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NOVEMBER 2019 • VOL. 13 — NO. 11
Sandy Springs Reporter In a tight spot: Little room for city vehicles in City Springs parking deck
Perimeter Business
Old-school bowling rolls on at Funtime Bowl P5
AROUND TOWN
BY HANNAH GRECO hannah@reporternewspapers.net
Meet Troop 398, where girls take charge in what used to be Boy Scouts
HANNAH GRECO
Lake Forest Elementary School teacher Guadalupe Barron, left, reviews letters with Saturday school student Jesus Zarate at Los Niños Primero. It is one of the three nonprofits that will be temporarily displaced by a redevelopment.
P18
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BY HANNAH GRECO hannah@reporternewspapers.net
On a Thursday afternoon in a small but lively room, six second-graders from Lake Forest Elementary practiced reading English with volunteers ranging from high school students to retirees. When LaAmistad Executive Director Cat McAfee walked into the room, each child left his or her workstation to formally greet her.
“Hello, it is very nice to see you,” each student said shyly but firmly, shaking McAfee’s hand without breaking eye contact. “Welcome to LaAmistad.” LaAmistad, whose name means “The Friendship,” offers an afterschool learning program for under-resourced Latino students that focuses on math and reading, as well as teaching manners and virtues, McAfee said. See 3 NONPROFITS on page 30
City Springs has been praised by city officials and a local urban planning expert for its walkability, including an underground parking garage to make room for a new park. But city vehicles do not have a central hub and are parking in various locations around town, some the city already owns and some rented. The city parks some vehicles at a gravel lot that was purchased for nearly $686,000 for land-banking purposes and has a parking agreement with a church across the street from City Springs for $12,000 a year. The city is also planning on extending its annual lease through June 2023 at the old City Hall for its police headquarters and parking, averaging $271,000 a year. “We don’t have one group parking area for city vehicles,” city spokesperson Sharon Kraun said. “We use various locations to park city vehicles when they are not in use.” City Springs is home to apartments, several restaurants, shops and other retailers, as well as the city’s Performing Arts Center and City Hall. It has a total of 1,125 parking spaces: 750 are in an underground deck and 258 are surface parking. To Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, City Springs brought the walkability, community gathering space and apartments for young renters and families Paul envisioned. “This would have never happened before. Nobody walked here before,” Paul said durSee CITY on page 31
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