03-21-2014 Buckhead Reporter

Inside

Buckhead Reporter

Hitch a ride Bicycle rental program will ‘transform’ city

PERIMETER BU S

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COMMUNITY 2

MARCH 21 — APRIL 3, 2014 • VOL. 8 — NO. 6

Voting earlier

pages 7-

INESS

11

Catch me if you can

Primary, nonpartisan elections moved to May 20 COMMUNITY 4

The right stuff?

Guest educators question SAT’s relevance COMMENTARY 6

Flower power

Our new feature explores fun within two-hour drive ROAD TRIPS 14-15

Down, not out Baptist church struggles to survive FAITH 16

Best in show

Holy Spirit senior is entrepreneur, equestrian STANDOUT STUDENT 18

On the streets More police officers patrolling Buckhead area PUBLIC SAFETY 21

Malia Carter, left center, on a breakaway, is trailed by teammate Lily Hughes, right, as Emily Shull, far left, Lina Lieuwen, back right, and Hanna Huckabee, right, defend, during a soccer match at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church on March 15. The church’s Sports, Recreation and Life Enrichment Department hosts an annual soccer league. More photos on page 19.

PHIL MOSIER

Five candidates vying for District 54 seat

Demolition under way for Gateway Project

BY ANN MARIE QUILL

BY ANN MARIE QUILL

Four Republicans and a Democrat are running for the Georgia House of Representatives seat from District 54, which covers a large part of Buckhead.

The seat had been held by Republican Ed Lindsey, the House Majority Whip who’s vacating his slot to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Beth Beskin, Loretta Lepore, John McCloskey and Angelic Moore will go before voters in the Republican primary on May 20, while Bob Gibeling is the lone Democrat in the race.

We asked the candidates to tell us a little about themselves.

Below, in alphabetical order, is a sampling of what they had to say:

Crews have begun tearing down apartments near the intersection of Roswell Road and Windsor Parkway to make way for a mixed-use development coming to Sandy Springs by late 2015.

Known as the Gateway Project, zoning was approved in July 2013 for JLB Partners to construct the development that will include 630 new apartment units as well as office and retail space.

Progress on the development, which is expected to be complete by late 2015, first requires the destruction of the site’s dilapidated apartments, Chastain and Versailles.

“We are currently cleaning out the units, getting the trash out and have started demolishing some units, said Jeff Lehman, JLB’s project manager for the site.

The new apartments will be targeted at tenants able to afford higher rental rates.

In February, the Sandy Springs Development Authority voted

Beth Beskin:

“My central focus is reducing taxes and making government more accountable. I was the first candidate, and am the most vocal, SEE FIVE CANDIDATES, PAGE 5

SEE DEMOLITION, PAGE 3

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BY KAYLA ROBINS The executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition predicts a bicyclerental system planned to start in Atlanta next year will transform the city.

“The face of biking is changing in America,” Rebecca Serna, head of the nonprofit organization, told members of the Buckhead Business Association during their meeting March 13, “and it’s changing in Atlanta, too.”

Atlanta Bike Share, similar to a system in place in cities such as Washington, D.C., New York and London, is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2015, Serna said. The system, operated by private firms CycleHop and Social Bicycles, will install about 500 rental bikes in stations in Buckhead and Midtown, and other locations inside the BeltLine, she said.

Serna said riders will pay for bike use by swiping a card or inputting a number. Each bike will have an individual payment box containing a GPS tracking system and a solar panel to keep it charged.

“You can check in and out on the bike and not at a hub station, so you can lock it up anywhere,” Serna said. “Like if you want to go to Kroger, you can lock

it to a regular bike rack, go in, come out and unlock it all while you have it checked out.”

Scott Allman, a BBA member, was concerned about the many hills of Atlanta and how that may affect novice bike riders.

“Is it really feasible to ride bikes all over the city with Atlanta’s topography?” Allman said. “If you go down, you’re going to have to go up at some point.”

Serna said the good thing about the system is it’s not tied into one model of bicycle. There is the potential for incorporating electronically assisted e-bikes, which she said she has been riding while six months pregnant.

“But we are prioritizing flat streets,” Serna said.

BBA member Buz McOmber voiced concerns about education and etiquette for bikers who are new to the road.

Serna said new cyclists are generally more cautious because they’re not as confident on a bike as those who have been riding longer, so they have not been known to crash more. And safety information and maps will be posted at each station, she said.

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The parents group that supports public schools in the North Atlanta cluster is looking for volunteers willing to serve on its board.

North Atlanta Parents for Public Schools, known as NAPPS, sent out an announcement March 10 that it was looking for “committed parents in our school cluster willing to serve on its board and/or subcommittees.”

“The organization aims to increase its

ability to educate and inform parents in the North Atlanta school cluster by providing more focused and relevant events, and to be a resource for parents in areas such as special education, Hispanic relations, interaction with the new Board of Education and overall representation within the APS [Atlanta Public Schools] community,” NAPPS said in an email.

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The Chastain and Versailles apartments are being torn down to make way for the Gateway Project, scheduled for completion in late 2015.

Demolition under way for Gateway Project CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to allow an attorney to initiate drafting a $100 million revenue bond for the development, with the process expected to take about eight weeks.

Hand-in-hand with the property development will be heavy roadwork at the intersection. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority ruled that the city would need to realign the Roswell and Windsor intersection to accommodate the project, saying that due to the development’s size it would have regional impact.

When the council approved the development in July, it also had to vote to spend $3.7 million on the intersection improvement, with money coming from impact fees the developer will pay, funds moved from other projects and potential bonding.

Buckhead residents have expressed concern about traffic the development will bring to the Atlanta community just south of the Sandy Springs city line. While improvements are coming to the Roswell and Windsor intersection, upgrades to the nearby intersections of Roswell and Wieuca and West Wieuca would have to come from the city of Atlanta.

“I’m concerned because the traffic on Roswell and Wieuca will be a challenge,” Yolanda Adrean, Atlanta’s District 8 city council member representing Buckhead, said. “There’s no room for a dedicated turn lane” in the area, she said, adding that the city of Atlanta can’t provide specific funding for this issue.

On the Sandy Springs side, Sharon Kraun, spokeswoman for the city, said that the public works department is finalizing design options for the Roswell and Windsor intersection work now.

Sandy Springs’ mayor said the project will have a positive impact on his city, and the city center plans are attracting more developers like JLP Partners.

“With positive movement in the economy, and the city’s activity moving the city center project forward, we’ve seen an increase in activity by developers throughout the city,” Mayor Rusty Paul said. “The JLB project reflects the research we received in developing our master plan. People want a more integrated lifestyle – one where they can work, live, eat out and shop all within close proximity of one another. It is an exciting project for the southern sector of our city.”

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Fulton Commission District 3 candidates campaign at BCN

BY COLLIN KELLEY Fulton County Commission District 3 candidates were given the opportunity to make their campaign pitches during the March 13 Buckhead Council of Neighborhood’s meeting.

Three of the Republican candidates – Everett “Lee” Morris III, Bernard “Bernie” Tokarz and Cory Ruth – spoke at the meeting. A fourth Republican candidate, Alexander Palacios, did not attend. There are no Democrats running for the seat.

The Republican primary is May 20, and since there is no Democratic challenger, the winner will be decided that day unless a July 22 runoff is neces-

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The recently redrawn District 3 includes Buckhead, and part of Midtown and Sandy Springs. Ruth and Tokarz live in Buckhead, Morris in Brookwood Hills and Palacios in Sandy Springs. Morris formerly served as an Atlanta City Councilman.

Each of the candidates stated similar positions on the issues facing Fulton County, including a reduction in spending and the size of the county government, breaking the gridlock between the commission and municipalities, and a repeal of the controversial property tax increase approved by the commission in January.

Primary elections moved up to May 20 this year

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45 days for the state’s runoff period so there’s enough time for military ballots to be returned.

Here are candidates who qualified for election to seats representing Buckhead.

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Republican – Hunter B. Hill, incumbent Democrat – Antron D. Johnson

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Democrat – Sheila Jones, incumbent

District 54

Republicans – Beth Beskin; Loretta A. Lepore; John J. McCloskey; S. Angelic Moore Democrat – Robert W. “Bob” Gibeling

Fulton County Board of Commissioners District 3

Republicans – Everett Lee Morris III; Alexander Palacios; Cory Ruth; Bernard “Bernie” Tokarz BH

COMMUNITY

Five candidates running to fill Rep. Lindsey’s seat CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to support eliminating the state income tax. I am a supporter of the Georgia Fair Tax. I also want to cut our tax burden by implementing a significant property tax cut.”

Beskin was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal as a liaison to the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education when APS was put on accreditation probation.

“Through attending almost every school board meeting in that capacity for over a year and a half, I learned a lot about the successes, the failures and the potential of Atlanta’s public schools,” she said.

Visit Beskin’s website at www.bethbeskin.com.

Bob Gibeling:

“I am a very independent-thinking Democrat, judging each issue on its own merits. Our current political system promotes extreme positions which don’t represent the majority of our citizens. I have fought my whole life to get a healthy twoparty system for Georgia that promotes competition for the best ideas.”

Gibeling is calling on the state to support MARTA and Grady Hospital. “We need a representative that is an advocate for Atlanta taxpayers, making sure the state supports those institutions which impact our taxes. I will be that strong advocate, working across party lines,” said Gibeling, who says that years ago he worked within the Republican Party.

Visit Gibeling’s website at www.bobgibeling.com.

