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Where the Dunwoody Village style began: a 1968 gas station
Heads up for the harvest!
BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER
Pears topple down from a tree onto a tarp held by volunteer harvesters at the historic Dunwoody Farmhouse at Mount Vernon and Chamblee-Dunwoody roads on July 14. More than 280 pounds of pears were taken from the tree in the annual event and donated to the Community Assistance Center in Sandy Springs and Malachi’s Storehouse at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church on North Peachtree Road, both of which give groceries to those in need. Volunteers included City Councilmember John Heneghan and a group from Temple Emanu-El, among others. More pictures page 22.►
ART & ENTERTAINMENT Oglethorpe’s art museum showcases rarely seen works to mark 25th year
Page 18
People read books and go to movies for instant escapism, but all I have to do is look through a catalog. See ROBIN’S NEST, page 11
Dunwoody Village, long the heart of the community, is now also the center of a cultural debate on whether it should keep its “Williamsburg” architectural style or open to a modern look and feel. But where exactly did the Dunwoody Village style originate? Whose idea was it to create this colonial style? It all started with a gas station, actually. In 1968, a Chevron gas station with a brick exterior and arches and a gabled, asphalt roof was built at 5465 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. It was the first new retail in the area at the time and was built two years before the creation of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association. That gas station then inspired the developer of the shopping center behind it, now known as Dunwoody Village and owned by Regency Centers, to continue the architectural style. The idea was a homey center that See WHERE on page 12
OUT & ABOUT Mayor wants to Group shows tweak Perimeter Mister Rogers movie to spark neighborly Center zoning BY DYANA BAGBY conversation dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
Mayor Denis Shortal is pushing for the City Council to tweak the zoning code by adding one word that he says will give the city legal protection from developers wanting to build high-density residential projects in Perimeter Center. According to the Comprehensive Plan, the PC-2 District is intended for “employment uses, limited shop front retail, residential and services.” The city’s zoning ordinance calls for “employment Page 9
See MAYOR on page 14
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Community Briefs G R U B B P R O P ER TI ES R ETUR NS WITH PER I M ET ER C ENT ER EA S T P L A N
Grubb Properties is planning to come back to the City Council with a mixed-use plan for nearly 20 acres at 41, 47 and 53 Perimeter Center East. The developer withdrew a version of the plan earlier this year. Grubb will hold a public meeting on July 31 from 6 to 7 p.m. at 47 Perimeter Center East, Suite 530. It will seek rezoning from Office Industrial to PC-2 (Perimeter Center subarea 2) for a project with offices, retail, housing and an open park area. Grubb went through a rezoning process for the same property earlier this year, but in March decided to withdraw its request after it appeared the City Council was ready to vote the project down. If the council voted to deny the project, the developer would have to wait two years before bringing it back to the City Council. Grubb Properties originally proposed constructing six residential buildings with a total of 1,200 units and a 19-story office tower. The project was planned to be built out in several phases over 10 to 15 years and included four parking decks and 12,000 square feet of new retail on the ground level of the buildings, along with a central 2-acre park and trails and bike paths. Total residential and commercial space totaled more than 1 million square feet. To try to appease the council’s concerns in March about density and the number of apartments, Grubb Properties proposed to scale back the project considerably and build only one highrise building with 198 apartments. The apartments would be converted into condominiums five years after pulling permits to build. The council was not appeased, leading the developer to withdraw its request.
D U NWO O DY BA R A S S O C IATI O N T O FEATU R E MAY O R AT FIR S T M EETI NG
The recently formed Dunwoody Bar Association will hold its first meeting on Thursday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 a.m. at Another Broken Egg Café, 4745 Ashford-Dunwoody Road. The featured speaker is Mayor Denis Shortal. Officers for the new bar association are: Co-Presidents Andrea S. Hirsch and Eileen J. Shuman; Vice President George Fox; Secretary Neil Wilcove; Treasurer Ryan Schwartz; and Members at Large Lynn Goldman, Ashley Wine and Erin S. Stone. The organization will hold its first annual luncheon on Oct. 3 at 11:45 a.m. featuring Georgia Supreme Court Justice David Nahmias, a Dunwoody resident. The site for the lunch is still to be determined. The organization is open to lawyers who live or work in the city. For more information, visit dunwoodybarassociation.org.
WO R K U ND ERWAY AT M O UNT V ER NO N A ND V ER M A C K
Work has started on the intersection improvements at Mount Vernon Road at Vermack Road and Manhasset Drive with lane closures taking place weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. After public schools open on Monday, Aug. 6, lane closures will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The project includes improved traffic signal timing, new sidewalks and crosswalks and new turn lanes on Mount Vernon and Vermack. Dozens of trees were cut down at the intersection in February as the work on the intersection project began with utility relocation and construction work. The project dates back to 2013 and was identified as a “high priority” project in the city’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan. Mount Vernon Road is one of the primary east-west corridors in the city and Vermack Road provides access to Dunwoody High School and Vanderlyn Elementary School.
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The City Council voted on first read at its July 9 meeting to put the “brunch bill” on the Nov. 6 ballot to allow voters decide if they want to allow restaurants in the city to sell alcohol beginning at 11 a.m. on Sundays rather than 12:30 p.m. The council is expected to approve the second reading at its July 23 meeting. If the “brunch bill” passes in Dunwoody on Nov. 6, the city’s restaurants would be able to begin selling alcohol at 11 a.m. after the votes are officially certified, likely a few days later. 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. DUN
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Barbecue and butterfly events gain special city support
WIND IN OUR HAIR - WE DON’T CARE! WE’RE FINALLY MOVING TO THE MANSIONS AT
SANDY SPRINGS!
DUNWOODY NATURE CENTER
Thousands of people flock each year to the Dunwoody Nature Center’s Butterfly Festival where they can enter tents filled with butterflies flying around, with many landing on attendees. This year the fest received premier status from the city.
BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
The Dunwoody Nature Center’s annual Butterfly Festival is now considered a premier event by the city while the inaugural Rotary Club of Dunwoody’s Community BBQ set to take place in September is now a signature event. The primary difference between the two: premier events receive free police security and traffic control while signature events pay the city for half the cost for police and traffic resources. The Butterfly Festival celebrates its 25th year on Aug. 11 and has become a popular event attracting more than 3,000 people with 200 volunteers, according to DNC Executive Director Alan Mothner. “We’re not asking for money,” Mothner joked at the July 9 City Council meeting. But having to pay for police services is an additional expense for the nonprofit group and by being designated a premier event the Nature Center alleviates the cost of putting on the event. Mothner said he would need two officers for six hours. Cost to the city is $600, he said. There was more discussion about the Dunwoody Rotary Club seeking premier status for the first year of its event. The club also asked for a $10,000 donation for the event, however the city does not give cash to such events. Premier events in the city, in addition to the Butterfly Festival, are the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade, Dunwoody Food Truck Thursdays and Lemonade Days. All events have a long history in the city. The Rotary Club of Dunwoody is partnering with the renowned Kansas City Barbecue Society to put on its inaugural Community BBQ event on Sept. 7-8 at Perimeter Mall. Rick Woods, president of the Rotary Club, said they expect to attract more than 8,000 people with plans to grow to 30,000 attendees over the next several years. Woods said 60 professional teams from around the country are expected to compete at the weekend event as well as 20 amateur teams. “We do not want to embarrass ourselves as a club and a city in our first year,” Woods said in making the request for premier status and a cash donation. Communications Director Bob Mullen said he was not aware of the city granting premier status to a first-time event. Woods said six police officers are needed for the Community BBQ. “I love Rotary, but they have not proven themselves.” Councilmember John Heneghan said, noting that there is a barbecue event every year at Brook Run Park that does not have special status. In a letter to the council, Woods also explained the event will be family-friendly with a kids play area plus big-screen TVs set up so attendees can watch college football. There will also be live entertainment. A majority of the net funds raised will be spent on first responders and schools, he added. In the end, the council voted to give the new Community BBQ event signature status. Other signature events in the city are the Dunwoody Art Festival, the Dunwoody Music Festival, Light Up Dunwoody, Apple Cider Days and the Haunted Farm House. DUN
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For local police, free overdose antidotes came with a price: looming expiration dates BY MAX BLAU The Brookhaven and Dunwoody police departments are among the dozens of public agencies to have received free doses of naloxone, a lifesaving opioid-overdose antidote, from a Virginia-based pharmaceutical company. But a recent investigation into the company’s charity program found the goodwill was limited by the fact that some of those doses were within months of expiring. Four years ago, when Kaleo started giving away more than 330,000 naloxone auto-injectors, the Dunwoody and Brookhaven police departments were among the first law enforcement agencies to apply for the free antidote. They each received hundreds of doses of the lifesaving drug. They each armed their officers with medicine that revives overdose victims. They each saved lives. But both departments were among at least nine police departments that, according to an investigation from
FILE/PHIL MOSIER
A training version of an Evzio brand naloxone injector as used earlier this year in a training at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College Dunwoody Campus.
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FOLLOW UP TO OUR EXCLUSIVE SERIES ABOUT THE OPIOID CRISIS STAT News, had received Evzio naloxone auto-injectors that were on the verge of expiring. Pharmacists typically dispense naloxone with over a year left on its shelf life. But the investigation found that some departments received free naloxone anywhere from four to 11 months away from expiring. Drug charity programs are a tactic used by pharmaceutical companies to justify price hikes and get rid of product that pharmacies will no longer stock. Kaleo — the subject of a congressional probe for raising the price of its Evzio product to $4,500 for a twopack — has earned a plug from President Trump for donating naloxone. Kaleo spokesperson Brian Ellis told STAT that the company attempts “to make donations with the understanding that it will be used quickly, not stockpiled.” “Kaleo would much rather help save a life than throw an effective product away,” Ellis said. While federal and Georgia laws do not prohibit the practice of donating soon-to-be expired drugs, some experts, like Leo Beletsky, an associate professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University, believe the pharmaceutical practice is unethical — the equivalent of a restaurant donating wilting lettuce to a food bank. The effectiveness of naloxone may decrease as the antidote nears its expiration date, potentially requiring multiple doses to reverse an overdose, according to pharmacists. “We were grateful, but these were drugs that likely couldn’t be sold,” said Sgt. Robert Parsons, the Dunwoody Police Department’s naloxone coordinator. “If departments receive the donations, and it runs out, you’ve created the expectation in the community that officers are carrying the product and that, if someone is overdosing, you can call 911.” Prior to receiving free Evzio in March 2015, Brookhaven officers hadn’t used naloxone in the field to reverse opioid overdoses. Officer Carlos Nino, a spokesperson for the Brookhaven Police Department, said the department has received five Evzio donations including a total of more than 700 auto-injectors. One of those batches, he said, was received six months away from expiration. Since then, Kaleo has provided auto-injectors that last more than a year, Nino said. The department still uses the auto-injectors to save over-
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dose victims. “Officers are just amazed at how it goes from shallow breaths … to, boom, next thing you know, they’re up on their feet,” Nino said. Over the past four years, Brookhaven has deployed naloxone nearly twodozen times to overdose victims. In early 2016, Brookhaven Police Chief Gary Yandura only talked about the positives of the donated naloxone when he was quoted in a Kaleo press release: “Anytime there is a chance for a police officer to save a life they should have the tools to help make them successful. Evzio has been that tool. We use it to help save lives and give second chances.” Kaleo, for its part, has encouraged some agencies to plug the free product, providing police chiefs with a stock press release for its potential use. In other cases, some departments have had to sign a confidential agreement that restricts officers from referring to Evzio by the brand name of its top competitor, Narcan, a nasal spray manufactured by Adapt Pharma. In October 2015, the Dunwoody Police Department received its first batch of Evzio auto-injectors, which expired the following April. When a second set arrived, Parsons looked at the box, shocked to find that the product would only last for four months. Yet that hasn’t stopped Dunwoody from getting overdose calls. Instead of purchasing Kaleo’s pricey product, Parsons said the DPD instead invested in the purchase of Narcan nasal spray, a cheaper naloxone product that costs around $150 for a two-pack. The department now spends about $5,250 every two years stocking up on naloxone, he said. Overall, Dunwoody officers have administered naloxone in nearly half of its 39 overdose calls since 2015. “To say you don’t have naloxone anymore is tough,” Parsons said. “You need to be ready to take on that expense in one way, shape, or form.”
