Dunwoody Crier - May 30, 2024

Crean Eco Classroom May 20, marking completion of stormwater improvements. The “green infrastructure” project involved creating a system of plunge pools, concrete piping, retaining walls and native species to slow water flow.

Stormwater improvements help shore up Nature Center

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — A person gains momentum during a walk from Roberts Drive down to the Dunwoody Nature Center’s Crean Eco Classroom, and so does stormwater.

Members of the Dunwoody City Council and the city’s Public Works Department joined with the Nature Center’s leadership team May 20 to celebrate completion of an important stormwater improvement project.

In January 2020, the Dunwoody Nature Center dedicated the Eco Classroom to Dennis and Marie Crean,

long-time supporters of the nonprofit’s community programs and preservation initiatives.

Since the dedication of the classroom, stormwater runoff from surrounding areas has increasingly jeopardized the stability of the land at the end of Dunwoody Park Road.

Javier Sayago, stormwater capital projects manager for the city, explained May 20 why the improvements were needed.

The area around the classroom building collects offsite water from a neighboring subdivision, the Nature Center parking lot, Roberts Drive,

See WATER, Page 6

Four Oaks residents seek talks with city

Homeowners fear path will raise drainage

issue

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody Trail Master Plan has drawn mixed reviews from residents since it was adopted last year.

The Master Plan, created with

assistance from the PATH Foundation and Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, includes 68 miles of existing and proposed trails.

Critics of the Master Plan point to a majority of residents rejecting a $60 million greenspace bond last year, saying the appetite for adding multi-use trails should not be a city priority. The bond referendum, voted down 53-47 percent, included money for parks, greenspaces and trails.

Because the referendum failed, the city is now forced to adjust its plans for capital projects without the revenue from general obligation bonds.

With such an even divide in the city on an increasingly contentious issue, it’s not clear how the city will proceed.

The first phase of the Dunwoody Trail Master Plan shows a bulk of multiuse paths through commercial areas like the Dunwoody Village and Perimeter, with other trails along Winter’s Chapel,

When the City Council approved the blueprint for multi-use trails, Councilman John Heneghan cast the lone dissenting vote, citing concerns about recommended sidewalk width, the approach to the Nancy Creek area and how the city would calm residential streets.

See OAKS, Page 7

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

City officials and contractors with Dewberry Engineers stand on the new deck at the Dunwoody Nature Center’s

Mount Vernon and North Shallowford roads.

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Police arrest woman for false representation

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody Police arrested a 36-year-old female resident May 12 after she gave a false name to officers during a domestic dispute.

Officers said they were called by a resident complaining about a woman refusing to leave her apartment on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.

The caller provided the name of the suspect who is her niece, officers said.

Police learned that the woman had a warrant out of Atlanta for failure to appear on a shoplifting offense.

When officers arrived at the scene, they located a woman matching the description of the suspect provided by the caller.

An officer said the woman eventually provided him with a name, stated she did not have her driver’s license or ID and said she was just visiting her friend at the apartments.

While officers were speaking with the suspect, the caller came out and identified the woman as the suspect.

The suspect said she did not know the woman, and she denied any altercation, although, as it turned out, she had been living with her for a month.

The aunt then described the altercation, which did not result in any injuries.

When the aunt asked her niece to leave, she refused and told her to shut up.

Officers then arrested the niece for false representation to a police officer and transported her to DeKalb County Jail.

The Atlanta Police Department requested a hold be placed on the suspect.

Alleged shoplifter arrested at Perimeter Mall store

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody Police arrested a 38-year-old Atlanta man after loss prevention at the Perimeter Mall Macy’s stopped him with just under $750 in merchandise.

Officers said they received a call from Macy’s stating they had apprehended a male shoplifter who was acting strangely and was possibly intoxicated.

Loss prevention employees said the suspect could be seen on surveillance cameras selecting various items and concealing them in a Zaxby’s bag.

After hiding the merchandise, the suspect passed all points of sale without paying.

Macy’s employees said the suspect had no receipt for the items, which totaled $741.

Officers said the stolen items were returned to Macy’s after loss prevention employees detained him.

During a search of the suspect, employees found a debit card belonging to another person and a small amount of marijuana. The suspect first said he knew nothing about the card, then later said he was holding it because a friend owed him money.

