that you can’t leave,” Martinez said. “There’s a doubling down, because you have the feeling that no one will want you after this.”

Potok says he sees similarities between the current rise of the alt-right with the social and cultural environment of the 1920s.

“That was a time of huge change,” he says, “and it was challenging to those who weren’t comfortable with things changing so fast. It was a battle between a new and old America, and it was a time when the country flirted with fascism. The Ku Klux Klan had its largest membership in 1925 with 4 million members.

“We’re living in a similar time now, with big changes related to globalization.

There are lots of changes, and lots of people who resent them.”

David Lewis, a former CNN reporter who has covered stories pertaining to the alt-right, is scheduled to moderate the panel discussion. He agrees with Potok that changes in the media landscape have contributed to the rise of such movements.

“With the bullhorn of the internet, ideas can build a following through the digital world,” Lewis says. “This used to be very covert and hidden, and that’s different now. There was no Richard Spencer figure 20 years ago.”

Potok notes that Dylann Roof, who carried out the church massacre in Charleston, S.C., in 2015 that claimed the lives of nine African American attendees at a Bible study, never had any contact with white-supremacy groups — even though he claimed the ideology as his own.

“He took it all from the internet,” Potok says.

Mark Potok, an expert in far-right extremism.

in the subculture usually have things in common.

“These are people who really struggle with belonging and identity,” she said.

“They want to feel that their life has meaning. About 90 percent have some sort of trauma piece to it, whether that is parental conflict, drug abuse or physical abuse.

We need to do a better job of looking at undesirable behavior and approaching it from a trauma-informed perspective.”

SPECIAL

Shannon Martizen, a former radical white supremacist who will speak at Atlanta Jewish Film Festival screenings of “Alt-Right: Age of Rage.”

She says her turnaround began when, while on the outs with her parents, she was taken in by the mother of an Army serviceman she was dating. The woman encouraged her to see beyond self-destruction.

“She extended sympathy and compassion and took a chance on me when I did not feel deserving,” Martinez said. “She dreamed dreams for me. She never argued with me, but she would ask, ‘Don’t you just

“Alt-Right: Age of Rage” Feb. 18, 7 p.m.

Regal Perimeter Pointe 1155 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs Part of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Feb. 6-26 Tickets and info: ajff.org

FEBRUARY 2019

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Long state probes into elections like Sandy Springs’ are ‘insane,’ legislator says

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net

Why has a state investigation into a 2016 Sandy Springs city election approached three years without a ruling? A state legislator and elections lawyer said lengthy investigations are not uncommon, but are part of an “insane” process lawmakers may need to change.

State Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta), a lawyer who works with election cases, said having an election investigation take this long with little update isn’t acceptable, calling it “insane.”

“It is common, but it’s nuts,” Holcomb said. “It’s pathetic.”

Holcomb said the state legislators may need to look at ways to revamp the process.

“It’s probably something the General Assembly needs to take look at,” he said.

The Secretary of State’s investigation into the May 2016 special election for the City Council seat representing District 3 began shortly before voting day. The election was held the same day as a county-run state primary election, but was conducted by the city itself at a single, separate polling place. That meant that citizens who wanted to vote in both elections had to visit two separate polls, leading the state to investigate the city for possible polling place notification violations.

The investigation began under previous Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who became the state’s governor in January. Although a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office said the case was “in the final stages of review” in mid-2017, a hearing with the State Election Board, which rules on cases, has not been set. Tess Hammock, the spokesperson for new Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, said the office could not discuss cases, but confirmed the hearing has not been held.

City spokesperson Sharon Kraun said the city has not received any updates on the case.

Vincent Russo, a lawyer who previously served as the general counsel to the Secretaries of State’s office under Kemp and Karen Handel, said there is no set time frame for the investigations. Depending on what occurred, it’s not uncommon for investigations to be lengthy, said Russo, who served as former Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood’s attorney during the close 2017 race eventually won by current Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

“All investigations are different and they depend on the underlying facts and legal issues,” said Russo, who also serves as the general counsel to the Georgia Republican Party. Once the investigation does have its hearing, the Election Board can choose to dismiss the case, issue a “letter of instruction,” or forward the case to the state Attorney General’s office for legal action.

The city held the 2016 election on its own because it could not meet the county’s 90day notification period and wanted the seat filled as soon as possible. The seat was eventually won by Chris Burnett in a June runoff. He still holds the seat.

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Community Survey: LGBTQ laws and religious freedom bills A new LGBTQ antidiscrimination law coming out of Doraville should be copied by other cities, while new religious freedom laws should not emerge from the Gold Dome.

Those were takeaways from a majority of the 200 local residents in a Reporter/1Q. com survey about the ongoing debate of LGBTQ rights and religious liberty. The survey was conducted by 1Q.com via cellphones used by residents of Reporter Newspapers communities. The results are not scientific.

Of the 200 survey respondents, 69 percent said other cities should have an antidiscrimination law like Doraville’s, with 18 percent saying no; another 13 percent were unsure.

“It is ridiculous that in 2019 in the U.S. we need to pass laws such as this, but racism, sexism, homophobia and other diseases of the radical right wing are stronger than ever,” said a 53-yearold Brookhaven man in one response.

As for religious freedom laws, which come in a wide variety of proposed forms, 52.5 percent opposed the idea, 20 percent were in favor, and a significant amount – 27.5 percent – said they were uncertain or did not express a direct preference.

“We have a country with separation of church and state. Religion is already protected under the Constitution,” said a 47-year-old Atlanta man who opposes such laws.

The General Assembly is expected this session to once again take up some form of religious freedom legislation, which has roiled the legislature for several years.

Such laws broadly seek to impose stronger limits on the state’s ability to regulate private religious practices, and have drawn controversy for possibly enabling discrimination, particularly against LGBTQ people In 2016, amid strong opposition from Atlanta’s corporate community, then Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed one bill that would have permitted religious organizations to

discriminate in employment and the providing of charitable services. New Gov. Brian Kemp has pledged to pass a religious freedom law that he says would mirror an existing federal version that is presented as less controversial.

Meanwhile, Doraville recently became the second city in Georgia – after Atlanta – to prohibit discrimination in private businesses, including against LGBTQ people.

City Councilmember Stephe Koontz, who spearheaded the ordinance, has said its intent is to get other cities to adopt similar protections. Chamblee and Clarkston already are following suit. Brookhaven and Dunwoody say they have no plans for such an anti-discrimination ordinance, and

to prioritize making our state as welcoming and as inclusive as possible to ensure our continued economic growth.”

As for religious freedom laws, a 40-yearold Brookhaven woman said “they are an avenue for entities or individuals to discriminate.”

Respondents who opposed Doraville’s ordinance largely said they do not believe in discrimination, but that the marketplace should weed out private businesses that do so. Some also questioned whether the law is enforceable or will make any difference in practice.

“I think nondiscrimination is something that all people should abide by. However, I don’t think spending time and resources creating a law against discrimination against customers can be justly enforced,” said a 24-year-old Buckhead/Sandy Springs woman.

Many backers of religious freedom laws said that ensuring religious diversity and nondiscrimination is important, of respondents of respondents said and several also cited the private maropposed religious cities should have an ket’s forces. freedom laws anti-discrimination “The government has no business law like Doraville’s choosing one party’s freedom over the freedom of another party,” said a Sandy Springs says it believes it is legally 52-year-old Buckhead man. “Making a prohibited from doing so. business owner contradict his or her reliA common view among the majority of gious beliefs is wrong, particularly when respondents was that antidiscrimination the service is available elsewhere for the laws are needed, while religion is already complaining party.” legally protected, and that religious freeA few respondents opposed both laws dom laws are intended to enable discrimon libertarian grounds. A couple of responination. Several also cited the publicity and dents suggested passing both as a way to economic impacts of the state appearing to ensure everyone’s rights. be backwards on civil rights.

“We should allow religious freedom, but “Good for Doraville! Since Georgia’s we cannot sacrifice our duty we have to new governor Brian Kemp has vowed to our fellow citizens to protect their rights,” sign a ‘religious freedom’ bill into law, it’s said a 22-year-old Sandy Springs man. apparently now up to our local commu“If that means we’re discriminating nities to offer protections to minority citiagainst LGBT members [of society], there zens,” a 53-year-old Atlanta man said. “With must be additional laws implementing that a multibillion-dollar film and television insuch discrimination will not occur. Both isdustry and homegrown businesses like sues at hand are addressed in the Bill of Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola and Home Depot Rights and it seems like both religious freeall employing a diverse workforce, we need dom and equality can and should coexist.”

69 53 %

Should other cities adopt a nondiscrimination law like Doraville’s?

%

Should the state pass a religious freedom law?

Yes, absolutely. This shouldn’t even be a question. Discrimination is never OK, not only in the workplace, but anywhere in society.

--22-year-old Sandy Springs man

No, freedoms need to be protected for every U.S. citizen!

