05-25-18 Dunwoody Reporter

MAY 25 - JUNE 7, 2018 • VOL. 9 — NO. 11

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Perimeter Business ► A co-lawyering complex custom-built for attorneys hangs its shingle PAGE 5 ► Entrepreneurs take flight at PDK Airport space PAGE 4

Colorful fun for two

Coworking is here to stay P 4-9

Brook Run Park concepts have three plans, up to $9.3M price tag

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

PHIL MOSIER

Melina Petriccione, 6, adds some color to sand bottle art with help from mom Tracy as the Dunwoody residents enjoy the annual Dunwoody Art Festival on May 12. The festival drew thousands of visitors to Dunwoody Village on Mother’s Day weekend.

Summer reading picks Page 10

EDUCATION Top of the Class

The construction of two multiuse fields and a renovated Great Lawn are on the agenda for the first phase of improvements to Brook Run Park. But will city leaders have the money to do everything they hope?

That’s the question facing the mayor and City Council after being presented three concept designs for the first phase of the park’s renovations with cost estimates ranging from $9.3 million to $6.5 million to $5 million.

The city’s approximate budget for the first phase is currently $5.1 million. Subtract consultants and other fees and that leaves the total at actually about $4.3 million, according to Whit Alexander with Lose and Associates.

Lose and Associates was hired by the city for $324,000 to come up with design options for the park to include the addiSee BROOK on page 12

New school brings new traffic signal, turn lanes to Roberts Drive

BY DYANA BAGBY

Pages 18-19

OUT & ABOUT Peachtree Peppers heat up Dunwoody concert series Page 16

dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

The new Austin Elementary School opening next year on Roberts Drive adjacent to the Dunwoody Nature Center means some major changes are in the works, including a new traffic signal, additional sidewalks and new turn lanes. But some residents fear that means losing trees and parts of front yards.

The changes are needed to accommodate the increase in traffic when the 900See NEW on page 22

2 | Community

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The City Council is exploring setting up its own emergency medical services either on its own or with a neighboring municipality after years of frustration with DeKalb County’s ambulance service response times. The decision also follows the recent arrest of an EMT with AMR for allegedly assaulting a Dunwoody teen patient in an ambulance.

The council voted unanimously May 21 to ask the state agency charged with issuing EMS service certificates to grant one to the city.

City Manager Eric Linton told the council he has been exploring EMS certification with other cities north of I-285, including Sandy Springs, to provide their own service rather than relying on county services.

Councilmember Terry Nall called for a “formal and public declaration of an EMS emergency” in Dunwoody. Nall said national response times should be 9 minutes for 90 percent of calls but in Dunwoody the response times in 2017 averaged nearly 15 minutes 90 percent of the time.

A car recently struck a pedestrian on Tilly Mill Road; the ambulance arrived 58 minutes later. Days later, an ambulance was called to a local restaurant and responded 36 minutes later, according to Linton.

“If I were in charge of DeKalb County, the first thing I would do is terminate the contract with AMR,” Nall said.

As Dunwoody elected officials, the council cannot fire AMR. But Nall said the city must act because DeKalb’s elected officials are not doing anything to try to remedy slow response times north of I-285.

Dunwoody’s dissatisfaction with AMR dates back to 2016 when members called the AMR regional manager and DeKalb Fire & Rescue Chief Darnell Fullum to a meeting to answer tough questions posed on quality of service. AMR is contracted through DeKalb Fire & Rescue.

Dunwoody spokesperson Bob Mullen said city staff is now exploring potential options on how to appropriately and quickly seek state remedies and relief related to the poor quality of EMS service the city is receiving.

“That may result in working with adjacent municipalities or seeking a Dunwoody-specific ‘carve out’ from the state, or other potential solutions,” he said.

The declaration called for by the City Council had not been finalized by press time. Once finished it would likely be sent to the Georgia Department of Public Health, which oversees the license, re-license and monitoring of ambulance services, Mullen said.

DeKalb County officials said they are well aware of Dunwoody’s complaints against AMR and have attempted to address them. DeKalb’s five-year contract with AMR is set to expire Dec. 31. The current contract allows the county to charge AMR $1,000 penalties for not responding to calls. More than $1.5 million in fines have been levied by DeKalb County against AMR since September; none of that money has been collected.

Sandy Springs spokesperson Sharon Kraun said it was her understanding Linton and Sandy Springs City Manager John McDonough shared an informal conversation about EMS issues. But Sandy Springs is in Fulton County, and Kraun said state law currently does not allow the creation of a new EMS service across county lines. “However, Sandy Springs is always willing to look at opportunities to improve cost and efficiencies,” she said.

At a recent Sandy Springs budget hearing, Fire Rescue Chief Keith Sanders discussed its contract with AMR, set to expire next year. 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.

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Community Briefs J IF FY L UBE IN DUN WOODY VI L L AGE F OR SALE FO R $1.3M

The approval of GC&E Systems Group is a single source procurement, he added. Because GC&E Systems Group already provides the city’s current video surveillance systems and is familiar with the systems, having the same vendor handle the installation of cameras and support provides a “seamless project and eliminates any finger pointing if something doesn’t work after installation,” Grogan said.

The city budgeted $271,000 in 2016 for the cameras in Pernoshal and Georgetown parks and on the trail entering Brook Run Park. The additional $15,137.51 will come from leftover capital funds from a previous license plate reader project, Grogan said.

‘B RU N C H BI L L’ R EF EREN DUM TO BE ON NO VEM B ER BALLO T

The Nature Center has announced a partnership with Found Stages to present a six-month “Wine & Reading Series” of new plays by nationally known playwrights who call Atlanta home.

Featured playwrights will include Phillip Depoy and Jiréh Holder, whose plays “Edward Foote” and “Too Heavy for Your Pocket” were produced by the Alliance Theatre in recent years, according to a press release.

This series, which will run on the first Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. from June through November, will first take place on the Nature Center’s back porch.

Future readings will occur in the Nature Center’s new glassenclosed pavilion and include a meet-andDUNWOODY NATURE CENTER The playwrights to be featured this summer at the greet with the feaDunwoody Nature Center are, from left, Gabrielle tured playwright.

Fulton, Jiréh Holder, Addae Moon, Philip Depoy, The June 3 reading Annie Harrison Elliot and Neeley Gossett. features writer Addae Moon, who is a resident playwright with Maat Productions of Afrikan Centered Theatre (MPAACT) in Chicago, Ill. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at Clark Atlanta University and a playwriting instructor with Horizon Theatre Company’s Apprentice Company. Moon’s play is titled “She Calls Up the Sun,” a story about Marie, who is mending a mourning doll to overcome the grief of her mother’s passing, when a stranger from her past opens up a new wound.

Additional shows include: Annie Harrison Elliott, July 1; Neeley Gossett, Aug. 5; Jiréh Breon Holder, Sept. 2; Gabrielle Fulton, Oct. 7; and Phillip DePoy, Nov. 4.

Tickets and sponsorships for the reading series are available in advance at dunwoodynature.org.

The Jiffy Lube business in the high-profile area of Dunwoody Village is for sale for $1.3 million.

Michael Wess with Bull Realty said there have been numerous inquiries into the property since it went on the market approximately one month ago.

The 3,488-square-foot building is located on less than half an acre in the heart of Dunwoody Village at 1343 Dunwoody Village Parkway.

Interested buyers of the Jiffy Lube site include developers wanting to convert the space into an office or retail building, Wess said. Others are interested in possibly tearing the current building down to build something new and others are investors who would keep the business the same and continue to lease to Jiffy Lube, according to Wess.

The Jiffy Lube business is paying approximately $5,000 a month in rent, Wess said. The lease expires in February 2019.

Jiffy Lube competitors are also looking at the site and at possibly taking over the lease, Wess said, but the property owners prefer to sell.

The Jiffy Lube business is located next to a Mr. Tire auto service center and across the street from Ace Hardware. The shopping center area is anchored by The Fresh Market and surrounded by banks and restaurants.

The Dunwoody Village Parkway was a controversial plan in 2012 that reduced the road from four lanes to two, removed the landscaped median and added sidewalks, bike lanes, lighting and other elements to make the area more accessible to pedestrians.

The area’s distinct Williamsburg architectural style, with brick exteriors, is designed to create a town center feel while attracting people to the area via restaurants and boutique shops.

Dunwoody voters will get a chance to vote on the “brunch bill” to allow local restaurants to start selling alcohol on Sundays at 11 a.m. rather than 12:30 p.m.

