Forsyth Herald - January 4, 2024

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County launches new threat alert system and instructions about imminent threats.

County staff said the service is for residents and people who work in the county or visit frequently.

Users can choose alert delivery through text messages, calls or emails; delivery times; and which weather alerts to receive. Users can opt out of

notifications at any time.

County Emergency Management Agency Director Tim Cisco said Alert Forsyth will enhance the department’s methods of sharing critical and timely information during emergencies.

Those interested can sign up at forsythco.com/alerts or download the Everbridge app and search for Alert

Brian Clark named Forsyth County CFO FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County named Brian Clark its new chief financial of ficer Dec. 28.

Clark assumed the position Jan. 2, some four months after the departure CLARK of previous CFO Marcus Turk, who held the job since 2021.

Clark previously provided project management; strategic planning and implementation; financial analysis; and budgetary planning, reporting and oversight for the United Parcel Service.

He also served as a controller and in finance directorial roles for the company’s Atlanta-based operations.

Clark also began independent

His wealth of knowledge and extensive background in finance and operations management will serve him well as he leads the Department of Finance.”

DAVID MCKEE Forsyth County Manager

County as chief financial of ficer,” County Manager David McKee said. “His wealth of knowledge and extensive background in finance and operations management will serve him well as he leads the Department of Finance.”

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Libraries sponsor series of winter youth activities ► PAGE 4

Tree recycling available at countywide locations ► PAGE 6

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consulting with Clark Finance Consulting Services LLC in early 2023.

He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix and a program management certificate from Boston University.

“We are very excited to welcome Brian Clark to Forsyth

Forsyth.

While the service is free, staff said message and data rates may apply.

Personal information submitted through the service will not be sold or used for purposes beyond emergency alerts.

APPE

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County residents and visitors can now receive notifications for health, weather and safety emergencies through a new alert service.

The County Emergency Management Agency, 911 Center, Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office will use the new system, Alert Forsyth, to deliver alerts

2 | January 4, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

POLICE BLOTTER 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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Deputies arrest Texas men for alleged burglary plot

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested two Texas men Dec. 20 who allegedly fled from arrest and were conspiring to burglarize an ATM. After receiving a stolen tag alert from the Sandy Springs Police Department, deputies located the suspect vehicle on Nancy Reagan Drive, where it entered an apartment complex through the exit gate.

Deputies reported confirming the stolen tag number and activating their lights to stop the vehicle.

The vehicle then reportedly sped through the complex and drove over a retaining wall to get back on Nancy Reagan Drive.

Deputies performed a PIT maneuver on the vehicle, but it continued on its way.

Because the vehicle was badly damaged, it stopped near Estuary Trail, the report states.

Deputies reported locating a second suspect in a nearby retention pond.

A heavy chain, a crowbar and a steel winch hook were reportedly found in the trunk of the vehicle.

Deputies reported one of the suspects’ phones also had a GPS app set to a credit union on Windward Parkway.

Deputies reported the circumstances, paired with the suspects’ criminal histories, indicated they intended to burglarize an ATM. The first suspect, 40, was charged with felony possession of tools for the commission of a crime, fleeing or attempting to elude for a felony offense and conspiracy to commit a felony.

He was also charged with misdemeanor attempting to misrepresent tag, theft by receiving stolen property, criminal trespass damage, reckless driving

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PUBLIC SAFETY and loitering and prowling.

The second suspect, 24, was charged with felony possession of tools for the commission of a crime, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony, as well as misdemeanor loitering and prowling, obstruction of law enforcement officers and giving a false name.

Both are being held at the Forsyth County Jail with no posted bond amounts.

Deputies arrest pair for alleged shoplifting FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested two men Dec. 20 who allegedly stole a scooter and batteries from Walmart on Peachtree Parkway.

Loss prevention employees reported the theft around 11 p.m. When deputies arrived at the scene, the suspects were fleeing in a U-Haul van with an Arizona tag.

Deputies stopped the vehicle on Peachtree Parkway. One occupant exited with a box containing the stolen scooter.

A second suspect remained in the vehicle and sped away but was quickly stopped by deputies. The U-Haul was reported stolen out of DeKalb County, the report states.

Deputies also reported finding a pack of batteries in the first suspect’s pocket.

The second suspect reportedly told deputies a third person was the “mastermind” and had orchestrated the theft.

The stolen merchandise, valued at $514, was returned to Walmart.

The first suspect, 28, whose address was redacted in the report, was charged with felony theft by shoplifting. He is being held at the Forsyth County Jail. Bond is set at $11,020.

The second suspect, 24, from Decatur, was charged with felony theft by receiving stolen property, party to a crime and fleeing or attempting to elude for a felony offense. He was also charged with misdemeanor obstruction of law enforcement officers, reckless driving and driving while license suspended.

He is being held at the Forsyth County Jail on a $28,170 bond.

No arrest information on the third suspect is available.

Dawsonville man cited for possession of meth FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested a 62-year-old Dawsonville man Dec. 20 for allegedly possessing meth and fleeing arrest.

Deputies conducting traffic enforcement reported spotting a vehicle with a cracked windshield around 1 p.m. at the intersection of Mount Tabor and Freeman roads.

Deputies tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver accelerated and failed to maintain his lane heading northbound on Freeman Road, the report states.

The suspect reportedly pulled into a driveway on Coltrane Road in Dawson County, then fled on foot and hid behind a camping trailer. He soon surrendered.

Deputies reported the suspect said he had fled from the traffic stop because he did not have a driver’s license, but he admitted he had a pipe in his front pocket.

Deputies also located three plastic bags of methamphetamine, which the suspect admitted he attempted to hide behind the trailer, the report states.

While being transported to the Forsyth County Jail, the suspect said he found a pill in the backseat of the patrol vehicle but denied it was his. Deputies reported cleaning the vehicle earlier that day, and there was only patrol equipment on the seats.

The pill was identified as acetaminophen and oxycodone hydrochloride, the report states.

The suspect was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of schedule two narcotics.

He also received misdemeanor charges for possession of drug-related objects, obstruction of law enforcement officers, driving without a valid license, windshield violation and fleeing or attempting to elude.

He is being held at the Forsyth County Jail with no posted bond amount.

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AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | January 4, 2024 | 3

Court rules against newspaper in open records case

By PATRICK FOX pat@appenmedia.com ATLANTA — A Fulton County Superior Court judge has ruled that the Sandy Springs Police Department is not violating the Georgia Open Records Act by providing – for the most part – one-sentence narratives on its initial crime incident reports it makes available to the public.

Judge Kimberly Adams ruled Dec. 22 that Appen Media had failed to prove that it is unlawful for the department to withhold supplemental information about a crime that police file in a subsequent report, often on the same day and gleaned from the same initial visit to the scene.

Appen Publisher Hans Appen said he plans to appeal the ruling.