Loretta Lepore:

“As an entrepreneur, I have experienced firsthand the opportunity that this country affords all of us to aspire to our dreams and achieve them. As a mom, my desire is for our children to be unlimited in their potential and to realize their dreams, too. To that end, I want to contribute to building a brighter future for Georgia. I believe we can start by nurturing innovation and entrepreneurs, creating the next wave of economic prosperity.”

Lepore says her journalism back-

ground is an asset. “As a seasoned communicator, I will be an effective voice and reasoned advocate for the citizens of Buckhead and Brookhaven, should I be elected as their representative,” she said.

Visit Lepore’s website at www.voteforlepore.com.

John McCloskey:

“I am running to keep this district in the hands of a representative who is pro-business, conservative and believes in smaller government, less taxes and less government interference. I’m worried the American Dream is being diminished by federal, state and local governments that are too large, inefficient and intrusive. I have two young children - Madison and Jack - and I want to make sure they have the same opportunities as my generation to get an education, prosper in their careers and have a family.”

McCloskey is a political rookie. “I’ve spent two decades in the business world as an executive for large companies,” he said. “I know what it takes to grow a business and create jobs.”

Visit McCloskey’s website at www.johnforga.com.

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Angelic Moore:

“Buckhead is an economic hub and source for business and residential economic well-being, so it is vital that we elect someone who can get legislation passed and/or repealed as need be. After 20 years of working in business, government and politics, I have the necessary bipartisan relationships to get the job done for Buckhead, historic Brookhaven and for all of Georgia.

Moore’s paternal family helped found the national Republican Party. “Over the past 20 years I have volunteered, at the local and state levels, on numerous campaigns across our state, helping good candidates get elected and helping to create a Republican majority, all the while maintaining friendships and working relationships across party lines.”

Visit Moore’s website at www.mooreforstatehouse.com.

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Will redesigned SAT make it more meaningful?

Editor’s Note: The College Board recently announced plans to rework the SAT, the high-stakes, high-pressure test used in college admissions.

We asked local high-school leaders what they make of the changes.

When David Coleman, president of the College Board, announced recently a significant rethinking of the SAT, he was trying to address some major criticisms of the test.

One critic coached students to score higher on the writing portion by telling them that factual accuracy didn’t matter and that they should try to work in seldom-used words like “plethora.”

EUGENE A. His analysis of the writing sample BRATEK revealed that length, more than any other factor, correlated with high scores on this portion of the test. Fifteen of 16 students he coached scored higher than the 90th percentile.

Clearly, coaching appeared to result in higher scores.

The fact that coaching can result in higher scores on the SAT indicates that this is not a level playing field.

Coleman also believes the test has become “disconnected from the work of our high schools.” So, some changes include avoiding arcane “SAT words,” such as “depreciatory,” in favor of words more likely to be encountered in high school classrooms, like “synthesis.”

The essay will be optional; points will not be deducted for incorrect answers, and there will be a return to a 1,600-point scale. Calculators also will be permitted for a portion of the math exam. Every exam will include a reading passage from the nation’s founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence.

All of these changes, and others, are scheduled to be introduced in the spring of 2016. It remains to be seen if these changes will make the SAT a more meaningful metric for admissions offices.

A recent study reviewed 33 colleges and universities that did not require SAT or ACT scores and found no significant differences in college grades or graduation rates between those who had submitted tests and those who had not. Students with good high school grades did well in college, even with weak SAT scores. And some students with weak high school grades, even with strong SAT scores, did poorly in college.

Despite all this fanfare about the changes in the SAT, perhaps colleged in the future will care less about SAT scores as criteria for admission. In my opinion, this would be a step in the right direction.

Eugene A. Bratek is headmaster of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School.

When College Board President David Coleman announced major changes for the 2016 SAT, the standardized testing giant’s decision struck many as a step in the right direction.

The new SAT will pare math questions to those focused on real-life situations and a narrower set of core skills. It will drop obscure vocabulary words, opting instead to test understanding of words more commonly used in college. Points will no longer be deducted for incorrect answers, eliminating the “guessing penalty.” The essay section will become optional, and will be dramatically redesigned. Select sites will offer computerized tests.

What do these changes mean to our students at The Galloway School? In some ways, it will be business as usual. The fundamental skills that our students are learning have always served our students well on standardized tests, in college, and beyond. We have never been a school that “teaches to the test.”

On a practical level, however, there are questions that I am grappling with as a college counselor. When will the PSAT, which serves as a “practice” SAT for our 10th and 11th graders, adopt

MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Let’s be honest: College Board is a business. On the SAT alone, they bring in over $87 million. When you include their AP program (at $89 per test, per student) and their PSAT testing, you see why it’s important to their business structure that people don’t lose confidence in their results.

Perhaps when colleges first began offering an admissions process that did not consider the SAT, the College Board shrugged. However, when LINDSEY highly selective colleges entered the DEAN mix, it became harder to rely on the “way things have always been done.”

Enter David Coleman – a man who has spent his entire professional life in assessment, and is credited with being a lead writer on the Common Core Standards that are making their way to a school near you.

College Board’s own data was screaming loudly that the results were not indicative of student readiness – in fact, they were much more correlated to something that businesses tend to seek: higher incomes. In a country that touts equal opportunity and access, one of the major factors in differentiating college applicants is failing us.

However, colleges continue to use a tool that doesn’t necessarily provide a “nationally standardized perspective.” Why? Beyond the testing business lies a much more covert industry: college rankings. Colleges will sing their own praises when rankings are good and then downplay their validity if rankings are low. Until we start believing in college as more than a Top 10 list, College Board (and ACT) will continue to sink their teeth into our students.

Except for the few students with excellent counseling at their school, those without means will still fall in the percentiles, and further from college access.

Coleman’s changes aren’t going to hurt anyone. They will likely cause a boom for the test prep industry, as people clamor to be “ahead of the game.” But ultimately, the SAT will be as relevant as we, the consumers, make it. Colleges will continue to chase rankings as long as we use them for choosing our students’ “best fit.” And students will continue to agonize over a three-hour exam as if their entire future depends on the correct answer to a multiple choice question.

Yet, if you can teach them how life actually is a series of multiple choice questions (lasting much longer than three hours), then you have truly aced the test.

Lindsey Dean is the director of college counseling for Holy Spirit Preparatory School. these changes? Should we skip next year’s PSAT for 10th graders, who will take the new SAT in 2016?

There are other questions, too.

Will the computerized tests be an attractive option for students, or should they opt to stick with the paper test? Will universities utilize (require?) the re-tooled and nowoptional essay section?

The stakes remain high. AnxANN iety abounds. Test prep compaFOUNTAIN nies have already begun advertising their ability to prepare students for the new SAT. Our only option at the moment is to take a wait-and-see approach. There’s much still to be determined.

Ann Fountain is associate director of college counseling at The Galloway School.

BH

Perimeter Business A monthly section focusing on business in the Reporter Newspapers communities

Project diversity steers engineering firm through economic highs, lows

Beer magazine owner plans to publish again

BY ALEX EWALT

BY JOE EARLE

joeearle@reporternewspapers.net

Bennett & Pless has come a long way since it operated from a small basement office on Fourth Street in Atlanta.

The structural engineering firm, now headquartered just off I-85 near Chamblee, celebrates its 50th anniversary in the building construction industry this year.

Bennett & Pless projects in Dunwoody include the Crowne Pointe office towers, Dunwoody Village and the Philips Building.

Buckhead landmarks include the Monarch Office Buildings and Atlanta Financial Center, and MidSPECIAL town features the Colony Square From left, Mary and Rex Pless, and Ed and Bonnie Gazzola, building on 14th Street. The firm cut a cake noting the 50th anniversary of Bennett & Pless. also worked on the sprawling Towers at Wildwood Plaza, just across the river from Sandy Springs in Cobb County.

Founded by Moe Bennett in 1964 as E.M. Bennett Inc., the firm started out in a rented basement on Fourth Street in Midtown, where it would stay for 10 years before outgrowing the space.

Rex Pless joined as partner in 1966, and the two Georgia Tech graduates launched their structural engineering firm back in a time when, as Pless said, engineers “still did all calculations with a slide rule.” A smaller office in Chattanooga followed in 1969 and is now in its 45th year of operation.

The Atlanta branch reached its peak size during the 1980s economic boom, taking on big projects from the Southeast to the Caribbean.

“We were doing a lot of large office buildings and a lot of large hotels,” Pless said. “We were 45 people then and we were doing a tremendous amount of work.”

But like the construction industry itself, Bennett & Pless has experienced its share of hardship. The firm has survived two recessions since the ‘80s boom times.

Bennett & Pless was forced to reduce its staff from 45 to 20 following the 1990 slowdown. Nearly two decades later, Bennett retired amidst the turmoil of the 2008 recession, leaving Pless as the sole owner. He

Lynn Davis says he’s ready to try again.

He launched his magazine, The Beer Connoisseur, in December 2009. It was a large, glossy magazine, similar in looks to the Wine Spectator or the Cigar Aficionado, but for beer drinkers.

Davis says he had been working on publishing the Sandy Springs-based magazine for years at that point. And his publication found fans. He claims it has 50,000 subscribers in print and online.

But the Great Recession brought hard times for magazines and newspapers. It proved difficult to keep publishing, Davis said one recent afternoon over iced teas at the bar at Taco Mac in Sandy Springs.

In fact, his magazine hasn’t put out a paper issue since the spring of 2013, and some customers have posted complaints online saying they did not receive magazines they believed they had paid for. Subsequent issues – the latest came out last fall – have been published online, and Davis says 90 percent of his subscribers bought subscriptions online.