Officers said they placed the debit card and marijuana into evidence at the Dunwoody Police Department.

While one officer transported the suspect to DeKalb County Jail, another obtained warrants for shoplifting and possession of marijuana.

Officers discover drugs following traffic stop

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police arrested two Stone Mountain men May 11 after a traffic stop turned up cocaine and ecstasy in their car.

An officer said he received a Flock

hit on a white Honda van, reported stolen out of DeKalb County, traveling eastbound on Holcomb Bridge Road.

At the traffic stop, the officer said he and another policeman drew their weapons, ordered the driver and passenger to exit the vehicle and detained them separately.

The first suspect, a 31-year-old man in the passenger seat, said the 29-year-old driver purchased the vehicle, which came with the license plate, for his father.

When officers spotted a white powdery substance and a filled jar in the front seat, the passenger claimed the substances solely belonged to him.

Officers later tested the substances, which they said tested positive for cocaine and ecstasy.

They also reported finding an ecstasy pill on the driver, who initially showed no signs of being under the influence of drugs.

During a search of the vehicle, officers found a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun, and requested drug recognition experts to evaluate the driver.

Officers transported the passenger to the North Fulton County Jail and charged him with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

The driver said he would submit to an evaluation from drug recognition experts, which found him to be under the influence of analgesics and amphetamines.

Officers transported the driver to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center to conduct a search warrant for the driver’s blood.

After the driver was cleared, officers transported him to the North Fulton County Jail.

Officers charged the driver with driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance and theft by receiving stolen property.

Dunwoody High senior Luke Cole awarded Nestor Foley Scholarship

By CARSON BONNER newsroom@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga — Dunwoody High School senior Luke Cole was awarded the Nestor Foley College Scholarship Award, given annually to the school’s outstanding wrestler.

Cole was a 6A Region champion and a state qualifier. The award includes a $2,000 scholarship toward their higher education.

Nestor Foley competed on the Dunwoody High School wrestling team, graduating in 2017. In his years of competition, he helped the team win several sectional and regional competitions and was successful as an individual competitor. He graduated in 2017 and went on to coown Reilley-Foley Construction Services in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He was killed in a car accident in 2021 at age of 23, and his father Jim Foley, a Dunwoody local, set up the scholarship as a memorial to his son.

“For the last three years, I’ve given out this scholarship in honor of Nestor,” Foley said. “We still see his wrestling teammates around town, they say hello, and people still keep him and us in their thoughts and prayers. He still is remembered and loved by the community and the scholarship is a legacy for Nestor.”

The scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior who exemplifies traits of Nestor Foley, such as hard work, leadership and dedication.

Cole has proven to be a valuable member of the wrestling team, contributing to its top finish in the region.

The scholarship winner is selected by Dunwoody High School wrestling coach Luke McSorley, a Wildcats alum. McSorley has led the wrestling team to victory each year for almost a decade and was selected DeKalb County Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2016.

“Coach McSorley does a great job of picking the student every year,” Foley said. “He values team spirit and hard word and picks the person who best exemplifies the spirit of Nestor.”

Since the founding of the scholarship,

He is still remembered and loved by the community, and the scholarship is a legacy for Nestor.”

JIM FOLEY Father of Nestor Foley

Foley has wanted to have a way for the community to remember his son and to leave a legacy that would be carried out each year. He plans to continue giving out the scholarship as a way of continuing this legacy and to keep his son alive in memory.

JIM FOLEY/PROVIDED

Coach Luke McSorley awarded senior Luke Cole the Nestor Foley College Scholarship Award given annually to the Dunwoody High School outstanding wrestler.

Woodland students prepare to take on pollution problems

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Third graders at Woodland Elementary School got creative in semester-long projects that explore solutions to air, water and land pollution. Their presentations spanned oceanand land-cleaning robots, prototypes made of cardboard, to letters written to school administration about a recycling program on-site.

Ryder Leary, executive director of Keep North Fulton Beautiful, visited classrooms May 20 to get a look at the projects in their final form, shown in PowerPoints and demonstrations. He had previously given classes a highlevel overview of pollution and visited the school to provide feedback while projects were in progress.

Leary said Keep North Fulton

Beautiful has had a relationship with Woodland for a few years, dropping into talk about what the nonprofit does and general recycling information.

