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MAY 11 - 24, 2018 • VOL. 12 — NO. 10
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Sandy Springs welcomes the public to a new City Hall BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
“Welcome to the very first day at City Springs!” said Mayor Rusty Paul, greeting a crowd of about 200 people at the ribbon-cutting for Sandy Springs’ brand new City Hall May 7. “Well, what do you think?” he asked from his podium on the City Hall’s front steps facing the sun-drenched City Green park, and was answered with loud applause. The historic moment was a landSee SANDY on page 22
Former and current City Council members cutting the ribbon on the new Sandy Springs City Hall May 7 are, from left, Steve Soteres, Jody Reichel, Karen Meinzen McEnerny (not visible), Tibby DeJulio, Ken Dishman, Chris Burnett, Gabriel Sterling (not visible), Mayor Rusty Paul, Andy Bauman (not visible), John Paulson and Ashley Jenkins.
STANDOUT STUDENT Collecting video games for kids in hospitals
I have always wanted to be part of a new theater in Atlanta and I was ecstatic to be able to help form an original season with a brand-new company.
OUT & ABOUT Sky-high fun returns for ‘Good Neighbor Day’ at PDK
See story, page 8
Public safety, City Springs among budget wish list items BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
As the city develops a fiscal year 2019 budget for a City Council presentation May 15, the wish list ranges from public safety improvements and City Springs subsidies to a dog park and water system upgrades. The following are some of the budget topics discussed at a council hearing on May 1.
SHULER HENSLEY Associate Artistic Director of the new City Springs Theatre Company Page 4
JOHN RUCH
Page 18
See PUBLIC on page 15
2 | Community
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Community Briefs
JOHN RUCH
Looking east on the new Denmark Drive, toward Boylston Drive. The Modera apartments are to the left; the Adley at City Springs apartments construction site is to the right; and the Reserve at City Center townhomes are at the end of the street.
NEW D ENM AR K DR I V E O P ENS TO TR A FFI C ; D ED I C AT I O N TO C O M E
Sandy Springs’ newest street, Denmark Drive, quietly opened to traffic on April 23. A ceremony involving family members of its namesake, Dr. Leila Daughtry Denmark, likely will be held in about a month, according to city spokesperson Sharon Kraun. The new Denmark Drive connects Roswell Road and Boylston Drive at a point south of Hilderbrand Drive and north of Hammond Drive. At Boylston, the street meets the new Reserve at City Center townhomes. The new street is intended to add to the city’s downtown grid to improve walkability and traffic flow. Denmark Drive runs between the new Modera apartments on the north side and, to the south, a Bank of America branch and the Adley at City Springs apartments’ construction site. The developers of both apartment complexes partnered with the city on creating the new street, an $878,000 project largely paid for with state grant money.
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Serious crime reported in Sandy Springs dropped about 20 percent in 2017, including a nearly 30 percent drop in burglary reports, according to police department statistics. The department’s current concern is an increase in fatal traffic accidents, with three already this year. The city reported an average of more than 20 vehicle accidents of some sort per day in 2017. Deputy Chief Keith Zgonc said at a May 1 City Council budget hearing that the department will request the hiring of two nightwatch officers — a sergeant and a patrol officer — to boost traffic enforcement. Like most police departments around the country, Sandy Springs annually files statistics on “Part I” or serious crime reports with the FBI. The 2017 stats show most of the decline was in property crime, with a small decrease in violent crime. There were decreases in most categories from the previous year, with slight increases in arson and aggravated assault reports. Total Part I crime was down about 20 percent, from 3,001 crimes reported in 2016 to 2,398 last year. Violent crime reports were down about 6 percent, from 134 to 126, and property crime reports were down about 21 percent, from 2,867 to 2,272. The overall crime rate continues trending downward so far this year, Zgonc said. SS
MAY 11 - 24, 2018
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WOMAN CHARGED WITH FIRING GUN DURING ARGUMENT AT CITY SPRINGS
A woman was charged with firing a handgun during an argument with a construction worker April 27 at City Springs, Sandy Springs’ new civic center, just 10 days before the new City Hall opened there. Stephanie Holcombe, 33, of Newnan was arrested after the incident, which came during a personal argument with a construction worker, according to the Sandy Springs Police Department. She is accused of firing the gun into the floor of a room next to the Studio Theatre/City Council chamber. The damage was repaired. Holcombe faces charges of aggravated assault, reckless conduct, battery and interference with a 911 call, according to the police.
ACT3, J EWI S H F I L M F EST MAY J O I N C IT Y SP RI N GS AR T S L I N EUP; TI C K ETS O N S A L E J UN E 1
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and the local Act3 Productions theater company are among the latest arts organizations in talks to hold events at the City Springs Performing Arts Center, officials say. The lineup for a lengthy grand opening in August is expected to be announced later this month, with tickets on sale by June 1. The grand opening arts lineup at Sandy Springs’ new civic center remains a secret work in progress. At a May 8 Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce lunch, PAC General Manager Michael Enoch teased that it will include a Grammy Award-winner, Tony Award-winner and “America’s Got Talent” winner. The overall program will include “concerts, performances, films and lectures,” Enoch said. Act3 is “absolutely committed” to performing in the grand opening as well, according to Mary Sorrel, its executive director and board president. Act3, which operates its own playhouse nearby, is also in discussions to hold its youth theater performances in City Springs’ Studio Theatre, she said. A regular season of PAC performances will be announced later this year, but more details are already known, including shows by the Atlanta Ballet and Atlanta Opera. Enoch previously said the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra likely will perform as well, and on May 8 announced negotiations for an Atlanta Jewish Film Festival series. Kenny Blank, the festival’s executive director, is on the board of the Sandy Springs Foundation, which is raising money to subsidize PAC programming. Also in the works, Enoch said, is a lecture series with 10 to 12 “regional and national speakers” on such topics as arts, business and politics. Overall, Enoch said, the PAC aims to book 300 events in its first year, which counts everything from a 10-person meeting in a rented conference room — many facilities are open for public rental — to musical theater shows. For more information, see citysprings.com. SS
Community | 3
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Gathering on the dais immediately after their final official meeting in the old City Hall at Morgan Falls office park are Mayor Rusty Paul (seated) and, from left, City Councilmembers John Paulson, Steve Soteres, Chris Burnett, Andy Bauman, Jody Reichel and Tibby DeJulio. JOHN RUCH
C OUN C IL B ID S FAR EWELL TO O LD CITY HALL
The Sandy Springs City Council bid farewell to the old City Hall in a final meeting May 1 before its move to City Springs. The final meeting in the old City Council chamber in a Roswell Road office park — its first and only home since its landmark incorporation over 12 years ago – lasted only about 15 minutes. “It’s not with any sadness that I leave this room,” said Mayor Rusty Paul as he opened the meeting. But, he said, “it has served us well” and deserves a “fond farewell.” The agenda contained only one item of real business: an approval of yet another strategic move in the ongoing war with security companies about false alarms. The latest tweak makes it the company’s responsibility to notify its customers if it is placed on a controversial non-response list by police for repeated false alarms or failure to register or pay fines.
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4 | Education
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Max Rubenstein poses before a Prudential Spirit of Community Award ceremony.
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I am a candidate for an open seat on the Fulton County Superior Court for the May 22, 2018 election. I decided to seek this position because the citizens of Fulton County should have a highly qualified judge to represent their interests. The citizens of Fulton County expect and deserve to be served by a judiciary that is transparent and fair. I will serve the citizens in an expeditious manner that is transparent and fair. My legal career of twenty-two years has afforded me a broad range of experience which includes private practice, Assistant Solicitor for the City of Atlanta, and most recently, supervising the largest division of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy District Attorney. Each of these positions were in service to Fulton County Citizens, resulting in a wealth of knowledge, understanding and respect for the great people of Fulton County. As Georgia’s laws become more complex, there is a call for judges who demonstrate an understanding of how the law affects all citizens. More importantly, all judges should serve from the moral position that every citizen who stands before the court has both a legal and constitutional right to fair and unbiased proceedings and rulings. Having served as lead counsel on a gamut of case types, I am equipped with the years and variety of legal experience to ensure my ability to serve as your next Fulton County Superior Court Judge with wisdom, fairness and a work ethic that has gone unmatched. I have included a list of professionals from various fields who serve our community and who support my candidacy for this position. I am asking you to join them and vote for me on May 22, 2018. Early voting begins on April 30, 2018.