“Judge Adams correctly cites state Supreme Court precedent that initial incident reports should be disclosed to the public, but fails to address the loophole that Sandy Springs creates for itself by writing multiple reports,” Appen said. “Common sense is that any information gathered by a responding officer to a scene is the initial incident report, regardless of when that officer actually writes his report or the number of reports he writes. We are confident the appeals court will recognize this tactic for what it is and reverse.”

The Georgia Open Records Act maintains that all public records are open for public inspection, but it does make exceptions. Medical information, Social Security numbers, the names of confidential police informants and a host of other privileged material is protected from disclosure. The law also provides some latitude for materials surrounding ongoing police investigations. However, initial police crime and incident reports are required to be made available to the public.

Appen Media, which publishes six weekly newspapers including the Sandy Springs Crier, filed suit in May arguing that the Sandy Springs Police Department is in violation of state law by not providing full initial incident reports to the public and the press when requested.

For over a year, the paper has pushed the department for more details about calls its police officers have been dispatched to investigate.

In most cases, the agency has returned the requests with onesentence narratives stating when and where police were dispatched to and, usually, for what reason. Unlike incident reports provided by police

agencies in surrounding jurisdictions, the Sandy Springs reports lack details on the nature of the crime, an accounting of property damage, injuries associated with a crime, whether any arrests were made, and whether any suspects have been identified.

Appen Media’s suit alleges Sandy Springs prepares this information in a separate document which the city then withholds from release.

As part of its court case, Appen Media cited guidance from the current “A Law Enforcement Officer’s Guide to Open Records in Georgia,” prepared and endorsed by the Georgia Attorney General in conjunction with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Sheriff's Association, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia and Georgia Press Association.

The guidance document states that “initial incident and police arrest reports are subject to the Act’s disclosure requirements, regardless of whether they are part of an active investigation. Additionally, any report, whether entitled a ‘supplemental report,’ ‘narrative report,’ or similar document name that is produced as part of an initial incident report or can be characterized as such, is likewise to be disclosed.”

Carl Appen, director of Content and Development for the publishing company, argued that the incident reports provided by Sandy Springs Police Department “usually include a one-line sentence stating that the responding officer is responding to a call . . . the responding officer will then prepare a ‘supplemental report’ that includes the additional information the responding officer learns while on scene responding to the initial call.”

He said those supplemental reports, often completed the same day as the initial report, are not being made available.

Appen’s suit centered on whether this second document, typically prepared by the officers using information obtained at the scene, is considered part of the initial incident report.

In December 2022, Georgia Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Colangelo said it is.

Replying to a request from the media company, Colangelo stated: “A common-sense interpretation of ‘initial incident report’ is that anything written at the same time as the first part of the report is part of the initial

Editor’s Note Patrick Fox is managing editor for Appen Media. He has played no role, offered no testimony, in the litigation of Appen Media’s case against the City of Sandy Springs up to the time of the Dec. 22 ruling.

incident report.”

Appen Media used the message as supporting evidence in its suit.

But Judge Adams ruled that the guidance document and Attorney General’s assessment Appen cites is not the law, “although [Appen] may be correct in its assertion that [the Sandy Springs Police Department’s] practice violates the spirit of the Open Records Act.” Even so, Adams wrote that testimony in a deposition by Sandy Springs Police Capt. Norm Vik, explained that, while the shortform report and more-detailed supplemental report may be completed at the same time, the two reports are handled separately.

Sandy Springs has maintained that the detailed, supplemental police reports contain information used for investigative purposes and would, therefore, be exempt from disclosure so as not to compromise investigation and prosecution of a crime.

In a statement issued Dec. 27, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul praised the court ruling.

“The court determined the City of Sandy Springs fully complies with the law,” Paul stated. “We believe our policy balances the right of citizens to access essential public information with the need to preserve the integrity of criminal investigations. We are gratified the court agreed with us.”

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NEWS

Public libraries kick off 2024 with lineups of winter events

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

Visit each county library system’s website for more information.

METRO ATLANTA — From crocheting to yoga to teen book clubs, Metro Atlanta libraries are offering a slew of programs and resources for patrons of all ages this winter.

Here is a brief look at some offerings.

Forsyth County Throughout January, the Forsyth County Public Library is offering basic Python coding for students in the sixth through eighth grades at the Cumming Library at 585 Dahlonega St. The course will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays and will focus on basic coding and theory.

The four -week program begins Jan. 6 and concludes Jan. 27.

Registration is required, and participants are encouraged to attend all sessions.

Post Road Library at 5010 Post Road will host a “Masterminds Lego Lounge” at 4 p.m. on Fridays starting Jan. 12, with recurring dates through April.

Students in kindergarten through

DeKalb: dekalblibrary.org Fulton: fulcolibrary.org Forsyth: forsythpl.org

ILLUSTRATION BY DIONNA WILLIAMS/APPEN MEDIA

DeKalb, Forsyth and Fulton County libraries are hosting a series of events for all ages this winter. Patrons can read to dogs, relax with yoga, start a book club and learn coding languages. fifth grade can practice building or complete new challenges in each program. Finished Lego creations are displayed on top of the library’s hold shelves.

Registration is not required, but space is limited.

The Cumming Library will also host a monthly writers club where teenagers can meet others who love to write; learn tips and strategies; practice with prompts and games; and share their writing to receive constructive feedback.

The club will meet at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 9, Feb. 13 and March 12.

Fulton County The Milton Library, 855 Mayfield Road, offers a community crochet circle on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The hobby group is open to adults of all crochet skill levels and other fiber arts.

Some North Fulton branches are also reserving time slots where children can read to registered therapy dogs.

The Roswell Library will host “Read to Archie” at 4 p.m. Jan. 8 and 29 at 115 Norcross St. The Milton Library invites children to read to Cinnamon at 3 p.m. Jan. 9, Feb. 13, March 12, April 9 and May 14 as part of its “Books with Pups” series.

The Milton branch also offers a monthly program for children 8 years and older to play Pokémon and Magic the Gathering. All skill levels are welcome.

The gaming event is held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the first and last Friday of each month.

Beginning Jan. 5, Northeast Spruill Oaks Library will host yoga every Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30

p.m. at 9560 Spruill Road in Johns Creek.

The Ocee Library in Johns Creek is also hosting “Energy Yoga” on Wednesdays starting Jan. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 5090 Abbotts Bridge Road.

The Sandy Springs Library is scheduling “Yoga with Marianne” on Saturdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 395 Mount Vernon Highway.

Classes run from Jan. 6 through Jan. 27.

DeKalb County The DeKalb County Public Library system is offering four book group takeout kits to help patrons improve or start their own book club.

Each kit includes 10 to 12 copies of a book from the kit’s catalog and a guide on how to run a book discussion, a biography of the author, a synopsis of the reading material and discussion questions.

The library system offers four takeout kits based on reading level: “Eager Readers” for beginners, “Book Buddies Takeout” for children who are new to chapter books, “BeTWEEN the Lines” for tweens and “Book Group Takeout” for adults.