“We’re not a big publishing company,” he said. “We’ve always been the little guys making it happen. It’s what folks get behind.

That’s why folks get behind these craft brewers. They’re not corporate.”

Now he wants once again to give subscribers magazines they can display on their coffee tables. He has announced plans on The Beer Connoisseur website to relaunch The Beer Connoisseur in June. This time, the quarterly publication will be smaller – about the size of a National Geographic – but it still will be glossy.

“Our publication has been the largest in our group. Now we’re going to go to the smallest in the group,” he said. “It’s a cool size. ... It’ll be a lot easier to read at the bar.”

David Larkworthy, founder and owner of 5 Seasons Brewing

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PERIMETER BUSINESS

Local cities issued more than 1,300 new business licenses in 2013 More than 1,300 new businesses were licensed last year in Sandy Springs, Brookhaven and Dunwoody, according to data supplied by the cities.

New 2013 businesses ranged from I Love Hello Kitty in Dunwoody to Smash, a Brookhaven restaurant, to Blu Gorilla, a catering company in Sandy Springs. “It’s just a silly name off a key chain,” is how Mass Loallinoni, owner of Blu Gorilla, described his corporate moniker, which he said he copied from a bauble he bought at a gas station.

Sandy Springs issued 711 new business licenses in 2013, the most of the three cities. That was 47 more than Sandy Springs had issued in 2012, when it licensed 664 new businesses.

The number of new business licenses issued in Dunwoody dropped in 2013, down from 367.

Brookhaven reported it issued 308 new business licenses in 2013, its first year of operations as a city.

To get a snapshot of the kind of businesses expanding in our communities, Reporter Newspapers took the city reports and organized them by business type, according to their North American Industry Classification numbers, or NAICS

Accommodation and Food Services

37 39

27 22 24

Admin. & Support, Waste Mgt., Remediation Services 4

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

8

61

11 22 25

Construction Educational Services

6 1

Finance and Insurance*

Types of business licenses issued in 2013 ■ Dunwoody

9

61

(Total 327)

12

8

85 19

Health Care and Social Assistance Information

5

Management of Companies and Enterprises

4 4

Manufacturing

5 3

30

48

■ Brookhaven (Total 309)

13 13

■ Sandy Springs

8

Other Services (except Public Administration)

(Total 711)

10 32

15

73

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services*

59

Real Estate Rental and Leasing

17

23

64

171

47

Retail Trade

61

47

70

6 4 3

Transportation and Warehousing Wholesale Trade

4 0

13 14 20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

CITY OF BROOKHAVEN, CITY OF DUNWOODY AND CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS

*The city of Sandy Springs lists insurance services separately, but for this business license chart is it has been included in the Finance and Insurance category. The city also has a BLPF category, which is incorporated into the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services category.

numbers.

The numbering system was developed by the federal government, and is the standard system used by federal agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose

of collecting, analyzing and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to the NAICS numbers, the most popular new businesses in Sandy

Springs and Dunwoody in 2013 offered professional, scientific and technical services. In Brookhaven, the largest number of new permits, by just a single permit, were issued to businesses categorized as “other services.”

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PERIMETER BUSINESS Chamber, local officials welcome new business A new bank opened a location in the Perimeter area, one of the largest commercial areas in metro Atlanta. Below is a recent ribbon cutting formally marking the opening of KeyWorth Bank in Dunwoody Village. The photo was provided by the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce.

O pe nin gs

KeyWorth Bank, located at 1449 Dunwoody Village Parkway, celebrated its newest location with a ribbon cutting on March 12.

In attendance, from left, Patrick Burkhalter, Beth Summers, Heyward Wescott, Neil Stevens, Rob Binion, MJ Thomas, President and CEO Jim Pope, Russell Reece, Ray Bachman, Bob Dallas, Brent Morris, Mayor Mike Davis, Charles Buffington and Butch Floyd.

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MODA Floors & Interiors, owned by Dean and Janice Howell, is celebrating its 10th year in business. The company has showrooms in the West Midtown Design District Brie fs and at Town Brookhaven. Started initially as a three-person, home-based business, MODA Floors & Interiors currently employs 15 people and partners with 10 installation crews to complete approximately 1,300 projects each year. The company’s client base includes residential remodelers, custom homebuilders, designers, insurance contractors and consumers.

Jim Squire, CEO of Sandy Springs-based Firestorm, was recently awarded the William Rosenburg Leadership Award by the International Franchise Association’s Educational Foundation. Firestorm is a national crisis management consulting firm.

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PERIMETER BUSINESS

Beer magazine owner plans to publish again CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Co. in Sandy Springs, said Davis’ magazine may have been poorly timed. “As far as the beer culture in Atlanta, it was well timed for that,” Larkworthy said. “I think trying to start a super-glossy magazine in a recession was a bad time for him. It’s been a difficult period for all of us.”

The magazine has been “good custodians” of the local beer scene, Larkworthy said, and “there are three times as many breweries [locally] as when they started.”

Davis, who lives in Sandy Springs, pulled together the magazine because he believed he saw an opening in the market. “It seemed like there was a magazine for every topic out there,” he said. “Then I notice there was this void in the beer space. That seemed like an opportunity.”

The goal: “We wanted to take a sophisticated, higher-end approach to beer,” he said.

He’d worked for specialty printers and done advertising work through his own marketing and design company. And he liked beer. He combined his interest with his background in printing and came up with his magazine. “I would do it all myself, except for the articles,” he said. “I’m a terrible writer.”

He had stopped drinking, he said. “I haven’t had a drink in seven years,” he

The old-fashioned way:

JOE EARLE

Lynn Davis, founder and publisher of The Beer Connoisseur magazine, with the taps at Taco Mac in Sandy Springs.

said.

Finding financing had proved difficult from the beginning, he said. “I tried to raise money and I couldn’t do it,” he said.

“I couldn’t raise a dime. ... This kind of thing requires you to have relationships

with folks. It was just little, old me.”

The late 2000s became one of the worst times in memory for print media. “It was one of the worst atmospheres ever,” he said. “The Internet was changing everything. It was the perfect storm

Raising The Standard of Care

for the print media.”

But it turned out the Internet cut both ways. Davis found followers on the web. When he offered special subscription deals through Groupon and other websites, people found him. A Father’s Day offering produced $30,000 in subscriptions in a week, enough revenue to keep publishing. Subsequent online subscription offers kept subscribers coming in.

“There are so many consumers for beer. There’s seemingly an unlimited supply of interest. You have a husband, son or brother that Beer Connoisseur is the perfect present for,” he said.

And interest continues to grow in locally-produced beers made by small craft brewers.

“Wine, spirits, cigars – those publications – their audience is more a luxury audience,” Davis said. “Beer is anti-elitist. It is not elitist. But craft beer is really gourmet and it’s hip and it’s cool. We kind of straddle that fence. It’s high end.

It’s fun and it’s cool.”

Now he says he’s planning to put together another edition of the magazine on paper.

“We’ve been very good about making things work out,” he said. “We’ve been going issue to issue for four years and we keep finding a way.”

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PERIMETER BUSINESS

Deal: More HOPE for technical college students

BY ANN MARIE QUILL Education was on Gov. Nathan said, explaining that he wants to start Deal’s mind when he spoke to an audithe port’s deepening project this year deence of about 200 at a Perimeter Busispite the fact that the Obama adminisness Alliance luncheon on March 14. tration will not fund it. He said the state “We have to have a reliable and qualwill have $266 million to complete the ified workforce,” he said, explaining that project once funding is approved. education is key to reachDeal said making iming that goal. provements to the I-285 He said the high school and Ga. 400 interchange graduation rate is not is one of his top priorities, where it needs to be and and that he promised “to employers in key sectors build and finish and open can’t find qualified worka new intersection” at that ers. location. “If you give me To solve that problem, the opportunity, I look forDeal is asking the Generward to being there to cut al Assembly to consider a the ribbon,” he said. proposal that the HOPE Deal thanked the PeScholarship fund 100 perrimeter Community ImGov. Nathan Deal cent of tuition for stuprovement Districts for dents entering fields such its $10.5 million commitas long-distance truck driving, welding, ment to the project, and he hoped that diesel mechanics and information techthe public-private partnership would innology. spire other local communities to become Deal said state schools must evaluate involved. what type of degrees lead to jobs and exJohn Heagy, a PBA board trustee pand those programs. who introduced Deal to the audience, Deal also pointed to the $547 million said he agreed with the decision to prifor the school system in the 2014 budget oritize improvements at the interchange. that will help eliminate teacher furlough “[The central Perimeter area] contindays. He said that as a result, schools are ues to be one of the hottest office centers rewriting next year’s calendars. in the Southeast and certainly in metAnother aspect to a successful econro Atlanta,” he said. “It’s important that omy in Georgia is the Savannah Port’s our leaders continue to address transability to move products efficiently, Deal portation issues.”

Years of research help create years of memories.

Engineering firm survives economic highs, lows CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

cut about a third of his staff, leaving 16 employees.

“I had [considered] possibly selling the business in 2008, when the recession started,” Pless said. “That recession was tough on us. We actually, for a little while, went on a 32-hour week, but that didn’t last very long. Then [business] picked back up. We’re very busy now.”

A new chapter began a year ago when Pless partnered with Ed Gazzola, who was announced as CEO and co-owner of the firm in April 2013. Gazzola, a Toronto native, first came to Atlanta 15 years ago as founder and president of engineering firm Morrison Hershfield Corporation, and has served more than 20 years as an engineering executive.

