Milton Herald - January 26, 2023

Hausmann reflects on political career

Kemp maintains focus on education in his second term

By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA —In a spirited inaugural address Jan. 12, Gov. Brian Kemp took media and pundits to task and renewed his commitment to make education a priority in his second term.

“We listened to the people of our state…not the cocktail circuit [or] the so-called experts,” Kemp said before the crowd gathered at Georgia State University’s Convocation Center. “We gave Georgians the opportunity to go back to work, get their kids back in the classroom… and protect freedom to live their lives without fear of more government lockdowns, mandates and overreach.”

Kemp followed up on his commitment to education the next day by sending his amended FY 2023 budget to the Georgia Legislature which includes a $2,000 raise for teachers, pre-K teachers and certified kindergarten through 12th grade personnel.

If approved by the Legislature, the starting salary for first-year teachers will rise this year to $40,500 and average more than $62,000 for the state’s 115,000 public school teachers. The increase could place Georgia among the top 20 states for teacher pay, which was a goal Kemp set in his

Milton Parks and Recreation Director Tom McKlveen presents a

at the Jan. 18 Milton City Council meeting. The council unanimously approved the agreement, handing

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

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PUBLIC SAFETY

Woman claims Alpharetta hotel was complicit in sex trafficking

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTTA, Ga. — A purported victim of sex trafficking filed a complaint in U.S. District Court Jan. 10 against the Alpharetta location of Ramada Worldwide Inc. for allegedly allowing her to be trafficked there as a minor.

The victim, an Alpharetta resident who is referred to as “J.K.” in the complaint, alleges that she was trafficked by a man identified in the filing as “Kelvin” at the Ramada Limited Suites at 3020 Mansell Road from 2013-2014.

The complaint alleges that Kelvin threatened J.K. with violence and distributed video footage of her performing sex acts to individuals she knew as a form of punishment when

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.

Card from man’s wallet used to buy items at store

MILTON, Ga. — A man reported he lost his wallet Jan. 15 at Providence Park and later received a bank notification for a $1,011 charge that had been declined at Kroger on Ga. 9.

When the man went to Kroger to obtain information, he was informed that the card was declined at the self-checkout registers and had been used to purchase two $500 gift cards, the police report said.

Milton Police followed up with the Kroger manager, who provided security footage. On the footage, two people can be seen around the time the man received bank notifications.

One of the customers, an elderly

she threatening to quit.

The complaint filed by attorneys Matthew B. Stoddard and M. Janine Bell of The Stoddard Firm, who represent J.K., stated that Kelvin would pay for rooms one night at a time in cash and that the hotel had knowledge of online reviews by individuals claiming they were solicited for or mentioning evidence of prostitution during their stay.

The complaint stated that J.K. is entitled to a claim against the hotel under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which states that “whoever knowingly benefits, financially or by receiving anything of value from participation in a venture which that person knew or should have known” is in violation of the act.

By allowing Kelvin to rent rooms at the hotel, profit off these rooms

White male with white hair wearing what appeared to be a dark blue jacket and jeans, could be seen at the self-checkout, but they could not determine what the man was purchasing or if he attempted to ring up any gift cards. The Kroger manager said the man’s card was declined but was approved at a second selfcheckout register.

The victim of the theft said he saw an elderly man at Providence Park matching the elderly man’s description. He also said he received an additional notification in the same time frame for a $1,054 charge at the same Kroger.

From the footage, police could see that the elderly man got into a parked white minivan. He waited for a brief period, and another person got into the vehicle before he drove off.

Police are following up on the case.

Assisted living employee suspected in fraud case

MILTON, Ga. — A man notified Milton Police Jan. 10 that a check had been

and Kelvin’s use of the hotel Wi-Fi network to advertise J.K. for sex, the Ramada knowingly benefited from the trafficking, the complaint alleges.

Stoddard wrote in an email that the firm has faith in the courts to “interpret the TVPRA such that franchisor entities cannot escape justice.” Stoddard also wrote that the case would pursue theories that were not pursued in in Doe v. Red Roof Inn, a previous TVPRA sex trafficking case in which the plaintiffs failed to prove their claims.

“Our firm remains committed to helping survivors of sexual assault,” Stoddard wrote.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has not provided a comment as of publication.

The case, number 1:23-cv-00108, will be presented before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

stolen out of his mother’s wallet at a nursing home and had later been used.

Police met the son at Vitality, an assisted living home, and spoke to a manager. The son had printed a screenshot of his mother’s bank account, which showed a $522 charge at a T-Mobile store by a woman who worked as part of the housekeeping staff at Vitality.

The man’s mother has dementia.

The son also said there had been five debit transactions declined in late December made at T-Mobile and FashionNova.

The son said he thinks the same employee had taken a photo of the debit cards but did not have the correct billing address for the cards, causing them to be declined.

The son said he had since frozen the account to avoid more fraudulent purchases.

The Vitality manager said the suspect had left for the day earlier that morning and had already been placed on suspension pending investigation.

HANS

Brian Iroff GIA Graduate Gemologist

Atlanta animal shelter lowers adoption rates

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Throughout January, you can adopt a pet from LifeLine Animal Project for $23. The “new year, new friend” deal includes spay and neuter, vaccines and microchip. Typically, dogs have an $85 adoption fee at Lifeline, and cats have a $65 fee.

The organization also opened a new pop-up dog adoption center for the month at 981 Howell Mill Road NW in Atlanta.

Education:

Continued from Page 1

first run for office.

“We know we need more teachers,” said Kemp, whose daughter is a teacher. “We [also] need to help our kids recover from learning loss, to keep our classrooms safe and [commit] to fully funding our schools once again.”

Educators express support

The Professional Association of Georgia Educators praised the governor’s budget proposal, pointing to the challenges of retaining teachers in the classroom over the past few years. (Statewide study probes deeper into teacher burnout | School News | appenmedia.com)

“We are encouraged by Gov. Kemp’s announcement today of a proposed $2,000 increase to the state salary schedule for Georgia pre-K–12 teachers and certified K-12 personnel,” said PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper. “There is no doubt that a salary increase would assist with recruitment and retention of excellent educators for Georgia’s children.

Four years ago, in his first run at the state’s top office, Kemp won ona platform of public education support. He was able to push through a $5,000 salary increase for teachers during that term.

If Kemp’s amended FY 2023 budget is approved by the Legislature as expected, teachers on the state salary schedule will have received a $7,000 pay hike in his first five years in office.

Moving into FY 2024, which begins July 1, Kemp’s proposed budget includes over $150 million in one-time grants for school districts to address school security, learning loss and create pathways for paraprofessional staff to become fully certified teachers.

Officials with the Georgia School Boards Association praised the governor’s efforts to continue supporting

The adoption center is open seven days a week.

LifeLine Animal Project also manages Fulton County and DeKalb County Animal Shelters and provides animal enforcement services in Fulton County. As the largest animal welfare organization in Georgia, Lifeline aims to “end the shelter euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals.”

teachers and students.

“Governor Kemp has been financially supportive of Georgia’s public schools once again this year, [and] we are particularly happy to see funding for items we asked for,” said Justin Pauley, director of communications for the association. “It may not look exactly as we hoped, but the school safety funding and additional counselors is greatly appreciated.

Georgia’s coffers are full

The state is well-positioned financially to support education, Kemp noted, despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and shaky national economy over the past three years.

“As we look ahead to the upcoming fiscal year, we expect the state’s economy to be well positioned to withstand any further national economic slowing,” Kemp wrote in letter to lawmakers that accompanied his budget. “The amended FY 2023 and FY 2024 budgets [will] continue to meet our financial obligations as a state while also investing in the education, health, and safety of our citizens.”

Georgia is coming out of the pandemic in better shape than many states, with a projected surplus of $2.4 billion this year. Kemp noted Georgia has been among the top 10 states for business for the 9th year in a row.

If the governor has his way, much of the state’s tax surplus will be returned to taxpayers this year through tax refunds and a one-time homeowner property tax relief grant to help with rising local property taxes.

“Instead of catering to the talk shows or what is [trending] in media, this administration and the leadership in the General Assembly are going to put you and your families first…and spend the next four years focused on growing Georgia,” Kemp said in his inaugural speech. “This old construction guy from Athens has never been more optimistic about the future of our state.”

LUXURY OUTLOOK IN MILTON

Cash Buyers Make a Comeback

Although jumbo mortgage rates remain lower than conventional, in Milton, we are seeing high-net-worth buyers using cash to avoid significant interest payments on home purchases.

Stability is the Watchword in Tax-Friendly Markets

Milton offers favorable tax laws and a high quality of life. Milton also recently passed the adjustments to the 65+ tax benefits making it more appealing.

Property is Still King for Passing Wealth Between Generations

Real estate remains the most secure and efficient way for the affluent to pass on wealth to the next generation. We have multiple buyers looking for land or estates in Milton specifically.