The General Assembly this year passed Senate Bill 17 to allow counties and cities to authorize the sale of alcoholic beverages for on premises consumption at 11 a.m. subject to a referendum. Gov. Nathan Deal signed the bill into law May 8.

Following the law, the city will hold the first read of the ordinance to approve the referendum on July 9 and the second read of the ordinance on July 23. If the ordinance is approved, a call for the election will be published on Sept. 12 with the special election to be put on the Nov. 6 ballot.

CAM ER A S C OM I NG TO P ERN OSH A L , GEO R G ETO WN PAR KS

The City Council on May 21 awarded a $286,137.51 contract to GC&E Systems Group for the installation and maintenance of a video surveillance system at Pernoshal Park, Georgetown Park and a portion of the trail system entering Brook Run Park from Pernoshal.

The city currently has video surveillance cameras in Brook Run Park and City Hall.

GC&E provides around-the-clock service for these cameras and the city’s license plate reader cameras, Police Chief Billy Grogan explained.

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4 | Perimeter Business

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Perimeter Business

Focusing on business in the Reporter Newspapers communities

Spring 2018 | Coworking is here to stay

The coworking craze is here to stay

BY JOHN RUCH

johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

The coworking craze is coming to town on an epic scale, from WeWork’s basketball court turned offices in Buckhead to Industrious leasing the entire 11th floor of a Sandy Springs skyscraper. And Continued on page 8

EVELYN ANDREWS

The WeWork Tower Place location repurposed a former basketball court for its “hot desk” area, which is the least-expensive plan that allows members to use a temporary desk.

Entrepreneurs take flight at PDK Airport coworking space

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

Three years ago, Santiago Rojas and Diego Sabogal were sitting in various Starbucks or Caribou Coffee shops in Atlanta and dreaming up plans they had for their marketing company, 3pod.

The two would each spend about $20 a night at the coffee shop, seven days a week, for about $1,200 a month.

“And then we said, ‘We spend too much money on coffee,’” Sabogal, 34, said.

Like many startup leaders today, the two decided to rent a “hot desk” — a shared desk space — at a membership-based coworking space, including at TechSquare Labs near Georgia Tech. About a year ago, they relocated to The Globe Hub coworking space located at the PDK Airport in Chamblee near the Brookhaven border.

Here the coffee is free and rent for a tiny office is about $800 a month. “I like to work at Starbucks. They have good coffee. But Continued on page 6

THE GLOBE HUB

1954 Airport Road, Chamblee theglobehub.com

Peter Giraldo, at left, Diego Sabogal, Santiago Rojas, Mauricio Munoz and Lucy Salazara take a break from working at the Globe Hub coworking space at PDK Airport to moment to enjoy a meal from the café in the building’s atrium.

DYANA BAGBY

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A co-lawyering complex custom-built for attorneys hangs its shingle

BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

When attorney Jason Graham left a big firm to hang his own shingle about a dozen years ago, he tried setting up shop in one of the big coworking spaces in a thenemerging market.

“I hated it,” he recalls. “They nickeland-dime you on everything.”

After 18 months of paying for every cup of coworking coffee and waiting out a lease, he tried the traditional office route, renting space in Brookhaven’s Executive Park. It turned out to be more space than he needed, so he subleased to other attorneys.

“The idea came up — I should do this on purpose,” Graham says.

And so was born SynerG Law Complex, SPECIAL Jason Graham, CEO of the a custom-built co-lawyering space in the SynerG Law Complex. heart of Perimeter Center that combines traditional managed offices with some of today’s coworking and business incubator concepts. Graham, who created the complex with a developer client, is its CEO. Located at 6075 Barfield Road in Sandy Springs, just off Hammond Drive at Ga. 400, the two-story, brick-and-glass complex opened eight months ago and is rapidly filling up with lawyers drawn to what Graham calls the “plug and practice” model.

The monthly rental rate includes everything from office furniture to cleaning services, from parking to conference rooms, from utilities to reception desk service, from the mix-your-own Coke Freestyle soda machine in the café to use of the legal research service Westlaw.

The rates start at $1,750 a month for a basic office. They ramp up to a maximum of three offices and two cubicles for $5,700. Various discounts are available, and SynerG works to get group-purchase discounts for tenants for such outside services as bookkeeping. Lower-price “virtual offices” are also available for attorneys who want to use the basic amenities but only stop in occasionally.

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“If I tell people the rent, they get sticker shock,” says Graham, “but if I tell them [everything is included], they’re like, ‘How can you afford it?’”

On a recent tour, Graham showed off the sleek, modern interior design that is intended to give every tenant a sense of workplace prestige and authority clients may expect from lawyers. In a large conference room, he raised the blinds to show off a big selling point — a view of the landmark King and Queen skyscrapers on the other side of Ga. 400.

There are some practical amenities designed just for lawyers, such as a secure document shredder and a printer controlled by a key card so that others won’t see confidential documents popping out. Part of Graham’s pitch is that tenants know their space is overseen by a fellow attorney — he specializes in complex commercial litigation — and not just a property manager.

Robin Lourie, a personal injury and product liability attorney, is one of the happy tenants.

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After over 30 years of practice and looking ahead to retirement, Lourie wanted a smaller office. “I was just looking for an all-in-one shop,” she said.

She looked at renting a regular office, but found SynerG “more cost-efficient and nice.” And the specialized clientele was more appealing. “I like the idea of just lawyers,” says Lourie, adding that it has paid off with referrals from others in the building.

Continued on page 7

6 MONTH

Attorney Robin Lourie works at her new office at SynerG, which came complete with the furniture.

Jason Graham shows off the view of the King and Queen buildings from SynerG’s top-floor conference room.

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6 | Perimeter Business

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Eat Your Heart Out. DYANA BAGBY

Santiago Rojas, left, and his business partner Diego Sabogal, owners of 3pod, go over a marketing campaign at their office in the Globe Hub coworking space at PDK Airport. Their office looks out over a parking area filled with small airplanes.

Entrepreneurs take flight at PDK Airport coworking space Continued from page 4

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I’m saving money now,” Sabogal said with a laugh.

The entire coworking space includes 30 offices, 20 dedicated desks and 100 hot desks. There are a few training facilities and meeting rooms that can be reserved by non-members. Special events can also be booked in the building’s atrium and patio area for non-members. Costs for these spaces range from $125 a month for a hot desk to $300 a month for a private desk to nearly $900 for a private office.

But it’s more than free coffee. The Globe Hub creates an atmosphere of community, Rojas, 27, said.

“We love ... the community here,” he said. “You come here, everyone is welcoming. They are willing to learn more about you. You see successful, humble people here. We love that about this place. Everyone wants to help you.”

There is also the convenient location — and convenient parking.

Asking a client to meet them at TechSquare Labs, for instance, meant dealing with traffic, Rojas said. Finding parking was also difficult and expensive.

“This place is convenient for us and our clients,” Rojas said. He lives in Atlantic Station and Sabogal lives in Candler Park. The PDK Airport is a middle point for them, their clients in Midtown and for clients they have in Gwinnett County.

Rojas and Sabogal work in a corner office with big windows that looks out on a patio area sitting just a few feet away from an area where dozens of airplanes are parked, with two large hangars in the distance. Their company develops websites, mobile apps, branding and social media campaigns for clients. They also handle all of these aspects for The Globe Hub business.

The Globe Hub space is located in about 14,000 square feet — nearly the entire ground floor — of the 1954 Airport Road building. Aviation-themed furniture and paintings are located throughout the space.

Framed photographs commemorating the airport’s history as the original site of Naval Air Station Atlanta line the building’s

entrance and the walls of the atrium.

The Cloud 9 café in the building’s atrium, where sandwiches and sodas are available for purchase, is owned by Denise and Mark Cox-Taylor. Over their counter is a striking 50-by-30-foot mural of a Corsair plane flying over Camp Gordon painted by Atlanta artist Chris Allio.

The owners of The Globe Hub, Kevin Henao and Vishay Singh, are also entrepreneurs and have offices onsite.

“This was a traditional, old-style office space with everyone behind a door,” Singh said from his spacious glass-enclosed office across from 3pod.

Singh said Henao saw a way to bring the building alive by creating a space where people could get to know each other, feed ideas off each other, network with each other. And with the airplanes and aviation surrounding them, a one-of-a-kind coworking space could be designed.

“The building owner liked the idea. It was a no-brainer ... because of the uniqueness. The cool-factor,” Singh said.