But, he opted to make this year more engaging, providing parameters to the students’ problem-based learning projects, integral to the school’s curriculum. Leary joined Keep North Fulton Beautiful last July.

“I think one of the cool things that we as Keep North Fulton Beautiful can do is from an education standpoint at all levels, whether it be communicating to our citizens in the community but also showcasing … that even our little ones in elementary school and up can contribute,” Leary said.

He said he plans to take the same See PARTNERS, Page 15

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Cameron Jasso and Reyes Castillo, third graders at Woodland Elementary School, showcase their semester-long project that attempts to solve land pollution May 20. Keep North Fulton Beautiful, a recycling center in Sandy Springs, partnered with Woodland to provide parameters on the student’s problem-based learning projects.

Press Club

Front row from left, City Councilman Tom Lambert, Nature Center Director Nancy Longacre and Nature Center Board Member Rustom Maneksha discuss what the stormwater improvements mean for Dunwoody Park May 20. Longacre said the project allows community activities at the center to continue.

Water:

Continued from Page 1

Austin Elementary School and a forested area to the northwest of the site.

“It was creating a massive amount of erosion and a gully as it was going down,” Sayago said. “It was also impacting the nature of the bioswale … it was getting overwhelmed by the amount of water.”

To the north of the classroom, the Nature Center used felled trees to slow down water flow and hold the bank intact. Unfortunately, the mitigation did not work.

Sayago said the offsite flow totals around 2 acre-feet of water, or more than 650,000 gallons.

The result spelled trouble for the Crean Eco Classroom, surrounding sidewalks and additional Dunwoody Nature Center facilities down the hill, like the North Woods Pavilion.

For a solution, the city’s Stormwater Department contracted with Dewberry Engineers to develop a plunge-pool system that captures the stormwater, slows it down and directs it into the existing drainage basin.

Before the project began, the stormwater runoff pooled around the classroom, creating a muddy area. As a fix, contractors stabilized the slope and installed a grate inlet to stop the runoff from pooling.

The classroom’s new wooden deck overlooks the reinforced walls and cobblestones leading to the old detention pond.

Stormwater runoff underneath the existing sidewalk between the parking lot, classroom and additional facilities also jeopardized the bank to

the north of the retention pond. Contractors created channels on the high side of the sidewalk to divert the water, which previously ran underneath the concrete, Sayago said.

The $700,000 project used funds from the city’s stormwater repairs and maintenance budget to stabilize and improve the area surrounding the Crean Eco Classroom.

“The main purpose of the system is to control the energy of the water coming down,” Sayago said. “We channeled all the water with a pipe system, it’s all underground and upstream.”

He said a project like this takes four to six months to complete. The time it takes to receive materials and weather patterns affect how quickly construction wraps up.

The technical aspects of the project, including the plunge pools, retaining walls, sidewalk channels and large river rocks ensure the water gently enters the preexisting drainage basin, Sayago said.

He describes the finished product as showing the harmony between ingenuity and nature.

The landscaping around the stormwater infrastructure includes native species of plants, ensuring functionality and consistent aesthetics.

When visitors walk by the Crean Eco Classroom, they should see the same native plants and animals found at Wildcat Creek, which runs along the orange trail at the Dunwoody Nature Center.

“We are dissipating all the energy and making a flow that can keep feeding the creek, but in an environment-friendly way,” Sayago said.

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

Oaks:

Continued from Page 1

Vocal anti-path residents have echoed Heneghan’s concerns since the city began meeting with residents in September 2022 for feedback on the Trail Master Plan. Other residents have cheered councilmembers for delivering on parks and trails projects.

During the vote to approve the Trail Master Plan, Councilman Tom Lambert said public input will be used to guide each segment of trail, including its design and engineering. The final product, he said, will also require council approval.

Mayor Lynn Deutsch, joined by other councilmembers, said the master plan is not a construction-ready document and will have numerous opportunities for fine-tuning and revisions.

Residents of the Four Oaks subdivision across from DeKalb County Water Works say they are not necessarily opposed to a path, but they want the city to pay more attention to its effect on the neighborhood’s stormwater system.

Initially, the Dunwoody Trail Master Plan had the path on the south side of Peeler Road, where an existing 4-footwide sidewalk sits.