Editor’s Note: Max Blau is a freelance reporter based in Atlanta. Last month, he investigated the issue of soon-to-expire naloxone donations for the healthcare website STAT News; this article focuses on local police departments affected by the issue. Earlier this year, he wrote our exclusive four-part series “Coping with a Crisis: Opioid Addiction in the Suburbs.” To read the series, see ReporterNewspapers.net.
National voting rights group campaigns for Democrats from Sandy Springs office BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
A national voting rights group has opened its Georgia field office in Sandy Springs to campaign for local Democratic candidates in the races for governor and state legislative seats. Let America Vote, based in Washington, D.C., counts Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams among its advisory board members. This year, it opened field offices in five states, with Georgia’s in the Parkside Shopping Center at 5920 Roswell Road. The same office was long occupied by the Fulton County Republican Party, which moved in recent months. “The goal is to create political consequences for voter suppression,” said Austin Laufersweiler, Let America Vote’s national spokesperson. The group chose Georgia for a field office partly due to Abrams’ race to “help elect her,” said Laufersweiler. Sandy Springs — a majority-Republican suburban city — was chosen as a headquarters site for “geography” of door-knocking to influence various local campaigns, he said. The group previously campaigned for Democrat Jon Ossoff in last year’s historically expensive and nationally spotlighted race for the local 6th Congressional District seat, which was won by Republican Karen Handel. Porsha White, the Georgia field office’s director, declined to be interviewed. Laufersweiler said the group is backing state legislative candidates “who support voting rights” and to “replace people we see as opposing voting rights.” The Georgia office’s social media account indicates that it is campaigning for Democrats in several local races, including: Sally Harrell, challenging incumbent Fran Millar in Senate District 40; Jen Jordan, who faces Republican challenger Leah Aldridge in Senate District 6; Shea Roberts, who is challenging incumbent Deborah Silcox in House District 52; and Matthew Wilson, who is challenging incumbent Meagan Hanson in House District 80. Abrams’ resume includes running a voting registration organization. She serves on the Let America Vote advisory board along with many prominent figures and elected officials, most of them Democrats or liberals, such as Josh Earnest, former press secretary to President Barack Obama; Martin Luther King III; and the presidents of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and
EMILY’s List. Besides the Sandy Springs headquarters, Let America Vote is running some Georgia satellite offices in such cities as Athens. Laufersweiler is a Marietta native.
As a high-school student, he was in the news in 2010 for efforts to tighten anti-bully policies, especially relating to LGBTQ students, in Cobb County schools.
Sandy Springs resident helps organize Atlanta anti-Trump vigil BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
A Sandy Springs resident helped to organize an Atlanta version of a nationwide “vigil” opposing President Trump’s administration scheduled for July 18 as the Reporter went to press. Jill Myers said she has not been involved in political organizing before and disagrees with many of the left-wing groups behind the vigil movement. But she indicated Trump’s recent enormously controversial comments about Russia and election tampering drove her to volunteer for a “Confront Corruption ATL” vigil in downtown Atlanta, for which more than 180 people had RSVP’ed. Myers, a CEO and founder of a software startup, said she was inspired to join the national “Confront Corruption and Demand Democracy” vigil effort after hearing about it Continued on page 6
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Continued from page 5 from a group she respects, the good-government organization Common Cause. “Common Cause is my guidepost,” said Myers. “It’s an organization whose mission is definitively pro-democracy and nonpartisan.” Sara Henderson, the executive director of Common Cause’s Georgia chapter, confirmed her group’s involvement in the local vigil. The group is promoting the vigil, with Myers as lead organizer and contact. A vigil announcement letter sent by Myers cites concerns about possible Russian tampering with U.S. elections and Trump’s reaction to it. The letter cites the recent indictment on election and campaign charges of 12 Russian officials by Robert Mueller III, who is leading a special investigation into possible Russian influence on the 2016 SPECIAL presidential election won by Trump. Jill Myers. The letter also alludes to Trump’s enormously controversial remarks, delivered July 16 while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, to the effect that he saw no reason why the Russian government would influence U.S. elections, despite the opinion of various U.S. intelligence agencies that it did. Trump later said he partly misspoke and believes the Russians have such reason, but that others could have been involved as well. “Never in America’s history has our president enthusiastically refuted his own government on the world stage,” says the vigil announcement letter. “Never has our president bowed to a former KGB officer who murders his rivals.” As a result, the letter sent by Myers says, “… I will lead a vigil that confronts the rampant corruption we have witnessed since January 20, 2017,” the day Trump was inaugurated. The national vigil movement is being promoted by a large number of largely liberal political groups, such as People for the American Way, MoveOn, Daily Kos and Greenpeace. The vigil movement’s mission statement reads in part, “From attacks on the rule of law to conflicts of interest, ethics violations and flagrant abuse of government offices for personal gain, the corruption of the American government by the president, his associates and many in his party has reached a new, profound low.” The supporting groups are calling for a variety of reforms related to government transparency and voting rights. Most of dozens of vigils being organized are on July 18, though some are running throughout the week. They range from a “Vigil Against the Beast, Donald Trump” in Indianapolis to “Dallas Confronts Corruption” in Texas. The Atlanta vigil is, so far, the only one listed in Georgia. Myers says she has “never led or participated in any events organized by these groups. I do not agree with policy positions of the majority of these groups.” She said she’s not even a Common Cause donor. She calls herself “a concerned citizen who is trying to apply my knowledge of history, given these unprecedented times.”
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12 MORE AWARDS FOR EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE W
General Excellence
e’re honored (again!) that Reporter Newspapers won 12 awards in its division in the Georgia Press Association’s 2018 Better Newspaper Competition.
Business Writing (John Ruch) News Photography /3 awards (Phil Mosier)
Added to last year’s recognitions, the four Reporter editions have now won a total of 24 awards for editorial excellence in GPA competitions, which are
Lifestyle Column /2 awards (Robin Conte) Layout & Design /2 awards (Rico Figliolini) Enterprise Story (Dyana Bagby)
judged by newspaper professionals from around the country. Thank you to our readers, advertisers and peers who
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► Eyed for trails, pipeline routes are serious business
Current City Hall site City proposes targeted for redevelopment $106 million
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The city is proposing a $106 million operating budget for fiscal year 2018, an increase of about a half-percent over the current year, officials said at a May 23
OUT & ABOUT Lantern Parade will light up the Hooch
Page 20 buys condos, displaces tenants
Page 16
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JAN PAUL
Chairperson, Georgia Public Broadcasting
See Commentary, Page 14
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OUT & ABOUT Storyteller ‘Rosie the Riveter’ comes to town Page 19
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From documentaries on diversity and inclusion to community partnerships on autism awareness, GPB is an educational lifeline to millions of Georgia students, teachers and residents.
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on ► MARTA’s CEO speaks response to I-85 disaster PAGE 5
► ‘The good, the bad the ugly’ of 2017 legislative session
SPECIAL SECTION | P22-26
PAGE 14
City’s new medical center wants to grow
Mary Hall Freedom House, a nonprofit that helps women with homelessness and addiction issues, has bought 33 units of a Sandy Springs condominium complex for use as transitional housing and possible redevelopment into a larger facility or headquarters. One of the two dozen tenants currently renting those condo units is complaining about the “irony” of losing her home to an organization that helps the homeless. See HOMELESSNESS on page 22
I want to see a competition that celebrates our everyday Home Kitchen challenges. ... The Chairman would be the Original Iron Chef’s Mother-in-Law. Prizes are a month’s supply of lasagna and a spa weekend. A chef wins if her kids eat her food. Robin’s Nest, page 15
See CURRENT on page 22
DeKalb CEO: EMS response time improves BY DYANA BAGBY
dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
Ambulance response times in the city are improving after changes were made by the private company contracted by DeKalb County to provide the emergency service, including hiring more staff, according to county officials. The City Council in December raised serious concerns with the DeKalb Fire & Rescue chief and the regional director of American Medical Response over ambulance response times in the city, noting there were numerous instances of ambuSee DEKALB on page 13
PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER
on April 8 as part Corporate Boulevard page 19. of Peachtree Creek around For more photos, see a bank of the north fork “Sweep the Hooch” event. Volunteers clean up Riverkeeper’s annual of the Chattahoochee
EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATOR Passing on her culinary passion Page 27
I believe [President Trump] is strong enough to force Congress to break through this nonsense and get something done. DAVID PERDUE U. S. Senator
See PERDUE, page 21.
OUT & ABOUT Get grounded with Earth Day events Page 6
11 — NO. 5
FACEBOOK.COM
Glowing for a cause
BY DYANA BAGBY spapers.net dyanabagby@reporternew
A developer plans to build two residential towers and an office tower at Perimeter Center East, where Dunwoody City Hall now is located. Representatives from North Carolina-based Grubb Properties described their proposal, which is still in the concept stage, to the board of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association on May 7. The company owns about 19.5 acres in Perimeter Center East, with three mid-rise office buildings, one of which serves as City Hall. The property is behind the Ravinia complex off Ashford-Dunwoody Road. The city is relocating to a new City Hall
16, 2017 • VOL.