--46-year-old Sandy Springs woman

Yes!!! Besides it being the right thing to do in a country that prides itself on the freedom it offers, making these sorts of moves will help businesses outside the South look at the Atlanta area as more forward-thinking than the rest of the state.

--38-year-old Atlanta woman

I don’t think any group should be able to [discriminate], but I don’t believe religious institutions should be forced to make change.

--51-year-old Sandy Springs man

While I don’t agree with discrimination and personally don’t understand why businesses would turn away customers, I do not believe that additional laws are necessary. If someone does not want my business I am not going to force them to take my money!

--55-year-old Atlanta woman

No, there should not be any discrimination and I am 100 percent against this law because I am an atheist.

--19-year-old Dunwoody man These laws reflect poorly on Georgia, drive away economic investments, and reflect a discriminatory animus.

--34-year-old Atlanta man

Yes, because I’m not a bigot.

--21-year-old Buckhead/Sandy Springs man

SS

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• • • •

Dad jokes do not leave us all laughing Last month was a joyful one in my household as kids trickled in and out for visits during their winter breaks.

It was only marred by one thing. Not laundry. Not empty gas tanks. Not crushed cans and crumpled napkins strewn around the den.

No, it was marred by dad jokes.

Since my husband’s audience has moved out of the house in pursuit of higher education and left him alone with his corny jokes and unappreciative wife, the constant volleying of dad jokes has practically ceased. This has turned out to be (for me) an unexpected perk of the Empty Nest.

But as soon as my youngest entered the door in late December, it began again. My son stood in the kitchen with his backpack still strapped on, dropped his laundry bag and announced, “Hey! I’m home!” And my husband immediately replied, “No you’re not, you’re Michael!”

Do you get it?

Then welcome to my world.

For the rest of the break, each time we got in the car and someone asked where we were going, my husband would respond with, “Crazy!”

Road trips digressed from there. We might pass a sign that said “Roadwork Ahead,” giving my spouse the golden opportunity to announce, “I sure hope it does!”

These are the sort of jokes that only half of the car appreRobin Conte lives with ciates. These are not just bad jokes, these are groan-inducher husband in an emping jokes. ty nest in Dunwoody.

Since the household’s humor scale had once again tipped in my husband’s favor while I was left standing in the kitchen rolling my eyes, I decided to investigate a bit to find out what exactly makes a joke a “dad joke.” I consulted the internet, naturally, and found that on the World Wide Web, dogs are the one delivering the lame jokes. So, the competition is fierce.

But when I consulted my kids –who, after all, were the ones tipping our humor scale — they insisted that a dog telling puns does not a dad joke make.

You can’t simply tell a dad joke, they informed me, for this type of humor is very contextual. You must be a master of cleverness and creativity in order to deliver a proper dad joke; you must be alert and agile enough to pounce when someone says, “I really like this cake,” and immediately respond with, “I was talking to this cake the other day, and it really likes you, too!” Or, if someone suggests that you should have a standing reservation at a certain restaurant, you can nimbly observe, “Hey! I’m standing right now!”

Moms are certainly capable of delivering dad jokes, which I know first-hand, because my most nagging childhood memory is that every time anyone in my household asked, “Can you make me a sandwich?” my mother replied, “Poof! You’re a sandwich!”

These quips are somewhat punny and somewhat silly -- they are the type of retort that a “Feel like some eggs?” straight-line begs in reply. They are perfectly suited for 5-year-olds and prepubescent boys (who are, let’s face it, future daddies-in-training).

I used to think I was alone in my misery until one of my kids told a story of a friend who was having dinner with his family. The boy’s mother observed that he was sounding a little hoarse, at which point his father stood up and neighed. My favorite part of this story is that they were all in a restaurant at the time.

I’ve droned on long enough with this missive and I’m going to wrap this up.

Besides, right now I feel like some lunch.

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16 | Commentary

Local player goes from Brookhaven’s soccer fields to the Women’s World Cup

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Around Town

BY JOE EARLE Joeearle@reporternewspaper.com

Giselle Washington can’t remember a time in her life without soccer.

The soft-spoken 17-year-old said she’s been playing the game since she “was about 3.”

She’s tried other sports, but always came back to soccer. She felt a special connection to the game.

“I love it,” Giselle said as she sat in her Brookhaven home one recent afternoon. “I just like everything about it. Honestly. I love team sports, just competing …” She paused for beat. “… and winning.”

She learned her sport playing on Y teams and while working her way up through the ranks of Concorde Fire soccer teams. Her work paid off. Come summer, the long-limbed midfielder is scheduled to head to France to compete on a team battling for the Women’s World Cup. She’ll be playing on the Reggae Girlz, the women’s team from Jamaica, the country where her mother was born. Giselle, whose teammates call her “Gi,” was born and grew up in DeKalb County and has passports from both the U.S. and Jamaica. She’s one of the youngest players on the Jamaican team, which is set next summer to make its first appearance in the World Cup. “I’m so excited,” she said after returning in January from a week-long practice camp in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet. It is crazy. I’m going to be in [the World Cup tournament] playing along with my idols.”

Her coach on the elite team at Concorde Fire voices little surprise that his midfielder will be competing for a national team at the highest levels of her sport. James Harris said he’s coached Giselle for years. “She’s very good. She’s special,” he said. “She’s very calm… makes the right decisions. She reads the game very well.”

Off the field, “she is wise and mature beyond her age,” he said. “Her leadership qualities on and off the field – you couldn’t anyone who ever would say a negative thing about her…

She’s pretty remarkable – very quiet, calm. She just shows up and does her job.”

While she’s competed for a slot on the Jamaican team, her Concorde Fire teammates

Joe Earle is editor-at-large at Reporter Newspapers and has lived in metro Atlanta for over 30 years. He can be reached at joeearle@reporternewspapers.net

have been cheering her on, Harris said. They followed her progress on social media, he said, and, at one point, streamed her game to watch it on the sidelines during their practice.

Giselle is among about a dozen U.S. players listed on a recent 31-member Jamaican team roster.

She said she was introduced to Jamaican soccer at age 14. A coach saw her playing in a U.S. tournament and, after discovering her family background, invited her to try out for the Jamaican program.

She’s been taking part in soccer camps and competitions in the Caribbean since, she said. Playing there while keeping up with her Concorde Fire games and practices and her schoolwork proved difficult at times. “At one point, it was crazy,” said her mom, Sherrene Washington. “I told her I should be her agent, the schedule was so crazy.”

JOE EARLE Now it’s all good. “It’s exciting, unbelievable,” Gisselle Washington.

Sherrene Washington said. “We just so appreciative.

We just never thought it would escalate to this level.”

As a Reggae Girl, Giselle is getting to know her mother’s home country better. “It’s completely different from here,” she said. “The people are super sweet. The culture, the food is terrific. The general vibe…” The team “is just being energized by the whole culture,” she said.

“It’s like a family.”

In her own family in Brookhaven, she’s the oldest of four children. All take part in athletics. Her three younger siblings wear number 28, Giselle’s number.

After the World Cup, Giselle plans to keep playing. She’s headed to the University of Tennessee next year, she said, and hopes to keep raising her game. After all, she feels that special connection to soccer.

“I just find it fun,” she said. “I like watching it, playing it…”

And, of course, winning.

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Community | 17

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Affordable housing advocates deploy survey in north end opposition

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net

Two affordable housing advocates who co-chaired the city’s North End Revitalization Task Force and voted against the final plan because they believe it would drive gentrification and displacement say results of a survey they conducted show the community agrees with them.

Task force co-chairs David and Melanie Couchman, along with a housing expert, voted against the report approved by the rest of the city’s north end task force in December, saying it lacked some key displacement protections.

The report was reviewed at the City Council’s Jan. 22 retreat, where it received general support for the officials. Mayor Rusty Paul said he’s asked city staff to bring back cost estimates and recommendations for what could move forward.

The council did not delve into specific parts of the plan or the controversies, but Councilmember Andy Bauman did note he believes it’s clear the city intends to avoid displacement.

“There may be disagreement about the consequences on these proposals, but I don’t think there is a disagreement about the mission which is that mass displacement will be avoided,” Bauman said.

The Couchmans and their philanthropic Couchman-Noble Foundation formerly pushed a secret affordable housing concept that influenced the city’s policy discussions behind the scenes. One result of that effort was their appointment to the task force as co-chairs.

The survey questions “presented people in our community with the best arguments, both for and against the current plan,” the Couchmans said.

“What we learned was that when people hear the positives and negatives, most people have serious doubts about the current plan being offered,” the Couchmans said in the statement. “While people in our community favor progress, most do not believe we should go forward with the proposed plan but believe the city should go back to the drawing board.”

A few of the survey’s questions asked whether respondents were convinced by arguments the plan would reduce crime; make a profit for developers while risking taxpayer funds; displace residents like teachers, police officers and nurses; and destabilize schools, causing redistricting.

“When Cobb County tore down old, dilapidated apartments and replaced them with high-end retail and more single-family homes, crime dropped dramatically. This plan could produce similar results for Sandy Springs,” one argument posed in the survey said. Respondents were then asked if they thought that was a convincing reason.