When Public Works Director Michael Smith unveiled plans for the path on the

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

At the May 20 meeting with Four Oaks residents, Dunwoody said the new plan is to keep the existing sidewalk and build a 12-foot-wide path on the north side of Peeler Road.

north side of Peeler Road last June, Four Oaks residents began to organize an effort to give their input on the project.

Four Oaks petitioned the city last fall for community participation as a group, rather than individually, in the decisionmaking process.

City staff met with a group of residents in December 2023 where they presented their petition to City Manager Eric Linton, Smith and other staff members.

Since the announcement of plans for

the 12-foot-wide path along Peeler Road, the residents have asked repeatedly for the city to include them in the planning process for the path behind their homes.

On May 20, a small group of Four Oaks residents met with councilmen John Heneghan and Tom Lambert to go over plans for the Peeler Road path. Because of open meeting laws prohibiting a quorum – or voting majority – of the City Council to assemble in private, no more than three members can meet privately at a time.

Four Oaks resident Diane London, whose lot backs up to Peeler Road, said property owners were concerned about the stormwater issue.

The subdivision’s history of disputes with the city over the legal responsibility for a stormwater system running through public and private property has complicated an already controversial 12-foot-wide path behind some homes in the subdivision.

London said the turnout May 20 was above expectations. She said she has met with councilmembers individually and has plans to meet with the mayor in June.

London and other neighbors described their subdivision’s relationship with the city as lacking trust. When city staff and councilmembers issue assurances that the project won’t worsen stormwater issues or cut down trees, residents say they are skeptical.

London said a public meeting with a majority of councilmembers and Four Oaks residents would get everyone on the same page and get the city’s commitments about the project in writing.

“We have major concerns regarding the current stormwater problems exacerbated by the removal of waterdrinking trees,” London said. “The City Council’s responsibility is to include citizens in the decision-making process, but they have yet to answer our request.”

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Which is Alpharetta’s Crown Jewel?

Just when you think that Alpharetta has run out of rabbits to pull from their hat, they somehow find yet another one. It never ceases to amaze me.

One would be hard pressed to choose the “best rabbit” that the City of Alpharetta has created during the last 35 years. Which one would get your vote? And, some of these are serious and others, not so much!

Spoiler: At the end of this column, there is a party invitation for everyone.

No. 1. Big Creek Greenway: Alpharetta’s greenway (9 miles long) is a 12’ wide paved linear park for biking, walking, roller blading, inline skating along Big Creek; birds and mammals, flora and fauna, can be seen from the trail. The Alpharetta greenway connects with the Roswell & Forsyth greenways (with several gaps) for a total of 26 miles of linear park. Construction of the Alpharetta section began in 1995 and has cost roughly $10 million. Google

“Awesome Alpharetta greenway” for more details. Nice work leading the initial construction Marie Garrett, then Alpharetta’s Community Development Director.

No. 2. Ga. 400: So, Alpharetta didn’t build Ga. 400. However, legend has it that when the Georgia Department of Transportation asked then Alpharetta Mayor Jimmy Phillips how many exits he wanted off Ga. 400, he replied with: “How many can I have?” This contrasted with another mayor who reportedly replied to the same question with: “Do I have to have any?” Way to go Mayor Phillips (wherever you are)! Those five exits drive a massive amount of business to our fair city.

No. 3. Wills Park Equestrian Center:

So, while I personally have never been a big fan of a park that is used by such an ultra-small percent of the population, the Equestrian Center is an amazing regional marquee facility for the horse world, and it does set Alpharetta apart from almost all other cities in the state.

No. 4. Wills Park: What can you say about Wills Park other than wow! Created in the late 1960s by then Mayor Harry Wills, the park today spans 110 acres (Central Park in New York City is 843 acres), including the Equestrian

Center which is but one component of this immense and multi-faceted facility. The park includes so much – walking trails, a huge multi-use community pool, one of the most popular and largest disc golf courses in the state, tennis courts, multi-use community buildings, picnic shelters, basketball courts (indoors and out), a dog park, many ball fields, playgrounds and more. In addition to the actual facilities of the park, the city’s management of the park shines just as brightly; it has changed and adapted to the needs of the population over time and stays current and magnificently relevant.