Standout Student To help cheer up children in local hospitals, Galloway School senior Max Rubinstein started a nonprofit to collect and donate video games. Game Givers has so far collected hundreds of games and donated them through a partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. This spring, Max was recognized as a top youth volunteer in Georgia in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, which is awarded with $1,000, an engraved silver medal and a trip to Washington, D.C. for four days of events. Max wanted a way to continue the legacy of his grandmother, who also loved video games and died of cancer in 2015. Soon after, the local organization Giving Point, a youth development organi-
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Sherry Boston Dekalb County District Attorney
Page Pate Partner Pate & Johnson, Adjunct Professor University of Georgia School of Law, Legal Analyst for CNN and WABE
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Judicial Candidate Fulton County Superior Court EDUCATION, MEMBERSHIPS, & PROFESSIONAL ACCOLADES • Lewis R. Slaton Award, 2005, 2006, and • Howard University, Bachelor of Arts, 2011(only three time winner in history) Cum Laude, December 1992 • Member, Georgia Bar Association • Emory University School of Law, 1996 • Member, Georgia Association of • Law and Justice Award, Woman of The Year, Women Lawyers Georgia's Most Powerful and Influential • Member, We All Value Excellence (WAVE) Attorneys 2017- 2018
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Education | 5
MAY 11 - 24, 2018 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net zation, reached out to him, asking him to join their institute. Max then completed a 10-month program by Giving Point on how to run a nonprofit. “I knew I wanted to do something to preserve my grandmother’s legacy, so in October of 2015 I started a nonprofit called Game Givers, with the goal of donating new or used video games to hospitals,” Max said. These goals are accomplished in three different ways: organizing video game drives, hosting tournaments, and by working with video game developers themselves. Through entry fees, the tournament raises money to purchase new games to donate them to hospitals that only accept new games. Since launching in 2015, Game Givers has raised over $110,000 dollars in video game donations, giving thousands of kids in Georgia, Boston, Michigan and internationally in Spain access to games during their hospital stays. James Aucoin, the director of programs at Giving Point, said he and the organization are proud of what Max achieved. “We have seen him mature and grow over the years, and we are so proud to have SPECIAL been a guiding support for him. Max has Max Rubenstein, right, accepts The Prudential Spirit of Community Award and speaks to worked tirelessly on Game Givers and, alOlympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn. though he does not seek it, he is most deserving of the recognition,” Aucoin said. Max’s journey began with his willingness to reach out to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for his first partnership. He went around to all of his friends and asked for their help by giving him their old video games that were simply collecting dust. Max compiled significant donations and hundreds of games. Scottish Rite, CHOA’s Sandy Springs campus, has become one of Game Givers’ biggest partners. Games are also frequently donated to Ronald McDonald Houses. He kept the nonprofit growing by telling absolute everybody about his work. As the student body president of Galloway, he makes sure to mention the nonprofit in their weekly town hall meeting. He organizes video game drives, works with the school’s video game club and he gives a memorized pitch at least three times a day. Max said he hopes his work starting a nonprofit inspires other youth to use their passions to make change. “I think that the biggest thing that needs to come from this is that there needs to be more kids doing this, and there needs to be more people empowering kids to lead and to do crazy things and to take big steps. If you have that passion, that’s what’s most important,” Max said. For more information about the nonprofit, visit gamegivers.org.
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Max will be attending Northeastern University this fall. He will continue to grow Game Givers as he has partnerships in Boston. However, he will be passing on the Atlanta chapter to the president of the video game club at The Galloway School. Exit 26
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Editor’s Note: Through our “Standout Student” series, Reporter Newspapers showcases some of the outstanding students at our local schools. To recommend a “Standout Student” for our series, please email editor@ReporterNewspapers.net with information about the student and why you think he or she should be featured.
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6 | Education
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Education Briefs FULTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Renderings from a consultants’ recommendation report show the proposal for the “Sandy Springs Partnership Incubator” in North Springs Charter High School.
A page from the consultants’ report shows renderings for student collaboration areas at North Springs Charter High School.
O VER -B U D G ET NO R TH S P R ING S HIG H P R O P O S A L INCLU D ES CO LLAB O R ATI O N, ‘I NC UBATO R’ S PA C E
Exterior and interior renovations for North Springs Charter High School alone put the construction budget over, according to a report given to the school board. In addition to those renovations which were not detailed in the report, consultants recommended collaboration areas, a dance studio and more parking. The previously discussed ideas to build a gym and auditorium addition are also included in the report, which was obtained through an open records request. The report shows the original budget for the school, which was approved by voters in the E-PLOST, was set at $18.8 million. These proposals put the estimate at $31.6 million. Superintendent Jeff Rose at the April 12 school board meeting that the school would work with the consultants to bring down the costs. The recommendations are planned to be presented at the June board meeting. The consultants, which included an architecture firm and the “visioning” firm Wonder, by Design, proposed a “Sandy Springs Partnership Incubator,” Christian Long, the founder the visioning firm, who led community meetings and interviewed students and staff, proposed in a previous presentation that the school should build a network of local business and community connections. The Sandy Springs Partnership Incubator is part of that plan, according to the report. The plan includes a “collaboration area” to host that incubator with movable tables and chairs. Other collaboration spaces include a general area for all students, an area for seniors and a “maker space,” which would include dry erase boards and seating. Those proposals, along with new elevators at $361,040, lab and classroom additions at $3,683,789, and construction costs put the plan over budget.
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Education | 7
MAY 11 - 24, 2018 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net Parking, which has been cited as an issue by the community, was recommended to be expanded by 160 spaces, bring the total to 469. The recommendations would also address the deficiencies in square footage for classrooms, the library and most other parts of the school by bringing the space up to Fulton County standards. The only part of North Springs High that is currently big enough is the administration and guidance area, according to the report.
PEA C H T R EE MIDDLE TO GET N EW PR INCIPAL
Alex Wan, who previously represented south Buckhead on the Atlanta City Council, has been named the executive director of Horizons Atlanta, a nonprofit that provides academic enrichment programs to local students. Horizons provides academic enrichment programs to 800 low-income students from kindergarten into high school through summer programs and year-round support. It works from affiliate sites that include Atlanta International School in Buckhead and Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Sandy Springs. The HIES site sees students from Lake Forest and High Point elementary schools. Atlanta International School sees students from Garden Hills Elementary. Wan most recently served as director of development and alumni relations at Emory University. He previously served as director of development at Jerusalem House, Atlanta’s largest housing provider for low-income and homeless individuals and families affectSPECIAL ed by HIV/AIDS, according to the release. Alex Wan. He served two terms as the city council member for District 6, which is now represented by Jennifer Ide. Wan ran for the council president seat in 2016, but lost that election to Felicia Moore. Wan succeeds Emily Hawkins, who has been in this role for the past two years and is relocating to Philadelphia, Pa.
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The Davis Academy in Sandy Springs has launched a free camp for children with cancer and their siblings. The school held a ribbon-cutting for the Aurora Day Camp April 26, which includes a campsite featuring sports fields, nature center, a new playground, theatre and indoor play areas. The Davis Academy, which is located at 8105 Roberts Drive, is partnering with the Sunrise Association, an organization that runs free day camps, year-round programs and recreational activities. The day camp will begin June 11 and runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. For registration information, visit auroradaycamp.org.
Parents of a Dunwoody High School student have raised over $9,000 so far to help Jermaine Searles, a coach and teacher at the school who lost his house in an April 27 fire. “We are absolutely thrilled to see the Dunwoody community rally around Coach Searles and his family. I believe it’s times like these when community really shines,” said Katie Phillips, who started the fundraiser. The online campaign surpassed its $5,000 goal in less than 24 hours. “Well, you see how fast the word spread and we’ve been receiving donations from all over the city, even from people who have no association with Dunwoody High School or the basketball program,” Searles teaches math and coaches the ninth grade basketball team that Phillips’ son participated on this year. “He motivated these boys, poured time and encouragement into them and truly created a team that we are all so proud of,” Phillips said. For more information, visit gofundme.com/coachsearles.
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Peachtree Charter Middle School will be getting a new principal next year, replacing Scott Heptinstall, who has been the principal since 2009. Heptinstall will continue to serve as principal of the Dunwoody school through the end of the school year. He will then be reassigned to an unspecified position in the school district, according to a letter to parents from Region I Superintendent Sherry Johnson. “The purpose of this assignment is to better utilize the talents of our employees and align them with the needs of our schools and students,” Johnson wrote. Heptinstall’s reassignment follows a widely-reported bullying incident in 2017 that was criticized by organizations for the school administration’s handling of the incident. The DeKalb County School District signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2013 over a separate bullying incident at the school. A survey gathered input on a new principal from school teachers and parents of students who are currently enrolled and has now closed, according to the letter.