“The task force that wrote the plan is dominated by well-connected developers who stand to make millions if the plan is a success, while sticking taxpayers with significant debt and losses if anything goes wrong,” another argument said.

The survey was advertised on Facebook earlier this month and did not disclose who was conducting it. The Couchmans hired a professional polling firm, 20-20 Insight, LLC, which is run by two veteran Democratic consultants, including Jeff DiSantis, the former director of the state party.

Over 600 people responded to the survey, according to a document provided by the Couchmans, About 75 percent of respondents want the city to “go back to the drawing board” and not implement the plan, according to the survey, which the firm said has a 4 percent margin of error. Twenty-two percent strongly favor the north end plan, the document said.

The survey also asked respondents their opinions on public figures, Paul, President Donald Trump, former Councilmember Gabriel Sterling, Councilmember Steve Soteres and Melanie Couchman. It also asked about respondents’ political beliefs and party.

The city-created task force worked for several months in 2018 to draft a plan to bring new development to the north end, ultimately deciding on six key proposals: build a multiuse trail; incentivize new mixed-use and mixed-income developments; make Roswell Road improvements; build new streets and pedestrian connections; create new access to the Chattahoochee River; and build a community center and swimming complex.

The Couchmans and an affordable housing expert voted against the plan after they were unable to get support for several of their key ideas, including an anti-displacement and relocation policy; hiring a staff member to oversee affordable housing initiatives; and stronger encouragement of preservation of existing affordable housing.

Some ideas they advocated for that did make it into the final plan included studying the current housing stock, schools, transportation and businesses; creating an affordable housing impact statement; and providing financial assistance to property owners to renovate apartments while keeping them affordable.

The Couchmans said they commissioned the survey because they “wanted to more fully understand the opinions of the broader community, especially since the task force did not include representation from important stakeholders.”

Lack of diversity was brought up several times by David Couchman in task force meetings and by residents at the public input events. “Residents want city leaders to reopen the task force process and seek out greater diversity of viewpoints. They have grave doubts about a process that failed to include people of color, existing renters, business owners or stakeholders of our local public schools,” the document summarizing the survey results said.

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18 | Community

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Bus transit would work on I-285, consultants say Continued from page 1 transit in the Georgia Department of Transportation’s toll lanes project and provide transit running east and west.

A bus rapid transit system is already in the works on the Ga. 400 piece of the toll lanes project after receiving $100 million in funding from former Gov. Nathan Deal in 2018.

In a separate presentation by MARTA at the retreat, the transit agency said it expects to modify the North Springs MARTA Station to add a bus rapid transit platform either at-grade or elevated.

At-grade would be estimated to cost $90 million and elevated $125 million.

The consultants on the I-285 transit study haven’t fully finished their work, but the presentation showed a preview of some recommendations the consultants plan to make, which include a “high-end” bus system running within the toll lanes.

“We know in a lot of people’s hearts they feel rail is absolutely necessary,” said Eric Bosman, a consultant with Kimley-Horn. “But a rubber-wheel system is the most efficient and would work.”

The study assumes the bus system would be unable to use the toll lane access points and would need to have its own. Building those would cost $300

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million to $480 million depending on how far the project goes, the consultants said. The vehicle would cost another $10 million.

Maintenance and operations would cost $5 million to $8 million, they said.

“It’s much more affordable than I think any of us dreamed, not to say it’s cheap,” Mayor Rusty Paul said. “In my mind, it is doable project that is not beyond the realm of financial capabilities.”

Two access points could be built in Sandy Springs at Powers Ferry and Roswell roads, Bosman said. Another could be built between the Medical Center and Dunwoody MARTA Stations, he said. Although Raider Drive is shown on the map, it is not being currently considered for an access point.

The consultants expect to present details on funding options, including a special type of tax district called a spe-

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Above, a bus, now used in Nevada, is an example of the type of bus consultants are recommending for rapid transit use on I-285.

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cial services district, to the mayors at their next meeting later this month. But none of the options would completely cover the cost, Bosman said.

Councilmember John Paulson said he is not convinced the service would provide what people need and be widelyused.

“I’m skeptical that these trains are going to run anywhere near full,” he said.

The consultants are basing the estimates off a Nevada bus service that offers a “higher-end, premium service that would feel more like light rail vehicle or tram-based car,” Bosman said.

GDOT’s toll lanes project is not being

built to accommodate rail and would cost 10 times the amount the bus service would, Bosman said.

Being able to use the infrastructure already being built by GDOT would save millions, he said.

“They’re building their managed lanes with or without this input, but we’re trying to piggyback on this as much as we can,” said Todd Long, a consultant with Moreland Altobeli.

The project could either be built from Cumberland Parkway on the west to Tucker on the east, or on the most in-demand section, from I-75 to Doraville, the consultants said.

FEBRUARY 2019

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Community | 19

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Fear rises as GDOT eyes back yards, houses for toll lanes Continue from page 1 high. In a backlash to those meetings, several homeowners reported that GDOT is studying or making offers for land-taking in their yards. And it was revealed that among the options under GDOT consideration is demolishing eight homes on Sandy Springs’ Crestline Parkway for an interchange and tearing down part of a Dunwoody townhouse while leaving the rest standing.

“I really do believe this is being done way too quickly, and they’re not being transparent… like saying they have no plans in place when they obviously do,” said Amanda Cusick, a resident of Sandy Springs’ Montrose Lane, who shared a detailed land-taking plan for her street.

GDOT’s “express lanes” or “managed lanes” project would add four new toll-only lanes along I-285 and Ga. 400 in the Perimeter Center area over the next decade, with the intent of improving overall traffic flow. The Ga. 400 lanes also would carry a new MARTA bus rapid transit route, which requires other access points and stations.

GDOT has repeatedly refused to fulfill open records requests from the Reporter for proposed property-taking information, citing varying and sometimes contradictory grounds, some of which an attorney on the board of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation has called unlawful.

GDOT officials say that full proposed property-taking impacts will be revealed for the Ga. 400 toll lanes at a series of meetings in February and March, with a local stop March 12 at Sandy Springs City Hall. The I-285 toll lane details will not be revealed until later this year. In addition, the toll lanes that will run on Ga. 400 south of North Springs MARTA Station are now considered part of the I-285 project. All plans and related property-taking could still change, GDOT says.

GDOT is now conducting an environmental study for the I-285 toll lanes that will determine where sound barriers and right of way will be needed. The study is expected to be finished in two years.

City and community leaders in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs have been active in meeting with GDOT and raising concerns about the toll lanes’ possible impacts on property and traffic. In Brookhaven, City Councilmember Linley Jones said she has heard from a few residents seeking information about the I-285 toll lanes, but not many. Information from GDOT is also scarce, she said. “We’re not getting as much information from GDOT as we would like at this point,” she said.

Meanwhile, several local homeowners say they’re already facing land-taking and figuring out what it means for their futures.

And the scarce trees between his home and the interstate give him and his neighbors a clear view of the traffic as it speeds by.

“My wife and I have kind of gotten used to [the noise] over the years. What’s really disturbing is when trucks hit their brakes, or there is an accident,” he said.

In December, GDOT contractors showed up in Wolford’s driveway and said they were conducting an environmental study for the new I-285 toll lanes. They showed Wolford illustrations on their touchscreen tablets, where a red line went directly through his house. His home was in the “area of potential effects,” or APE, of the new toll lanes, they explained, as they walked around and took pictures of his house and yard, shooting in the direction of I-285.

The environmental study is expected to determine where sound barriers are needed in residential and commercial areas along I-285. Looking across I-285 to the eastbound lanes, or the Brookhaven side of the interstate, noise barriers already exist, protecting single-family neighborhoods from the traffic noise. But what happens to the current barriers or if more barriers will be needed won’t be known until the environmental study is finished in 2021.

The Georgetown Recreation Club, where the Georgetown Dolphins children’s swim team competes against other local swim clubs and parents and families from nearby neighborhoods have socialized for 50 years, is located just dozens of feet from I-285 wall. The club’s swimming pool and tennis courts are in the crosshairs of any construction of toll lanes. Kent Nichols, president of the club, pleaded with GDOT representatives at a Jan. 22 community meeting organized

by Dunwoody City Councilmember Lynn Deutsch to not harm the club as it acquired right of way for the project.

“We are interested in preserving that as part of our community in any way possible,” he said.

Sheila Garvin has lived in the Chateau Club townhomes for 15 years. Located in three separate buildings, the townhomes are also only dozens of feet from I-285. Two years ago, GDOT representatives visited their homeowners’ association, Garvin said, and they were told GDOT could take just a part of one building if needed as part of right of way acquisition to build the new toll lanes.

“I stopped listening at that point. You can’t take half a building. You should take the whole building,” she said.

At the Jan. 22 meeting, GDOT representatives said it is still too early to determine how right of way acquisition could affect the Chateau Club townhomes or any Georgetown property. GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said later in an email that taking part of a building is “unique and not a common practice,” but it can be an option.