Naturehoods: The Great Outdoors is a Top Amenity

The new “naturehood” trend and its subsequent lifestyle changes has increased the buyer demand for easy access to nature. Milton’s rural feel and larger lot sizes are a huge attraction for luxury buyers.

Cheers to a bright 2023 ahead, Scan to view the full Sotheby’s International Realty® 2023 Luxury Outlook Report.

Milton buys more land to expand park space

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — The Milton City Council approved a $1.4 million contract for additional recreational space at its Jan. 18 meeting.

In an email, Milton Parks and Recreation Director Tom McKlveen said he had been working to acquire the 4.86 acres of land on Hopewell Road since last year. The city’s general fund and impact fees will be used to pay for the purchase in full, he said.

Milton now has capability of active recreation programming on about 53 acres, McKlveen said. This does not include land going under contract in recent months along Bethany Way and Hopewell Road, nor does it include Providence Park, Birmingham Park, the “passive” part of Milton City Park and Preserve and assorted greenspaces.

At the council meeting, McKlveen emphasized the location of the land, which is in the southern portion of the city nearby Providence Park. He said the purchase gives the city further flexibility and options when it comes to master park planning for the assemblage of properties under contract in the same area.

There will be an extensive process involving public engagement before determining how exactly the space will be used, McKlveen said, and the process will be guided by recommendations laid out in the city’s 2027 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

“You’ve been busy this past year,” Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison said. “It’s gonna be more busy, I guess. I appreciate it.”

In other action, the City Council approved qualifying fees for the 2023 municipal election, in which council seats for District 1/Post 2, District 2/Post 2, and District 3/Post 2 will be on the ballot. The seats are currently held by councilmembers Carol Cookerly, Paul Moore and Rick Mohrig.

Per Georgia code, the qualifying fees should be 3 percent of annual compensation of each seat, which is $390.

The City Council approved action in December to advance plans for the city to conduct its own municipal elections, a move estimated to save it tens of thousands of dollars from costs cited by Fulton County to operate the polling.

“It’s a bargain,” Councilman Paul Moore said.

Alpharetta graduate elected president of Harvard Lampoon

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, GA. — Suchetas Bokil is ringing in the new year as the first South Asian president of the Harvard Lampoon, a 146-year-old nationally circulated humor magazine run by Harvard students.

It’s a historic step for the publication, but 20-year-old Bokil is “excited for what’s to come.”

The Harvard Lampoon has a long list of famous alumni, with former presidents Conan O’ Brien, “Saturday Night Live” writer and star Colin Jost, and “Parks and Recreation” creator Michael Shur.

Bokil, who grew up in Alpharetta, entered Harvard in 2020 after graduating from Alpharetta High School, but comedy wasn’t a part of his original plan.

“I used to love consuming (comedy) but I don’t think it’s ever something I thought of as a serious field to study or dive into,” Bokil said.

Bokil loved watching “Saturday Night Live” and late-night comedy shows throughout middle and high school, but when choosing a college major he looked toward his experience as a policy debater.

“My high school years, there was so much going on in national politics, it felt like an important time to get involved,”

Bokil said.

He chose to major in government and politics, then dove into politics-oriented extracurriculars his first year of college. Soon, he was drawn in by the looming Harvard Lampoon building he called “mysterious.”

“Not only do I enjoy consuming it and seeing it happen, but the chance to make that comedy is really special,” Bokil said.

Bokil applied to the Harvard Lampoon his freshman year but got cut in the final round of applications. It left him with enough interest that Bokil applied again in the fall of his sophomore year and got in.

“I’ve spent the last year or so writing a lot, doing a lot of work around the place, doing almost a janitorial role,” Bokil said.

He was elected president of the publication in December and started his year-long tenure in January.

“There’s a lot of pressure in a good way, in the sense that you’re stepping into big shoes,” Bokil said. “There’s a sense of oh wow, so many people have done this.”

The Lampoon has been the start of many successful comedy careers, but Bokil is more focused on the work he does now than any future opportunities.

“At the lampoon, what makes it so cool is there’s no pre-professional sense

SUCHETAS BOKIL/PROVIDED Suchetas Bokil, an Alpharetta High School graduate, was elected as Harvard Lampoon’s first South Asian president in the publication’s 146 year existence.

about it,” Bokil said. “The goal should be to be funny, to be good at being funny.”

Bokil knows he wants to write comedy professionally, but he only started pursuing the field professionally in the past year. He maintained the government and politics major but added an English minor to round out his schooling.

“There’s so much overlap in politics and comedy,” Bokil said. He pointed

to the variety of late-night shows with a political spin as ways his knowledge could help.

Bokil said the Alpharetta community has been supportive, if not surprised.

“I think my parents and family, they’ve been very supportive,” Bokil said. “They were a little bit like, ‘are you sure you want to be doing this?’”

Bokil said he’s always been extroverted, but his comedy interest was completely out of left field from his earlier interests.

Still, Bokil joked “I would hope my friends consider me somewhat funny.”

As a full-time student, Bokil spends most of the year on campus, but he comes back to Alpharetta when he can.

“I see a lot of my teachers at Alpharetta High School, and they’re all very supportive,” Bokil said. “They thought it was very funny at first.”

Bokil is set to graduate in the spring of 2024 and has plans to write some “fresh material” and possible literary scripts. Right now, though, he’s focused on “producing funny content” for the Lampoon.

“In a way, I think it’s very cool because they take comedy so seriously,” Bokil said about the Lampoon. “I think one of the best parts is I learn a lot from my peers at the Lampoon.”

Dunwoody police obscure arrest locations

City Hall stands in as reported location of prostitution stings

By CARL APPEN and ALEXANDER POPP carl@appenmedia.com alex@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — This summer, a series of prostitution arrests in Dunwoody had a peculiar similarity – the police reports all said they took place at City Hall.

It wasn’t the only occurrence. In the past three years there have been at least 51 police reports involving prostitution using the location ID of 4800 Ashford Dunwoody.

It turns out, there was no underground brothel operating out of City Hall. Instead, officers follow an “informal policy” meant to preserve the department’s ability to conduct sting operations at local hotels.

When arrests are made in stings, Dunwoody officers use the address of Dunwoody City Hall in police reports because Chief Billy Grogan says hotels wouldn’t let them use their space otherwise.

“I think if we had to put the exact address, then we might as well stop trying to enforce human trafficking,” Grogan said. “If we started saying, ‘Okay, we made 15 arrests here at the Crowne Plaza today.’ Well, then, the Crowne Plaza could get bad publicity from that, and then say, ‘Hey, y’all, this is hurting our business. We’re not gonna allow you to do this.’”

Instead, the Police Department treats the hotels they operate out of for these stings the same as a confidential informant.

“The crime would never have been committed if the police had not been proactive,” Dunwoody Assistant City Manager Jay Vinicki said. “So therefore, do not penalize the property owner by saying a crime was committed.”

Open Records law

However, Georgia First Amendment Foundation spokesman Richard T. Griffiths said the practice that Grogan and Vinicki describe basically amounts to filing a false police report and violates Georgia’s Open Records law.

“There are minimal reporting requirements for the Open Records Act,” Griffiths said. “It doesn’t get into the investigative files, but it does

For the last 10 years, the Dunwoody Police Department has held an informal policy to obscure the location of where undercover sex trafficking operations occur in published documents, using the address of

Behind the story

For this reporting Appen Media filed 28 Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests and inspected 271 pages of documents. Two reporters, two editors and a number of other staff members contributed to

require accurate information to be published in incident reports that are available to the public for inspection.”

He said he thinks the practice is, “a deliberate attempt to mislead the public about what’s happening in their community,” which isn’t mitigated by the fact that it may, or may not, protect the identity of a local business.

“The public has a right to know what is happening in their community, and for police departments to deliberately falsify their incident reports for an alleged protection of the investigation doesn’t serve the public very well,” he said. “It doesn’t build trusted institutions.”

the project over the course of six months.

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The practice also goes against the department’s own Standard Operating Procedure, which states that incident reports will include, among other information, the “location of the incident.”

Grogan said it was a longstanding informal policy, but one he believes is justified given the city’s history with sex trafficking crimes and the efforts they’ve taken to combat it over the past decade.

When the Dunwoody Police Department began targeting human trafficking and sex trafficking about 10 years ago, Grogan said the city was dealing with an influx of what amounted to “open air” prostitution

markets at local hotels.

In interviews with those arrested for orchestrating sex trafficking operations, Grogan said police learned over the years that Dunwoody is viewed as the perfect place for sex workers and sex traffickers because it’s a gateway between the north, south, east and west, with easy access to Gwinnett and Cobb counties on I-285, and on Ga. 400 into north Fulton cities and into the heart of Atlanta.

Crackdown has worked

Through operations and educational events, Grogan said police have been able to slow sex trafficking in the Dunwoody area down to a trickle. So now they’ve taken the fight online, setting up stings for people coming into Dunwoody from other areas to buy or sell sex, using sting operations targeting suspects online.