The two looked at other spaces in Buckhead, downtown and Midtown. But Chamblee is booming as a suburb and with the growth and lack of office space in Brookhaven next door, opening such a space here made sense, Singh said.

The Globe Hub’s name was selected purposefully, Singh said. While the building was already named the Globe Building, it was incorporated into the coworking business name to represent the international clients and members, Singh said.

Rojas was born in Bolivia and Sabogal was born in Colombia. Singh is from South Africa and Henao is also from Colombia.

The Globe Hub also this month sponsored the 2018 InnoSTARS Competition with the U.S. China Innovation Alliance, which provides U.S.-based tech companies the chance to learn more about opportunities in China.

“We are not your typical tech space,” Singh said. “We have entrepreneurs from all walks of life. We are one big community. We are having a bit of fun, but also enjoying the process of being entrepreneurs together.”

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A co-lawyering complex custombuilt for attorneys hangs its shingle Continued from page 5

For Kanner Baker LLC, a new firm focused on estate planning and tax law, SynerG’s services gave the ability to start practicing immediately instead of spending a month setting up a regular, independent office, said partner Paige Baker.

“I can’t say enough great things about it,” said Baker.

Besides the appeal of turnkey offices, SynerG has some social elements as well. Attorneys gather for regular “lunch and learn” programs to hear from professionals in other fields and chat with each other. During the tour, a lunch-and-learn with accountants about tax law changes was setting up. The complex has also hosted social events and meetings for such groups as the Sandy Springs Bar Association — partly for the atmosphere, partly to drum up business.

The incubator element — helping to nurture new attorneys — is a mentoring program. More experienced attorneys can get discount rates for being available “kind of like college professor hours” to advise others in the building for free, said Graham, who also does such mentoring himself. He has one tenant fresh out of law school who could not otherwise get that help so easily.

SynerG isn’t for every lawyer. Graham’s own commercial and corporate firm, Graham Legal LLC, is the largest there, with five attorneys, and he says that’s probably the biggest SynerG can handle. For the solo practitioners and small firms who make it home, Graham says he’s surprised at their diversity of experience and fields, from divorce to criminal defense.

He’s also found that “location matters” — many of the tenants live nearby, though he lives in Lilburn.

SynerG is nearing 50 percent occupancy, and Graham is already thinking about a second location, maybe in Decatur or the Cumberland area. And he’s pleased to see many of the current tenants paying a month or two in rent with referral fees from their coworkers in SynerG. “There’s a camaraderie that’s building,” he said.

For more about SynerG, see synerglawcomplex.com.

Business Openings The following are some of the new businesses that recently opened in Reporter Newspapers communities.

Celebrating the opening of a new Sage Woodfire Tavern location May 7 at 3379 Peachtree Road in Buckhead were, from left, former Buckhead Business Association President Barry Hundley; owner James Liakakos; and current BBA President Chris Godfrey. Info: sagewoodfiretavern.com.

SPECIAL

Grub Burger Bar, 1110 Hammond Drive, Suite 35, Sandy Springs. Grubburgerbar.com.

GYN Surgical Specialists, gynecology practice, Northside Hospital Doctors’ Centre, 980 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Suite 910, Sandy Springs. gynsurgicalspecialists.com.

JP Morgan Chase & Co., bank, 4453 Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Chase.com.

Medical & Sports Massage, 220 Sandy Springs Circle, Suite 157-B, Sandy Springs.

Livelifepainfree.com.

Teamo Tea Café, 5920 Roswell Road, #A107, Sandy Springs. Teamoteacafe.com.

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS it's what we do.

To learn more about how we improve the quality of life in Central Perimeter, visit PerimeterCID.org or call 770-390-1780.

8 | Perimeter Business

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The coworking craze is here to stay Continued from page 4

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it’s only the beginning.

“I think coworking space in buildings is here to stay and it’s definitely going to increase going forward, says Scott Amoson, director of research at the Atlanta office of the real estate firm Colliers International.

Stereotyped as hipster hangouts for startup kids, the coworking model of (almost) everything-included, short-term rent in cool, hangout-friendly workspaces is proving popular among big corporations, too. It ties into national trends of smaller corporate headquarters, flexible strategies in unpredictable times, and office complexes embracing the “live-work-play” approach to attracting and pleasing tenants.

“Coworking” is a fuzzy term. Amoson boils it down to any complex that rents a short-term desk or office open to all. A bit different are “incubators” like Buckhead’s Atlanta Tech Village, which are focused on a particular industry and have a mentorship aspect. A coworking trademark is a nice building with “hot desks” for laptop use and amenities that range from free coffee to massages or, in one recent case, Mother’s Day bouquet-making classes.

The basic idea: “flexible workspace,” Amoson says. With the typical commercial lease running three years, coworking can be attractive for everything “from a one-man shop to the Coca-Colas that might need a short-term solution to something they’re working on,” he said.

The fee is more akin to a membership than a sublease, as most multi-location coworking businesses let clients use any facility.

According to Collier’s count, there are 11 coworking businesses in or coming soon to Buckhead and seven in Perimeter Center.

They’re among roughly 75 in the metro Atlanta market so far in what Amoson calls a “pretty crazy” boom time.

Cutting the commute

In Atlanta, there’s naturally a traffic angle to the craze — employees can pop into a nearby coworking space with a laptop instead of battling for hours on Ga. 400 or the Downtown Connector. That kind of satellite office use is one reason big coworking companies are creeping up from Midtown to Buckhead and now Perimeter Center, and soon outward into north Fulton and other suburban hubs.

Valerie Jaffee, Industrious’ Southeast regional manager, says her company’s real business is making “happy, productive employees,” and a shorter commute can’t hurt.

At the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, self-taxing business districts that conduct traffic and streetscape projects, Executive Director Ann Hanlon said that coworking is booming enough to factor into the group’s forthcoming master plan.

“Coworking can offer Perimeter’s commuters yet another option, in addition to traditional office space, to adapt their life-

styles to the region’s ever-changing transportation challenges,” Hanlon said in an email. “Even more, Perimeter’s coworking assets offer intown employers the opportunity to leverage an alternative work location to employees who may not always want to travel the distance intown every day.”

Landlords like it, too. Amoson says giant coworking spaces often replace traditional tenants that are downsizing. He said the deals rarely involve incentives like rent discounts or build-out costs. The coworking tenants may one day become long-term tenants of other parts of the office building.

Amoson said some of the brokers at Colliers hang out at WeWork just for that possibility of finding a client ready to move into their own digs.

At Perimeter Summit in Brookhaven’s part of Perimeter Center, several long-term tenants have come from a Regus coworking space there, according to Randy Holmes, principal at Seven Oaks Company, the office complex’s owner. Coworking’s amenities also tie into Seven Oaks’ interest in programming — like large outdoor concerts — to attract and retain tenants.

“The workforce is rapidly becoming more mobile, and it’s imperative for office owners to adapt and evolve so they don’t miss out on a fast-growing piece of the market,” says Holmes. “Prioritizing flexible workspace options and community activation that engages tenants will help build long-term asset value and ensure landlords stay relevant as our industry continues to evolve.”

Employee attraction and retention are other factors, as coworking spaces offer amenities that might appeal to younger workers without capital expenses for the company.

Back to the future of ‘executive suites’

Coworking is not an entirely new concept and in many ways the trend is going back to the future. An earlier version popular in 1990s and early 2000s was “executive suites.” Also known as managed or serviced offices, they offered turnkey office rentals.

Regus was the big player in the Atlanta market — and, after many economic twists and turns, still dominates local coworking. It operates 11 of the 20 coworking businesses that Colliers has counted in the Perimeter Center and Buckhead markets.

The term “coworking” and the idea of offbeat amenities like a Ping-Pong conference table — an actual feature at a WeWork in Buckhead — are newer. The idea of tech workers hanging out and communally working started in San Francisco in 2005, when a software coder named Brad Neuberg started an informal group at the house of a feminist collective. His Left Coast idea of communitybuilding was quickly commercialized and subsumed into big-business coworking as we know it. That version started coming to Atlanta around 2014, Amoson says.

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In some ways, coworking is shifting back to the “executive suites” model and appealing to major corporations. As Industrious comes to the 7000 Central Parkway tower in Sandy Springs, it isn’t envisioning just a group of coders on laptops.

“The assumption around the country [about coworking tenants] … is early-stage startups, young guys fresh out of college,” Jaffee says. But at Industrious, the average age of a client company is 12 years, she says.