“A lot of firms got cut in half in the recession, but a lot of them just didn’t make it,” Gazzola said. “I think it’s a real testament to the reputation of the firm [that it survived], but I also think the diversification of the types of work that we do has helped.”

Bennett & Pless has grown its involvement in the wireless, billboard and

industrial sectors in recent years, but it continues to consult on a wide range of building projects.

“We do every type of building you can imagine, from a single-family residence to a 40-story office tower and everything in between,” said Pless, who estimates that the firm has active projects in about 20 U.S. states and in several countries overseas.

The firm often consults on complex renovations of historical sites. They are currently in talks to help renovate the Donaldson-Bannister farmhouse at the corner of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Vermack Road, a property that was built in the 1870s.

The staff has held firm at 16 since the 2008 cuts, but Gazzola said he intends to start growing soon, possibly to double the amount within three years. “I would like to see us expand geographically, to get some other offices besides Atlanta and Chattanooga as we go forward,” Gazzola said.

“That’s in the future, but I think if we want to be a top-10 firm in the country, it will require us to do that.”

Northside Hospital Cancer Institute treats more men with prostate cancer than anyone else in Georgia. And Northside’s patients have access to the latest research and treatments. These are a few more reasons why people from across the country trust Northside for their cancer care. No team works harder to help make cancer a distant memory. For help finding a cancer specialist, call 404-531-4444.

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BROOKHAVEN • BUCKHEAD • DUNWOODY • SANDY SPRINGS

FUNDRAISERS

KIDS STUFF

Tossed Out Treasures

Sculpting Class

Friday, March 28, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. – The

Tuesday, March 25, 4:30-5:30 p.m. – Join

Sandy Springs Society hosts the 23rd annual “Tossed Out Treasures,” the ultimate flea market. Browse high-end items including home décor, jewelry, silver, crystal, sports equipment, art, furniture, gently-used clothing and more. Sale continues March 29, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Free admission. Preview party, March 27, 6-9 p.m., $30; $35 at the door. Enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction while shopping.

Tom Jumper Chevrolet, 7200 Roswell Rd., Sandy Springs, 30328. For preview party tickets or information, go to: www.sandyspringssociety.org.

Monarchs & Margaritas Saturday, March 29, 6:30-10:30 p.m. – Mon-

archs & Margaritas, the premier gala benefiting the Dunwoody Nature Center, returns with all new surprises. Event features dinner, live entertainment, signature cocktails, desserts and coffees, and live and silent auctions. $100 per person. Party attire requested. Proceeds benefit the programming, education and outreach efforts of the center. South Terraces Atrium, 115 Perimeter Center Place, Dunwoody, 30346. To purchase tickets or for details, go to: www.monarchsandmargaritas.org.

Ms. Briana as she teaches a two-part sculpting class.

Learn about the basics of sculpting! Continues on April 1, same time. Free and open to all. For ages 7 and up. Registration required by calling the Sandy Spring Branch Library at 404-303-6130 or emailing: leah.germon@fultoncountyga.gov. In the Meeting Room, 395 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, 30328.

All About Pirates Saturday, March 29, 3-4 p.m. – Ms. Leah

holds a seasonal story time and related activities for the whole family! Pirate costumes strongly encouraged! For ages 3-7. Free, and the community is welcome. Registration required by calling the Sandy Spring Branch Library at 404-303-6130 or emailing: leah.germon@fultoncountyga.gov. 395 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, 30328.

PJ Stories Tuesday, April 1, 6:30-7 p.m. – Listen to bedtime stories with sleepy-time songs. Wear PJs and bring stuffed friends. Free. For ages 3-5. Open to the first 20 participants. The community is welcome to attend. Call 404-848-7140 to sign up. Brookhaven Branch Library, 1242 N. Druid Hills Rd., NE, Brookhaven, 30319.

Teen Yoga Saturday, April 5, 1:30-2:30 p.m. – Stressed

over tests? Ana Rodriguez shows you how to relax and overcome anxieties with an hour of yoga. Registration required. Bring your own mat; mats will be provided.

Open to middle and high school youth. Free. All are invited. Call 404-303-6130 to register. Sandy Springs Branch Library, in the Meeting Room, 395 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, 30328. Email: marlan.brinkley@fultoncountyga.gov with questions.

Daffodil Dash Sunday, March 30, 9 a.m. – Join others at the

Daffodil Dash, a 1 mile and 5K run/walk in memory of children who perished in the Holocaust. Race starts at Georgia Perimeter College and ends at the Marcus Jewish Community Center. Race followed by a Holocaust survivor speaker and a refugee from Darfur. $25; $12 for kids under 10 years old. Proceeds benefit global outreach programs. Register online: www.daffodildash.org. Georgia Perimeter College, 2101 Womack Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. For further information call 855-665-4234 or email: amyisraelchaiatlanta@gmail.com.

Chastain Chase Sunday, April 6, 8 a.m. – Celebrate Spring by

12

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MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

running in the Cancer Support Community’s Chastain Chase 6K fundraiser. $30; $20 phantom runner. Event also offers 1 mile and Tot Trot. Race winds through Chastain Park. T-shirts, after-race food. Proceeds provide programs for those affected by cancer. Begins at Road Runner Sports, Powers Ferry Square, 3756 Roswell Rd., Suite 16, Atlanta, 30342. To register or to find out more, visit: www. cscatlanta.kintera.org/chastainchase.

PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS

New Exhibitions Wednesday, March 26, 5-7 p.m. – Ogletho-

rpe University’s Museum of Art hosts a member and public reception celebrating the opening of its two new exhibitions: OPTIC CHIASM: The Crossing Over of Art & Science, part of the inaugural Atlanta Science Festival, and BLIND/SIGHT: Conversations with the Visually Inspired. Lectures by two co-curators follow, beginning at 7 p.m. Free and open to all. 4484 Peachtree Rd., NE, Brookhaven, 30319. Call 404-364-8555 or go to: http://museum.oglethorpe.edu with questions.

The Secret Garden Thursday, March 27, 7 p.m. – The students

of Holy Spirit Preparatory’s Performing Arts department perform a musical production of “The Secret Garden,” about a sickly English girl who blossoms while spending time in a garden. Show continues March 28-29, at 7 p.m. $5 at the door. In the Commons Building, Upper School campus, 4449 Northside Dr., NW, Atlanta, 30327. Call 678-904-2811 for more information.

LET’S LEARN!

Savor Sandy Springs

The Civil War Monday, March 24, 6 p.m. – As part of

The Lovett School’s “The Civil War and the Forging of Character Lecture” series, Dr. Joan Waugh, department of History professor at UCLA, discusses “Ulysses S. Grant in Historical Memory.” Free and open to the public. Reservations suggested by calling 404-2623032, ext. 1717. In the Hendrix-Chenault Theater, The Lovett School, 4075 Paces Ferry Rd., NW, Atlanta, 30327. For additional information, go to: www.lovett.org.

Cancer Treatment Exercise Tuesday, March 25, 2-3:30 p.m. – Have you experienced cancer-related fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment, weight gain/loss or other symptoms of cancer surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy? Science shows exercise can eliminate or reduce treatment-related problems, improve survival rates, reduce recurrence and ultimately improve quality of life. Free and open to members of the Cancer Support Community. Snacks provided. RSVP to 404-8431880. 5775 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd., Suite C-225, Atlanta, 30342. Go to: www.cscatlanta. org with questions.

Small Container Gardening Tuesday, March 25, 3-4 p.m. – The UGA

Cooperative Extension shares fun gardening ideas! Gardening can be done in small places. All you need are containers to grow your favorite vegetables, fruits and plants. Turn your porch or deck into the perfect growing spot. Free and open to all. For adults. Brookhaven Branch Library, 1242 N. Druid Hills Rd., Brookhaven, 30319. Call 404-848-7140 for details.

Symphony of the Stars Tuesday, March 25, 7-8:15 p.m. – The At-

lanta Science Festival comes to Georgia Perimeter College- Dunwoody. Astronomer Jay Dunn explores John Williams’ music for the Star Wars movies. Enjoy live music and video clips, all inspired by Star Wars. Free and open to the public.

For high school and college students, and adults.

Parking available in Lots 6, 8 and 9. 2101 Womack Rd., Room NC 1100, Dunwoody, 30338.

Call 770-322-4992 or visit: www.atlantasciencefestival.org with questions.

College Prep Saturday, March 29, 8 a.m. – The 16th

semi-annual college prep series gives students a free opportunity to take college entrance exams in a simulated testing environment. Take the PRA to decide between the ACT or SAT. The PSAT also offered. PSAT best suited for middle school through 9th graders; sophomores and juniors may register for the PRA. Register in advance, via phone: 1-800-2REVIEW or online: www.princetonreview.com. North Atlanta High School, 4111 Northside Parkway, Atlanta, 30327. Call 404330-6052 for more information.

On The Water Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. –

Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy a day on the water at Morgan Falls Overlook Park during “Canoe, Kayak & Paddleboard Demonstration Day.” Event gives you a chance to “test the waters” with canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. Learn paddling safety, basics of paddling, differences between paddles, paddle strokes, loading a kayak, kayak fishing and kayak camping.

Free and open to all ages. 200 Morgan Falls Rd., Sandy Springs, 30350. www.sandyspringsga.org.

“BE A PAL…” Monday, March 31, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. –

Check out Lunch & Learn programs offered by PALS: fitness club; Henry Kissinger; struggles of the spirit; the future of medicine; finance class; the Founding Fathers’ debate; heroism & horror in WWI; Bridge; Mahjongg and Chess. Classes continue through May 19. No class on April 14.