“Because we’re being proactive and addressing this, even now, it’s sometimes difficult for us to attract people to come to them,” Grogan said.

FILE PHOTO/APPEN MEDIA

Dunwoody City Hall.

Alex Popp to lead Perimeter coverage

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — North Georgia journalist Alexander Popp has been selected to spearhead coverage of the Perimeter area for the Dunwoody and Sandy Springs Crier newspapers.

He will report to Carl Appen, director of Content and Development, and will be based in Alpharetta.

"Alex is our most experienced reporter and has proven himself as a great representative of the newsroom. It just makes sense for him to be our vanguard into a brand-new coverage area," Appen said.

For the last six months, Popp has reported on local government and public safety in Forsyth County and

Obscure:

Continued from Page 8

Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said she wasn’t aware of the Police Department’s informal policy to obscure confidential crime locations using the address of City Hall. She said she has no authority over the Police Department’s policies.

“In a city manager-council form of government, the layers of authority as it relates to police are very clearly defined … So those are decisions that aren’t made by myself and are not reviewed by myself or the council either,” Deutsch said.

However, Deutsch said she stood by the policies and decisions made by the Police Department and city leaders and believes they have “good reasons” for everything they do.

“I have a lot of confidence in those types of decisions being made by the people who do it for a living, or for the city manager who has worked in local government for decades,” she said.

Grogan later told Appen Media that the department’s informal policy to obscure locations where crimes occur is very limited, and by necessity only.

“Everything can’t be a policy. You’d

Newspaper Delivery Route Openings with Appen Media Group

the City of Alpharetta. Recently Popp and his wife Ellen moved to Sandy Springs.

Originally from the Alpharetta area, Popp graduated from the University of North Georgia in 2016 and subsequently spent a 6-month sabbatical Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail before starting work as a Forsyth County crime reporter in 2017.

To contact Popp with news tips or story ideas, email alex@appenmedia. com or call (770) 847-7404.

The mantle of Appen Media’s Forsyth County and Alpharetta reporter will be taken up by recent UGA Grad Shelby Israel.

have a book that big,” he said, holding his hands about a foot apart.

He said that even with the sex trafficking cases they do value the importance of accuracy at some point along the line. Some cases, like those with attached felony drug charges, must be bound over to DeKalb County Court. In those scenarios the obscured address goes away and the real address of where the crime occurred is entered into the public record.

“It’s one thing for us to put it on our system,” he said. “But if they had taken a warrant out, they should put the actual address where it happened.”

But Grogan said that nearly 100 percent of cases generated from their sex trafficking sting operations are settled in municipal court, either for a plea deal or other type of negotiation, so often cases don’t ever reach the DeKalb County Court.

Grogan said “maybe” it’s a double standard to obscure information in local reports and the municipal court, and not in county court documents, but he believes it’s worth it if it allows them to continue fighting human trafficking.

“Because if none of the hotels will cooperate … it just wouldn’t happen,” he said.

We are looking for one person or couple interested in delivering weekly newspapers in South Forsyth, Alpharetta and the Johns Creek areas.

Requirements: Must have a perfect driving record and background check, reliable transportation, honest, hard-working and positive attitude.

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Liz Hausmann reflects on decades in public office

NFULTON COUNTY, Ga. — ewly retired Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann sat down with Appen Media Managing Editor Patrick Fox Jan. 6 to reflect on her 25-year career in politics, Georgia State Senate campaign loss and her future plans.

A lifelong Republican, Hausmann ran on a platform of fighting crime, election integrity, low millage rates, job creation and increased mental health funding in schools.

Looking back, Hausmann said she doesn’t know if the seat was ultimately winnable for a Republican. The District 14 seat covers parts of Roswell, Sandy Springs and north Atlanta, but that was not always the case.

The senate district originally covered rural Bartow County but was moved to the more purple North Fulton as part of the 2021 legislative redistricting.

“North Fulton is changing

By DELANEY TARR | delaney@appenmedia.com

For the past 12 years, Hausmann has represented District 1 seat on the Fulton County Commission, which covers much of North Fulton. Prior to her time on the County Commission, she served as a charter member of the Johns Creek City Council, a member of the Fulton County Board of Education and on the

demographically,” Hausmann told Fox. “It was viewed as a toss-up seat initially, but I think something’s happened nationally that affected the outlook of folks in the district.”

After losing the election, Hausmann decided to retire.

Volatile beginnings

Hausmann has built a career as a connecter between county and city governments. She was a charter member of Johns Creek City Council and assisted in its incorporation efforts in 2006.

Hausmann said tension between the county and local communities helped spur the drive to form Johns

Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections.

Hausmann retired after losing her bid for the Georgia State Senate District 14 seat in November. In her only career loss, Hausmann finished 9 percentage points behind her Democratic opponent Josh McLaurin.

Creek.

“It was very much the cities had to be created in order just to get basic services,” Hausmann said.

Residents in the area, she said, felt neglected by a county that was too large to provide communities with the service levels they needed on issues like traffic.

“The entire reason was just to have control over what kind of developments come in your community, what the road projects might be, what the parks may be like,” Hausmann said.

Her time in the city’s early years motivated her to run for Fulton County Commission, even

though Johns Creek had a tenuous relationship with the county government.

“Fulton County is so unique, with all the cities that we have, that it was so important to me that we learn to live with each other and work together,” Hausmann said. “Having come from a city that's really been one of the main reasons I ran.”

Joining the ‘bad guys’

It was a change for Hausmann, noting that Fulton County had been painted as “the bad guy that didn’t pay us any attention.”

Hausmann said that was the climate she faced when she won the

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

District 1 Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann, who will vacate her seat at the end of 2022, was honored by Alpharetta officials at the Dec. 12 City Council meeting. City representatives said that Hausmann was an invaluable ally to the people of north Fulton County, and they honored her with a city proclamation. Hausmann, a Republican, ran unsuccessfully for Georgia’s District 14 Senate seat in this year’s election.

Hausmann:

Continued from Page 10

District 1 commission seat as the only voice representing North Fulton.

Despite the tension, Hausmann said she was determined to forge relationships and avoid being antagonistic.

Within a couple of years, composition of the commission districts changed and a new District 2 seat was created to add more representation in North Fulton. The new districts equalized the county with three representatives from the north, three in the south and the chairman at large. It solved the problem of representation, but there were many other issues to tackle.

In Hausmann’s first term, the county went through three different managers, in a period she describes as “volatile.”

By the time the county chose a sound manager, commissioners had to inform him the county was near bankruptcy. When current County Manager Dick Anderson came on board in 2015, he sat the commissioners down for training, helped with policies and worked on changing the entire environment.

Hausmann said it was the start of solving their dysfunction as a county, with commissioners sitting down to eat lunch with city mayors for the first time to attempt to find common ground.

Even so, through the years, some city mayors offered few good words for Fulton County.

Fox cited former Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker as one key official who seldom trusted the county and was often quoted blasting it for some of its decisions.

When Fulton County commissioners voted to distribute $2.5 million of the $104 million it received in federal coronavirus relief to the cities, Bodker and a number of other mayors were outraged and threatened to sue.

The county relented and bumped the cities’ share to $25 million.

“Fulton County screws all its residents equally,” Bodker said after the agreement.

For those who continued to butt heads with the county, Hausmann had a simple answer.

“Just give them a job, let them be part of the solution,” Hausmann said.

So, in 2021, with Bodker announcing he would not seek another term as Johns Creek Mayor, Hausmann nominated and

won approval to place him on the Development Authority of Fulton County, where he now serves as treasurer.

For her first four years in office, Hausmann was the only Republican on the commission. It left her often a dissenting vote on issues, like her contentious support in keeping the old Alpharetta library so it could later be converted into an art center.

For the entirety of her career, Hausmann was rarely at the center of conflicts, even in the face of inflammatory conflicts and tensions with local governments.

“I told y’all, I’m not going to go and be a bomb thrower, I’m just going to get things done,” Hausmann said.

With a mix of Republicans and Democrats on the commission, Hausmann pointed out the vote splits were often not along party lines.

According to Hausmann, even with all of the existing challenges, the steps she and the commission took led to a period of peace between the county and local cities.

But the group hug didn’t last long.

Sales tax negotiations

The Fulton County local option sales tax, or LOST, is used by local government to fund projects and services like parks, public safety, recreation, elections, courts, jails and health.

Revenues from the tax, which run in the billions, are split between Fulton County and its 15 cities through a negotiated agreement every 10 years.

In 2022, county negotiators introduced a distribution that would increase the county’s share of sales tax revenues from the current 5 percent to 35 percent, leaving the 15 cities to split the remaining 65 percent. It was a distribution formula not seen since before 2000 when there were still large chunks of unincorporated areas the county serviced.