Buckhead Reporter
and
BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.n et
percent decline. The police department would get a budget boost of more than 9 percent to about $22.8 million. Part of that is a salAbove, a a bird’s eye view of the proposed redevelopment in ary increase to remain competitive as Perimeter Center East includes, residential towers and a new office to the left, two new tower. In the State Patrol pay boost is attracting offiremain and have retail on the ground center are two current mid-rise office buildings that would floor. To the right are two new apartment Inset, an illustration of what the buildings. cers away from the department, city offistreetscape might look like in the development. cials said. The boost also includes hiring
EXCEPTIO 11 See CITY on pageNAL EDUCATOR ss literature Teaching Homelessne through life nonprofit
FACEBOOK.COM/THEREPOR
Picking up at Peachtree Creek
BY JOHN RUCH
PHIL MOSIER
VOL. 9 — NO. 8
Brookhaven Reporter
PAGE 6
FY2018 budget
home of St. Joseph Maronite to the first Mass, held Sunday, May 14, at the new Rev. Dominique Hanna welcomes his congregation the former building of Apostles St. Joseph moved from an Atlanta location into Catholic Church at Glenridge and Hammond drives. attended St. Joseph’s debut. financial turmoil. More than 400 parishioners Church, a Lutheran congregation that closed amid
Pages 18-19
APRIL 14 - 27, 2017 •
► Buckhead company keeps ‘quirky’ old-school sodas fizzing
City Council meeting. The budget will take effect July 1. The council will hold public hearings on the budget on June 6 and June 20. The budget projects revenues of about $92 million, with money from a reserve fund balancing the expenditures. The revenue projection is about 1 percent higher than fiscal 2017. While most revenue sources are projected to increase, property taxes are expected to show a 2.2
EDUCATION Top of the Class
reporternewspapers.net
PAGE 4
/THEREPORTERN
EWSPAPERS
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► Historic locomotive makes tracks to Buckhead PAGE 4 SPECIAL SECTIO N | P22-27
Buckhead ma ster plan to allow more input on big ideas
Wearing glow necklaces and Garden Hills shirts with in the Garden Hills/Pe second annual Family reflective shoeprints, adults, Flashlight Fun achtree Park kids of all ages, Run, held Sunday Friends Group strollers and PHOTO BY volunteers, PHIL MOSIER dogs take benefits Childre evening, Feb. 26. The nearly 1-mile to the streets of n’s Healthcare race, organiz of Atlanta. More pictures, page ed by 18.►
BY DYANA BAGBY
apers.net
dyanabagby@reporternewsp
Classroom gam from math to es, Shakespeare
to the April 18 As the days tick down the open 6th Conspecial election to fill each of the 18 cangressional District seat, furiousPage are trying 28 didates in the large field from the pack. ly to separate themselves was at opportunity public The latest forum hosted by the April 9 candidate rs Association the Dunwoody Homeowne at Dunwoody High and Dunwoody Crier early voting in School. Voters are already seat that had been the election to fill the Tom Price, who reheld by Republican
See 6TH on page 18
reporternewspa pers.net
PAGE 5
of Atlanta is seekChildren’s Healthcare along the Northing to have 11.4 acres into the city of east Expressway annexed 8-story office Brookhaven for a proposed massive expansion of building as part of a at North Druid Hills its new 45-acre campus includes buyRoad and I-85. The expansion ing out a church. city officials say is It’s just part of what redevelopment commajor medical-related to the Execuing after years of anticipation tive Park area. request with annexation the filed CHOA is asking for a spethe city on April 5. It also for some of the propcial land-use permit the 8-story, 340,000erty in order to build on land currently square-foot building CHOA also wants zoned only for five stories. to build a parking deck. SLUP requests are The annexation and up by the Planning expected to be taken Council in June. Commission and City SLUP is approved “If the annexation and See CITY on page 20
6th District hopefuls squareEXCEPTIONAL EDUCATOR off in debate
EPORTER_NEWS
► New prog ressive attracts activ group ists
OUT & ABOUT
[Students need] A very special more ‘reallife’ education scenarios: finan es, investing, c- performance of budgeting. A lot of ‘The kids graduate Wizard of Oz’ and don’t know how to balan ce a checkbook, Page but know how 6 to do some math problem with only symbols.”
BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@rep orternewspape rs.net The Buckh ead master plan will keep on planning for a while. A Feb. 27 community meeting for the “BUCKHEAD REdeFINED” scheduled to plan was be the last, but now input will continue into April to hash out some controversial ideas, said Eric Bosma lead consul n of tant Kimley -Horn. Those clude ideas inlarge and small for Buckhead’s commercial core, from a new terchange to Ga. 400 ina neighborhood trail loop. A crowd of about 100 at the Atlant Internationa a l School receive ing, 90-min d a sprawlute presen tation that rowed some narearlier ideas, others, and elaborated introduced still more concepts, all new while mingli ng short- and long-term plans. Several of its recommende steps” are alread d “first y underway, ing the PATH4 like finish00 trail along Ga. 400; some See BUCKHEAD on page 16
Massell: Buckhead getting bigger busier, wealth , ier
BY JOHN RUCH
johnruch@repo
rternewspapers.
Residents grad on preparing e schools students for careers and civic life See COMMUNITY SURVEY Page 14
*Source: independent reader survey
www.ReporterNewspapers.net ■ Published by Springs Publishing LLC
net
Buckhead is big, busy and wealthy. And by 2020, it’ll be even bigger, wealthier. busier and So said Buckhe ad Coalition Sam Massel president l in his annual “State of the Community” address Feb. 23 at the City Club of Buckhe ad, hosted by the Buckhead Business Associa tion. Massell listed branding points” several “bragging and projecting the the neighborhood booms in ’s population, real estate See MASSELL on page 17
8 | Art & Entertainment
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PERFORMANCES WINE & READING SERIES WITH FOUND STAGES BROOKHAVEN
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BUCKHEAD
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SANDY SPRINGS
GET ACTIVE DATE NIGHT RIVER CANOE TRIP
Fridays, Aug. 3, 17 and 24, 6 p.m. Chattahoochee Nature Center canoe guides will lead this 2.5-hour adult-only evening paddle. Learn all about the Chattahoochee River and look for wildlife with naturalists. When the trip is done, roast marshmallows over a campfire. Ages 21+. $35; $30 CNC members. 135 Willeo Road, Roswell. Info: chattnaturecenter.org.
Sunday, Aug. 5, 2-4 p.m. Atlanta writer Neeley Gossett is up next in this series of readings of new plays by nationally known local writers at the Dunwoody Nature Center. Neeley’s play, “The Year Without Summer,” features Nadine, a lepidopterist who is in India to clone an endangered butterfly and who must make a decision while there about whether to use a pregnancy surrogate. Professional actors bring characters to life in this series, presented in partnership with Found Stages on first Sundays monthly at 2 p.m. through November. Includes a meet-and-greet with the month’s featured playwright, actors and directors. Complimentary wine and appetizers. $20. 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody. Info: dunwoodynature.org.
CAJUN CONCERT AND DANCE
BACK TO THE CHATT
Saturday, Aug. 4, 9 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Hundreds of paddlers and floaters will take to the river in the annual Back to the Chatt at the Chattahoochee River. Race begins at two Nantahala Outdoor Center locations and ends at Paces Mill. Benefits Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s mission to preserve the Chattahoochee River. A free family-friendly festival featuring live music from Danger Muffin and Fireside Collective follows the race at about noon. $35 for floaters; $50 for solo boats; $90 for tandem boats. Register: chattahoochee.org/btc.
Saturday, Aug. 4, 8-11 p.m. The Atlanta Cajun Zydeco Association hosts the Lafayette, La.-based Terry & The Zydeco Bad Boys 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 beginners’ dance lesson at 7 p.m. 6500 Vernon Woods Drive, Sandy Springs. Info: aczadance.org or 877-338-2420.
VISUAL ARTS YOUTH SUMMER ART WEEKS EXHIBIT
Friday, July 27 to Friday, Aug. 10. Closing reception, Aug. 10, 4:30-6:30 p.m. A collection of work by young artists will be presented. Free. Abernathy Arts Center, 254 Johnson Ferry Road N.W., Sandy Springs. Info: fultonarts.org.
FREE FIRST SATURDAY: BUTTERFLIES
Saturday, Aug. 4, 11 a.m. to noon. The Dunwoody Nature Center will hold a butterfly festival featuring education on the life cycle, host plants, and benefits of butterflies. Free. 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody. Info: dunwoodynature.org.
SUNDAY COMMUNITY CYCLE
Sunday, Aug. 5, 2:45-4 p.m. Join Bike-Walk Dunwoody on the first Sunday of each month for a Community Bicycle Ride kicking off and ending at Village Burger. After a pre-ride safety talk, the group departs at 3 p.m. for a 4.5-mile loop around Dunwoody. Hang out after the ride for $1 custards, $1 discounts on beers, and post-ride socializing. All ages and abilities welcome. Helmets required. Free. 1426 Dunwoody Village Pkwy., Dunwoody. Info: bikewalkdunwoody.org.
KIDS AND FAMILIES TEEN LOCK-IN
Friday, July 27, 6-9 p.m. It’s teen night at the Sandy Springs Branch Library, featuring games, crafts, photo booth, music and movies. Registration and parental permission slip required. Free. 395 Mount Vernon Highway N.E., Sandy Springs. Info: 404-3036130 or email sandysprings.branch@fultoncountyga.gov to register.
SUMMER ADVENTURES FAMILY FUN DAY
Sunday, Aug. 5, noon to 4 p.m. Celebrate the end of summer vacation from school at the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Family Fun Day. Activities include canoeing, fly fishing, geocaching, water games and guided hikes. Included with general admission and free to CNC Members. $10 adults; $7 seniors
JULY 20 - AUG. 2, 2018
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(ages 65+) and students (ages 13 -18); $6 children (ages 3-12); children 2 & under free. 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. Info: chattnaturecenter.org.
WE HAVE EXCITING NEWS!
GET INTO THE COMMUNITY SANDY SPRINGS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PANEL DISCUSSION
Wednesday, July 25, 6-7:30 p.m. The Sandy Springs Young Professionals Under 40 Council hosts a panel discussion: Starting & Growing Your Business. Panelists include: Christian Zimmerman, founder of Qoins, an app that rounds up purchases to the next dollar to help pay off debt; Dr. Anne-Marie Campbell, owner of Compass Family Chiropractic; and Marcus Ruzek, Green Beret and founder of Mindset 1st, a provider of anti-terrorism and risk mitigation consulting services. Free, registration required. Sandy Springs Innovation Center, 1000 Abernathy Road, Suite L-10, Sandy Springs. Info: business.sandyspringsperimeterchamber.com.
NORTH ATLANTA VOICES INFO SESSION
Thursday, Aug. 2, 7-8 p.m. North Atlanta Voices, a community chorus that joins people who love to sing, will hold a new member info session. No experience is required, including the ability to read music, and there is no obligation to attend the information session. Music selected will be of a wide variety. Open to adults 18 years and older. Highpoint Episcopal Community Church, 4945 High Point Road, Sandy Springs. Info: northatlantavoices.org.
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FILM SCREENING AND CONVERSATION: “WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?” Monday, July 23, 4-6 p.m. Join GEEARS (Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students) for a screening of the film “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and a conversation following the film on how people can work together to build neighborhoods where all children thrive. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” takes an intimate look at America’s legendary neighbor, Mister Rogers. $12.75. The Springs Cinema & Taphouse, 5920 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Info: geears.org.