Class details and fees available by calling PALS at 770-698-0801 or going online: palsonline.org.

Catered lunch available with reservation. Dunwoody United Methodist Church, 1548 Mount Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, 30338.

Enjoy a healthy taste of South America at FuegoMundo, featuring the best Latin foods on the grill. A unique regional favorite with Colombian-American-Jewish chef/ owners Masha Hleap and Udi Hershkovitz at the helm, FuegoMundo focuses on flavorful and healthy from-scratch fusion recipes from South and Central America and Spain. The ideal place for meat lovers, chicken-lovers, fish-lovers, vegans and health-conscious diners with many gluten-free, dairy-free, grass fed beef, organic and Kosher options (AKC), all served in a trendy, upscale-casual environment.

FuegoMundo, South American Wood-Fire Grill 5590 Roswell Rd, #120 – www.fuegomundo.com

There are more than 100 full-service fine dining restaurants in Sandy Springs. Reserve a table and enjoy a delicious meal in our community!

For more information about dining in Sandy Springs, please visit:

http://www.visitsandysprings.org

Go Native!

Thursday, April 3, 2-4 p.m. – The Chatta-

hoochee Nature Center holds a workshop on native plants for the home landscape. Presentation highlights butterfly gardens, trees and shrubs.

Program includes walking tour of mature plants in the CNC gardens. Free for CNC members; included in general CNC admission. For ages 16-adult. 9135 Willeo Rd., Roswell, 30075. Go to: www.chattnaturecenter.org or call 770-9922055 to learn more.

COMMUNITY

Health Screenings

Afikomania!

Thursday, March 27, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. – The

Sunday, April 6, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – Fam-

Marcus Jewish Community Center-Atlanta and Northside Hospital present free health screenings, including: non-fasting cholesterol & glucose; blood pressure; body composition analysis; osteoporosis; pulmonary function, and more. 5342 Tilly Mill Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. For additional details, call Rachael Rinehart at 678-812-4022 or visit www.atlantajcc.org.

Driving Club

ilies are invited for a morning of Passover songs and fun at the Marcus Jewish Community Center-Atlanta. Children will enjoy a matzah topping bar, craft stations, green screen and more. Passover songs with Rabbi Glusman begin at 10 a.m., followed by a performance by the “Charoses Players” in the Morris & Rae Frank Theater. Free and open to the community. 5342 Tilly Mill Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. For additional details, call 678-8124161 or email: rabbi.glusman@atlantajcc.org.

FINAL MONTH!

Saturday, March 29, 2-5 p.m. – The Dun-

woody Driving Club holds it first event of 2014, celebrating its third anniversary. Check out more than 125 antique and sports cars on display. Invite family, friends and children to attend. It is free. In the parking lot behind Marlow’s Tavern, 1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway, 30338. Visit: www.dunwoodydrivingclub.com for more information.

GET LISTED!

Submit listings to Calendar@ReporterNewspapers.net

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | 13

7

Road Trips

Georgia gardens

Editor’s note: Reporter Newspapers usually focus attention on our local communities.

But now and then, we find it worthwhile to gas up the car and head off to see something of the world outside. In that spirit, we’re launching this new feature, Road Trips. These articles will describe interesting places to go and unusual things to see within a two-hour drive of Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Brookhaven and Dunwoody. They’ll appear occasionally whenever the spirit moves us for a good road trip.

As spring returns and nature begins to color the landscape, it’s a good time to check out places where flowers really strut their stuff. Here are seven gardens located in Georgia.

Some have stories to tell. Others offer exotic flowers or displays of floral beauty.

Clean out the SUV, load up the family and take a moment to smell the roses, or the irises, or the daffodils.

Vines Gardens, Loganville

Address: 3500 Oak Grove Road Directions: Take I-285 East to Exit 39B. Take U.S 78 East for about 21 miles. Turn left on Hoke Okelly Road SW, then turn left onto Oak Grove Road.

Hours: sunrise to sunset, unless otherwise posted.

What it’s known for: 25-acre garden, a model railroad that opens May 10.

For more information: 678-277-0890, www.gwinnettcounty.com

Smith-Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw

The 16-acre gardens grew up around the historic Hiram Butler House, which was built in 1880. Robert Gilbert purchased the property in 1970 and over the next 35 years, Gilbert and Richard Smith added the gardens and sculpture collection. The house and gardens, owned by the city of Kennesaw, now feature more than 3,000 species of plants.

Address: 2382 Pine Mountain Road Directions: Take I-75 North to Exit 269. Take Cobb Parkway to Pine Mountain Road, turn left onto Ernest W. Barrett Parkway NW, take a right onto Cobb Parkway and go 2.8 miles, then turn left onto Pine Mountain Road.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays.

Cost: $7 for adults; $6 for senior citizens and active duty military; $5 for children aged 6 to 12.

What it’s known for: The garden features 31 sculptures.

For more information: 770-919-0248 or www.smithgilbertgardens.com

What do you want your retirement years to “look like”?

Malt Shop, Movie Theater, Upgraded Apartments, and a Fitness Trainer in a New Gym Come by to see what the excitement is about and receive a complimentary dinner for 2 at our “Café 335” and a $5.00 gift card for your trip.

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MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

www.facebook.com/mercedesofbuckhead mercedesofbuckhead.com | 404-846-3500 2799 Piedmont Road | Atlanta, GA 30305

Road Trips Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain

Dunaway Gardens, Roscoe

Cason J. Callaway, a textile magnate from LaGrange, and his wife, Virginia, conceived Actress Hetty Jane Dunaway in 1934 opened a “theatrical training ground” on of these gardens in the 1930s and began working her husband Wayne P. Sewell’s property six miles from Newnan, on them in the 1940s, according to the garden’s Dunaway Gardens says on its website. Her stone-walled gardens website. Open to the public since 1952 and now hosted theatrical and dance performances. They fell into disrepair operated by a foundation, this 2,600-acre resort and were overgrown by kudzu and ivy for nearly half a century. complex offers golf, water sports and restaurants.

Owner Jennifer Bigham began restoring the gardens in 2000, and The garden features a butterfly house, and claims the gardens reopened in 2005. to be home to the world’s largest azalea garden.

Address: 3218 Roscoe Road Peak azalea blooms are expected in late March Directions: Take I-85 South to Exit 69. Exit onto South Fulton and early April.

Parkway and go about 21 miles. Turn left onto Campbellton Address: 17800 U.S. 27 Redwine Road, go 7 miles. Turn right after the bridge into the stone Directions: I- 85 South to I-185 South (Exit and gated entrance to the gardens.

21). Exit at U. S. 27 (Exit 42), turn left Hours: Scheduled to be open only on selected weekend days in April, and proceed to Pine Mountain, then turn May and June. Open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Fridays and right onto Ga. 354 West and proceed to Saturdays, and noon until 4 p.m. on Sundays. Check the website, intersection with Ga. 18. Callaway Gardens’ www.dunawaygardens.com/visiting.php, for open days.

CALLAWAYGARDENS.COM Cost: $10 for adults; $8 for children. main entrance is on the opposite side of this intersection.

What it’s known for: Past association with celebrities, such as Minnie Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pearl, an amphitheater, the Hanging Gardens.

Cost: $18 to $25 (depending on type of ticket) for adults; $15 to $20 for senior For more information: 678-423-4050 or www.dunawaygardens.com citizens 65 and older; $9 to $12.50 for children 6 to 12; 5 and younger, free.

What it’s known for: Azaleas, butterflies, native plants, seasonal special events such as a hot air balloon festival in the summer, and holiday lights in November and December.

For more information: 1-800-225-5292 or www.callawaygardens.com

Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta

Efforts to create an Atlanta garden began in 1973, and the garden opened in 1976.

It now occupies about 30 acres and five main buildings, and operates as a nonprofit charged with developing and maintaining plant collections for display, education, research and conservation.

Address: 1345 Piedmont Avenue Directions: The garden is next to Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Take I-85 South to Exit 84 and follow signs to 14th Street. Turn left on 14th and continue to Piedmont Avenue. Turn left on Piedmont. The garden is on the right.

Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays – 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. November through March; 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. April through October; Thursdays – 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. May through October; closed Mondays, except holidays.

Cost: $18.95 for adults; $12.95 for children aged 3 to 12; free for children younger than 3.

What it’s known for: Orchids, roses, hydrangeas, a Japanese garden, desert plants, high elevation plants.

For more information: 404-876-5859 or atlantabotanicalgarden.org

Buckhead’s ‘The Garden Show’ to focus on community gardens

The Southeastern Horticultural Society is planning an abbreviated edition of its annual flower show at the Buckhead Theatre on April 25-27. The Southeastern Flower Show, usually held at the Cobb Galleria, will return in 2015, but this year The Garden Show in Buckhead will focus on community gardening. Speakers will include Vince Dooley and Steve Penley, along with a marketplace, photography exhibit, children’s activities, local chefs, floral designers and the announcement of a “legacy garden” at Charlie Loudermilk Park. For tickets and information, visit www.sehort.org/ gardenshow.

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Retired landscape company founder James H. Gibbs started building a combination of 16 gardens in 1980 on 220 acres around his Cherokee County home, the gardens’ website says. He opened the house and garden to the public in 2012.

Address: 1987 Gibbs Drive Directions: Take Ga. 400 North to Exit 12B. Turn right on Atlanta Highway (Ga. 9), go about 2 miles and turn left onto Campground Road. Go about six miles and turn left on Cumming Highway (Ga. 20), go about a mile and turn right on Ball Ground Road (Ga. 372), go about three miles and turn right onto Hightower Road (Ga. 369), go about two miles and turn left onto Yellow Creek Road, go about seven miles and turn right onto Gibbs Drive.