Mayors from the 15 cities were outraged, pointing out that the landscape of Fulton County had changed drastically since the pre-2000 rate. They said that with the creation of almost half a dozen new cities, Fulton County now presides over 1.5 square miles of unincorporated land

She said the resolution is fair but took longer than she hoped for.

The relevancy of Fulton County

today.

Hausmann admitted she was taken aback by the county’s initial proposal and stressed that the pitch came from consultants and not commissioners.

“We had just determined there’d be negotiating teams that would meet,” Hausmann said. “The first meeting when the outrageous 35 percent was thrown out there turned everything on its ear.”

In response, cities tried to put forward a proposal that would leave the county with nothing, a move Hausmann called “unrealistic.”

“There are things that the county does that do qualify under the law for the use of LOST revenue that we were using their money for,” Hausmann said.

Cities are more dependent on the funds than the county, but the county needs the funds for elections, courts, libraries, tax assessments, safety net services and public health, she said.

Over time, the county and cities negotiated an agreement by which the county will receive about 10 percent of LOST revenues over the 10-year period. Across the decade, the county share will slowly increase from 4.9 percent to 9.9 percent, leaving the cities with a slow decrease in their share.

The agreement still leaves the cities with 90 percent of the funds, and officials predict economic growth will offset the staggered decrease in LOST funds.

“For years we were making such progress and to see it all, you know, be blown apart was really, really hurtful,” Hausmann said. “I think we did some serious damage over these LOST negotiations.”

Over the past 25 years, the might of Fulton County has diminished. New cities, like Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton, and South Fulton have all but closed the door to county sway in many areas.

The county covers 534 square miles, but it only has exclusive jurisdiction over 1.5 square miles.

Hausmann defended the relevance of the county government.

“See, the services are different,” Hausmann said. “I think that’s what people need to understand.”

At their core, the county serves different areas than the cities, a fact shown by the uses for LOST funding in different areas.

As an example, Hausmann pointed to the County Health Department. Before COVID-19 hit, she said nobody cared about the department. The onset of the pandemic changed that mindset significantly, especially since Fulton County is responsible for Grady Hospital, which has 953 beds.

“I would say that Fulton County serves all 1.1 million folks that live in Fulton County,” Hausmann said.

As Hausmann exits a political career that spans a quarter of a century, she points to North Fulton’s rapid development as a source of pride.

When she joined the Fulton County Board of Education in 2003, there were only about four high schools in the area.

“All the kids were in trailers, and you know, we’re bursting at the seams,” Hausmann said.

Now, the county contains 20 high schools. Hausmann said that level of growth in that time period is significant.

“I really feel honored to have served as long as I did, and to be at all levels of local government,” Hausmann said. “I’ve seen a lot in this community, you know, during a period of high growth.”

“I told y’all, I’m not going to go and be a bomb thrower, I’m just going to get things done.”

LIZ HAUSMANN, former District 1 Fulton County Commissioner

Liz Hausmann, Former Fulton County Commissioner Pat Fox, Appen Media Group Managing Editor

Roswell Police Department reaches full staffing level

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. —For the first time in 20 years, the Roswell Police Department is fully staffed.

The department announced there were 160 officers employed at the start of 2023, leaving no vacancies.

“Staffing for law enforcement and retention is a challenge, it’s not a Roswell, North Fulton, Georgia issue, it’s worldwide,” Police Chief James Conroy said.

When Conroy was appointed chief in 2019, he said the department had many vacancies. Hiring new officers and keeping them was his top priority.

He said the department worked with the city to take steps to encourage applications. The first was salary. Historically, Conroy said Roswell has played “catch up” with the salaries in neighboring cities.

“Salary is just one component, but it is the big headline grabber,” Conroy said.

He met with Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson and the City Council to address police pay, and in July 2022 the council agreed on a “Best in Class” salary template.

The policy raised existing officer salaries by 20 percent and boosted starting salaries by 20 percent across the board. Brand new officer’s salaries start at $58,553, and officers with experience and a college degree can make up to $71,635.

Conroy said the salary increase worked— in 2022, the department hired 36 new police officers, 23 of them with experience at other agencies.

The mix of new and experienced officers was intentional. Conroy said the department received 737 applications in 2022 alone, but they wanted some officers with experience who could start the job faster.

Still, Conroy wanted to put some officers through the academy so they could learn about Roswell from the ground up.

“This is where they develop their policing skills, many of them grew up here, then became officers,” Conroy said. “They work where they grew up, which is important.”

Salary increases aren’t the only measure the city is taking to bolster its police department. In November, Roswell residents approved a $52 million public safety bond, almost half of it committed to a new public safety headquarters for police, fire and the 911 call center.

The Roswell Police Department has been in the same building on

Hill Street since 1991. Back then, there were 88 officers serving 49,000 residents. Since then, the population has nearly doubled to 93,000.

With a nearly doubled officer size, Conroy said the department has “outgrown” its existing headquarters.

Mayor Wilson said the decision to support the department financially was an easy one, even if it went against some people’s wishes.

“For the last couple of years, there’s this narrative out there about defunding the police,” Wilson said. “We’re going to do the opposite; we’re going to fund the police.”

The “defund the police” movement gained some popularity in 2020 in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis, Minn., police.

The Defund the Police website calls for channeling money away from police and investing in community initiatives.

Locally in Metro Atlanta, and more specifically in North Fulton County, police funding was never threatened,

and a host of cities have raised salaries to retain and recruit police.

Roswell Councilwoman Lee Hills, who serves as liaison to Public Safety, supports the initiative to reward good policing.

“Our residents don’t know all that most officers do, but I would say in the top three items if you ask any of our residents, brand new or been here forever, why do you love it here?” Hills said. “It feels good, it’s safe.”

Conroy emphasized the department takes a less traditional approach to some aspects of policing.

The department abides by a 21st-century policing, a six-pillar framework focused on reducing crime and building trust with the public. It also has an active policy of deescalation, an alternative police tactic focused on decreasing the intensity of confrontations.

A 2022 University of Cincinnati study showed that training officers in de-escalation techniques resulted in 28 percent fewer use-of-force incidents,

26 percent fewer injuries to community members and 36 percent fewer injuries to police officers.

Conroy said teaching officers the policy was hard, but the department is “being smart” about interactions, and there is still work to do. In the coming weeks he expects a few vacancies, but he already has a list of candidates lined up.

Mayor Wilson and Councilwoman Hills said they plan to continue their support for sound policing through 2023.

Wilson said city support needs to be more than financial.

“They look at more than salary, they look at support,” Wilson said. “Are we supported by our elected officials, are we supported by our community?”

He also lauded the standards the department has set.

“The department has a 5 percent acceptance rate, which is pretty impressive for a job that doesn’t pay out and doesn’t give you a lot of glamour,” Wilson said.

FILE PHOTO

Roswell Police Officer R. Ateca introduces himself at a community event June 9, 2022. Ateca is one of 160 officers in a department that is fully staffed for the first time in 20 years.

LNB Candles brings Alpharetta clean, safe scent alternatives

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Entering LNB Candles, visitors are greeted by a small, white chihuahua named Johnny Depp and a modern entryway, featuring floral backdrops and neon lighting one might find on a chic Instagram page.

LNB owner Michelle Walters says she offers something other major fragrance retailers do not: safe and clean scents with simple ingredients.

“It was not ever intended to actually be a full-time business, and it ended up turning out to be one, which is kind of cool,” Walters said.

A self-proclaimed “type A personality,” Walters said her business, located at 6778 Jamestown Drive in Alpharetta, relaxes her and helps her feel her own sense of Zen.

“I want you to feel like you walked into a place that’s here for you, that’s personalized for you,” Walters said. “So, if you have questions about anything, if you have concerns about anything, if you want to know, can I customize something. Like, I can do things more so than a big box retailer can do, and I want to do those things for you.”

Business background

Walters started making candles 10 years ago. Her daughter loved burning candles, Walters said, but after being diagnosed with a health condition, her daughter developed headaches, sleeplessness and cystic acne from the candles.

Some candles, Walters said, contain chemicals that make the scents harmful when inhaled. A study conducted by the South Carolina State University from 2006

to 2010 showed that candles made with paraffin, a wax made from petroleum, release dangerous chemicals that are “health hazards and could cause various diseases.”

The study also states that candles with bases made from soybean, the base that Walters uses at LNB, do not release similar pollutants.

“So, I made some candles, and then

her friends came over to the house, and they’re like, ‘Mrs. Walters, could you make us a candle for our room?’” Walters said. “And then it turned into making candles for their parents that had businesses, and then making them for parties and events and weddings, and then just happened to walk by a location that had a for-lease sign and signed up and opened up the store.”

Walters has grown beyond candles, now selling car fresheners, room sprays and diffusers. She said LNB will experiment with body sprays and body lotions.

LNB Candles has already branched out into various retailers, including Walmart and Amazon.