Wolford said he expects the GDOT consultants to revisit him again as part of their environmental impact study that is expected to also determine where access points to the toll lanes will be as well as what right of way is needed to construct the toll lanes.

“The truth is, we’re already impacted,” Wolford said. “Once they’re done, we are still living here. The work they are doing is impacting us now, our standard of living, the values of our property.”

‘Frustration and anxiety’ in Sandy Springs

Bob Wolford’s home in the Georgetown community in Dunwoody is located about two football field lengths from the edge of the westbound lanes of I-285. The steady roar of 18-wheelers and cars zooming by on the interstate easily drown out the sounds of songbirds.

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Last year, GDOT privately showed Fulton County Schools administrators drawing of possible property impacts at Sandy Springs schools, including Dunwoody Springs Elementary.

When the Reporter requested the same details for properties adjacent to the school, GDOT said the information did not exist, and its officials later refused to take audience questions at a community meeting about the toll lanes held at Dunwoody Springs.

Meanwhile, less than 600 feet to the south of the school, GDOT had already planted markers in John Mason’s back yard on Sandy Springs’ Spindle Court. They indicated, he says, that the new toll lanes’ property-line fence could come within 30 feet of his house. “… I understand completely the frustration and anxiety many residents along Ga. 400 are feeling” about the project, Mason said in an email.

Mason said he first heard from GDOT contractors about possible toll-lane property impacts in April 2017. In June 2018, he said, they requested sketches of his back yard, then surveyed it a few weeks later. Since then, he says, GDOT has repeatedly delayed a decision on property-taking and says it is “reevaluating” the options. The final decision, he’s been told, in the hands of a GDOT appraiser.

“I don’t think I want an appraiser making such a life-altering decision for me,” Mason said.

Rob Harvey of Sandy Springs’ Montrose Lane is another homeowner surprised by GDOT’s claims that no decisions of property-taking have been made. That’s because GDOT already showed him detailed plans to put the new I-285 lanes 50 feet closer to his house than the current highway, and made an offer in January to buy part of his back yard in 30 to 40 days.

Harvey is not a fan of GDOT appraisers, either. He said GDOT’s land acquisition contractor made a basic offer for part of his property, but would not pay damages. That’s despite word that the lanes would not come closer to his house, but also be elevated to an undetermined height. “… The appraiser said this won’t really impact the value of your property,” Harvey recalled.

“I said, ‘How could putting a gigantic interstate 50 feet closer and taking away my green space buffer not impact the future value of my property?’”

Harvey said the GDOT contracts told him they would entertain a counter-offer, but also made it clear that eminent domain is on the table. He says if he’s forced to sell, he would consider moving out, but he’s worried the plan is already lowering his property value.

“I would probably try to sell,” he said. “The problem is, [the toll lanes plan is] already out there. I think it’s already too late to sell, to be honest with you.”

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20 | Community

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After nearly 10 years of discussion, a plan to repair the aging Lake Forrest Dam on the Atlanta-Sandy Springs border is ready, but is on hold due to one property owner holding out, according to a Sandy Springs spokesperson.

The state Safe Dams Program has ordered repairs of the 60-year-old earthen dam, which runs directly beneath the 4600 block of Lake Forrest Drive. But repairs have been slowed by complex ownership issues involve both city governments and the private Three Lakes Corporation, a homeowners association that uses the pond behind the dam.

The city of Sandy Springs has taken the planning lead and in 2017 showed alternative repair designs that would cost roughly $7 million and possibly close the entire road for 18 months. The Three Lakes Corporation early last year generally agreed to one design option, but dispute over who should pay for repairs continued.

“The cities of Atlanta and Sandy Springs, and all but one property owner, have committed to participating with all of the dam owners in carrying out a plan approved by the Safe Dams Division,” Sandy Springs spokesperson Sharon Kraun said in January.

“We are waiting on Safe Dams to determine how it will bring the final dam owner to the table to participate in resolution of the problem.”

The state has the ability to take dam owners to court for lack of compliance with repair orders.

Tom Woosley, manager of the Safe Dams Program, said the cities and other parties met with his office late last year, with no specific resolution. “I cannot comment on potential enforcement actions,” he said.

The dam is on the state’s list of “high-hazard” dams, meaning that if it failed in a worst-case scenario, the flood would likely kill people downstream. An emergency response plan filed by Sandy Springs last year showed that a dam failure could flood Chastain Park, Nancy Creek and local streets. One resident who lives downstream and asked not to be named said she is already concerned about water flow from the dam and does not want to wait for repairs.

“If they do not do something with that dam, or drain the lake, they are putting people’s lives’ in danger, bottom line,” the resident said.

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Community | 21

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New Oglethorpe business school dean aims to make ‘robot-proof’ leaders

BY DOUG CARROLL The dean of the new business school at Brookhaven’s Oglethorpe University says the time is right for a set of new academic programs to equip students for a future that will be increasingly technological and global.

Dennis W. Kelly came on board last October as dean of the Q. William Hammack School of Business, returning to metro Atlanta after an eight-year stint in Washington, D.C., with the Smithsonian Institution.

A $50 million gift — the largest in Oglethorpe’s history — from Hammack, an alumnus and former CEO of C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., has made it possible for the 183-year-old liberal-arts university at 4484 Peachtree Road to elevate its business department to school status.

“A lot of small, liberal-arts colleges in the Northeast and Midwest won’t make it,” Kelly told a breakfast meeting of the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 17.

“But Oglethorpe is strong, and it’s willing to change and adapt.”

The business school, scheduled to open in the fall, will roll out a strategic plan in the late spring or early summer, Kelly said. It will be part of the undergraduate program and may offer certificate programs, but has no plans to offer master’s degrees.

Kelly said Oglethorpe expects to grow its business-program numbers from slightly more than 300 students currently to as many as 600, creating courses in marketing and finance to go with established strengths in accounting and economics.

An emphasis on experiential learning, through student internships, also will be a priority, Kelly said, adding that Oglethorpe’s move nearly 65 years ago to a core curriculum for all students already provides an edge in the workplace.

“We think that makes our students different, better and special,” he said. “Bill Hammack thinks the combination of the core curriculum [and new programs] will make our next generation of leaders robot-proof.

“A liberal arts education will be the key to doing things that robots can’t do.”

According to Kelly, about 60 percent of current jobs will be either eliminated or impacted by machine learning and artificial intelligence. For example, 4 million jobs for checkout clerks will dwindle to 500,000 over the next 10 years, he said.

In some fields, the U.S. has serious catching-up to do: China graduates 1 million engineers a year, he said, compared to 75,000 in the U.S. With this brave new world as a backdrop, students will need at least some familiarity with coding and business analytics, Kelly said, even if they don’t end up working in those areas specifically.

Forty percent of Oglethorpe’s 1,250 students are first-generation college students, Kelly said, which presents challenges in getting some of them up to speed.

Asked about trends that the university is seeing, he identified three.

“We’re seeing that writing skills have declined across the board,” he said. “We’re also seeing that the demand for analytics has gone up — big data is a new skill that’s in demand. And there is a big disparity between those who are well-prepared [for college work] and those who are not.”

Oglethorpe’s Compass academic advising program, begun in 2017, has helped the

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Dennis Kelly, dean of Oglethorpe University’s Hammack School of Business, speaks to the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce Jan. 17.

university achieve its highest retention rate in 10 years, according to assistant provost Beth Concepcion. Its March to May mentoring program also has been beneficial, she said, and she encouraged chamber members to become part of it.

Kelly served for seven years as president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta before moving on to the Smithsonian, where he was director of the National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute. Previously, he was president and CEO of Green Mountain Energy Co. and held administrative positions with Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble.

He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Harvard.

Kelly said he and his wife, Debbie, barely recognize Brookhaven this time around.

“We’re stunned by the enormous changes we’ve seen,” he said. “When we drive around, it’s amazing. You see all the residential developments, and it’s hard to find contractors because there’s so much going on.”

Alan Goodman, president of the Brookhaven chamber, said the new business school at Oglethorpe can only be a plus.

“It’s a super step for the city to have a business school right here,” Goodman said.

22 | Art & Entertainment

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BOOKS

A PAGE FROM THE BOOK FESTIVAL OF THE MJCCA BROOKHAVEN

•

BUCKHEAD

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THEATER PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

Friday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, Feb 24 Act3 Productions presents Tony Award-winning “Peter and the Starcatcher,” which upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan becomes “The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up” (a.k.a. Peter Pan). With a dozen actors portraying more than 100 characters, it playfully explores the depths of greed and despair and the bonds of friendship, duty and love. 6285-R Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. $15-$30. Info: act3productions.org or 770-241-1905

DUNWOODY

•

SANDY SPRINGS

The world of Dr. Seuss springs to life in this production from Galloway Junior Theatre Company. Transporting audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos that he must protect. Chaddick Center for the Arts at The Galloway School 215 W. Wieuca Road, Buckhead. $10 general, $5 student. Info: gallowayschool.org

MUSIC ATLANTA JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL

March 7-17 Now in its 10th season, the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival (AJMF) takes on the theme of “Jewish Contributions to Music” and will specifically nod to Jewish contributions to American music with a specially curated lineup featuring Grammy winning artists, up and coming bands, historian presentations and a salute to both Leonard Bernstein and the Academy Awards. Various venues around metro Atlanta. Info and line up: atlantajmf.org

SEUSSICAL JR.