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10 | Commentary
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C O NTA C T US Founder & Publisher Steve Levene stevelevene@reporternewspapers.net Editorial Managing Editor John Ruch johnruch@reporternewspapers.net INtown Editor: Collin Kelley Editor-at-Large Joe Earle Staff Writers Dyana Bagby, Evelyn Andrews Copy Editor: Donna Williams Lewis Creative and Production Creative Director Rico Figliolini rico@reporternewspapers.net Graphic Designer: Wes Duvall Advertising Director of Sales Development Amy Arno amyarno@reporternewspapers.net Sales Executives Melissa Kidd, Jeff Kremer, Janet Porter, Jim Speakman Office Manager Deborah Davis deborahdavis@reporternewspapers.net Contributors Max Blau, Robin Conte, Phil Mosier, Marenda Scales, Judith Schonbak
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Commentary / In mayors’ meeting, new ideas and shared solutions Editor’s note: Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst in June attended the 86th Annual United States Conference of Mayors in Boston, along with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and mayors from 250 cities from around the nation. The Reporter Newspapers asked Ernst to share what he learned. Ideas! Problem solving! Sois mayor of the city lutions! These of Brookhaven. were my takeaways from the recent U.S. Conference of Mayors in Boston, a city with a legacy for revolutionary concepts and progressive thinking. After sharing issues and suggestions with leaders from America’s top cities, I returned to Brookhaven energized and prepared to put these new notions and solutions into action. With other local leaders, such as Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, we focused on listening and sharing our problems and successes. Through this gratifying exchange, we concluded that, in the end, our shared issues had much in common and the answers were indeed “out there” waiting for us to find and resolve. The overall theme of the conference was built around infrastructure, innovation and inclusion. But it was so much more … other sessions were focused on immigration, community development and housing, criminal and social justice, energy environment, jobs education, tourism and parks. While there were a number of impor-
John Ernst
tant topics discussed with leaders from New York and Los Angeles to Santa Fe and Little Rock, there were two particular topics of importance to me in relation to Brookhaven’s future: transportation and small cell technology; i.e., “mini” cell towers, which have recently come into favor with providers. Recent local discussions on small cell technology left lingering questions as to whether we were coming up with adequate plans that protect the city on issues such as proper compensation and use of our right of ways and adequate placement of cell towers that were aesthetically pleasing to residents, yet fair to both the city and the small cell industry. As we discussed shared experiences, I confirmed that we were moving in the right direction, doing many things properly, and noted areas where we could improve our planning. Best of all, we received positive feedback on our local efforts and useful suggestions from mayors of other cities with similar issues. With an eye to the future, I attended a transportation session featuring officials from Waymo, a company that began in 2009 as the Google self-driving car project. Today, they’re an independent self-driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for everyone to get around. This is a potential technology that we have discussed locally and realize we need to keep in mind when planning our future parking restrictions, charging station placement, traffic improvements, land development, etc. We know these technologies are coming, and we want to be proactive, making improvements today that will not be obsolete a decade from now. We have to meet current needs, yet plan for those in the future. Well-paved roads, thoughtful traffic grids and other traffic improvements are
Letters to the Editor UBER CO LU M N STR U CK A CHO R D
Your column “Around Town: An Uber-seat view on Atlanta life” (July 6) struck a chord. First, in realizing that — while I have been an active Uber user since the beginning — there are still plenty of people out there still just discovering and finding excitement in the service. Second, it’s refreshing that there are still those who take such opportunities to connect with other people in their community. As a very introverted person, I don’t often take advantage, usually burying my head in a book or my phone while on MARTA or in line at the grocery store. But as I was in L.A. recently for work, I had to take an Uber daily for three months. Being prone to motion sickness, I would do the unusual and sit in the front seat next to the driver. This, fortunately, forced me into many fulfilling conversations similar to your own: stories of immigration, family history and the like. I don’t really have a point to make here, I guess just to say thanks for your shared experience, and happy Uber-ing. Rich Thompson Sandy Springs
examples of forward thinking that new businesses and residents look for that can determine whether or not they choose to locate in Brookhaven. Throughout the conference, I had great discussions with mayors from cities of all sizes. Of particular interest was talking with leaders from satellite communities like ours on the edge of larger cities, such as Culver City’s proximity to Los Angeles. They experience many of the same types of problems we do. Sometimes larger cities utilize pilot programs or measures that just aren’t feasible for cities like Brookhaven. We discussed ways to take this knowledge, however, and right-size it to utilize here. We also looked at how problems can be solved or improvements made at the local level, without enacting or seeking state or federal legislation to solve a problem. Other conference highlights included speakers such as Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, who discussed ways to get the best communication and use of social media to get information to and input from residents. Frank Luntz, the well-known American political consultant, pollster and public opinion guru, spoke about his findings on what typical American residents are expecting from their local governments. I found his findings interesting (and rewarding!) that city government leaders were the ones people trusted most these days, over state and federal leaders. Reinforcing our local efforts to acquire green space and develop projects like the Peachtree Creek Greenway, one speaker from Reno, Nevada, disputed the old claim that the standard for park size and use was not particularly so many acres per person, but the more positive notion that the best park was a park within 10 minutes’ walk from home.
THANKS FR O M A FEL LO W UB ER C HATT ER
Thanks for your column “Around Town: An Uber-seat view on Atlanta life” (July 6). I’m also an Uber chatter passenger. Just recently, albeit in Baltimore, I spoke with a newly arrived Nigerian who referred to Baltimore traffic as “child’s play.” We extensively discussed the World Cup. However, he now realizes also that American football is more than big men in Spandex. As for Atlanta, I’ve had a similar mix to you, but luckily can drive, so it’s only every so often. For your newspaper’s benefit, let me mention my mother’s favorite service, GoGoGrandparent. This is Uber with an old-personfriendly interface, including a text to my brother when she is on the move. Pre-scheduled rides and saved pick-up and drop locations are also a benefit. Thanks for writing. Our country is a phenomenal place and riding Uber makes one truly appreciate that fact. Henry M. Quillian III Atlanta
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Who needs movies when you can escape into catalog world? People read books and go to movies for instant escapism, but all I have to do is look through a catalog. I can flip through the pages of a Pottery Barn spring promotional and momentarily convince myself that for my next dinner party, I’ll wrap damask napkins in raffia and insert a daffodil in the middle. To complete my mental picture, I add gold pineappleshaped place-card holders and a tablescape. I can hover over a recipe in Williams-Sonoma and consider it plausible that I would open my toaster oven and retrieve a tray of my own perfectly baked caramelized-onionand-gruyere apple tarts … that are garnished with sprigs of thyme I grew myself. I’ll open an Anthropologie Lookbook and fantasize about attending cocktail parties wearing earrings that cost more than my light fixtures. It’s so much fun! I flip through the pages and enter the realm of catalog Robin Conte lives with clothing, where the women eat pizza on the steps of Roman her husband in an ruins while wearing head-to-toe silk. They lounge chicly on empty nest in Dungrassy lawns, playing backgammon and not worrying about woody. To contact her ants or grass stains. They balance themselves along rock walls or to buy her new colwhile decked-out in wide-leg jumpsuits. They pair prints with umn collection, “The plaids and pull it off. All their accessories are whimsical. Best of the Nest,” see Try it sometime. robinconte.com. You, too, can luxuriate in a world in which you are invited to a garden party where all the food is made of chocolate, all the guests are wearing white, and all tables are bedecked with peonies, grapevine baskets and lanterns. You can daydream about spending $16 on a jar of matches with “painstakingly hand-notated labels,” $22 on a copper-plated can opener, or $40 on a glazed mixing bowl. Without doling out $13 for a movie ticket, you can open a free catalog and venture to Zanzibar, where you’ll lounge fashionably in a tassel-fringed hammock that’s suspended over a glimmering pool in a whitewashed courtyard. You can live in home that’s decorated with a sofa upholstered in aubergine suede, chairs covered in pink velvet, and a massive vase filled with sunflowers in the foyer. You’ll be riding a bike without a helmet, wearing instead a jaunty Panama hat and yellow cat-eye sunglasses. You’ll scamper with your friends in flowy maxi dresses and play with sparklers in the surf when the sun sets. Please, if you’re out there, if you really do these things — raise your hands! Contact me! I want to meet you! I want to join you in your next soiree along a woodsy riverbank while we wear breezy organic cotton and you teach me how to pair patterns. I want to cheer you on while you do yoga on clifftops and back walkovers on car hoods. I want to go with you to Peru wearing recycled polyester and help you feed llamas. Until I get that call, I’ll slip on the navy fleece pullover that my son wore to campouts when he was 10, boil some noodles, and open a jar of sauce and a bag of salad. Then I’ll clear off our kitchen table and use a placemat to cover the words that were engraved into the wood when one of my kids did his homework without a protective pad. I’ll call everyone to dinner, and before we eat, we’ll pause to say a prayer of thanks for a very good life.
Robin’s Nest
Check out Robin Conte’s debut book ‘The Best of the Nest’ “The Best of the Nest” offers 49 of Reporter Newpapers columnist Robin Conte’s witty essays on suburban family life, organized by seasons. They include some of the pieces that won Robin the first-place Lifestyle/Features Column award in the 2017 Georgia Press Association contest. To follow updates on Robin’s book related appearances visit robinconte.com. To order the book visit bestofthenest.net.
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NORTH END REVITALIZATION COME TALK TO US ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE NORTH END Open House and Visioning Workshop
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Sherwood Event Hall 8610 Roswell Road Sandy Springs, GA 30350 There will be a short presentation followed by a visioning session.
For more information please visit sandyspringsga.gov
12 | Community
Letter to the Editor Thank you to the thousands of friends and neighbors who sponsored, marched, and cheered the 2018 Dunwoody July Fourth Parade. That event, in its 28th year, is Dunwoody’s common ground to celebrate the community we all love. But even while celebrating, there’s work to be done. On July 1, the Dunwoody Homeowners Association hosted Crim & Associates, who presented their special land use permit application for their Dunwoody Village property and fielded questions and comments from the audience. Richard McLeod and Michael Starling presented their proposal for changing the Dunwoody Village overlay in response to input from developers and residents alike. Richard’s comments about the city council’s plan for this district certainly exceeded the board’s expectations. Everyone on the DHA board, down to a person, believes there is a need to update and modernize the design standards for Dunwoody Village. But what was not expected was that the overlay that made Dunwoody Village a symbol of the type of the interconnected, small-town community we want to see continue would be eliminated altogether. What’s even more shocking is that our government wants to make these dramatic changes through a run-of-the-mill City Council process. And they want to do it during the summer, when there is less public involvement. And right after the annual parade, when even fewer citizens are paying attention to city business. In every other major zoning change, there was extensive public vetting before decisions were made. Starting with the city Master Plans, the Zoning Code Rewrite of 2011, the charrettes regarding the Winters Chapel area, the Perimeter Center district zoning plan, and most currently with Brook Run Park: all of these zoning and infrastructure updates had extensive public discussions outside of City Hall and a step-wise creative process leading to a final plan. But when it comes to the Dunwoody Village Overlay District, the “Heart of Dunwoody” in many minds, there is no public vetting. Were it not for the DHA meeting, there would not have been any open public discussion at all before the required city hall schedule. There was nothing on the city website until this morning (July 9) when the Planning Commission agenda packet was published. No “Connect Dunwoody” questions or “master plan” pages. Most of all there are no visual concepts to work with. So no one can say with any certainty what the outcome will be. Will there even be a “Heart of Dunwoody” if this process continues as-is? That’s not very transparent on the city’s part. They are obviously treating this situation differently than any other major project. I would like to know why. In the DHA’s position statement issued on July 3, the board advocating for our homeowner community stated: “DHA opposes the architectural changes and other controls to the Dunwoody Village Overlay District presented by Richard McLeod on Sunday, July 1st, without well thought out replacements that are publicly vetted by the community.” We all know that infrastructure changes related to an evolving population are not only inevitable but an enhancement to our community. But only if the community is allowed to play an active part in finding the balance between tradition and innovation, just as they have been invited to do in past zoning upgrades. I urge the Dunwoody city government to treat this zoning and infrastructure upgrade with the same public diligence that they have with the other zoning changes that have gone before. Adrienne Duncan President Dunwoody Homeowners Association
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Where the Dunwoody Village style began: a 1968 gas station
DYANA BAGBY
The Chevron gas station at 5465 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road is undergoing renovations as the auto repair part of the business is converted to a convenience store. Longtime Dunwoody Homeowners Association members say this gas station, built in 1968, set the precedent for what is now known as the Williamsburg architectural style required in the Dunwoody Village Overlay.
