Brookhaven Reporter - April 2021

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APRIL 2021 • VOL. 13 — NO. 4

Brookhaven Reporter

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HEAD FOR THE HILLS P20- 25

$15M tax break sparks DeKalb County debate

Planting Roots

AROUND TOWN

A Dunwoody mural artist’s American Dream P17

BY SAMMIE PURCELL

WORTH KNOWING

Canines comfort kids at Children’s Healthcare P18

PHIL MOSIER

From left, Warren Reel, Justin Viens and Nicholas Cox plant a magnolia tree in Brookhaven Park March 20, just one of 18 large trees installed that day. The project was led by the Brookhaven Park Conservancy, an organization dedicated to improving the park at 4158 Peachtree Road, and managed by Viens, a board member. Cox and Reel were among Scouts from Troop 379 who joined in. The city contributed $3,000 and Atlanta-based Park Pride gave $2,500 for the effort.

COMMENTARY

Hate crimes show need for equity in education P16

Councilmember pitches U.S. tax incentive change to boost affordable housing

BY SAMMIE PURCELL

The Brookhaven Reporter is mail delivered to homes on selected carrier routes in ZIP 30319 For information: delivery@reporternewspapers.net

Brookhaven member Joe Gebbia said he is speaking with the U.S. senator who authored the legislation creating the “Opportunity Zone” tax incentives about possible changes that he believes would allow for more affordable housing in the city.

“We don’t really have Opportunity Zones in Brookhaven,” Gebbia said. “But

if we had the opportunity to take land, a specific plot where a workforce housing project wants to go in … that would really help.”

Gebbia said since last summer, he has had two conversations with U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) about those proposed changes, and has been in contact with Scott’s legislative director as well.

See COUNCILMEMBER on page 15

DeKalb County’s Development Authority, known as Decide DeKalb, is considering a $15 million tax break for a Brookhaven development, reigniting conversations about who gets a say in how tax incentives are dolled out.

On March 24, DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader issued an emailed statement calling for residents to speak out against a proposed tax break for Manor Druid Hills, a mixed-use development at the intersection of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills roads. The development site is located in a flourishing residential and medical district, and adjacent to a future Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta campus with a $1 billion new hospital and other facilities.

The Brookhaven annexed the 26 acres the development sits on in October 2020.

The development would include 300 apartments, 55,000 square feet of office and retail space, and a 140-room hotel.

The project was supposed to go before the Decide DeKalb Development Authority -- a quasi-governmental body that provides tax breaks for property developments -- on March 25, but the meeting was cancelled.

The meeting has not yet been rescheduled.

In his email, Rader said tax abatements in the county are under scrutiny for being an “attack” on the county school system and a “threat to taxable businesses who compete with those awarded these gratuities.”

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2 | Community

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Brookhaven to redraw districts before receiving Census data; expert says it’s risky

BY SAMMIE PURCELL Brookhaven will redraw its districts before receiving U.S. Census data in an effort to have them set before this fall’s election.

City officials said that because of Brookhaven’s newly annexed areas, redrawing the districts early with projected population data would be better for candidates and voters. But a redistricting expert says the city could open itself up to lawsuits if its projected data does not match the actual Census results.

Every 10 years, every district in the country — local, state and federal — is redrawn based on the U.S. Census data for those 10 years. District populations are required by law to be about the same in size. Census data is fundamental to making sure the districts are as equal as possible. The law allows for a population variation of up to 5%.

The release of 2020 Census data has been postponed until September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most governments are pushing back their decisions. The Georgia Legislature usually handles redistricting for congressional districts in August, but that date will be pushed back this year. But Brookhaven is especially concerned about large annexations that will likely mean significant changes to its districts.

Qualifying dates for candidates who wish to run in the city election are Aug. 1820.

“This presents a conundrum for cities that do not control the Census or the elections,” said City Manager Christian Sigman in a press release. “In order for residents to know what district they live in, whether to run for an office or whom to support for office, they need to know where the district lines are.”

If the population projections end up being wrong, the city could open itself up to lawsuits, said Charles Bullock III, a University of Georgia political science professor and author of “Redistricting: The Most Political Activity in America.”

“You would be sued and you would lose,” Bullock said. “The Census data trumps everything else.”

Bullock said it would be better to continue using the existing districts.

“Then, once you get the new Census data, you could redraw, and you could even then maybe schedule elections again in 2022,” he said.

City Attorney Chris Balch said because the city knows one of its districts is out of balance with the others — the annexed areas in question were all added to District 4 — it would be best to redistrict now.

“We believe what we are doing is correct,” he said in an email. “We know District 4 is out of balance based on annexations. Not to redistrict would get us sued. Not ‘might.’ Would.”

At its Feb. 23 meeting, the approved a $33,670 contract with consulting firm FLO Analytics to assist with the project. The team from FLO Analytics will combine information from U.S. Census data; the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; state, county and regional population forecasts; and local land and building development records to come up with population projections, according to a press release.

In the meeting, Balch said the city’s recent annexations were a large part of why

it was proceeding without Census data. Because of the recent annexations of the Briarwood and LaVista Park areas, the city’s population will be different to the southeast.

“We need to redistrict in order to make sure that we have one person, one vote across all four of our districts,” Balch said.

Balch said he did not know what the average population of each district would be after the process is completed, but he said he expected each district’s population to increase.

City spokesperson Burke Brennan said that along with the recent annexations, Councilmember Joe Gebbia’s decision not to run for re-election also influenced the decision. To run for a seat, a resident needs to know what district they live in, he said.

“The district lines currently set when they qualify in August may change when we get the hard data from the Census in September, which is before the November election itself,” said Brennan in an email. “If the latter scenario were to become reality, it would be a lot more expensive and time-consuming to hold a special election to fix that issue than it is to hire a data analytics firm to try to figure it out in advance.”

There is no plan at this time to consider adding a fifth district, which would require a change to the City Charter, said Brennan.

Brennan also said the city would wait to see what FLO Analytics’ data said about Brookhaven’s population shifts before considering drawing a majority-minority district, a district in which most of the constituents are racial or ethnic minorities.

Brookhaven includes areas on Buford Highway, which has large Hispanic and international populations.

The neighboring city of Chamblee, which also has a plethora of recently annexed areas, recently decided to try adding a new majority-minority council district. Those annexed areas to the southeast -- which include areas along Buford Highway -- are more racially diverse. In Chamblee, residents vote for every district race, regardless of where they live, which caused some to express concern about making sure the elected official accurately represents members of the proposed new district.

Chamblee member Brian Mock said in redistricting the city aims to make a council that is more reflective of its demographics.

“All of our councilmembers … lived around the Peachtree Boulevard area, and nobody lived over on Buford Highway,” Mock said. “So our goal, first and foremost, was to create a district with representation from that district. Then our goal secondly was to create a district that was majority-minority.”

For Brookhaven, FLO Analytics is expected to hold four public meetings during the redistricting project. No dates have been announced, but each meeting will be held virtually, according to the release.

The process is expected to be finished by mid-May, and the council is expected to vote on the final district boundary proposal in June. Brennan said the council could table the proposal and vote on it later if they chose, but he expected residents should know what district they are in by the end of June.

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4 | Public Safety

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Brookhaven woman charged with stealing millions from small business loan program

BY SAMMIE PURCELL

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A Brookhaven woman is accused of taking part in a scheme to steal over $3.5 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

Treisha Pearson, 49, and Alpharetta resident Lakisha Swope, 43, were arraigned on March 3, and face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

Pearson and Swope pleaded not guilty during the arraignment, according to court documents from the United States District Court for the Northern District

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The press release indicates there were other people accused of involvement in the alleged scheme, but a DOJ spokesperson would not identify them. Neither Pearson nor Swope’s lawyers immediately responded to a request for comment.

Pearson, Swope and others allegedly submitted false applications for the Paycheck Protection Program, which was created to provide loans for small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. The two sent in numerous applications for multiple businesses, claiming over $5 million in loans, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine.

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Because of those false applications, lenders gave out over $3.5 million in PPP loans to the various entities, prosecutors allege. Swope, Pearson and other purported members of the conspiracy then allegedly used those funds for things such as high-end clothing, rent and vacation rentals.

“PPP dollars often provide a bridge for businesses suffering from the effects of

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No trial date has been set yet, according to the DOJ. According to court documents, a pretrial conference is scheduled for Pearson and Swope on April 6.

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APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Social Justice commission discusses anti-Asian bias in wake of mass murders

BY SAMMIE PURCELL Members of the city’s Social Justice, Race and Equity Commission discussed the rise of anti-Asian sentiment and racism in the wake of March 16 mass shootings in Atlanta and Acworth where six Asian women were murdered.

“While this particular incident is still under investigation and some are reticent to call it a hate crime, what we know is all too clear,” said Mindy Kao, a consultant to the commission from the firm Chrysalis Lab, at the group’s March 18 meeting.

“The shooter targeted three Asian businesses and his victims were predominantly Asian in a region that is only 6% Asian. Actions speak louder than words.”

Brookhaven established the SJREC in September to address issues of diversity and race in the city and to make recommendations to improve the city’s practices of hiring and retention, procurement and contracting, and policing.

Kao said although the murders did not occur in Brookhaven, the city is not immune to anti-Asian rhetoric or incidents. The city includes part of Buford Highway, a community known for a highly diverse immigrant population.

“Five percent of Brookhaven residents, or 3,327 residents, are of Asian descent,” she said. “Members of this commission are of Asian descent. So we ask the question, how do we make sure your recommendations reflect the reality that we see before us today?”

Other commissioners said they plan to become involved in the immediate aftermath of the killings. Commissioner Shahrukh Arif, who works with the Asian Americans Advocacy Fund, said the organization has been focusing on outreach to the affected families and businesses. Commissioner Kyle R. Williams, the dean of students at Brookhaven’s Oglethorpe University, said the university is working with its new vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Laura Renee Chandler, to create a safe space for students to talk about those issues.

Over the past year, crimes and discrimination against Asian Americans have risen dramatically, according to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that keeps track of violence and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The group reported 3,292 “hate incidents” in 2020, which include violent crimes, harassment and discriminatory behavior.

