Inside
Sandy Springs Reporter
Extra ‘eyes and ears’
Urban feel
Rezoning gets closer look COMMUNITY 6
Lots of candles
www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Choral guild celebrates anniversary OUT & ABOUT 13
MARCH 6 — MARCH 19, 2015 • VOL. 9 — NO. 5
PUBLIC SAFETY 27
Group plans to convert Windsor Parkway floodplain into park BY ANN MARIE QUILL
annmariequill@reporternewspapers.net
A 4-acre floodplain near Windsor Parkway and Nancy Creek should become a quiet neighborhood park, according to members of the Sandy Springs Conservancy and the High Point Civic Association. “There’s a pent-up demand for this kind of park,” said Linda Bain, the conservancy’s executive director. The land was acquired by the city of Sandy Springs under a Federal Emergency Management Agency flood-relief program three years ago. The properties had flooded in the 500year flood in 2009. Former Sandy Springs City Councilman Chip Collins helped in an effort to establish a floodplain greenspace policy for the city that identifies land bought by the city under the FEMA program, and outlines FEMA guidelines for future uses. “When I joined the conservancy board last year, we endeavored to find the perfect start for this program, and we identified four acres along Windsor parkway,” Collins said.
Balancing act PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER
Left, Aubrey Ellis, 10, a member of the “Sandy Springs Stars” gynmastics team, practices on the balance beam at Hammond Park Gymnasium on Feb. 28. Above, Emerson Rand, 9, receives a little assistance from coach Tricia Wisbauer.
SEE GROUP, PAGE 5
She ran around the world in 11 days BY JOE EARLE
joeearle@reporternewspapers.com
Seven marathons. Seven continents. Eleven days. You read that right. Seven 26.2-mile races scattered from Australia to Antarctica by way of Paris and Long Island, N.Y. On foot. That’s running a bit more than 183 miles over a period of about 264 hours. “It was awesome,” said Laura Frank Barnard, one of 36 runners from across the world who took part in the “Triple 7 Quest” in February.
Their quest originally was supposed to be completed in a week. That’s the three “sevens” in the name – seven continents, seven races, seven days. And they would have made it, Barnard says, but the weather over the South Pole turned cranky and slowed things down before they could get that last race in. “Who runs seven marathons in seven days and flies around the world and doesn’t get to see the places?” the SEE SEVEN, PAGE 26
INVISIBLE, INCREDIBLE, HASSLE-FREE HEARING A C A
AUDIOLOGICAL CONSULTANTS of ATLANTA “Since 1983”
You Could Be Hearing From Us.
Serving The Community For 30 Years!
JOE EARLE
Laura Frank Barnard ran seven 26.2-mile races across the globe.
AS SEEN ON WSB TV
CAN.
See our ad on page 6 to learn more and to schedule your FREE Lyric consultation today.