No. 5. Rucker Farm: This one may be the least well-known of Alpharetta’s gems. The 10-acre farm located off Rucker Road is a working farm operated by Alpharetta’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. Two of the 10 acres are dedicated to organic farming, and the remainder is used in a variety of ways including providing agriculture-related classes, community gardens, green house space (soon to expand with a new larger greenhouse), outdoor classrooms, Eagle Scout resources, 700 volunteer opportunities, food for North Fulton Community Charities and so much more. Great big “high-five” to the city and council for having the foresight and wisdom to create and support Rucker Farm as an outreach that addresses some of the most challenging and critical issues of today and especially the future – food, health, soil, education and connection.

No 6. Alpharetta’s high-tech nature: What do you get when, decades ago, you (Ross Perot, Georgia Power and other players) bury miles and miles of concrete-encased electric and fiberoptic

cable underground and run it due north up Ga. 400 from Atlanta to a little backwater city (at the time), facilitating near fail-proof power delivery and one of the largest fiber-optic systems in America? Well, you ultimately get Alpharetta, “Technology City of the South.” And while Alpharetta did not really have much to do with the creation of this infrastructure, it had everything to do with managing the growth and direction of that growth that came as a result of the power and fiberoptics. Boom! Kudos to Alpharetta’s elected officials and voters through the years!

So, how does a city pull yet another rabbit out of the hat – produce yet another encore – after launching such an amazing run of rabbits over time?

The answer is two words: the “Alpha Loop,” yet another gem in Alpharetta, perhaps the crown jewel of them all!

That encore is in progress as we speak and is accepting visitors, users, and anyone else who maybe just wants to be amazed with wonder or, perhaps, simply is looking for some down time to stroll, think, slow down and “smell the roses.”

Saturday party invitation

Come help us celebrate (food trucks, music, face painting, fun for the entire family) the opening of the newest section of “the Loop” this Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. to noon. Celebration will be held in Northwinds parking lot at 2500 Northwind’s Parkway (near Village Tavern off Haynes Bridge Road). Come walk the new section and explore – a taste of more wonder to come – and Alpharetta’s hits just keep on coming! New to the Loop? Find out more about it: www.AlphaLoopFoundation.org

RAY APPEN

Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com

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PAST TENSE

Colonial grocery took aim at Dunwoody market in ’78

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While researching S&H Green Stamps, I came across an interesting story about the Colonial Foods grocery store and its 1978 move into Dunwoody. In this article, I only refer to women because it was assumed they did all the grocery shopping at the time.

Before a Big Apple grocery store was built in Georgetown Shopping Center in the late 1960s, Dunwoody shoppers had to travel to other nearby towns to buy groceries. There was a Big Apple grocery store in the Sandy Springs Shopping Center on Roswell Road beginning in the late 1950s. Colonial and Kroger opened when Chamblee Plaza was completed in 1960.

When Colonial Foods tried to gain some of the Dunwoody grocery market in 1978, Ogletree’s was in Dunwoody Village and Winn-Dixie was in Dunwoody Plaza. Ogletree’s was known for upscale, gourmet food offerings. Winn-Dixie changed their exterior design to meet the requested Williamsburg style of Dunwoody, but the inside of the store and the discounted price model remained.

Protests and pickets followed the Colonial Foods announcement to build a grocery store on wooded land along Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Residents told the grocery chain they would boycott the store.

Colonial Foods decided to collaborate with the people of Dunwoody. They formed the Dunwoody Consumer Advisory Committee, a group of 21 women from church, civic, social, school and scout

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

groups to tell the store’s top management what they did and did not want in their store.

The committee held meetings once a month for four months. Each meeting ran three hours. “Colonial paid $250 to each club represented and another $100 to the club of each woman who allowed her picture to appear in advertising announcing the opening of the Dunwoody store.” (AJC, July 23, 1978, “The Effects of the Battle in Dunwoody Might Be Felt Throughout the Industry”)

Agnes Olmstead, Consumer Affairs director for Colonial, was asked to return to work from retirement to assist with the efforts.

Meetings with future shoppers of Dunwoody led to the store having a snack bar, florist, bakery, gourmet delicatessen, butcher and in-store consumer adviser. The neighborhood women gave input to store management on concerns, such as how returned glass would be managed and how many express lanes there would be. This was during a time when glass soda bottles could still be returned for cash.

The Colonial consumer adviser was paid to give nutritional advice and help customers plan party menus and club luncheons.