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8 | Art & Entertainment
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The curtain rises on City Springs Theatre Company BY JUDITH SCHONBAK
and role as a staple in the community. His question to them: “Why don’t you start your own theater organization in Sandy Springs?” They thought it was “a great idea” and asked for his help. He offered his assistance as an advisor for the venture. Hauser, an attorney retired from Co-
As the new City Springs Theatre Company prepares for what is shaping up to be a booming debut season, the story of the once-secret musical company’s origin can be told. Last year, a small group of Sandy Springs residents attempted to lure the popular Atlanta Lyric Theatre to move from Marietta Square to the new City Springs civic center. The idea shifted to creating a new company, which now has sold nearly 3,400 subscriptions for a Broadway musical season set to open in September. And now the new City Springs Theatre Company is set to join another long-established company, Act3 Productions, in jointly promoting a downtown “arts district.” The 1,070-seat Byers Theatre SPECIAL The City Springs Theatre Company’s leadership within the Performing Arts Center team includes, from left, Executive/Artistic Director is the mainstage home of the SanBrandt Blocker, Associate Artistic Director Shuler dy Springs Theatre Company, and Hensley and Managing Director Natalie Barrow. the 350-seat Studio Theatre will serve for its smaller productions and arts ca-Cola, handled all the legalities of eseducation programs. tablishing the company as a nonprofit The idea of the professional musical organization. theater company came from four Sandy Meanwhile, Blocker began assemSprings residents and long-time arts supbling a leadership team. He contactporters: Jan Collins, Steven Hauser and ed Natalie Barrow, with whom he had Peggy and Jerry Stapleton. worked and who was former director of Initially, they talked of inviting an exarts education and community outreach isting metro Atlanta theater company to for ArtsBridge Foundation at Cobb Enertake on the role of resident professional gy Performing Arts Centre. She became theater company — specifically, the Lyric an advisor and soon the company’s first Theatre. They contacted Brandt Blocker, employee as managing director. the Lyric’s recently departed managing “I leapt at the chance to be part of artistic director, who had left town for what I knew would be a highly successful Hong Kong, where his wife has a new job. arts organization in metro Atlanta and Blocker say he told the founding four doing what I love,” said Barrow. that he could not speak for the Lyric, but Bright on Barrow and Blocker’s rahe doubted the company would relocate, dar was Shuler Hensley. A Marietta nagiven its large following in Cobb County
tive, Hensley is a Broadway, film and TV actor who won a Tony Award in 2002 for his performance in a production of “Oklahoma!” He is also the namesake of the Shuler Hensley Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, which Barrow managed and produced as part of her work at the Cobb Energy Centre. They believed Hensley’s participation would give the new outfit immediate and enviable credibility. When Blocker asked him to take on the role of associate artistic director, the actor did not hesitate. “I have always wanted to be part of a new theater in Atlanta and I was ecstatic to be able to help form an original season with a brand-new company,” Hensley says. He plans to be involved in all aspects of the theater including teaching, performing and directing both young and professional local talent. “I’ve seen the level of talent we have here in Georgia and I want to promote it,” he said. His goal is to create a pathway between Broadway and Atlanta to bring top talent here and send local talent to the Big Apple to help further their careers. Meanwhile, Blocker was thinking of leaving his own theater days behind, but could not resist the call. In October, he was the last to sign on the dotted line as a founding officer – executive/artistic director for the new theater company. He still visits Hong Kong as his wife completes a final year of work there. The organization has been assembling its staff and, to date, has nine members from business manager to in-house choreographer and costumer and technical manager. The company will produce full-scale Broadway shows, beginning with its allBroadway-musical inaugural 2018-2019 season taking the stage in September. In addition to mounting top-quality professional
Broadway productions, a key element in its mission is to offer extensive arts education programming for students and educators pre-K through college, as well as community enrichment activities for all ages. On the docket are student matinees, hands-on training, master classes and summer programs. Arts education programs are in the works to be offered this fall. For more information, see cityspringstheatre.com.
‘Unbelievable’ sales
The entire Performing Arts Center, located at Johnson Ferry and Roswell roads in Sandy Springs, will host a wide variety of performances expected to be announced later this month — including special season performances by the Atlanta Ballet and Atlanta Opera. A special grand opening series is scheduled for August. The City Springs Theatre Company has been selling its own season subscriptions since March 1 and has far exceeded a reported goal of 500 subscriptions. Barrow said on May 8 that almost 3,400 season subscriptions had been sold, and 197 people had become “founding patrons” at a minimum donation level of $5,000 for a total of $1 million. Blocker calls the sales “unbelievable.” In all his years in theater, he says, he has never seen anything like it. Seventy percent of the subscriptions are from Sandy Springs residents. Added to the coffers was a $500,000 founding donation from Trisha and Ken Byers, who also secured naming of the Performing Arts Center’s main theater.
Act3 collaboration
Since the City Springs Theatre Company was announced late last year, many
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fans of local theater wondered whether it would be competition for Act3, a community theater mainstay for over 15 years. Mary Sorrel, Act3’s executive director and board chair, said many patrons have asked her whether Act3 would JOHN RUCH be pressed into closThe City Springs Performing Arts Center, where the ing its playhouse in new theater company will perform later this year. the Sandy Springs firmed that, saying the two companies Plaza shopping cenwill do “anything we can to promote each ter at 6285-R Roswell Road, virtually across other.” And they hope to work together the street from City Springs. to get restaurants and bars to offer disIn fact, Sorrel said, the two companies counts or special menus to patrons with plan to collaborate and cross-promote playbills or tickets from their shows. each other to develop an “arts district” in Act3 will continue in its playhouse — downtown Sandy Springs. a gift from the shopping center’s own“We’re very, very different,” Sorrel said. er that was just reconfigured for better “We embrace what we are, a small, seating. The new season there will be anblack-box theater” with intimate perfornounced next month. The youth performances, she said, while City Springs Themances in the PAC’s Studio Theatre is the atre Company will perform large shows. one venue change Act3 might make. “They’re going to be all about the big Enoch said Act3 has been asked to join Broadway stuff,” she said. The organithe grand opening performance lineup. zations share a key contact: Jan Collins, “We’re going to do something,” Sorrel who is on Act3’s board and is a founder of said, adding that Act3 is attempting to get the City Springs Theatre Company. rights to a certain performance that cannot “We have had great meetings with yet be revealed. “We’re very excited about it.” Act3” and hope to collaborate, Barrow --John Ruch contributed said at a May 8 Sandy Springs Perimeter
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Community Survey / Vacations and ‘staycations’ The summer vacation season is coming and respondents to our most recent community survey appear say they plan to get away this year for a little rest-and-relaxation. They just may not go as far as they did last year. Nearly 11 percent of the 200 respondents said this year they plan to take a “staycation,” a vacation at home. That’s up from just 4 percent of the respondents to a similar survey in 2017. And 19 percent said they would travel abroad. Last year, 29 percent of the respondents said they planned international travel. The survey of residents of Reporter Newspapers communities was conducted via cellphone by 1Q.com and is not scientific. Overall, the amount of time respondents said they plan to spend on vacation this year appears to be about the same as last year. About 28 percent said this year they planned to take more than three weeks off, compared to 30 percent in 2017. In 2018, about 43 percent expected to take two to three weeks of vacation, compared to 41 percent in 2017; and 24 percent expected to take one to two weeks of vacation, as compared to 23 percent a year ago. Project: Time Off, an organization financed by the U.S. Travel Association, an industry group, found in 2017 that Americans overall had started taking more vacation days than just a few years ago. A survey published by the group last year found
HOW MUCH VACATION TIME DO YOU PLAN TO TAKE OFF FROM WORK THIS YEAR?
that in 2016, average vacation use climbed to 16.8 days per worker, up from 16.2 days the year before. “The more than half-day shift changes the trajectory of America’s vacation trendline, with the most upward movement seen since vacation usage started its rapid decline in 2000,” the organization said. But the group says one difference it has found is that fewer vacationing employees actually disengage from work while taking time off. Instead, they read emails and keep up on memos while away from the office. “Thanks to today’s technology, face time does not mean what it used to. Email response time has replaced the last car in the
office parking lot,” the organization said after a 2017 online survey of 7,331 adult workers. “This dynamic does not change even if an employee’s location does. Nearly eight in 10 (78 percent) say they are more comfortable taking time off if they know they can access work. Most employees (46 percent) reported that they check in with work occasionally during vacation while smaller percentages (27 percent) are logging on frequently or fully unplugging.” So, summer’s near and the time is right to pack your bags and head off to someplace you can relax. Just try, once you get there, to leave your cellphone turned off.