Such companies as Hyatt have used Industrious as a base for regional teams.

Industrious has even started building custom corporate headquarters. At Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, Industrious operates its standard coworking facility on the eighth floor. But they also built out the seventh floor as a serviced headquarters for the software company Pivotal, whose employees can also use the normal coworking space.

Jaffee says Industrious is also interested in taking over management and programming of all common facilities, bringing expertise in that lifestyle type of activity that the landlord might not have.

Amenity vs. annoyance

WeWork takes a different approach, emphasizing the offbeat aesthetics while diversifying into other businesses. The company has been an aggressive leader in Atlanta’s coworking market. It came to Buckhead in 2016 with an enormous, 70,000-square-foot facility in Tower Place at 3340 Peachtree Road. Another WeWork — 42,000 square feet in size — aims to open June 1 in Terminus 100 at 3280 Peachtree.

As seen at Tower Place on a recent tour, the company’s “hot desks,” the cheapest rental option that gives members access to a temporary desk, are located on a renovated basketball court. For an edgy vibe, some walls have custom-designed wallpaper featuring depictions of office workouts inspired by rap lyrics. A couch bore a pillow

adorned with the phrase “thug life.”

WeWork has other types of lifestyles in mind, however, as it extends its brand in New York City and Washington, D.C., with WeLive apartments, a gym called WeRise, and a for-profit school called WeGrow. Bobby Condon, WeWork’s Southeast general manager, said that bringing such spin-offs to Atlanta is in discussion, but with no timeline.

“We truly believe we are transforming the ways people think about working,” he said. “Our mission is to create a life and not just a living.”

Coworking isn’t for everyone and one person’s amenity can be another person’s annoyance. Yet another brand coming to town in June is Serendipity Labs, which pitches itself as a more professional alternative for people who feel underserved by other coworking places. The company is opening a 26,000-square-foot space in the prominent Three Alliance Center skyscraper at 3550 Lenox Road in Buckhead.

No Ping-Pong tables shall be found at Serendipity Labs, says Paula Gomphrecht, the company’s vice president of marketing.

“These are people who don’t want to feel like they are competing for space or against noise levels,” she said. “These are people who are looking for a more professional environment. What they really want is a secure phone line.”

Amoson said the pace of coworking growth will continue — Colliers predicts coworking space will double globally by 2020 — but that eventually there will be a shakeout, with bigger companies acquiring smaller ones, and landlords cutting out the middlemen to run their own coworking spaces.

But the idea of flexible workspace has legs, he says, predicting that some element of coworking space will be a standard feature built into future office buildings.

“When the hype dies down, it’s [still] going to be a model for leasing space,” he said.

--Evelyn Andrews contributed

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Commentary / Librarians recommend their summer beach reads Summer’s approaching and the time is right for reading on the beach. But, what to read? We turned to our local book experts. Go to ReporterNewspapers.net for even more of their recommendations.

MADIGAN MCGILLICUDDY

Principal librarian and branch manager of the Sandy Springs Library.

“The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue,” Mackenzi Lee Eighteenth-century party animal Henry “Monty” Montague is all set for his Grand Tour of Europe with his best mate and unrequited crush Percy and younger sister Felicity, when his traveling party runs afoul of a conspiracy of pirates and scheming noblemen. This fast-paced, funny, LGBTQ+ young adult novel reads like “The Da Vinci Code” meets “Jane Austen.”

“The Poet’s Dog,” Patricia MacLachlan This middle-grade novel packs a heavy emotional punch, as two snowbound children consider questions of family, friends and loss.

Poets, children and dog-lovers alike will find talking dog Teddy particularly hard to resist.

“Flat Broke with Two Goats: A Memoir of Appalachia,” Jennifer McGaha McGaha’s entertaining memoir takes you through her unexpectedly disastrous situation as she lurches from one poor financial decision to another. She finds grace and peace by downsizing to a tiny rural cabin. Her solution to an empty nest is definitely unique! With her youngest off to college, and her house empty of kids, she decides to fill it up with … kids (goats, that is).

“No One Is Coming to Save Us,” Stephanie Powell Watts Very loosely based on “The Great Gatsby,” this character-driven novel explores race, social class and the American Dream in an epic family saga. In a poverty-stricken African-American community in North Carolina, newly wealthy JJ returns to his small hometown to build a large home and win over his former sweetheart Ava. Ava is now married and struggling with infertility, even as her husband cheats on her.

JARED MILLET

Jared Millet is principal librarian at the Dunwoody branch of the DeKalb County Public Library.

“The Book of Joy,” the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu Refreshingly different from other selfhelp books, “The Book of Joy” is a dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu, two men who have witnessed hardship and tragedy and by all rights should be a pair of angry curmudgeons — and yet they’re not.

“Head On,” John Scalzi One of today’s most addictive authors sets this mystery novel in the near future after a virulent disease has “locked” many people inside their own bodies with no way to interact with the outside world except through android proxies. Scalzi’s novel is fun and witty while addressing very real issues of surviving with a disability in the modern world.

“The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story,” Douglas Preston This work of nonfiction from Preston is just as exciting as one of his thrillers. In 2012, the author was invited to participate in an expedition to find the legendary White City, once believed to be a myth.

The journey into the wild to confirm the city’s existence was as fraught with danger and close escapes as any Indiana Jones mov-

ie, except that this time the hazards and hidden treasures were real.

“No Time to Spare,” Ursula K. Le Guin The late Ursula Le Guin has been a literary giant for decades, best known for such seminal novels as “The Left Hand of Darkness” and “A Wizard of Earthsea.” In her later years she took up the fine art of online blogging, from which the essays in this collection are pulled.

In this book she covers politics, the writer’s life, the problems of growing old and the adventures of living with a rambunctious cat.

DEA ANNE MARTIN

Dea Anne Martin is a senior library specialist at the Brookhaven branch of the DeKalb County Public Library.

The “Expanse” novels, James S. A. Corey I am not usually a fan of science fiction and, in particular, “hard” science fiction. That changed when I began watching the SyFy channel’s series based on these novels. The show is intriguing and the books even more so. “James A. Corey” is actually Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who have collaborated on this series, and the two writers really know how to keep you turning the page. Start with the first book “Leviathan Wakes.”

“The High Tide Club,” Mary Kay Andrews I think that Andrews writes wonderful beach books and while I haven’t yet read this one, I have it tagged to go on my vacation books list. “Savannah Blues” and “Savannah Breeze” were both tremendously entertaining, as was “Deep Dish.” Delicious, frothy fun!

KATE WHITMAN

Kate Whitman serves as vice president of public programs for the Atlanta History Center, which is located in Buckhead.

As part of her job, Kate each year orchestrates more than 60 author programs the Atlanta History Center and Margaret Mitchell House at Atlanta History Center Midtown.

“There Are No Grown-ups: A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story,” Pamela Druckerman Truth be told, I have only read one parenting book cover to cover and it was Pamela Druckerman’s “Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting.” So it is no surprise that I am excited to see Druckerman take on middle age with the same humor and candor that she brought to parenting. This book is filled with hilarious essays sure to bring levity and insight into the middle-age years.

“Love and Ruin,” Paula McLain Bestselling author of “The Paris Wife” returns once again to Ernest Hemingway, this time detailing the fiery love story between Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, his third wife. A beautifully written and well-researched historical novel that brings Gellhorn into sharp focus as a fiercely independent woman who would become one of America’s great war correspondents.

“You Think It, I’ll Say I: Stories,” Curtis Sittenfeld This short-story collection is one of the best ones I have ever read. I was already a fan of Sittenfeld’s long-form fiction and was delighted to see her bring her same wit, sensitivity, and depth to the characters in these short stories.

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Packing cubes are no panacea Back in the dark ages before there was an internet, backpacking students got around by using a revered guidebook called “Let’s Go Europe.”

You’d go to a youth hostel and you’d find sections on Rome or Vienna that had been ripped out and left there by travelers who had seen those cities and wanted to lighten their load or share information. The book was filled with excellent tips on cheap places to eat and sleep and how to get from point A to point B without a car and what to appreciate once you got there.

But there was one tip tucked into that gem of a travel guide that has stuck with me for all these years, and it involved packing. The advice was to get all the money you planned to bring and all the clothes you wanted to pack and lay them out across your bed … and then bring half the clothes and twice the money.

I’ve been following that advice pretty sincerely ever since, but I’m wearing down.

Sometimes I just don’t want to decide between the gray top and the white top. I want to bring them both.