Colonial reported having spent three years preparing to open the Dunwoody store. The store’s grand opening lasted four days, and revenue from those days broke all previous records of Colonial Stores.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

The City of Dunwoody Zoning Board of Appeals will meet on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council of Chambers of Dunwoody City Hall, located at 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338, for the purpose of due process of the following:

ZBA 24-09, 1325 Winding Branch Circle : Two variances: one variance from Sec. 16-78 to allow a home addition and two porches to encroach into the 75foot stream buffer and one variance from Sec. 27-58 to allow a home addition and porch to encroach into the rear setback. Should you have any questions or comments, or would like to view the application and supporting materials, please contact the City of Dunwoody Community Development Department at 678-382-6800. Members of the public are encouraged to call or schedule a meeting with the staff in advance of the Public Hearing if they have questions or are unfamiliar with the process. The staff is available to answer questions, discuss the decision-making process, and receive comments and concerns.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist

OPINION

The distinguished Mansell family (Part 2)

BOB MEYERS Columnist

In a recent column I described the origins of the Mansell family of North Fulton. Attention was focused on Robert Henry Mansell (18731950), who was born in Crabapple, and his wife Maude Dorris (1883-1977). This week I will portray their children in more detail and how they and their descendants contributed so much to North Fulton and surrounding areas.

Robert (known by most folks as Bob) and Maude had five children, a girl and four boys, all now deceased. Bob was a farmer and businessman, influential and widely respected in the area. These are their children listed by birth year:

Pauline Mansell Matthews (19021985) married Jason Henry Matthews (1894-1983) in 1920. They had seven children. Pauline was a full-time homemaker with her seven children which kept a wringer washing machine on the back porch very busy. Life was hard during the war and Pauline baked cakes and sewed for people. Jason had a series of jobs including insurance sales, medicine sales and owning a coffee shop until he started farming on the approximately 60 acres Bob Mansell gave to each of his five children.

Joseph Cliott Mansell (1906-1997), known as Joe, married Lessie Mae Coleman (1908-1959). They were married for 30 years. After she passed away, he married Mary Clara Wright (1918-2010). Joe tried his hand at farming on land gifted from his father, but it was not the life for him. He opened the Joe Mansell Filling Station in Roswell where he also ran a coal and ice business. He owned and operated the Mimosa Café across the street from the gas station. In 1941/42 he was mayor of Roswell. After that, he became a deputy sheriff in Atlanta for 20 years, where among other assignments, he investigated the 1946 Winecoff Hotel fire on Peachtree Street. It was the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history, with 119 hotel guests killed. In 1960, Joe and some partners opened a recreational park on Alpharetta Highway called Sun Valley Park. It had three lakes, a sandy beach, offered fishing and boating, horseback riding and other fun activities. He sold it in 1965. Unfortunately, the new owner did not maintain it, and it shut down after a few years. Joe and a partner Ben Tolbert then opened the Roswell Department Store which they operated for approximately 10 years.

MANSELL FAMILY/PROVIDED

The annual Mansell family reunion has been held for some 150 years. In 2009 an estimated 250 people attended. By 2017 the number of attendees had declined to about 150, but the tradition will continue in the future. The photo shows some of the family members attending a recent reunion.

James Earl Mansell (1910-2002), married Lillian Shirley [1911-2002]. Earl did not go to college, something that bothered him throughout his life. Consequently, he stressed the importance of a good education to his children. Earl was mentally gifted, however, and was a very successful buyer and seller of land throughout his life. Lillian was one of 10 children of the Shirley family of Alpharetta. She received a degree in education from Young Harris College and taught in several local schools until her marriage in 1935 when she had to leave the profession because married women were not allowed to be teachers. A little-known story about Earl, told to me by his son Barry, is about Aubrey Morris, who Earl knew when Morris was a boy. Aubrey was not planning to go to college, but Earl took him to Athena to visit the University of Georgia. Aubrey was convinced and studied journalism at UGA. Aubrey became a celebrated columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and personality on WSB radio for many years – all thanks to Earl Mansell’s appreciation of Aubrey’s potential.

Crawford Walton Mansell (19121990), known as C.W., married Francis Louise Pinkerton (1908-2002), known as Pinkie. Walton as a farmer and businessman and Pinkie was a nurse.