1Q is an Atlanta-based startup that has developed a technology which sends questions and surveys to a cellphone via app or text message from businesses and organizations across the country. Respondents are paid 50 cents per answer, through PayPal, for sharing their opinions. Payments may also be donated directly to charity. Sign up to be included in our local community polls at 1Q.com/reporter or by texting REPORTER to 86312.
Letter to the Editor AM ER ICA ALR EADY HAS ITS ECO NO M IC R EVO LU TIO N I disagree with Mr. Watkins’ assertion that America is a profoundly savage place in need of an American economic revolution. (Letter to the editor, April 27.) Mr. Watkins’ revolution would seize the entire wealth away from the evil rich. The revolution would redistribute the sized wealth to the Americans who are overwhelmingly miserable. We need to give these overwhelmed, miserable Americans free universal health coverage and paid family leave, and if enough wealth remains “from the takings,” then we should give these overwhelmed, miserable Americans free higher education. The Affordable Care Act is still law. You can get online, at your local library if needed, and purchase health insurance with the coverage you want at a premium that is based on your income. Those that earn more pay more for their policy to subsidize the
lower-income applicants. So we are taking from the evil rich and subsidizing the lower-income folks. If paid family leave is important to you, then go look for a job at a company that offers paid family leave as a benefit. Take a look around. Economic opportunity is rampant throughout this city and in many other cities across America. The construction cranes are redesigning our cities’ skylines. First Quarter Gross Domestic Product was up 2.3 percent, the unemployment rate is 3.9 percent and has been at 4.1 percent for the past six months, daunting federal regulations have been cut, and Congress recently passed tax reform, allowing working Americans to keep more of their own money. There is an economic revolution going on in America. You can get your part of it or you can watch other people get theirs while you remain overwhelmingly miserable. It’s your choice. Keith Tener Brookhaven
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Around Town
Joe Earle is editor-at-large at Reporter Newspapers and has lived in metro Atlanta for over 30 years. He can be reached at joeearle@reporternewspapers.net
Designing golf courses in his dad’s footsteps
SS
This one feels special. Bobby Cupp says he knows this project is different every time he heads out onto the expanse of scraped clay that soon will become the new Bobby Jones Golf Course. This is his dad’s final course. JOE EARLE “For me, this is dad’s last one, right? And one that Bobby Cupp on the Bobby Jones Golf Course. was so dear to his heart,” Cupp said one recent afternoon as the Ford SUV he drove bounced across the manmade hills and valleys that will embody the redesigned course in the heart of Buckhead. “[It’s important] just to be here and get it done.” Bobby Cupp’s dad was Bob Cupp, the Brookhaven golf pro turned golf course designer the Georgia State Golf Association calls “one of the most prominent golf course designers of this era.” Bob Cupp’s design career lasted more than four decades. His company’s website lists more than 75 new courses it’s designed, another two dozen it’s rebuilt, and dozens more it’s renovated or restored. In 1972, Golf World magazine named Bob Cupp its Golf Architect of the Year, according to the Cupp company’s webpage, In 2014 he became the first architect inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, the association says on its webpage. And he pursued more than the perfect golf course. “People refer to my dad as a ‘Renaissance man.’ He played guitar and was a singer,” the younger Cupp said. “He was a woodworker and loved model trains. He spent years and years building a model train. It’s part of his house.” He found time to write a novel, too. Bob Cupp died in August 2016 at age 76. His son took over as president of the Bob Cupp Inc., which meant it fell to him to continue projects he and his dad had been working on, including the redesign of the historic Bobby Jones course. “It’s a collaborative effort,” he said. “I am trying my best to include him in all I do out here. He was the one who decided the concept of the golf course.” Bobby Cupp grew up in Florida, where his dad worked as a golf pro. That was before the elder Cupp started designing courses. The younger Cupp, who’s now 54 and a busy course designer himself, remembers his introduction to golf came when he was about 5. His dad shortened a set of old clubs and took his son to the driving range. Bobby Cupp went to work with his dad in 1985. The younger Cupp was “reasonably artistic” and could help get course designs on paper. There was a time he thought about doing something else, such as going into radio, but eventually ended up back in the golf course design business. The elder Cupp worked years on his redesign of the Bobby Jones course, his son said. Once plans became public, there were heated community debates over everything from potential flood problems to Cupp’s plan to reimagine the public course as a reversible nine-hole course in place of the existing 18-hole course. The idea was that players could play nine holes, or, if they wanted to play the 18 holes usually included in a round of golf, turn around and play the course in a different direction and from a different set of tees. Cupp’s design allowed the use of some of the land for an expansion of the nearby tennis center and addition of a new driving range. Bobby Cupp said part of the idea is to attract urban players and to create a new generation of golfers. Eventually, the city of Atlanta turned the property over to the state in a land swap, and renovations began. Bobby Cupp said the renovated course should open in November. The renovations have drawn recent controversy over tree loss and stream impacts. Cupp declined to comment, saying there aren’t definitive answers yet and more than the “rumor mill” says. About a month before the elder Cupp died, father and son made a site visit to the Bobby Jones course. “We rode around and looked at everything,” Bobby Cupp recalled. The younger Cupp said he’d never tried a “reversible nine” plan before. It was his dad’s first, too. “It’s harder and more complicated than I ever thought it would be,” he said. Unlike a traditional course, “this forces you to look at every conceivable angle,” he said. One example: walking the course recently, he said, he turned around and looked back across a fairway and realized bunkers on an adjacent fairway looked, well, weird when viewed from that perspective. They were fine when viewed one way, but not so fine when encountered from the other end. As this would be a two-way course, with play going in both directions, he had to change them. Sometimes, as he walks the course under construction, there still are questions he’d like to talk over with his dad to find out how he would deal with them. It was his dad’s vision, after all. And it’s important to get this one right. “This one carries a certain weight,” he said. “unlike anything else or anywhere else I’m working or have worked, ever.”
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12 | Making a Difference
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CAC cuts ribbon on new facility to fight homelessness and hunger Tamara Carrera, chief executive officer of the Community Assistance Center, and Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul cut the ribbon on the expanded CAC facility at 8607 Roswell Road May 1.
BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
The Community Assistance Center cut the ribbon May 1 on an expanded facility — including a larger, customer-friendly food pantry — that the nonprofit says will increase its mission of preventing homelessness and hunger in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs. And there’s more expansion to come for the 30-year-old organization, as a longawaited satellite office in southern Sandy Springs is expected to open in about a month. Advocates say that is all crucial help in a time of growing suburban poverty. “This is a dream come true,” said Tamara Carrera, the CAC’s chief executive officer, during the grand opening of the expanding facility at 8607 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. Since 2016, the address has been known for housing the CAC Boutique, a thrift store that is a major funding stream, but the building is much larger than it appears from the street and includes the newly expanded, 14,000-square-foot facilities in the rear. Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said the facility will be a “great beacon and icon of the community” as he joined Carrera in cutting the ribbon on a door above which is painted novelist Amelia
JOHN RUCH
Barr’s quote, “Kindness is always fashionable, and always welcome.” “It’s all about the community,” Paul said of his city’s volunteer efforts, including “the least, lost and left behind in our community, in some cases.” Rabbi Ron Segal of Sandy Springs’ Temple Sinai and Rev. Dan Brown of Dunwoody United Methodist Church gave prayers focused on the equality of all people and the responsibility of serving others in need. Segal praised the CAC’s work as “sacred efforts” in the “pursuit of justice” and hoped it will “inspire us to change the structures that make others hunger.” Brown prayed that, “In days to come, may this become one of the symbols of justice … that is rolling down like a river.” Milton Little Jr., president of the United Way of Greater Atlanta, gave a keynote speech in which he noted the challenge of
suburban poverty. He said many people think of poverty as confined to Atlanta’s Westside, but that they should “think about little pockets here in Sandy Springs.” Little said he considered Segal’s prayer to be the real keynote address. He also alluded to Paul’s comments, saying that “not all of the people served by the CAC are the least, lost and forgotten. They are in front of us every day” — as “essential workers” who still don’t make enough money or coworkers who may not voice their challenges. “So not everybody who comes through this door is invisible to us … We just don’t know their story,” Little said. Little praised the CAC’s work as an opportunity to remember the importance of service. He said in a political era focused on pride in “tribe” that “it is easy to forget there are compassionate people who believe that they are responsible for each other.”