My husband and I were embarking on a two-week, multi-city trip this spring to visit our kids, and since our trip fell during the most challenging packing season of the year, I solicited the advice of my travelsavvy neighbor on what to cram into my carry-on. To my surRobin Conte is a writer prise, she didn’t say “layers.” Instead, she said “packing cubes.” and mother of four who I dismissively waved off that tip, but then reconsidered as she lives in Dunwoody. She explained that with that system she can get more in her suitcan be contacted at case and keep herself organized. robinjm@earthlink.net.

I reconsidered. And I consulted the internet.

It was there that I came across a woman who had, strewn across her bed, what appeared to be an amount of clothes equal to half the contents of my closet. She announced that she was going on a 10-day trip and would condense the entirety of that wardrobe into a carry-on bag using the wonders of packing cubes. They’re like a trash compactor for your suitcase.

I watched, enthralled, and immediately ran out to buy a set.

I came home with a variety of zippered nylon bags ranging in size from an iPhone 5 to an 8 Plus to a Motorola, giddy at the prospect of being able to pack all of my clothing choices. I could bring the comfy denim jeans AND the skinny floral jeans! I could bring the gray shirt, the white shirt, AND the navy shirt! I could bring pops of color! A warmer jacket! An extra pair of shoes! A dress!

I couldn’t wait to pack.

I spread half the contents of my closet onto my bed and began.

I started with the Motorola cube.

This one I planned to fill with five pairs of pants, two sweaters, four shirts, a pullover, and a blouse. Logic and the rules of physics were not in play at this point; I was delirious with optimism. After rolling my second pair of jeans into the cube, doubt set in. Well, I consoled myself, I AM wearing one pair of jeans on the plane. At the third pair of pants, the cube was almost full, and by pair number four, I had enough room left for my hairbrush.

It’s okay, I soothed myself, shirts take up much less space than pants. I rolled up the first three T-shirts and stuffed them into the iPhone 8 Plus, reevaluating my choices and eliminating all the while. How often will I really need a pop of color, anyway? The gray will go with everything. I probably don’t need two sweaters … I think it’s warming up where she lives.

I rolled up, crammed in, and eliminated until all four cubes were bursting. Then we left.

How much did I bring on my trip? About half of what I originally wanted to pack.

But I spent twice the money.

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Brook Run Park concepts have three plans, up to $9.3M price tag Continued from page 1 tion of two multiuse fields at the back of the park, a renovated Great Lawn area as well as the addition of more parking and restrooms.

Alexander presented the three concept designs, dubbed the Current Master Plan ($7 million price tag), the Reduced Master Plan ($5 million) and the Expanded Master Plan ($9.3 million), to the mayor and City Council at their May 21 meeting.

Driving the different cost estimates are the proposed renovations to the Great Lawn, Alexander said.

The Expanded Plan envisions an amphitheater-like setting in the Great Lawn with a large band shell and stage with storage behind the stage, terraced seating, some paved paths, and vehicular access for a truck to drive equipment to the stage. Covered pavilions and larger restrooms are also included in this plan.

Alexander said the concept for this plan would be ideal for concerts and is similar to the Suwanee Town Center Amphitheater.

The other two plans significantly cut back on the sizes of the band shell and eliminate paved areas and terraced seating to reduce costs significantly.

CITY OF DUNWOODY

The Expanded Program concept design for Brook Run Park includes two multiuse athletic fields with a sizable restroom and concessions facility. The Great Lawn proposals include a band shell and stage, in rendering at right, with terraced seating. Price tag: about $9.3 million.

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Councilmember Jim Riticher said the council had a fundamental decision about the fields and Great Lawn: “Either decide not to build everything now or come up with a big pot of money.”

“Maybe we should consider not building one of them now,” he said.

In the multiuse area of the park, the differences in cost can be changed by putting in smaller restrooms and pavilions, a smaller concession stand and smaller playgrounds, Alexander explained.

Councilmember Tom Lambert threw his full support behind the Expanded Plan and addressed concerns by all council members about tree preservation by suggesting not building as much parking. Plans call for adding some 40 spaces near the new multiuse fields.

“That’s a golden opportunity to save trees,” he said. “I hate to personify the Joni Mitchell song [“Big Yellow Taxi”] about paving paradise to put up a parking lot.”

Even with the addition of parking there won’t be enough for people who want to use the park, Lambert added, and the city could be better off financially by investing in a shuttle system to get people to and from the park.

“I know there are concerns about the budget … but we want to do something we are proud of 10 to 15 years from now and not by taking the cheap way,” Lambert said. “This is a gift to the citizens that live here. We’re about community … this provides us the chance to do that.”

Mayor Denis Shortal and Councilmember Terry Nall said the plans may call for picking and choosing what they want and can afford from the separate plans to create a new overall design plan. Alexander explained that was an option.

“The budget is always a consideration,” Shortal said. He added he thought more parking would be necessary and that it was important to consider the city’s senior citizens when creating community spaces.

“I’m more in line with the master plan cost. It’s not a cheap plan but it is also more affordable,” Shortal said.

Community input is still being gathered on the concept plans. Visit dunwoodyga.gov for more information.

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Community | 13

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City hikes park fees, limits private events

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

The mayor and City Council have hiked rental fees for city parks and are capping attendance and private events at them to limit wear-and-tear and bring rates in line with neighboring cities.

The new policy was approved at the May 21 council meeting.

New rental fees are: ► Extra large groups renting a venue such as Brook Run Park pavilion or Great Lawn for up to 300 people: $500 for four hours, $1,000 for eight hours. ► Large groups using a facility such the Pernoshal Park pavilion for up to 100 people: $150 for four hours, $300 for eight hours. ► A medium group at the Brook Run Arboretum rental pavilion for up to 75 people: $75 for four hours, $150 for eight hours.

Due to the city’s low fees, parks are a popular location for fundraiser runs and non-city festivals throughout the year, often to the detriment of the general park user, explained Parks and Recreation Director Brent Walker in a memo to council.

To stem the number of events and recuperate the costs associated with maintaining city parks, the city implemented new festival and special event fees and attendance caps: ► Small festival with a maximum of 400 people will pay $2,200, with up to $900 in refundable deposits. ► A medium festival with a maximum crowd between 400 and 800 people will pay $3,025, with $1,100 in available refunds. ► A large festival with 800 to 1,200 people will pay $3,850, with $1,300 in refundable deposits. ► For all 5K walks and runs, there is now a cap of 500 participants.

Cost to put on one at a Dunwoody park is now $3,525, with $1,100 available for refunds.

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The city is also implementing a policy to limit non-city-organized large events to only one every 30 days.

The issue of raising fees was first raised at the City Council’s February retreat.

Assistant City Manager Jessica Guinn outlined fees in other neighboring cities.

In Chamblee, there is a $1,250 flat fee for events. The city of Johns Creek charges $3,000 for a nonprofit group to use its amphitheater and charges for-profit and commercial companies a $5,000 fee. The city of Roswell charges $1,200 for small events; $1,600 for large events; and a $2,000 flat fee for road races, with no more than 250 runners allowed. Surrounding cities also do not offer refundable deposits, she said.

In 2017 Brook Run Park was the site for 41 special events, totaling more than 30,500 people, and 87 private facility rentals. But the city only received about $32,000 in event rental fee revenue.

Of those special events, 34 were 5K races and walks. With the new fee schedule and limited use in place, the 5Ks would have been limited to 24 and not 34 events.

With capping crowds and hiking fees, the city wants to make city parks more user-friendly for local residents again and allows them to use the park without competing for space with special events, Walker said. Fewer events also means less traffic around local neighborhoods, he said.

The new fees do not include city-sponsored events, such as Movie on the Meadow or MLK Jr. Day of Service, nor do they include events such as Lemonade Days and Dunwoody Food Truck Thursdays, according to city officials.

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Key local legislative races shape up for November showdowns

BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net

Several key local legislative races shaped up following the May 22 primary and leading into the November General Election.

Sally Harrell, a former state representative, defeatKen Wright Ellen Diehl ed Tamara Johnson-Shealy with 67 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results in the Democratic primary for the state Senate District 40 seat.

Harrell will now face incumbent state Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) in State Rep. November. The disSally Harrell Meagan Hanson trict includes Dunwoody, Brookhaven and Sandy Springs.

State Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta) easily defeated challenger Hamid Noori in the Democratic primary for House District 81 with 72 percent of the vote, accordMike Wilensky Matthew Wilson ing to unofficial results. Holcomb now faces Republican Ellen Diehl in November. The district includes a portion of Brookhaven.