Thursday, Feb. 21 through Saturday Feb. 23

Wednesday Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m.

Two author talk and book signing events feature bestselling author Elinor Lipman of “Good Riddance” on Feb. 13 in conversation with Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author.

The second event on Feb. 24 includes New York Times bestselling authors Alyson Richman of “The Secret Clouds” & Pam Jenoff, author of “Lost Girls in Paris” and will be in conversation with Zoe Fishman, New York Times bestselling author. MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets to each event: Community $15/Member $10. Info: atlantajcc. org/bookfestival or 678-812-4002.

DEBORAH MANTELLA OF “MY SWEET VIDALIA”

Wednesday, March 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

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KIDS AND FAMILIES LA TORTUGA AND THE HARE

Sunday, Feb. 17, 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 4 p.m.

Through dance, movement, music and bilingual storytelling, young children will engage in this classic folk tale in wholly imaginative and new ways. A family production presented by the Alliance Theatre’s Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young. Tickets: $12-$16. MJCCA’s Morris & Rae Frank Theatre, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Info: atlantajcc.org/boxoffice or 678-812-4002.

PRESIDENT’S DAY CAMP

Monday, Feb. 18, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Kids ages 4-14 can practice their favorite strokes with Up4Tennis while classes are cancelled for President’s Day. Outshine Sports also offers a day of sports camp that will emphasize team building and exercise. $25-$72 for half and full days. Ashford Park, 2980 Redding Road, Brookhaven. Tennis Info: up4tennis.com or 404-617-1305; Sports Info: outshinesports.com or 470-601-1415.

SHOPPING FOR A CAUSE

Student and Instructor Jewelry Market Sunday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m- 5 p.m.

This fundraising event benefits the Spruill Center for the Arts and the Spruill Metals Jewelry Program and will showcase beginning to professional jewelry artists who will sell their unique handcrafted jewelry to the public. Free. Spruill Center for the Arts. 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Info: spruillarts.org

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whose stories of history and the South represent a variety of perspectives. This month, author Deborah Mantella visits to discuss “My Sweet Vidalia,” a tale of 1955 rural Georgia and the spirit of an unborn child who stays with her mother through the darkest of circumstances. Free. Heritage Sandy Springs Community Room, 6110 Blue Stone Road, Sandy Springs. Info: heritagesandysprings.org.

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Saturday, March 2, 9 a.m-12 p.m.

Find the best deals and sell your unwanted items at the Brookhaven Parks and Recreation Department’s annual Community Yard Sale. The event is free to attend. Tables to sell items will be available for $20 for an 8-foot table and $30 for two tables. Briarwood Park Recreation Center, 2235 Briarwood Way, Brookhaven. To reserve a table: Call 404-6370512 or email Philip Mitchell at Philip.Mitchell@BrookhavenGA.gov.

LEARN SOMETHING OH DEER! DISCOVER NATURE WINTER SERIES

Saturday, Feb. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Learn about the white-tailed deer in Georgia, with tips on how to keep them from destroying expensive landscaping? Free.

Lost Corner Preserve, 7300 Brandon Mill

FEBRUARY 2019

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Road, Sandy Springs. Register: registration. sandyspringsga.gov

LAWN CARE FOR SPRING AND SUMMER

Monday, Feb. 18, 7-8:30 pm The Recreation and Parks Department and Friends of the Lost Corner host the North Fulton Master Gardeners series of classes for homeowners on selected weekday evenings.

This first class will cover: how cool and warmseason grasses differ and what they require: soil testing, fertilizing, weed control and aerating. Lost Corner Preserve Cottage, 7300 Brandon Mill Road, Sandy Springs. $10 each or $60 for the 8 week entire series. Register: http://www.friendsoflostcorner.org.

BSA Troop 370 hosts a special recycling event for the community. No charges for most electronics but recycling for paint cans range from $1 for a pint to $20 for latex-based fivegallon bucket. To see what is accepted, visit novussolutionsllc.com/recycling. St. James United Methodist Church, 4400 PeachtreeDunwoody Road, Buckhead. Info: Leslee at evansclans@bellsouth.net.

WETLAND RESTORATION PROJECT

HELP THE ENVIRONMENT ELECTRONICS AND PAINT RECYCLING EVENT Saturday, Feb. 9, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

PremierCareForWomen.com Our team of experienced physicians provides comprehensive gynecologic services, in a compassionate environment, throughout every stage of a woman’s life.

• Annual Well-Woman Exams • Menopausal Care • Cervical Cancer Screenings • HPV Vaccinations

DUNWOODY GARDEN CLUB HOSTS GLORIA WARD

Wednesday, Feb. 13, 9:30 a.m.

Dunwoody Garden Club hosts guest speaker Gloria Ward, past president of the American Hydrangea Society. Come hear all about these ever popular flowering shrubs and be prepared to learn about some exciting new varieties that are available today.

North DeKalb Cultural Center (Room 4) at 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody.

Info: dunwoodygardenclub.com.

Health care for women by women

Sunday, Feb 24, 1-4 p.m.

Come help the Chattahoochee Nature Center restore the wetlands. Work to remove invasive Chinese privet and other non-natives in and around the wetlands in order to encourage native plant restoration. Registration required. Ages 5-adult. $6 for Children; $10 Adult; $7 Seniors 65+; $7 students 13-18; free CNC Members. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell.

Info: volunteer@chattnaturecenter.org or 770-992-2055 x237.

• Hormone Replacement Therapy • Minimally Invasive Hysterectomies • Contraception Management • Other Gynecological Issues

Dr. Eva Arkin, Dr. Sujatha Reddy, Dr. Laura Cummings, Dr. Nadine Becker & Dr. Jennifer Lyman

Call for an appointment: 404-257-0170 960 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30342

“CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE” EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEARS

Winter Break Away

S T. SI MONS ISL A N D, GEORGI A “ B E S T B E AC H T OW N S T O V I S I T T H I S W I N T E R” - S L

24 |

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HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ATLANTA

SUMMER

EXCITING SUMMER ADVENTURES June 3–28, 2019

ESA CAMP

Preschool Camp (2s–PK) and Adventure Camp (K–6th)

Members receive 25% off camp!

Explore art, get messy, and have a blast!

• Returning Camps include Circus Camp, Drone Camp, Art, Drama and Sports • New Camps include Steam Quest (STEAM Challenges and more!)

• Before and After Care available • Multi-Week Discount • Half Day or Full Day programs

Register today at epsteinatlanta.org/esa

Register your artists for a weeklong art camp at the High. We offer camp options for grades 1 through 8. Campers will explore the collection, sketch in the galleries, and create artwork.

For class descriptions, times, and pricing, visit high.org/camp.

5242 ESA SSR ad_f.indd 1

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Horse Lovers Summer Camp

Atlanta Intown Feb 2018 _CAMP_4.94x5.6297.indd 1

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Chastain Horse Park - convenient Buckhead location!

Boys and girls ages 4-8 – Mon-Fri 8am-1pm Many weeks to choose from during Summer 2019 Camp activities for our younger riders include horsemanship instruction (grooming, safety and more), riding lessons, crafts and games!

Contact us at (404) 252-4244 ext.1001 or camps@chastainhorsepark.org.

More information regarding summer schedule dates and registration form can be found at chastainhorsepark.org, select Riding Services, then select Summer Camp!

JUNE 3 – AUG 2, 2019

AGES 5 – 17

Sports, Music Technology, Fun & Games, Choral Music, STEAM Camp, SAT/ACT Prep, College Essay Start-Up, After Camp Care, and more...

www.chastainhorsepark.org 404-252-4244 ext.1001

FEBRUARY 2019

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June 3 - July 26

Inspiring Early Learners through 12th grade

Registration now open at thewalkerschool.org/summer

Your summer. Your adventure.

NEW 2019 Summer Camps at Dunwoody Baptist Church

BEYOND CAMP Camp Unite

for Preschoolers For children ages 2 yrs - f inished kindergarten 9 am - 1 pm each day

Customize your summer camp experience.

ALL NEW

Camp All-American

at Dunwoody Bapt ist Church For children ages 6 years by week of camp - 12/13 years 9 am - 4 pm each day

For more information and weekly summer schedules visit DBC.ORG/CAMPS

Galloway’s summer camps are open to all children ages 3 and up and are held on our campus in beautiful Chastain Park.

Register now at gallowayschool.org/camp camp_unite_reporter-ad-2019.indd 1

1/28/2019 10:37:59 AM

26 |

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Come to CAMP CHATUGA for your best summer ever!