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Cost: $20 for adults; $18 for seniors 65 and older and for children aged 4 to 17; free for children 3 and younger.

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For more information: 770-893-1880 or www.gibbsgardens.com

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Directions: Take I-75 North to Exit 306. Turn left and drive about 2.2 miles on Ga. 140. Turn left at Hall Station Road and travel south approximately 5.5 miles. Take a right at Barnsley Gardens Road (just past Mt. Carmel Church). Travel 2.5 miles to the main entrance of the resort on the left.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Cost: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors 55 and older; $5 for students and children aged 4 to www.zweigcenter.com 11; free for children younger than 4 What it’s known for: 19th century boxwood gardens, wildflower meadow, rose arbor. *Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. For more information: 1-877-773-2447 or 770-773-7480 or www.barnsleyresort.com www.ReporterNewspapers.net | MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | 15

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FAITH

Leaders of this Dunwoody church aren’t ready to give up yet

BY J.D. MOOR Ebenezer Primitive Baptist Church stands at a crossroads.

Edward Cagle, who served as pastor of the congregation from 1953 until 1973, came back in 2003 for a second round to help hold together the small church at the intersection of Spalding and Roberts drives.

“They were talking about closing the doors due to low attendance in 2003. I couldn’t stand that, so I volunteered to come back,” Edward Cagle said.

Cagle is 86 years old now. And, at times, his efforts to hold the church together and the community seem to be at odds. “There was a time when 60 to 70 percent of the membership

lived in the community. Now there’s only one,” he said. “Our members have dropped to an all-time low of 18 or 19.”

After high school, Cagle was a bookbinder by trade. He was ordained at 22. “When I heard God’s call, I didn’t think twice about it,” the pastor said.

In 1829, the church stood diagonally across the street from its current location. Dunwoody claims Ebenezer as its oldest church, but the building actually falls within Sandy Springs’ city limits.

Rebuilt at least twice since its beginning, the red-brick church building looks secular. Its low profile is faith-

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MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

ful to Primitive Baptist tenets: no steeple, no cross outside to draw attention, just a roadside marquee to advertize the only weekly service, held on Sunday evenings.

During the Civil War, Ebenezer was commandeered as a Union Army hospital.

The church’s historic cemetery is home to Union and Confederate soldiers.

Now, Marty Smith, a church elder, acknowledges Ebenezer is in a battle of its own, but he has not lost faith.

“Throughout history, there J.D. MOOR are churchPastor Edward Cagle leads the service at Ebenezer es that have Primitive Baptist Church in Dunwoody. closed. We will see if the Lord revives us,” he said.

Sandy Springs church, Aldridge has And there could be a new outreach. been coming to Ebenezer intermit“We haven’t gone door-to-door and tently for 23 years. “I used to see this handed out pamphlets, but we might church packed. If there were just two do that,” Smith said. “We just hope families that took an interest, I believe that people will come by when they it would start growing,” he said. see our lights on for now.”

Charlyne Harrison of Dunwoody On a recent Sunday, Smith’s boomtakes a more sober view. “The larger ing voice opened the service. Singing churches have more to offer to young a cappella, Smith led the 10 worshippeople these days. Also, church and reers in attendance. All were visitors and ligion just aren’t as important as they members of other churches. Cagle was once were,” she said. the only actual member present. They Harrison said she likes the evening informally called out hymn numbers, service. “I go to two churches on Suna playlist of sorts, and Smith willingly days because I didn’t get enough docaccommodated them. trine on Sunday morning,” she said Smith and Cagle say Ebenezer’s with a smile. decline is not only because members Primitive Baptists embrace certain have fled the community or died off. basics. No musical instruments are Smith, who was charged by Cagle and permitted in church. There is no diled Ebenezer from 1982 to 1987, sees vision by age or gender, which means a change in lifestyles and values as no choirs and no Sunday school. And well. communion, which is administered “What usually hurts us the worst is twice a year, includes the taking of real apathy,” he said. wine, unleavened bread, and the washApathy would definitely not deing of each other’s feet. fine Myra Medlin or most of the oth“We’re not anti-technology. We do ers in church this night. “I went to my have websites. But the worship is very church in Suwanee this morning, went simple and we have to find basis for back this afternoon, and I’m here toit in the New Testament,” Smith said. night. You might think it’s weird, but Cagle is busy these days. In addiI enjoy church,” the Duluth resident tion to Ebenezer, he pastors a church said. in Milton while it seeks a new, permaWilliam Mac Aldridge traveled nent leader. Cagle’s energies may be from Cumming to attend. During the divided, but he remains upbeat and service, he knelt and said, “We pray single-minded. that this church will flourish again.”

“I give out sometimes,” he said, Although he belongs to another “but I don’t give up.”

Here’s Looking at You!

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SPECIAL

SPECIAL

I’ll have a glass Sgt. Jeff Vanaman, with the Brookhaven Police Department, supports Handley Greeley’s lemonade and rainbow loom bracelet stand set up at Clack’s Corner in Brookhaven Fields.

Read all of our editions online

SPECIAL

Tons of trash From left, Ryan Brown, Bryson Peters and Travis Peters, members of Diplomatic Leadership Corps, an organization of 25 young Buckhead leaders, got themselves dirty while participating in a clean-up effort of Peachtree Creek on March 3.

Pretty in pink

The Holy Spirit Preparatory School’s Lady Cougars basketball team, along with Head of School Kyle Pietrantonio, left, and Mercy Care’s Scott Tucker, right, recently enjoyed their third annual Pink Games, bringing in over $1,000 for St. Joseph Mercy Care, a nonprofit providing medical services to uninsured, homeless and HIV-positive individuals.

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EDUCATION

Standout Student

Student Profile:

Mary Ruth Nagel Holy Spirit Preparatory School, senior Even though she hasn’t yet graduated from high school, Mary Ruth Nagel already has made her mark as an entrepreneur, an altruist and a nationally competitive equestrian athlete.

Mary Ruth, who attends Holy Spirit Preparatory School, began riding horses at Chastain Horse Park at the age of 4. She picked up the sport alongside her younger brother, who joined as part of a therapy program to combat his mild cerebral palsy.

Ever since, Mary Ruth has been an equestrian athlete. In eighth grade, she was invited to participate in the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania. The premier competition includes only the top 30 athletes nationally in each age group.

“I have always liked that it [riding horses] is a rare sport,” she said. “Once you get in there, it is just you and the horse, and you cannot blame anyone else for your mistakes, which is sometimes hard, but when you do well, it is really rewarding.”

Before starting high school, Mary Ruth often traveled for riding competitions. To avoid missing too much school work, she stopped traveling and started Holy Spirit’s first equestrian team with the help of her mom.

The team, which practices at Chastain, accepts students from other schools that may not have their own programs.

Mary Ruth, who was too shy to talk in school until first grade, considers herself outgoing and talkative today, and credits the change to riding horses competitively. “Riding has been very confidence-boosting because you go in [to a competition] and everybody is watching, and it is just you out there,” she said. “The fact that your actions are controlling what something as big as a horse is doing is empowering.”

Founding an equestrian team isn’t the only venture Mary Ruth has started. In 2010, she and her three best friends and each of their moms created the jewelry company Catholic Bling. What began as a project in the Nagel basement to create Christian-themed jewelry is now a

company with a storefront on Roswell Road.

“You don’t just wake up and own a company,” said Mary Ruth. “It is hard, and you don’t make money at first, you lose money. It is not fun at the beginning and you go days you don’t want to work, but if you get through that portion of it, then you can get way further than you thought you would in the beginning.”

Today, the four friends are junior partners in the business and work there during the summer.

At school, Mary Ruth is part of the One Apostolate service club and is also a Big Sister in the school’s house program through which she helps seventh and eighth graders.

“She is seen as a big sister to all of our younger girls, and she walks and talks like we would want every teenage girl to,” said David Rosenzweig, who taught Mary Ruth, and now serves as an assistant principal at Holy Spirit.

Last summer, Mary Ruth traveled on a school mission trip to an orphanage in Jamaica through Mustard Seed Communities. During the weeklong trip, the students helped with physical labor, such as painting fences, and spent time playing with the kids.

Since her junior year, Mary Ruth has been a cheerleader and particularly enjoys football games. “I prefer football to basketball [cheerleading] because my little brother is the football captain, so it is always nice because my whole family comes to all the games,” she said.

What’s Next:

Mary Ruth will be attending Trinity College in the fall. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine.

This article was reported and written

by Mollie Simon, a senior at Chamblee Charter High School.

Help us cover high schools as a Reporter Newspapers student intern Be part of the Reporter Newspapers editorial team! We offer a paid internship for qualified, local high school students who have a demonstrated interest in journalism. Our interns will handle editorial assignments and assist with administrative tasks.

This position requires flexible hours on weekdays after school and/ or some weekend hours. Ideal candi-

dates will be an editor or staff member of their school’s publication, have excellent communication skills, be proficient in online and social media, and have their own transportation. Rising juniors and seniors preferred.

If you qualify, or know someone who does, please email information about yourself or another candidate to publisher@reporternewspapers.net.