Book group takeout kits can be checked out for eight weeks, and renewals are not allowed. Patrons may check out two kits at once.

The DeKalb County Public Library also offers FLIP kits, which develop new readers’ comprehension and skills through family activities at home. FLIP kits include a book, an activity guide, materials and supplies.

Beyond its book offerings, the DeKalb library system also provides exclusive resources for teenagers.

The Hairston Crossing Library offers teen and tween self-care kits every Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4911 Redan Road in Stone Mountain.

The kits include journaling and mindfulness supplies for patrons between 12 and 18 years old.

Teen artists and writers can also submit their work to be featured in the DeKalb County Public Library’s quarterly zine, “Between the Stacks.”

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | January 4, 2024 | 5 PuzzleJunction.com

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6 | January 4, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

NEWS

Nonprofit lists six locations for Christmas tree recycling

RYDER LEARY/PROVIDED

Girl Scouts participate in a flag-raising ceremony Dec. 17 at Keep North Fulton Beautiful in Sandy Springs, later earning a badge.

Girl Scouts earn badge in flag-raising ceremony SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Members of two Girl Scout troops earned a badge after participating in a flag-raising ceremony Dec. 17 at Keep North Fulton Beautiful, a recycling center in Sandy Springs.

One group was Troop 22339, consisting of Brownies and juniors, which included Sophie Kassas, Isabella Greenia, Abbott Zaher and Isla Gibbler.

Troop 20020, composed of cadettes,

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included Ava Greenia, Ara Zaher and Christine Kassas.

“It’s a good experience for the young ladies to not only understand what the flag means, but also a good connection back to the community…showcasing what they can do for other nonprofits in our area,” said Ryder Leary, executive director of Keep North Fulton Beautiful.

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Residents can recycle their Christmas trees at six locations in January as part of Keep Forsyth County Beautiful’s “Bring One for the Chipper” program.

Forsyth County Environmental Program Manager Tammy Wright said more than 100,000 Christmas trees have been recycled through the program since its launch in 1994.

“All of the Christmas trees brought to us for recycling have either been placed in the lake as fish habitat or chipped into

reusable mulch,” Wright said. “We look forward to keeping trees out of landfills every year.”

Residents can also pick up wood chips made from the recycled trees on a first come, first served basis at Coal Mountain Park at 3560 Settingdown Road. Residents must haul and load their own wood chips.

Artificial trees, lights, decorations, tree bases and plastic bags are not accepted.

— Shelby Israel

Recycling locations and hours • • • • • •

Home Depot at 1000 Market Place Blvd. from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 6 Home Depot at 2635 Peachtree Parkway from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 6 Vickery Creek Elementary School at 6280 Post Road from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dec. 26-Jan. 6 Tolbert Street Recycling Convenience Center at 351 Tolbert St. from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 27-Jan. 27* Old Atlanta Recycling Convenience Center at 3678 Old Atlanta Road from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 27-Jan. 27* Coal Mountain Recycling Convenience Center at 3560 Settingdown Road from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 27-Jan. 27*

*Closed on Sundays, Jan. 1 and Jan. 15

— Amber Perry

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Our Final Ask It’s the final day of the year, and the final day to support us this year. We hope you’re closing out 2023 with reflection and celebration, and starting 2024 with fresh energy. We certainly are. As we consider our plans for the new year, we’re focusing on one main thing: Our one hope for the new year is for local news to grow.

Where local news thrives, communities thrive. Neighbors are informed and engaged. Leaders are held accountable.

You can help make our hope a reality. When you support us today, you’re supporting independent journalism that works for you. And, you’re powering us to plan for next year: new projects, new reporting initiatives, new community events and so much more.

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Design, print and promote is in essence what we do.

JON WITTENBURG, owner, Minuteman Press Sandy Springs 8 | Forsyth Herald | January 4, 2024

Minuteman Press rolls through digital age

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga.— Jon Wittenburg brings the backing of an international company to his Minuteman Press Sandy Springs franchise.

Wittenburg, a self-described introvert, purchased the franchise in 2012 and joined the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce shortly after opening his press shop.

“Design, print and promote is in essence what we do,” Wittenburg said. “We understand that good printing starts with good design.”

Wittenburg said his secret to maintaining a local business through the COVID-19 pandemic circles back to the relationships he forged with fellow small business owners at networking events with the Perimeter Chamber.

Minuteman Press International has almost 1,000 franchises across the world, including South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom.

There are 10 franchises operating in Metro Atlanta with another 10 throughout Georgia.

After expanding the footprint of his previous shop at 6780 Roswell Road in 2017, Minuteman Press Sandy Springs has settled into a larger location at the Morgan Falls Office Park just up the road on Ga. 9.

The motivation for the move to Morgan Falls in April was to increase the square footage of the shop and to streamline production.

“One of the big benefits of the move this year was being able to place our equipment where it needed to be,” Wittenberg said. “It also gives me expansion capabilities.”

When Wittenburg and his team signed a long-term lease at the office park, they had to gamble on the state of the printing industry in the United States.

According to an industry report from IBISWorld, the print market in the United States was estimated at about $80 billion in 2023.

The right touch While digital marketing has expanded in the internet age, people often prefer things they can touch

offers tools for individuals to design their own print products, there is not someone on staff to ensure the product achieves its intended effect.

Entrepreneur Magazine has rated Minuteman Press International as the top printing franchise in the industry for 20 straight years. In the company’s 50-year history, it has been named the No. 1 franchise in the printing industry 32 times.

Minuteman Press Sandy Springs has also received positive reviews from customers across North Fulton, East Cobb and Dunwoody.

Whether customers came in for wedding invitations or a school project, a vast majority spoke to Wittenberg and his team’s honesty, efficiency and quality printing.

“Minuteman Press Sandy Springs is a wonderful shop to do business with,” Russell Wise said in a Google review. “Very responsive, professional quality, well versed in all aspects of their craft and creative.”

MINUTEMAN PRESS/PROVIDED

The team at Minuteman Press Sandy Springs stands with Greater North Fulton Chamber President Kali Boatright, right, and Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber President Adam Forrand, left, Aug. 24 in the new shop at 7840 Roswell Road. Many of the customers at Minuteman Press Sandy Springs are local business owners. and feel, Wittenburg said.

“We got involved with promotional products a few years ago because we felt it was a good complement to the conventional printing we do,” Wittenburg said. “So, it gives us the ability to be like a one-stop print shop.”

If a local business owner decides they want a brochure instead of flyers, the team at Minuteman Press Sandy Springs already has the equipment and know-how to create the product.

The company employs a full-time designer and a full-time production manager.

Wittenberg said he hopes to hire another designer soon to keep the

production process operating more efficiently. The need to hire another team member at the print shop is a problem Wittenberg said he’s happy to have.

What’s more, the team works with customers to ensure they have the chance to look over the design and make changes before going to print.

“If you design it right and print it right, people are going to look at it,” Wittenberg said.

