Alpharetta-Roswell Herald, February 4, 2016

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Fe b r u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 6 | N o r t h F u l t o n . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 3 4 , N o . 5

Real Estate Report Sponsored section ►►PAGE 22

Who’s a good boy?

Roswell K9 gets lifesaving vest ►►PAGE 2

‘One of the largest in the state’ Houze roundabout begins work ►►PAGE 7

The Varsity leaves Alpharetta

Education tops legislature

Religious freedom in schools debated ►►PAGE 10

It’s time to set sail

Find out how to win a $2000 cruise ►►PAGE 27

HATCHER HURD/HERALD

A Varsity family, Jay and Mary Powell came from East Cobb for a final Varsity meal with their sons, Will and Eric.

Read more, Page 29

Sports: Cambridge falls to Central Girls, boys basketball results ►►PAGE 41

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2 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

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770-442-3278 | NorthFulton.com 319 N. Main Street, Alpharetta, Ga. 30009 PUBLISHER Ray Appen

Roswell K-9 cop gets protective vest Donated by nonprofit, local resident

EDITORIAL QUESTIONS: Alpharetta-Roswell: ex. 122 Forsyth Herald: ex. 143 Johns Creek Herald: ex. 121 Milton Herald: ex. 143 Business Post: ex. 116 Northside Woman: ex. 102 TO SUBMIT EDITORIAL: News: news@appenmediagroup.com Press Releases: NewsLink.NorthFulton.com Calendar/Events: NorthFulton.com/Calendar ADVERTISING QUESTIONS: General Advertising: ex. 101 advertising@appenmediagroup.com Classified Advertising: ex. 119 classifieds@appenmediagroup.com Circulation/Subscriptions/Delivery: ex. 100 circulation@appenmediagroup.com Our Weekly Publications

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ROSWELL, Ga. -- Roswell Police Department’s K-9 Robbie received a new set of body armor Jan. 22. Robbie’s handler, Officer Lorn Alston, said Robbie adapted to wearing the new vest pretty quickly, and it’s comforting to know that his partner is protected.

The bullet and stab protective vest was provided thanks to a charitable donation from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s Inc. and was sponsored by Christy Brewer of Alpharetta.

It is embroidered with the sentiment, “In loving memory of our Angel Sydnee.”

Vested Interest in K9s, a 501(c)(3) charity located in East Taunton, Massachusetts, provides bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States.

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Our Monthly Publications

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Roswell K-9 cop Robbie received new body armor from a donation from Vested Interest in K9s Inc., a nonprofit.

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DUIS & DRUGS 20,000 Circulation

Since its inception, the organization has provided over 1,700 protective vests to dogs in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over $1.6 million.

All vests are custom made in the U.S. by Armor Express in Central Lake, Michigan.

The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K-9 graduates, as well as K-9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate. The suggested donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K-9 is $1,050. Each vest is valued between $1,795 – $2,234, comes with a five-year warranty and weighs an average of 4-5 pounds.

There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K-9s throughout the country.

For more information visit www. vik9s.org.

—Jonathan Copsey

All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.

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DUI arrests ►► Jacob Glenn Stephenson, 26, of

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The Herald Newspapers are published by Appen Media Group, 319 N. Main Street, Alpharetta Ga. 30009.

Groomsbridge Road, Johns Creek, was arrested Jan. 15 on State Bridge Road in Johns Creek for DUI and following too close. ►► James David Ball, 27, of Eider Down Court, Alpharetta, was arrested Jan. 12 on Old Alabama Road in Johns Creek for DUI. ►► Paul Daniel Mineck, 39, of Bossier

Drive, Alpharetta, was arrested Jan. 18 on Hopewell Road in Milton for DUI, child endangerment and driving on the wrong side of the roadway. ►► Michael James Mueller, 48, of Flying Scot Way, Alpharetta, was arrested Jan. 14 on North Point Parkway in Alpharetta for DUI and failure to maintain lane. ►► Madeline Emma Whitefield, 25, of Highland Colony Drive, Roswell, was arrested Dec. 13 on Davis Drive in Alpharetta for DUI and failure to yield when entering roadway. ►► Jennifer Lee Hutchins, 35, of Masters Way, Alpharetta, was arrested Jan. 16 on Windward Parkway in Alpharetta for DUI, failure to maintain lane, and headlights required. ►► Kathryn Marie Whitehead, 26, of Woodstock, was arrested Dec. 18 on

Mansell Road in Alpharetta for DUI and failure to maintain lane.

DRUG arrests ►► Martin S. McLemore, 27, of State

Bridge Road, Johns Creek, was arrested Jan. 11 on Medlock Bridge Road in Johns Creek for possession of marijuana and suspended license.

See ARRESTS, Page 34

CORRECTION In the article “Roswell to revisit contentious UDC” (Jan. 27), the vote to consider changes to the UDC was unanimous. The vote to hold a meeting to discuss a moratorium was 4-2.

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 3

What are the differences between LASIK and PRK?

By Samir Vira, M.D.

Laser vision correction or refractive surgery gives individuals the opportunity to reduce their dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The two primary types of refractive surgeries offered are LASIK and PRK. LASIK, or laserassisted in situ keratomileusis, is the most commonly performed refractive surgery with over 700,000 procedures done in 2014 by surgeons in the US.

Samir Vira, MD.

In LASIK, a thin flap is initially created on the cornea using a microkeratome blade, or more recently a femtosecond laser. This flap is then lifted, and an excimer laser is employed to reshape the underlying corneal bed according to the patient’s prescription, or refractive error. Once LASIK/Refractive Surgeon

this has been performed, the flap is laid back into its original position as the last step. The procedure is usually done for both eyes in about 15 minutes.

weeks. Most patients undergoing PRK take some days off from school or work, whereas LASIK patients usually resume their daily activities within the next day or so.

PRK, or photorefractive keratectomy, is an alternative procedure and actually the predecessor to LASIK. As opposed to the creation of a flap, the top layer of the cornea called the epithelium is removed carefully. The same excimer laser is then used to reshape the cornea. After this, a contact lens is placed on the eye as a bandage to allow the surface of the eye to heal. Similar to LASIK, the procedure is complete in about 15 minutes.

So why choose PRK? Some individuals have thin corneas or unusual corneal shapes that precludes them for being suitable candidates for LASIK. In these individuals, PRK is the safer alternative with similar outcomes. Additionally, there is no risk for any flap-related complications with PRK. All patients undergoing refractive surgery will experience temporary dry eye symptoms; however, these symptoms tend to be less severe with PRK.

The final visual results with both LASIK and PRK are very comparable. The biggest difference lies in the recovery period.

Recovery after LASIK is fairly quick – most patients feel minimal discomfort and can see well within a few days of the procedure.

With PRK, patients usually experience mild to moderate discomfort as the surface epithelial cells heal in over the first 3-5 days. Visual recovery is gradual, with the final outcome achieved over a few

In rare instances, patients with extreme nearsightedness or high myopia are not candidates for either LASIK or PRK. For these individuals, phakic intraocular lenses, or IOLs, is a safer alternative. These implantable lenses are placed within the eye – either between the cornea and iris or behind the iris. While the procedure is more invasive and expensive, phakic IOL surgery can produce very good results for patients.

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4 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

NEWS

Alpharetta approves Webb Bridge neighborhood Denies new Marriott hotel

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. – In a unanimous vote, the Alpharetta City Council approved a new 45-home neighborhood on Webb Bridge Road Feb. 1.

The proposed neighborhood sits on 30 acres at the corner of Webb Bridge Road and Park Bridge Parkway/ Shirley Bridge Road.

The developer, Tad Braswell, of Oak Hall Companies, said he and his staff have worked diligently with surrounding neighborhoods, including Windward, to find an agreeable plan, including drainage options to mitigate silt buildup in Lake Windward.

Nearby Webb Bridge Road residents were not so convinced. They came out in force for the vote, voicing their opposition to the neighborhood on fears it would exacerbate the already heavy traffic situation on Webb Bridge Road.

City officials said a traffic study was done and the trips created by the neighborhood would have a negligible effect on traffic.

Staff did note the city of Johns Creek was working on improvements to

Kimball Bridge Road and Webb Bridge may be widened in the future, both of which may help traffic in the area.

“What we have here is as good as we will get,” said Mayor David Belle Isle.

Also at the meeting: A proposed new hotel across the street from Avalon and the Convention Center was narrowly denied by council.

A Courtyard Marriott was suggested last year to go in the Parkway 400 area at Amber Park Drive. It would have had 115 rooms and six floors. This is a reduction from what was previously proposed –­ more rooms and a seventh floor. It would also need a variance in zoning to be placed in that location.

Staff’s recommendation was to deny, not just because of the zoning change, but also based on size variances requested.

A similar hotel was approved adjacent to the Marriott site last year that also required a rezoning.

Community Development Director Kathy Cook said there are as many as 11 other parcels of land in the city that could have hotels, with several having interested parties looking at them.

“There is interest,” Cook said.

“Things have gravitated toward Avalon,” said Councilman Mike Kennedy.

“This area is ground zero for developments like this.”

Things have gravitated toward Avalon ... This area is ground zero for developments like this.”

MIKE KENNEDY Councilman

Fellow Councilman Jim Gilvin disagreed.

“I don’t think it is a good idea to open up this much hotel space before the convention center opens,” he said, suggesting demand may not be as high as some might expect.

Mayor Belle Isle said the rush for new hotels is reminiscent of a similar rush in 2006 of shopping centers, when supply dramatically overshot demand.

“My fear is we are in the same boat,” he said.

The final vote was 4-3 denying the hotel, with Councilmen Kennedy, Chris Owens and Donald Mitchell voting for it.

Roswell approves housing moratorium Targets small lots, townhomes

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ROSWELL, Ga. – The Roswell City Council voted 4-2 on Jan. 28 to approve a temporary, 90-day moratorium on the acceptance of rezoning applications in the following districts: RS-9 (Single-Family Small Lot); RS-6 (SingleFamily Small Lot); RS-4 (Single-Family Small Lot), R-CC (Residential Cottage Court); and R-TH (Residential Townhouse). The moratorium is effective immediately.

One of the new council members backing the changes and the moratorium is Michael Palermo, elected in November by a strong margin. He made the request to examine the Unified Development Code at the prior Monday’s City Council meeting.

He said there was a need to halt new small-lot and multifamily housing

in the city.

“What we’ve seen since the implementation of the UDC is a lot of potential changes in established neighborhoods,” he said.

In particular, he wants to look at where townhomes or apartDIAMOND ment housing are allowed to be built in or around suburban residential zoning “What we’ve seen loud and clear are the single-family neighborhoods do not want a part of their neighborhood being rezoned and turned into townPALERMO homes,” Palermo said.

Instead, such development should be in commercial corridors, away from single-family homes or as transitional areas between homes and commerce.

He said the November election

showed voters “want to address this issue urgently” over concerns the city was becoming too dense.

“I am confident we will find a good compromise that will protect established neighborhoods and encourage redevelopment in corridors,” Palermo said.

On the other side is Councilwoman Nancy Diamond. She has held her seat for eight years and was on the council when the UDC was created after more than a year of public hearings and work.

She said she had reservations about some of the changes Palermo suggested.

Diamond said the city’s plans were consistent in what the city heard from the public – they wanted empty-nester housing, smaller housing, places for young adults to come and live.

“There is a whole generation of people my age interested in downsizing and living in Roswell,” she said. “Not everybody is living in the cul-de-sac

See HOUSING, Page 44

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 5

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6 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

City installs first mid-block pedestrian crossing signal HAWK signal gives children a way to walk to school JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Johns Creek activated Dec. 11 its first HAWK pedestrian-crossing signal (High-intensity Activated crossWalk is the not-so-easily-followed acronym) on Barnwell Road.

It is near Barnwell Elementary School and intended to give children a place to cross the road to get to school.

HAWK signals are push-button signals placed in mid-block instead of at intersections. Georgia law requires motorists to stop at any crosswalk to allow pedestrians to cross, but the

HAWK signal provides balance between the needs of pedestrians and those of motorists.

HAWK signals are gaining popularity in Georgia, they have been installed near the Suwanee town green and on Buford Highway in DeKalb County. They have been used successfully in Arizona, Oregon, Missouri amont other states.

The signals, usually mounted in pairs, are dark until activated by a pedestrian pushing a button, triggering a series of signals.

How the signal works 1. After the button is pushed, the yellow light flashes on and off, warning drivers to slow down. The red hand tells pedestrians not to walk.

2. Then, the flashing yellow light turns solid yellow, warning drivers to prepare to stop. Pedestrians should continue to wait.

3. The red lights turn solid, requiring vehicles to stop. Pedestrians will see their light go from a red hand to a walking man, indicating it’s legal to cross.

4. The two traffic lights flash red, indicating that drivers can proceed when the pedestrians have cleared the intersection. Pedestrians will see the flashing red hand and a numerical countdown to clear the road.

5. The HAWK signal goes dormant until activated again, and a solid red hand is again displayed for pedestrians.

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NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 7

Roswell begins work on 2-lane roundabout One of largest in the state

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ROSWELL, Ga. – The intersection of Houze and Hembree roads will soon be home to one of the state’s largest roundabouts.

Work began Jan. 28 on the two-lane roundabout in Roswell, the first to be on a state road.

The total cost is to be $4.4 million and is funded by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Roswell contributed $354,000 toward engineering and design and right-of-way acquisition.

The project is expected to take between two and three years to complete and will remain open throughout construction.