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6 | Community

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City Council approves master plan for new Langford Park

BY SAMMIE PURCELL The City Council approved a master plan for amenities in the city’s new Langford Park at a March 30 meeting. The plan offers a blueprint for how improvements would be phased in once funding becomes available.

The city purchased the property at 1174 Pine Grove Ave. in April 2020 with the intention of adding a new public park. Before the purchase, the property belonged to the Langford family, who had owned the home located on the property since 1930. The park is named in honor of Cpl. Robert “Bob” C. Langford, who served in the Vietnam War. The city has since held two open houses to gather input from the public, according to the master plan presentation. On Feb. 5, the city held a public meeting to present the master plan to the public for feedback before going before the City Council.

City Parks and Recreation Department Director Brian Borden said improvements to the park would be made in three phases. The first phase will include improvements such as mass grading or leveling the surface of the park, tree relocation and updates to stormwater infrastructure. Phase One will also include such additions as parallel parking stalls, seating areas along the west edge of the park, a loop walkway and a community lawn.

Phase Two includes plantings and the construction of a playground. Phase Three would include a pavilion, a seating area in the southeast corner of the park, a bocce ball court, and a memorial to commemorate Cpl. Langford.

While there currently is no funding for the park updates, Councilmember Madeleine Simmons said working through improvements in phases would allow the city to work on individual projects as funding comes in. According to documents from the meeting, the estimated cost for improvements to the park is $954,793.80 “We’re looking at this as a phased-in approach because this project is not a fully funded project,” Simmons said. “When we got the initial quote for what the price would be to complete the entire park, it was expensive. I didn’t want … for the park to just sit there with nothing happening until that was fully funded.”

Brookhaven Heights resident Bill Roberts spoke in favor of the master plan during the public comment section of the meeting.

“We’re very excited about seeing [the master plan],” Roberts said. “I can’t wait for things to take shape over there.”

A site plan of the amenities to be added in the city’s new Langford Park at 1174 Pine Grove Ave.

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APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

April Events You Don’t Want to Miss Alan Avery Art Company is hosting an exhibition featuring the work of abstract, minimalist artists Betty Merken and Pascal Pierme, at 356 Miami Circle in Buckhead. The show is titled Fata Morgana after the mirage effect that makes it appear an object is suspended above the horizon. Merken “is a painter and printmaker working with contrasts of color, form, and perception,” while wood sculptor Pierme “incorporates organic material, and geometric forms in a modern aesthetic.” Ends Saturday, April 17. alanaveryartcompany.com The Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department is having two events in April, weather permitting, at Morgan Falls Overlook Park at 400 Morgan Falls Road as part of its Wild Explorers program. On Sunday, April 13, at Morgan Falls Dam, “Earth Day Celebration: Renewable Energy” will explore hydroelectric, solar power, and wind energy. On Sunday, April 25, “Heron Rookery Viewing and Bird Craft” will gather at the boat launch at the dam to watch the activities of great blue herons, which nest in groups called rookeries. Loaner binoculars will be available, or you can bring your own. Both events take place from 1 to 3 p.m. and are free with registration through registration. sandyspringsga.gov. ◄ Jerry’s Habima Theatre, a theatrical company featuring actors with special needs, is returning to the stage with a virtual showcase premiering on Thursday, April 29 at 7 p.m. The hour-long event is a combination of musical and dance numbers from some of the group’s most popular shows. All performances will be recorded for availability following the premiere. Jerry’s Habima Theatre is a program of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) in Dunwoody. atlantajcc. org/habima ►The Atlanta History Center’s series of author talks continues in April with virtual appearances by Martha Hall Kelly (April 7), Claire Lombardo (April 13), Jonathan Alter (April 15), Elizabeth Nyamayaro (April 26), and David O. Stewart (April 28). The events are free but registration is required. atlantahistorycenter.com The Sandy Springs Farmers Market will kick off April 17 at City Green at City Springs, 1 Galambos Way. The Saturday market’s hours are from 8:30 a.m. to noon through Sept. 25, and from 9 a.m. to noon, Oct. 2 through Nov. 30. citysprings.com/farmersmarket ◄ The City Springs Theatre Company’s live production of the ABBA-laden hit musical “Mamma Mia” (replacing the previously scheduled “Into The Woods”) will have a special outside engagement May 7 through 9 at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta. The theater group usually performs indoors at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale April 1. cityspringstheatre.com The 24th Annual Unsung Heroes Gala will be broadcast live on Saturday, April 17 at 6:45 p.m.

The evening is produced by the Buckhead-based National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter. It will “honor and celebrate extraordinary women who empower their communities,” and will showcase Atlanta’s best in entertainment with a philanthropic flair, organizers said. A related silent auction to raise funds will begin on Saturday, April 10 and run until Sunday, April 18. ncbwmac.clubexpress.com

For a full calendar of events, please visit reporternewspapers.net

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8 | Food & Drink

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Food for Thought Savi Provisions’ expansion boom brings a third location to Buckhead

BY KEVIN C. MADIGAN Savi Provisions is in an expansion boom. The gourmet market group was scheduled to open its third Buckhead location -and fifth overall -- at the AMLI Lenox apartment complex at 3478 Lakeside Drive on April 1 as the Reporter went to press.

That’s along with other locations planned in Decaof the city. Our chef-driven, fresh-made meals are paired expertly with tur, the Battery complex at a selection of fine wines and beers, served fresh on tap. Our carefully SPECIAL Truist Park in Cobb Councurated wine and beer selection will have something exciting for evAbove, Paul Nair, owner of the Savi’s Provisions chain. ty, and an out-of-state deRight, a drawing of the “self-pour wall” of beers and wines on tap eryone, from the novice to the expert.” that is planned for the new Savi’s Provisions in Buckhead. but in Tennessee.

The Reporter asked Nair about Savi’s growing business and the Savi provides “locallybeers on tap. new location. For more information, see saviprovisions.com. sourced organic foods, fine wines and “We are excited to introduce a freshWhat inspired you to get into this business? spirits alongside healthy and tasty fastly imagined location in Lenox for both I noticed a lack of high end affordable gourmet markets in the South. When we casual meals,” according to owner Paul the immediate community and funcopened our first Savi Provisions, it was intentionally in Inman Park, a wonderful Nair, who named the chain after his tion as an amenity for AMLI residents,” community that embraced us and our vision. wife Savita. The AMLI location, operatsays Patel. “Our space boasts a beautied by franchisee Vivek Patel, will have a What makes Savi different from other similar places? ful interior designed for ease and acpatio with a “self-pour wall” where cusPeople want convenience, but they still respond to interaction and a sense of cessibility in shopping, giving way to a tomers can choose their own wines and community.

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APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net crafted the Savi brand after New York’s neighborhood delis. I wanted to offer more than just a place to shop and dine, but a neighborhood destination where customers have the chance to connect.

Savi at AMLI will feature a self-pour tap wall with 14 beers, 16 wine options and a variety of spirits.

The bar is going to be 100% cardbased so that customers have a lowtouch experience. It will dispense the beer, spirit and wine options via stateof-the-art equipment called Enomatic and provide an extremely convenient option for dine-in, grab-and-go and passersby.

You offer franchises. Please explain the concept and what you’re looking for in a franchisee.

Apart from its proven success record, Savi also offers high earnings potential with strong potential ROI [return on investment]. You are able to have two businesses with a single investment due to the retail and casual food service component. Since Savi also sells a wide selection of fine wines and spirits, you can also build a loyal following among wine enthusiasts. The Savi franchise system was developed to be incredibly profitable and loaded with goodwill for the community and customer. Attractive franchisees are those that are not only business-minded but value community, as it is imperative that you become an important part of the neighborhood. While there are many types of franchise opportunities available, very few give the owner the chance to make a difference while earning a considerable profit like a Savi Provisions franchise [does].

Why open a second Buckhead location, not far from the first?

We saw the demand. Our Buckhead clientele really responds to our concept, and this newest Savi will be a freshly imagined location in Lenox for both the immediate community and function as an amenity for AMLI residents.

Vivek comes from an interesting background of healthcare, which is how he became interested in wellness.

He decided to dive into the food and nutrition space and a franchise opportunity with Savi provided him the perfect opportunity to combine the two.

What are your plans for the future?

We are always expanding. We just announced our first market outside of Atlanta — a franchisee location in downtown Nashville. We are excited to bring this Atlanta brand to more of the Southeast in the next year.

Quick Bites |

Restaurant openings and news

BY KEVIN C. MADIGAN

►Tabla Indian Restaurant debuted its

second Atlanta location on March 16 at 3005 Peachtree Road inside the Modera building in Buckhead. Owner Sandeep Kothary said in a statement, “I want guests to have the experience of Indian food—the design, service and cocktails. It’s going to be a completely different style of dining from anything people have experienced in the Atlanta area.” Tabla will introduce a series of cocktails unique to the Buckhead location, but until its liquor license is issued, customers can bring their own alcohol.tablaatlanta.com BurgerFi, Chopt Creative Salad Company, Panda Express, and breakfast joint First Watch will all be part of the new Perimeter Marketplace shopping center in Dunwoody, scheduled to open in October 2021 at the corner of Meadow Lane and Ashford-Dunwoody Road.

Other announced tenants include Publix, Aspen Dental, One Medical and QuikTrip. “The Dunwoody/Perimeter market has proven to be one of the strongest areas for economic growth in metro Atlanta, even through the ongoing pandemic,” Branch Properties Head of Asset Management Brett Horowitz said in a written statement. BurgerFi is also planning to open a spot at The Prado in Sandy Springs later this year.

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will love it as much as I do.” The menu boasts more than 80 teas, frappes, smoothies and sodas. nobichausa.com

Fitlife Foods is getting ready for a July opening in the Tuxedo Festival shopping center at 3655 Roswell Road in Buckhead, featuring “fresh, made-fromscratch, prepared meals” for pick-up or delivery, according to spokesperson Krystin Olinski. Popular dishes include barbecue beef with mac and cheese, chicken enchiladas, pork bulgogi and miso salmon, in addition to crème brulee French toast. Tampa-based Fitlife founder David Osterwell said in a written statement, “The demand for a store in the Atlanta area was overwhelming and we wanted to find a way to make it happen for our incredible Atlanta customers.” eatfitlifefoods.com Nobi Cha Bubble Tea will soon debut its first spot in the United States at 4279 Roswell Road in Buckhead’s Chastain Square shopping center. Owner Lida Turner said in a phone call that the plan is to open 10 to 20 more in the next five years. Turner bought the franchise from a company in Thailand last year.