In-house graphics are a benefit because it allows the team at Minuteman Press to offer advice and expert opinions on the designs customers bring into the shop.

While the U.S. Postal Service

Adjusting to global pandemic When the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns hit the U.S. in 2020, business-to-business industries bore the brunt of economic pain.

“Most of what we do is for other small to medium-sized businesses,” Wittenberg said. “Whenever there’s uncertainty, then businesses are going to be hesitant to spend a lot of money on marketing.”

Initially, there was a temporary increase in business for signage related to social distancing and the pandemic. However, demand for other products and services significantly declined.

Print marketing and advertising spending decreased during 202021, Wittenburg said. Because print products are primarily used during in-person events, the effect on local print shops is intuitive.

The supply chain also had a huge effect on the local business and the U.S. printing industry.

“We even had trouble getting paper,” Wittenberg said. “I’d never thought I’d see the day when there would be trouble getting 20-pound copy paper.”

See PRESS, Page 9

Press:

BUSINESSPOSTS

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | January 4, 2024 | 9

Continued from Page 8 When the supply chain threw a wrench into print production, other areas picked up. For example, the use of direct mail for advertising and marketing increased with so many Americans in their homes.

The return of in-person events in 2022 brought with it opportunities for Minuteman Press Sandy Springs to provide a much wider selection of products and services.

“It’s about as close to normal as it’s going to get,” Wittenburg said.

“There are still at times delays in getting a particular line of paper.”

If customers prefer to stick to a certain brand or weight of paper, they may have to wait a little longer,

MINUTEMAN PRESS/PROVIDED

The new location of Minuteman Press Sandy Springs is in the Morgan Falls Office Park. Owner Jon Wittenburg said the motivation for the move in April was to increase the square footage of the shop and to streamline production. but the uncertainty has declined since the peak of the pandemic.

When asked about the difference between print and digital media in

the internet age, Wittenberg gave the business card as an example. A person can tap your phone and your contact information will be instantly

in their smart phone. Business cards could be obsolete in just a few years.

Without a physical reminder of the person’s contact, digital business cards often fail to achieve the same effect as a printed one, Wittenberg said.

A complete marketing strategy includes print and digital, which can complement one another if used properly.

“An emotion that you can touch and feel, hold on to or even keep if you want to,” Wittenberg said. “It is often a lasting emotion, an emotion you can revisit if you want to.”

Wittenberg said he believes the COVID-19 pandemic brought the printing industry back.

“As long as we are emotional creatures, I think there will also be a place for printing.”

Brothers-in-law turn bagel shop into deli empire

By DELANEY TARR SaportaReport ATLANTA – Across 30 years in the Atlanta food industry, Wayne Saxe and Howard Aaron have built a small culinary empire as co-owners of Goldbergs Fine Foods, “Atlanta’s original New York-style deli.” But their sizable corporate portfolio all started with a small bagel shop.

The brothers-in-law migrated to Georgia from South Africa in 1992 with hopes of working in the food industry.

Howard Aaron said he had experience back in Johannesburg, and he wanted to revisit the field. After searching, the pair found Goldberg & Son, a small fatherand-son Atlanta deli run by Maury and Jack Goldberg.

The deli, which had opened off Roswell Road in Buckhead in 1972, was only about 1,200 square feet with a few tables. It ran primarily off takeout for its simple menu, which consisted of a few bagels, cream cheese and sandwiches.

But the food was good, and it reminded them of the meals their Jewish grandmothers cooked at home.

“We had a vision, we liked the product and we thought we could expand it,” Saxe said.

The pair bought out the deli from the father and son in Dec. 1992 and quickly got to work running the place.

Aaron managed back-of-house while Saxe “crunched the numbers” with his accounting experience. In 1993, they embarked as the sole owners of Goldbergs Bagel Company & Deli, working with about four employees to serve up bagels and sandwiches to

Atlanta.

The deli owners wanted to expand, but they were committed to quality food first.

“Doesn’t matter about the price and whatever it takes, we will always have a quality product and quality service,” Saxe said. “In the food business, those are the only two things that we sell: service and quality of food.”

Aaron said the deli was a hit from the moment they opened it. Customers would hang out, “schmooze,” and talk to each other.

“It was a very homey, welcoming environment,” Aaron said.

But the pair had their sights set further. They opened up more stores across Metro Atlanta with locations in Dunwoody, East Cobb and West Paces.

As their brick-and-mortar locations increased, they ventured into the wholesale business and stocked Costco shelves, too.

By 2015, Goldberg had expanded as a restaurant and retail operation. They had opened a secondary company, Goldberg Concessions, to feed the city’s “traveling public.” In 2015, Saxe and Howard caught wind of a request for business proposals at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The busiest airport in the world was looking to sign a deal for the 10 Delta SkyClubs paying members to visit before flights.

“Everyone who owns a retail business wants to be in the airport because of how lucrative it is,” Saxe said.

They submitted a proposal and won the contract to supply bagels and cream cheese to Delta SkyClubs in Atlanta.

With that expansion, they opened

Goldbergs Commissary to manage the SkyClub food.

Their investment in the Atlanta airport took off from there, as Goldberg slowly took over all the food for the airports. They also expanded elsewhere – in 2015, Saxe and Aaron opened the Atlanta Braves All-Star Grill in downtown Atlanta.

Now owners of a catalog of companies, Saxe and Aaron had no intentions of slowing down.

“We got a call from Delta again, and they said, ‘Listen, you know we put food on our planes. Would there be any interest in you guys doing that?’” Saxe said.

They were the only self-identified “little bagel place” to try for the contract with Delta out of dozens of other companies. Still, they got the deal, which Saxe attributes to their product quality.

“We had the best service in town, the best quality and all of the Delta leaders come to our business anyways,” Saxe said.

With that, Goldbergs Fine Foods started supplying all of the international flights out of Atlanta with food. They also served American Airlines and United Airlines with in-cabin options. Since they were in airports so much, Saxe and Aaron decided to take on an entirely different avenue: construction.

They started up yet another company, Goldway Construction, which built out restaurants in HartsfieldJackson airport. Now they have over 2,000 employees, a major jump from the few Saxe and Aaron started with.

Even though they’re the co-owners of a major portfolio of companies, Saxe and

Aaron still see themselves as the “little bagel shop,” adding a personal touch to every operation.

“We don’t take any shortcuts, and, you know, we do things correctly,” Aaron said.

The shops are far from little nowadays, though. Their staff produces more than 500 dozen bagels every weekday and more than 1,000 dozen bagels every weekend. The menu is also bigger, with 32 varieties at each location.

No matter the size, Howard and Saxe want to keep the small business feel.

They focus on community engagement by donating leftover goods from restaurants and airports to Atlanta’s homeless population. They also keep the business in the family.

Both of Saxe’s sons run companies under the umbrella. His oldest son runs Mainland Foods, which consists of the food production facilities. His younger son runs Goldway Construction.

“They’re excelling in those parts of the business, and it’s worked out very well for us,” Saxe said.