A 30-year history
Originally called the Community Action Commission, the CAC was founded in 1987 as a project of the Sandy Springs Ministerial Association, a group of area church leaders. Its first office was a room provided by Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church. Within a year, it expanded service into the Dunwoody area. An important part of the expansion for customers and clients is the new food pantry, designed like a mini market with food items properly organized on shelves and with shopping carts for those stocking up. The store-like environment is intended to treat those who use the pantry with dignity and to reduce food waste by allowing customers to make personal choices of items. The new pantry opened in March. The larger facility allows a greater acceptance of donated food, clothing and even furniture. CAC officials said the organization recently provided furniture to three families who lost their homes to fire. The expansion frees up space in the Hightower Trail building, where the CAC intends to expand adult education and career training programs. The goal is to move beyond helping those in immediate risk of homelessness and into a holistic program of self-sufficiency. For more information, see ourcac.org.
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Judge says state rep. candidate is eligible to run, rejects challenge BY JOHN RUCH
District seat eventually won johnruch@reporternewspapers.net by Karen Handel, but he did not actually enter the race. Sandy Springs resident Josh At the time, he was living in McLaurin is eligible to run for Roswell. He currently lives the state House District 51 seat, in Sandy Springs and ana judge has ruled, rejecting a lenounced his House District gal challenge to his residency. 51 campaign last fall. McLaurin, a Democrat, is Among the residency recompeting with Roswell Republiquirements to qualify as a SPECIAL can Alex Kaufman to replace recandidate in the House race Josh McLaurin. tiring state Rep. Wendell Willard is residing in the district for in the House seat. The challenge to McLauat least two years. Holcomb acknowledged rin’s eligibility was filed in March by Gathat McLaurin did not live in the district for briel Sterling, a former Sandy Springs City a “massive amount of time” before the twoCouncil member and well-known Republiyear requirement, but that he met it. And in can political consultant, and publicized by the broader sense, Holcomb said, McLauthe Fulton County Republican Party. rin is a Georgian. On April 30, administrative law judge “He’s not a New Yorker who moved to Kimberly Schroer ruled that McLaurin is a Georgia,” Holcomb said. “He was a Georresident of the district and eligible to run. gian all his life and took a job opportuni“I’m thankful for the judge’s decision,” ty in New York to test it out,” then chose said McLaurin in a press release. “This to return to the state. baseless challenge was a drain on time Holcomb said he got involved in the and resources, and with this favorable case because he knew McLaurin and beruling, I’m ready to put partisan games cause an associate at Holcomb’s law firm behind me and focus on the concerns of was a Yale Law School classmate of the District 51’s voters.” candidate. Holcomb said he took the case Sterling said that Georgia Secretary of pro bono “because I know how hard it is State Brian Kemp gets the final decision afto run for office.” ter hearing the judge’s administrative ruling, and believes the case still has merit “by all reading of the evidence.” He said the decision “is just the next step in the process.” Vincent Russo, one of Sterling’s attorneys, said they “will decide soon whether to file any objection to the administrative law judge’s recommendations” to emphasize counterpoints to the Secretary of State’s office. In any case, Russo said, he expects Kemp’s decision to come before the May 22 primary election. Trey Kelly, chairman of the Fulton County Republican Party, echoed those thoughts in a written statement. “We are surprised the [judge] made a recommendation that is inconsistent with the evidence, McLaurin’s own testimony and the law,” said Kelly. “We hope Secretary Kemp will take a hard look at the evidence and testimony in the case before making a final decision.” McLaurin was represented by state Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta), who is also an attorney at the firm Holcomb & Ward. Holcomb called the case a “slamdunk” and said that, while Sterling’s team has the right to appeal the ruling, “I’d be rather surprised if they do.” “I don’t say this lightly — [If there’s an appeal] we’re going to win and we’ll win all day long,” Holcomb said. McLaurin, an attorney, is a native of Georgia, with the residency complaint hinging on a brief period in 2015 and 2016 when he lived in New York City for a law firm job and his moves within the state since then. In late 2016, McLaurin announced a run for the 6th Congressional SS
Community | 13
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Fulton judge candidates claim differences at forum BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
The three candidates seeking to serve as a Fulton County Superior Court judge in a rare open race appeared at a May 2 candidate forum in Sandy Springs. Kevin Farmer, Fani Willis and Bobby Wolf — all currently working as prosecutors — staked out some differences in experience and approach as they head toward a nonpartisan May 22 election. The forum drew about 35 attendees to the clubhouse of the exclusive Huntcliff community, overlooking the Chattahoochee River in the city’s north end. The event was organized by Manny Arora, a local resident and criminal defense attorney concerned that few people know the importance of Superior Court judges or how uncommon is the chance to vote for one in a competitive race. Superior Court judges handle major criminal and civil cases, including felony crimes, divorces, property disputes and lawsuits involving state agencies. Arora noted that such decisions could affect anyone’s life. And, he said, the open race is a “very rare animal” — he recalled only about three such races in his 25 years as an attorney. Typically, he said, judges announce retirement very early in their term so that the governor, by law, can appoint a well-connected successor. But in this case, incumbent Judge Tom Campbell is leaving soon enough — though not until year’s end — to trigger the election.
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Farmer and Wolf boasted local community connections, while Willis had the highest public profile as the lead prosecutor on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal case. They all claimed diverse legal experience, and all criticized the Fulton County Superior Court system, especially for judges who let cases pile up, and pledged to do better. Farmer is a 35-year resident of Sandy Springs and Riverwood International Charter School grad. He started his legal career as a Fulton County public defender, then practiced civil law in a Dunwoody office, and currently serves as a Clayton County prosecutor, a job he says he took to round out his experience to be a judge. He said he has handled more civil cases than the other candidates, and is the only one who has gotten defendants both acquitted of murder as a public defender and convicted as a prosecutor. “I don’t have to learn that on the job,” he said of divorce cases as one example. He also frequently displayed a sense of humor, joking, “If you elect me, it’ll cut my commute in half.” Willis said she has wanted to be a judge since her father, a lawyer in Washington,
D.C., took her to the job with him. In Atlanta, she started practicing a wide variety of law at a small firm where another lawyer was future Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. She then worked at the city of Atlanta on code enforcement cases, followed by 16 years of prosecuting major crimes for Fulton. “I submit to you, I’ve tried more cases than these two gentlemen behind me,” Willis said. She added that includes bad experiences with judges who are disrespectful, slow to handle cases and offer different treatment to people of different classes. “Lady Justice should be blind. That’s disgusting to me,” Willis said of the alleged unequal treatment. Wolf, a Buckhead resident, said he was raised in Sandy Springs, attending Spalding Drive Elementary and North Springs Charter High. He has worked as a prosecutor 26 years in Fulton, Cobb and most recently Gwinnett County. He claimed “diversity of experience” in the law and outside the courtroom, including as immediate past president of the Garden Hills Civic Association. While acknowledging the law “isn’t a factory,” Wolf said at Fulton he helped create a management system to speed cases along, and said the better systems of Cobb and Gwinnett have lessons he can bring to the bench. “So often I hear, ‘Well, that’s just the way it’s done in Fulton County,’” he said.