“I’m very confident in our product and our flavor and once people try it they

Willow Bar and St. Julep are two watering holes that have joined “mid-century glam” restaurant The Betty at Buckhead’s Kimpton Sylvan Hotel, located at 374 East Paces Ferry Road.

Willow Bar is a garden retreat described as “hip” and “esoteric” while St. Julep features “fresh and easy cocktails, local craft brews, low-octane aperitifs and a selection of funky craveable snacks” plus a weekend DJ spinning records. thesylvanhotel.com The Hungry Peach reopened on March 8 after closing due to the pandemic. There is a new menu with “simple and fresh gourmet brunch and lunch items” as well as a “homey and comfortable” remodel of the cafe located in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) at 351 Peachtree Hills Ave. in Buckhead. A liquor license is in the works. thehungrypeach.com

▲Banana Leaf Thai + Bar is now open

for business at 227 Sandy Springs Place.

“A perfect place where friends and family can enjoy mouth-watering authentic Thai food in a lovely atmosphere,” the website says. “We also feature a full liquor bar, lots of delicious mixed drinks as well as a great wine selection.” bananaleafatl.com

Le Bon Nosh, “an all-day cafe and market celebrating the beauty of simple, seasonal food,” is set to open shortly inside The Irby building at 65 Irby Avenue in Buckhead. An application to serve alcohol was filed by owners with the City of Atlanta in early March. Executive Chef Forough Vakili formerly worked at the twoMichelin-starred restaurant L’Auberge de Glazicks in Brittany. lebonnosh.com

10 | Arts & Entertainment

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Q&A: Oakland Cemetery expert discusses famous Buckhead figures buried there

BY KEVIN C. MADIGAN Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery is the final resting place of many famous figures of Buckhead’s history. David Moore, director emeritus of the Historic Oakland Cemetery Foundation, will talk about some of them in a free, live-streamed presentation to the Buckhead Heritage Society on April 8 at 7 p.m. For registration and details, see buckheadheritage.com.

You’re going to be talking about famous people from Buckhead, some of whom were also notorious.

I’m going to do a presentation on Oakland Cemetery that includes a little bit of everything. I’m still doing research on people that have a Buckhead connection and the obvious ones are of course people like [bank and railroad founder] Alfred Austell and [golfer and Masters Tournament co-founder] Bobby Jones, but there are a fair amount of folks whom we could make a stretch and say are infamous. There is some murder and mayhem associated with some of our residents, and everybody loves a good mystery, murder and mayhem story, so I will try to sprinkle those in without necessarily divulging who they are.

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David Moore, director emeritus of the Historic Oakland Cemetery Foundation.

Your own family has connections to Buckhead going back a long time. Didn’t a grandfather of yours have a mill on Peachtree Creek?

Thomas Moore was my great-great-grandfather, and he came here from Abbeville, South Carolina. He did run a grist and produced lumber, and corn and meal grinded by a millstone. It was there on Peachtree Creek where Moores Mill Road and West Wesley Road exist today. He married a woman named Elizabeth DeFoor. She was the daughter of Martin and Martha DeFoor, who were the recipients of a terrible and brutal murder

in the late 1800s. They had their heads almost chopped off by an assailant while they slept. It’s a Buckhead murder that’s never been solved.

Can you give us the gist of the importance of Oakland Cemetery to the history of Buckhead?

Oakland pretty much holds the history of our city. Many of the folks who are buried there are pioneers that paved the paths on which we walk today, and even though Atlanta was a very small community when Oakland was founded in 1850 -- there were probably only 2,600 people living in Atlanta at the time -- many of the folks buried there do have connections to the Buckhead community. Some of the more prominent folks had lovely homes along Peachtree Road. They had deep roots in Buckhead, and of course so did [“Gone with the Wind” author] Margaret Mitchell, and there will be others as well. I do want to try and make that Buckhead connection, but as I said, Oakland was the burial ground for everyone. It didn’t matter if you owned the railroad or rode the railroad or slept under the railroad. They even had a section -- the old Slave Square -- that later became a paupers’ ground, so we do have an African American section that was segregated, yet it’s still part of the cemetery as a whole. And there are some people buried in that section that I’m sure have some connection to what we know as Buckhead today.

There is a photo of you online sitting in some sort of cart at the cemetery. Can you explain that?

The reason I’m sitting in the cart is that I’m an actor -- well, more of a big ham than an actor -- and I’m capturing the spirit of Oakland on our Halloween tours that are designed to enlighten. We have characters we’ve researched that come back to life, and we tell our visitors of their place in Atlanta history, and we have these characters standing, or my case sitting, at or about the gravesite. This particular person was known as the Goat Man; his name was William Jasper Franklin. He was one of those characters just hanging around downtown Atlanta who was often found at the courthouse steps selling pencils. He had meningitis as a kid which is why he couldn’t walk, so he used a cart that was hauled around by a goat named Pete. He became somewhat annoying to some of the politicians because they said his goat smelled bad and he was bothering folks, so they banned him from being on the street. He had quite a following.

WORTHWHILE CONVERSATIONS INSECURITY ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY? “INSECURITY” -- MEANING FEAR THAT THE MONEY WON’T BE THERE? No. In 50 years of advising clients, we find people fear making a mistake when starting their Social Security. Benefits can start at age 62 on a discounted basis.

One must be 66 years old to get a full benefit; however, waiting longer to start – as late as age 70 – means increased monthly income. Add to that, a husband or wife can claim benefits independent of their spouse’s decision, and the number of outcomes is almost unlimited. With all those possibilities, small wonder people worry about mistakes.

A LOT OF INTERNET ADVICE IS TO START SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS EARLY… That is a dangerous over-simplification. Our Wealth Planning Committee is a group of experienced, multi-credentialled professionals, including attorneys, CPAs, and MBAs who regularly model these numbers. Committee Chairman Phillip Hamman, CFA, CFP®, says, “There’s no substitute for running the numbers.

Every family’s situation is different and the difference between an optimum Social Security decision and a poor decision can amount to tens of thousands of dollars.”

IS MODELING THE NUMBERS A “NET PRESENT VALUE” ANALYSIS? The modeling includes that kind of discounting analysis, yes. Most importantly, good modeling should put the Social Security decision in a framework with the other elements of a family’s financial life. Is one spouse continuing to work? Are there other sources of cash flow or financial assets available that would permit delaying the start of benefits? Are there big differences in life expectancy between spouses? The key is solid modeling that considers a variety of “what if” scenarios.

Bill Kring, CFP®, and MaryJane LeCroy, CFP®, discuss Social Security benefits and the importance of having a trusted team of professionals to find the best decision for each family’s situation with Sam Tortorici, CEO & Director, Cadence Bank, N.A., and President, Cadence Bancorporation.

WHAT IF I NEED HELP WITH THAT KIND OF MODELING? Be careful of “advisors” who are in reality product salespersons with an agenda to present financial projections supporting the sale of annuities and similar financial products. Seek instead unbiased advice from a financial advisor who commits to offer 100% of their advice subject to the fiduciary standard -- always acting in the client’s best interest -- with no products to sell. That is our approach at Linscomb & Williams. We have the team ready to sit down for a no-cost, no-obligation exploratory conversation to see if we are a good fit to help you explore your options.

2727 Paces Ferry Road SE Building Two, Suite 1475 Atlanta, Georgia 30339 770 333 0113 www.linscomb-williams.com

Linscomb & Williams is not an accounting firm. Subsidiary of Cadence Bank. Investment Products: Not insured by FDIC. Not bank guaranteed. May lose value. Not insured by any Federal Government Agency. Not a bank deposit.

| 11

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Live Work Play The City of Brookhaven invites you to share its vision of smart growth, collaboration, inclusiveness, sustainability and community engagement, from the Buford Highway corridor to the Peachtree Creek Greenway and beyond.

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Work to begin on master plan for I-285 trails paired with toll lanes

BY SAMMIE PURCELL Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and other cities will begin work on a plan for a multi-use trail system to integrate with the Georgia Department of Transportation’s plan to add toll lanes to I-285.

At a March 16 Brookhaven City Council meeting, the city approved a contract with design firm Kimley-Horn to begin work on a “Top End 285 Regional Master Trails Plan.”

Brookhaven will serve as the project manager, leading other I-285 cities such as Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Doraville, Smyrna and Tucker.

The area’s four self-taxing Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) will also help fund the plan. Those districts are the Chamblee Doraville CID, the Cumberland CID, the Perimeter CIDs and the Tucker-Northlake CID. In 2019, Brookhaven and the other cities agreed to issue a request for proposals from design firms for the development of a trail system master plan. Responses to those proposals were due by April 21, 2020 and Kimley Horn’s proposal was chosen. Now that the contract has been approved, Phase 1 of the master plan is expected to be completed by September of this year, according to a city spokesperson.

This multi-use trail would serve to connect trails in the seven cities and four CIDs and would cover almost 20 miles from Cumberland Parkway and Atlanta Road in Smyrna to Northlake Parkway and Lavista Road in Tucker.

“We’re going to take all of the pre-existing trails and trail plans for all of the municipalities and CIDs, link them all together, and think about how we can use GDOT’s efforts and others along I-285 to really create a united, connected trail,” said Kimley-Horn representative Eric Bosman.

Brookhaven led the same group of cities in a bus rapid transit study, which explores adding bus and rail options in conjunction with GDOT’s I-285 Top End Express Lane project. Brookhaven Director of Strategic Partnerships Patty Hansen said the trail would follow along a similar route to the BRT. GDOT plans to add toll lanes along the top end of I-285 and on part of Ga. 400 between Sandy Springs and Alpharetta. The projects have been controversial due to the possible demolition of residential properties and highway entrances added to local streets. Construction on Ga. 400 is expected to start in 2022 and open in 2027. The eastern section of the I-285 toll lane project is also expected to start in 2022 and open in 2028. The western section of the I-285 toll lane project is expected to start in 2026 and open in 2032.