After decades in the business, Saxe and Howard are still heavily involved in each part of the business. The scope has changed, but the co-owners are clear on their focus.

“We just want to stick to our basics and remember our roots, how we started and where we are,” Aaron said. “If you asked either one of us 30 years ago if we’d be where we are today, I don’t believe any of us would have realized.”

This story originally appeared on SaportaReport.com and is available here through a reporting partnership.

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REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | January 4, 2024 | 11

PEXELS

Leading design predictions for 2024 Brought to you by – Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty The mantra in 2024’s home décor Bill Rawlings landscape and Sherri Conrad is clear: everything is up for redesign. Adapting to the surge in remote work, designers agree that homes require both versatile multipurpose areas and functionspecific spaces. A notable shift toward the optimization of every square inch is emerging. More than ever, the goal of design is to ensure that every corner of the home is aesthetically pleasing and tuned to its occupants’ unique needs and preferences.

1. Color drenching.

The vibrant phenomenon of “color drenching” approaches room color audaciously, saturating every surface in a favorite hue and creating a seamless “wrap” encompassing ceilings, walls, doors, trim and beyond. Explore a dynamic fusion of wallpaper and paint to achieve the desired effect with this personalized look that instantly imparts personality to a space.

2. Stone statement pieces.

This trend sees the rise of porcelain stone accent walls strategically placed in the kitchen, powder rooms and other focal areas to introduce movement while maintaining a neutral palette. Stone accents serve as grounding elements, anchoring the design with an earthy, tactile quality. Other examples include granite farmhouse sinks in kitchens and stone basins in bathrooms.

3. Passementerie.

The third trend making waves in the new year is the artful incorporation of “passementerie,” small yet impactful design details that lend a touch of opulence. A French word for the creation of elaborate trimmings, it encompasses tassels, pompoms, fringes, ornamental cords, rosettes, beading applique, tapes and leathers. The beauty of passementerie lies in its versatility, appearing in window treatments, upholstered furniture, pillows, throws, lampshades, tablecloths and even walls.

4. ‘Cozycore’ bathrooms.

All about 24/7 comfort, the ‘cozycore’ aesthetic harmonizes aesthetics and functionality to create a space perfect for cocooning. It embraces techniques that prioritize warmth and serenity: incorporating layers, investing in warmer windows, employing mood lighting and introducing soothing scents to create an immersive sensory experience.

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5. Fluting/reeding.

Defined by a series of shallow, concave grooves (fluting) or convex grooves (reeding) across a surface, this design trend offers visual texture and tactile elegance.

Design in the new year promises a spectrum of choices to craft spaces that resonate with your needs and preferences. If you need assistance renovating your home or have any other real estate needs, please contact Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty at 770.442.7300.

We would be happy to assist you!

Compiled and edited by Angela Valente, Marketing Copywriter/ Copyeditor

atlantafinehomes.com sothebysrealty.com © 2023 Sotheby’s International Realty. All Rights Reserved.

Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark and used with permission. Each Sotheby’s International Realty office is independently owned and operated, except those operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. The Sotheby’s International Realty network fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. 1125 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 400, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009. 770.442.7300.

12 | January 4, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section

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Canton/Milton | Resort Living

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14 | January 4, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section

PROVIDED

Take in the mountain views at Horizon at Laurel Canyon Brought to you by- Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties Horizon at Laural Canyon, located in Canton, offers striking views of the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains foothills. This popular new home community is more than just a neighborhood; it’s a lifestyle. Designed

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is designed to be spacious, airy, and filled with natural light. State-of-the-art appliances and well-thought-out floor plans make daily living convenient and enjoyable. For those who desire a more elevated experience, some offer sky terraces, providing a unique vantage point to take in the best mountain and sunset views in metro Atlanta.

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REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section

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ALPHARETTA-ROSWELL HERALD | FORSYTH HERALD | JOHNS CREEK HERALD | MILTON HERALD DUNWOODY CRIER | SANDY SPRINGS CRIER Serving Metro Atlanta Since 1977 | Hello@AppenMedia.com | 770.442.3278

Delivering Readers Award-Winning Newspapers 2023 Georgia Press Association 1st Place – News Photograph 1st Place – Feature Writing 1st Place – Business Writing 1st Place – Serious Column 1st Place – Food Ad 1st Place – Newspaper Promotion Ad 1st Place – Classifieds Section/page 2nd Place – Page One 2nd Place – Lifestyle Coverage 2nd Place – News Photograph 2nd Place – Local News Coverage

January: How NOT to die and what you do if someone does.

Brought to you byMichelle Wilson, Wilson Legal, PC More people die in the US in January than in any other month.

(You, sarcastically) “Gee, thanks Michelle!

I feel so much better WILSON now! Why should I care?” I’m so glad you asked, dear reader. I’d like to help by telling you what 3 things TO DO FIRST if someone dies (and 3 things NOT TO DO FIRST).

3 things TO DO FIRST: (1) Find out what your loved one owned. You need to know what the person who died actually owned before you can do anything about it. (2) Change the locks. There may not be a “Rule of Grab” in the Georgia code, but I’ve had families where items were swiped. (3) Find out who the “heirs” are and get current addresses and phone numbers. The “heirs” are the people who would inherit if the person died without a will. For example, if someone dies leaving a spouse and children behind, then the spouse and children

are the heirs. If someone dies leaving no spouse and no children, then we look at parents, then siblings, then nieces and nephews, then first cousins. Google “sanguinity chart” to see a table of relationships by blood. It’s like playing the old game “6 degrees from Kevin Bacon only instead of hopping from the nearest friendship to the next connected person until you get to Kevin Bacon (usually 6 hops), you’ll be hopping from the nearest blood relation to the next nearest.

3 things NOT TO DO FIRST: (1) Call your attorney. Your wonderful, amazing attorney won’t be able to do much to help you until the death certificate arrives. Spend time with your family right now. Make time for yourself to feel the feelings you need to feel. (2) Give or sell anything to anyone. Without all the facts, you might be liable for repaying the estate. (3) Close their checking account or tell the bank they died. Why? Check out my website for upcoming webinars: Wilson-legal.com/events Remember, if you need help with probate, use Wilson Legal where you’ll find easy-to-talk-to attorneys who are happy to untangle the long list of “TO DO”s when someone dies.

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16 | January 4, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

NEWS

Passion for conservation drives Keep North Fulton Beautiful director

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — In a postChristmas, post-processing day rush, dozens of cars made their way to Keep North Fulton Beautiful’s small recycling site on Morgan Falls Road.

While the cardboard bin had been empty earlier that morning, it quickly started overflowing, many boxes marked by Amazon’s logo.

As one truck left the lot carrying a week’s worth of cardboard, Keep North Fulton Beautiful Executive Director Ryder Leary said the nonprofit recycles around 50 bales a week, each packed cube weighing about 600 pounds. He said cardboard is the No. 1 recycled material there, and more of it is coming through which he attributed to the popularity of Amazon, Walmart and other delivery services.