1&2 week sessions for ages 6-16!

To receive a $50 DISCOUNT off your 2019 registration, email us at mail@ campchatuga.com

by May 1st and mention this Reporter Newspaper advertisement!

On top of Lookout Mountain on the banks of Little River...

Only 1.5 hours east of Huntsville and 2 hours from Atlanta, Nashville & Birmingham

ACTIVITIES Horseback Riding Swimming (Heated Pool) Ropes Course Climbing Tower Tennis Canoeing Golf Gymnastics Dance Cheerleading Flag Twirling Archery Arts and Cras Knitting Chorus and Drama Outdoor Living Skills Basketball Volleyball Soccer Riflery Trip Day River Water Blob Campfire every night Counselor-In-Training Christian Leadership

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C o n fi d e n c e , C h a r a c t e r, Ad v e n tu r e , I n s p i r a t i o n !

When you attend our summer camp or our mother-daughter weekends, you will have an amazing time on a mountain top, sharing moments of fun, faith, and adventure!

Recognized as one of the South’s favorite private summer camp for girls, Riverview’s exciting programs are appreciated by both campers and parents!

Girls from the South and International campers as well, are among our camp families!

One, Two, Three and Four Week Sessions for Boys & Girls Ages 6 to 16

BMX (Bikes) • Horseback • Waterskiing • Crafts • Drama • Archery • Riflery Sports • Animal Care • Frisbee Golf • Outdoor Living Skills • Campfire Cooking Fitness (Yoga, Zumba®) • Canoeing • Guitar • Nature • Survivor • Diving Swim Games • Swing/Line Dancing • Cheerleading • Tubing • Creative Writing

Mountain Rest, SC (864) 638-3728 www.campchatuga.com

Spring & Fall Mother-Daughter Weekend Also Available!

Sign up online!

Dr. Larry and Susan Hooks, Owners/Directors For more information and a free DVD: www.riverviewcamp.com 800-882-0722

www.riverviewcamp.com

has an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section for first-time camper families and several enjoyable videos!

SUMMER CAMP 2019 MAY 29-AUGUST 9

Atlanta’s Best Summer Camps

Club

SciKidz Where Sc ience & Te chnology Co nnect!

$25 OFF

Have a Blast! with us this summer.

Our professional staff has prepared another exciting summer of fitness and educational fun. We will encourage each child to express his or her own creativity as well as explore and discover new activities.

Early Bird Registration

Code: EAST19. See our website for details!

60 STEM and STEAM Camps To Choose From!

Including:

• Minecraft

• F/X - Zombie

• Food Truck Science • LEGO Robotics • Video Gaming

• Veterinary Medicine

• Grossology

• Coding

NEW FOR 2019 STEAM CAMPS! • American Girl • Marvel Stop Motion

678-493-5651 support@clubscikidz.com

:: Tennis Camp

Space is limited. Register today!!

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Complete registration online!

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Choose from 2 exciting and amazing camps!

ART & SCIENCE CONNECTED!

• The Great Masters

23

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For more information or to register, contact Patricia Alvarez at 770.698.2017 or palvarez@wellbridge.com

Education | 27

FEBRUARY 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

CHASTAIN-SANDY SPRINGS OFFICE L I S T I N G S A C R O S S AT L A N TA

Student author Ruby Mundell, Davis Academy

THE SPRING MARKET IS ALREADY HERE.

Editor’s Note: Through our “Standout Student” series, Reporter Newspapers showcases some of the outstanding students at our local schools. To recommend a “Standout Student” for our series, please email editor@ReporterNewspapers.net with information about the student and why you think he or she should be featured.

Don’t be the last home on the market.

Call us today!

Ruby Mundell started off her fifth-grade school year by publishing her own book. Mundell, a student at The Davis Academy in Sandy Springs, had spent a year writing and editing the book, titled “Kindness Come In.” Ruby wrote the book to help cope with the loss of her father at a young age, a diagnosis of dyslexia and social challenges. The book includes tips for both adults and children facing difficult times, illustrations and personal stories.

Ruby said writing has become an avenue for her to express her feelings and find relief from some of her own hardships. Ruby said that she wrote it with the intention of “helping others through their hard times, by telling them my experiences and how I went through them.”

Ruby had help from her mother, who also had been writing a book, and Davis Academy Vice Principal Jeff Rothstein.

Rothstein said Ruby is “an excellent student and diligent writer, with a humble air about her.”

Just like most kids her age, she enjoys art and playing with her friends at school, but she also developed a particular passion for writing.

“It helped me to calm myself when I was going through challenging times,” she said.

The book provides advice on practicing compassion, consideration, thoughtfulness, selfexpression and forgiveness. Her goal for her readers “is that they can become a better person, feel better about themselves, and understand people better” after reading her book, Ruby wrote in an author’s note.

The book is composed of a series of narratives from Ruby and her friends and families own personal experiences with bullying and how on ought to approach those scenarios. She said she used her experiences with grief and loss to help readers with their own traumas.

Just as the book became a source of comfort and enjoyment for her, she hopes that it can provide some direct healing and aid to those going through similar circumstances.

She said enjoyed the writing process, despite the year-long timeframe, as it gave her a way to make peace with the difficulties she had gone through.

Ruby hosted a launch party for “Kindness Come In” last year, where Davis Academy members and other members of the local Atlanta community came to celebrate her accomplishment. The book was also featured in the Marcus Jewish Community Center Book Fair.

6270 MOUNTAIN BROOK LN ¦ ATLANTA, GA 30328 UNDER CONTRACT Listed for $729,000 Exclusively Listed & Marketed by

Standout Student

This article was written and reported by Alexa Robbins, a student at Atlanta Classical Academy.

BARBARA OLIVER 404-667-4211

695 SAINT REGIS LN ¦ ALPHARETTA, GA 30022 UNDER CONTRACT Listed for $529,000 Exclusively Listed & Marketed by

CHANABERRY & ASSOCIATES 770-265-9080

5505 ERROL PL ¦ SANDY SPRINGS, GA 30327

SOLD Listed for $945,000 Exclusively Listed & Marketed by

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244 MIDVALE DRIVE ¦ ATLANTA, GA 30342

SOLD Listed for $775,000 Exclusively Listed & Marketed by

JILL HUITRON 404-376-5114

SPECIAL

Ruby Mundell, a fifth-grade student at The Davis Academy in Dunwoody, published her own book.

5290 Roswell Rd ¦ Atlanta, GA 30342 ¦ 404-250-9900 ¦ HarryNorman.com The above information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted. Offer subject to errors, changes, omissions, prior sales and withdrawals without notice.

28 | Education

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Travel the World!

Passports and Visas, Stress Free & Fast!

404-464-7125 | visasupply.com

Education Briefs SANDY SPR I NG S ’ B ER NATH EL EC T ED FU LTO N SCHOO L B O A R D V I C E P R ES I DENT

Julia Bernath, who represents Sandy Springs, was elected the vice president of the Fulton School Board at its Jan. 8 meeting.

“I am happy to serve and delighted to continue in public service as our board’s vice president,” Bernath said in a press release. “Thank you for your confidence in me.”

Linda Bryant, who represents south Fulton, was elected president, the release said.

Bernath, who represents District 7 and just began her fifth term, represents portions of Sandy Springs, as well as Roswell, Johns Creek and Alpharetta. The vice president serves a one-year term, according to the release.

She previously served as school board president from 2007 to 2009 and as vice president from 2009 to 2010, according to the release.

SPECIAL

Julia Bernath represents District 7 on the Fulton School Board.

SCHO O L SAFETY LEG I S L ATI O N I S FIL ED

TAP into Davis Choosing the right school for your child is among the most important decisions you will ever make. Many times, it can seem overwhelming and financially out of reach. Let us help simplify the process. We can make The Davis Academy accessible for your family through our TUITION AND TRANSPORTATION ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAMS.

School safety legislation has already been filed based on recommendations from a study committee several local lawmakers served on last year.

“The School Safety Study Committee was one of – if not the most – impactful and important study committees that I have been a part of,” state Sen. John Albers, a Republican who represents part of Sandy Springs and who chaired the study committee, said in a press release. “The issues discussed and testimonies heard were not just a way of procedure, rather, words that were turned into action through the pieces of legislation filed.”

One piece of legislation proposes a state constitutional amendment to allow ESPLOST funds to be allocated towards the security of schools, including additional staffing, such as specialized mental health counselors.

Another is titled the “Keeping Georgia’s Schools Safe Act” which would address offenses for minors in possession of a firearm; require school safety plans, including performing threat assessments, drills and education prevention and reporting; and establish a task force to prevent, discover and respond to any threats to public or private schools.

$3,500 LITTLE LEARNERS GRANT

HO LY S P I R IT S WI M TEA M WI NS C HA M P I O NS HI P

A $3,500 Little Learners Grant is now available for ALL Mechina: Kindergarten Prep AND Kindergarten students admitted for the 2019-2020 school year.