As the administrator for the regional trail project, Brookhaven will be responsible for invoicing the other cities and CIDs, Hansen said. Brookhaven will provide $28,261 for its share of funding for the master plan and will collect $196,739 from the other cities. The total cost of the master plan will be $225,000.

Mayor John Ernst said that former District 1 DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester previously pledged $100,000 to the master plan project, which the county agreed to.

Ernst said the city has not yet received those funds, but according to a city spokesperson, current District 1 Commissioner Robert Patrick is working on moving those funds to the city.

“I fully support trail projects,” Patrick said in an email. “My office will be speaking with Brookhaven to confirm the full scope of the Top End Trail System and ensure that there is not overlap between Brookhaven efforts and other efforts in the District. There have been several discussions of trail projects throughout District 1 and my goal is to ensure that my office is strategic with taxpayer dollars and beneficial to all District 1 residents.”

Former District 7 Commissioner Kathie Gannon also pledged $30,000 to the project, but the funds did not pass during her term, said Ernst. Current District 7 Commissioner Ted Terry has taken up the mantle and is working on moving those funds. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved that funding at its March 23 meeting.

According to Kimley-Horn documents from the meeting, Phase 1 of creating the master plan will include initial environmental screenings, site visits and preliminary concept designs. Phase 2 would produce a full analysis report, including project maps and diagrams which show aspects such as water and topographic features. Phase 2 would also include meetings with stakeholder groups.

Ernst said the city is hoping to move as quickly as possible. According to Kimley-Horn documents, its team will be speaking with GDOT to learn more about the department’s right-of-way acquisition plans for the toll lane project and see where there might be rightof-way that is “usable and accessible based on the current I-285 Express Lane design.”

“We’re hoping to use as much GDOT-reserved land as possible,” Ernst said.

GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said GDOT is familiar with the project, but there aren’t yet any details to coordinate.

“We will continue to work with municipalities as the plan and study develop,” Dale said.

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Community | 13

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

State Rep. Wilson accused of 2018 election violations for giving pizza to voters

BY SAMMIE PURCELL The Georgia Attorney General’s office will review allegations of election law violations against a state representative who handed out pizzas to voters at a Brookhaven polling place in 2018.

State Rep. Matthew Wilson (DBrookhaven) allegedly “made gifts” to voters as they waited in line at Cross Keys High School polling location at 1626 North Druid Hills Road. At the time, Wilson was a first-time candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives. His District 80 includes parts of Brookhaven and Sandy Springs.

According to a Georgia State Election Board meeting on Feb. 24, two separate complaints were filed regarding Wilson after he bought four pizzas and passed out slices to those in line to vote. The Election Board referred Wilson’s case to the Georgia Attorney General’s office for further consideration.

“After receiving permission from the poll manager, I passed out about $25 worth of pizza at my polling location on Election Day in 2018 to people who had been waiting in line for several hours,” said Wilson in an emailed statement. “I didn’t introduce myself as a candidate and did not campaign. As my counsel stated to the State Elections Board, we do not believe that any law was broken. I look forward to resolving this administrative matter soon.”

Wilson is accused of violating Georgia Code sections 21-2-414(d) and 21-2-570, which indicate one violation could be treated as a felony and the other as a misdemeanor. One places restrictions on campaigning within the vicinity of a polling location. The other prohibits a person from giving or receiving gifts for the purpose of registering or voting for a particular candidate.

The Attorney General’s office could not immediately clarify the potential penalties, but said the matter could be handled as a criminal or civil case. A spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office said the case could be handled as a non-criminal matter with a fine or warning if Wilson is found to have violated the code.

According to the Georgia election code, the penalties for misdemeanors could include a fine or six months or less in county jail. The penalties for a felony under Georgia election code could include a fine of $10,000 or less or imprisonment.

According to the discussion at the Feb. 24 Election Board meeting, Wilson — whose own polling station is Cross Keys — went to buy pizzas after seeing long voting lines at the high school. A member of his campaign, Amanda Lee, then took pictures of Wilson passing out pizzas, which were later posted to his social media and then deleted.

Wilson previously stated he asked for permission from the poll manager to pass out food. Lee allegedly did not seek approv-

BK

al from the poll manager before taking Berry also addressed the allegation that photographs. The Election Board issued Wilson gave out pizzas in exchange for Lee a letter of instruction directing her not votes, saying Wilson or the Election Board to violate the code again. could not know for sure if anyone who ac“I am sorry that this happened,” Lee tually received pizza stayed in line to vote, said at the Feb. 24 meetand that Wilson did not ing. “I didn’t need to take wear any campaign parapictures.” phernalia or pass out camAt the meeting, attorpaign literature. ney Jeremy Berry spoke “Mr. Wilson … mereon behalf of Wilson. He ly offered pizza to some requested for the matpeople who were hungry,” ter to be dismissed or Berry said. “He had no disfor the issuance of a letcussions with them about ter of instruction instead whether they were votof referral to the Attoring, whether they intendney General. In regards ed to stay in line or leave, to the violation of enterwho they were voting for, ing a polling place, Berwhether they were votry cited the 1998 Georing for him, whether they gia Supreme Court Case were voting Republican or Hendry v. Smith as precDemocrat. All he did was SPECIAL edent. In that case, the hand out pizza. Nothing State Rep. Matthew Wilson. mayor of Hampton, Geormore, nothing less.” gia was up for re-election and the polling A representative from the Attorney place was the chambers. The mayor was General’s office said there is no update for in his office that day and twice went to the Wilson’s case at this time. chambers to talk to the poll manager. The Wilson’s case was just one of dozens court ruled the mayor’s mere presence in passed along to the Attorney General’s ofthe office was not a violation of election fice, according to a press release from the law.

Secretary of State’s Office. The press re-

lease referred to the accused by their first names and last initials only.

In the wake of former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential race, Georgia has been the subject of a national conversation surrounding voter suppression and access.

Georgia voters have previously reported long voting wait times in past elections — sometimes five or more hours — and Wilson is not the only person who has handed out snacks to waiting voters in Brookhaven or Georgia in recent elections.

On Jan. 5 during the U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia, a local resident passed out snacks outside Ashford Park Elementary School in Brookhaven. The snack station included a sign with the phone number of the “Georgia Voter Protection Line” run by the Democratic Party of Georgia.

On March 25, Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 202, a bill which imposes harsher voting restrictions, including stricter voter ID requirements, limiting the placement of voting drop boxes, and allowing the State Election Board to take over county election boards if it thinks intervention is necessary. The bill also prohibits passing out food or drink to voters waiting in line.

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Continued from page 1 Property taxes make up a significant portion of funding for the DeKalb County School District, which does not have a say when it comes to how development authorities handle tax breaks. State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) recently introduced legislation that would allow for local school districts to have more say in the abatement process.

“School systems need to have legal standing in court to state their positions in bond validation hearings,” Oliver said in an email. “HB 66 needs to pass. This is a statewide issue the General Assembly needs to address.”

Oliver said development authorities have opposed the bill, which will be held over until the 2022 legislative session. However, she said there will be a serious effort to have discussions surrounding the bill this summer.

“It’s not only a DeKalb issue. This is an issue across the state,” she said. “I’m talking to many different members who have development authorities who are not being good neighbors to the school systems and other local governments. This issue is heat-

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ing up and I look forward to a good discussion in the summer.”

Development authorities, which can exist at the county or city level, have gotten into hot water with DeKalb County and the DeKalb County School District before.

Last year, the Brookhaven Development Authority approved a tax break worth up to $13.5 million over a 22-year period for a mixed-used development on a 4-acre lot on Dresden Drive. The county and the school district filed motions to intervene in DeKalb County Superior Court, arguing they could because the tax break would affect their revenue streams. The developer, Connolly Investment & Development, ended up withdrawing the proposal.

Developers can ask for tax abatements from city and county development authorities at the same time. A spokesperson for the city of Brookhaven said the city has not received a request from the developer for this project.

Rader said tax dollars would be necessary to plan for the “developmental pressures” associated with the booming medical district where the Manor Druid Hills development would be located.

“We need tax revenues and time to build the infrastructure to serve all this new activity,” he said. With tax abatement this project will bring accelerated new traffic and service demand we can’t meet … Projects serving the subsidized hospital district can yield the necessary funds, but only if they are taxed.”

Don Bolia, chair of the Decide DeKalb Development Authority, said in an emailed statement that the idea that tax breaks take away from city, school or county funds is “a mischaracterization,” and that the development includes medical office space for CHOA’s campus, and hotel and residential space for medical professionals, patients and their families.

“Manor Druid Hills is projected to increase the tax digest while advancing a critical need for affordable housing, bringing an estimated 270 new jobs to our communities, and generating property tax revenues of $42.6 million over 20 years,” Bolia said. “That new tax revenue could help fund teachers’ salaries, technology in our public schools, and infrastructure improvements across the county.”

Bolia said the authority has a mandated 20% affordable housing requirement in its incentives package. In his email, Rader said the number of workforce housing units would not justify a $15 million abatement.

“The 38 workforce housing units used to justify a $15 million abatement would cost only $1.4 million to provide,” he said.

“We need and will build affordable housing here, but this is an extraordinarily wasteful way to provide very little.”

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Community | 15

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Councilmember pitches U.S. tax incentive change to boost affordable housing Continued from page 1 Scott’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Opportunity Zones are “economically distressed” areas where investors in developments can get capital-gains tax breaks. Scott pioneered the Opportunity Zones initiative, which was created under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

For an area to be considered an Op-

Councilmember Joe Gebbia.

portunity Zone, the state must nominate that area for the designation. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury then has to certify the nomination “via his delegation of authority to the Internal Revenue Service,” according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs website.

Gebbia’s suggested change would allow areas to be spot-zoned as Opportunity Zones instead of the state pre-designating them as such. Spot zoning is when a parcel of land is designated for a different use than its surrounding areas.