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Feet are flying The Peachtree Road United Methodist Church’s annual soccer league kicked off on March 15, with the 5- and 6-year-old girls league stepping onto the field first. Above, Camille McElvoy, left, a member of the Pink Elephants, chases members of the Blueberries, Sophia Hines, center, Grace Sours, right, and Urvini Naidu, back right. Below left, Pink Elephant goalie Eve Heller, left, makes a save against Lizzie Park. Below right, Addison Bakke takes matters into her own hands and gets the ball down the field. The Blueberries won the game, 4-0. Bottom, after the game, players go through the “Victory Tunnel,” comprised of family members from both teams.

PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER

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MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | 19

PUBLIC SAFETY

No heels about it... we are FLAT-out Fabulous!

Police Blotter From police reports dated Feb. 23 through March 8.

The following information was provided to the Buckhead Reporter by the Zone 2 precinct of the Atlanta Police Department from its records and is presumed to be accurate.

Spring styles arriving daily

R AP E  1st block of Highland Drive, NE –A rape was reported on Feb. 26. A woman was walking east on Highland Drive when a man, walking toward her, grabbed her from the front and forced her down a driveway, away from the road. He pushed her on the ground and pulled down her pants. When the suspect saw a witness on the phone with 911, he stopped, ran, and was detained when another witness flagged down an officer working an extra job in the area. The man was positively identified and was transported to the Zone 2 precinct where he admitted to pushing the woman into the driveway, admitted to the victim being on the ground and him being next to her.

The woman had a sprained left ankle and was transported by her boyfriend to seek medical attention.

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PERIMETER BUSINES COMMUNITY 7 pages 10-15

NOV. 29 — DEC. 12, 2013 • VOL. 5 — No. 24

pages PAGES 13 - 28 10-15

Ga. 400 toll plaza comes down

pace academy senior enjoys math, art

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NOV. 29 — DEC. 12, 2013 • VOL. 7 — NO. 24

Local police, firefighters brighten childrens’ holiday

Local police, firefighters brighten childrens’ holiday

PuBLIc SAfETY 30

PUBLIC SAFETY 30

COMMUNITY 4

COMMUNITY 7

Hushed money Ga. 400 Toll Plaza comes down COMMENTARY 8-9

Paige durand, 10, gets a jump on the holiday baking season by decorating some cookies at the Brookhaven Branch Library on Nov. 25. More photos on page 5.

Setback provision delays Ashford Park house

BY MELISSA WEINMAN

Churches putting on holiday concerts

COMMENTARY 11

BY MELISSA WEINMAN AND JOE EARLE

By MeLissa WeinMan

By Dan Whisenhunt

Some north DeKalb parents and officials believe the DeKalb County Board of Education’s recent vote to deny a “charter clus- The leader of the Atlanta Police Foundation told neighborter” application for Druid Hills sent a message that the embattledhood groups in Buckhead if they purchase security cameras, Atschool board isn’t open to new ideas. lanta police will monitor them from the department’s integrated Proponents of independent school systems in north DeKalb sayvideo center. the school board’s decision will bolster efforts to start new school Dave Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Atlanta Police systems.

Scan here to get Foundation, told representatives of Buckhead neighborhoods at“The school board has a one-size-fi [philosophy],” saidtending the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods meeting on Nov. Reporterts-all Newspapers Dunwoody City Councilman TerryinNall, has advocated for14 that the Atlanta Police Foundation is hoping to get neighboryourwho inbox a separate Dunwoody school system.or“Th ey’re sign up not @ willing to rec-hoods involved in the effort to reduce property crimes.

ReporterNewspapers.net SEE dEKALB, PAgE 26 SEE POLICE, PAGE 26

concentration

OUT & ABOUT 18,22 phil mosier

Number one

Police chief named King steps down ‘Citizen of the Year’ COMMUNITY 38 from BCN post

melissaweinman@reporternewspapers.net

Angry Ashford Park neighbors told City Council that the handling of permits for a new home in their neighborhood has them questioning their confidence in the new city’s government.

On Nov. 22, residents addressed the City Council before a special called private meeting. They are concerned about a home being built at 2802 Ashford Road that they say is being built far closer to the street than it should be under city zoning regulations.

According to the DeKalb County zoning code adopted by

Joyful noise

Gun control discussion needed now

deKalb school board Police hope to monitor ‘isn’t open to new ideas’ neighborhood cameras

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Warning shot

Unplain Jane

danwhisenhunt@reporternewspapers.net

PHIL MOSIER

From left, Rep. Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs), Rep. Tom Taylor (R-Dunwoody) and Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) discuss issues such as ethics reform, an independent school system for Dunwoody, and the state’s budget woes at a legislative forum at Dunwoody United Methodist Church on Jan. 6. More photos on page 31.

Legislators gearing up for return to Gold Dome

For the last 5 1/2 years, Jim King has been the face of Buckhead’s neighborhoods.

On Nov. 14, King announced he is stepping aside from his role as Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods chairman. Tom Tidwell, a

BY MELISSA WEINMAN melissaweinman@reporternewspapers.net member of the West Paces/Northside Neighborhood Association, will take over that role. King says he will remain as vice chairman, As state legislators head back to the Gold Dome in 2013, they “temporarily.”

King said he’d been considering giving up the post for have somea lot to think about.

One local issue the state’s lawmakers may be asked to confront time, but some recent developments in his personal life pushed is the controversy surrounding DeKalb County’s school board.

concentration

The system was recently placed on accreditation probation by Adgain presence hold your own gain passion love your life! gain gain presence hold your own gain passion love your life! gain vancED, the accrediting agency.

Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody), who chairs the Senate Edsweet! gain performance on top of your game gain AUDIOLOGICAL sweet!hear world! gainthe performance on top of your game gain AUDIOLOGICAL hear the world! ucation Committee, said at a recent forum that DeKalb County A you’re A you’re schools are his No. 1 priority.

CONSULTANTS of gain discern differences gain effectiveness of gain CONSULTANTS gain recognition discern differences gain effectiveness the authority gain recognition the authority “I’m guardedly optimistic we can turn this thing around,” MilScan here to get C C lar said.

ATLANTA Reporter Newspapers ATLANTA Open House December 9th be – 10th Open House December 9th be – 10th be empowered! gain a part of it A Jan. 17 hearing of the Georgia Board of Education is schedbe 1983” empowered! gain a part of it in your inbox Aall gain “Since Aall gain “Since 1983” uled to consider suspending the DeKalb school board members. If or sign up @ Helena Kadyn Helena See our ad on the back page to learn more!

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Volume 20 • Number 1

handles an ornament at the third annual Elegant Elf Marketplace at Lake Forest Elementary School on Nov. 16.

The two-day holiday event, presented by The Sandy Springs Society, raises funds for local community services.

Rider, part of a multigenerational family selling hand-painted ornaments at the market, personalized the decorations with a buyer’s name while he or she shopped, having it ready when the customer was finished.

Additional photos on page 3.

City Council debates treehouse application

FAITH 6

Street feet

reveres Left, Amaris Wallace, 11, shows off her artistic talents to brother Amare, 3, Literary as theirsociety father, Rick, novelist Austen concentrates on the task at hand at the Buckhead Branch Library on Nov. 16. Youngsters were encouraged to drop in and create their own autumn craft. More photos COMMUNITY on page 3. 32

AtlantaINtownPaper.com

PHIL MOSIER

Synagogue celebrates 125th anniversary

phil mosier

 2014

SEE JIM KING, PAGE 6

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Court extends order halting Brook Run trail

Contract awarded for Lake Forrest fix

Councilwoman makes last stand for trees

BY DAN WHISENHUNT

BY DAN WHISENHUNT

danwhisenhunt@reporternewspapers.net

danwhisenhunt@reporternewspapers.net

City Council awarded a $717,689 contract to C.W. Matthews Contracting to fix a portion of Lake Forrest Drive that’s been closed since June.

The city’s current timetable estimates the portion of Lake ForBY TOM ODER rest between Lake Summit and Chevaux Court will be reopened by A court order halting construction a controversial multi-useFeb. 28, 2014.

Scanofhere to get trail through Brook Run Park was extended after a boisterous Fri- The city closed the road after multiple rock slides.

Reporter Newspapers day afternoon hearing in DeKalb County Superior in your inbox Court attended The initial quote from C.W. Matthews was $1.5 million. City by city officials and dozens of opponents of the city’s plan. or sign up @ officials revised their plans for the fix, deciding to use a net to catch Judge Tangela M. Barrie said her temporary restraining order ReporterNewspapers.net SEE CITY COUNCIL, PAGE 27 against the trail will remain in effect until she holds a full hearing on the matter. Barrie said homeowners who oppose the city’s plan for the trail must convince her that its construction through the forest in Brook Run Park should be permanently stopped.

Critics are upset the planned 12-foot-wide concrete trail will require removal of more than 300 trees. City officials say an equal number of trees will be replanted.

The judge’s decision to extend her temporary order capped a two-hour hearing before a packed courtroom. Chairs were add-

Before she exits Sandy Springs City Council in January, District 6 City Councilwoman Karen Meinzen McEnerny is working to secure her legacy as the city’s lead tree preservationist.

McEnerny, a firm believer in term limits, didn’t seek a third term in this year’s municipal election. She’s also a firm believer in tree protection, and has spent the last few months trying to get the council to correct what she believes are glaring flaws in the city’s tree ordinance.

City Council on Nov. 19 discussed McEnerny’s suggested fixes

These six students — and 14 others — are making a difference in our community

concentration

gain presence hold your own gain passion love your life! gain sweet! gain performance on top of your game gain AUDIOLOGICAL hear the world!

A you’re CONSULTANTS of gain gain recognition discern differences gain effectiveness the authority C ATLANTA Open House December 9th be – 10th be empowered! gain a part of it Aall gain “Since 1983” Helena See ad on the back page to learn more!