Leary said there’s been about a 25 percent increase in total tonnage of recycled product in the last quarter.

For regular drop-off, anyone can come to the recycling center in Sandy Springs. While some cities in North Fulton have their own recycling sites.

Roswell has a comprehensive site exclusive to Roswell residents. People from other cities who don’t have curbside pick-up rely on Keep North Fulton Beautiful.

“If you want to drive up here from Miami and drop stuff off, you’re more than welcome to,” Leary said.

There are bins for cardboard, paper products, food-grade glass, scrap metal and plastic — No. 1 are items like clear water bottles, and No. 2 items could be milk jugs and detergent bottles.

Recycling events There are some special recycling events that are exclusive to Sandy Springs and Johns Creek residents, for electronics, bulky items and hazardous waste.

But, free shredding events, held throughout the year, are available to everyone, and Leary said those are fun to watch. Shredding is also offered on-site, priced at $1 per pound.

The nonprofit also recycles medical equipment, like walkers and unused adult diapers. The Sandy Springs Rotary picks up the equipment and takes it to FODAC, or Friends of Adults and Disabled Children, which donates it to families in need.

The partnership is longstanding, but Leary said he plans to double medical equipment intake with a new trailer.

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Ryder Leary, executive director of Keep North Fulton Beautiful, stands in front of people recycling materials, from cardboard to glass. Drop-off services are open to everyone, though some special events are exclusive to Sandy Springs and Johns Creek residents.

For questions about recycling services at Keep North Fulton Beautiful, visit keepnorthfultonbeautiful.org or call 770-551-7766.

Recycling tips can be found at earth911.com.

There’s also a truck on-site for gently used clothing and household goods, eventually sold by American Kidney Services to help with medical bills for those suffering with kidneyrelated illnesses.

Currently, Keep North Fulton Beautiful is recycling Christmas trees.

Whether material designated for recycling actually gets recycled is a popular question from skeptics, with an underlying assumption that it all just goes to a landfill. But, rest assured, Leary said there’s very little waste at Keep North Fulton Beautiful because all the material is pre-sorted.

“Cross contamination is the No. 1 reason something may not get recycled,” Leary said. “But all of these agencies, even the big agencies, are recycling 100 percent of what they can recycle, because there’s no money in it if they don’t.”

Improving operations After 16 years with the YMCA, Leary joined Keep North Fulton Beautiful this summer.

Under his leadership, the nonprofit has gone through a rebranding with new signage and

A woman walks from the plastic recycling station. logos, updates to the website and weekly highlights on social media that showcase good works from community members as well as having a “volunteer of the month.”

In December, Leary asked two Girl Scout troops to lead a flag-raising ceremony.

Leary said, in general, he has been cleaning up operations at the facility to be as efficient as possible, to be good stewards of not only the product being brought it but also the resources cities provide to continue services at Keep North Fulton Beautiful.

While he said he loved his career with the YMCA, he always wanted to be involved in conservation. “...[I] found an opportunity to do something I’m a bit more passionate about, and it gives me an opportunity to make a difference in a different way,” Leary said.

A man loads up a baler with cardboard.

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | January 4, 2024 | 17

Appen Press Club presents

Listening Tour 2024

Reporter-Led Event Series Seeking Story Feedback and Ideas

Dunwoody – Thurs. Jan. 18, 4–5pm Open to the public and FREE to attend!

YE OLDE DUNWOODY TAVERN OTHER UPCOMING LISTENING TOUR 2024 DATES & LOCATIONS: February 14th

From the Earth Brewing Company (Roswell)

5488 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. Dunwoody, GA 30338 DunwoodyTavern.com | (770) 394-4164

TO RSVP

RSVP is not required but appreciated.

Visit appenmedia.com/join to let us know you are coming.

March 21st

Sugo (Johns Creek)

April 18th TBD

May 16th

Six Bridges Brewing (Milton)

June 20st TBD

July 18th TBD

TO JOIN

To join go to appenmedia.com/join and follow the prompts to select your membership level.

Questions? Email Hans Appen at hans@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278.

18 | January 4, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

OPINION

Where have all the Christmas cards gone?

I have written a family Christmas letter now for about 50 consecutive years. It usually is long – like around 3,000 words-ish, which is crazy and usually includes a large collage of RAY APPEN photos from the Publisher Emeritus year. So, no one is going to read a 3,000-word Christmas letter. Most people are not going to read a 3,000-word anything. I did manage to cut it down – way down this year – by not writing much about family and more about thoughts in general.

However, with context, that long a letter may make a little more sense.

Most of the time, I have been writing to update all my hometown (Rockledge, Florida) friends – primarily my parents’ friends – about us. They knew us. They watched us grow up. Many actively participated in our childhood. So, many, if not most of them, actually had an interest in what we had been doing

– at least enough to wade through my too-long missive. Most of them, however, have died. So, it has been a challenge to continue to write the letter since my audience has changed so much – and diminished in number.

Plus, many or most new additions to my mailing list already know what the fam is up to because we see them – at church or in and about town.

This year, we did not get many Christmas cards compared to the past.

I am guessing the cards are down like more than 75%! What the heck? I know that we – at least I – can be obnoxious but I didn’t think we had lost, or could lose, so many friends so quickly!

Geezzzz!

I asked Christina about it – what could possibly be an explanation.

She thought about it for about 3 seconds and replied, “social media.”

She thought that maybe most people feel like they are in touch all year long with their friends, so the necessity of sending printed snail-mailed Christmas letters just didn’t feel as appropriate as it did in years past. I guess…

My guess was that more and

more people are thinking that they are time-starved and believe they don’t have time to write something or send a letter. (My guess is also that this quadrant of people also doesn’t have to time to read newspaper columns either). My guess is that collectively we are all feeling the anxiety of information overload – and the omniscience of (generally toxic) social media – combined with a broad disconnect with each other, an ungrounding to reality as we have known it – as a community of people, of neighbors, of friends who are more important than all the bright, shiny objects we think we see.

So tired of talking to machines already, over the phone or online. It surely will just get worse.

What do you think? Seriously.

Did you see a decrease in Christmas cards this year? If so, to what do you attribute it? Let me hear from you? I can be emailed at RayAppen@ Gmail.com. In the subject line put “Christmas Cards.”

In closing, I had an interesting disaster in ordering most of my

Christmas gifts online this year; they all were delivered to the wrong address – and I never got them. I think this happened because “my laptop” overwrote my address – where to mail my purchases to. Why? Well, my takeaway is that when you are ordering something online, never, ever click “yes” when you are prompted with “Is it ok to use your current location?”

Always click NO. What happened to me, I think, was that I typed in my correct address, but because my street number is the same as the street number on a different street – a street located about ¼ mile from me –the geo-location-enabled AI just decided/ auto-filled in the rest of my address – or overwrote it – for me. Just saying.