Gebbia said he would like to create Opportunity Zones for workforce and affordable housing around proposed bus hubs in the metro area. The city of Atlanta is making efforts to consolidate bus routes between multiple counties and expand MARTA bus and rail connections throughout the metro area. Expanded coverage would lead to new transit stations for those routes, some of which would be located in Brookhaven.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), affordable housing is defined as “housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30% of gross income for housing costs, including utilities.” Gebbia said affordable housing generally serves households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), or the midpoint of a region’s income distribution. He said workforce housing generally serves those earning less than 60% AMI. Gebbia first presented the idea at the ’s Feb. 22 retreat, where he said if city-led tax abatements were used to secure the land needed to build those transit stations, then the city should be able to negotiate for the right to spot-zone and use BK

a portion of that land to build workforce and affordable housing.

“Workforce housing or affordable housing has got to be predicated on the land being cost free, and controlled,” Gebbia said “As long as you can control the land, you control the rent.”

There has been skepticism surrounding Opportunity Zones and the ability of investment to reach low-income households and communities. A 2020 study from the Urban Institute -- a Washington D.C. think tank which researches economic and social policy -- found that Opportunity Zones might not help economically distressed communities as much as hoped. According to the study, while Opportunity Zones were designed to spur community development and small business growth, most of their capital flows towards large real estate projects.

Those projects tend to be more atSPECIAL tractive to investors, yielding higher returns than affordable housing or small businesses.

“Although there are compelling examples of community benefit, the incentive as a whole is not living up to its economic and community development goals,” the study concluded. “The incentive’s structure makes it harder to develop projects with community benefit in places with greatest need.”

Gebbia said he is working on finding impact investors -- or investors who operate with the intention of generating beneficial economic or social change -- who would be interested in investing in affordable housing.

“Usually an investor’s first criteria is, ‘What’s my return on investment?’” Gebbia said. “The first criteria for an impact investor is, ‘What can I do with my money that will have a positive social impact?’”

Gebbia also said he is interested in moving forward with another initiative related to community development in Brookhaven, namely a formal city policy to protect residents and business owners along Buford Highway in the event of redevelopment. During the council’s retreat, Gebbia suggested the creation of a city redevelopment authority, which would allow the city to buy and develop land for less money, which could lead to more affordable housing. He also put forth a 120-day rent protection period for those affected by redevelopment on Buford Highway, and suggested that any business in a building which is torn down be offered the chance to settle back into that new building under a five-year protected rent program.

Gebbia said he plans to take this initiative before the , but did not specify a date.

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Commentary / Acts of violence reveal need for equity in education The recent acts of violence against Asian and African Ameri- dermined with the 1896 Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Fergucans have made it clear that -- as parents and educators -- it’s time son and the passage of Georgia’s first Jim Crow law in 1890. For the for a genuine conversation about racial and educational inequi- next 60 years, Jim Crow laws legally defined all matters of public ty. Often amid tragic circumstances, we miss opportunities to ex- life in the South, including schools. Even after the Brown v. Board plore root causes. Despite the horrible situations, perhaps these of Education decision, school segregation continued in Atlanta unrecent events can spark real action in our community. Working til 1972. together toward racial and educational equity, we can hope to creLegally sanctioned redlining in the 1930s via President Roosate a better and just Atlanta for all. evelt’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation created Atlanta’s residenIn my role as Chief Equity and Social Justice Officer of Atlan- tial demographic patterns, with more affluent white communities ta Public Schools, I collaborate with stakeholders to ensure equi- living in the north above Interstate 20 and poorer African Amerity among all students. I hear and understand parents’ beliefs and can communities living in the south and west of I-20. concerns. Some are concerned that equity could mean their chilAnti-literacy laws, legal segregation and racial violence have dren will have opportunities taken away as we provide greater ac- had profound impacts on the economic mobility and educational cess for all children. Others are concerned about a lessening of ed- options available to people of color, particularly to African Amerucational quality. I understand how difficult it icans within our city. Since slavery, African may be to share these concerns, especially in Americans have been playing catch-up with the thick of race-based, hate-filled violence. their white counterparts in all areas, especialIt is important to me for concerned parents ly education. to know that I don’t take their concerns as racConsider today when Atlanta stands as the ist statements. I, too, am a parent and undermost income-disparate city in the nation: stand that all parents only want what’s best for our children. Equally as important is that ■ Current census data shows that the we all push beyond the barriers built through median household income within Atlanta Pubgenerations of misinformation. lic Schools is $167,087 for white students and As an educator, I recognize that the great$23,803 for Black students est remedy against fear is knowledge. To elim■ Roughly 75% of APS students live in inate fears that surround equity, it’s vital that low-income situations and research shows we have a clear understanding of what it is that a child born into poverty in Atlanta has a and how it differs from equality.

95.5% chance of remaining in poverty.

Equity is when each student gets what they uniquely need to succeed. It’s different from This context and data are not to suggest equality, which treats everyone the same withthat APS can fix all of our societal problems, out addressing the root causes of disparity and or that APS owns all of the work to be done.

SPECIAL ignores the reality that each child is different.

However, we are going to do our best to own Tauheedah Baker-Jones is the Equity differs in that it ensures all children what is ours.

Chief Equity and Social Justice get what they need.

It should also be stated that achieving eqOfficer of Atlanta Public Schools.

As we begin to understand the true meanuity does not mean taking anything from anying of equity, we also must accept that racial one nor does it mean lowering the quality of and educational inequities exist and understand that they are the education. It means giving ALL students what they need. result of historic policies and practices that have disenfranchised Ultimately, equity is not a zero-sum game. At its core, our eqlarge sections of our community for generations. uity work is about recognizing that in Atlanta there are real ceilFor example, the 1854 California Supreme Court ruling in Peo- ings hindering children from receiving the promise education is ple v. Hall stated that people of Asian descent could not testify supposed to provide. Some may not believe in what we say, but we against a white person in court, thereby establishing a legal man- need everyone to believe that when we say all children, “All means date protecting perpetrators of violence against Asian Americans ALL.” and substantiating anti-Asian sentiments to this day.

While we all play a role in fixing inequities, there is no simple During slavery, laws were passed forbidding African Ameri- “to-do” list that will make it all better. We must do the work. Equity cans from learning to read, write and educate themselves. In Geor- for all requires participation by all. The effort is by you, the effort gia, these anti-literacy laws were so strict that failure to comply is for you, the effort is with you. When ALL of our students are valwas punishable by death. At the end of slavery, African Americans ued, affirmed and supported, our entire city will succeed. across the South enrolled in schools, only to have these efforts un-

Publisher’s Note: Introducing the Rough Draft newsletter

In early March, Springs Publishing, the parent company of the Reporter Newspapers, Atlanta Intown and Atlanta Senior Life, launched a new email newsletter called Rough Draft.

Published at 7 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Rough Draft is intended to be a clever, concise and curated look at the news, information and events across the metro area. Each issue of Rough Draft includes five to seven stories and is intended to be read in less than 5 minutes with your morning coffee.

Designed to be an easily digestible tip sheet that will help you stay conversant with the information that’s driving conversations that day, Rough Draft will have a bias towards our own content, but it’s not tied to specific geographies and most days will

feature sources from beyond Springs’ properties.

This newspaper will continue our commitment to unrivaled hyperlocal news in the communities we cover and we see Rough Draft as an extension of our brands.

As the world comes out of the pandemic and events begin to ramp-up, we have also launched a new calendar platform under the Rough Draft brand. Visit calendar.roughdraftatlanta.com and you’ll see the region’s most thorough event calendar.

We hope you’ll visit roughdraftatlanta.com and subscribe to our email.

— Keith Pepper, Publisher

represent the views of Reporter Newspapers or Springs Publishing.

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Commentary | 17

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Around Town

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

A Dunwoody mural artist finds joy in American ‘Daydreaming’ Diana Toma jokes that her first words were, “Can I have a pet to draw?”

“I think I got the pet,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t know.” She no longer even remembers what kind of pet it was.

But the drawing part of her story rings true. Toma says that when she was a little girl, she sketched all the time. Everything around her seemed interesting and something she needed to capture in the pages of her notebook. “I was never bored because I had paper and pencil,” she said.

Constant practice pays off. Toma says that by the time she had finished kindergarten – yes, kindergarten -- her teacher suggested she pursue a career as an artist.

But all that was a long time ago and far away. Toma’s 46 now. She’s living in a different country from the one she grew up sketching, is a single mom of two children, and – after unfulfilling side trips into other careers -- makes her living selling paintings and teaching others to paint, including through classes at the Spruill Center for the Arts in Dunwoody.

One of her works soon could become one of the most visible public paintings in Dunwoody. The Dunwoody Arts Commission recently chose her painting “Daydreaming” as the design for a 9-by-24-foot mural to be painted on an outside wall at the entrance to the center at 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road.

The brightly colored design shows a child surrounded by, and presumably daydreaming about, things from nature.

Toma says those kinds of images weren’t always things that populated her art. She was born in Romania and was a teenager during Romania’s 1989 revolution, when that country joined the wave SPECIAL of eastern European naDiana Toma. tions shaking off Communist control – or, as she describes it now, “when the Soviet bloc broke into pieces.”

The revolution made a huge difference in Toma’s life. She remembers, for instance, that her parents, both engineers, were trapped at work during the uprising. “It was really scary for someone my age,” she said, “but it also was very exciting – the overall energy.”

One big change following the revolution, she said, was that the college of art in her hometown reopened after being closed for years. She signed up. During her student years, Toma thought of herself as a conceptual artist whose work tackled serious subjects. “That was the thing, the cool thing,” she said. “It was a little bit … on the sinister side.”

But once she graduated, she found conceptual art didn’t pay the bills. She tried her hand at graphic design. At the time, eastern European artists were drawing commissions from companies in western Europe and the U.S,, in part because the easterners worked cheaply.

Toma started working for Americans, ended up marrying one, and about 15 years ago, she moved to the U.S. She started out in New York, living and working in trendy Brooklyn. “New York was exciting, but was too expensive,” she said. About 10 years ago, she saw an article promoting Atlanta as a good, cheap place for artists, so she and her then husband moved south.