FAMILY TUITION ASSISTANCE

Tuition reduction grants and flexible payment options are available to help families manage tuition expenses.

FREE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM

Carpool facilitation and a free pilot bus transportation program are available. Exploring central routes to service families in Alpharetta/ Johns Creek, Brookhaven, Buckhead/Chastain, East Roswell, and Dunwoody.

Call Lisa Mirsky, Director of Admissions, at 678-527-3300 to learn more!

davisacademy.org/tap

Living Our Values. Every Day. 8105 Roberts Drive, Atlanta, GA 30350 770-671-0085 | davisacademy.org

SPECIAL

The Holy Spirit Preparatory School’s swim team, from left to right, Luke Oliver, Adam Marshall, Jacob Wilhelm, Conner McKittrick, Jackson Lehmann, Hector Padilla, Gavin Marshall, Will Stinnett and Luke Farris. Standing in the front, from left to right, are Coach Star Brackin holding the trophy and William Arnold.

Holy Spirit Preparatory School’s varsity boys swim team took first place at the Jan. 26 Georgia Independent School Association’s competition, defending their 2018 state championship title.

“We couldn’t have done it without the whole team,” senior Conner McKittrick said in the press release.

The team, coached by Star Brackin, included William Arnold, Luke Farris, Jackson Lehmann, Adam Marshall, Gavin Marshall, Conner McKittrick, Luke Oliver, Hector Padilla, Will Stinnett and Jacob Wilhelm, according to the release.

TEM P L E S I NA I P R ES C HO O L TO R EO P EN WI TH R ENO VAT ED CLASSROOMS

Sandy Springs’ Temple Sinai Preschool announced registration is open for next year and the school will reopen with renovated classrooms and outdoor spaces in August. The school will have a brand new playground and modular, flexible furniture and equipment to allow for different learning styles, the school said.

Programs are available for children 12 months old through Pre-K. For more information or to register a child for Temple Sinai Preschool, visit www.templesinaipreschool. org or contact Maman at 404-255-6200.

FEBRUARY 2019

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Classifieds | 29

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Personal & Professional Services Directory

Tech Care for Seniors → Computers → Devices → Wi-Fi Networks “We make house calls.”

Good Rascal Dog Training Certified Dog Trainer Private Training In Your Home Positive, Gentle Methods

www.mygoodrascal.com

404-307-8857

770-401-7945

Place your SERVICES ad here!

TRUSTS and ESTATES LITIGATION ATTORNEY

Lawyers

Pet Sitters

Accountants

House Cleaners

Barbers

Caregivers

Health Instructors Hair Stylists

Life Coaches

Insurance Agents

404-917-2200, ext 110 Affordable. Display. Frequency.

MARK ELLIOTT Legal representation when disputes arise from the estate plan or within the estate ■ Will, Trust, or Power of Attorney Challenges ■ Breach of Fiduciary Duty of Trustees, Executors and others ■ Litigation of the Probate Estate ■ Disputes among Heirs ■ Other related litigation as necessitated by party misconduct

www.atlantatrustsandestatesattorney.com Complimentary Initial Consultation

404-330-8854

Home Services Directory

Reporter Classifieds HELP WANTED Controller (MD18) - Master in Accounting, 2 yrs’ experience in accounting/auditing, profic. in US GAAP, GAAS and a CPA license. Mail CV: HR, Express Food & Pharmacy LLC, 50 Upper Alabama St., #92, Atlanta, GA 30303 Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber Hiring Event Coordinator/ Administrative Assistant.

Oversight of all Chamber Events. Plans and executes all aspects of events. Weekly/ Monthly Newsletters/ Graphics. Administrative Duties include: Welcome Receptionist/ Phones, Onboarding of new members, Manage Database (ChamberMaster) and various Admin responsibilities. Send resume to: jenny@sandysprings.org.

SERVICES AVAILABLE Property Home Tending – Regular inspections of your For Sale or unoccupied home. Call Charles 404-229-0490.

Driveways & Walkways – Replaced or repaired. Masonry, grading, foundations repair, waterproofing and retaining walls. Call Joe Sullivan 770-616-0576.

Graphic Designer (part-time)—Springs Publishing seeks an experienced graphic designer for a part-time position (approx. 15 hours per week) to work on print and digital products, especially ad design and page layout. You should be proficient with Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign and Photoshop. Knowledge of web design (using WordPress), videography and social media is a plus. You must be available to work in our office on specific weekdays; with some flexible hours and remote work possible. Please provide your resume and samples of your work (via links, etc.) to publisher@reporternewspapers.net.

CEMETERY PLOTS Arlington Memorial Park – Available in Lakeside Section, two side by side plots near lake. Offered at $4,950 for each plot (50% below cemetery price). Lot 118C – Spaces 1 & 2. Contact owner: 770-490-1857.

CARE GIVER ‘CNA Available – Flexible & dependable with references. Minimal four hours per client.

Personal care for loved ones. 404-397-9429

To Advertise, call 404-917-2200 ext 110

Oriental Rug Shop Antique and Decorative Rugs since 1976

Sales, Cleaning, Restorations, Appraisals, Pick-up & Delivery 5548 Peachtree Ind. Blvd Chamblee, GA 30341 404-995-8400

Best Selection & Values 1.5 miles inside 285 in Chamblee Plaza

www.PersianRugParadise.net

% 20 OFF

Cleaning & Repair of All Rugs

With coupon. One per family.

“Serving Metro Atlanta Since 1998”

• PAINTING • WINDOWS • SIDING Kitchen Bathroom Basement

Showroom, Design, Build

SHOWROOM

IN HOME CONSULTATION

404-910-3969

www.RemodelingExpo.com

48 KING STREET ROSWELL, GA 30075

Winter Clean-up Special

Atlanta’s Premier • Window Cleaning since 1968 • Gutter Cleaning • Pressure Washing • Family Owned • Licensed and Insured • Free Estimates

404.355.1901 www.WindowCleanAtl.com

Handyman Services Moving & delivery too!

No job too small References Available 803-608-0792

Cornell Davis, Owner SS

Come Visit us in

Chamblee!

WINDOWS

• Windows • Doors • Siding and more!

• BBB A+ • Free Estimates • Family Business Established in 1980 3660 North Peachtree Road - Chamblee, GA 30341

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• GUTTERS

770-971-1577

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justTRASHit!

JUNK REMOVAL & RECYCLING

We Haul Away: We Clean Out: *Furniture *Appliances *Construction *Pianos *Hot tubs *Paint cans

*Basements *Garages *Attics *Offices *Storage units *Estate sales

(770) 314-9867 www.justTRASHit.com

• ROOFING

Belco Electric

• Family Owned since 1972 • Fast, Dependable Service by Professional, Uniformed Electricians

770-455-4556

Check out our new website www.BelcoInc.com and follow us on

Driveways & Walkways

(Replaced or repaired)

Masonry Grading Foundations repaired Waterproofing Retaining walls

Joe Sullivan 770-616-0576

With two professional in-house polishers, we can make your silver flatware, tea sets, bowls and trays more beautiful than ever before.

Bring it by or call us for an estimate today!

30 | Community

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In unexplained shakeup, Sandy Springs to stop using private company to run City Springs

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net Sandy Springs and the third party company hired to operate the City Springs Performing Arts Center and other public spaces are abruptly bowing out of the long-term contract with little explanation, opting instead to absorb those positions into existing city contracts.

As with most city departments, the civic and arts complex has been run by a private company, Spectra, an event facility management firm owned by Comcast, since 2016. But since then, the city has learned the firm is providing duplicate services in some areas and it would be better for the city to employ the positions, City Manager John McDonough said at the City Council’s Jan. 22 retreat.

Several details about how the transition would logistically play out and what specifically led to the decision are unclear. All the top officials hired by Spectra are out. The change in management takes place on Feb 3.

Prior to the contract shakeup, the PAC’s general manager, Michael Enoch,

and Lisa Crawford, the PAC’s sales and marketing manager, departed. The city has brought on an executive search firm to hire a new venue operations manager, McDonough said.

Spectra said in a joint statement with the city that the decision was mutual after “extensive discussions.” The contract with Spectra was not expected to end until June 30, 2022.

“After extensive discussions, it has been mutually decided that the city will assume full management of operations of the facilities,” the statement said. “The transition of full leadership to the city will be the best path forward for management of the City Springs facilities because it will maximize resources and maintain the highest level of services for the community.”

The firm, which operates event venues internationally, was contracted to provide operations, marketing and other services. It had done so since 2016 before the venue opened.

“After the transition, the city will assume full management of the operation of the facility,” McDonough said.

“The city and Spectra are committed to a

Northside

smooth transition.”

City spokesperson Sharon Kraun later said the employees that are staying at City Springs, nine out of the 12 currently working full-time, will work under existing city contracts. Two of those people are top managers running City Springs. Jack Ligon, who was hired as the operations director and served as the interim general manager, and David Daly, the PAC’s director of programming, will leave when the city takes over, Kraun said.