Steve Acenbrak, city transportation director, said despite many residents’ initially dim view on roundabouts, they

are proven to be safer than signaled intersections and better at getting traffic through.

“The wrecks in a roundabout are at low speed and are usually fender benders,” Acenbrak said. “A lighted intersection can have high speeds and worse accidents.”

In 2011, Roswell opened its first roundabout on Grimes Bridge Road and Norcross Street. While residents were skeptical how it would help, Acenbrak said it has worked well since it was finished and traffic rarely backs up now.

Acenbrak said nearly 23,000 vehicles use the Houze Road intersection daily, a third more than at Grimes Bridge. With no left-hand turn lanes, traffic easily backs up in all directions.

Nearby residents voiced concerns that, while this intersection may get better, intersections both up and down the street will now get backed up.

“We are paradise with traffic,” said Mayor Jere Wood. “Traffic is our biggest complaint in North Fulton.”

With the new two-lane roundabout,

The proposed roundabout at Houze and Hembree roads will have two lanes. It is scheduled to open in two years.

Wood said “we are willing to take a risk to make things better.

“It’s time for a change,” he said.

For up to date information on Roswell construction projects, visit roswellgov.com/conezone.

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8 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

OPINION

Roswell’s new council should plan before reacting The newest members of the Roswell City Council have wasted little time before attacking the city’s Unified Development Code, a document that was months, if not years, in the makHATCHER HURD ing.

Executive Editor hatcher@appenmediagroup.com It is understandable that these new members would want to move forward with zeal and dispatch. But they have a four-year term before them. And despite campaign rhetoric and promises, it would behoove them to show some patience before using their newly found clout to issue a moratorium on development.

Frankly, you are still wet behind ears as council members go. You would do well to begin learning what this job is all about before weighing in on some perceived delinquencies in the city’s UDC. First, it is highly doubtful that you as council members in your first month in office have the sufficient grasp of the UDC and what its suspected flaws may be.

Certainly people have gained your ear to tell you what they think must be done, but the wiser course is to get some experience under your belt first.

If this sounds like unwanted advice from a source that has never stood for public office, it is. But it is a source that has seen elected bodies at their best and at their worst.

Their worst often comes when actions are taken in haste.

Let me give you one anecdotal example of a city I once covered on the south end of metro Atlanta. It seemed a bevy of new council members were

keen to do the people’s will. And a great many of them were fed up with the CSX Railroad because of late-night trains blowing their horns as they approached city intersections.

Children couldn’t sleep, affecting their class work, and other such unwarranted disturbances by this nocturnal blaring should be stopped forthwith, the council members said.

Eager to do the public’s bidding, they complied with a new ordinance banning train whistles between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.

CSX was served notice of same and the council was promptly informed the railroad would comply but only unless and until the city provided CSX with an agreement that it would assume all risk of indemnification for any accidents should one of their trains collide with a vehicle in their fair city.

On advice of counsel, that ordinance was quietly rescinded the next week.

It only confirmed the adage about government: Laws one enacts in haste may be regretted at one’s leisure.

New council members could and should take advantage of a number of instructive courses in governance offered by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.

In a series of courses designed especially for newly elected city council members and county commissioners, it acquaints these tyros with powers and the limits they possess. New elected officials also find out about the often unintended consequences of pending legislation.

I read also with interest the justification for taking the bold action of a permit moratorium which we were happy to publish in last week’s Herald.

You spoke of a “mandate from the public” as evinced by your election. I

will not question your ability to divine the will of the voters who checked your names last November.

I only point out that, sadly, only about 5 percent of the voters were moved to exercise that most cherished right of freedom and cast a ballot.

Given the winning margin meant the support of about 3 percent of the electorate, I think “mandate” is a bit strong.

Now you and your fellow council members are facing a growing problem in Roswell. Your downtown is dying. It has a morbidity about it that was years in the making.

Other councils before you for one reason or another have not found the formula to revitalize the downtown, give it vibrancy and the verve that by rights it should possess.

In the mid-1990s, Roswell was twice named the best place in America to live. No less an authority than Oprah Winfrey made that pronouncement. But that was then.

Today, I don’t think you can say Roswell is the best place to live in North Fulton.

For a downtown to have life and vibrancy it needs one essential quality: people. People have to live downtown.

Buildings don’t create energy, people do.

And as every expert has been telling us, the baby boomers are downsizing and millennials aren’t interested in a two-car garage and a picket fence.

Now this new majority on the City Council appears to want to slam that door shut on people living downtown.

On whose authority do you want to do that? It is normal for cities to find the best consultants to advise them on how best to revitalize their cities. Roswell should be an outstanding candidate for revitalization.

It has desirable housing, a living

standard most cities would envy and great schools. Yet, while Roswell talks about revitalization, her sister cities are doing something tangible.

Consider Alpharetta. It looked at the one jewel in Roswell’s developmental crown – Canton Street – and looked to do it one better. Alpharetta has created a new downtown that will have life and vitality.

While Roswell dithers about building a parking deck for Canton Street (lack of parking is the district’s most serious threat), Alpharetta has already built one downtown.

Evidently, making capital improvements to its most vibrant economic district is not in Roswell’s purview.

Otherwise why has it taken so long?

Try to buy commercial space on Roswell’s Canton Street and it commands the highest dollar per square foot in the city. Yet it is only about a quarter-mile strip in a city of nearly 100,000.

But when a newly elected majority on the City Council comes in with a moratorium for redevelopment, what signal does that send to would-be developers?

Certainly they have given anyone considering it a reason to pause. Meanwhile, neighbors such as Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Sandy Springs are spreading open arms.

The new council members spoke of being in support of revitalization in Roswell, but your actions do not instill confidence. No, it sounds like more of Roswell’s decades-long ambivalence to real revitalization.

More’s the pity because, with just a little push, Roswell could realize its potential. And that upside could be colossal. All that is really lacking is the will to do it.

With Iowa done, the real election begins Well, it’s finally happened. Actual voting has occurred.

I know, I know, it seems like this election has lasted over a year already. But that has all been fluff-stuff. Now the meets the JONATHAN COPSEY rubber road.

Editor The Iowa caujonathan@appenmediagroup.com cuses Feb. 1 had a few surprises, but nothing too astonishing.

For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were literally in

a tie. I heard some precincts were decided by a coin flip. That’s pretty close.

Considering Clinton has essentially been running for the job since her husband left office, this is surprising.

On the Red side, Ted Cruz won with 28 percent, followed by Donald Trump at 24 percent and Marco Rubio with 23 percent. I know a lot of people are calling this a “loss” for Trump, but to me that’s as good as a three-way tie.

There is still plenty of campaigning and primaries left to go and winning Iowa does not a president make. Just ask President Rudy Giuliani.

The real thing that has bugged me about the past few months of cam-

paigning is that, at least on the Republican side, I feel voters have had been ill served. Nearly nothing has been offered resembling any substantive policy from anyone. Instead it’s all been bickering and the latest episode of “What has that goofy Trump said?”

If I’m casting my vote for the next commander in chief, I’d at least like to know where the candidates stand, not whom they attacked lately.

Right now, I’m still uncomfortably undecided about how I will cast my vote come November. There are a few I know I will not vote for, but I’m not excited about any of the candidates.

I know Sanders has a lot of support

thanks to his populist policies, but does anyone really think he can get any of that done? It’s impractical at best. How about Trump’s idea to make Mexico build a wall on the border? Sure. That’s totally going to happen.

I know these are early days and anything can (and will) happen between now and Election Day. Until then, I’m going to do my research.

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 9

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10 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

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Education issues abound for legislators Religious freedom in schools debated under gold dome

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ATLANTA — With all signs pointing to few, if any, seismic changes on the education landscape this legislative session, Georgia lawmakers are still considering a number of initiatives that could impact the classroom in significant ways.

Rep. Mike Dudgeon of Forsyth County has introduced House Resolution 864 which would allow school boards to impose impact fees on developers in high-growth school districts.

Based on current information on enrollment growth, the resolution affects only Cherokee, Forsyth and Fulton county boards of education.

If passed, the resolution would require a two-thirds approval of Georgia voters as a constitutional amendment.

Currently, impact fees can be assessed and used for infrastructure improvements, such as roads and bridges, but not for new classroom space.

Dudgeon’s bill would allow impact fee proceeds to pay for a share of the cost of “additional educational facilities” in districts which have had growth of at least 15 percent over the past five-year period.

A number of bills related to “religious freedom” in the classroom, as well as general freedom of speech, are also in the hoppers on both sides of the aisle. Those include: HB 816 — The Georgia Student Religious Liberties Act of 2016. This bill would swing the doors wide open to “voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools.”

Students would be allowed religious expression in class assignments, freedom to organize religious groups and activities, and allow districts to have voluntary prayers at school events and graduation events.

HB 870 — High schools that receive state funding cannot participate in an athletic association which bans religious expression on the clothing of student athletes. This is a reaction to the GHSA disqualifying a Forsyth County cross country runner who competed in an event last year wearing a headband with a religious saying. The bill would also ban state-funded schools from joining an athletic association which does not allow the school to play scrimmage matches, games or other athletic competitions with nonmember schools.

Again, a political jab at the powerful

GHSA. SB 275 — Prohibits the governing body of any county, city or school board from having a policy, rule or other provision that prevents the members of that body from exercising their right to free speech. So, in essence, local school boards would not be allowed to limit free speech of students and teachers in the classroom, or elsewhere. How this would impact free speech on a person’s social media account will certainly be considered in light of high profile cases involving content on Facebook accounts.

SB 284 — The First Amendment Defense Act of Georgia. While not targeted specifically to schools, the impact could have implications. If passed, this law would essentially prohibit nonprofit organizations from being penalized because they believe “marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such marriage.” In recent years, some schools have banned groups such as the Boy Scouts of America from using space in public schools because of their “morally straight” oath.

Other bills of education interest in the current legislative session include: HB 740 — Creates an income tax credit of $15,000 over five years to someone who purchases a home that qualifies for a homestead exemption in the attendance zone of a low-performing school.

HB 744 — Revises the criminal code to make it a sexual assault if any employee of a school engages in sexual conduct with an individual they knew or should have known is enrolled at the same school.

HB 814 — Authorizes the Department of Education to provide a unique identifier for students from military families so their data can be disaggregated.

HB 825 — Protecting Military Children Act, relating to notifying the Department of Defense of child abuse in a military family.

HB 848 — Would establish the Blue Star Family Scholarship Program for children of military service members.

HB 861 — Creates an income tax credit up to $1,000 for home schooling expenses.

HB 864 — Expands the definition of eligible postsecondary institution for the Move On When Ready program.

SB 281 — Requires schools to provide information to students and parents before using any digital learning platform.

SB 287 — Requires a separate home room be offered for at-risk students.

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 11

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12 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

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The horse judging award winners from the Cambridge High School FFA are, from left, Meaghan Bybee, Amberlee Crites, Rebecca Wallace, Shelby Welshons, Olivia Lawrence and Andrea Banys.

Cambridge FFA awarded at horse judging contest MILTON, Ga. - The Cambridge High School FFA Chapter traveled to Colbert, Georgia on Saturday Jan. 9, 2016 to complete in the North Region Horse Judging Contest, where they took home high marks.

The contest took place at Parks Show Horses. Team members viewed the classes of Performance Halter Geldings, Hunter Under Saddle, Western Pleasure and Western Riding which they judged and completed oral reasons on their placings.

In the senior division, Cambridge students Rebecca Wallace placed 8th,

Meaghan Bybee placed 7th and Amberlee Crites was the high scoring individual and received a plaque award. In the junior division, Olivia Lawrence placed 14th, Andrea Banys placed 6th and Shelby Welshons placed 4th.

This contest was a practice for the State FFA Horse Judging Career Development Event where the students will compete against 40 other schools across the state at Fort Valley State University. The State contest is on Saturday, Feb. 6.

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NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 13

SCHOOLS

14 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

Cambridge, Rotary join to stop hunger Event helps feed needy families

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com MILTON, Ga. – One in every nine people in the world go to bed hungry each night, and globally, nearly half of all childhood deaths are caused by malnutrition. The people at Stop Hunger Now want to change those statistics.

And, Jan. 29, the Milton community joined with them.

About 60 Cambridge High School students and a dozen members of the Milton Police Department filled the Cambridge cafeteria with fun, games and food to help eradicate hunger in an event organized by the Milton-Windward Rotary Club.

The event is the second in what the Milton-Windward Rotary Club hopes will be an annual tradition in the Milton community.

Last year, the club, students

and faculty from Cambridge High School successfully prepared over 10,000 meals that were shipped to Haiti. This year, the bar was set higher — 12,000 meals. The food will go to 30 partners and nonprofits in Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

Some goes toward crisis relief, but most goes to schools and orphanages, said Michael Ashley, with Stop Hunger Now. “When you can’t eat, you don’t go to school,” said Ashley. “If you don’t learn to read and write, it’s difficult to find a job. But when we create school lunch programs, enrollment doubles. This [program] will have a long-term impact and transform families.”

Each prepared meal package serves six and contains a packet of 23 vitamins and minerals, a scoop of soy flour for protein, a scoop of dehydrated vegetables and a large scoop of rice.

Just add water, boil for 20 minutes and the meal is complete.

“This raises awareness and inspires other to take action and

encourage people to do something, and be a part of the service,” Ashley sad. “It’s fun and creates a buzz. The volunteers will want to tell others about it.”

He said that, in all, 50 million meals were made last year by Stop Hunger Now. In Atlanta, 5.5 million were made.