The marriage lasted only a few more years. Toma suddenly found herself divorced, unhappy, a long way from home and doing work she didn’t like to make money. “I thought to myself, ‘If I had to be in another country and be a single mom with kids, I just have to do something I love.’ [At] rock bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up.”

She started using her watercolors and oils to paint brighter things: flowers, animals, portraits of people. She found a job teaching at the Spruill Center and found the classroom a natural fit. “I love to teach. I love so much to teach,” she said. “I became a better artist. Because I was doing research for my classes. I was doing demonstrations. … You think you have to know it to teach it, but it’s the other way around. By doing, you’re learning.”

She learned to focus on the joy in what she was doing. Now, “it feels like I’m giving back to this country that sort of changed who I am.” One particular piece that’s giving back, the Spruill mural, “is close to my heart [because] the Spruill is where it started.”

“I can’t believe I’ve been doing all these things,” she said. “I didn’t even know this world existed. … I never thought this was going to be my life. I thought I would have a typical Romanian life. Now I have two ex-husbands and a career in art. I’m here and it’s fine.”

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Carol Niemi is a marketing consultant who lives on the Dunwoody-Sandy Springs line and writes about people whose lives inspire others. Contact her at worthknowingnow@gmail.com.

Hospitalization can be frightening, esside professional healthcare providers, pecially for children. So, Children’s Healthwho in Canines for Kids at Children’s are care of Atlanta employs a special team mostly child life specialists. Their specialwhose job is to make the experience less so. ized training enables them to visit patients The most popular members of the team do in almost all areas of the hospital, includtheir job without saying a word. That’s being those not eligible for therapy dog visits. cause they’re the four-legged members of The Canines for Kids program coordiCanines for Kids at Children’s. nator is Kara Klein, previously a full-time Founded in 2009, Canines for Kids at child life specialist. In 2010, she and her faCarol Niemi is a marketing consultant who lives on the DunwoodyChildren’s is composed of 14 dogs and their cility dog Bella, a golden retriever, became Sandy Springs line and writes about people whose lives inspire primary handlers, backed by five secondthe second dog-handler pair to join the proothers. Contact her at worthknowingnow@gmail.com. ary handlers. The handlers are all medigram. cal professionals whose work is enhanced Klein says facility dogs are an especially by the presence of their dog. Everybody, ingood fit for child life specialists, whose job cluding the dogs, is a hospital employee. is to help patients cope, heal and achieve Most of the dogs are golden retrievers, treatment goals while at the hospital.

Labs and Labradoodles -- all known for “The dogs help with reducing anxiety, their intelligence and friendly, gentle disproviding distraction, modeling what a papositions. As hospital staff, the dogs are not tient might see or experience and medical “therapy dogs,” but rather specially trained play like listening to the dog’s heart or put“facility dogs.” ting on a bandage,” she said.

Therapy dogs are volunteer visiting Now age 12, Bella has lived with Klein dogs, certified by a variety of organizations since she joined the program. She still goes based on their temperament and behav“to work” every day but is reducing her ior, who along with their unpaid volunteer workload as she ages. owners, make brief non-clinical visits to Even though Klein considers Bella “her” patients and staff. dog, she is technically owned by Canine AsFacility dogs, in contrast, work alongsistants of Milton the organization where

Canines comfort kids at Children’s Healthcare

SPECIAL

Bella and her primary handler and partner, Canines for Kids Program Coordinator Kara Klein.

she was born, raised and trained.

“We don’t choose the dog,” said Klein.

“Canine Assistants chooses the dog after meeting the handler and learning their needs.”

Bella and Klein, like all the dog-handler teams in the program, are “bonded,” thanks to the Canine Assistants training philosophy.

According to Canine Assistants Founder Jennifer Arnold, instead of traditional behavioral dog training that relies on commands and rewards, Canine Assistants dogs are taught through “bond-based learning/exercises … how to manage their own behavior and not rely on directives from a human handler.” Essentially, the dogs bond so closely with their human they model human behavior, such as how to climb on a patient’s bed without disturbing the maze of tubes and wires.

But how specifically do the dogs make a difference? Klein recalls one case of an 8-year-old girl who refused to leave her room because of the way she looked after facial surgery.

“When I said let’s take Bella outside to go potty,” said Klein, “she left her room for the first time in two days.”

Patients’ parents tell similar stories.

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Diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia at just 15 months, Maddie Dukes, now age 4, has been in and out of Children’s Healthcare’s Scottish Rite hospital in Sandy Springs for most of her life. After undergoing a bone-marrow transplant, she was having trouble getting out of bed for her necessary walking therapy. But facility dog Tidings motivated her to get up and walk around the floor holding his leash.

“The joy, comfort and love these dogs give to the kids at Children’s is just the medicine they need. Maddie instantly felt better after a dose of Ty,” said her mother, Kristen.

For some patients, facility dogs have made the difference during the pandemic. Born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, brother and sister Malachi and Lexie Delaney have had more than 100 surgeries at Children’s and depended on the many activities normally offered. When those were shut down because of COVID-19, the Canines for Kids dogs became more important than ever.

“The facility dogs have bridged the gap our family has felt the past few months during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the siblings’ mother, Amy. “The dogs remind [our children] of life before the pandemic and provide the sense of calm and comfort that leads to their healing.”

Canines for Kids and Canine Assistants are 100% donor-financed. For information, go to https://www.choa.org/donorsand-volunteers/canines-for-kids or https:// www.canineassistants.org.

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Public Safety | 19

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Local residents urged not to leave firearms in vehicles as thefts rise

BY SAMMIE PURCELL

A spokesperson for the Sandy Springs Police Department said despite a decrease in larcenies from cars and a decrease in propLocal police departments are urging residents to stop leaving erty crimes in general last year -- in part due to people staying firearms in their vehicles to halt thefts that already tally about 203 home due to the coronavirus pandemic -- the department saw an between January and late March. increase in the number of firearms stolen from vehicles. AccordAs of March 21, 36 guns had been reported stolen from vehicles ing to daily crime data from the Atlanta Police Department, larcein Brookhaven. As of March 25, 126 firearms have been reported ny from vehicles in general is up 7% in Zone 2 as of March 13 comstolen from vehicles in Atlanta’s Zone 2, which includes Buckhead, pared to that time in 2020. and 31 in Sandy Springs. In Dunwoody, 10 guns had been reported “This ... phenomenon is not exclusive to the city of Sandy stolen from vehicles as of March 25.

Springs, but instead seen throughout the metro Atlanta area,” said The Atlanta Police Department is promoting a “Clean Car SSPD spokesperson Sgt. Salvador Ortega in an email.

Campaign” to urge residents to stop attracting thieves with valuGun thefts from vehicles have been a problem for local police ables left inside vehicles. In Brookhaven, six of the 31 guns stolen departments in the past. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, there were over so far this year were taken from unlocked vehicles and less than 200 reported thefts of firearms, ammo or gun accessories from vehalf of the victims knew their gun’s serial number, according to a hicles in local communities each year.

Brookhaven Police Department spokesperson. In a March 3 press “Guns being stolen from vehicles is certainly nothing new,” said release, BPD advised residents to avoid leaving guns in their cars Dunwoody Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Robert Parsons in even if the car is locked, and to keep a list of serial numbers for any an email. “But, generally speaking, anytime a firearm gets into the high-value items, including firearms. hands of a criminal, it is undoubtedly a major concern.”

“Once these guns are stolen and in the hands of criminals, and According to 2019 research from Everytown for Gun Safety, a especially when we can’t trace them by serial number, there’s nonprofit that advocates for gun control, between 200,000 and a good chance they will be used to commit other crimes,” said 500,000 guns are stolen from individuals each year in the UnitBrookhaven Police Chief Gary Yandura in the release. ed States. Of those incidents, about one-quarter of stolen guns are BPD spokesperson Lt. David Snively said since March 3, no guns taken from cars.

Gary Yandura have been taken out of unlocked vehicles and the BPD has seen a According to the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan Brookhaven Police Chief considerably slow down in the number of guns stolen out of cars public policy research organization based in Washington, D.C., since that March 3 press release. about 104,578 guns were reported stolen in Georgia from 2012 to “We are encouraged that, where 31 guns were stolen in the first 60 days of the year, 2017, with a total value over $47 million. Only three states had higher numbers: Florijust five have been taken during the 21 days since our initial press release,” he said in da, California and Texas. an email.

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“Once these guns are stolen and in the hands of criminals, and especially when we can’t trace them by serial number, there’s a good chance they will be used to commit other crimes.”

20 | Special Section

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Going outside for exercise or just a walk around the block were some of the ways metro Atlantans broke the monotony of pandemic life during the past year. Many also swarmed to the mountains and North Georgia’s state parks. It’s an uptick that started after last spring as some COVID-19 restrictions were eased and has continued unabated across the 84-thousand-acre system.

“Crazy” is how Brad Gibson, the manager at hugely popular Cloudland Canyon State Park in Dade County, described the months since the pandemic began. Park rangers and employees worked to keep parkgoers social distanced, volunteers counted cars, and many day users were turned away.

“We never really had a slow month,“ Gibson said. As of St. Patrick’s Day, he related “I’ve had the ‘full’ sign up at the campground since the first weekend in March and I don’t see it slowing down until early May.” The same holds true at high-traffic Tallulah Gorge State Park near Clarksville.

Assistant manager Lieren Merz said ranger programs, guided hikes and even the park’s annual Easter Egg Hunt were canceled or curtailed last year.

They hope to inch toward normal in 2021. Still, she said, “It’s been a struggle to keep up with the crowds and litter.”

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said for the period from July 2020 to March 15 of this year, almost 8 million guests have made their way to parks statewide.

That’s up about 2.4 million visitors over last year, or around 37 percent.

That’s lot of tent stakes driven and campers and RVs backing into parking spots.

“We are happy to share the state parks with new visitors,” said Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Kim Hatcher. “We just want people to have a good time at the parks and socially distance.”

To that end, Hatcher said those visiting park offices, museums and other indoor areas are strongly encouraged to wear masks, while accommodations and common areas are getting thoroughly sanitized.