There was no primary opposition in the House District 79 and House District 80 races, State Sen. State Rep. but primary results Fran Millar Scott Holcomb could portend interesting November elections in the traDemocratic primary. The difference is ditionally Republican strongholds of the 182 votes. north Atlanta suburbs.

In House District 80, which inHouse District 79 is an open seat with cludes Brookhaven and a sliver of SanRepublican Tom Taylor of Dunwoody redy Springs, incumbent Meagan Hanson tiring this year. Republican Ken Wright, ran unopposed in the Republican primaDunwoody’s first mayor, garnered 1,454 ry and received 1,245 votes, according to votes as the sole Republican candidate, unofficial results. Her Democratic chalaccording to unofficial results. Mike lenger, Matthew Wilson, received 1,449 Wilensky, a Dunwoody attorney and votes in the primary, for a difference of also without primary opposition, re204 votes. ceived 1,636 votes according to unofficial results as the sole candidate in the DUN

Dunwoody Reporter Brookhaven Reporter Buckhead Reporter

reporternewspapers.net

Saturday, June 9th at Pernoshal Park 4575 N. Shallowford Road 5K Run/Walk starts at 7:30am REGISTRATION ENDS JUNE 7th

Fun Fitness Activities Begin at 9am Join us for Dunwoody’s second ‘Family Fitness Day’ on Saturday, June 9th! The city is following the National Recreation and Park Association calendar that celebrates Family Fitness Day on the second Saturday in June and recommends that all families get out to their local parks and get healthy.

Family Fitness Day will kick off with a 5K run/walk at 7:30 a.m. To register, visit the Parks Registration Portal on the city’s website: https:// secure.rec1.com/GA/dunwoody-ga/catalog. Plan on staying for the fun fitness activities, including free workout classes and clinics, a ‘Kids Korner,” giveaways, and food trucks!

For more information contact Le Keshia Walton at lekeshia.walton@dunwoodyga.gov.

dunwoodyga.gov

@DunwoodyGA

City of Dunwoody - Government

cityofdunwoodyga

16 | Art & Entertainment

Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell.

Info: chattnaturecenter. org.

FOOD THAT ROCKS

PERFORMANCES

DUNWOODY

•

SANDY SPRINGS

ion or take a blanket or chairs for lawn seating. Cash bar; no outside alcoholic beverages. $12$18; children 2 and under free.

9135 Willeo Road, Roswell.

Info: chattnaturecenter.org.

CONCERTS BY THE SPRINGS

DUNWOODY NATURE CENTER SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

Saturday, June 9, 7 to 9 p.m.

Peachtree Peppers, a modern rock and Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band, is next up in this lineup of summer 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. Craft beers, sodas and water available. $5 adults; $3 students; free for members and for children 3 and under. 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody. Info: dunwoodynature.org.

SUNDAYS ON THE RIVER CONCERTS

Sunday, June 10, 6 to 9:30 p.m. Concert begins at 7 p.m.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center hosts River Whyless, an Asheville, N.C.-based quartet whose musical sounds have been described as folk-rock and baroque-folk.

Purchase a table seat in the picnic pavil-

Sunday, June 10, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The 22nd season of Heritage Sandy Springs’ outdoor summer concert series continues with beach music favorites by the Swingin’ Medallions. Gates open at 5 p.m. Picnics welcome. Food, beer and wine available.

Free. Sandy Springs Society Entertainment Lawn at Heritage Green, 6110 Blue Stone Road, Sandy Springs. Info: heritagesandysprings.org or 404-851-9111.

FESTIVALS FLYING COLORS BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL

Saturday, June 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 3, noon to 5 p.m.

Live butterfly releases and butterfly-inspired events including arts and crafts and a plant sale are in store at this 19th annual fundraising event for the Chattahoochee Nature Center. $12 public; $8 CNC members. This event also kicks off the CNC’s Butterfly Encounter, open from June 4 to Aug. 31. Walk inside an enclosure filled with butterflies and the plants they love. Free with admission.

GET ACTIVE

Saturday, June 16, 8 to 11 p.m.

The Atlanta Cajun Zydeco Association hosts the Nashville-based Roux du Bayoux Cajun Band at the Dorothy Benson Center. Cajun/Creole food for sale. All ages. No partner necessary. $18; $14 active military; $5 students. Cash or check only. Free Two-Step dance lesson at 7 p.m.

Intermediate/Advanced Cajun dance class from 4:30-6 p.m. is $15. 6500 Vernon Woods Drive, Sandy Springs. Info: aczadance.org or 877-338-2420.

LEARN SOMETHING

BARK IN THE PARK

Saturday, June 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A fun-filled day of music, dog trick demonstrations, pet-related vendors, adoptions. Free.

Dogs must be leashed.

Brookhaven Park, 4158 Peachtree Road, Brookhaven. Info: brookhavenga.gov.

SUMMER KICKOFF POOL PARTY

CAJUN CONCERT AND DANCE

CONTAINER GARDENING

Sunday, June 10, noon to 3 p.m.

Enjoy outdoor pools and the splash park at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta at a free pool party and community celebration. Music, door prizes, games, activities and free ice pops for children. Food available for purchase.

5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Info/ RSVP: atlantajcc.org.

Saturday, June 2, 11 a.m. to noon.

Learn about container gardening in this month’s Dunwoody Community Garden & Orchard Master Gardener Session. Refreshments served. Free. DCGO greenhouse complex in Brook Run Park, opposite the skate park. 4770 Georgia Way South, Dunwoody. Info: dcgo.org.

FREE FIRST SATURDAY: BEES

Saturday, June 2, 11 a.m. to noon.

Learn about the life of a honeybee in a program at the Dunwoody Nature Center, home to an observation honeybee hive and a traditional stacked honeybee hive. Free. 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody.

Info: dunwoodynature.org.

SUBMIT YOUR EVENT LISTING WITH US AT

calendar@ReporterNewspapers.net

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Saturday, June 9, 6:30 to 11 p.m.

This third annual “Celebration of Sandy Springs” is a time to eat, drink and party with a purpose at City Green in City Springs’ inaugural event. Features food from more than 20 popular local restaurants, local musicians and wine, beer and cocktails. The outdoor event benefits Sandy Springs-based charities — The Drake House, Community Assistance Center and Second Helpings Atlanta. Ages 21+. Rain or shine. $55-$75. City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. Info: foodthatrocks.org.

MAY 25 - JUNE 7, 2018

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Art & Entertainment | 17

www.ReporterNewspapers.net

RESUME HELP

Tuesdays through Dec. 18, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Get free help with your resume at the Sandy Springs Branch Library. Call to schedule an appointment with the library’s “in-house resume doctor.” Open to all Atlanta-Fulton Public Library cardholders. 395 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Info: 404-303-6130.

KIDS AND FAMILIES LITTLE DIGGERS

Saturday, June 9, 10 a.m. to noon.

Learn about fragrant flowers, plant a fragrant herb, and learn how herbs are used in aromatherapy at this month’s edition of Little Diggers, a free family gardening series presented monthly through October by Heritage Sandy Springs. Best suited for ages 6-10 with accompanying adult. Heritage Sandy Springs Farmers Market, 6100 Lake Forrest Drive, Sandy Springs. Info: heritagesandysprings.org.

THE BRAVES EXPERIENCE FOR FANS OF ALL SIZES 5K, One Mile & 50m Dash | June 2 | SunTrust Park Registration includes: • 5K participants receive a ticket to select Braves game • Additional discounted tickets available for purchase • All participants receive a Mizuno shirt

VISUAL ARTS SPRUILL ARTS STUDENT & FACULTY JURIED EXHIBITION

Register at atlantatrackclub.org

Opening reception Thursday, June 7, 6 to 9 p.m. Exhibition runs Tuesdays through Saturdays through Aug. 18, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This collection of the best work currently being produced at the Spruill Arts Center was curated by leaders in the Atlanta art community. Free. 4681 Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Info: spruillarts. org/gallery or 770-394-4019.

GET INTO THE COMMUNITY BROOKHAVEN FOOD TRUCK ROUNDUPS

Wednesdays through Oct. 3, 6 to 9 p.m.

Food trucks, beer and wine, entertainment, kids’ activities. Free admission, free parking. Dogs welcome. Blackburn Park, 3493 Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven. Info: brookhavenga.gov/ parksrec.