Paul Sczurek, of the Milton-Windward Rotary Club, said this event was an important one for the club.

“Rotary is driven to community service. It’s what we are,” he said. “This event allows us to work closely with the kids at Cambridge and we can help a community in desperate need of food.”

It also gives the students an active way to make a difference in the world.

The Milton-Windward Rotary Club meets every Monday at noon at St. Aiden’s Episcopal Church.

For more information, visit facebook.com/RotaryClubOfMiltonWindward. For more about Stop Hunger Now, visit stophungernow. org.

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[The Southern Skillet corner] is a key element... of our downtown area, and we were not sure what was going to happen there.

JERE WOOD, Roswell Mayor

15 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016

MAYOR’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS:

Roswell has great future but lacks unity of purpose Greets new maverick council members warmly but common ground needed to move forward

By HATCHER HURD hatcher@appenmediagroup.com ROSWELL, Ga. – Roswell Mayor Jere Wood rose to deliver his 17th State of the City address Jan. 29 with usual bonhomie and optimism despite facing a legal challenge to his tenure in office and three new maverick council members who seem bent on stirring things up.

“These three new council members have taken on the toughest job in the city, and they have taken on a lot of heat and pressure with enthusiasm and energy,” Wood said. “And they have energized me, too.”

He had a pretty picture of Roswell to paint, as well. Wood started off by noting the unemployment rate in Roswell is 3.9 percent.

“That’s the lowest it has been in Roswell during my entire term as mayor,” he said.

In addition, Roswell has $90 million “in the bank,” he said.

Capital projects for Roswell this year include: Holcomb Bridge Road improvements totaling $7 million.

Ground broken recently on the Sun Valley Connector which will connect Mansell Road/Westside Parkway with Ga. 9.

The House Road roundabout is slated for 2016 completion Sidewalks are coming down Hardscrabble Road.

The Roswell Water Treatment

Facility will get a $15 million improvement.

To cap off improvements, the $3.7 million senior therapeutic pool on Grimes Bridge Road opens Feb. 3.

The city has also bought the 6-acre shopping center on Ga. WOOD 9 that contains the former Southern Skillet.

“That is a key element in the redevelopment of our downtown area, and we were not sure what was going to happen there. So the City Council thought it prudent for the city to control its development,” Wood said.

It represents a $15 million investment in the city’s future. But Wood said the city will recoup the investment when a satisfactory development plan comes along.

With a nod to the impending zoning moratorium for downtown apartments and townhouses, Wood asked the rhetorical question what is the future for housing in the downtown district.

“There are limitations to what the city can do with zoning,” he said.

Wood pointed out that new townhouses in the historic district such as those on Goulding Place, which had upset many folks as “too much density” in the Canton Street area, had already been approved for some time.

“We are constantly challenged by what we risk when we [oppose] some zonings,” he warned.

Today, we are more divided on where we want to go. What we need is a common vision. We need to come together, and it won’t be easy. But I am a son of Roswell – born here and lived here. I will do everything I can to reunite this city. So let’s all come together to do this.”

JERE WOOD Roswell Mayor

Meanwhile there is a plan for a new Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax. While no one likes more taxes, T-SPLOST offers a way to pay for some big-ticket projects the city would like to accomplish, Wood said.

These include: South Atlanta Street improvements including the Riverside intersection, which has a $20 million price tag.

The proposed Big Creek Parkway which would provide a fly-over bridge at Ga. 400 comes in at $50 million.

Holcomb Bridge Road, the major east-west corridor for all of North Fulton, is estimated to cost $70 million to $80 million.

The T-SPLOST could mean $1.3 billion for all of Fulton County with Roswell’s share over the five-year life of the sales tax at $120 million.

However, there are some hurdles to cross yet. First, there is an attempt in the General Assembly to have some

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Also, every Fulton city must pass the T-SPLOST or there will not be a full penny tax on the dollar.

If a majority does pass the sales tax then something less than a penny will be assessed.

In conclusion, Wood said while the city has accomplished great things to date, there is no consensus on how the city should proceed.

“Today, we are more divided on where we want to go. What we need is a common vision. We need to come together, and it won’t be easy,” he said.

“But I am a son of Roswell – born here and lived here. I will do everything I can to reunite this city. So let’s all come together to do this.”

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Southern Aquatics opens doors in Roswell Local fish store offers rare fish, sustainable lessons

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ROSWELL, Ga. – The saying goes that if you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life.

For sisters Ashley Burre Hilburn and Taylor Burre, their love of fish has turned a hobby into a career.

They are the new co-owners of Southern Aquatics Local Fish Store, recently opened on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell.

The sisters, who were born and raised in Roswell, say owning and operating an aquatic store was never their life dreams. Hilburn has a degree in English and Burre has hers in retail management and fashion.

However, they both shared one love: animals, namely fish.

The sisters became interested in fish at a young age. Hilburn convinced her younger sister to pressure their parents for an aquarium. The fish in it died quickly, because the girls did not know how to care for them.

“You can’t create an ecosystem in one day,” Burre said. “It takes time to grow and replenish. It can take weeks or months.”

Despite that unfortunate early aquarium experience, it eventually spurred an interest in the care of fish that led to finally opening a store.

“We thought, ‘We can do this,’” Hilburn said.

For the past nine months, they have kitted out the location on Holcomb Bridge Road, not far from the

intersection with Ga. 9/Alpharetta Highway, one of the busiest areas in town.

Even though they haven’t had a grand opening yet, they put a sign out front, hoping simply to generate excitement, and customers began coming by, looking for help with their fish.

“We thought we would have a few weeks, but people started showing up,” Hilburn said.

With 3,000 square feet to work with, the store specializes in both fresh and saltwater fish, a first for Roswell. They also focus on rare or uncommon species that can’t be found in “big box” stores.

They have hundreds of fish varieties, sharks, eels, shellfish and even a stingray. There are coral gardens with a variety of colors and types. They even have shark eggs.

Education is a large part of the sisters’ mission.

They recently donated a large tank along with two shark eggs to a local school for the students to learn about fish and their life cycle.

“We believe in education,” Hilburn said. “But if we are going to educate people, we have to be responsible.”

One example of responsible business practices is not selling a customer a “cute” shark baby in a small tank since they know the shark will quickly outgrow it. Similarly, small eels may be popular pets, but many stores do not tell customers eels can get large and aggressive.

“We handhold a lot of customers,” she said. “We don’t want things dying in their home aquarium because they are too big or the customer doesn’t know how to care for them.”

And conservation is another key consideration.

The owners of the new Southern Aquatics Local Fish Store are, left, Ashley Burre Hilburn and, right, Taylor Burre, and between them is their father, David Burre.

“I have to know where I am getting my animals,” Hilburn said. “We buy from local suppliers where we can, and we promote sustainability.”

The new Southern Aquatics Local Fish Store is located at 620 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite B, Roswell, 30076 and can be found online at southernaquaticslfs.com.

Frank Norton gives economic outlook for Forsyth Says county has ‘much going for it’

By KATHLEEN STURGEON kathleen@appenmediagroup.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Frank Norton said Forsyth County has a lot going for it.

From the boom in population to the excellent schools, he said the county will continue to expand productively for many more years, however there are a few things that need to be addressed.

At his annual economic outlook breakfast Jan. 26, Norton, known for his real-estate expertise, talked about many topics relating to the county and the state as a whole including affordable housing, population increases and the county’s future.

“I’m bullish about Forsyth, and about your future,” Norton said. “You have so much going for you. You have position, you have strength, you have geographic position, you have a tax base.

KATHLEENSTURGEON/STAFF

Frank Norton gives his annual economic outlook.

If you look at the return on investment of what I pay in taxes and what I get here, it’s amazing. You have school test scores which are the envy of the entire Southeast. You have a can-do, positive attitude. You have communities I would love to live in.”

Forsyth is the fastest-growing

county in the Southeast, he said.

However, the lack of affordable housing might start turning people off from living in the area. He said if you talk about affordable housing in the context of metro Atlanta, the average is $175,000. But Norton said there is no way to build a $175,000 house in Forsyth.

Homes under the $175,000 mark could be gone by 2020, according to Norton, with townhomes following in 2023. The affordable housing definition in Forsyth is probably at $250,000 to $275,000, he said.

“We have to fix affordable housing,” he said. “This affordable housing problem is going to affect you. If we lose affordable housing surrounding you, it gives me great concern. If we lose affordable housing in Dawson and Cherokee and Gwinnett and Hall, where are your teachers — who you have probably already lost and are commuting in — going to live?”

But this isn’t all bad news. In 2015, the county sold nearly 1,800 homes in the $250,000 to $399,000 price range, something that is good, he said.

In discussing the population boom Forsyth has experienced in recent years, he predicts the county will be at 500,000 residents by the 2030s or ’40s.

“We need to understand and blueprint life at 500,000” residents, he said.

“Your next-door neighbor today is at 850,000 people. That’s the gorilla called Gwinnett. They’re projected by 2030 to be 1.3 million people. If they’re 1.3 million, could you conceive us at 500,000?

We need to be building infrastructure and we need to be building water resources and transportation resources for 500,000 people. I don’t want this to be a cry in the dark. This needs to be a collective conversation.”

He ended by using a metaphor, saying the county needs to be careful they don’t “kill the golden goose.”

“You can’t squeeze it to produce more golden eggs and you can’t kill it because then you lose all you have,” he said. “You have to care and nurture and feed it and protect it from all kinds of outside influences. If you do that, Forsyth County will continue to be on that pedestal that every other county around you wants to be like you.”

BUSINESSPOSTS

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 17

Meet Geoff Smith: Mortgage banker, southerner, Herald columnist Two hundred articles and counting ROSWELL, Ga. — I was born and raised here in Roswell, which I suppose makes me a Southerner – even though my mother is from New Jersey. So, with that in mind, GEOFF SMITH I’ll go ahead and Assurance Financial, introduce myself gsmith@lendtheway.com before diving into the business news of the day.

I am a mortgage banker for Assurance Financial and work here in the North Fulton area. I write residential home loans for purchases and refinances and I am a junkie when it comes to development news in and around the Metro area. I write a weekly newsletter about development and Ray Appen, one of the longtime publishers of the Herald newspapers, read a couple and asked if I would do a weekly column for his papers. Obviously I jumped at the chance.

Let me first be clear: I’m not a real newspaper person like the other reporters on this staff. I used to be, though. Almost 12 years ago, I worked directly under the great Hatcher Hurd.

I say great because, to a guy not far

out of college with dreams of being an old-school reporter, I thought he was.

Being in the business world, it’s easier for me to see how important a good, honest, tell-it-like-it-is newsperson is to the health of a community.

Obviously we all like it when reporters cover our events and highlight our children’s accomplishments. With some news outlets, that’s really all they do. But I always respected the journalistic ethics of this paper. You could probably count on one hand the number of council meetings that have been held in North Fulton over the last 15 years without a Herald reporter sitting somewhere in the audience. And that is important. Because what our leaders see is not just the reporter, but they also see all of you readers. It’s the power of the pen, and here that power has always been used humbly and honestly.

Roswell, and especially Alpharetta, were very small towns when I was growing up. I remember taking back roads to get to downtown Atlanta.

I remember when the Roswell Mall (now called Roswell Town Center at the northeastern corner of Holcomb Bridge and Ga. 9) was the big deal up here. I remember when a Greek father and son from New York opened

Mama’s Pizza there. The good old boys and girls in Roswell used to go there to watch Pete’s girlfriend (Pete was the father) yell at him in her New York accent because he wasn’t getting the pizzas out fast enough.

It was a small town that was blessed. We got Ga. 400. We got Country Club of the South. We got fiber-optic cable. And we became the “Golden Corridor” and the “Silicon Valley of the East Coast.” We have the best schools in the state, some of the best recreation and parks in the state, fantastic natural parks along the most famous river in the state, and we even have some of the coolest nightspots of any suburb in the state. Yes, folks – it’s great to be living and working up in these parts. We’ll see you next week.

Geoff Smith is a mortgage banker with Assurance Financial focusing on residential home loans for refinances and home purchases.

Geoff Smith gsmith@lendtheway.com 770-674-1433 Personal: NMLS#104587 Business: NMLS#70876 *The views and opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of Assurance Financial Group

C2 Education to award up to $10,000 to Forsyth high schools FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – C2 Education, the nation’s fastest growing network of subject tutoring, SAT, ACT and PSAT test prep and education support centers, will award $25,000 to high schools in nine states throughout the country, including North Forsyth and West Forsyth high schools.

C2 joined forces with Forsyth area high schools to host new SAT practice tests in January. The tests gave students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the redesigned SAT and accurately measure performance

before taking the real test on March 5.

The SAT has been revamped before, but the updated format and scoring system bring a considerable difference to the test. In order to help ease student anxiety, as well as support area high schools, C2 will donate all proceeds from the January events to the hosting high schools. The company will award $5,000 to the four schools whose students obtain the highest average score and randomly select five participating schools for a $1,000 donation.

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To qualify for a donation, the school must have had at least 30 students participate on-site or at a C2 center during the month of January.

The January test events were part of the C2 Community Giveback Program, which, in addition to school support, offers support programs for parents and students.

For more information on Forsyth SAT prep opportunities, go to www. c2educate.com/north-forsyth or www. c2educate.com/west-forsyth or call 888-777-3889.