Continued from page 1 blended in with the surrounding residential neighborhoods. The look is now official in a zoning overlay district. According to longtime local residents involved in the area, the romantic notion that the Dunwoody Village Overlay and its distinctive architectural style was specifically created by residents and the Dunwoody Homeowners Association is just not true. “Somebody built a gas station that had a brick exterior and arches … and the next guy who built the shopping center behind it built off what he [gas station developer] did,” said Bill Grossman, who has been with DHA since the 1990s. “DHA bought into it and requested all others follow the style.” Added Bill Robinson, who moved to Dunwoody in 1973 shortly after the DHA was founded: “We weren’t trying to be unique. We were trying to stabilize the common design we already had.” That 1968 Chamblee-Dunwoody gas station has been there ever since and is currently undergoing major renovations. It was recently sold and the new owners are taking out the auto repair part of the station to replace it with a convenience store. The architectural style of the building, including a cupola, remains the same. Grossman said he recalls when he joined the DHA board in the mid-1990s, there was much discussion about what to do about the Williamsburg style that was already established in the area. At the time, DHA was a powerhouse in DeKalb County government and fought off many developments in the area while also fighting successfully for certain zoning codes, such as the Dunwoody Village Overlay. While the DHA wanted to preserve the
architectural style that had been established, it also wanted to protect its current shopping centers in the overlay district — Dunwoody Hall, The Shops at Dunwoody, Dunwoody Village, and Dunwoody Plaza — by not letting in new shopping centers, Grossman said. So the DHA got a zoning ordinance passed that the only way a new store could come into the city would be to redevelop in a current shopping center. When Publix moved into the metro Atlanta market in the mid-1990s and wanted to build a new store across from the Dunwoody public library, the DHA successfully convinced the DeKalb Commission to turn it down. It took 10 years before Publix finally agreed to redevelop a site in Dunwoody Hall and build it to the architectural standards in place. “For a decade, they didn’t like us at all,” Grossman said with a chuckle. Grossman said DHA later hired design firm Urban Collage for about $25,000 to write the text for the overlay they wanted. When the city was incorporated a decade ago, it adopted essentially the DHA’s overlay specifications through an extensive public process and using the same design firm. It was believed the architectural style would usher in new restaurants and businesses, but it was only the banks that were really able and willing to deal with the strict restrictions of the overlay, Grossman acknowledged.
Changing times
But as times have changed and people can now order their groceries and just about everything else they want from their laptop or apps on their smart phone, convenience retail that was the draw of the Dunwoody Village Overlay is just not as important anymore, Economic DevelopDUN
JULY 20 - AUG. 2, 2018
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ment Director Michael Starling told the Planning Commission at its July 9 meeting. Retail is at a crossroads, he said, and people today with busy schedules are bypassing convenience for experiences. These experiences include places like Ponce City Market or the thriving restaurant scene in Chamblee, Starling said. “Convenience has always been the driver for the Village,” he said, “but there is less demand for convenience and more demand for experience. “Time has become the new currency and when people have time they want to experience something unique,” he added. Many restaurants today are creating community gathering spots rather than just a place to grab a bite to eat, he said, by offering outdoor seating, green spaces and distinctive, contemporary architecture. But if Dunwoody wants to keep up with the times and create a true destination spot where people want to go, some changes are going to have to be made in the overlay, Starling said. Common complaints he and the Community Development Department hear from businesses and also property owners, such as Regency Centers, is the current architectural style dissuades restaurants from coming to the area. Restaurant tenants want flat roofs and large windows, for example, which are not currently allowed in the overlay. There is a sense of urgency, Starling said, as several major properties in the overlay are now for sale or ready for redevelopment: Jiffy Lube, the former Burger King and the Wells Fargo and Sun Trust banks at Mount Vernon Road and Dunwoody Village Parkway. Crim and Associates is also seeking several special land use permits to build a contemporary, industrial building with a flat roof and large windows at the visible corner of Mount Vernon Road and ChambleeDunwoody Road. Amy Swygert, who has lived in Dunwoody for more than 20 years, says there is a “huge undercurrent” of people who want the Dunwoody Village Overlay to be changed. The current architectural standards tend to attract chain restaurants, or pizza chains or just more banks, she said. She said she lives within walking distance of Dunwoody Village but would rather drive to Ponce City Market or downtown Roswell because these places provide an experience. “If our Economic Development Director and our planners are saying the overlay is too prohibitive, then it’s time for a change,” she said. Robinson, longtime member of the DHA, said the Dunwoody Village area is like Helen, a tourist town in north Georgia known for its Bavarian-style architecture. He noted the Dunwoody Village district is at 95 percent capacity and the city forced the current tenants to abide by the current overlay. Changing things now may be unfair to them. Plus, he said, there is nothing wrong with staying the same. “You can survive without change,” he said.
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Community | 13
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City seeks to protect trees in stream buffer BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
The mayor and City Council are considering making it a requirement to get a permit to remove trees in the city’s 75foot stream buffer as residential and commercial developments continue to encroach on the buffer. Punishment for removing a tree without a permit could result in a $1,000 fine per tree. Amendments to the Tree Preservation ordinance include: new verbiage stating a tree removal permit is required for the removal of any tree located within the city’s 75-foot stream buffer; adding language that specific information, such as photographs, of dead, diseased or hazardous trees must be submitted along with a report from an outside arborist before a tree is cut down; and adding language that prohibits people from intentionally or unintentionally damaging, cutting, carving, transplanting or removing a tree within the stream buffer. City Arborist Amanda Corr said the city receives weekly phone calls and emails from residents questioning or concerned about trees being removed
from the stream buffer. The amendments are intended to allay concerns while also protecting trees in the buffer. In the past two years, the city has received 26 complaints about trees being cut down in the stream buffer. Corr also explained that sometimes people intentionally damage a tree to kill it so they can legally cut it down. The amendments are also intended to address the “chasm” between city code and how code enforcement can respond to complaints, Corr said. Councilmember Lynn Deutsch said it is important residents with property along a stream buffer be made aware of the rules. “If we’re going to move toward enforcement, I think we should send communication about what’s expected,” she said. “Education is imperative on this,” Corr agreed. Stream buffers are important because they play a vital role in providing water quality, tree canopy, wildlife habitat and recreation areas for residents, Olson said in a memo to the City Council.
If we’re going to move toward enforcement, I think we should send communication about what’s expected. LYNN DEUTSCH, COUNCILMEMBER
14 | Community
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Mayor wants to tweak Perimeter Center zoning Continued from page 1
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uses, residential buildings, and limited shop front retail and services.” The proposed tweak is to add one word — “limited” — in front of the word “residential” in the PC-2 zoning ordinance. First read of the proposed ordinance amendment was held at the July 9 City Council meeting; second and final read is set for July 23. The Planning Commission said adding the word “limited” in front of “residential” in the zoning ordinance was too vague and unanimously recommended denial. The Community Development department staff is also recommending denial because the word creates ambiguity and provides no definition of how residential units would be limited, according to a staff memo to council. “If the staff doesn’t recommend this and the Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial, what’s driving this change?” Councilmember Terry Nall asked at the July 9 council meeting. City Planning Manager John Olson said the mayor made the request.
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Nall said he did not believe adding “limited” was a “decent and orderly” change to the zoning code and noted the council spent some more than two years working on coming up with specific zoning for Perimeter Center before approving it in May 2017. Olson also noted that a comprehensive plan’s purpose is to give an overview of what is wanted in an area, while it is best the zoning code be as specific as possible. Councilmember Lynn Deutsch, the only council member to vote against the Perimeter Center zoning approved last year, asked Shortal why he was asking for the amendment. Shortal explained the word “limited” was included in the city’s comprehensive plan for the PC-2 district, but not in the actual zoning code for the PC-2 district. He said a developer pointed that out to him. By being clearer about “limited residential” Shortal said he believed it would provide the city some “legal status” to thwart developer lawsuits. “When we became a city, the number one reason was to control zoning,” Shortal said. He said leaving out the word “limited” could allow developers to build as many residential units as they want by right. Deutsch noted there are already 8,000 residential units in Perimeter Center and suggested there needs to be a way to quantify what the mayor means by “limited” other than just using that word in the zoning code. She also said she doubted one word would provide the city any legal protection. “No matter what we put … the developer can ask for [what they want] and can still sue us,” she said. In an interview after the meeting, Shortal said he learned about the word “limited” not being in front of “residential” in the PC-2 zoning code from Grubb Properties. Grubb Properties wanted to build a massive mixed-use development over 10 years that included more than 1,000 apartments and condominiums and a 19-story office tower on Perimeter Center East where the former City Hall building is located. The developer in March withdrew its request after facing the likelihood of the council rejecting the project due to concerns over density. The restrictions on number of residential units in Perimeter Center is primarily based on lot sizes and heights of buildings with 16 stories being the highest allowed in the area. Developers can seek up to 36 stories through the special land use permit process. There is no specific restriction on number of units per acre.
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Sandy Springs to weigh reappointment of controversial judge BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
A Sandy Springs city judge has drawn criticism for recent comments to a Muslim defendant that an appeals court condemned while upholding her ruling in the case. The judge, Sharon Dickson, is up for reappointment this year to the Sandy Springs bench, and also sits on Dunwoody’s city court. Dickson told Fazial Azizan in a court hearing Jan. 25 that she believed he was disrespecting her by not looking at her because where he comes from “women don’t mean anything,” according to an official transcript. Dickson did not return a request for comment. A Muslim civil rights organization and a lawyer representing him says that Dickson’s comments were “bigoted” and based on the race of the defendant, Azizan, an Iranian-American. Dickson also serves as a judge in the Dunwoody Municipal Court, according to city spokesperson Bob Mullen. He did not respond to questions about the city of Dunwoody’s view on Dickson’s comments. Dickson formerly worked at Riley McClendon, but left in 2014 before her judgeship appointment, according to her social media. Riley McClendon, a Marietta-based firm, contracts with both the cities of Dunwoody and Sandy Springs to provide legal staff. The city solicitor who represented Sandy Springs in the case against Azizan is Bill Riley, a partner at the firm, according to city spokesperson Sharon Kraun. Cecil McLendon, another partner at the firm, serves as one of Sandy Springs’ assistant city attorneys. The Riley McClendon firm had its own
controversy over anti-Muslim comments last year, when Lenny Felgin, its assistant city attorney for Dunwoody, was accused of making vulgar and bigoted remarks about Muslims and women on his Facebook account. Felgin said his account was hacked, but resigned from the firm. Dickson has previous experience working in government, having served as the assistant solicitor for both DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, who appointed Dickson to the bench, did not defend her comments, but said that she has been cleared legally of bias. “I would not have said those comments, and I disagree with them, but the Superior Court of Fulton County found that the judgment rendered by Judge Dickson was not improper,” Paul said in a written statement. Dickson was appointed by Paul in June 2014 along with three other new judges. She was recommend by a panel of five Atlanta lawyers convened by Paul to make recommendations for new judges, a process he said is used in several states. The lawyers included Ray Smith, David Flint, Jay Elmore, Ray Persons and Karen Bragman, according to the meeting minutes. The city’s municipal court judges serve four-year terms after being appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The judges hear cases such as traffic and DUI offenses, local ordinance violations and some misdemeanor shoplifting and marijuana possession cases, according to the charter. Judges are required in Sandy Springs to be at least 25 years old and a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the legal profession’s
FILE PHOTO
Judge Sharon Dickson on the day of her confirmation in June 2014.