Walton and his brother C.B. were very close. They enlisted in the Navy together right after Pearl Harbor. They jointly founded Egg Acres, one of the largest poultry farms in Georgia. Walton’s 100 vine muscadine grape vineyard was well known. He grew several varieties of muscadines including Dearing, Cowart and Higgins. Making wine was his hobby. He also had a large apple orchard with Jonathan, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Stayman Winesap, Mutsu and other varieties. Pinkie was raised in Putnam, Ga., on a dairy and cotton farm. She was a trained nurse and headed the Fulton County Health Center in Roswell. She retired in 1972 after 30 years when she and C.W. traveled throughout the U.S. in their Airstream Trailer.

Clarence Broughton Mansell (19162004), known as C.B., was the only son born in the original house built by Bob Mansell in 1910. He married Louise Paris [1919-1974]. During World War II, C.B. served as a baker on a destroyer escort. Egg Acres, mentioned above, had seven chicken houses and some production machinery. Workers had Sunday’s off, so C.B.’s and Walton’s four children had to work among the smelly chickens gathering eggs, a job they did not relish, according to C.B.’s daughter Clair Louise’s account in Linda Mansell

Martin’s book “The Great Generation of Mansell’s of North Georgia.” C.B. and Walton had annual Easter egg hunts for all Roswell children for several years at Egg Acres, and school field trips took place frequently. C.B., like many farm children, did not go beyond the sixth grade. However, he was a successful businessman with Seed and Feed Store and later Egg Acres. He obtained his GED at age 50, obtained a commercial real estate license and had a successful real estate career in his later years.

The Mansell family was and is very special, and quite numerous. The annual Mansell Family Reunion had 250 attendees in 2009. It has dwindled since then as the younger generation has more activity options, but according to Linda Martin “we are confident that this 150-year-old tradition will continue.”

I believe that the best term to describe the Mansell family is “hard working.” That is the farm-based ethic that has motivated the family for generations.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.

Partners:

Continued from Page 4

approach to other schools. Leary also provides volunteer opportunities for students at the recycling center.

Woodland Elementary, the only STEM-certified school in Sandy Springs, boasts a curriculum designed to help students answer real-world problems and master the education standards it sets.

Each grade level works on one problem-based project per semester. For third graders, the previous semester was a recurring project on the decline of the monarch butterfly.

Rita Hudson, a third grade teacher at Woodland, said students planted milkweed in the school’s garden to make up for the loss of the food, a contributing factor to the insect’s near-candidacy on the endangered species list. She said 20 monarchs have been released so far, with students facilitating the eggs to hatch inside, away from predators.

Hudson also asks her students to do the little things, like using reusable bottles and picking up trash at parks.

“Small changes — they make a big difference,” she said.

Two students, Reyes Castillo and Cameron Jasso, created a colorful robot to help lower land pollution named the “Catnap Trash Helper.”

“People that throw trash cause land pollution,” Castillo said. Animals are

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dying because people throw trash.”

Tara Uremovich, Woodland assistant principal, said around 150 students participated in the pollutionbased project this year.

Kindergarteners had a role to play as well, filing into the classrooms holding clipboards.

“...We try to … help the kids make connections between what they’re learning and what they might learn in the future, or the problems and how they get bigger and bigger, and how as they grow and learn more, they can tackle bigger problems,” said Uremovich, once a curriculum support specialist at Woodland.

Uremovich played a key role in earning the school’s STEM

recertification last year, which involved a two-year process. The school was originally certified by the Georgia Department of Education in 2016.

She said the school’s boost to its STEM integration and its Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports system went hand-in-hand. PBIS is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting student well-being.

“We were rewarding students for being on task, but also their engagement was just genuinely increased because of these connections that they were making,” Uremovich said. “We actually saw our behavior incidences drop significantly.”

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

A student-created poster at Woodland Elementary School shows the deadly outcome of land pollution.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

While covering Milton election operations, Appen Media analyzed historical voter data and identified possible disenfranchisement.

This reporting caused a statewide watchdog to get involved and, eventually, the city moved to add a polling place to the area. Later in the year, Appen discovered that the feasibility report the City Council used when voting to run their own elections was not the original document. Two residents on a working committee had altered it after city staff had completed it and before its presentation to council. Appen Media reporters identified all of the differences between the two documents and then created an interactive digital document. Readers and officials were able to scroll through the materials and read notes from the newsroom explaining the differences. You can find this document at appenmedia.com/electionsreport.