Trading criticisms
The candidates largely agreed on Fulton Superior Court’s problems, but not on each other’s ability to deal with it. Farmer and Willis particularly targeted Wolf for criticism. Farmer said that Wolf confused the role of a judge with that of a prosecutor in describing the job as “protecting victims,” and said Wolf’s claimed diversity of experience is really just “diversity of geography” — doing the same job in different places. “You don’t want a judge with a fixed mindset,” Farmer said, suggesting that Wolf would think in prosecution terms. Willis expressed doubt about Wolf’s lessons in other jurisdictions, saying Cobb courts are much smaller than Fulton’s and that his local experience is lacking. “You have to live in the problem to know how to deal with the problem,” she said. Wolf did not respond directly, saying, “I have the utmost respect for my opponents. I’m not going to say anything negative about them.” But in answer to an audience question, he said he understands applying the law fairly and that he is as proud of some cases he declined to prosecute as he is of some he won convictions on. “It’s never been that hard for me to do the right thing,” he said. SS
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Public safety, City Springs among budget wish list items Continued from page 1
Security and safety
The city is considering building new “emergency operations” and 911 backup centers at City Springs next year at an estimated cost of $1.25 million. Both would be built on the fourth floor of the new City Hall, and both would be relocated from current facilities provided by the city’s private 911 service, the Chattahoochee River 911 Authority or ChatComm. The $750,000 emergency operations center would relocate from ChatComm’s facility at Mount Vernon Highway and Barfield Road. The center is used to direct response to such events as major storms. “Our center of gravity, if you will, is going to be the City Springs facility,” said City Manager John McDonough, so he feels “strongly” that the center should be located there. Also proposed is a $500,000 new backup center for ChatComm’s 911 operators. McDonough said that a 911 outage on Oct. 6 forced the operators to make a 30-minute trip to the current backup center in Alpharetta. That 2.5-hour outage was caused by an HVAC system issue. Alpharetta was used as a backup because other ChatComm partner cities do not have independent systems. ChatComm is a private 911 service operated in partnership by the cities of Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Johns Creek. McDonough said that the 911 backup center, at least, would need approval from those other cities. A Brookhaven spokesperson said that city is aware of the concept and awaiting further discussion; the other cities did not respond to questions. Another safety topic: the expiration next year of the contract with the private ambulance service AMR. Fire Rescue Chief Keith Sanders said AMR is still struggling to meet a response-time goal of 8 minutes or less on 90 percent of calls. The typical response is now closer to 11 minutes, he said, despite AMR adding a sixth ambulance at no cost. The city is proposing a new contract with two more ambulances, which would require a $650,000 cost. The reasons for longer response times, Sanders said: more car crashes; a population both growing and aging; and traffic increasing. Sanders is also worried about response to possible mass shootings. “I hate to say this, but I’m looking for money to put ballistic protection” on firefighters’ gear, he said.
Staffing increases
The city is proposing an overall staffing increase of 8.75 full-time-equivalent positions in various departments at a total cost of $950,674. That’s especially due to the city’s growth, the demands of the new SS
City Springs facility, and a new program of multiple “field services” contracts to ensure high-quality maintenance of public streets and spaces. A new field services contract manager position is budgeted at $135,000.
City Springs
The City Springs Performing Arts Center, set to open in August, will require a subsidy of about $2.3 million, McDonough said. The city hopes to partly offset that cost with the facility’s parking fees. The Heritage Sandy Springs Farmers Market, which is relocating to City Springs May 12, is proposed to receive $10,000 in city funding. McDonough also proposes setting aside $1 million to place more electric lines underground in the City Springs area after an effort to force developers to do it got resistance.
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The city’s 299-vehicle fleet is too large to be located at City Springs. Last year, the city proposed creating a new 90-vehicle parking lot at a Public Works facility at 7477 Trowbridge Road to handle the extra vehicles. It has now abandoned that plan and it will turn it into an emergency supply yard instead for $750,000. The vehicle fleet will remain at the old City Hall location in the Morgan Falls office park at 78540 Roswell Road, where the police headquarters and city court remain.
Parks
Among the park proposals is a longawaited $500,000 to Heritage Sandy Springs for a shade structure and restrooms at its Entertainment Lawn on Blue Stone Road. Another idea is a new dog park. City Councilmember Andy Bauman noted that Dunwoody has a good dog area at its Brook Run Park. Michael Perry, the city’s Parks and Recreation director, agreed that Sandy Springs’ dog area at Morgan Falls Overlook Park is “not nice.” McDonough said city staff have a dog park proposal as “an option to something else we’re working on” that he will reveal at another time.
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Water system
The city earlier this year launched a new priority to seek improvements to the Atlanta-run water system or sue to seize control of it. Sandy Springs claims the system is aging and leaky, while Atlanta says the criticisms are all wet. McDonough is working on some type of plan, originally called “water independence” but now the more conciliatory “water reliability.” Its tactics remain secret, but McDonough said he is planning “a way ahead, if you will” that will cost “multiple millions of dollars over the next five to seven years.” He’s asking for $1 million in seed money in this budget.
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16 | Art & Entertainment
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Explore art, get messy, and have a blast!
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•
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PERFORMANCES “THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR” Friday, May 18 through Sunday, May 27
Act3 Productions presents a version of Shakespeare’s comedy that is set in the 1950’s and gives a nod to iconic sitcoms of the time. 6285-R Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Show schedule, tickets: act3productions.org.
“LIVING ON LOVE”
Friday, May 18 through Sunday, June 10
A demanding diva discovers that her maestro husband has become enamored with the young lady hired to ghostwrite his autobiography in this romantic comedy presented by Stage Door Players. $15-$33. North DeKalb Cultural Arts Center, 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Show schedule, tickets: stagedoorplayers. net or 770-396-1726.
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ZYDECO CONCERT AND DANCE Saturday, May 19, 8 to 11 p.m.
The Atlanta Cajun Zydeco Association hosts Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys at the Dorothy Benson Center. Cajun/Creole food for sale. All ages. $18; $14 active military; $5 students. Intermediate/advanced Zydeco dance class from 4:30-6 p.m. is $15. Free beginner’s dance lesson at 7 p.m. 6500 Vernon Woods Drive, Sandy Springs. Info: aczadance.org or 877-338-2420.
MAY 11 - 24, 2018
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Art & Entertainment | 17
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SUMMER CONCERT SERIES - WASTED POTENTIAL BRASS BAND
Saturday, May 26, 7 to 9 p.m.
The New Orleans-influenced Wasted Potential Brass Band is next up in the Dunwoody Nature Center’s lineup of concerts held every other Saturday evening through July 21. Seating available on a first-come, first-served basis in the meadow or on the back porch. Outside food and drink welcome. $5 adults; $3 students; free for members and for children 3 and under. Craft beers, sodas and water available. 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody. Info: dunwoodynature.org.
Kicking and swinging.
GET ACTIVE
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BROOKHAVEN BOLT 5K
• Atlanta’s only FootGolf course • 18 holes • Team building events • Birthday parties
Saturday, May 19, 8 a.m.
The 11th anniversary Brookhaven Bolt 5K, a family event that winds through the Ashford Park neighborhood, is an official AJC Peachtree Road Race qualifying event. All proceeds benefit Ashford Park Elementary School. The race begins and ends at the mixed-use development Village Place Brookhaven, 1430 Dresden Drive, Brookhaven. Registration: brookhavenbolt.com.
460 Morgan Falls Rd. Sandy Springs, GA 30350 770-390-0424 steelcanyongolfclub.com
NATIONAL KIDS TO PARKS DAY Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The city of Sandy Springs celebrates its ninth annual Kids to Parks Day in the city with lots of activities at Hammond Park. The event encourages residents to use local parks and recreation sites to develop more active, healthy lifestyles. Free. 705 Hammond Drive, Sandy Springs. Info: sandyspringsga.gov.
FAMILY CANOE DAY
Saturday, May 19, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Get an introduction to canoeing with tips on paddling techniques and equipment and a canoe trip at the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Beaver Pond. All equipment provided. Races and games included. Ages 5+. $15 general public; $10 nature center members. Register by the Thursday before class. (Limited spaces.) 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. Info: chattnaturecenter.org.
BROOKHAVEN COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE Sunday, May 20, 2 p.m.
Join the Brookhaven Bike Alliance for montly community rides every third Sunday at varying locations. May 20 location is Briarwood Park, 2235 Briarwood Way, Brookhaven. Info: Brookhaven Bike Alliance on Facebook.
GET OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY NATIONAL SALVATION ARMY WEEK KICK OFF
Monday, May 14, noon to 1:30 p.m.
National Salvation Army Week, May 14-18, kicks off with a food truck event in the organization’s lower parking lot off of Corporate Boulevard. Each $5 ticket pays for food from one of four options: Charm & Jerry’s, Habanero Grill, Brooke Lynn’s, or Chick-fil-A. Music, games, free beverages, raffle, and shopping for handmade goods from Salvation Army ministries from around the world. All proceeds go toward sending 33 children to summer camp. 1424 Northeast Expressway, Brookhaven. Info: biz.brookhavencommerce.org/events. Continued on page 18
Golf • 18 hole executive course • Covered driving range • 3 hour rounds • Lessons • League Play
18 | Art & Entertainment
Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News Continued from page 17
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DEKALBPEACHTREE AIRPORT’S GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY
Saturday, May 19, noon to 5 p.m. DeKalb-Peachtree Airport [PDK] hosts its annual Good Neighbor Day Airshow and Open House. Family fun includes air shows, $40 airplane and helicopter rides, military airplane displays and kids’ activities. Free. Parking $10 per vehicle. All parking access is only through Dresden Drive via Clairmont Road. 2036 Dresden Drive, Atlanta. Info: pdkairshow.com.