“I want you to feel like you walked into a place that’s here for you, that’s personalized for you.”

MICHELLE WALTERS, owner, LNB Candles

SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

Michelle Walters sells candles, room sprays, car fresheners, wick trimmers, diffusers and wax melts at LNB Candles, located at 6778 Jamestown Drive, Jan. 17. Walters’ candles and wax melts are soybean-based and are safe to inhale when burned.

BUSINESSPOSTS

Candles:

“I got to the point now where I started off with a very small candle-making process, and now I’ve gotten to the point where I’m having a very large candlemaking process, melting wax for me every single day,” Walters said. “So it’s pretty cool.”

Walters said being environmentallyconscious is an important part of her business.

“That’s one thing I like about the products that I use, like a lot of times people bring the candles and are like, ‘Hey, can I refill them?’” Walters said. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely, come to the shop.’ Instead of throwing a candle container away, you can refill it again, and you can even choose a different scent to go in it.”

LNB’s products are also pet-friendly and non-toxic, she said. Her room sprays, unlike oil-based air fresheners, do not stain walls.

Setting up shop

Walters opened her shop last year. Part of choosing what products to make and sell depends on a customer’s scent preferences.

“Usually, I go in, and I’ll bring them three types of scents,” Walters said. “So, I’ll bring them something that’s maybe like a

floral, something that’s like a herb-type of scent and something else that’s a musk.”

Walters said candles are a very personalized item, and part of expanding on a scent line is deciding what customers most like.

Candles like the “Great Gatsby,” are inspired by personal anecdote. Walters said the scent reminds her of her

grandfather, who smelled like aftershave when she hugged him.

Walters said the number of products for a particular scent she keeps in stock depends on demand and whether the scent is part of a limited holiday collection.

Whether it’s out of stock or a request for something new, however, Walters said

she accepts custom scent orders to find a customer’s perfect product.

Customers will see the LNB logo displayed behind the front counter and a holiday display table when they enter. Down the hall and to the right is the showroom, which Walters said she likes decorating for holidays. Heart pillows, the word “love” and a giant pink Teddy bear Walters stuffed herself get customers into the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Next up

This year, Walters said LNB is going through the trademark process, which would allow her to expand the business’s wholesale contracts.

“I would love to just keep expanding it into stores and into more boutiques and expand our line also on Amazon,” Walters said. “We have candles on Amazon, which have sold really, really well, but I was waiting for the trademark protection to come in before we continue to expand the line, just so we’re able to protect it.”

LNB makes stops at the Halcyon Farmers Market, the Vickery Village Farmers Market, the North Main Street Market at Alpharetta and the Milton Farmers Market.

The shop is open weekdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m.

“I love what I do, and I know it’s going into someone’s home, so I want them to love it when they get it and to enjoy the product,” Walters said.

SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

Michelle Walters, owner of LNB Candles at 6778 Jamestown Drive, decorates her showroom with Valentine’s décor Jan. 17. Walters said she decorates for Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and summertime.

Barnacles on the ship of life

Over the next few months, we’ll take a closer look at a few of the most common spots that pop up on our skin. Today’s article is about the most common new growth that develops after the age of 40 – the “seborrheic keratosis” or SK for short.

SK’s are benign, which means that they are not cancerous. Still, they are probably THE growth that patients ask me about most frequently. It is understandable that SK’s generate worry because they exhibit many of the features that we teach people to fear. SK’s grow and sometimes itch. If scratched or traumatized, they can hurt or bleed. They can be brown or black. Such spots often cause alarm.

Changing brown or black growths should be examined by a dermatologist to rule out melanoma. The most common differences between SK’s and melanomas are fairly easy to list but can be hard to apply without practice. And because the stakes for misdiagnosing one’s self are so high (death), having a dermatologist look at spots with you is completely justified. Some patients feel silly coming in for something that turns out to be “nothing” but getting checked is smart. Self-diagnosis is not advised, especially not initially. But, with time, patients can often identify most SK’s confidently using these rules:

SK’s have a few reasonably consistent features: they are usually rough or waxy in texture. They are almost always “stuck-on” in appearance similar to a barnacle on a ship. SK’s often feel as if you can get a fingernail underneath the edge and just pop them off (and some patients can and do!). Waxy SK’s are not particularly rough whereas the rough SK’s are often “warty” in appearance.

Other features of SK’s are less consistent. SK’s are often tan or brown, but they can be black, pink, multicolored or even white. On the feet and ankles, white SK’s are called “stucco keratoses and look as if the ankles and feet were spackled with stucco. Seborrheic keratoses range in size from pinpoint to as big as an oyster shell. Given these variations, color and size are not helpful diagnostic features. They often get thicker and bigger with time, so growth isn’t a helpful differentiator either.

What do you do once you’ve confirmed that a growth is “only” an SK? Seborrheic keratoses are easily treatable and can often be frozen away with liquid nitrogen or curetted away with ease. Insurance unfortunately only considers it medically necessary to treat SK’s that are bleeding, irritated, painful, getting rubbed on by clothing or otherwise symptomatic. “Cosmetic” SK removal is available at most dermatology clinics for a cosmetic fee.

Small SK’s can usually be removed with minimal residual blemish, but larger SK’s may leave a lighter-colored area or subtle scar after removal. In one U.S. study, the average American over the age of 40 developed one new SK per year with the average 65-yearold exhibiting 33 SK’s upon a thorough counting. Given how pleasingly SK’s can be removed when they are still small, a “debarnacling” every year or two is a reasonable choice for most individuals.

Given that skin cancer is more than ten times more common than any other cancer, it pays to familiarize yourself with the appearances of skin cancer and its mimics (Google Images is a great tool for this purpose). For patients with concerning spots, a family history of skin cancer or risk factors such as a history of sun damage or tanning bed use, a visit with a dermatologist is highly recommended.

Brought to you by - Brent Taylor, MD, Premiere Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta

Understanding drug use and addiction

Drug use has become a concerning health issue in our society today. It is generally misunderstood to be a lack of moral principle or willpower when in reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting can be very difficult.

What is drug addiction?

“Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

While the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, continuing to use drugs changes the brain in a way that affects a person’s self-control and interferes with their ability to resist the intense urges to continue taking them. These brain changes are persistent, contributing to the increased risk of relapsing even after quitting. Drugs affect the brain’s “reward circuit” and floods it with dopamine, creating a sense of euphoria. This reinforces unhealthy behaviors and leads people to repeat the behavior again and again. Over time the

brain adapts, and the person needs more of the substance to achieve the same reaction. This can lead to a loss of pleasure in other things as well, like food or social activities. Longterm drug use causes changes in other areas such as judgment, decisionmaking, memory, and behavior. This is what can lead to continued use despite negative consequences.

Can drug addiction be cured or prevented?

Drug addiction is a chronic disease, and treatment for it isn’t considered a cure. However, it is treatable and can be successfully managed. People in recovery are at risk for relapse, but treatment with addiction medicines and behavioral therapy can offer the best chance of success. Each person’s recovery process is different and must be tailored to the individual. Support from family, friends, and professionals offers the best chance of success.

If you are concerned about a loved one’s drug or alcohol use, join our 8-week Family Support Group starting on February 6th and meeting on Mondays from 6:30 – 7:30 PM at Summit’s Dunwoody Satellite location (1548 Mt. Vernon Rd., Dunwoody). Call our main office at (678) 893- 5300 for more information and to register.

Brought to you by - Janet Fluker, Licensed Professional Counselor and Staff Supervisor at Summit Counseling Center

ISTOCK

Cost for park maintenance facility climbs by 15 percent

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The Alpharetta City Council vote unanimously to approve a change order that will raise the cost of constructing the new Wills Park maintenance facility by more than 15 percent over its originally approved contract.

The building was part of a list of projects listed for funding in a $29.5 million parks bond that voters passed in 2021.

The project was approved for construction in spring 2022 with a price tag of $649,000. Soon after, the price jumped another $30,000 after issues arose that called for additional electrical, framing and plumbing.

This latest change order, for $123,000, now puts the project cost at $802,500.

Alpharetta Recreation & Parks Director Morgan Rodgers said the change covers replacing the soil at the facility and installing a dry fire suppression system to comply with code.

Mayor Jim Gilvin said freezing weather recently damaged the Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, and he learned through Senior Pastor Oliver Wagner that dry fire suppression systems must be maintained every 15 to 17 years.

“I just want to make sure it’s on our radar 17 years from now that when we have a cold snap, whatever maintenance is required, let’s make sure somebody around here at that point knows about that,” Gilvin said.

In other matters at the Jan. 17 meeting, councilmembers approved candidate qualification fees and a candidate qualification period for municipal elections. City Clerk Lauren Shapiro said the qualification period for the 2023 election for mayor and City Council posts 4, 5 and 6 will run from Aug. 21 to 23.

Shapiro said the city is required to post qualification fees under state code no later than Feb. 1. The cost of qualification for mayor is $900 and $450 for City Council positions.