governing body, for at least three years, according to the city charter. According to her listing on the Georgia Bar’s website, Dickson has received no disciplinary action and is in “good standing.” Dickon’s appointment letter said she would serve until the first June Sandy Springs City Council meeting of 2018. However, that meeting has passed and no judges have been reappointed or replaced. Kraun, the city spokesperson, said that judges are allowed to continue serving until reappointed or replaced, even if that is after the four-year term limit enshrined in the City Charter. There is no deadline on how long they can continue serving without reappointment, Kraun said. Paul plans to make recommendations to the City Council soon, but did not comment about his thoughts on specific judges, Kraun said. Paul said in the written statement that city tries not to intervene with the court system. “We try to keep our city court independent without political involvement. There is a clear separation of powers, much like
the federal level,” Paul said. Azizan appealed the ruling to the Superior Court of Fulton County, which ruled June 18 that Dickson’s comments were “objectionable and wholly inappropriate.” However, the court ruled that there was no evidence any bias affected Dickon’s ruling against Azizan and upheld the conviction, according to the court’s ruling. In the January city court hearing, Azizan was convicted by Dickson of disorderly conduct and sentenced to five months imprisonment. Azizan was arrested and charged after a March 2017 car accident, McClendon said. “The derogatory statements Judge Dickson made to Mr. Azizan regarding his national origin were outrageous and unacceptable,” said Jason McLendon, the attorney representing Azizan. McLendon is not part of the Riley McClendon law firm and owns his own firm. The next step, McClendon said, is asking the Court of Appeals to review the case. McClendon said they should know if the court agrees to take it up by August. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, said it sent a letter June 27 to City Attorney Dan Lee asking the city to vacate the conviction. However, Kraun said the city did not receive the letter. “A judge who harbors a bias against people because of where “they come from” cannot be trusted to issue rulings about those people. This is especially true when a judge openly expresses that bias in court,” said attorney Edward Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of CAIR-Georgia, in the letter.
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16 | Education
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St. James preschool students tend to plants, birds BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
The preschool at St. James United Methodist Church has brought in some assistance to help teach kids enrolled in their preschool about patience and responsibility, and they include chickens, quail and flowers. The church preschool, which is located at 4400 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road in Buckhead, started a garden in 2017 and has since expanded with more chicks and quail from eggs that were hatched in the school offices. “The kids love it because they saw them when they were tiny and now they’re hatched,” Susan Viers, the preschool director, said of the quail eggs. The children are shown how to make simple food out of the vegetables and plants that are harvested, Viers said, and raising the chickens teaches them more about where food comes from and about responsibility. Although school is not in session, the church has several camps throughout the summer with children who regularly visit the garden, Viers said. Right now, the garden is full of tomatoes and peppers, Viers said. Pumpkin seeds were recently planted with plans for the children to harvest them in the fall, she said. Viers said the students have learned about growing vegetables, germination of seeds and parts of a plant. The students water their plants every day, and through the lessons, students are inspired to ask questions and seek answers through their own research and observations, she said. They also keep a journal in which they will illustrate what they have seen and done while in the garden area. “When the kids come by, they are just amazed,” Viers said. SPECIAL
Top left, A St. James preschool student waters plants in the school garden. Left, St. James preschool students learn about growing plants in the school garden. EVELYN ANDREWS
Above, St. James preschool students greet chickens in the school garden.
Fulton Schools abruptly ends, restarts out-of-district enrollment at North Springs High BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
In a whirlwind of policy changes that sparked confusion and legal threats, Fulton County Schools abruptly ended, then restored, out-of-district student enrollment at North Springs Charter High School. FCS abruptly ended a longstanding program allowing out-of-district students to attend the Sandy Springs high school — which is a dual-magnet art and math/science program — for a fee. The largely unexplained move, announced the week of the Fourth of July holiday and just over a month before the school year starts, left 14 families scrambling. Three seniors were allowed to remain at the school as a “one-time hardship,” FCS said, but the others faced a short-notice return to their home district, which ap-
peared to be DeKalb County in most cases. FCS previously said that out-of-district enrollment is illegal under the district’s charter system, adopted in 2012, but went unnoticed. The district has not explained who did notice, when, or why the district chose the timing and response it has. But some parents said all along that North Springs had a special dispensation from FCS to continue out-of-district enrollment. A Sandy Springs law firm representing seven of the affected students said the move put them in “limbo.” Citizens for a New North Springs, the group that last month successfully pushed FCS to pledge to build a new high school building, said it was concerned that the move relates to Superintendent Jeff Rose’s still mysterious statement that the new facility will be smaller due to
lower enrollment projections. Shortly after the lawyers got involved, FCS acknowledged that the special permission for out-of-district enrollment was partly true. The district now will allow students who enrolled during or before the 2016-17 school year to continue attending, if they pay the tuition fee — said to be $3,000 to $5,000 — and get clearance from their home districts. FCS announced the change in a press release issued after 9 p.m. on July 16. It was the district’s first press release about the issue — parents previously were notified privately — and appears to have been circulated only to select journalists rather the usual full list. The press release summarized the initial end to out-of-district enrollment, and added: “Last Thursday, however, a letter from a previous superintendent that made provisions for out-of-district students to
remain at North Springs High (if they had been enrolled on or before the 201617 school year) was brought to our attention.” Kelly Himes Brolly, the attorney representing the seven students, says FCS’s latest policy shift appeared to help all but one of her clients, who was still awaiting word from the district. “We are very pleased with the Fulton County School System’s recent decision and that they are looking out for these students,” Brolly said. North Springs High has been the subject of controversy for nearly a year as the CFANNS group pushed FCS to rebuild, rather than just renovate, the 55-year-old school. The cause was taken up by Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and the City Council as well.
Education | 17
JULY 20 - AUG. 2, 2018 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Education Briefs NON PR OF I T CEL EBRATES EN D OF SUM M ER CAM PS A nonprofit that hosts annual summer camps at local schools for low-income students celebrated the end of its 2018 camp with a festival July 12. Horizons Atlanta hosts a six-week summer learning and year-round program that supports K-12 students from underserved communities. In 2018, Horizons Atlanta is expected to serve more than 800 students across nine program sites, including Buckhead’s Atlanta International School and Sandy Springs’ Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, according to a release. About 270 of those 800 students are from the Buckhead, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs areas. These students attend High Point Elementary, Lake Forest Elementary and Garden Hills Elementary, spokesperson Sonia Fuller said in an email. The nonprofit is headed by Alex Wan, who formerly represented south Buckhead on Atlanta City Council. The students celebrated the close of the summer program with a festival that included such activities as bounce houses, slides, flip-flop decorating, picture frame making and a dance party, according to a press release.
Join the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia for the 35th Anniversary of Magnolia Run & Walk for Epilepsy!
S T. M A RTI N ’ S STUDEN TS VISI T PANAM A Nine St. Martin’s Episcopal School middle school students have returned from a twoweek program in Panama City, Panama. The program is part of the school inaugural exchange program. In the fall, Panamanian students will stay with St. Martin’s host families, according to the press release. Participants stayed with families from partner school Colegio Episcopal de Panama (CEP) for two weeks in June. Students volunteered at an orphanage and visited the PanamaCanal and the city’s historic area, the release said. The students were accompanied by four St. Martin’s faculty and staff members, including Head of School Dr. Luis Ottley, an alumni of CEP. Also in attendance were fluent Spanish speakers Middle School Principal Tony Shaffer and St. Martin’s graduate Olivia Haas, the release said.
The 2018 Magnolia Run and Walk is a morning filled with fun, exercise, and philanthropy for the entire family to enjoy!
WHEN: Saturday, August 18, 2018 TIME: Registration/Packet Pick-Up 7:00am, 5K and 1 mile 8:00am WHERE: Perimeter Mall, Atlanta COST: 5K Timed: $30 / 5K Untimed & 1 mile: $25 before August 15th WHY: Help raise funds and awareness for the 110,000+ Georgians living with epilepsy.
The Magnolia Run provides funding for the crucial programming and services provided by EFGA, including medication assistance, information and referrals, camp scholarships, support groups, and EFWorks our job placement program. Without this event and the support of the community this would not be possible.
For more information or to register, please visit www.epilepsyga.org or call 404-527-7155.
CITY OF AT L A NTA H I RES F IRST EDUCATIO N O FFICER Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced July 9 she has hired the city’s first chief education officer, a cabinet-level position that will work in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools and community leaders to improve access to quality education. Aliya Bhatia, a native of metro Atlanta and a Harvard University graduate, will work with community stakeholders to improve collaboration and identify and advocate for policies and resources that will improve access to high quality education for all residents, according to a press release. This will include convening industry and education leaders to develop vocational training programs to meet the growing demand for workers in the city’s film and entertainment, smart technology and construction industries, the release said. Bhatia will also be tasked with creating a citywide Children’s Savings Account Program for every child entering kindergarten and with working across city government to ensure that public schools are a priority for infrastructure investment and public safety, the release said.
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LO C A L S C HOOLS P REPA RE TO BEG IN CLASSES Summer break is drawing to a close, and local public schools will begin classes the first week of August. Atlanta Public Schools plans to begin classes Aug.1. DeKalb and Fulton public schools will start Aug. 6. Most local private schools begin mid-August.