You Could Be Hearing From Us. BROOK RUN, PAGEour 35 share ideasSEEand feelings gain relationships joy! gain getWilliams, it Kadyn theAu.D. first Solodar, Au.D. perception what a colorful world gain sit back and just listen gain

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 2400 block of Coronet Way, NW – An aggravated assault was reported on March 2.

Two men used a black handgun to rob a man while he was attempting to purchase marijuana at the location. The suspect fired one gunshot at the man during the incident.

Tessa Rider, 11, carefully

Group brings warmth, love to homeless

Tons of toys

20 Years

Ready when you are

COMMUNITY 5

MAKING A DIFFERENCE 8

Tons of toys

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PERIMET ER BUSINES2014 January pages 10-15 S

Chopped up

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OUT & ABOUT 18, 22

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Redevelopment plans upset Spalding Woods’ residents

Petition circulating to remove school board

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JAN. 11 — JAN. 24, 2013 • VOL. 4 — NO. 1

TURNER FIELD TASK FORCE P, 18

$ 69 Inside 1 Sandy Springs Retiring mayor, councilwoman celebrated

Going to be a busy year

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Out the door?

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 500 block of Lindbergh Way, NE – An aggravated assault was reported on Feb. 26.

The arrestee was seen hitting a woman over her back with a belt, as she was attempting to assist him with his pet.  3400 block of Alexander Road, NE – An aggravated assault was reported on Feb. 28.

A boyfriend and girlfriend who lived together for three to four months were involved in a physical altercation. The boyfriend said his girlfriend became aggressive when he broke up with her, and said she struck him with a fork and caused a small laceration on his left wrist. He also had scratches on the back of his neck.

&

Inside

 3100 block of Roswell Road, NE – An aggravated assault was reported on Feb. 23. A witness saw a woman push the victim, and saw a man run up to the victim and punch him in the jaw with a closed fist. The victim fell to the ground and hit his face, resulting in a gash on his forehead and a laceration on his nose. He was knocked unconscious and could not remember details of the incident.

The group that was fighting the victim left on a large party bus.

www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com

MARCH 21 – APRIL 3, 2014 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

 2000 block of Bolton Drive, NW – An aggravated assault was reported on March 3. A man picked up a soda cup and hit a woman on her head. She also had visible black and blue marks on her left arm. The domestic violence unit was contacted, and an ID unit came to the location to take pictures. The man was transported to Fulton County Jail.  1900 block of Piedmont Circle, NE – An aggravated assault was reported on March 4. A woman and her live-in boyfriend argued over a text message the woman sent to her boyfriend’s pregnant other girlfriend. The boyfriend picked up a tennis shoe and struck her on the right side of her face, in the presence of their child.

R O B B E RY  1500 block of N. Highland Avenue, NE – A pedestrian robbery was reported on Feb. 25.

The victim was waiting by the vehicle for AAA to arrive to fix the car. While waiting, the suspect’s vehicle (a light-colored SUV) approached, the suspect exited the vehicle, and pointed a black revolver handgun. The victim was robbed of a wallet. The suspect drove away.  2000 block of Hollywood Road, NW – A pedestrian robbery was reported on March 1. While a man was out of his Cadillac Escalade helping his girlfriend, an unidentified suspect with a handgun approached the man, demanding money and the keys to their vehicle. The suspect wounded the man before leaving the scene.

B U R G L A RY  1100 block of Huff Road, NW – A commercial burglary was reported on Feb. 26.

Two suspects forced entry into the bar by prying the front door open. The suspects damaged the ATM machine, took money and cartons of cigarettes. The incident was captured on video.  1500 block of Howell Mill Road, NW – A commercial burglary from a medical facility was reported on March 3. While speaking with a patient, the victim heard a loud noise coming from the back door. A co-worker, a witness, walked to back door and saw a white Oldsmobile speed away. The victim’s purse was stolen. Only five people have the key to the back door. .  1500 block of W. Wesley Road, NW – A residential burglary was reported on March 3. A woman said drawers were pulled opened and two flat- screen televisions, a black iPad, Apple desktop and Nintendo Wii were stolen.  3400 block of Piedmont Road, NE – A commercial burglary was reported on March 8. Security officers said a man was on their premises who committed several prior burglaries in different office suites. When police searched the eighth floor, they noticed forced entry to the door of a suite, and found the suspect hiding beneath a desk, in a fetal position, behind a chair. When the man was taken into custody, he complained of chest pains, started falling over in a lethargic manner, and was transported to Piedmont Hospital. It appeared the man stole or attempted to steal computers from the location due to computer wires being exposed in the office.

He had in his possession black gloves, rental car keys and a cellphone.

LARCENY  3300 block of Peachtree Road, NE – A larceny from a specialty store was reported on Feb. 23. A man took two Prada handbags without paying. He had a large tattoo of a star in the center of his neck and tear drops on his left cheek.  1st block of Sheridan Drive, NE – A larceny was reported on Feb. 25. A man hired persons from craigslist.com to move and store his belongings. A TV/DVD player, golf clubs and various clothing were discovered missing when he returned to retrieve his items.  2700 block of Defoors Ferry Road, NW – A BH

PUBLIC SAFETY

APD trying new tactics to curb crime in Buckhead

BY COLLIN KELLEY Are more traffic patrols the answer to curbing burglaries and robberies in Buckhead? The Atlanta Police Department’s Maj. Van Hobbs, who oversees Zone 2, thinks so, and had some statistics to share at the March 13 Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods meeting.

Hobbs said crime is down 12 percent in Zone 2, but he worked with Chief George Turner on devising a plan to have more street presence in the Buckhead area and to pull over more cars, even if the officer doesn’t wind up writing the motorist a ticket.

“We’ve taken our best traffic officers and put them on the streets,” Hobbs said. “More cars and flashing lights and people pulled over can be a deterrent.”

Hobbs said the new traffic team had

issued 958 citations during the week of March 3 and recovered three stolen cars. He hopes to get 10 to 20 more officers in Zone 2 this summer, and many of them will be put on traffic patrol and on bikes to patrol neighborhoods.

Hobbs also encouraged residents to be vigilant and report suspicious vehicles in neighborhoods. “We know the criminals are driving in here to commit these burglaries and robberies, so call them in,” he said.

Atlanta City Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean said Turner had briefed the council earlier in the week on crime stats and said there were 481 criminals on the streets of Atlanta who had committed 7,000 crimes, but only seven of them are actually in jail.

larceny was reported on Feb. 26. A woman said she had her 2012 taxes prepared by “Direct Tax Services,” and she never received her refund of $5,204, due to her since November 2013.

reported on March 3. Someone cut a hole in the convertible top of the victim’s vehicle and stole property.

 3300 block of Peachtree Road, NE – A larceny from a specialty store was reported on Feb. 27. A man was seen entering the store, grabbing two Ralph Lauren handbags valued at $2,500, and running out without paying.

He was seen getting into a gold Mitsubishi SUV and leaving.  3500 block of Peachtree Road, NE – A larceny from a department store was reported on Feb. 28. Suspects used a key to shoplift $10,000 worth of jewelry from a storage bin.  1900 block of Monroe Drive, NE – A larceny was reported on March 1. While the residents were at home, the rear door was not able to lock securely.

The subject entered and removed a laptop and knives valued at $5,000.  400 block of E. Paces Ferry Road, NE –A larceny was reported on March

3. A woman said rent checks were stolen. She said the lockbox was ripped out of the wall.  2500 block of Bolton Road, NW – A larceny was reported on March 4. A woman left her phone and wallet on a baby changing table in the bathroom. After returning to the location, she found the items were missing.

 1st block of Cantey Place, NW – A larceny was reported on March 4. A man said his cousin took $5,700 from his safe without permission. He said that his cousin admitted to the incident. The cousin had the safe’s combination for a short period of time.

L A R CENY F ROM AUTO  800 block of Morosgo Drive, NE – A larceny from an auto was reported on Feb. 25.

A woman said her wallet was taken from the front seat of her vehicle while she was dropping off food to the day laborers who stand outside the location.  2500 block of Piedmont Road, NE – A larceny from an auto in a parking garage was BH

 1700 block of Northside Drive, NW – A larceny from an auto was reported on March 5. Seven vehicles were broken into; entry was made through windows. Several items were stolen: nine pairs of sunglasses, boots, etc. An orange and gray right-handed glove was recovered and placed into property as evidence.

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 500 block of Trabert Avenue, NW – Larcenies from autos were reported on March 6. The rear window on a vehicle was broken; a guitar head was taken from the rear seat, but recovered. The passenger window on a second vehicle was broken, but a witness interrupted the suspects before entry was made. The witness saw three men breaking into the cars, ran outside to confront them, and chased one of the suspects on Trabert Avenue. The suspect turned, pulled a handgun from the back of his waistband, and told the witness to get away from him.  400 block of Argonne Drive, NW – A larceny from an auto was reported on March 8. A man said he had parked his vehicle on the street in front of a friend’s residence the night before and when he returned the next morning, he noticed his front driver side window was smashed in. A black-and-silver backpack that contained a checkbook, a silver MacBook Pro and a pair of headphones was taken from his green 2001 Chevy Suburban

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A UTO T H EFT  2000 block of Monroe Place, NE – An auto theft was reported on Feb. 23. A man was delivering pizza to the location and left his 1998 Honda CRV running with the keys in the ignition. Upon his return, the vehicle was missing.

Read more of the Police Blotter online at www.reporternewspapers.net

Reporter Newspapers Email updates Be in the know ReporterNewspapers.net www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

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