Council Chambers upgrade

The council held a workshop to discuss updates to enhance the audiovisual system for the Council Chambers.

Councilmen Jason Binder and Gilvin agreed that the council would have to review its initial approval of the project from July 2021 before deciding whether to make further decisions.

Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard and Tom Spearman, executive vice president of One Diversified, the audio video technology vendor for the project, said work has been postponed due to unexpected supply shortage issues.

“I think I need to do more research,” Mayor Pro Tem Dan Merkel said. “But maybe we don’t need this much. Maybe we need to reevaluate what we really need.”

The updates call for replacing the two wall panel screens on each side of the chamber, totaling $70,000 for both screens. Spearman said the screens he recommends cost about $35,000 each.

Councilman Donald Mitchell asked Spearman why the council couldn’t have a consumer-grade smart TV installed instead, which would run roughly $25,000 less, according to Spearman.

“They’re [the recommended models] built to be longer-lasting devices,” said Spearman. “They’ve got more brightness, and the resolution to allow folks in the back of the room to read. The way they size these displays is based on how far away the viewer is.”

Drinkard said the project will effectively turn the chambers into a “Zoom room” with full functionality for video conferencing. The project will replace the decade-old technology of the current wall panels and all the audio video components, such as the electronic voting system and microphones.

Drinkard asked the council if it would approve the planned installation date of March 7 for the wall panels. Spearman said the process typically takes two to three weeks. As a result, Drinkard said some city meetings would be relocated during installation.

No decisions on the workshop item were made until the details of the project are further reviewed.

Government agreements

Councilmembers also unanimously approved an intergovernmental agree-

ment between the cities of Alpharetta and Johns Creek and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office to allow arrested individuals to be housed at the Alpharetta Jail.

The IGA comes after a previous agreement with Milton at the Jan. 3 special called meeting. Alpharetta City attorney Melissa Tracy said it is nearly a carbon copy of the Milton agreement.

“We’re glad to have the jail open and functioning again,” Mayor Gilvin said.

The council unanimously approved the submission of the 2022 Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant. The grant funds criminal justice local initiatives, training, personnel and supplies.

Councilmembers also voted to consider an agreement with the City of

Atlanta under the grant program.

Following an executive session, the council voted to approve and ratify a $1.6 million settlement agreement with the Plaza Star Associates located on Windward Parkway.

The litigation determined the appropriate cost of right of way the city should pay the North Fulton Community Improvement District to add an additional left turn lane on the northbound Ga 400 exit ramp onto Windward Parkway. The left turn lane would then extend into a dedicated right turning lane onto Deerfield Parkway northbound.

Plaza Star Associates, the owner of the retail center along the turning lanes, is part of the North Fulton CID.

PHOTOS BY SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

The Alpharetta City Council votes to approve construction costs for the Wills Park Maintenance Facility and an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Johns Creek to house inmates at the Alpharetta Jail. The council also heard an update on the Council Chambers’ ongoing audio-video project at the Jan. 17 meeting.

From left, Alpharetta Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard and Tom Spearman, executive vice president of audio-visual supply company One Diversified, update the City Council during a Jan. 17 workshop focused on upgrades to Council Chambers equipment.

Alpharetta Parks officials update projects for 2023

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Representatives from the Alpharetta Recreation, Parks & Cultural Services Department highlighted a host of upcoming art events, park improvements and 2022 achievements at the Jan. 10 Recreation Commission meeting.

The meeting featured a timeline for reopening the Wills Park yellow playground and baseball turf, youth sports participation and a documentary about the Bailey Johnson community.

Projects Manager Kurt Kirby said the department intends to have the Wills Park baseball turf ready for public use by Jan. 31.

He also said the Wills Park playground is being reconfigured as part of a reforestation project with Public Works. Kirby said he expects the playground to be accessible within the next few weeks.

Kirby updated the commission that the Wacky World Leadership Committee has been formed. Wacky World, a wood playground in Wills Park, was originally built in the 1990s.

“The committee for Wacky World is really mirroring the first generation of Wacky World where we had a community-led committee that helped

with the efforts of raising funds and raising interest in the park,” Kirby said. “Wacky World 2.0 is modeling the original Wacky World.”

He said the updated Wacky World will connect the next generation of Alpharetta children with a part of the city’s past.

Cultural Services Manager Kim Manning presented the master plan for her division, which was created in 2018 when the department was still new. The plan was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic and will be part

of the division’s upcoming mid-year request.

“We were very young, and there wasn’t a lot of input we could give at that point,” Manning said. “We just didn’t have the consensus of the community, we didn’t know what our resources were. So, we’ve learned a lot since then.”

The Cultural Services Division will present an art exhibit called “Down Home on the Farm” from Feb. 1-March 18 and a play by the City Center Players on March 10-12 and 18-19,

both at the Alpharetta Arts Center.

Manning also presented to the commission details of the division’s upcoming stories project, which will feature a documentary on the Bailey Johnson community.

“It’s a really good story for Alpharetta to tell,” Manning said. “We had the one school in North Fulton that all of our Black residents went to school there, and until then they had to drive downtown to Atlanta and spend probably about three hours every day going downtown to go to school.”

Recreation Services Manager Christine Young presented the results of the division’s holiday events and the results of the youth basketball games and youth athletic association. In 2022, Young said, the program saw an 11 percent increase in participation from 2021.

The Recreation Services Division will host a “polar plunge” event with the Rotary Club on Feb. 4 and an enchanted forest-themed Valentine’s dance on Feb. 11.

Upcoming events from the Community Services Division include a Beekeeping 101 workshop on Jan. 21, a workshop on making gourd birdhouses on Jan. 25 and a book club that will meet at the Alpharetta Library on Jan. 31.

Alpharetta to consider array of zoning cases

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta developers presented plans for a Mexican restaurant on Main Street; three single-family homes between Cricket Lane and Cumming Street; and a multi-use development off Haynes Bridge Road in a Jan. 11 Community Zoning Information Meeting.

The single-family home development at 133 Cumming St. attracted the most public comments, with concerns citing parking and preserving the stream that runs through the area.

Alpharetta residents Jennifer Finley and Wendy Karabin said they are concerned about the additional parking the development would bring to Cricket Lane. According to the location map of the property, additional parking spaces would be added on the side of Cricket Lane nearest the homes.

Jenn Thomas of Madewell Homes

said the parking spots would not take up the current area of the road, but would rather decrease the amount of land Madewell would have for the project.

Thomas said the most resistance the project has received is surrounding the stream that cuts through the property. The case requests a variance to reduce stream buffers on the property.

Both Andrej Killer and Charles Pellisier, residents in the area, said they were concerned about reducing the stream buffer. Karabin also wrote that she was concerned about keeping the natural foliage surrounding the water.

Linda Lopez presented her plans for Mamita’s Tacos and Cantina, a Mexican restaurant planned at 312 N. Main St. Currently, Lopez said, a vacant house stands on the lot. Lopez said the house would be demolished to make room for the restaurant.

“It’s too old,” Lopez said. “It’ll be pricier to try to make it, you know,

SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

Alpharetta residents gather at City Hall Jan. 11 to comment on projects under review at the monthly Community Zoning Information Meeting. The meetings allow residents to ask questions and offer feedback on upcoming and current private projects.

conform for the size of restaurant we’re trying to do.”

Both zoning cases are scheduled for presentation at the Feb. 2 meeting of the Alpharetta Planning Commission.

Brock Built Homes’ The Gathering

has already passed through the Planning Commission. The Gathering is a multi-use development including single-family homes, different models of townhomes and a commercial area with various shops and businesses.

The property has been cleared and was zoned last year, according to Brock Built Executive Director Matt Brock. The case will go before the City Council, which will review a change of conditions to add more single-family homes in the development, as well as increase the lot size for commercial businesses.

Brock said walkability, one of the reasons Brock Built chose to have the Alpha Loop cross through the property, is an important part of the project.

“You can go get a nice meal, have a couple glasses of wine, or whatever it is, and walk home,” Brock said.

“Whether that’s on Alpha Loop to downtown, you’ve really got a walking distance to one of our units here.”

All three cases will be discussed at the Feb. 27 City Council meeting.

SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

The Alpharetta Parks Cultural Services Division plans to make its next stories project on the Bailey Johnson community. The Bailey Johnson School opened in 1950 and was the first Fulton County school that served Black students from grades 1-12.

Tech Alpharetta official releases 2022 job stats

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The Alpharetta Development Authority looked back at accomplishments from 2022 and upcoming partner projects at its Jan. 17 meeting.

The Development Authority approved $20,000 in funding to help launch a website for the Alpha Loop Foundation in an effort to boost the organization’s ability to fundraise and provide information to the community.

Four of the six Development Authority members voted in favor of the funding. Board members John Goss and Morgan Reynolds recused themselves from the vote because they serve as Alpha Loop Foundation board members.