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MAY 11 - 24, 2018
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Art & Entertainment | 19
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CD Rate Specials
LEARN SOMETHING AUTHOR TALK: MARK BITTMAN
Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to noon.
Meet new people, share refreshments and practice your conversational English or Spanish skills at the “International Cafe” at the Brookhaven Library on the third Saturday of each month. Free. 1242 North Druid Hills Road N.E., Brookhaven. Registration: 404-508-7190, ext. 2257 or e-mail adultservices@dekalblibrary.org.
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Saturday, May 26, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Learn about U.S. military history and see artifacts and memorabilia on display at the Dunwoody Library. Presented by the co-founders of the American Military History Mobile Museum. Light refreshments will be served. Open to first 100 participants. Funding provided by the Friends of the Dunwoody Library. Free.5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Info: 770-512-4640.
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20 | Public Safety
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Dr. Eva Arkin, Dr. Sujatha Reddy, Dr. Laura Cummings, Dr. Nadine Becker, Dr. Jennifer Aqua & Dr. Jennifer Lyman
Call for an appointment: 404-257-0170 960 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30342
Opioid epidemic summit explores solutions BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
mixed in with illegal drugs. In Georgia from June 2016 through May 2017, there were 541 million opioid prescriptions written by physicians. “That is 54 doses for every man, woman and child in the state,” Carr said. “At a minimum, these numbers have to raise eyebrows.”
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel (R-Ga.) convened an Opioid Summit at Dunwoody City Hall on May 1. Panelists included federal law enforcement, a CDC expert and a woman who started a drug rehabilitation facility called The Zone in Cobb County following her son’s death from an overdose. “The purpose of this is for all of us in the Sixth District and metro Atlanta to be united and understanding what is happening in our communities and our state and the impact it is having on our DYANA BAGBY families,” Handel said. U.S. Rep. Karen Handel speaks at an opioid summit “What strikes me is that May 1 including panelists, from left, Dan Salter and no one is immune. There Bill Trivelpiece of the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and Dr. Rita Noonan of the CDC. is no discrimination based on age, race, ZIP code or even income levels,” she added. “Behind Partners included on a Statewide Opithe numbers and statistics are real peooid Task Force begun last year include ple.” the Atlanta and Dunwoody police departOverdose deaths caused by opioids, inments, the Fulton County Commission cluding heroin and prescription drugs, conand Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. tinue to rise across the U.S. and north AtThe CDC in 2016 issued a report outlanta. Some statistics shared at the summit lining guidelines for primary care clireflected the seriousness of the crisis. nicians on when and how long to preThe Centers for Disease Control & Prescribe opioids as a way to help slow the vention has reported that between Aurapid prescription rates. gust 2016 and August 2017, 45,200 deaths Naloxone, also known as Narcan, can be were caused by opioids in the U.S., acinjected or sprayed into the nose of an overcounting for 67.1 percent of all overdose dose victim to revive them. Last year, Gov. deaths during the period. Nathan Deal signed a bill into law making In Georgia in 2016, there were 996 naloxone legal to purchase over the counter. overdose deaths caused by opioids, repreBill Trivelpiece, of the federal High senting 68.8 percent of all drug overdose Intensity Drug Trafficking Area office deaths in the state, according to a special in Atlanta, recommended parents with report from the Atlanta Regional Comchildren buy naloxone. mission. The ARC also reports that of the “If you got kids, and your kids got overdose deaths statewide in 2016, 595 infriends, please get naloxone,” he said. volved prescription opioids, a more than Other takeaways included people buytenfold increase since 1999. ing a “drug lock box” available at many The ARC also reported that the death retail stores to keep prescription drugs rate for opioid-related overdoses in metlocked up and out of the hands of people ro Atlanta is higher than that of the state not using them. of Georgia and that Cobb County has exFunding to law enforcement to fight ilperienced a dramatic increase in prelegal drugs coming in from Mexico must scription opioid deaths, rising from eight also be maintained, Handel said. But inin 2013 to 61 in 2016 — the most in the carcerating drug addicts is not always 10-county region. Fulton County had the useful, she said, and more work needs to second-highest number of deaths at 47, be done to create rehab centers in metaccording to the ARC. ro Atlanta where addicts can get the supAt the summit, Georgia Attorney port they need to stay off drugs. General Chris Carr, a Dunwoody resiA key priority also, she said, is to endent, explained how his office is worksure prescriptions for opioids are necesing to combat the deaths caused by opisary and for physicians and patients to oids, such as the illegal drug heroin and consider other ways to treat pain if poslegal prescription drugs. sible. Handel mentioned during the sum“The challenge we have is many opioids mit she had personal experience with opiare legal ... and people need them for a legitoid addiction but declined to comment imate reason. And if used with supervision, further. In a statement, she said the fight they can be useful,” he said. Legal opioids against opioid addiction must also ensure include Oxycontin, hydrocodone, codeine there are no unintended consequences for and also fentanyl, which law enforcement those who require opioid-based pain manand others say they are seeing more often agement, such as cancer patients.
MAY 11 - 24, 2018
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Classifieds | 21
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Reporter Classifieds Motivated Seller - TURN KEY Business
Licensed Assisted Living Facility Available
Licensed to accommodate eight residents currently six under contract Private rooms with private baths * Private Pay * Medicaid Provider Location: Turtletown / Farner area Polk County, TN - 1 ¼ acres (rural location) 2½ hours from Atlanta, GA 45 minutes outside of Blue Ridge, GA. Make Me An Offer I Can’t Refuse – Asking $490,000 Call: 423-496-5010 and Visit: www.WedellsChestnutHill.com
REAL ESTATE INVESTOR LOOKING FOR PARTNERS GREAT RETURN. INVESTMENT GUARANTEE WITH PROPERTIES.
CALL WILLIAM NOW 404-446-6146
SERVICES AVAILABLE Driveways & Walkways – Replaced or repaired. Masonry, grading, foundations repaired, waterproofing and retaining walls. Call Joe Sullivan 770-616-0576.
To Advertise, call 404-917-2200 ext 110 REAL ESTATE
CEMETERY PLOT
Leasing Sandy Springs Independent Senior Living condos – Newly renovated. Mount Vernon Village…$2295 to $2695 per month. Kim@dunwoodybrokers.com or 404-414-8307. Leasing Sandy Springs Senior Living Mount Vernon Towers – one bed 760sqft, across from new City Springs Center. Excellent condition, south facing, quiet, $1650/month. steven_gapp@yahoo.com 770-743-0335.
Arlington Memorial Park – Two side by side burial plots in prime Lakeside Section. Lot 118C - Spaces 1 & 2. Offered at 20% below cemetery price for $8,000 each. Email: bedwards1956@att.net. Contact Owner: 770490-1857. Cemetery will assist in showing.
MEDICAL Wanted – Nurse Practitioner for in-home visits. Call JC 404-772-5076 – email: JPC6789@gmail.com
Home Services Directory
To Advertise, call 404-917-2200 ext 110 justTRASHit!
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Arlington Memorial Cemetery – 3 lots for sale in the Calvary Section located in lot 276D, spaces 2, 3 & 4. Asking $5,900 each or $17,000 for all. This section is almost sold out and prices through the cemetery would be $,6,900 each. Beautiful views and the most desirable section. Cemetery will assist in showing. Email: mrmccabe@hotmail.com
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22 | Community
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Sandy Springs welcomes the public to a new City Hall Continued from page 1 mark in a civic center plan that predates the city’s 2005 founding, the mayor said, and nearly four-and-a-half years of construction. The community excitement was no surprise, since community input was key in crafting the vision for City Springs, a $229 million, public-private civic center that became far more than a City Hall largely due to public demand. The City Hall part is a gleaming, glass-walled tower five stories high, fronting on a park and flanked by fountains. A group of current and former City Council members joined Paul in cutting a red ribbon on the front steps. Paul also unveiled a dedication plaque on an exterior column that names the various officials involved in design and construction. Paul repeated many of his favorite slogans that have carried through the City Springs vision in years of public planning and occasional ceremonies. It’s “everybody’s neighborhood,” where all are welcome. It’s the city’s “gift to itself,” for which the mayor and council merely provided “the wrapping paper.” They’ve reversed Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi” by “tearing down a parking lot and putting up paradise” — the civic center replaces a former commercial district that included a vacant Target store. The new City Hall, which replaced a labyrinth of rented offices at a northern Roswell Road office park, is inspiring Paul to some new sayings as well. An especially popular feature, he believes, is the “city’s front porch” — a second-story terrace with comfortable furniture and a great view that is open to the public. (In a joke about the city that Sandy Springs incorporated partly to remain independent from Atlanta, Paul noted part of the Atlanta skyline is visible from the terrace, and “I told the mayor that we would be keeping an eye on them from up here.”) City Springs became such an expansive vision that City Hall is just one part, and probably not even close to the most popular and anticipated. The new City Green park was still partly fenced off as the sod grows in, but will open in about a month; in about a year, it will host a major new competitive sculpture contest that will be an annual feature. And then there’s the Performing Arts Center, a huge arts complex featuring the 1,100seat Byers Theatre, that will have a twoweek grand opening in August that promises to host a household name or two. One goal is a “family-friendly” civic center that will attract each citizen at least once a year, Paul said. Another
Above, Visitors walk outside the City Springs Performing Arts Center lobby windows after the City Hall ribbon-cutting.