Four years ago, Hans Appen, the general manager of Appen Media Group (which publishes the paper you are reading), asked me if I would be interested in writing a small-business adDICK JONES vice column. With Founder & President Jones Simply Sales my 35 years of experience working with small businesses, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share tips and ideas to help small-business owners run and grow their businesses.

I initially thought I would be able to write weekly articles for at least three to four months before I ran out of ideas on topics to write about. I was totally wrong.

The list of challenges, responsibilities, tasks, activities and the “balls in the air” that a small-business owner has to deal with goes on and on and on.

Growing sales, retaining customers, developing new products and services, hiring and training employees, attracting and retaining customers, managing finances, day-to-day operations, entering new markets, beating the competition, and improving working capital are just the tip of the iceberg in what small-business owners do every day.

Last week my 200th article was published, and the pipeline of future topics is still a mile long. The point of this article is not the topics I have written about; it’s an article itself about the hundreds of things small-businesses owners have to deal with while running their businesses! Hopefully those who read these articles each week have been assisted in running their businesses better, or at least received ideas to improve and grow their businesses. I wonder when I’ll run out of topics …. probably never!

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Business name: OH Pharmacy Opened: Dec. 21, 2015 Owner: Min Hwan Oh, Pharmacist What: We are a professional, full-service, independent pharmacy focused on standard prescriptions, personalized compounding of medications, wellness and health management, a full line of health care and over-the-

Business name: NutriMost Opened: May 2015 Owner: Dr. Joseph McNamara What: We use cutting-edge technology to detoxify and bring a person’s body into maximum fat-burning mode.

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tionally, all repair service is backed by the industry-leading Staymobile lifetime warranty. For businesses, Staymobile offers device buyback programs, device trade/upgrade programs, mobile device accessories, as well as corporate incentive programs tailored toward each business it serves.

Address: 675 West Crossville Road, Suite 142, Roswell, GA 30075 Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday noon-4 p.m.

Phone: 470-219-5828 Website: staymobile.com/roswell-ga Business name: The Original Mattress Factory Opened: Oct. 1, 2015 Owner: Dave Choppa, Randy Cromer, Mike Newcomb What: We manufacture our own high-quality mattresses and box springs in our own factory and sell directly to our customers, through our own stores, every day at factory-direct low prices.

Address: 11270 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 220, Johns Creek, GA 30097 Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, noon-6 p.m.

Phone: 770-232-0770 Website: www.originalmattress.com

counter products, and are dedicated to providing exceptional service.

Address: 10900 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 308 Johns Creek, GA 30097 Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Phone: 470-223-4775 Website: www.ohpharmacyga.com

Business name: Puppy Haven Opened: Dec. 11, 2015 Owner: Laura Bryant What: Puppy Haven is a doggy day care and boarding facility that offers a unique and exciting experience for your pups. Our 10,000-square-foot facility includes large play areas separated by dog size and temperament, climate-controlled guest rooms, luxury suites and apartments, and live web cameras for you to watch your dog throughout the day. We pride our-

selves on providing personalized attention for every guest and treating your pups as if they are our own. Puppy Haven was voted the top doggy day care in Atlanta by Best Self Atlanta Magazine for 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Address: 2854 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA 30022 Hours: Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Phone: 770-609-7483 Website: www.puppyhavenatl.com

BUSINESSPOSTS

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 19

Mammoth Car Wash to open new location Third location for Alpharetta chain

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Mammoth Car Wash is expanding to a new location in a new town with new partners.

A staple of downtown Alpharetta for two decades, Mammoth’s new location will be in Norcross.

It’s not a really a franchise, said owner Jimmy Tester, but the new store has license agreement to use the Mammoth processes, software, logo and procedures.

Tester said Mammoth began in Alpharetta’s historic district in 1996.

“I always washed my own car,” he said, “and I was always disappointed

with the car washes around town. So I decided to open my own car wash.”

The first location was on Main Street, just south of the intersection with Old Milton Parkway.

Mammoth uses only hand washing – no machines – to which Tester said the community responded very well.

“We specialize in hand car washing and detailing, so you can pamper your car with a luxury bath,” he said.

Within nine years, he was looking for a new location and opened the second store on Old Milton Parkway.

Business boomed.

When the new Norcross store opens, it will be headed up by Ted Marcus and his son, Andrew. They were early supporters of Tester and Mammoth Car Wash.

“I’m a car guy,” said Marcus. “My son is a car guy too,” so much so that

Andrew has worked with Tester for over a year and will be director of operations at the Norcross site.

Marcus said he has wanted to open his own location for years and, when the Norcross property opened up, it was a perfect fit.

“The traffic count is high, the demographics are great and it’s already been a car wash for years. We are very excited,” Marcus said.

“We’ve completely remodeled the building and parking lot to attract high-end customers,” he said. The newest Mammoth Car Wash be just like the Alpharetta locations both in looks and in services offered – a fast hand wash and detail.

Marcus anticipates hiring at least 15 new employees. The business will open in the coming weeks.

The new location is at 4050 Hol-

comb Bridge Road, Norcross, convenient to Roswell, Norcross, Peachtree Corners and Sandy Springs.

For more on Mammoth Car Wash, offerings and locations, visit mammothdetail.com.

ment District As the executive director of the North Fulton Community Improvement District, Ann Hanlon is able to bridge the public-private gap by being a public servant with private resources.

HANLON She began her work with the Atlanta Regional Commission when she moved to Atlanta in May 2002 while doing graduate work at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, “so it was a perfect fit,” she said.

“I love having the ability to feel engaged in public service while also having private resources to get infrastructure projects built quickly and efficiently,” said Hanlon, who has a bachelor’s degree in government and computer science from Notre Dame and a master’s degree in public administration from GSU. Tying in with her professional role, she was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to the board of directors for the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority to help coordinate transportation in the state. Communication for all this is key, she said.

“Especially in our modern world

with so much technology, leaders still must be able to effectively communicate and develop relationships to get work done,” she said. “I hope my peers see me as someone they can sit down with face-to-face and have a productive conversation.”

Part of this, she said, is putting down the cell phone and actually talking with colleagues.

“Effective communication, or lack thereof, can really make the difference between organizations that succeed and ones that suffer. Always be the one who offers to go have lunch or coffee with a colleague and communicate face-toface.”

40 UNDER 40:

Ann M. Hanlon

Editor’s note: The North Atlanta Business Post, an Appen Media Group publication, recently recognized 40 individuals under the age of 40 with outstanding accomplishments in their professional or extracurricular lives. Each week for the next 40 weeks, we will publish a profile showcasing one of these individuals.

Visit NorthAtlanta BusinessPost.com for more info.

Age: 36 Title/Company: Executive director of the North Fulton Community Improve-

Put it in the paper!

Your Engagement, Wedding, Anniversary, Birth, or Graduation!

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Herald | NorthFulton.com 20 | February 4, 3, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com

CALENDAR ROSWELL UMC PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN 2016-17 REGISTRATION

15TH ANNUAL ROSWELL ROOTS FESTIVAL

One of the largest and most comprehensive celebrations of black history and culture in the Southeast, the festival will feature a variety of events. Activities through Feb. 29 Various locations throughout Roswell.

Visit roswellroots.com for more info.

Looking to get the word out about your event?

Email us with photo and description of your event to calendar@appenmediagroup.com.

EVENTS: FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ADMISSIONS TOUR

What: For prospective families with K412th-grade students. Meet in the high school foyer. No reservations required.

When: Thursday, Feb. 4 Where: Fellowship Christian School, 10965 Woodstock Road, Roswell More info: fellowshipchristianschool.org

3RD ANNUAL PALESTINE CHILDREN’S RELIEF FUND TRIVIA NIGHT

What: A fun night of trivia! Show off your smarts and enjoy time with friends and family while helping to support a great cause!

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Casablanca Banquet Hall, 631 N Main Street #113, Alpharetta More info: Pcrfatlantayouth@gmail.com

CUPID CHASE 5K ROAD RACE

What: The PT Solutions Physical Therapy Cupid Chase 5K is for all skill levels and age groups and benefits Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 8 a.m.

Where: PTS Store, Sweet Apple Village, 12050 Etris Road, Roswell More info: ptssports.com/events/ptscupid-chase-5k

ROSWELL GREEN EXPO

What: Keep Roswell Beautiful announces the Roswell Green Expo, with family-friendly activities designed to introduce residents to vendors and organizations that can assist them in becoming more green at home.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Where: Roswell Area Park Community Activity Building, 10495 Woodstock Road, Roswell More info: www.roswellgreenexpo.org

BOW TIES & PEARLS ROSWELL MARDI GRAS BALL

What: Benefitting the Emory ALS Center, the Krewe of Viola will present the inaugural Roswell Mardi Gras Ball, Bow

Ties & Pearls.

When: Feb. 6, 2016, 7-11 p.m.

Where: Country Club of Roswell, 2500 Club Springs Drive, Roswell More info: facebook.com/roswellmardigrasball

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION MEETING

What: The DAR Patriots of Liberty chapter will help you determine if you are a descendant of a Revolutionary Patriot and how to begin the process of substantiating your lineage.

When: Sunday, Feb. 7 Where: Alpharetta Public Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta More info: PatriotsOfLibertyNSDAR@ Yahoo.com

ROSWELL UMC JOB NETWORKING

What: The Roswell United Methodist Church Job Networking event will feature workshops, job interview opportunities and eight keynote speakers in a single hour.

When: Monday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Where: Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell More info: rumcjobnetworking.com

OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH, AUTHOR SIGNING FOR “BLACKHEARTS”

What: Nicole Castroman will be on hand for the official launch of her first book, “Blackhearts.”

When: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.

Where: Barnes & Noble, The Collection at Forsyth, 410 Peachtree Parkway, Cumming More info: nicolecastroman.com

MARDI GRAS PUB CRAWL AT AVALON

What: In celebration of Fat Tuesday, Avalon will host its second-annual pub crawl featuring New Orleans-themed drinks, food, and live music that will transform Avalon Boulevard into Bourbon Street.

When: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Where: Avalon, 2200 Avalon Blvd., Alpharetta More info: experienceavalon.com/events/ eventitems/mardi-gras-pub-crawl

What: The Roswell United Methodist Church Preschool and Kindergarten will hold registration for 2016-17.

When: Monday, Feb. 8, for RUMC members and alumni of RUMCK and Parents’ Morning out; Tuesday, Feb. 9 for the general public.

Where: Roswell UMC, 814 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell More info: rumc.com/RUMCK

MUSIC, ARTS & THEATER: ROSWELL VISITORS CENTER FEATURES ARTISTS’ WORKS

What: Works by two of North Fulton’s highly regarded artists, Joan Hilliard and Barry Etris, will be on exhibit, with originals available for purchase as well as a selection of prints.

Spruill Arts Student & Instructor When: Through February Where: Roswell Visitors Center, 617 Atlanta St., Roswell More info: visitroswellga.com

EVENING OF ART, JAZZ & COCKTAILS IN JOHNS CREEK

What: Opening reception for a trio of new exhibits: Tina Dunkley’s new artwork from the Merikans series; “Sistagraphy: When the Spirit Calls Me,” perspectives on spirituality from African-American women photographers; and “Photography on the Color Line,” photographs compiled by W.E.B. DuBois for the 1900 Paris Exhibition.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Johns Creek Arts Center, 6290 Abbotts Bridge Road, Building 700, Johns Creek More info: johnscreekarts.org

LIVE! IN ROSWELL PRESENTS BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA

What: LIVE! In Roswell presents the Blind Boys of Alabama, recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music, have won five Grammys.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m.

Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell Cost: Tickets $40 More info: roswellgov.com

GEORGIA PHILHARMONIC PRESENTS YOUNG CONCERTO WINNERS What: The Georgia Philharmonic will continue its 2015-2016 season with a performance featuring the six winners of the annual Samuel Fordis Young Artists’ Concerto Competition.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 7 p.m.

Where: Lassiter Concert Hall, 2601 Shallowford Road, Marietta More info: georgiaphilharmonic.org

ST. JAMES UMC HEART HEALTH SCREENING AND INFORMATION

What: St. James United Methodist

Church’s Health and Wellness ministry will host a heart and health screening and information session.

When: Sunday, Feb. 7, following 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. services Where: St. James United Methodist Church, 3000 Webb Bridge Road, Alpharetta More info: sziegler@stjamesumc.org

SPRUILL METALS DEPARTMENT’S 8TH ANNUAL STUDENT & INSTRUCTOR JEWELRY MARKET

What: Selections for purchase will include diverse jewelry styles in precious metals, glass, beads, gemstones and more at prices for every budget.

When: Sunday, Feb. 7, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Spruill Arts Education Center, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Atlanta More info: spruillarts.org

ONCE UPON A TIME: SONGS OF IMAGINATION

What: Kaleidoscope, the 36-voice ensemble from The Michael O’Neal Singers, will take a musical journey exploring songs written about the world of imagination from composers including Brahms, Shumann, Eric Whitacre, John Rutter and Ola Gjeilo, among others.

When: Sunday, Feb. 7, 3 p.m.

Where: Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, 180 Academy Street, Alpharetta Cost: $10 More info: mosingers.com/kaleidoscope

“LOVE IS A VERB” SCREENING

What: “Love Is A Verb” is an examination of a social movement of Sufi-inspired Muslims that began in Turkey in the 1960s and now reaches across the globe. The group is called Hizmet, the Turkish word for service, or the Gulen Movement after its inspiration, leader and beloved teacher Fethullah Gulen, a man that Time Magazine named one of the most influential leaders in the world in 2013.