Boating, golf, hiking, biking, kayaking, disc golf, and most other outdoor activities are going forward this year, said officials.

In a broader sense, however, park programming has entered a new era. Visitors will find there’s much more to do than hike or crawl into a sleeping bag as recreational options have mushroomed recently.

“We were getting people to fill out surveys a few years ago.” said Heath Carter, vice president for sales and marketing with Coral Hospitality. They operate several parks under contract with the state including Amicalola and Unicoi state parks and the Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa. “People were telling us they loved the parks but that there was nothing to do.”

Carter said he and the staff were puzzled by that. “We found out that they wanted programmed events. They might not have a fly-fishing rod or bow and arrow, but they wanted guidance and instruction. So, we supply the gear. All they have to do is sign up.”

Ziplines are the biggest attractions at both parks, he said. Add to that a somewhat eclectic list including tomahawk throwing, survivalist camps, live fishing classes, 3D arContinued on page 22

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Special Section | 21

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22 | Special Section

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Continued from page 20 chery, paddle boarding and air rifle shooting.

In addition, some facets of the parks have seen a makeover in the past year or so, with more due to come. Cabins have been renovated at Red Top Mountain State Park.

The beach is also getting a makeover at the nearly 1,800-acre park on Lake Allatoona, as are campground facilities.

At Cloudland Canyon, a needed update to showers and restrooms is on the horizon.

Kiss those old square-block buildings goodbye. Air conditioning and heat are being added to the park’s yurts. Power capacity is being beefed up at campsites.

At Tallulah Gorge, dozens of parking spaces have been added at the interpretive center. In the digital space, park officials have added an online retail store and a statewide equestrian pass.

And that’s just for 2020-2021. More yurts, dog-friendly cabins, expanded mountain biking trails and expansions to park stores have all happened the last few years.

Hatcher suggests those wanting to visit the mostly-heavily used state parks come early in the day or on a weekday, so as not to be turned away from day-use areas or told to wait on entering trails.

A recent Monday visit to Amicalola Falls brought home that advice. The park had a leisurely feel, almost small-townish.

A short hike up past a reflecting pond on the approach trail quickly revealed the brawling, tumbling falls themselves, the third highest cascading falls east of the Mississippi. Moseying toward the spectacle were Larry and Carol Crewey of Gainesville.

“This is just wonderful,” said Carol Crewey, who said they’d already been to Tallulah Gorge this spring. “These little outdoor trips and adventures have been a lifesaver for us this past year.”

A first-time visitor from Atlanta, Alex Nickelson, said he and his partner had just finished walking upstairs adjacent the falls, then taking another trail bending them back gradually toward the visitors’ center.

“It was strenuous,” he chuckled. “They do warn you – twice.”

Tallulah Falls also gets some aqua-love for its stair walk down into the 1,000-footdeep gorge and a half- dozen falls.

The namesake canyon at Cloudland Canyon is a dramatic wonder with rocky and tree-bedecked views into parts of Tennessee and Alabama. A staircase leads down to a stream and two gorgeous falls at the bottom.

And don’t miss the overlook.

“It gives you a sense of how big and massive things are when you get up there,” said

Gibson.

Vogel State Park, established in 1931 and the second oldest in the system, is one that plays big. It sits at the foot of Blood Mountain, the highest summit on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. It has an extensive trail system that includes a challenging 13-mile back-country route and is centered on a placid lake.

And don’t forget other North Georgia parks like Don Carter, Fort Mountain, Black Rock Mountain, and Smithgall Woods. All of them feature woodsy walks, glimpses of wildlife and breath-catching vistas and some are less visited, so you’re less likely to run into thousands of your best friends, And what’s not to like about a mere $5 parking fee to enter? (But keep in mind that some activities will require digging deeper into the wallet).

It may not be easy for park employees handling the crowds and strain on facilities, but visitors like Nickelson are quick to give them a thumbs-up.

“I’ve never been here before,” he said, “but I’ve been to a lot of state parks and I like it. It’s very clean and I didn’t feel unsafe walking up the stairs, which is a good thing.”

And he added, “I just love waterfalls.”

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Big Canoe thrives during pandemic, has waiting list for homes

BY COLLIN KELLEY If you need further proof that the real estate market barely blinked during the pandemic, then look no further than Big Canoe: there’s a waiting list for homes in the private mountain community.

Situated between Jasper and Dawsonville about an hour north of Atlanta, Big Canoe usually has anywhere from 200 to 250 homes on the market at any given time. As of mid-March, there were only 19 available.

“It’s so amazing,” Big Canoe’s general manager Scott Auer said. “Realtors have waiting lists. As soon as a home goes on the market, there are multiple offers in 24 hours.”

Auer said the pandemic is to blame.

“COVID-19 has changed how we live and do business,” Auer said. “The pandemic has made people rethink their priorities and they want to be somewhere that has a small town feel and offers security.”

To that end, the 8,000 acre Big Canoe now has some of the fastest internet speeds in the country, its own fire department, and round-the-clock gated security. And, of course, there’s the stunning mountain views and amenities galore. Auer said Big Canoe is spending $6 million on capital improvements in 2021, including renovations

to the golf course and tennis courts, a new bocci facility, and plans to turn older buildings in the community into meeting spaces.

Big Canoe was also serious about keeping its residents safe from COVID-19, going above and beyond the state’s recommendations. “We locked arms and said the safety of our property owners and employees was the most important issue, so we put some stringent guidelines in place including mask mandates.”

While the community might have lost some day-users of its amenities, Auer said, but safety above profits was the guiding principle during the height of the pandemic. He said a partnership with Northside Hospital and an active group of volunteers in the community also helped residents do everything from pick up groceries to taking neighbors to doctor’s appointments. He said Big Canoe residents have also been proactive about getting the vaccine.

Auer said Big Canoe would relax its pandemic protocols slowly but was already moving toward mask-optional times at its gyms, offering more outdoor dining options at the clubhouse, and is hopeful that

the big 4th of July fireworks display will be on the calendar.

“What we really need is more houses,” a delighted Auer said.

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Planners grapple with pandemic’s mystery impacts on population boom and traffic

BY JOHN RUCH AND MAGGIE LEE In the era of metro Atlanta’s population boom, it’s a magic number behind virtually every transportation plan and housing policy: another 2.9 million people packing into the region by 2050. But the pandemic could slow that growth and change many plans, says the head of the agency that made the estimate.

“It’ll take about three or four years to know whether pre-pandemic migration patterns are going to pick up… or have slowed permanently,” said Doug Hooker, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission, at a March 8 Rotary Club of Buckhead luncheon. Historically, pandemics have halted or reduced such largescale relocations, he said.

Even if the population crunch continues, the long-term future of teleworking is a huge question that could affect everything from local street-widenings to state toll lanes to MARTA routes. So is how such changes fit into long-term trends like a decline in bus ridership.

The ARC had just completed a fouryear regional transportation plan in February 2020, only to see it become virtually obsolete in lockdowns. The plan included a kind of disaster scenario, dubbed “Fierce Headwinds,” but it was about an economic recession, not a pandemic. Now work is starting on an update, but it may need to account for new ways of thinking about notions like “rush hour.”

“As professional planners this is our job to try and anticipate things like this, and in a lot of ways we got blindsided by the pandemic just like every person did,” says David Haynes, a senior planner at ARC. “We know the questions to be asking. We just don’t know answers to them yet.”

Metro Atlanta’s traffic volumes are returning to a near normal, Haynes said, but in funny ways. Instead of just the traditional a.m. and p.m. rush hours, there’s congestion at midday and on the weekends. That spreading-out of the traffic volume suggests a significant teleworking shift. ARC will have to “totally revisit our assumptions” on things like traffic demand and volume-counting practices, he said.

Georgia’s about to spend $1.2 billion to add toll lanes along the Perimeter and Ga. 400, including in Sandy Springs. And those Ga. 400 lanes might also carry a new “rapid” bus service, though whether and when that happens will depend on the will of Fulton mayors to ask voters to open their wallets.

The folks who run toll roads and MARTA say the need for their infrastructure isn’t going anywhere, even if the pandemic means some changes. But there are also long-term trends they’re watching.

Regular bus use has been on a gentle decline for years on key northeast metro Atlanta routes.

That’s happening everywhere, even as the population rises. Nationwide, bus rid-

ership is at its lowest point since at least 1973, according to a new study by Georgia Tech researchers.

Transit planners know some of what’s behind the nationwide bus and rail decline, even if they’re still figuring out how much each factor is to blame. They know that when driving and parking are easy and cheap, people will choose cars. And if buses are infrequent and get stuck in the same traffic as everybody else, they’re less popular.

But what’s still a bit of a mystery is how much of the change is due to ride-hailing apps, e-scooters, bike-sharing, telecommuting and even gentrification. Even before COVID-19, those things were taking

some bite out of transit demand. Wealthy, white-collar professionals who can telecommute don’t tend to be dependent on buses or trains, whereas the folks they priced out of town might have been.

Metro Atlanta’s toll lanes, on the other hand, get popular quickly and stay that way, according to Peach Pass data. The numbers plunged early in the pandemic and are climbing back.

The use of toll lanes and transit hasn’t recovered since the pandemic plunge began about a year ago, though transit planners expect it to, just maybe in different ways.

If some critical mass of people continue to telecommute or remain unem-

ployed, maybe that’s the future of rush hour. And online shopping is driving freight traffic higher. Tractortrailers bring the cargo part of the way, then the fleets of Amazon vans roll out.

Meanwhile, there’s probably not anything that could stop the new toll lanes project on Ga. 400, though the Georgia Department of Transportation hasn’t finished all its necessary reviews.

Chris Tomlinson is head of SRTA, the state agency that administers toll roads — and of the one that coordinates metro counties’ transit plans.

He argues the metro still needs all kinds of alternatives to the single person driving one car during rush hour, including transit, telecommuting and yes, toll lanes.

“We’re doing all these [Peach Pass lane] projects because our roads were already oversubscribed,” Tomlinson said. “If traffic was to get back to just 85% of what it was, we would still have congestion.”

MARTA’s leader, CEO and General Manager Jeff Parker, thinks talk of the death of the office is exaggerated and he remains bullish on cities in general.