PHIL MOSIER
Right, John Galambos, center, nods as Mayor Rusty Paul praises his late wife, founding Mayor Eva Galambos, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Inset, Mayor Rusty Paul welcomes everyone to City Hall as City Councilmember Andy Bauman looks on.
is contributing to a walkable new downtown, he added, saying “a great thing is, a high percentage of our citizens will be able to simply walk here.” Paul previously said the city opted not to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, a controversial and expensive rating of energy-efficient construction, for City Springs. However, some of its features have the environment in mind; the “fountains galore” on the site partly use rainwater from a giant underground cistern that controls runoff. “Like most dreams we’ve had in Sandy Springs, it’s been a long time coming,” Paul said of City Springs, and many in the crowd recalled the site’s history as former department stores, as well as smaller businesses. In an interview afterward, Paul had similar memories — “I was a regular at the Waffle House” — and recalled the city originally acquiring 7 acres for a City Hall that became 14 acres for the community’s City Springs vision. The applause at the ribboncutting was similar to that from a large crowd that gathered in June 2015 to see the unveiling of the first building design concepts. The city’s founding mayor, the late
JOHN RUCH
Eva Galambos, made the official construction start one of her last acts in office, as in January 2014 she directed earthmovers to knock down the first bits of the old Target building. The ribbon-cutting took place on the steps right on Galambos Way, the new City Springs street named for her. Sitting in a wheelchair in the front row was her husband, John, who nodded as Paul praised her leadership. “We know she’s here in spirit,” Paul said. Also praised was City Manager John McDonough, whose oversight of City Springs was in addition to his normal work and required a crash course in the obscure, complex details of major construction financing and theater design. Standing among the audience, McDonough became visibly emotional as Paul praised his “attention to larger goals while being obsessed with details.” As the crowd applauded, Paul added that was “just deserved because this wasn’t in his contract… It’s great to be able to dream and then have someone else go do it.” “It’s an exciting day for our community,” McDonough said in an interview afterward. “And it’s nice to see such a great turnout on a beautiful day, and gives you a
glimpse of the community’s excitement… It’s rewarding to see the smiles and enthusiasm of everyone here.” As local officials and members of the public chatted in the new City Hall lobby to live piano music and toured the facility, Paul said in an interview that, like any new building, there will be quirks and adjustments. He couldn’t get into his office that morning due to issues with the new security gates, and he discovered the Mayor’s Office furniture was placed to block all the power outlets. But such details — and others, like traffic patterns and parking — will be worked out in time, he said, noting the bottom line is a City Hall that is much more friendly to citizens and staff members. Which brings up another new favorite saying, that Sandy Springs now has “not only the most publicly accessible, but the most publicly usable, City Hall.” The City Springs site is bounded by Roswell Road, Johnson Ferry Road, Sandy Springs Circle and Johnson Ferry Road. The new City Hall’s official address is 1 Galambos Way. For more information, see citysprings.com. SS
MAY 11 - 24, 2018
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Public Safety | 23
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Police Blotter / Sandy Springs Capt. Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department provided the following information which represents some of the reports filed between April 15 and May 5.
B U R G L A RY 8500 block of Roswell Road — On April
15, responding to an alarm call just after 3 a.m., officers found a bicycle outside the front door of a restaurant and a woman inside. The door window had been smashed. At first, the woman said she was the cleaning person, then said she was the wife of the owner and had keys but did not use them. The keys were tried and did not fit the door. She claimed she was not responsible for the broken glass on the door. The officers found food that had been taken from the kitchen, partially wrapped. The alarm key pad was dismantled by way of the wires pulled and the battery removed. The 41-year-old suspect was charged with burglary and taken to jail.
dent was gone from about 5:30 p.m. until just before 1 a.m. During that time, someone went into his apartment and took $100 in change, two watches at $100 each, and a MacBook, valued at $1,200.
20, at a bowling alley, the manager said he found the front doors pried open after he arrived at 5:45 a.m. The alarm company contacted him at 2:36 a.m. The ATM machine had been rocked back and forth until torn from the bolts holding it to the floor.
2, the complainant said he was gone from 9:30 a.m. until just after noon. He went to the half-bathroom in the garage area and noticed a broken window with blood on it. Someone used a softball-size rock to break the window. It appears the burglar left after a dog began to bark.
R O B B E RY 5900 block of Roswell Road — On
5500 block of Glenridge Drive — On
April 16, a man reported his friend took and used his debit card. The friend was running errands for the victim who was laid up following knee surgery. 8300 block of Dunwoody Place — On
— On April 30, someone forced their way into a guard shack/office where two safes are stored. Neither safe was forced open nor money taken. The complainant said the suspect moved a camera next to the small office.
800 block of Mount Vernon Highway
new residential area and on May 1, several appliances were taken from several homes under construction. Some of the homes were not secure. The report said there was no sign of forced entry. Taken were Whirlpool stoves and microwave ovens. 100
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THEFT
900 block of Johnson Ferry Road
5700 block of Taylor Way — This is a
block of Northwood Drive — On May 1, the resi-
Petition Number:
V18-0004
Petitioner:
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Inc.
Location:
805 Mount Vernon Hwy
Request:
Variance from Section 8.1.2.B of the Development Code to decrease the required number of bike parking spaces.
Public Hearing:
Board of Appeals June 12, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
Location:
Sandy Springs City Hall 1 Galambos Way Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328 770-730-5600
600 block of Mabry Road — On May
April 18, a man reported that one of his employees robbed him at the time he was writing the employee a check for work done. He told officers that he deducted $100 from a $467 check due to expenses he incurred trying to wire the money to the employee. He called the employee and arranged to meet. During 4900 block of Roswell that time, the employee became Road— On April 20, respondCaptain angry over the $100 deduction ing to an alarm just after 4 and reached for something in STEVE ROSE, his waistband. A weapon was a.m., officers found a shatSSPD not seen but rather implied. As tered glass door to Sally’s srose@san- the employer was writing the Beauty Supply. The owner dyspringsga.gov check, the employee snatched responded and said several electrical clippers were takthe checkbook and ran. en. Video showed two males, one wearing a Well now, that wasn’t too bright. One black hoodie sweatsuit with a white stripe phone call later, the check you snatched down both sleeves. The other wore a blue is no good and the others you stole are no hoodie, jeans and blue shoes. better. 8700 block of Roswell Road — On April
SANDY SPRINGS NOTICE OF VARIANCE PETITION
April 16, a fired employee failed to return a company iPad after termination. — On April 16, a juvenile victim said his bookbag was taken from atop his school locker. The Patagonia bag is valued at $85. Inside the bag was a MacBook Air and as well as other items. 100 block of Spalding Creek Court
— On April 16, the victim told officers that jewelry had been stolen from their home. She said family members were staying with them due to a death in the
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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) Housing Authority of Fulton County, Georgia (HAFC) is issuing a Request for Proposal from qualified property owners and developers interested in applying for up to 60 Project Based- Vouchers (PBV) specifically made available to provide affordable housing to be used in new construction of multi-family affordable housing rental project(s) in Fulton County, Georgia. Proposals must be received by 6:00 p.m. EDT, Monday, July 9, 2018 in the HAFC office, 4273 Wendell Drive SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30336 or via email re: Proposals to mortgagefinance@hafc.org. Any proposals received after the designated time and date will be returned unopened. HAFC may reject for good cause any or all proposals upon a finding of HAFC it is in the public interest to do so. Detailed application and selection information of the Request for Proposal is posted on the HAFC website at www.HAFC.org. Proposers are responsible for checking the HAFC website for any addendums before submitting their proposals. HAFC Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any and all informalities in the best interest of HAFC.
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