When: 6:30-7:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 Where: Regal Cinemas Avalon, 3950 1 St., Alpharetta Cost: $12 per person More info: tugg.com/events/82771#

ROSWELL DANCE STARZ PRESENTS “EVER AFTER: A JOURNEY FROM NEVERLAND TO WONDERLAND” What: The Roswell Dance Starz will present “Ever After: A Journey from Neverland to Wonderland” at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, featuring scenes from some of the most beloved children’s tales of all time as well as more recent Disney hits.

When: Friday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. Performances also Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell More info: roswellgov.com/everafter

CALENDAR

DOCUMENT SHREDDING, GREASE RECYCLING IN JOHNS CREEK

What: The city of Johns Creek, Keep Johns Creek Beautiful and Panera Bread will offer a chance for residents to shred documents and dump cooking fats.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where: Panera Bread, 11715 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek More info: 770-551-7766

LIBRARY EVENTS: For a complete list of North Fulton events, go to afpls.org/events For a complete list of Forsyth events, go to forsythpl.org/eventCalendar/eventCalendar.aspx

LIBRARY’S ONE WORLD FORSYTH PROGRAM TO HOST JAPANESE, CHINESE EVENTS

What: Two special One World Forsyth events, sponsored by the Forsyth County Public Library and the FCPL Friends and Advocates, will spotlight Japanese and Chinese events.

When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Sharon Forks Library to celebrate Japan; 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7 at Post Road Library to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Cost: Free More info: forsythpl.org.

ROSWELL LIBRARY BOOK SALE

What: Book sale is sponsored by the Friends of the Roswell Library. All proceeds go back into the library.

When: Feb. 4-7, 10 a.m.-5:30 Thursday, Friday, Saturday and 2-5:30 on Sunday.

Where: Roswell Library, 115 Norcross St., Roswell More info: 770 643 4839

FRIENDS OF THE ALPHARETTA LIBRARY BOOK SALE

What: Come support the library shopping at the Friends’ Book Sale. All ages.

Library porch and Friends Bookstore.

When: Feb. 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Alpharetta Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta More info: 404-613-6735

BECOMING A RESPONSIBLE PET OWNER

What: Focuses on teaching responsible pet ownership. Find out how to take care of your fur kid and learn about volunteer opportunities at the Humane Society.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m.

Where: Milton Library, 855 Mayfield Road, Milton More info: 404-613-4402

COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES IN PALLIATIVE/HOSPICE CARE

What: Courtesy of AmityCare, join us for explanations of alternative therapies available to those in palliative or

NorthFulton.com ForsythHerald.com | Alpharetta-Roswell | Forsyth Herald | February 3, 4, 2016 | 21

hospice care.

When: Friday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.

Where: Milton Library, 855 Mayfield Road, Milton More info: 404-613-4402

PET ADOPTIONS: FORSYTH COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER What: Pet adoptions When: Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: The Forsyth County Animal Shelter, 4065 County Way, Forsyth County More info: 678-965-7185

FULTON COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES

What: Pet adoptions When: Every Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m., PetSmart, 6370 North Point Parkway, Alpharetta Additional adoptions: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Fulton County Animal Services, 860 Marietta Blvd NW, Atlanta More info: 404-613-4958

OF INTEREST ELSEWHERE: “DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” DISCOUNTED STUDENT TICKETS What: Broadway’s classic fairy tales returns to the Fox Theatre for a week of musical enchantment. For any local college students looking for a night of romantic hilarity mixed with magic and charm, Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta presents a special $25 Student Rush ticket price.

When: Feb. 2-7, times vary Where: Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta More info: broadwayinatlanta.com

MARDI GRAS STREETCAR ADVENTURE

What: The 2nd Annual Mardi Gras Streetcar Adventure, a tour including nine locally owned restaurants, bars and attractions with a New Orleans vibe.

When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 1 p.m.

Where: Park Bar at Centennial Olympic Park and Sweet Auburn Curb Market off Edgewood Avenue More info: AtlantaBarTours.com

ATLANTA BALLET’S “MOULIN ROUGE” What: Get up close and personal with the bohemian world of Paris in its heyday and the spiritual birthplace of the cancan – Moulin Rouge, the most famous cabaret in history. Experience the explosive story of young love and rising stardom set against a glamorous, sizzling Parisian backdrop.

When: Feb. 5-13, 8 p.m.

Where: Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta More info: cobbenergycentre.com

Trout fun at the Buford Trout Hatchery “Let’s go see the fish!”

This enthusiastic request is heard all the time at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Buford Trout Hatchery, located just off Ga. STEVE HUDSON 20 about five miles Get Outside Georgia, Chattahoochee Media Group from Ga. 400.

Located adjacent to the Chattahoochee River, this hatchery provides rainbow and brown trout for stocking in Georgia’s trout waters – and it just may be a perfect choice if you’re looking for something truly unique to do with the family this weekend.

The Buford Trout Hatchery really is a great place to visit with the family. First, of course, you’ll get to see the trout – lots of trout – which are being reared in the site’s raceways.

At this site, fisheries biologists raise hundreds of thousands of trout each year. The products of their efforts are eventually stocked into the state’s public streams and range from small trout measuring just a few inches long to what the hatchery folks call “showand-tell” fish of 10 pounds or more.

One of the best ways to experience the hatchery is to take the free guided tour offered every Saturday at 1 p.m.

This family-friendly tour, which lasts 45 minutes to an hour, starts at the hatchery’s office building. First, you’ll get a great overview of how the facility operates and what it does. Then it’s off to the raceways where you get to see the fish up close and personal.

For many visitors, especially kids, the highlight of the tour is the chance to help feed the fish. The young folks get a huge kick out of tossing bits of “trout chow” to the fish, which respond enthusiastically. The water actually seems to boil as the trout go after the food.

But kids are not the only ones who get into this. The adults in the group will have just as much fun – and that’s the voice of experience speaking.

The trout, of course, are the stars at the Buford Fish Hatchery. But there’s plenty more to do here as well.

For example, you can hike the site’s nature trail, which offers excellent birdwatching opportunities.

If the weather’s good, you can also try your hand at some catch-and-release fishing in the site’s family fishing pond. The pond is stocked with bream and catfish, and young anglers in particular will have a blast (especially as the weather warms toward spring).

You’ll want to bring your own bait and gear, though a limited number of loaner rods are available. Kids under 16 can fish for free, but anglers 16 and over will need to have a current fishing license. Good baits for bream are worms, crickets and dough balls made from white bread; for the catfish, try some night crawlers or even small pieces of hot dog. Nearby picnic tables make this a great place to spend an afternoon.

The Buford Trout Hatchery is located at 3204 Trout Place Road (what a great address) in Cumming. It’s open daily from 8 a.m. till 4:30 p.m.; the pond and nature trail are open till 3 p.m.

By the way, the Buford Trout Hatchery is a great jumping-off point for a fantastic hike up the Chattahoochee River to Buford Dam. We’ll look at that hike next time.

Steve Hudson has written numerous books on fishing, hiking, the outdoors and more. Check them out at www. chattahoochee media.com.

22 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

22 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016

Sponsored Section

2016 Housing Outlook

By BILL RAWLINGS Vice President/Managing Broker, North Atlanta Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty Atlanta’s housing market ended last year with strong gains in sales and price appreciation and we only expect it to continue gaining strength. So what is selling? Lifestyle and location continue to be the biggest drivers in the market.

Desirable school systems make desirable neighborhoods. As a significant number of buyers are families looking to find a new home and get settled before the school year begins; spring will be especially hot for areas with excellent public schools.

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REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section

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NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 23

Sales Leaders Ashley Zhang Johns Creek 678-707-2005

Grace Yoon Norcross 404-514-1000

Megan Dwyer Dong Dong Fang-Lopez Roswell Norcross 770-331-7986 678-800-4989

Linda Bell McDonough 678-898-4900

Cynthia Wilson Norcross 678-910-4572

Tammie Carter Johns Creek 770-820-7127

Thomas Hughes Norcross 706-429-3545

Steve Wrenn Norcross 770-916-1000

Janice Chatham Cumming 770-876-0391

Amanda Yu Norcross 404-432-0068

Vanessa Williams Smyrna/Vinings 404-213-0422

Weatherford Place – Smart, healthy living in the best of both worlds

By Suzanne Close Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty New technology hooks up with historic charm and delivers unparalleled beauty, brawn and brilliance for high performance, easy living.

Located in Historic Roswell and yet light-years away from the rest, Weatherford Place is a small enclave of distinctive homes designed and built for a healthy, environmentally responsible, energy and economically efficient lifestyle.

These custom homes offer free electric power, free hot water and passive solar design with fully integrated solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems.

Natural light harvesting and healthy indoor air quality blend to breathe life and inspiration to interior spaces while superior materials, products and construction methodologies ensure energy conservation, high performance and low maintenance.

Indoor air and water quality is assured by eliminating VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and radon with structured mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems within a sealed

building envelope.

Certified materials, finishes and mitigation systems for filtered fresh air intake address asthma, allergies and other respiratory health issues.

Water conservation measures include low CLOSE flow and gal/flush plumbing fixtures and tap ready hot water along with rain harvesting and reuse systems. A total underground capacity of 20,000 gal supplies automated drip irrigation to individual homes and common areas.

Feel secure whether it’s a walk around the block to Canton Street for dinner and drinks or a trip around the world for time away, as you view, monitor and manage your home from your web-enabled phone with turnkey ease.

Enjoy this quiet community overlooking your private nature preserve and Certified Wildlife Habitat with drinks around the fire at the gazebo or stroll the meandering trails to sparkling Crossville Creek and the fire pit at

See WEATHERFORD, Page 24

Beverly Parker Cumming 404-271-6351

Malvin Trawick Smyrna/Vinings 404-794-1403

Ron Cochran Woodstock 678-485-6506

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24 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section

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PHASE II R E A DY T H I S S P R I N G

If you are under 50 years old, this article is probably not for you. For those of us who are 50 years or older, listen up, pre-retirement and retirement is starting to look a little different in terms of housing trends. According to a recent study by Merrill Lynch and Age Wave research group, the greatest household growth will come from the 65+ age group. Pervious trends have shown that empty nesters and retirees were opting for downsizing their living spaces. That trend is starting to change. The Baby Boomer generation, age 50-68 years, have accumulated wealth via their homes and the majority of them say they are currently living in the best homes of their lives.

A good number of these boomers are not willing to change their style of living, but to accommodate a 20-30+ year retirement, they need to think ahead about how their needs may change. Probably the most common issue for empty nesters and retirees that I see is the location of the master bedroom. Most are looking for a master on the main floor, but not willing to compromise quality or even, sometimes square footage. According to the Merrill Lynch Study, this is called the down-size surprise. This study shows that only half of retirees moved to a smaller home and almost one-third moved to a larger home. Apparently, Baby Boomers are thinking about accommodating other family members who may visit (and even stay long term) with them. This generation has also been called the “sandwich” generation because they are tasked with tending to the needs of their parents who are living longer and their children who may move home after college or job changes. Regardless of the possibility of family members moving in, Baby Boomers want a home that has the space and quality to comfortably entertain family and friends.

Weatherford: Continued from Page 23

W W W.W E AT H E R F O R D P L A C E . C O M

waters’ edge.

Third party inspectors have certified Weatherford Place with the lowest HERS ratings and largest collection of LEED for Homes at the Platinum Level.

This USGBC* program represents the highest standards for built environments, worldwide.

One of the major questions, is where should I move? Based on this study, the most popular region of the country is not surprisingly the South Atlantic region.

Florida has traditionally been a big draw JONES for retirees, but many people have found that is too far from family and grandchildren. A lot of empty nesters and retirees are staying close to family. One of the advantages about North Atlanta, more specifically the Roswell/Alpharetta/Johns Creek cities, is all-around livability and desirability. Forbes magazine has recognized Alpharetta multiple times as one of the best places to move and one of the friendliest cities. Roswell has won multiple awards for a great city to raise your family or to retire too and was voted Atlanta Magazine’s, “Best Place to Live in Metro Atlanta.”

And, Johns Creek was voted “America’s Top 25 Places to Live and to Go to School” by Relocate America. Each of these cities continue to improve their parks, recreation, entertainment options, shopping and transportation.

So, there’s really no reason to leave.

The good news is that empty nesters, pre-retirees and retirees have worked hard and accumulated enough wealth to offer up lots of options or better said, lifestyle freedom! You could decide to stay put and improve your living environs or opt for another new home or project home that better suits your long-term needs. Regardless, you should elicit the help of a seasoned real estate agent to assist you in exploring your next housing move. She/he can help you determine the value of your current property and viable options for a new home. I have personally consulted with couples in this situation and it’s always rewarding to be a part of my clients’ “next big (exciting) step.”

From terrace levels to lofts, work directly with award winning architect, Simone du Boise, AIA to customize plans and create your own individual environment. With new construction underway and only 3 lots left, call for a tour of Weatherford Place today.

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NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 25

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26 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

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Outdoor living trends (NAPSI)—You can still have a hot time in your own backyard, even when the weather cools, if you follow these trends and enhance the natural beauty of your patio, poolscape, walkway or driveway.

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NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 27

IT’S BACK! WE ARE GIVING AWAY ANOTHER CRUISE!

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“The trip was fantastic,” said Jenny. “We fell in love with Roatan. It was probably our favorite of the islands we visited. It’s stunningly beautiful.”

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28 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

COMMUNITY

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 29

‘What’ll ya have?’

Varsity Alpharetta closes its doors

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. – After more than a dozen years open, the Alpharetta location of The Varsity will close its doors Monday, Feb. 1.