Mayor Jim Gilvin joined the meeting, swearing in new board members Goss, Shawn Allen, Jill Bernard and Jack Nugent.

Authority members elected Nugent as chairman, Bernard as vice chairwoman and Allen as secretary/ treasurer.

Tech Alpharetta update

Tech Alpharetta CEO and President Karen Cashion said the organization provided 1,188 new jobs in Alpharetta and 1,854 in the state in 2022. She said the technology commission had three startup graduates last year as well.

“We hit our aspirational targets,” Cashion said. “So, it was a very busy year, but very successful for us.”

Cashion said Tech Alpharetta placed 20 Fulton County school counselors and students from Alpharetta High School, Innovation

Acadamy, Milton High School and Centennial High School with Tech Alpharetta startup internships in 2022.

Authority members also heard from Alpharetta Economic Development Manager Lance Morsell, who announced SK Battery is opening an office in Alpharetta’s Sanctuary Park along Old Roswell Road. The company’s American headquarters is in Commerce, Ga., where its 283-acre battery plant is expected to employ 2,000 by the end of 2025.

Morsell said construction on the Bailey Johnson School redevelopment is moving forward, but due to weather delays an exact timeline has not been set.

The school, which was the first in Alpharetta to serve Black students from 1st to 12th grade, is set to be redeveloped into an office project after the Development Authority approved the plan January 2022.

Chamber celebrates holidays

Deborah Lanham, president and CEO of the Alpharetta Chamber of Commerce, said the business organization had a successful Sips of the Season event in December with high turnout. She said the downtown City Green was “covered with people.”

“You’re seeing, as a whole, a city that is inviting everyone to be down here and doing business and enjoying food,” Lanham said.

She also said the chamber is thinking of families with small children being able to go downtown on weekend nights and play on the green without the concern of the large crowds that events like

concerts can bring.

The Chamber of Commerce will host its 10th anniversary gala March 10 and a ladies’ night out April 25.

Authority members also unanimously approved funding for the Windward Technical Assistance Panel. The panel will bring in experts that will survey the Windward District to improve walkability and

make workers want to spend time there, Morsell said.

According to the 2022 application for funding, the survey of the area “should focus on how to redevelop the target area while both opening the door to further redevelopment and maintaining or improving connectivity to the users of neighboring properties.”

Roswell transportation panel studies ideas to slow Oxbo Road traffic

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL Ga. —Roswell

Transportation Advisory Commission members bandied about ideas to calm traffic on Oxbo Road, but they couldn’t lock one idea to back at their Jan. 17 meeting.

Roswell Transportation Director Jeffrey Littlefield and interim Deputy Director of Transportation Dave Cox drafted options for smallscale projects for an area near the middle of Oxbo Road, close to Grimes Bridge Road. The solutions are early drafts, but if approved would narrow the road in an effort

to slow traffic on the busy street.

The Advisory Commission asked the department to explore traffic calming measures on the Oxbo Road Corridor last year.

“When you have a wide street, you’re encouraging faster traffic, and you’re also encouraging cutthrough traffic,” commission member Jason Yowell said.

The Roswell Transportation Department drafted four plans to slow traffic.

The first is simply to use paint to restripe and a few vertical poles to create a gore, narrowing the lanes. The project would cost the city almost nothing and could be

completed in the next few weeks.

The painted gore solution, which takes up a small triangle in the middle of the street, has been used in Roswell before. City crews set up a painted gore on King Road a few years ago.

Cox said the city performed a speed study shortly after adding the painted gore on King Road and found it lowered traffic speeds by 6 miles per hour.

Commission Chairman Jason Hudson said he has seen the impact.

“I know I don’t have the data, but I will say as someone who travels King Road on a regular basis, I

think the ones they have put on the road have made a difference,” Hudson said.

He emphasized the solution is more a bandage than a permanent fix.

Yowell opposed the idea.

“If you put the Band-Aids on, you live with them a lot longer than you should,” Yowell said. “Because it’s working, we don’t have to do anything.”

Yowell called the paint and poles “ugly” and a waste of money.

Yowell also opposed the other three draft plans. The second and

SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA Karen Cashion, president and CEO of Tech Alpharetta, shares 2022 job highlights with the Development Authority at a Jan. 17 meeting at City Hall. Cashion said Tech Alpharetta has created 1,188 new jobs in Alpharetta and 1,854 in Georgia.

Roswell City Council hears alternate voice from latest member

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — Newly elected Councilwoman Sarah Beeson set the tone for her tenure, casting dissenting votes on a host of proposed amendments to the City of Roswell’s Development Code.

At the council’s Jan. 10 meeting, Beeson repeatedly challenged her colleague’s efforts to tighten restrictions on residential and commercial development.

Beeson, who won a runoff election for the Post 1 City Council seat Dec.6, spent most of the night offering different perspectives on how the City Council proposes to modify requirements for open space percentages in landscaping, townhome density limits and permitted uses in districts designated Industrial Light.

Community Development Director Jason Gaines presented an amendment that would increase the required minimum percentage of landscape open space by 20 percent for homes, mixed-use development, commercial developments and general buildings.

After lengthy discussion, most of the council supported the change.

“I believe it supports what most residents in Roswell move here for, feeling like there’s going to be space,” Councilwoman Lee Hills said.

She argued the change will ensure Roswell residents the city is communitybased, not a concrete jungle.

But Beeson spoke out in opposition to the amendment, citing concerns of “greenwashing.”

“It’s just saying oh it’s green, therefore its great, and that is not necessarily the case,” Beeson said.

She proposed a point-based system, in which developers could accrue points for environmentally friendly steps, like solar panels or native plant species. Under those parameters, Beeson said, the development would be truly environmentally friendly.

Councilman Mike Palermo, the council’s liaison to Community Development, said he understands the concern, but the change will “create a better character for Roswell.”

Ultimately, the council approved the amendment, with Beeson casting the lone vote in opposition.

The pattern continued into a decision amending townhome requirements.

The amendment to the development code would change the standard for the number of units permitted in a row. Currently, the minimum number of townhome units allowed without a common space separation is three, and the maximum is eight.

The proposed change called for lowering the maximum number of units to four. Councilmembers stressed that the amendment included language providing excep-

tions if applicants could justify a higher density.

Again, Beeson objected, asking whether there was any data to support reducing the townhome limit, which she called arbitrary.

Community development director Gaines had no answer to the inquiry, but said it was “something we can research.”

Councilman Peter Vanstrom said the decision is not arbitrary, because driving through the city he visually loves four units in a row.

Mayor Kurt Wilson interjected during discussion to say he feels “it’s a valid approach for the council to say ‘I like four,’” and it is not about what the source of the information is.

Beeson said she is less concerned with aesthetics than the accessibility of townhomes as a lower-cost option for homeowners in Roswell. She said she worries a decrease in the number of units would limit options for buyers.

Despite Beeson’s objections, the amendment passed with all in favor except Beeson and Vanstrom, who opposed an additional measure banning front-loaded parking for townhomes.

Beeson and Vanstrom also opposed an amendment to the development code regarding defined uses in the Industrial Light district.

Discussion centered around the definition of a CBD shop. CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound in cannabis that does not cause a high. It differs from THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.

The amendment originally defined a CBD shop as an establishment for which “more than 50 percent of sales are based on the retail sale of products related to or derived from CBD oil (cannabidiol) or hemp.”

Mayor Wilson cited concern with vape shops that sell CBD that keep popping up around Roswell, something he said residents have complained about.

Other council members questioned the importance of clarifying definitions and differences between vape shops and CBD shops because both are permitted in Roswell, but Wilson said the distinction was important, as it could impact the way restrictions are navigated.

Wilson said he personally is not a fan of CBD but knows not everyone shares his view.

Both Beeson and Vanstrom expressed concern with the narratives around CBD and medical marijuana, stating they knew people who had used marijuana for medical purposes.

“I understand the hesitancy to have a CBD shop on every single corner,” Beeson

said. “My concern is if we’re opening up Pandora’s box of if there is a cupcake store and they also have a shelf with CBD oil, if we’re trying to limit that as well.”

Ultimately, the council, with Beeson and Vanstrom opposed, passed the amendment with a small alteration in the definition of “CBD shop,” removing “garments” from the list of products related to or derived from CBD oil or hemp that would make an establishment a CBD shop.

The Jan. 10 meeting was Beeson’s introduction to the dais, filling out the term of Post 1 Councilman Marcelo Zapata, who stepped down in June due to a medical condition. Beeson will serve one year before facing re-election.

After having taken the oath of office at the beginning of the meeting, Beeson called for unity among Roswell leaders.

“Thank you for having faith in the City Council, faith in the future, in what we can achieve together and having a belief in unity,” Beeson said during the ceremony. “We can have disagreement, we can have diversity, but at the end of the day we’re all Roswellian and we all hope for a better path forward.”