“PAC staff have been incorporated into existing contracts related to the organizational structure,” Kraun said in an email. “For example, maintenance of the various rooms, including A/V and room set up for events falls naturally under facilities, with those personnel now under the AECOM contract,” Kraun said, referencing the contractor that operates the city’s public works department.

“The city hopes to retain most of the performing arts center staff as part of the transition,” Kraun said.

It is not clear which employees are staying at City Springs, what contactors will take on the new employees or how this change affects the existing contracts.

Heart

NorthsideHeart.com We are proud to serve the Atlanta community with the highest standard of cardiovascular care. Our board-certified physicians serve each patient with the latest technologies and treatments, and work with referring physicians to optimize treatment plans and individualize care. One of the largest cardiology groups in the North Atlanta area, we offer 9 locations throughout the Metro and Greater Atlanta areas.

We offer services for complete cardiovascular care, including:

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Arrhythmia Evaluation & Treatment Cardiac Ultrasound Stress Testing Pacemaker Implantation Cholesterol & Hypertension Management Cardiac Cath/Coronary Stent Defibrillator Implantation

The majority of the current staff has been offered the option to continue working at City Springs, McDonough said, but it is not clear if this change would increase the cost to the city.

The city has said that without the duplicate services, there are “synergies we will take advantage of to help create more efficiencies.” Duplicate services cited by Spectra and the city were facilities management, marketing and accounting, which the city already has contractors to perform, but were also being done

by Spectra specifically for City Springs.

But it’s not clear exactly what went wrong to convince the city and Spectra to agree to make the change.

Enoch, the general manager who was hired in 2017 and employed by Spectra, left in an unannounced departure in November 2018, three months after the Performing Arts Center grand opening.

As general manager, Enoch oversaw everything at the center from booking shows to food service for the 1,100-seat theater and related event spaces. Enoch had previously run a venue for Spectra in China.

The director of venue operations will oversee the performance spaces and conference center, similar duties to the previous general manager position, Kraun said.

Three convenient Atlanta locations Sandy Springs Office 6135 Barfield Road NE Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30328 Phone: 404-847-0049

Atlanta Office 5670 Peachtree Dunwoody Road Suite 880 Atlanta, GA 30342 Phone: 404-256-2525

Midtown Office 1110 West Peachtree Street Suite 920 Atlanta, GA 30309 Phone: 470-639-6300

Visit our website for information on our six other convenient locations.

Community | 31

www.ReporterNewspapers.net

2018 Consolidated Plan/ 2018 Action Plan Amendment Draft: The City seeks to amend its 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan and 2018 Action Plan to include the specific dollar amount (approximately $1.4 millions) of Section 108 funds to be use in the 2018 Fiscal Year. Section 108 funding will be used for the design and construction of sidewalks in the identified LMI (low/moderate income) target areas, as part of Phase III of the Multi-Year Sidewalk Improvement Program, which goes from I-285 to Long Island Drive and from Lake Placid Drive to Northwood Drive. In January 2018, HUD approved the City’s request for loan guarantee assistance under Section 108 Loan in the principal amount of $2,872,000 to complete Phase III of the South Roswell Road Multiyear Sidewalk Project.

2019 Action Plan Draft: The City has prepared its draft 2019 Annual Action Plan. The Annual Action Plan describes how the City intends to use its 2019 CDBG allocation to achieve the broad goals described in the City’s 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan.

The City of Sandy Springs anticipates receiving approximately $550,000 in CDBG funds along with approximately $1.4 million of Section 108 funds in the 2019 Fiscal Year. These funds will be used for the design and construction of sidewalks in the identified LMI (low/moderate income) target areas, as part of Phase III of the Multi-Year Sidewalk Improvement Program, which goes from I-285 to Long Island Drive and from Lake Placid Drive to Northwood Drive.

To meet the requirements of the City’s Citizen Participation Plan, the City will hold a public hearing for the 2019 Citizen Participation Plan Amendment and the 2018 Consolidated Plan/2018 Action Plan Amendment on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at 6:00p.m. at City Hall, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, GA, 30328.

As required by 24 CFR Part 91. 105 (b) (2), these three drafts will be available for a 30-day public comment period beginning March 21, 2019 through April 21, 2019. Official announcement of the public comment period for each draft will take place on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 Mayor and City Council Work Session. Hard copies of the documents can be found during this period at the Benson Senior Center at 6500 Vernon Woods Drive; and at City Hall at the address mentioned above. Drafts will not be available at the Sandy Springs Regional Library due to the facility being closed for renovation. Electronic copies will also be available at City’s CDBG webpage at http://spr.gs/cdbg1 Those who wish to provide comments on the drafts may email the CDBG Program mailbox at cdbgprogram@ sandyspringsga.gov or send written correspondence to the Sandy Springs Community Development Department at the address above until April 21, 2019 Adoption of the 2019 Citizen Participation Plan Amendment Draft, 2018 Consolidated Plan/2018 Action Plan Amendment Draft, and 2019 Action Plan Draft is scheduled for the May 7, 2019 Mayor and City Council public hearing. All meetings start at 6:00 p.m., are open to the public and held at the Sandy Springs City Hall, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, GA, 30328.

Citizens in need of translation services or materials in alternative formats should call 770-730-5600 seven calendar days prior to the regularly scheduled meeting.

Call 404- 497-1020 for an appointment.

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The city is exploring ways to attract a luxury hotel next to City Springs.

Helping fund the hotel through a public-private partnership and relocating the nearby Georgia Power substation are among a consultants’ recommendations to GOOGLE EARTH draw a hotel to the A Google Earth image shows the Georgia Power substation south of City Springs on Mount Vernon Highway. new civic center area around Roswell Road and Mount Vernon Highway. The hotel should be a luxury “boutique” property operated by a major band, according to the study, which was presented at the City Council’s Jan. 22 retreat.

“The short answer is: a hotel would be feasible for someone to build and operate,” said Andrea Worthy, the city’s economic development director who gave the presentation.

The hotel would be next to and complement City Springs, the art and civic complex that opened in Sandy Springs last year.

The idea to have a hotel was discussed in the 2012 City Center Master Plan, which said it expected the civic center to spur a hotel within 10 years and suggested a “boutique” hotel that is distinct from current ones already in the market.

“City Center would offer a unique setting for such a boutique hotel compared to other locations in the city or Perimeter area, which lack its walkable, amenity-rich environment,” the master plan said in its prediction.

A separate consultant that studied the type of Sandy Springs visitors also encouraged the building of a hotel at City Springs. The lack of nearby hotel space limits the type and number of events that can be held in the facility, the consultant said at the retreat.

City officials had confirmed last year amid City Springs’ opening that developers were interested in building a hotel, but no plans had been formally filed.

For the greatest chance of success, the hotel would need to be an upscale, luxury boutique hotel operated by a major, well-known brand, the consultants said.

“It’s not something that we have in our marketplace right now,” Worthy said.

The city should explore using a public-private partnership to help fund the hotel, like the city did with City Springs itself, the consultants said. The estimated cost for a luxury hotel is $28 million to $30 million, Worthy said.

The study gives the city some expert backing to help draw developers, Worthy said.

Worthy said the city has already presented the numbers to some hotel brands and said “there’s definitely some interest,” especially now that City Springs is open.

The Georgia Power substation across the street from City Springs on Mount Vernon Highway is a “visual hindrance” and should be, at the minimum, hidden by landscaping. But the city should also work with the company to have it relocated if possible, the consultants said.

“It’s definitely a challenge to attract a developer,” Worthy said.

The consultant recommended a few boutique hotels backed by a major chains for the area: Aloft by Marriot, Indigo by IHG, Tapestry by Hilton and Tribute Portfolio by Marriott.

Although none of those brands, or any boutique hotels, are currently in the market, a developer has proposed an Aloft hotel as part of an office development on Barfield Road.

The ideal hotel would open in early 2021 with 125 rooms, equipped with a lobby bar and full-service restaurant, swimming pool, paid parking and outdoor gathering areas, according to the presentation.

The hotel would need its own meeting space to complement City Springs, but would have access to the Performing Arts Center though a “mutually beneficial partnership,” the presentation said. The hotel could also tie into a “cultural center” proposed for the area by the city, which would hold several local groups and an art gallery.

2019 Citizen Participation Plan Amendment Draft: This amendment seeks to update the newspaper advertisement requirements for consistency with the City’s recently approved resolution (2019-01-08) designating the Sandy Springs Neighbor as the sole official newspaper for public notices. The Citizen Participation Plan will continue publishing public notices in Spanish in the Mundo Hispanico newspaper to serve the Spanish-speaking residents of the City. Additionally, the amendment seeks to add Community Assistance Center (CAC) as a new required location for availability of hard copies of all CDBG related documents for public review.

Meridian Mark

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net

As part of the City’s participation in the CDBG program, the City has prepared the following drafts available for public comment for compliance with the requirements of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

Trimble Road

Luxury hotel options proposed for City Springs area

Notice of Public Hearings and Public Comment Period for Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) Related Documents

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