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BY DYANA BAGBY - 15, 2018 • VOL. 12— NO. 5 dyanabagby@reporterne the controversial FACEBOOK.COM wspapers.net The rewrite of /THEREPORTER NEWSPAPERS Overlay District TWITTER.COM/ Brookhaven-Peachtree REPORTER_NEW The city of S reporternDunwoody’s Urban up confusion for dewas intended to clear newal Agency ewspaper s.net Reexpects to finalize for homeowners velopers and calm fears with a developer plans ► Democratic candidate the Brookhaven/ next month for living in the area near sign and constructi the des Station. But the City on of several for governor stake Oglethorpe MARTA rants as part restauthe in out those of the long-plann Council member representing ed Dunpositions PAGE 4 woody Green project. new law will allow area is concerned the Economic Developm and removes resent Director for much higher density chael Starling Misaid the URA redevelopments. ► City to require is in the fiidents’ power to change nal stages of short-term refirming up a however, say the s.net contract with officials, City developer Crim rental ewspaper the registrati for reportern clarifies density issues and, and Associates on, to build write about five or six restaurant licensing PAGE 2 a way to enforce s on about 2.5 acres in what’s first time, gives them designated as the city’s Project ADVERTISING density restrictions. SPECIAL Renaissance 3-1 at its Jan. 23 SECTION urban| P15-21 redevelopThe City Council voted ment plan. The restaurant the Overlay rewrite, s would be built around meeting to approve a small park in June and includspace. a process that began The acreage, at the intersectio until a few days beNorth Shallowfo ed public meetings up n of apwas rd overlay Road Dale and Michael and Dunwoody Park, is part fore the vote. The original Yoss of the BBQ’n of the Dunwoody in 2007. to hungry attendees Hebrew Hillbillies commercial Green proved by DeKalb County were at the Atlanta site within the Kosher BBQ Festivalamong many cooks serving JOHN AWTREY larger ProjPHIL MOSIER ect Renaissan samples on Oct. 22 at Brook ce developme See DENSITY on page 22 Run Park. nt. “This is to be our Canton Street | P16-20 [in RoADVERTISING SECTION
EDUCATOR
challenge Venues Westminster new city’s counselor wins $100K nationalliquor honor license fees
BY EVELYN ANDREWS s.net evelyn@reporternewspaper
Walking life toMan k es bac‘Dead author to speak at ‘Battle of Atlanta’ com A sneak penalty death at panel peek NCR, corporate relocations of Amazon made clear what leaders: have tipped off to state State Farm and others of high wage corporate The recruitment and retention countracks of transit. Those employers will follow the apply. without transit need not ties and municipalities
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VOTE TUESDAY
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BY DYANA BAGBY
VOL. 12 — NO. 3
M/REPORTER
► Local players get a kick out of new sport of FootGolf PAGE 4 ► Book Festival of the MJCCA will bring big-name authors
Density questioned in new Overlay District rewrite
Watery fun for a dad and his son 2018 • FEBRUARY 2 - 15,
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► Cities asked to join regional affordable housing policy
’
OUT & ABOUT Gear up for the I finally figure d out holidays that a very effect ive and craftsat arts way to get back markets Page 18 at the offspring ... is to bombard them with Bitmojis.
holding the In a gigantic room of Atlanta” 359-foot-long “Battle perched along cyclorama, workers painting on lifts the 50-foot-high and iPads. Uswith paintbrushes and state-ofing old photographs are bringthey BAGBY BY DYANA the-art technology, painting back dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net ing the 130-year-old appealing to life. 23 are local establishments Four See BATTLE on page renewing their althe city’s decision to deny ordinance approved cohol licenses after an license fees from late last year raised liquor to $100,000. approximately $5,000 Restaurant & Rush Lounge, Medusa and Josephine Lounge, XS Ultra Lounge on Buford Highway, Lounge, all located their liquor licenses January in told were Seefor 2018. would not be renewed STORY on page 8 revised alcohol See Robin’s Nest page 11 The reason? Under the See VENUES on page 13
on page 6 MAX BLAU Larry and Peggy Lord display a childhood photo of their sons Ashby and Hunter. Ashby, at right, died of a heroin overdose last year.
BY MAX BLAU
O
n a Sunday afternoon last April, the moment PHIL MOSIER Larry Lord had dreaded for roughly two on Jan. 25. The museum decades finally happened. His Atlanta History Center painting. wife, Peggy, found of the painting at Buckhead’s their 35-year-old of Atlanta” cyclorama must first complete a major restoration son Ashby no longer works on the “Battle breathing in the this winter, but A painting conservator cyclorama exhibit basement of their plans to open the ranch home on Sandy Springs’ Mount Paran Road. She tried performing CPR and called 911. But nothing s of NCR, the paramedics did could revive Ashby what corporate relocation clear after a made heroin overdose. Amazon tipped off to state leaders: Larry was devastate te arm and others have
OUT & ABOUT g’ ‘Dead Man Walkin
Mayor Bottoms pledges to nta in
First of a 4-Part Series
The combination of prescription painkillers, heroin and synthetic opioids is killing people around the nation, Reporter Newspapers including within communities. In this exclusive four-part series, we will look at how local prosecutors, recovering families, nurses, addicts and others are responding to a that already kills moregrowing epidemic people than cars, guns or breast cancer each year. To share your thoughts and stories, email editor@reporternewspapers.ne
most recently for his first by’s mother, Shannon, wife and Ashafter she died from complication s of cancer. But the circumstances of Ashby’s life posed difficult questions in how to talk about his death. Euphemisms are a tradition of sorts for overdose victims. Their obituaries say that they left this world or entered eternal rest while glossing over how it happened. The reasons vary from not speaking ill of the dead to a fear that it
New highway toll lanes could have major neighborhood impacts Excitement, wariness over Amazon HQ2 possibility See CHEF-DRIVE
N on page 12
BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspape rs.net
New toll lanes on I-285 and Ga. 400 could tower 30 feet or higher over neighborhood s on elevated ramps, eat into back yards, and plug major interchanges into such local streets as Mount Vernon Highway and Raider Drive BY in BAGBY a state conceptual DYANA design that could start construction dyanabagby @reporternewspapers.net within five years. The “managed lanes” could have massive impacts With the on High neighborhood Street property character, local on Georgia’s traffic official and mass site list transit for options, its Amazon but the conquarters headcepts remain bid, residents largely unknown and officials to the aregeneral ing voicpublic. bothThe excitement city of Sandy and Springs wariness is protesting over the potential parts of city-sized the concepts complex and suggesting coming tosome town.alMichael but ternatives, andmostly Reneebehind Fraser the scenes. have The inGeorgia lived Dunwoody Department for 22 years. of Transportation They don’t’srefirst member public meetings ever seeing for the Ga. 400 lanes anything are exbut grass onpected the High to beStreet held late property this year inafter the conPerimeter Center ceptual near designs the Sandy are more solid. border. Springs A rare public display of the behind-theSee EXCITEMENT on page 22 See NEW on page 14
City fears new state laws would end local controls
BY JOHN RUCH
johnruch@reporternewspapers.ne t
The city fears that several new state legislative proposals would undo recent local laws, from apartment construction to pet sales. One example is a proposed law that
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18 | Art & Entertainment
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Oglethorpe’s art museum showcases rarely seen works to mark 25th year Left, “The Factory 8am” (1967) by folk artist Mattie Lou O’Kelley is among the rarely seen works included in the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art’s 25th anniversary exhibit. Right, A 14th century Japanese sculpture of the Amitabha Buddha is among the works on display. SPECIAL
BY JUDITH SCHONBAK
tions and outreach by OUMA director Elizabeth H. Peterson, who came to the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art museum in 2012 and curator John Daniel is celebrating a quarter-century of culTilford, who joined OUMA in 2013. ture with an exhibit of works from its “It’s rare for a school our size … to have permanent collection, some of which such a large collection of art,” Tilford said have not been displayed in years — or of the 1,250-student university. ever before. In addition to a cadre of dedicated “OUMA in Retrospect: Celebrating collector-donors, the upswing in dona25 Years,” which opened July 7 and runs tions can be attributed to demographics. through Sept. 16 at the Brookhaven uniA generation of baby boomers are downversity, showcases nearly 100 pieces, insizing their homes and holdings, and, in cluding paintings, works on paper and a many cases, their children don’t want or sampling of the Japanese porcelain colhave space for furniture and artwork, lection. said Tilford. Among the rarely displayed pieces is The greatest challenge in assembling the colorful mixed-media painting “The the exhibit, which was a year-and-a-half Factory 8am” by the celebrated Decatur in the planning, was choosing from among so many works of art, he said. His goal was to showcase various strengths of the collection: 19th-century French art, works from the Far East, pieces from the museum’s unique Japanese porcelain collection — more than 160 pieces from the 17th to early 20th century, and a sizable holding of 19th- and 20th-century American art. More recently, OUMA has broadSPECIAL ened its focus to build the The museum’s 25th anniversary exhibit was collection with works by organized by curator John Daniel Tilford, left, African-American artists and museum director Elizabeth H. Peterson. and women artists, who are also represented in the show. folk artist Mattie Lou O’Kelley, whose Two pieces bookend the exhibit. One work is also in the collections of the High is a 14th-century wood and lacquer sculpMuseum and New York City’s American ture of the Amitabha Buddha, a religious Folk Art Museum. figure, acquired by OUMA founder Lloyd Located in the third floor of the uniNick. The other is a small bronze datversity’s Lowry Hall at 4484 Peachtree ing to around 1900, “La Pensee” by HenRoad, OUMA houses approximately 700 ri Capeau, that is a study for a full-size works spanning seven centuries, from sculpture for a tomb in France. The two the 1300s to the 1900s. It has more than pieces represent the growth of the collectripled in size over the last five years, tion from its beginning in 1984 — when thanks to a significant increase in donaOglethorpe had an art gallery but not a
museum. With such a large collection, the museum has set an ongoing goal to bring more works out of storage into the light of day for accessibility and visibility by students, campus visitors and the greater community as well as for loan to other museums and universities and as exhibits on tour. “OUMA’s main reason for being is to offer academic support,” said Peterson, the museum’s director. Like most of OUMA’s exhibits, “OUMA in Retrospect” ties into school curricula. In the case of the anniversary show, 14 different courses are involved, including multimedia journalism, introduction to art studies and history. Past exhibits have included curriculum ties to biology, science, literature and more. Peterson was instrumental in developing museum studies courses, independent study and gallery assistant internships for students. In the past five years, OUMA has introduced student-led lectures, docent tours, performances and volunteer opportunities, according to OUMA’s website. Oglethorpe also offers non-credit community courses for students and the public. What began as a modest art gallery in 1984 was renovated in 1992 and opened in 1993 as Oglethorpe University Museum of Art with 7,000 feet of gallery space occupying the entire third floor of Lowry Hall, which also houses the university’s library. OUMA mounts two major shows annually, in the spring and fall, and several smaller shows during the year. The gallery space is divided into three areas. In January 2018, the largest Skylight Gallery was dedicated to exhibits from OUMA’s permanent collection, which, in keeping with the goal to expand the collection’s visibility, now rotate each semester. The Center Gallery, and the Shelley and Donald Rubin Gallery are used for smaller shows, both organized by OUMA,
and national and international touring exhibits. The museum works frequently with the High Museum, and has worked with other museums and universities, including Yale, the University of British Columbia and the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah. OUMA accepts shows of outside groups such as Georgia Watercolor Society and Southeastern Pastel Society. OUMA does not solicit work from any group, but requests come in frequently, and the galleries are booked for three years. The OUMA Research Center opened in the fall of 2017. Once a storage room cluttered with paint and old catalogs, the research center is now a pristine room furnished with chairs and a work table. A sizable stack of flat files holds the majority of the OUMA collection’s hundreds of works on paper, allowing for hands-on — in this case, white-glove — study and research by students, faculty and even the public. There is an assistant available to any student or visitor using the center. A comprehensive online database of the collection — illustrative and searchable — is under development.
OUMA IN RETROSPECT: CELEBRATING 25 YEARS Through Sept. 16
Oglethorpe University Museum of Art Third floor of Lowry Hall, 4484 Peachtree Road, Brookhaven Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sundays, noon-5 p.m.; Wednesdays noon-8 p.m. Admission $5; children under 12 and members free. Info: museum.oglethorpe.edu
JULY 20 - AUG. 2, 2018
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All Aboard!