The North Fulton branch of the Atlanta landmark opened in 2003 on Old Milton Parkway and (later) Westside Parkway.

The chain is famous for its quick service featuring chili dogs, burgers and shakes.

Those wishing to visit The Varsity will now have to go to one of its seven other locations.

Ron Jackson, a Roswell resident, said he ate at the Alpharetta location about once a week.

“I’m really sorry that this Atlanta-area iconic restaurant will be closing in Alpharetta,” Jackson said. “It was a familiar place where I would almost always run into people I know. We will survive, but nothing is quite like The Varsity.”

He said it was the famous chili dogs that kept him coming back to the restaurant. Now, to get his hot dog fix, he said he would have to visit the downtown Atlanta location.

The company and President Gordon Muir released a statement on the closing: “After a great deal of thought and consideration, the leadership of The Varsity has decided to close our store in Alpharetta on Feb 1. We would like to sincerely thank the people of Alpharetta for welcoming us in their community for the past 12 years. We weighed a number of options and came

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Nearby locations of The Varsity remaining open The Varsity Downtown 61 North Ave. NW Atlanta, Georgia 30308 Phone: 404-881-1706

JONATHAN COPSEY/STAFF

The Varsity Alpharetta closed Feb. 1 after more than a dozen years in service.

The Varsity Jr. Dawsonville 73 Bethel Drive Dawsonville, Georgia 30534 Phone: 706-265-7273 The Varsity Town Center 2790 Town Center Drive Kennesaw, Georgia 30144 Phone: 770-795-0802 The Varsity Gwinnett 6045 Dawson Blvd.

Norcross, Georgia 30093 Phone: 770-840-8519

to the conclusion that our three other stores north of the perimeter –Town Center (Kennesaw), Dawsonville and Gwinnett (Norcross) – can effectively serve our customers in this area. Many of the outstanding team members from our Alpharetta store already work at our other locations and will continue to carry the spirit of hospitality to our customers that The Varsity has been known for since 1928.”

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The City of Alpharetta is beginning the

Comprehensive Land Use Plan Update.

Please plan to attend one or both of the visionary workshops.

When/Where:

February 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Multi-Purpose Room, City Hall 2 Park Plaza Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 Or February 25 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Alpharetta YMCA 3655 Preston Ridge Rd. Alpharetta, GA 30005

Why:

To help establish Vision and Key Issues for the 2016 Update to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

Kimley-Horn Associates and City Staff will be in attendance.

30 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

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NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 31

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32 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

COMMUNITY

Roswell H&R Block gets $1K winner Part of nationwide contest

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ROSWELL, Ga. -- For one resident, filing her taxes early helped her win $1,000. Sandy Springs resident Desiree Lightfoot was named one of 1,000 winners of the H&R Block nationwide contest running through tax season.

Lightfoot said that, every year, she gets her taxes done at the H&R Block office on Ga. 9, just north of Mansell Road. This year, as in past years, she met with her tax advisor, Bert Goode, who helped her get the most bang for her buck. That was on Jan. 18. Four days later, Lightfoot received an email saying she had won $1,000 in the contest.

“I first thought was it was a scam,” she laughed and said, and ignored the email.

It was only when she called the office to verify the email that she realized she had indeed won.

“I can’t think of anybody better to win,” Goode said.

Nationwide, H&R Block is giving

Desiree Lightfoot, center, is awarded $1,000 from Roswell H&R Block manager Belinda Reid, left, and advisor Bert Goode. away $1,000 a day to 1,000 people who file their taxes with the firm. The contest runs until Feb. 15. Each person who has filed will be entered into the daily drawing until winners are selected. Goode said this encourages

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people to file early. Lightfoot said she had no idea what she’ll use the money on, but she suspects her teen daughter has plenty of ideas. The Roswell H&R Block is located at 11060 Alpharetta Highway, Suite 118.

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NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 33

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day at The Velvet Note

Step out with your baby for an extraordinary Valentine’s Celebration at The Velvet Note. You know your Valentine will love an evening at this intimate, upscale destination in Alpharetta named “Atlanta’s Best Jazz Night” by Creative Loafing Magazine.

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34 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

POLICE BLOTTER

INTRODUCING

All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.

The

‘Surprised’ driver gets DUI

®

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – A driver seemed surprised police pulled him over Jan. 23 after he was swerving on Ga. 400.

Police say the man, a 43-year-old Fairburn resident, was drifting on the road, causing traffic around him to quickly stop. When pulled over on Mansell Road, the man was surprised, asking the officer, “You stopping me?”

He claimed he was on his phone.

Police smelled alcohol, yet he declined to say if he had been drinking before driving. Instead of a driver’s license, he handed police a passport.

A search of his car turned up several empty vodka bottles as well as a cup with vodka and orange juice in the center console. The man was arrested for DUI, driving with an open container, failure to maintain lane, driving with a suspended license, driving with an expired tag and improper tag.

Color Collection

Box swap doesn’t fool store MILTON, Ga. – A 20-year-old Gainesville resident was arrested Jan. 21 after allegedly swapping boxes holding items so he could pay a lower price for an expensive item.

Employees of Fry’s Electronics in Milton said they spotted the young man select a Pioneer Digital Receiver car stereo, valued at $130, and a $30 MPS car radio. He then swapped the merchandise, putting the more expensive item into the cheaper model’s box. He put the less-expensive item back on the shelf and bought the more expensive item (now in the cheap box with a lower price tag).

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He was stopped as he left the store and claimed he was unaware of the switch and that the models looked similar. Police say they do not look similar.

Restaurant equipment vanishes overnight ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Someone stole several expensive items of equipment from a local restaurant Jan. 5.

According to police, someone entered the Firefly restaurant on Windward Plaza overnight and made off with a computer system ($20,000 value), computer terminal ($500), Tommy Bahama cooler ($100) and a salad prep table ($3,500). The last employees to leave the building said there was nothing missing when they left.

Vehicles broken into Jan. 11, some items recovered later ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Five vehicles were broken into in the early morning of Jan. 11, with windows broken out and personal items missing. The vehicles were all in the parking lot of the Crabapple location of Atlanta Fitness. Windows were broken out of all the vehicles and items such as headphones, purses, credit cards and cash were reported missing. Police say women’s vehicles were targeted for the purses inside, and that it took only seconds per car to break in. Many of the items missing were found later that day in a dumpster on Sandy Plains Road.

Fraud costs resident $1,700 MILTON, Ga. – Someone stole a resident’s personal information and racked up $1,700 in cable charges for the victim. The victim told police someone in Detroit, Michigan, had used his name and Social Security number to open an account with Comcast.

The suspect reported charges of $1,700 in Comcast services.

Arrests: Continued from Page 2 ►► Michael Bazile, 25, of Gran Crique

Drive, Roswell, was arrested Jan. 14 on Ga. 400 in Alpharetta for possession of marijuana. ►► Daniel Tilson Mitchell, 27, of Holcomb Court, Roswell, was arrested Jan. 14 on Kimball Bridge Road in Alpharetta for possession of marijuana, wanted person and passing a school bus.

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 35

COMMUNITY

36 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

ROSWELL ROOTS PRESENTS:

‘Goin’ to Chicago’ film portrays migrating African Americans Part of month-long series of events ROSWELL, Ga. – As part of the monthlong Roswell Roots Festival, the city and the Roswell Historical Society will host a screening of “Going’ to Chicago,” an Atlanta documentary about the unprecedented migration of African Americans in the U.S. after World War II. They traveled en mass, leaving the cotton fields and Jim Crow laws of the South, in search of a better life in the cities of the North and the West. One woman boarded a Greyhound bus with no money, just a box of Ritz crackers.

About four million African Americans left the South after World War II in the largest internal migration in the United States.

Atlanta director and producer George King chronicles this historic exodus in “Goin’ to Chicago,” a 50-minute documentary film that will be screened on Tuesday, Feb. 9, as part of Roswell Roots: A Festival of Black History and Culture.

The event begins at 4 p.m. at Roswell Cultural Arts Center and is free

If you go What: “Goin’ to Chicago” Roswell When: Feb. 9, 4 p.m.

Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St, Roswell Cost: Free More Info: www.roswellgov.com

to the public. After the screening, King will lead a question-and-answer session, and the Roswell Historical Society will host a reception.

Produced in the 1990s, the documentary weaves together archival film and photographs, narrated home videos, music, and interviews telling the personal stories of a group of older Chicagoans from the Mississippi Delta. It’s part oral history, part musical history.

Historic recordings include the “field hollers” that were the beginning of the blues as well as songs by blues greats

The Atlanta documentary of “Goin’ to Chicago” will be screened Feb. 9 at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center.

Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers. Gospel and jazz round out the soundtrack along with rap improvised in Chicago’s Cabrini Green housing project. Many songs were recorded specifically for the

film in dynamic community venues like Artis’s Bar, a south side Chicago blues club.

“I made this film because I recognized the significance of the African American great migrations and the impact they have had on contemporary history and culture,” King said. “I learned how to make films in hopes of changing the world a bit – to present people with information that would challenge their thinking, attitudes, and perspectives. The prejudices that continue to divide us are perhaps the most significant impediment to progress.”

Elaine DeNiro, archivist for Roswell Historical Society/City of Roswell Research Library and Archives, said, “There are so many facets to the period of the great migration, and George King has the talent to put them all together in one film.

“It’s just amazing that we can have this caliber film as part of our roots celebration. It’s something that people are not going to want to miss.”

For more about the Roswell Roots Festival, a month-long event honoring the city’s African American roots, visit roswellroots.com.

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38 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

COMMUNITY

Don’t Miss Out! JONATHAN COPSEY

Alpharetta firefighters were honored Jan. 28 for saving two people in Milton.

Alpharetta honors its finest Public safety awards praise exemplary actions

By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com

Join Today.

Visit our website at alpharettachamber.com or call Kristen Franks at (404) 545-0212

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Public safety is sometimes taken for granted by the community. But a safe community is created through the actions of the members of a city’s public safety department – police and fire – in the course of their everyday duties.

Every year, the Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation holds an awards ceremony to honor those who have excelled in their jobs by going above and beyond the call of duty.

This year, the event was held Jan. 29 at the Alpharetta Presbyterian Church.

“If our families are not safe, nothing else matters,” said Alpharetta Councilman Jim Gilvin, praising the efforts of the public safety departments.

Keeping families safe are the men and women of the police and fire departments. Awards were given out to those who had gone far beyond their daily duties.

“I love each and every one of you,” said Public Safety Chief Gary George.

“You are family.”

The keynote speaker was Donna Rowe, a Vietnam veteran, who shared her story of heroism.

She served in Vietnam as a triage nurse, working in Saigon to treat wounded soldiers during the war.

One day, a call announced a helicopter was coming in with a wounded infant.

The baby’s entire village had been killed by North Vietnamese and her mother had died holding her.

The army hospital admitted the baby and Rowe helped treat her.

Several Army chaplains, of multiple religions, blessed the girl. She was baptized Catholic so a local nunnery would take her in. She was called “Catherine.”

“In war, there is no demonization, but there is faith,” Rowe said.

It turns out, the girl survived and now lives in California with her husband and family.

She was searching this whole time for the people who helped save her.

Including Rowe.

“When people call us ‘baby killers,’ I know better,” Rowe said.

Rowe was reunited with baby Catherine a few years ago in Kennesaw, as part of a documentary.

The Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation provides financial help to public safety members who are injured, get sick or otherwise cannot work.

The Director’s Award went to Officer Amanda Clay, who began with the department working in the Police Explorer program as a teen, then worked part time before finally becoming a full-timepolice officer.

See ADPS, Page 40

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 39

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40 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

ADPS Photos:

The 2015 Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation Award recipients:

Continued from Page 38

Citizen of the Year — Morris Cowan Fire Corps Volunteer of the Year — Jim Murphy Firefighter of the Year — Firefighter Michael Ebright Fire Officer of the Year — Capt. Marc Allen Police Cross Awards — Capt. Terri Osborne and MPO Charles Fannon CAPS Officer of the Year — Fred Smith Public Safety Employee of the Year — Pam Futch Communications Employee of the Year — Shawna Pope E-Squad Officer of the Year — Officer Steve Pelts Officer of the Year — Detective Matt Tout Police Supervisor of the Year — Lt. Doug French ACE Officer of the Year — Detective John Robinson

Special Firefighter Recognition — Medical Lifesaving Awards JONATHAN COPSEY/STAFF

Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle thanked his city’s police and firefighters for working to keep residents safe.

CLARK SAVAGE/SPECIAL

Police Officer Amanda Clay was honored with the Director’s Award from Public Safety Director Gary George for her long service with the department and efforts in community policing.

Incident 1: Cardiac arrest event on March 11, 2015 Capt. Bryan Padgett Fire Apparatus Engineer Phillip Seabolt Firefighter Marty Robinson Firefighter Randy Wade Incident 2: Pool drowning event of a 3-year-old girl on Aug. 1, 2015 Battalion Chief Brian Turner Fire Apparatus Scott Blakeney Fire Apparatus Operator Kevin Hook Fire Apparatus Engineer Jeff Wright

The Director’s Award Officer Amanda Clay

JONATHAN COPSEY/STAFF

Firefighter of the Year, Michael Ebright, receives his award with his family.

JONATHAN COPSEY/STAFF

ACE Officer, Lt. John Robinson, is awarded $500 from State Bank and Trust for his efforts in working with children.