DUNWOODY FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS

Thursdays through October, 5 p.m. till dark.

Join the crowd at a picnic-style gathering at Brook Run Park for a rotating array of food trucks, music and entertainment. Participating food trucks, desserts, adult beverages and weather-related updates will be listed on Facebook. 4770 North Peachtree Road, Dunwoody. Info: dunwoodyga.org/Dunwoody-Food-TruckThursdays or facebook.com/dunwoodyfoodtruckthursdays.

Congratulations

Davis Academy Class of 2018!

Nate Artzi Anna Baylin Olivia Bercoon Shelby Bercoon Rachel Binderman Brandon Bohrer Asher Bressler Logan Bucovetsky Stuart Cohen Ashley Costley Samuel Durbin Evan Feintuch Hannah Ferrar Sammy Finkelstein Joshua Forman Harrison Frank Alexa Freedman

Jack Goldstein Sarah Greenberg Annalise Hardy Amalia Haviv Kady Herold Rachel Hertz Noah Hirschfield Kaden Husney Joshua Isaacs Samuel Isaacs Shoshana Katz Margo Kaye Daniel Kobrinsky Veronica Kogan Maya Laufer Sydney Leahy Andrew Levingston

Jordan Levy Ezra Mahle Max Martin Matthew McCullough Seth Meiselman Daniel Menis Mai Miller Jacob Mirsky Sophia Mokotoff Gabrielle Murray Alex Newberg Jordan Palgon Emma Perlstein Sy Polekoff Amit Rau Matthew Richmond Ellie Rifkin

Alon Rogow Daniel Rosen Alec Rosenberg Jessica Schulhof Zoe Shapiro Eric Sherman Jason Sherman Brooke Stanley Ava Stark Lily Stark Virginia Sullivan Matthew Szabo Datya Voloschin Alexa Warner Eli Weiser Hailey Weiss Sasha Wildstein

8105 Roberts Drive Atlanta, GA 30350 770-671-0085 davisacademy.org

18 | Education

Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers â– twitter.com/Reporter_News

2018 Valedictorians & Salutatorians H

igh school graduation season returned this month. Proud parents, brothers and sisters and other family members packed auditoriums and stadiums across Reporter Newspapers communities to clap and cheer as local schools conferred hardearned diplomas and special honors on hundreds of new graduates.

During many graduation ceremonies, a few students are singled out to be honored for achieving the highest academic standing among their classmates. They are the valedictorians and salutatorians for their schools. Here is a gallery of photographs of the valedictorians and salutatorians for the Class of 2018 at high schools in Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs. The schools provided their names and photographs.

The Atlanta International School could not immediately provide photos of its honorees: Katherina Ruenger, valedictorian; and Katherine Paton-Smith and Clary Bond, salutatorians (jointly).

BRANDON HALL

ATLANTA GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Milyazim Anvarov Valedictorian

Julia Platt Valedictorian

Yourong Geng Salutatorian

CHAMBLEE CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

Sakshi Sehgal Valedictorian

Aminur Ali Valedictorian

CROSS KEYS HIGH SCHOOL

Mario Becerra Aleman Valedictorian

Yuyan Ke Salutatorian

Brian Kang Salutatorian

Khawla Nirjhar Salutatorian

DUNWOODY HIGH SCHOOL

Shreya Nainwal Valedictorian

Alexandra Buhl Salutatorian

Caitlin Howie Salutatorian

Education | 19

MAY 25 - JUNE 7, 2018 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net

HOLY INNOCENTS’ EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Saffiya Bashey Valedictorian

Christine Catherman Salutatorian MARIST SCHOOL

Anais Marenco Valedictorian

David Sullivan Valedictorian

Madeleine Hardt Salutatorian

Michael Propp Valedictorian

MOUNT VERNON PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOL

Carol Beatty Salutatorian

Megan Lienau Valedictorian

NORTH SPRINGS CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

Jared Coffsky Valedictorian

THE LOVETT SCHOOL

HOLY SPIRIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Eric Miller Salutatorian

Arial Strode Salutatorian

Matthew Halbig Salutatorian

Richard Hill Valedictorian

Saya Abney Valedictorian

Ben Thompson Salutatorian WEBER SCHOOL

Samuel Weiss-Cowie Valedictorian

Rosa Brown Salutatorian

THE WESTMINSTER SCHOOLS

Abbey Pan Valedictorian

Alex Palacios Valedictorian

Ben Israel Salutatorian

RIVERWOOD INTERNATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOL

ST. PIUS X CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Nicholas Poulos Valedictorian

NORTH ATLANTA HIGH SCHOOL

PACE ACADEMY

Jennifer Spalten Valedictorian

Emma Ellis Salutatorian

Phoebe Liu Salutatorian

Justin Schaufele Salutatorian

Dori Balser Salutatorian

20 | Education

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BIA parent says state scores don’t tell the whole story

BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net

A parent of two students attending Brookhaven Innovation Academy said that, despite receiving failing scores from a state oversight commission, the school has vastly improved her children’s education experience.

The State Charter Schools Commission, which decides whether a school is renewed to continue operating, in a March 21 report gave BIA failing scores on academic and financial sections. BIA passed the operations section.

The school was dinged for not earning a College and Career Ready Performance Index, or CCRPI, score that was higher than the district it serves, the entire state. Although created by Brookhav-

en officials to be a better and varied option to DeKalb County public schools, it ranked lower than all but one county public school in Brookhaven.

But Veronica Johnson, whose 4th and 6th grade children attend BIA, said that the school’s performance is measured by more than the state’s evaluation. Her children are receiving a better education and getting better grades than they did at their previous public school and private school, she said. The school has worked well enough for them to not mind commuting over an hour from East Point to the school, she said.

She said BIA has the right balance of pushing advanced students forward while supporting students who need extra help in areas. BIA avoids the “over-

Mazel tov to the Class of 2014!

We wish you the best of luck in college and beyond.

testing” and strong emphasis on testing traditional public schools often have, Johnson said. Students are encouraged to collaborate and work on projects that apply to life more than other schools, she said.

“Just looking at something in black and white without digging into the details could lead someone to have the wrong impression of the school. It is a fabulous school and I’m happy to send them back there next year,” she said.

Education Briefs LO CAL LEG IS L ATO R S NA M ED T O S C HO O L SAFET Y S T UDY C O M M IT TEE

Three local state legislators have been named to a state Senate committee charged with making recommendations to improve school safety.

State Sen. John Albers, who represents Sandy Springs and authored the legislation to create the committee, will serve as chair. Senators Kay Kirkpatrick, who represents Sandy Springs, and Fran Millar, who represents Dunwoody and parts of Brookhaven and Sandy Springs, will serve on the committee.

“This legislation is helping us assess what is best for each community and create system-wide solutions that allow students to learn in an environment where they are protected,” said Albers in a press release.

The three Republicans are among a bipartisan group of eight senators that were named on May 10 to the committee.

“The safety of our children has always been a priority in the legislature,” said Sen. Kirkpatrick in a written statement. “As state legislators and parents ourselves, there is constant accountability in ensuring that our children will feel protected in a place that is intended to be a ‘safe space.’ ” The committee will travel across the state meeting with teachers, students, parents, first responders, community leaders and experts to get input and learn how to best improve safety in different communities, according to the release.

SEQ U O YAH M ID D LE WINS G R A NT FO R S P O R TS EQ UIP M ENT

MEMBERS OF EPSTEIN’S CL ASS OF 2014 WERE ACCEPTED TO: Auburn University Boston University Bowling Green State University Brandeis University Clemson University College of Charleston Colorado School Of Mines DePaul University Drexel University Elon University Emory University Florida State University Georgia State University Georgia Tech Indiana University Ithaca College Kennesaw State University Michigan State Northeastern University

North Carolina State University Oxford College of Emory University Rutgers University SUNY Binghamton Syracuse University Temple University Tulane University University of Alabama University of Arizona University of Colorado Boulder University of Florida University of Georgia University of Kansas University of Maryland University of Massachusetts University of Miami University of Michigan University of Missouri

University of North Carolina University of Oregon University of Pittsburgh University of South Carolina University of Southern California University of Tennessee University of Texas (Austin) University of Toledo University of Vermont University of Wisconsin Washington University in St. Louis Wake Forest Wayne State University We are also proud that 2 Class of 2014 graduates will be joining the Israeli Defense Forces.