RoadTrips
Southeastern Railway Museum honors vintage trains from Atlanta’s past BY JOE EARLE Randy Pirkle came across the Southeastern Railway Museum when he was looking for a place to do some volunteer work that would incorporate his love of history. “History and old iron go together for me,” he said. Seventeen years later, Pirkle runs the museum as its administrator, and there’s plenty of old iron for him to visit in the displays at the 48-year-old museum of trains and transportation. It’s everywhere: vintage Pullman sleepers and steam engines tower near metalwheeled tractors, historic yellow taxis, fire trucks and MARTA buses at the museum, which is located on 35 acres in Duluth. The museum, designated the state’s official transportation museum, is operated by a nonprofit owned by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Its collection of railroad items alone features 90 pieces of rolling stock, including passenger cars, locomotives, box cars, cabooses, a mail car, a tank car and other railroad equipment, Pirkle said. It’s even home to a private passenger car called the “Superb” that was used by President Warren Harding and that served as his funeral train, carrying his body across the country after his death. Why keep all this stuff? “Educating the community about
S OUTH EA S TERN R A I LWAY M USEUM 3595 Buford Hwy. Duluth 30096
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June and July: Open Tuesdays through Saturdays. March through May; August through December: Open Wednesdays through Saturdays. January and February: Open Thursdays through Saturdays. Tickets: $8 for seniors (65+), $10 for adults, $7 for children aged 2-12. Train rides: $3 for big train, $3 for miniature train, $5 for both. Info: 770-476-2013, train-museum.org
history ensures that history is not forgotten,” Pirkle said, “and [the museum] gives people a different perspective on transportation than just their time on interstate [highways]. It’s fun to see kids today, who see trains in the sense of ‘Thomas [the Tank Engine],’ as a cartoon entity. So many of their grandparents experienced trains as transportation — and you can still do that.” The museum sprawls across four buildings, including a display building that once housed a factory where train cars were made and repaired. At its entrance, the museum displays the former Duluth passenger depot, which dates to 1871 and was moved to the site a few years ago. The facility even offers visitors the chance to take a short ride in a train caboose or in a miniature train that once operated at a zoo. The museum also hosts special events, ranging from summer camps for kids to showings of the movie “Polar Express” around Christmas. It hosts antique tractors and trucks for a day and has even hosted antique typewriter shows, Pirkle said, because typewriters were important to running the railroads. The roots of the museum go back to the late 1950s and early 1960s, Pirkle said, when train metro area train buffs joined together to save an Atlantic and West Point Railway locomotive known as 290. “It was a great big steam engine used to pull the Southern Crescent from Atlanta to Montgomery,” Pirkle said. The engine, saved from the scrap heap, remains part of the museum’s collection. It even appeared in the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes.” The museum operates primarily through efforts of volunteers, many of them retirees. They come from all sorts of backgrounds, Pirkle said. There are about 145 regular volunteers and, on any given weekend, there could be as many as 45 or so at work spread across the museum’s campus. One recent Friday, volunteers Ken Birmingham and Cliff Smith were decked out
PHOTOS BY JOE EARLE
Southeastern Railway Museum administrator Randy Pirkle with one of the large tractors on display at the museum.
Rick Muszynski sells tickets at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth.
in trainmen’s work clothes for their stints as volunteer conductors on the museum’s train ride. Smith, who’s 69 and said he’d liked trains “since I was a little kid,” wore jeans, a work shirt and a striped hat. Birmingham, who’s 75 and said he grew up across from the Long Island Railroad’s main line, wore a stiff-sided conductor’s hat. What convinced them to spend their time at the museum on a hot June afternoon? “It’s just fun,” Birmingham said. “It’s just fun working with the kids,” Smith added. Leo Schiltgen, who’s 70, volunteers as a conductor, too, and said he helps train other volunteers to do the job. But he also spends time restoring old train cars for the museum. He’s working now to replace wooden and tile flooring on a vintage Southern Railway dining car. He learned how to fix metal machines while he was working, Schiltgen said, and he likes working on train cars. “It’s just something I’m interested in,” he said. “I’ve learned the skills. I might as well use them for somebody’s benefit.” As the museum and its volunteers keep the big stock rolling, they also help preserve important links to Atlanta’s past as a train town. The museum helped put together a photo history book, called “When Atlanta Took The Train,” that shows how the city grew up around railroads. “Atlanta is a child of the railroads,” Pirkle said. “It’s important to get people to see that. It’s very difficult to do that because Atlanta has been very successful in wiping out its own past. There’re virtually no downtown railway stations left because progress got in the way.”
20 | Art & Entertainment
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The future of a historic marker of Atlanta’s center could be moved to Buckhead as debates continue about the its fate. The Zero Mile Post marks Atlanta’s beginnings. It originally stood at the place where the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s terminus became Terminus, a settlement that eventually grew into the city we know as Atlanta. For decades, the Zero Mile Post was literally the center of town, as Atlanta’s city limits were measured at a fixed distance from the post. “It’s a really important part of our history,” said Jeff Morrison, an architect who occasionally leads tours of the places where Atlanta began as a railroad town. His tours used to include the post. But Atlanta being Atlanta, the Zero Mile Post has now all but disappeared from public view. The 42-inch-tall granite post is locked away inside a building that is owned by the state of Georgia and no longer in use.Now the mile post faces a new threat: reconstruction work on the Central Avenue Bridge is scheduled to begin soon and may mean the post must be moved. The Georgia Building Authority, which maintains the property that houses the mile post, says it will announce in August whether the post can stay where it is or must be relocated to another site. “We haven’t made a decision yet,” GBA communications director Morgan Smith-Williams said in early June. “There are arguments on both sides,” Smith-Williams said. “There are arguments that the significance of the post is where it is, because of what it marks and not the post itself. But on the other side, it’s not where people can visit it, so there’s an argument to move it to a place where it would be more visible.” The Atlanta History Center in Buckhead offered to include the granite marker in the center’s collection of Atlanta’s historic artifacts, which now includes a replica of the post. But others with an interest in Atlanta history argue the post should stay where it is, near Underground Atlanta and close to the site it originally was erected. “What we need to do is leave it where it is, but make it more accessible,” Morrison said. “It really hasn’t moved much at all since the 1850s. I think it would be a shame for us to move it now.”
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22 | Community
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Heads up for the harvest!
Volunteers harvested more than 280 pounds of pears in an annual event at the historic Dunwoody Farmhouse at Mount Vernon and Chamblee-Dunwoody roads on July 14. The pears were donated to the Community Assistance Center in Sandy Springs and Malachi’s Storehouse at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church on North Peachtree Road, both of which give groceries to those in need.
B
C
D A - Volunteers Hope Follmer, left, and Robert Wittenstein perch in the tree to carefully shake pears from the branches onto a tarp held by other volunteers. B - Volunteers sort the harvest. C - Robert Wittenstein stands amid the branches during the pear harvest. D - Luke Loustalot, 2, helps City Councilmember John Heneghan place pears into buckets. E - Buckets of freshly harvested pears. F - The pear-pickers pose with their haul.
A
F
E
PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER
DUN
JULY 20 - AUG. 2, 2018
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Public Safety | 23
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Police Blotter / Dunwoody
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 8, in the morning, items were reported missing from a car. 2300 block of Dunwoody Crossing —
100 block of Perimeter Center Place —
On July 9, at night, a man was arrested and accused of shoplifting.
On July 8, in the morning, a forced-entry burglary at a residence was reported.
100 block of Perimeter Center Place — On July 9, at night, a woman was arrested and accused of shoplifting.
1900 block of Equestri-
an Court — On July 9, in the early morning, items were reported missing from a car.
4600 block of Equestrian Way — On July 10, in the early morning, items were reported missing from a car.
1100 block of Ham-
mond Drive — On July 9, in the morning, items were reported missing. On July 9, in the morning, items were reported missing. 200 block of Asbury Commons — On
July 9, in the morning, a non-forced entry burglary to a residence was reported. 1100 block of Hammond Drive — On
July 9, in the evening, a man was arrested and accused of shoplifting. 100 block of Perimeter Center East —
On July 9, in the evening, items were reported missing from a car. 4500 block of Olde Perimeter Way —
On July 9, in the evening, items were reported missing from a car. 100 block of Perimeter Center West —
DUN
T
On July 11, in the afternoon, a man was arrested and accused of obstruction.
100 block of Perimeter Center Place —
On July 9, at night, a woman was arrested and accused of aggravated assault with a weapon.
ARRESTS 2000 block of Peeler Road — On July 8,
in the early morning, a man was arrested and accused of failing to appear. 4600 block of Peachtree Place Park-
way — On July 8, at night, a man was arrested and accused of statutory rape. Chamblee-Dunwoody Road/Cotillion
Drive — On July 8, at night, a man was arrested and accused of driving with a suspended license.
100 block of Perimeter Center West —
4800
On July 11, in the early morning, items were stolen from a building. 4500
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 11, at noon, a woman was arrested and accused of shoplifting. 4300
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 12, at night, a woman was arrested and accused of shoplifting. 4700
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 12, at night, a man was arrested and accused of shoplifting.
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A S S AU LT
July 11, after midnight, three parties reported items stolen from their cars.
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On July 9, in the evening, four individ-
On July 11, in the afternoon, a man was arrested and accused of forging a check.
Road — On July 9, in the afternoon, a woman was arrested and accused of driving while unlicensed.
4400 block of Tilly Mill Road — On
k
100 block of Perimeter Center East —
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 13, at night, a man was arrested and accused of shoplifting.
I-285/Chamblee-Dunwoody
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 9, in the afternoon, a woman was arrested and accused of failing to appear. 100 block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road
— On July 10, in the morning, a man was arrested and accused of obstruction. Perimeter Center West/Perimeter Cen-
ter Place — On July 10, at night, a man was arrested and accused of marijuana possession. 4800
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 11, in the morning, two
Free movie
100 block of Perimeter Center East —
Be
4500 block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 10, in the evening, a woman was arrested and accused of shoplifting.
4700
Located on Peachtree Road adjacent to Oglethorpe University
100 block of Perimeter Center East —
4000 block of Dunwoody Park — On
July 13, at midnight, a man was arrested and accused of marijuana possession. 4400
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 13, in the early morning, a man was arrested and accused of cocaine possession. 4700
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 14, at night, a man was arrested and accused of failing to appear. Ashford-Dunwoody
Road/Perimeter Center East — On July 15, in the early morning, a man was arrested and accused of marijuana possession. 4700
block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road — On July 15, in the early morning, a man was arrested and accused of failing to appear.
OT H E R I N C I D E N T S 6800 block of Peachtree Industri-
al Boulevard — On July 8, in the early morning, a hit-and-run accident was reported. 100 block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road
— On July 11, at night, a driver was cited for driving without insurance. 4600 block of Winters Chapel Road —
On July 11, at night, a driver was cited for driving without insurance.
www.townbrookhaven.net
4400
— On July 9, in the evening, items were reported missing from a car.
women were arrested and accused of violating probation.
and by visiting our website
1000 block of Crown Pointe Parkway
— On July 13, in the afternoon, a woman was arrested and accused of shoplifting.
Facebook.com/TownBrookhaven
LARCENY/ SHOPLIFTING/ THEFT
100 block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road
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uals reported items missing from their cars.
J U LY 2 6 • P G
From Dunwoody Police reports dated July 8 through July 15. The following information was pulled from Dunwoody’s Police-2-Citizen website.
24 |
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