He pointed to Microsoft moving in at Bankhead, at Portman working with MARTA itself for a big development at North Avenue station, at metro Atlanta’s growing population “Nobody’s talking about the demise of the Midtown market,” Parker said.

And besides that, not everybody even works in an office or got a COVID-19 break from it. Thousands of people continued to rely on MARTA even during the worst of the pandemic.

The agency is working on a bus route redesign with the aim of better matching routes to riders and the places they need to go. That should take about a year.

In the meantime, MARTA is planning to reopen all its suspended bus routes by April 24.

Education | 27

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

YMCA OVERNIGHT CAMP REIMAGINED FOR SAFETY AND FUN

RESERVE OPEN-AIR ADVENTURE AND LAKEFRONT Kids 6-16 can spend this summer unplugged from technology and plugged into fun at YMCA Camp Thunderbird and YMCA Camp Harrison

ymcacharlotte.org

2021 HEALTH PRACTICES: - Masks required on buses - Bathrooms cleaned every 30 mins - Small groups; no more than 15 - No group mingling - Daily temperature checks - Weekly counselor testing

YOUR CHILD'S COLLEGE JOURNEY College? Careers? They’ll be here for your kids before you know it.

Summer Academy at UGA offers specialty camps to support your teen or pre-teen’s passions and boost their skills.

Recognized nationally as a strong career and college builder Convenient, live online programs

REGISTER TODAY!

Established in 2001, this will be

Josh Powell Camp has been getting kids active in the great outdoors every summer since 1972.

Great SUMMER activities: swimming, archery, canoeing, arts and crafts, fort building, gaga ball, and more!

Registration currently open for current K-2nd graders.

Sutton Middle School on Northside Drive and Kairos Church at I-285 and Riverside

Summer Academy’s 21st offering

This summer is the time to start making your student’s career and college dreams a reality

ugasummer.com

5242 Wade Green Road, Acworth, GA 30312 (678) 369-0780 (call or text) Hey@JoshPowellCamp.com

WWW.JOSHPOWELLCAMP.COM

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28 | Education

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Choose your own adventure at Trinity School Summer Camp!

Academic, specialty, and sports camps for children ages 4 to 13 June 7–July 2 Monday–Friday

• 7:30 AM–4 PM

July 26–30 Limited offerings

GREAT PROSPECTS, INC.

SUMMER FRIENDS A summer program for individuals with developmental disabilities Ages 16-21 (still attending High School)

Summer Friends incorporates our core elements of community service, therapeutic activities, healthy living, and social skills in peer appropriate setting Our program provides an opportunity for high school students to experience the robust programming of our therapeutic day program

4301 Northside Parkway NW, Atlanta 404-231-8117 | kwhitmer@trinityatl.org Trinity School operates under strong health and safety guidelines.

FOR MORE INFO & REGISTRATION: INFO@GREATPROSPECTSINC.ORG 770-314-4243 WWW.GREATPROSPECTSINC.ORG

www.trinityatl.org/summercamp

H I G H MUSE UM O F A R T A T L A N T A

If you’re looking for your student to learn and grow this summer in a fun, faith-filled environment, HSP Summer Programs are for you!

Our fun summer programs for preschoolers – 12th graders are designed to support the formation of each student through faith, academics, athletics, and arts.

Early registration is recommended as spaces are limited.

Visit holyspiritprep.org/summerprograms to register today!

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Education | 29

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

ENGINEERING DESIGN THINKING PERFORMANCE ARTS 2021 SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY summer PROBLEMcamp SOLVING

smart girls

June 14-18 & 21-25 July 12-16 & 19-23 “A unique program that creates space for girls to take risks, discover their strengths, and express their own voice.”

FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 1 – 6

for more information and to register visit

atlantagirlsschool.org/camp

Join us for an adventurous and fun summer!

Sea Gull and Seafarer’s unique North Carolina coastal location is perfect for our seamanship program and traditional camp activities. Campers make lifelong friendships, challenge themselves and succeed in the process.

SeaGull-Seafarer.org

Open to PK- 8th Grade students in metro Atlanta. Choose from science, technology, engineering, art camps, and more! gallowayschool.org/summer BK

30 | Education

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SUMMER CAMPS BLUE HERON SUMMER CAMP IS BACK! Blue Heron Summer Camp is the perfect place for your camper to escape into nature! Campers will discover the wonders of the

CAM

With 30 acres of greenspace located in the heart of Buckhead, PS

• Sports • Gymnastics • Science • Technology • Engineering • Math • Leisure • Arts & Crafts • Tennis

STARTI NG

outdoors through hands-on learning, weekly focuses, and small group explorations. COVID safety protocols in place.

PER WEE

JUNE 1-AUGUST 13 AGES 4-12

K

CAMPS THAT ENGAGE, ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE YOUR CHILD

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN AT BHNP.ORG/SUMMER-CAMPS #SPREADYOURWINGS

We offer a variety of quality summer day camps in Sandy Springs that encourage positive character development! Our staff are committed to providing a safe environment where campers can be challenged and achieve success.

Learn more at registration.sandyspringsga.gov.

PROMOTE

YOUR CAMP

REPORTER NEWSPAPERS 2021 AGAPE TENNIS ACADEMY SUMMER CAMPS To register, email: info@agapetennisacademy.com, call (404) 636-5628, or sign up online at www.agapetennisacademy.com

RECEIVE

Having fun becoming better players and better people

15% OFF if you register before April 1st

“The 2019 Organization of the Year” Camps are located at DeKalb Tennis Center: 1400 McConnell Drive Decatur, GA 30033

AGAPE CAMP 1 AGAPE CAMP 2 TOURNAMENT CAMP 1 QUICKSTART CAMP 1 AGAPE CAMP 3 TOURNAMENT CAMP 2 AGAPE CAMP 4 TOURNAMENT CAMP 3 AGAPE CAMP 5 TOURNAMENT CAMP 4 QUICKSTART CAMP 2 AGAPE CAMP 6 TOURNAMENT CAMP 5 AGAPE CAMP 7 TOURNAMENT CAMP 6 AGAPE CAMP 8

May 24-28 June 1-4 June 1-4 June 1-4 June 7-11 June 7-10 June 14-18 June 14-17 June 21-25 June 21-24 June 21-25 June 28-July 2 June 28-July 1 July 6-9 July 6-9 July 12-16 BK

Classifieds | 31

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Help Wanted

Caregivers

Executive Admin Assistant FT position open for an experienced executive admin working with two professionals in the financial services industry. Must have excellent computer and customer relation skills as you will be working with the firm’s top clients. Office is located in Dunwoody area. Applicant must supply cover letter, resume, salary requirements and any additional qualifications you feel may be pertinent.

No phone calls, emails only accepted.

Contact: Sue jsue1205@yahoo.com

Caregiver, Sitter & Companion Available for your loved ones! Certified with Great References. Call Deidre Kimbro 404-397-9429 - Available Today.

Driveways and Walkways - Replaced or repaired.

Masonry, grading, foundations repaired, waterproofing or reetaining walls. Call Joe Sullivan 770-616-0576.

Considerate Caregiver for elderly woman & man. Flex hours, days, evenings, weekends.

Prefer CNA/ Medical/Medical Student experience.

Light meal prep and housekeeping.

770-393-4578 (landline).

Email: jimknocke@gmail.com.

Best Rate Painting - We beat all estimates! Rooms as low as $175.

Exterior as low as $1750. 25 years’ experience. Free estimates and No money down. Call 404-434-8941 or email: bestratepaint@bellsouth.net Visit: www.bestratepainting.com.

Relevant Resume

Senior Companion

New Job Hunt.

Get your resume ready.

423-225-2471

atlantaresumewriters.com

relevantresume@gmail.com

Contact Meaningful Moments with Keisha Renae as your Senior Lifestyle Enrichment Advisor.

I implement activities that help maintain lifestyles and reduce loneliness while building supportive friendships.

Call 843-642-3414 or Email: KRmeaningfulmoments@gmail.com.

Services Available

Matthew’s Handy Services - 7AM appointments available. Small jobs & chores are my specialties! Organizers, Carpentry, Drywall & Painting. Call 404-547-2079 or email mwarren8328@ gmail.com.

Troy Holland - Plumbing - Electrical - HVAC. All your needs! Repairs, Replacement & New installation.

Family operated - 38 years experience.

Commercial & Residential. Call 770256-8940.

Collectibles

T

DU HE

STY C O IN

thedustycoin.com

BUYING COINS GOLD JEWELRY STERLING FLATWARE MEMBER: ANA, NGC, PCGS

404-263-2967

HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY

Kitchen Bathroom Basement

Showroom, Design, Build

IN HOME CONSULTATION

404-910-3969

www.RemodelingExpo.com

Spring Into

Atlanta’s Premier since 1968 Window Cleaning

• Gutter Cleaning • Pressure Washing • Family Owned • Licensed and Insured • FREE ESTIMATES

404.355.1901

www.WindowCleanAtl.com

SHOWROOM

48 KING STREET ROSWELL, GA 30075

MrHandyman.com (770) 852-5453

Repairs & New installation

Plumbing Appliances Water Heaters Shower Pan Leaks

WINDOWS

Windows And Doors Buy with confidence!

Visit our showroom in Tucker!

770-939-5634

404-219-1923

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

770-455-4556

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

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Serving Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Brookhaven, and Peachtree Corners

AT YOUR SERVICE

Belco Electric

To advertise in this section, call 404-917-2200 ext 1003

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED BONDED & INSURED PROFESSIONAL & RELIABLE

All Gutter Cleanings include gutter repairs and spider web knockdowns

First time clients save $15 CARLOS LAZARRE (706)572-4023 reliablegutterguy@gmail.com Free estimates

quinnwindows.com

3910 Lawrenceville Hwy, Tucker GA 30084

Driveways & Walkways

(Replaced or repaired)

Masonry Grading Foundations repaired Waterproofing Retaining walls

Joe Sullivan 770-616-0576

Handyman Services Moving & delivery too!

No job too small References Available 803-608-0792

Cornell Davis, Owner

APRIL 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

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