SPORTS

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 41

Central downs Cambridge 48-32 in region matchup Julie Richards scores 16 in Bulldogs win

By JOE PARKER news@appenmediagroup.com CUMMING, Ga. — The Forysth Central girls (11-13, 7-4) beat Cambridge (9-15, 3-8) 48-32 on Jan. 30 in Cumming.

After a slow start, the Bulldogs took the lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back against their Region 7-AAAA Division B rival.

Central senior forward Julie Richards led the Bulldogs in scoring with 16 and rebounds with six.

Richards also had a standout performance defensively with five blocks and a steal.

Abby Fagan added 13 points for the Bulldogs as well as two steals and junior Caroline Hearn scored 11.

For the Lady Bears, freshman Julie Powell led in scoring with 10 points and shot 80 percent on free throws.

Fellow freshman Audrey Smith compiled 9 points, 15 rebounds and a steal.

Cambridge got off to a positive start with 5 points from Smith and a 3-pointer from Powell to open the game with an 8-2 lead.

In the first quarter, Cambridge’s defense limited the Bulldogs’ passes inside the paint. However, beginning in the second quarter, the Bears were unable to do so.

The Bulldogs outscored Cambridge 12-4 in the second quarter after 3-pointers from Hear and Fagan and took a 21-15 lead into halftime.

The Bulldogs continued their offensive success in the third, opening the second half with an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 29-15. The Bulldogs were also able to outduel Cambridge’s Smith for rebounds, getting jump balls when they could not bring in the rebounds.

A reverse of the first quarter, Cambridge struggled to get passes inside the paint and were forced to shoot outside shots, which limited Smith’s production under the net.

Cambridge would continue to build their lead for the remainder of the game and take the win 44-32.

Forsyth Central finished out their regular season with their Tuesday game against subregion-leading Kell while Cambridge completed their regular season against Sprayberry.

JOE PARKER

Lady Bears center Audrey Smith battles with Bulldogs’ Julie Richards for a rebound under the net. Richards had a standout performance against Cambridge with 16 points, six rebounds, a steal and five blocks

Other notable games (boys):

Other notable games (girls):

Alpharetta 62 – Johns Creek 65 Johns Creek won in a shootout last Friday in a Region 6-AAAAAA matchup against Alpharetta, battling back to regain the lead in the final minute.

Johns Creek’s defense created multiple turnovers late and were able to take the lead with free throws.

Johns Creek is off to their best start in school history (21-2) while two-time defending regular-season champion Alpharetta fell to 9-14 overall.

South Forsyth 60 Chattahoochee 44 The War Eagles improved to 16-0 in Region 6-AAAAAA with their win over Chattahoochee on Friday. Maryland commit Sarah Myers led South in scoring with 23 points. South will close out their regular season against North Forsyth this Friday.

West Forsyth 46 Lambert 74 Connor Mannion led the Longhorns with 23 points as the Longhorns remained unbeaten in Region 6-AAAAAA this season.

The Longhorns (21-2, 16-0) will face Johns Creek this Friday in what could be a winner-take-all game for the regular-season region championship.

King’s Ridge 55 St. Francis 82 St. Francis locked up the Region 6-A Division B subregion championship with their win over King’s Ridge on Friday. Senior Knights player Kobi Simmons was presented as a McDonald’s All American earlier that day. King’s Ridge lost their second consecutive region game with the loss.

West Forsyth 62 Lambert 46 West won their fourth straight region game Friday after losing to region-leading South on Jan. 18. West (18-5, 15-1) was led by senior Jenna Staiti who scored 40 points in the win.

West is seeking their first regular-season region title. West fell to nonregion opponent McEachern on Saturday.

Pinecrest Academy 57 Fellowship Christian 63 Fellowship Christian greatly helped their chances of earning a playoff berth with their win over Pinecrest. In the most recent Power Rankings, which determine the top-16 teams that will make the playoffs in Class A Private, FCS was on the outside looking in as they were ranked 22nd. Their win over Walker on Friday and Pinecrest on Saturday could push them into the top 16 if they can win out. Pinecrest, on the bubble at 16th, beat Whitefield Acad-

Weekend Scores Boys scores (Friday) • West Forsyth 46 Lambert 74 • South Forsyth 64 Chattahoochee 58 • Alpharetta 62 Johns Creek 65 • Milton 77 Lassiter 35 • North Springs 61 Cambridge 54 • Sprayberry 40 Forsyth Central 58 • Blessed Trinity 42 Decatur 44 • King’s Ridge 55 St. Francis 82 • Mount Pisgah 61 Providence Christian 35 • Pinecrest Academy 40 Whitefield Academy 59 • Fellowship Christian 41 Walker 50 Boys scores (Saturday) • North Forsyth 50 Walton 70 • Lassiter 62 Roswell 51 • Milton 49 Etowah 38 • Cambridge 65 Forsyth Central 70 • Mount Pisgah 46 North Cobb Christian 76 • Pinecrest Academy 51 Fellowship Christian 40 • King’s Ridge 45 Greenforest 74 Girls scores (Friday) • West Forsyth 62 Lambert 46 • South Forsyth 60 Chattahoochee 44 • Alpharetta 42 Johns Creek 33 • Northview 47 Habersham Central 39 • Milton 47 Lassiter 31 • North Springs 31 Cambridge 27 • Sprayberry 51 Forsyth Central 39 • Blessed Trinity 46 Decatur 49 • Mount Pisgah 34 Providence Christian 29 • Pinecrest Academy 62 Whitefield Academy 41 • Fellowship Christian 40 Walker 38 Girls scores (Saturday) • McEachern 58 West Forsyth 37 • Cambridge 32 Forsyth Central 48 • Milton 34 Etowah 41 • Mount Pisgah 36 North Cobb Christian 45 • Pinecrest Academy 57 Fellowship Christian 63 emy on Friday, possibly keeping them in the top 16 even with the loss to FCS.

SPORTS

42 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

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St. Francis’ Kobi Simmons named McDonald’s All American Will play at All American Games in Chicago March 30

By JOE PARKER news@appenmediagroup.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — St. Francis senior basketball player Kobi Simmons was selected to play in the 39th annual McDonald’s All American Games that will take place in Chicago’s United Center on March 30. Simmons was one of only two Georgia players selected for the 24-player roster from among 755 nominees nationally.

During a McDonald’s American Hometown Heroes presentation at St. Francis Jan. 29, Simmons, who has committed to the University of Arizona, said being named an All American is “a dream come true.”

“It means the world to me to be selected,” he said. “It’s just really a blessing and I’m honored to be named an All American.

“This is something a young man dreams to be a part of. You dream about it as a little kid and now it’s actually happening.”

Simmons, a 6-foot-5 point guard, is St. Francis’ all-time leading scorer with 2,186 points. Simmons also has 469 assists, over 200 steals and is sixth on St. Francis’ list of all-time leaders in rebounding.

Simmons said he was shocked when he saw his name on the list of All Americans.

“When I saw my name on ESPN I was shocked — I couldn’t move.

Everybody was just surrounding me and giving me hugs but I just couldn’t move. I stayed there and just stared at the screen in shock,” he said.

Regarding what he hopes to accomplish at the All American Games, Simmons said, “My goal is to play well, win at the highest level and overall just have fun. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so I want to have fun out there.”

Simmons thanked his family “for getting me to this point,” as well as his coaches and all who have supported him through his career.

St. Francis Head Coach Andrew Catlett said of Simmons, “I met Kobi when he was in middle school and I saw a lot of potential. As a coach you become connected with the players and the feelings are deep. To see a kid realize his dreams is extremely gratifying as a coach.”

JOE PARKER

St. Francis’ Kobi Simmons is the alltime leading scorer at St. Francis and has committed to the University of Arizona.

Simmons will join the list of some of basketball’s all-time greats who have been selected for the games, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Simmons became the 36th player from Georgia to be selected for the All American Games.

Georgia has produced the ninth-most All Americans in the 39-year span of the games.

Simmons, who has led St. Francis to 91 wins in the past four seasons and two state championships, said he believes the team will repeat as state champions in Class A this season. The Knights will play their last regular-season game this Friday.

After graduation, Simmons will begin his tenure with the Arizona Wildcats. Simmons, who said he is very excited to play for the prestigious program, said his relationships with the Arizona coaches led to his decision to commit to a school so far away.

“My relationship with Coach Miller and the assistant coaches are great. At first I didn’t know if [Arizona] was going to be the right fit, but after the trip to Arizona I woke up knowing that’s where I wanted to go. I can’t wait to get to Tucson,” said Simmons.

The 39th annual McDonald’s All American Games will be played in Chicago at 9 p.m. March 30 and will be televised live on ESPN.

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 43

CITY OF ALPHARETTA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The following item along with previously advertised items will be considered by the City Council on Monday, February 22, 2016 commencing at 7:30 p.m. in the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia. a. V-16-06 Home2 Suites Consideration of a variance to the setbacks for a structure encroaching into the front, side and rear setbacks for the Home 2 Suites. The property is located at Webb Bridge Road and Morris Road and the property is legally described as being located within Land Lot 1262, 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia.

Note: Georgia law requires that all parties who have made campaign contributions to the Mayor or to a Council Member in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) within the past two (2) years must complete a campaign contribution report with the Community Development Department. The complete text of the Georgia law and a disclosure form are available in the office of the City Clerk, 2 Park Plaza.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CITY OF ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA FOR

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CITY OF ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA FOR WESTSIDE PARKWAY INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS ITB #16-010 The City of Alpharetta (City) is accepting bids for WESTSIDE PARKWAY INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS including, but not limited to, maintenance of traffic, asphalt pavement, curb & gutter, signalization, striping and signage, erosion and sediment control, clean up and restoration. The location of the work is along Westside Parkway, north of Cumming Street --- within the City of Alpharetta, Georgia.

The ITB will be available online Thursday, February 4, 2016, at our bid posting website, https://www.ebidexchange.com/alpharetta.

Interested parties are required to log in to review the ITB documents.

The bid opening will be held on Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 10:00 AM at Alpharetta City Hall, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009.

For information, please contact Debora Westbrook at the City of Alpharetta Finance Department via email at purchasing@alpharetta.ga.us or at 678-297-6052.

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The Project Manual will be available online Thursday, January 28, 2016 at https://www.ebidexchange.com/alpharetta.

The bid opening will be held on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 2:00PM at the City of Alpharetta Finance Department, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009.

For information, please contact Stephanie Cochran at the City of Alpharetta Finance Department at 678-297-6052 or via email at purchasing@alpharetta.ga.us.

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SHERRY DRIVE STORM DRAIN REPAIRS ITB #16-013 The City of Alpharetta (City) is accepting bids for SHERRY DRIVE STORM DRAIN REPAIRS including, delivery and installation of storm sewer system materials, slip-lining of existing 48� corrugated metal pipe (CMP), pipe replacement, manhole installation, catch basin rehabilitation, excavation and trenching, driveway replacement, landscaping and other work related to drainage improvements. The location of the work is at 1320 Sherry Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30009 --- within the City of Alpharetta, Georgia.

The ITB will be available online Thursday, February 4, 2016, at our bid posting website, https://www.ebidexchange.com/alpharetta.

Interested parties are required to log in to review the ITB documents.

The bid opening will be held on Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 2:00 PM at Alpharetta City Hall, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009.

For information, please contact Debora Westbrook at the City of Alpharetta Finance Department via email at purchasing@alpharetta.ga.us or at 678-297-6052.

44 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

Housing: Continued from Page 4 with kids anymore. There is not a lot of opportunity for those who are divorced or seniors who aren’t in assisted living to be in Roswell.”

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housing options, she said, it tells these populations that Roswell is off limits.

Despite the election, Diamond said to rush through changes like Palermo proposed without public hearings or proper investigation as to impact struck her as a lack of transparency.

However, she was optimistic something good will come out of this.

“I imagine there are a lot of places we can agree on,” she said. “I think the ‘suburban residential’ term needs to be redefined.”

For instance, there is suburban residential zoning along main roads, she said, side by side with commercial zoning.

“It’s not as simple as saying ‘I don’t want high density in my neighborhood.

I want it in the main commercial corridors.’ But your house may be one block from a main corridor. This transition housing was to address that.”

During the moratorium, city staff will review Palermo’s suggestions and return to council with their answers.

The next planning commission meeting is in March and changes could be presented then.

Creek View students hold spelling bee ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Creek View Elementary held its annual Spelling Bee for Fourth and Fifth Grade students on Jan. 22, 2016. Classroom spelling bees were held with the winners and runner ups participating in the final spelling bee.

The winner of the final Spelling Bee was fourth grader Amar Reddy from Steve Johnson’s class. Amar spelled the word “existence” correctly to win the competition. Fifth grader Sudiksha Reddy from Melissa Odell’s class was the runner up.

Pictured are Amar and Sudiksha with Principal Debbie Doss.

—Jonathan Copsey

COMMUNITY

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 45 NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 45

Nurse fakes cancer, accepts over $25K

By KATHLEEN STURGEON kathleen@appenmediagroup.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 29-yearold Cumming woman was charged with theft and forgery recently after she reportedly faked having stage IV ovarian cancer.

In 2010, Mary Bennett told friends and family she had the deadly disease and wanted to check off some items on

BENNETT

her bucket list. She has since received and accepted more than $25,000 in cash and donations, including a sky diving adventure, trips to places like New Orleans and Biloxi, a hot air balloon ride, fishing trip and Braves baseball tickets.