335 COLEWOOD WAY NW | SANDY SPRINGS, GA 30328-2956 | EPSTEINATLANTA.ORG

Sequoyah Middle School has won a grant for $20,000 worth of sports equipment, which will allow students otherwise financially unable to participate in sports teams, the school district said.

The donation was awarded March 5 by Good Sports, an organization that has donated over $26 million worth of sports equipment to students in economically disadvantaged areas nationwide. The DeKalb County Board of Education accepted the donation at its May 14 meeting.

Sequoyah Middle is located in Doraville and serves Brookhaven students in the Cross Keys cluster.

The items donated include jerseys, shoes, cleats, gloves, knee pads and socks, according to the district.

SANDY SPR I NG S P ER I M ETE R C HA M B ER AWAR D S C O L L EG E S C HO L A R S HI P S

The Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce awarded four $1,000 scholarships to seniors at Riverwood International and North Springs charter high schools.

The Donna Adams Mahaffey scholarships were awarded to Riverwood students Alina Cortes and Valeria Atempa and North Springs students Vanessa Lovinsky and Nirelys Rohena-Santos on April 24 and 30, according to a press release.

The organization created the Donna Adams Mahaffey Scholarship Fund in 2015 with the goal of inspiring female graduates to attend college, the release said.

SPECIAL “These scholarships instill children Alina Cortes, left, and Valeria Atempa from Riverwood International Charter School with the concept that regardless of their accept their $1,000 scholarships from financial situation, they too can receive a the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber. higher education,” the organization said in a press release. “Improving education on a regional scale has always been a priority to at the chamber.”

MAY 25 - JUNE 7, 2018

■

Classifieds | 21

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22 | Community

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New school brings new traffic signal, turn lanes to Roberts Drive Continued from page 1

There is also a brick wall around the adjacent Fairfield neighborhood. Some resiseat elementary school opens next Audents there are concerned about trees begust. The current elementary school will ing cut down and their root structures be closed and become city property as part damaged, possibly weakening the wall. of a land deal between the city and DeKalb “Our big concern is extending the sideCounty Schools. walk in front of the historic home and the The City Council discussed some of the effect it will have on trees and our wall,” said George Stewart, a Fairfield resident.

Dennis Larry, also a Fairfield resident, has been picking up his grandchildren at the current Austin Elementary for three years. He said the proposed sidewalk is a “sidewalk to nowhere” because most children attending the school don’t walk.

“It seems to be a useless expense and potentially damaging hardwood trees,” he said. “We love the neighborhood the way DYANA BAGBY it is. We just don’t see the point.

Dunwoody Capital Projects Manager Ishri Sankar But I don’t think there is much points out proposed changes on Roberts Drive during a May 10 open house at City Hall. we can say. It looks like the city is going to do it.” recommendations at its May 21 meeting.

Councilmembers said they want to One is having the current entrance to the minimize the impact to trees but also want Nature Center double as the carpool lane to provide safe paths for students to walk for the new school. Roadway recommento school. dations include putting in a traffic signal “I like wider sidewalks and would like to and signalized pedestrian crossing; adding do that as much as possible,” Councilmema northbound right-turn lane on Roberts ber Tom Lambert said. “The more we can Drive; and adding a southbound left-turn do the better. First and foremost, it is saflane connecting to the existing turn lane at er for kids walking to school, and if parthe current Austin Elementary School. ents feel safer they will let their kids walk, The recommendations also include imwhich means fewer cars on the road.” proving roadway drainage and extendSmith said the intention is to build ing the sidewalk from a sidewalk on the 5-foot sidewalks with several feet of bufwest side of Roberts Drive from Dunwoody fer between the sidewalk and road. He also Knoll to Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. said the city intends to take every precau“My concerns are three things: schedtion to protect hardwood trees, including ule, schedule and schedule,” Councilmemmeandering sidewalks around them as ber Jim Riticher said, noting most city projmuch as possible. ects have not been completed on such a Sarah Dekutowski, whose home on tight schedule.

Holly Bank Circle backs up to the Nature Public Works Director Michael Smith Center, attended the open house and said said next steps are to complete the plans her major concern is traffic. She said curand begin construction by January with rent school traffic already causes major eight months to finish the project by the backups on Roberts Road. school’s August opening date.

“We’re used to Austin Elementary Several residents at a May 10 open School traffic, but generally [the school] house at City Hall to review the concept dehas been good to neighbors,” she said. “Cars signs said they were concerned about the don’t take over our neighborhood when addition of sidewalks because they could there is a school event, or when there is a encroach on mature hardwood trees.

Nature Center event. But there will be a lot Building this sidewalk means using the more kids.” city’s right of way and encroaching into Council consensus supported extendsome people’s yards. The historic Swancy ing the right turn lane on Roberts Drive Farmhouse at 5308 Roberts Drive, across into the school’s main entrance further the street from the Nature Center, is built back to where an entrance for buses to enclose to the road. The new sidewalk would ter is planned to help alleviate traffic backtake out most of the front yard. ing up on Roberts Drive.

“They’re going to encroach into some A ballpark figure for the project is estiyards, particularly the historic cottage that mated at perhaps $1 million, according to was built in the 1800s,” Robert Wittenstein Smith. But a final estimate won’t be known said. “[The sidewalk] will take up the only until engineering and design plans are piece of grass they have between the curb completed this summer. and the fence.”

DUN

MAY 25 - JUNE 7, 2018

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Public Safety | 23

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Police Blotter / Dunwoody From Dunwoody Police reports dated May 14 through May 20. The following information was pulled from Dunwoody’s Police-2-Citizen website.

LARCENY/ SHOPLIFTING/ THEFT 100 block of Perimeter Center East —

On May 14, after midnight, a woman reported her iPhone missing.

100 block of Perimeter Center Place —

On May 14, at noon, a man was arrested and charged with shoplifting $900 worth of laundry detergent and three suitcases.

4400 block of Ashford-Dunwoody

Road — On May 14, in the afternoon, a woman was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and trying to steal a gold chain from a department store.

4400 block of Ashford-Dunwoody

Road — On May 14, in the afternoon, a man was arrested and charged with trying to steal fragrances from a department store.

4700

4400

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On May 17, in the evening, more than $1,400 worth of merchandise was shoplifted from a lingerie store.

100 block of Perimeter Center Place

— On May 17, in the evening, a man carrying a suitcase outside of a superstore was arrested and accused of shoplifting the suitcase and several packages of Tide Pods.

6800 block of Peachtree Industri-

al Boulevard — On May 18, in the early morning, a victim reported an armed street robbery. The teenage suspect was arrested and charged with taking a cellphone, $100 cash and a necklace.

4700

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On May 18, at night, a man was arrested and charged with shoplifting.

5500 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road —

On May 19, at night, a man was arrested and charged with shoplifting.

A S S AU LT

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On May 15, in the afternoon, a 71-year-old woman said her wallet was stolen, containing $50 cash, credit cards, ID and her social security card.

2200 block of Pernoshal Court — On

100 block of Perimeter Center Place —

May 15, in the morning, officers responded to a simple assault incident.

On May 15, in the afternoon, a man reported his cellphone stolen. The suspect was caught on camera, but has yet to be identified.

100 block of Perimeter Center West —

On May 15, in the afternoon, a man reported two MacBook laptops and headphones stolen from his car.

May 15, in the early morning, officers responded to a nonviolent domestic dispute.

2100 block of Peachford Road — On

4500 block of Chamblee-Dunwoody

Road — On May 16, at midnight, officers were dispatched to a fight at a restaurant.

ARRESTS I-285 WB/ Chamblee-Dunwoody Road

4500

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On May 15, in the evening, a man was arrested and charged with shoplifting from a department store.

— On May 14, in the morning, a man was arrested and charged with driving unlicensed and failing to yield when turning left.

1500 block of Kings Down Circle —

4800

On May 16, in the morning, a woman reported the theft of her garbage can.

4700

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On May 16, in the evening, a woman was arrested and charged with shoplifting from a discount superstore.

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On May 14, at noon, a woman was arrested and charged with prostitution.

6900 block of Peachtree-Dunwoody

1000 Lake Ridge Lane — On May 17,

Road — On May 14, in the afternoon, a man was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended license and received a handicapped parking violation.

at midnight, a man was arrested and charged with larceny.

I-285 EB/ Peachtree Road — On May

4500

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On May 17, in the afternoon, a man was arrested and charged with shoplifting.

14, at night, a man caught speeding was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol and arrested.

READ MORE OF THE POLICE BLOTTER ONLINE AT

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