Can’t make this stuff up. I am so not liking AI. And yes, I went to the other address to try to find my packages, but it was a shopping center and about a dozen stores used that one address – but with different suite numbers. It actually gets worse, but I will save that for another column.

Use my current location?

Absolutely, NOT.

GARDEN BUZZ

Forest bathing allows you to embrace nature’s healing powers The ‘forest bath’ or the Japanese concept of shrinin-yoku forest therapy is an exercise in mindfulness that promotes wellbeing and a sense of calmness when practiced. The KATHERINE COPPEDGE “bathing” refers to a therapeutic immersion Guest Columnist in the natural environment with all the senses engaged.

It’s an intentional and mindful practice that involves a leisurely walk through the woods allowing the sights, sounds, scents and textures of the natural world to “wash” over the individual. But it’s not just a walk, it’s a rejuvenating experience that goes beyond the physical and taps into the therapeutic essence of nature itself.

This is not exercise, or hiking, or jogging through the woods. It is simply being in nature with no other activity involved. No picture taking, texting or otherwise engaging with anything other than strolling through the forest. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world.

Never have we been so far from connecting with the natural world and so divorced from nature. The United Nations reports that 55% of the world’s population

lives in urban areas today, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. According to a study sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 93% of his or her time indoors.

In our fast-paced, technology-driven lives, finding moments of stillness and mindfulness is a challenge but forest bathing provides an antidote. It is a way to foster an awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things, of being fully in the present moment, and leaving behind the distractions and noise of daily life. It is a holistic experience that encompasses the mind, body and soul.

Trees, the silent giants of the natural world, play a vital role in forest bathing.

They play a vital role in creating a balanced ecosystem. Forest bathing takes this understanding to a personal level, allowing one to appreciate the calming influence of trees. Phytoncides, natural compounds released by trees, lowered stress hormone levels and increased immune system activity in scientific studies. Understanding the healing power of trees can deepen our commitment to preserving and protecting these essential guardians of our environment.

In forest bathing, the senses are our

See FOREST, Page 19

About the author This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Roswell resident Katherine Coppedge.

Katherine has been a Master Gardener since 2009 and has been gardening in the Atlanta area since the 1070s. Katherine is an avid hiker and lover of walking in the woods. Katherine is a member of the Spalding Garden Club and has been a board member of the John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Preserve in Sandy Springs since 2006.

Katherine shared her love of trees and forest bathing in her spring 2021 “Big Trees of Sandy Springs” garden lecture which is viewable at https://youtu.be/oeOlLc21ue0.

Learn more • • • • • • • • •

Forest Bathing - Connecting to Nature to Improve Health. Rappold and Dixon.

University of Arizona Extension. https://extension.arizona.edu/pubs/forest-bathing-%E2%80%93-connecting-nature-improve-health Forest Bathing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElyUFMgwPAw Embracing the Wisdom of Shinrin-yoku: Exploring the Japanese Tradition of Forest Bathing https://treeplantation.com/forest-bathing.html The Art and Science of Forest Bathing https://kripalu.org/resources/art-andscience-forest-bathing The Art of Forest Bathing https://aplacebetweenthetrees.com/2020/09/30/theart-of-forest-bathing/ Shinrin-Yoku - The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5L8mEU40Gjs Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Nature’s Keeper: John Ripley Forbes and the Children’s Nature Movement, by Gary Ferguson The Hidden Life of Trees: What they feel, how they communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben

OPINION

PAST TENSE

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | January 4, 2024 | 19

Franklin Garrett, Atlanta’s official historian – Part 1 Franklin Garrett, whose life spanned 1907 to 2000, has often been referred to as “Atlanta’s official historian. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and came to Atlanta with his and sister VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF parents in 1914.

From the Columnist time he arrived in Atlanta, the events of his life helped him become an expert on the places and people of the city. (“Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South,” Spring 2000, “Franklin Garrett, Sept. 25, 1907-March5, 2000, A Tribute”) The Garrett family settled on 13th Street near Piedmont Park, and Franklin attended elementary school at Tenth Street School. He maneuvered around Atlanta on his bicycle and by trolley. He recalled taking the trolley to Oglethorpe University, which he described as “considered on the far urban fringe.” He walked from the trolley stop to Silver Lake.

Garrett attended high school at Tech High, graduating in 1924. While in school, he worked at Marshall’s Drug Store. After

Forest: Continued from Page 18 guides. Walking through a forest becomes a sensory feast, with the rustling of leaves, the dappled light through the canopy, the fragrance of the earth, and the touch of breeze on the skin all contributing to a heightened awareness. This sensory exploration is not only a source of pleasure but a way to strengthen our connection with the natural world. It is a celebration of the untamed beauty of the wilderness.

To do a forest bath: 1. Find a suitable location in nature – a wooded area, preferably close to home so it can become a healthy habit.

2. Enter the forest, stand still, and recognize your body in space (15-20 minutes), breathe slowly and evenly: a. See five things. b. Hear four things. c. Touch three things. d. Smell two things. e. Taste one thing.

3. Proceed by walking mindfully, slowly and quietly.

4. Reflect out loud; “I am noticing __________.”

5. Establish a spot to sit and ponder for a minimum of 20 minutes.

graduating, he worked at Western Union.

He began collecting city directories, and one day in 1927 entered the law office of Eugene Mitchell, asking to see the firm’s directories. Mitchell founded the Atlanta Historical Society in 1926 and was the father of Margaret Mitchell who wrote “Gone with the Wind.” Eugene Mitchell invited Garrett to join the Atlanta Historical Society.

In 1939, he began a 28-year career with Coca-Cola Company, and in 1942 he became president of the Atlanta Historical Society. His career was interrupted by World War II, when he was called to serve at Fort McPherson inducting new recruits.

Garrett wrote two volumes of Atlanta history, titled “Atlanta and Environs, a chronicle of its people and events,” published in 1954. He wrote the text for these two books, which total 2,034 pages, on yellow legal pads with a pencil. Volume I begins with a brief section of Native American history, moving into the 1820s through 1870s. Volume II covers the 1880s through the 1930s. Volume III was published by Harold H. Martin in 1987 and includes the years 1940 through 1970.

Beginning in 1930, Garrett began

riding his bicycle all over DeKalb and Fulton County recording the names and details of those buried in cemeteries.

Sometimes he was able to identify unmarked graves by talking with local citizens.

This cemetery research is a significant collection of data useful to historians and genealogists, however it is limited by Garrett’s concentration on White males who were buried in the Atlanta area up until Dec. 31, 1931.

Garrett spoke to the Sandy Springs Historic Research Committee and Dunwoody Oral History Committee in 1994. Attendees included Ethel Spruill, Glenn Austin and Bill Wynne, cochairman of the Sandy Springs committee.

Garrett told the group, “One thing led to another and my interest in Atlanta has never failed or slowed down.” He also gave the group advice on the collection of oral history. (Video recording. Franklin Garrett presents to Sandy Springs and Dunwoody group, 1994, Dunwoody Preservation Trust archives) He told his audience how he rode his bicycle to the Sandy Springs Methodist Cemetery on April 17, 1931, and recorded the names and details of the burials. He

said Arlington Cemetery was just one lot adjoining Sandy Springs Methodist Cemetery at that time.