Bennett is currently unemployed but is a licensed practical nurse. She was charged with a misdemeanor because more businesses haven’t pressed charges against her, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

Bennett was charged with forgery after the FCSO requested medical records to prove treatment, but she reportedly forged the signatures.

She also would allegedly have

friends and family take her to the hospital but would go in alone, so no one knew if she was in fact getting treatments.

In addition, she faked a treatment at Northside Hospital where she posted a picture online of bandages on her head, which were later found to be fake.

The FCSO asks for anyone with information to contact Detective Jeffrey Roe at 770-781-3038.

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Align Integration Hub product with user experience requirements. Provide knowledge transfer to allow clients to manage long-term maintenance of their systems. Min of 5 years of related PeopleSoft experience required. May live anywhere in the US, but position requires ability to travel to unidentified client sites throughout the continental US during the work week. Please apply to Sierra-Cedar, Inc. (EOE) online at: http://www.sierra-cedar.com/ careers/. REF #1775.

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European wardrobe/ armoire, single door, beveled mirror, 84”hX 21”dX37”w. $700.

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46 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

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Excellent Home Care Services at great value! 14 years experience. Licensed/ insured/background checks done. CNA, medication reminders, housekeeping, errands, cooking/transportation.

678-431-6233

Thanks for Reading The Classifieds!

ACCOUNTING TRAINEES NEEDED! Online career training can get you job ready now!! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Financial aid if qualified! HS Diploma/GED required. 1-877-253-6495 MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES NEEDED! Train at home to process Medical Billing & Insurance! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Online training at Bryan University! HS Diploma/GED & Computer/Internet needed.

1-888-734-6711 25 DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED! Become a driver for Stevens Transport! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! New drivers earn $800+ per week!

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Health & Medical VIAGRA 100MG and CIALIS 20mg! 40 Pills + 10 FREE. SPECIAL $99.00 100% guaranteed. FREE Shipping!

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VISA/ MC payment.

1-888-386-8074 www. newhealthyman.com Satisfaction Guaranteed!!

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Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins/Banjos.

1-800-401-0440 CASH PAID for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS! 1 DAY PAYMENT & PREPAID shipping. HIGHEST PRICES! Call 1-888-776-7771. www.

Cash4DiabeticSupplies.com CASH FOR CARS: We Buy Any Condition Vehicle, 2002 and Newer. Competitive Offer!

Nationwide Free Pick Up! Call Now: 1-800-864-5960.

HERO MILES - to find out more about how you can help our service members, veterans and their families in their time of need, visit the Fisher House website at www.fisherhouse.org

Money to Lend ACCESS YOUR LAWSUIT CASH! In an Injury Lawsuit?

Need Cash Now? Low Rates.

No Credit Checks/Monthly Payments. Call Now 1-800568-8321.

Motorcycles Wanted to Buy WANTED OLD JAPANESE MOTORCYCLES KAWASAKI Z1-900 (1972-75), KZ900, KZ1000 (1976-1982), Z1R, KZ 1000MK2 (1979,80), W1-650, H1-500 (1969-72), H2-750 (19721975), S1-250, S2-350, S3-400, KH250, KH400, SUZUKI-GS400, GT380, HONDA-CB750K (19691976), CBX1000 (1979,80) CASH!! 1-800-772-1142 1-310721-0726 usa@classicrunners. com

Travel Considering an all-inclusive vacation? Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and more!

It’s not too late to book! Visit NCPtravel.com or call 877270-7260 for more information.

VIAGRA! 52 Pills for only $99.00! The Original Blue Pill. Insured and Guaranteed Delivery Call 1-888-410-0514

ALL INCLUSIVE CRUISE package on the Norwegian Sky out of Miami to the Bahamas.

Pricing as low as $299 pp for 3 Day or $349 pp for 4 Day (double occupancy) - ALL beverages included! For more info. call 877270-7260 or go to NCPtravel.com

Homes for Rent

Wanted to Buy

STOP RENTING! Option To Buy! Rent To Own. No Money Down! No Credit Check! Call Now 1-877-395-1291

EXTRA DIABETIC STRIPS? Sell with us! DTSbuyers.com 1-866-446-3009 Most brands accepted!

SERVICE DIRECTORY Cleaning Services Need a housecleaning?

Call Norma Martinez for free estimate!

References. 404-4687667. “I get all your dust to earn your trust!”

Concrete/Asphalt We fix UGLY driveways and patios. $50 OFF any concrete job over $250 $250 OFF any job over $3500 New or Repair: Driveways, patios, sidewalks, walls.

Residential or Commercial.

Call for FREE estimate.

The Best Concrete Company-Ask for Dave McKemey.

678-6482010.

P r o f e s s i o n a l , competitive, many local references.

Driveway We fix UGLY driveways. $50 OFF any concrete job over $250 $250 OFF any job over $3500 New or Repair: Driveways, patios, sidewalks, walls.

Residential or Commercial.

Call for FREE estimate.

The Best Concrete Company-Ask for Dave McKemey.

678-9142576.

P r o f e s s i o n a l , competitive, many local references.

Farm/Garden Services Bushhog, bobcat work,clearing/ cleanups,light grading, plowing,garden tilling, pinestraw/mulch, pasture renovation/ finish mowing.

Insured, experienced.

770-363-5092, michaelebrightllc@ gmail.com

Helpp Wanted? Helpp Foound!

Handyman

Home Improvement

® HANDYMAN REMODELING Ask us about

10% OFF remodels 678-455-2434 www.HandyHero.net

30 yrs. exp./FREE ESTIMATES • 1 YR WARRANTY/Lic. & Ins. Flooring

Handyman

Flooring Installation & Repairs: Carpet, Ceramic, Laminate, Tile, Vinyl, Wood. Free Estimates!

I can remove carpet wrinkles!

Satisfaction Guaranteed! 706-4294453

ALL CARPENTRY & REPAIRS: Roof Leaks, Wood Rot Repair, Siding, Deck Repairs and Refinishing, Painting, Doors/Windows.

Excellent References.

404-895-0260

PHILLIPS FLOORING Hardwood, laminate, carpet & tile installation and repairs. We do tile floors, showers, tub surrounds and kitchen back-splashes.

Re-grouting is also available. Call 678-8871868 for free estimate.

Gutters AARON’S ALL-TYPE GUTTERS Repaired and Installed. Covers, siding, soffit, facia. www. aarons-gutters.com.

Senior citizen discount!

770-934-2766

Handyman L&D Home Services: Kitchen remodeling, home repair/ maintenance, HoneyDo list, painting, garage organization/cleanout, pressure washing/ sealing, Reliable.

Licensed. 15 years experience.

443-3981100

Fill your position today!

Call 770-442-3278 to advertise

RELIABLE H O M E REPAIRS: 20 years experience.

References.

Electrical, plumbing, carpentry, wood rot repair, siding, painting, pressure washing.

Free estimates!

770-605-0340

Kitchen & Bath Remodeling

Plumbing,Electrical and Drywall Repair and Installation Complete home maintenance We do it all!

Call Mike 678-763-2420 Haulers Bush Hogging, Clearing, Grading, Hauling etc.

Many local references.

Call Ralph Rucker at 678-898-7237

Bush Hogging, Clearing, Grading, Hauling etc.

Many local references.

Call Ralph Rucker at 678-898-7237 Finegan Home Improvements LLC: License #RBQA004932.

Remodeling, handyman.

31 years experience.

Basements finished, decks, screen porches, doors, drywall, painting, flooring, custom kitchens, bathrooms. All insurance. Credit cards accepted. Paul Finegan 404-353-5611

Landscaping Yellow Ribbon Tree.

Near perfect reviews and award-winning service.

Hands on owner. Free estimates and insured.

770Tree.com 770-7442200 and ask for Gary.

404Cuttree. One of the most experienced and reliable tree companies in North Atlanta. Perfect reviews and reliable, professional, and honest service. Free quotes.

Fully insured. 770Tree. com 678-506-0006 Landscape Design, Hardscape Design and Installation. 35 Years’ Experience; Retaining Walls, Flag Stone and BrickP aver Patios, Landscape Lighting, Drainage Issues, Pavilions.

Outdoor kitchens, irrigation systems installation and repairs.

FREE C O N S U LTAT I O N S ! www.thebodigroup.com.

678-788-5656

Lawn Care LEAVE THE MOWING TO US”A”! Weekly/ Bi-weekly Father/ Son team Residential/ Comm Garden Tilling/Lawn Aeration www.oldtrucklawn.com 678-727-6850

Lawn Care Bush Hogging, Clearing, Grading, Hauling etc.

Many local references.

Call Ralph Rucker at 678-898-7237

Painters

Advantage Painting 770-255-8575 Interior/Exterior Decks Sealed & Stained Carpentry Repairs No Up Front Money Proudly use Benjamin Moore & Sherwin Williams paints Prompt Professional Service Free Estimate, Insured

Pinestraw PINESTRAW, mulch delivery/installation available.

Firewood $110/$200, plus delivery.

Licensed, insured. Angels of Earth Pinestraw and Mulch.

770-831-3612.

Tree Services JJ Tree Cutting Services.

Complete Tree Removal.

Call us for a Free Quote, 678-467-1325 or 770630-6672. Licensed and insured. jjtreecutting@ gmail.com Yellow Ribbon Tree.

Near perfect reviews and award-winning service.

Hands on owner. Free estimates and insured.

770Tree.com 770-7442200 and ask for Gary.

404Cuttree. One of the most experienced and reliable tree companies in North Atlanta. Perfect reviews and reliable, professional, and honest service. Free quotes.

Fully insured. 770Tree. com 678-506-0006

Thank you for reading the classifieds.

Need work done on your home?

Call the Experts

in the

S E RV I C E D I R E C T O RY

NorthFulton.com | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | February 4, 2016 | 47

CADNET ADS

Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the following classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license identification or credit card numbers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it’s illegal to request any money before delivering its service.

All funds are based in U.S. dollars. 800 numbers may or may not reach Canada.

Autos Wanted A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR FOR BREAST CANCER! Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention, & support programs. FAST FREE PICKUP - 24 HR RESPONSE - TAX DEDUCTION 855403-0213

Health & Fitness VIAGRA 100MG and CIALIS 20mg! 50 Pills $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed.

CALL NOW! 1-866-312-6061 VIAGRA 100mg, CIALIS 20mg. 50 tabs $90 includes FREE SHIPPING. 1-888-8360780 or Metro-Meds.net

Miscellaneous *STOP Overpaying on Cable TV* Lock in Your Price for 3 Years. FREE Install, HD and Movie Channels Same Bill, Same Price Every Month Call DISH Network - 855-590-3207

AIRLINE CAREERS Get FAA approved maintenance training at campuses coast to coast.

Job placement assistance. Financial Aid for qualifying students.

Military friendly.

Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance

800-481-7894

Sell Your Car The Easy Way

888-524-9668

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!!

Gibson,Martin,Fender,Gretsch.

1930-1980. Top Dollar paid!!

Call Toll Free 1-866-433-8277 ATTENTION VIAGRA USERS! Viagra 100MG! 45 pills + 5 FREE! Only $100 + S/H! 100% Guaranteed, NO PRESCRIPTION NEEDED! CALL 877-533-9708 Make a Connection. Real People, Flirty Chat. Meet singles right now! Call LiveLinks. Try it FREE. Call NOW: 1-888-909-9905 18+.

Lower Your TV, Internet & Phone Bill!!!

Get Fast Internet from $15/ mo - qualifying service.

Limited Time Offer.

Plus, get a FREE $300 Gift Card.

Call 855-407-0796 Today!

AVIATION Grads work with JetBlue, Boeing, Delta and others- start here with hands on training for FAA certification. Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute e of Maintenance 866-453-6204

Wanted to Buy CASH PAID- up to $25/ Box for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS. 1-DAYPAYMENT. 1-800-3711136

UGLYDRIVEWAY?

Save $50

on any job over $300 Cannot combine with other offers.

Expires 10 days after publication.

Dave McKemey:

Call Today: 678-648-2010

New Driveways | Patios | Pavers | Stone and More Landscaping Retaining Walls Ponds Hardscapes Lighting Irrigation

Wants to purchase minerals and other oil and gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, Co. 80201

Thanks for Reading The Classifieds!

250 OFF

$

RUCKER

LANDSCAPING

Any job of $3500 or more.

Cannot combine with other offers.

Expires in 10 days

Tad Carter • 678.648.2012 Many Local References

48 | February 4, 2016 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com

26th ANNIVERSARY SALE

10% Off Storewide or 48-months interest-free financing* Now through 2/16

TOYA Sofa with adjustable headrests in taupe fabric $1,098 TOYA Chair $798 BRAN Coffee Table with marble top and brushed steel base $498 BRAN Corner Table $248 KAILINO Adjustable Arc Lamp $498 ROSSINI 5 x 8 Area Rug $398 JARDINE Round Planter $198

NORCROSS: 770 • 840 • 8832 6348 Dawson Blvd. Norcross GA MIDTOWN: 404 607 9098 1747 Cheshire Br. Rd. Atlanta GA •

•

OUTLET: 770 840 7056 6353 Warren Dr. Norcross GA •

•

by design F

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U

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Celebrating 26 Years of Living Modern

www.bydesignfurniture.com

26

*Sales discount does not apply to previous orders or Ekornes products and cannot be combined with other promotions/discounts. 48 months interest-free financing* with approved credit on purchases of $2,000 or more on purchases between 2/10/16 and 2/15/16. Equal monthly payments required. By Design Furniture not responsible for printing error or product availability. Sales ends 2/15/16.