DeKalb County historian and author of “History of DeKalb County, 1822-1900” Vivian Price knew Franklin Garrett and saw him speak. She recalls, “He personified the phrase ‘walking encyclopedia’ He was a tall, imposing man and had a quiet, courtly bearing, but he was always approachable. I can still hear his rumbling bass voice.”

Marc Hayes of Brookhaven also saw Garrett speak and met him at a book signing in Atlanta. Hayes recalls hearing Garrett on WSB radio with his “Stump Garrett” program, where Atlantans called in with questions about local history with hopes that Garrett might not know the answer. He usually knew not only the answer but plenty of additional details.

More on “Stump Garrett” and Garrett’s love of railroads in the next Past Tense.

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.

6. Return to mindfully walking and continue the bathing session.

7. Conclude your session but do not make an immediate return to everyday life. Savor the forest and the experience.

In conclusion, forest bathing is not just about personal well-being; it fosters a deeper understanding of the need to conserve and protect our natural spaces.

It can instill a sense of responsibility to preserve the sanctity of the environment.

Forest bathing prompts us to be mindful of our impact on the ecosystems we inhabit and work toward preserving and protecting these spaces for future generations. Let us take time to immerse ourselves in the restorative embrace of the forest, understanding that the well-being of the natural world is intricately woven into our own.

Now, go take a walk. Slowly!

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net. Previous Garden Buzz columns are featured at https://appenmedia.com/ opinion/columnists/garden_buzz/.

John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Preserve in Sandy Springs

SANDRA SHAVE/PROVIDED

20 | January 4, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

OPINION

Georgia Legislature must embrace common-sense affordable housing The Georgia Legislature’s historic distaste for common-sense housing policies has worsened an affordability crisis that’s affecting residents statewide.

It’s time for a new SEAN KEENAN approach.

SaportaReport In next year’s legislative session, lawmakers will be weighing critical measures to strengthen tenant protections, diversify housing types, and boost funding for affordable housing. Without major reforms, Georgia risks pricing out the workforce that’s essential to the state’s prosperity.

In metro Atlanta, for instance, the state’s longstanding ban on local rent regulation allows landlords to raise rents without any limits and makes it easier to evict tenants at will. Outdated state housing laws like this one have frustrated innovative residential development projects and contributed to the city’s widening income gap between the rich and poor.

In my four-plus years as Atlanta Civic Circle’s housing reporter, I’ve

strained to ward off waves of cynicism and instead seek out sources of hope for the people in our city who can’t afford the ubiquitous $18 cheeseburger, the $70 haircut, the $100 gym membership — or the rent spikes that accompany posh developments and the amenities they bring.

Common-sense housing law While Georgia lawmakers have been slow to respond to our statewide affordable housing crisis, it’s a situation they can no longer afford to ignore.

In January, they’ll be considering several housing bills that would ensure our teachers and grocers and firefighters and other middle-wage earners can afford to live in metro Atlanta or other jobs hubs statewide.

Take 2023’s Safe at Home Act, which would safeguard basic tenant protections by requiring Georgia landlords to provide “habitable” living conditions. Last year, lawmakers watered down House Bill 404 so severely that it neglected to even define the word “habitability.” Even with such weak language, the legislation failed to earn so much as a vote in the State Senate, after the House okayed it.

Chalk that up to time constraints, perhaps, but our Legislature must consider housing as important an issue for Georgians as reproductive rights, voting liberties, education, immigration and job creation, regardless of one’s political affiliation.

A Georgian’s housing status directly affects their quality of life. It determines where their children can attend school, where they can get jobs, how easily they can access public transportation, and which doctors, restaurants, or grocery stores (if any) they can visit.

HB 404’s failure last year should inspire politicians of all leanings to push aggressively for legislation that simply says landlords can’t abuse their tenants, financially or otherwise.

The Safe at Home Act was among a small battery of progressive housing policies that shorted out during the last

General Assembly.

Local control House Bill 125, to repeal the state’s decades-old ban on municipalities regulating rent, shouldn’t have been so polarizing either. But it faced the same roadblocks as other efforts that many lawmakers have oversimplified as “rent control.”

For some, the term “rent control” evokes images of dilapidated apartment blocks blighting otherwise blossoming metropolises. However, HB 125, which will likely return during the upcoming session, didn’t impose rent price caps.

Instead, it merely opens the door for municipalities and counties to pass their own measures to limit how much landlords can hike rent when leases expire.

Isn’t local control something we should all embrace? Why should the Atlanta City Council be prohibited from telling the city’s landlords they can’t double or triple a tenant’s rent price in a lease renewal?

Denser zoning Density-focused zoning reform is another common-sense, low-cost way to promote affordable housing by allowing more housing to be built on less land.

That can foster the kind of affordability Georgia needs to retain the working-class folks who play such a crucial role in our state economy.

Some of our state legislators insist that Georgia’s housing affordability crisis boils down to a supply and demand issue — and simply building more housing will solve the problem. But this thinking is unrealistic.

“If you just try to increase overall supply, it doesn’t help people at the lowest level of the income spectrum,” Natallie Keiser, the executive director of the advocacy group HouseATL, told Atlanta Civic Circle recently. “The problem is it ends up [producing] that trickledown, unhealthy housing that we’ve seen, highlighted so aptly by the Atlanta Journal-Constutition’s [‘Dangerous Dwellings’ series].”

Housing Trust Fund What’s more, if legislators do think that increasing housing production will solve our affordability crisis, shouldn’t the state put some financial resources behind that idea?

HouseATL, a coalition of Atlanta leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sectors, has just released 23 policy recommendations for state and local lawmakers. As a top priority, they urged Georgia leaders to use $100 million from the state’s nearly $11 billion budget surplus to fund its Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless. The fund supports groups that are building affordable housing and providing supportive services for people transitioning from life on the streets to living under a roof.

The state currently allocates about $3 million a year to the trust fund. While $100 million is not enough to solve the state’s housing crisis, it would be an investment in housing the likes of which Georgia has never seen. To illustrate the enormity of the housing crisis for working class Georgians, the nonprofit Urban Land Institute estimates it would cost $270 million a month to publicly subsidize all affordable housing needs in Metro Atlanta alone.

Politicians of all stripes must make housing policies a priority. Our elected leaders are waking up to the fact that many of their constituents—often working two or even three jobs to stave off eviction—are scrambling to secure a place to call home.

“We want people to live in the community where they are working,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in January. “It cuts down on logistics. It cuts down on the need for infrastructure, and it just honestly makes for a better quality of life.”

As we head into 2024, Kemp and our state legislature must put their money where their mouth is.

This story originally appeared in Atlanta Civic Circle, a nonprofit newsroom that covers housing, democracy and labor across the state.

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