Also at the meeting, Councilwoman Christine Hall was unanimously elected mayor pro tempore for 2023.

DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

Councilwoman Sarah Beeson takes the oath of office administered by her husband, Tommy, with her children and parents by her side at the Jan. 10 Roswell City Council meeting.

So, who’s the new guy with the hat?

I can pretty much guess what you’re asking: Aren’t there any young, good-looking columnists around?

Columnist Mike Tasos joins Appen Media

author of “Friday Night Lights.” Think, a football game in the middle of World War II Okinawa.

MIKE TASOS Columnist miketasos55@gmail.com

I’m happy to have the chance to visit with you this week and the weeks to come. I promise to do my best not to bore you, but sometimes we columnists might do that. Also, I don’t want to get you riled up to the point of breaking windows here at the Appen offices.

No, as a columnist, my job is to make you think, laugh, maybe shed a tear. Mostly, I hope what I bring is something you look forward to reading every week.

Opinions? Why sure I have opinions. We won’t always agree, but I promise to listen and entertain yours.

All righty then. Indulge me while I pull back the curtain and let you know not why I’m here, but how I got here.

First off, I’m a 67-year-old geezer who likes the Atlanta Braves, Notre Dame football, Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. I have a partial season ticket package for the Braves and youngest son Greg and I will see lots of games this summer.

I’ll also attend the theater with older son Chris. We’ve made some great memories from our second-row Friday night seats at the Fox. I used to love going to the movies, but really, have you spotted anything at the local movie house that makes you say: “I really gotta see that!”

Hey Hollywood, we’re champing at the bit to pay $20 for a tub of popcorn.

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — With a keen eye for the absurd, columnist Mike Tasos comes aboard Appen Media with more than a decade of experience getting personal with readers.

“I remember telling my grandmother I wanted to be a columnist,” Tasos said. “And she started crying because she thought I meant ‘communist.’”

Before breaking into the pharmaceutical industry in 1981, Tasos was a sports writer in California. While there, Tasos went the extra mile and went through the hiring process for the CIA. At his ripe age, Tasos has a lot of stories to tell.

“There’s just a lot to me,” Tasos

Just give us an excuse for a family movie night where the product on the screen doesn’t make us cringe.

I like a good explosion as much as the next guy. Just don’t gross me and my family out.

I grew up in Bakersfield, California, and I used to sell pork sausage to Merle Haggard (he liked the spicy stuff) and taught Buck Owens to play racquetball. Growing up, I’m ashamed that I didn’t appreciate Buck and Merle. We were much too cool to listen to that “Okie music.”

Just dumb kids, I reckon.

I’ve been married to the same woman, Vicki, for going on 43 years

said. “I sure hope to hell I don’t bore anybody.”

He jumped back into writing at Forsyth County News in 2010, but on a more personal note.

As a general column writer, Tasos said the world is his easel. He might paint a picture of his time spent at a professional bull riding show or about his friends and family, but all in his distinct conversational style.

Inspired by columnists like Lewis Grizzard and Jim Murray, Tasos said he wants readers to enjoy their time with him and hopes to continue eliciting laughter, and maybe some tears if readers feel so moved, at Appen Media.

Tasos can be reached at miketasos55@gmail.com.

and get this, we have the same birthday. I’m an hour older so I’ll spare you the “robbing the cradle” jokes. We have two sons, Chris (25) and Greg (22).

I survived their learning to drive, never once taking solace with liquor or pills to calm my nerves. Now, they look at me with pity, really meaning it if they want to call me “the old man.”

I like to read books. Give me Rick Bragg, Michael Connelly, Tim Dorsey, James Lee Burke, Daniel Silva (we both went to Fresno State), Brad Thor and I’ll try to wear out my Kindle.

Right now, I’m immersed in “The Mosquito Bowl” by Bizz Bissinger, the

I keep threatening to write a book and have received encouragement from authors. I think I’ll start with a collection of past columns, but just between us, the thought of sitting at a table and having me and my book ignored by others is more frightening than having an argument with those women on “The View.”

Tough to imagine a good outcome. Settling into these new digs here feels like it will be refreshing. Personally, 2022 was a tough year. I started the year losing a kidney (renal cell carcinoma). Some robot named DaVinci tore that sucker out while I was stone cold asleep.

Before the operation, everyone said there was no problem. You can do just fine with one kidney. It was glaring that those who voiced that opinion owned both of their kidneys and their only brush with cancer came while munching on Corn Nuts and watching “Grey’s Anatomy.”

The end of the year saw me lose my 59-year-old baby brother, Marty. I was there at the end and got to hug his neck goodbye. He made me laugh so often and now, it just takes a thought or two, and I’ll laugh again.

Just like my kidney situation, I’m down to one brother, Matt.

I’m going to have to live with one of those, too. It’s like I find myself reminding him: Take care of yourself. You’re all I got.”

Mike Tasos has lived in Forsyth County for more than 30 years. He’s an American by birth and considers himself a Southerner by the grace of God.

third plans involved building a concrete median between the roads, with landscaping included in the third plan.

“Typically in our best practices, we do that along with the road paving project,” Cox said. “We would repave the road and then add it in and that’s the preferred way to do it.”

Cox said the road needs some patching jobs and would eventually be repaved.

A fourth option is a miniature roundabout at the intersection.

“These are just some of the temporary ideas, I know the aesthetics of these are not very pleasing to the eye,” Cox said. “But if you wanted to try it as a pilot project or something temporary, we could try it this way.”

All of the proposed options would be relatively low cost to the city and could be completed on fairly quick timelines.

Yowell favored a different plan entirely.

“I’d like to see what we recommended on Grimes Bridge Road, that is a full curb line on one side and go down into 10-foot lanes,” Yowell said.

The street is about 25 feet of asphalt, which leaves room for the

proposed traffic solutions. Yowell wants the city to narrow the roads instead to discourage cut-through traffic, block large trucks and increase path space.

“I prefer permanent solutions that are well designed from the getgo and not Band-Aids,” Yowell said.

City Councilman Mike Palermo suggested Yowell choose which solution he likes best while also advocating for his more permanent solution. He also clarified that the city does not have money or a timeline set to narrow the curbs.

Yowell disagreed and suggested not moving forward with any of the proposed traffic calming solutions while more study is performed on moving the curbs on the road.

Committee member Richard Arena showed support for moving the curb as a long-term solution and adding street parking as a shortterm fix.

“I don’t think these things are mutually exclusive,” Arena said. “But I also understand the urgency we have, and sometimes urgency overcomes importance.”

After further discussion, the commission agreed to talk further about the proposed solutions and come back with a solid answer.

“My suggestion is going to be that between now and the next meeting we have some more dialogue with the people since it just got brought to us tonight,” Chairman Hudson said.

GARDEN BUZZ

What’s Up with that Sign in Your Yard?

When a passerby stops and asks what that sign in your yard means, it’s an opening to have a conversation about any number of topics. Native plants, birds and butterflies and bees, wildlife, water, sustainable green landscape practices, invasive species and more are all topics that we can help and encourage others to learn more about to protect our world for generations to come.

But why go through the steps to certify your property and post a sign? It’s a way to show, not just tell. After all, we work to achieve certifications in our professional lives. Aren’t our landscapes important, too? Here’s an overview of a few sign certifications that signify that the location follows sustainable landscape practices.

Georgia Green Landscape

The Georgia Green Landscape Stewards Program, created by the University of Georgia Extension, was launched to inspire residences and businesses in Georgia to adopt more environmentally friendly practices and consider how their landscape use and activities can complement the natural world.

It takes just three simple steps to get certified:

#1 – Review the easy-to-access virtual learning tools and modules that provide information on:

• Composting

• Mulching

• Pollinator Habitats

• Welcoming Wildlife

• Water Conservation

• Water Quality

• Stormwater

• Invasive Species

• Native Plants

• Biodiversity

#2 – Check the Green Landscapes Metrics Scorecard to see if your landscape meets the minimum number of 70 points to gain “Certified Georgia Landscape” status.

For example, under Topic 4: Welcoming Wildlife, if you can check “Provide a food source with native plants: fruits, seed, forage, nectar, and pollen,” award yourself 4 points.

Under Topic 9: Native Plants and

Low Maintenance Landscapes, you can give yourself 4 points if you do the following: “Put the right plant in the right place! Consider sun, soil moisture, salt tolerance, spacing, and temperature. Plant in groups of three.” It’s not hard!

#3 – Send in your scorecard.

Email your completed scorecard to UGA’s Georgia Green Landscape Stewards coordinator at georgiagreen@ uga.edu. You can also mail the scorecard to: Georgia Green Landscape Stewards, Program Coordinator, UGA Extension Camden County, P.O. Box 309, Woodbine, GA 31569. You have the option to purchase an outdoor sign for your yard.

Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

The Georgia Audubon Society encourages creating bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement where wildlife and people thrive.

To certify your property as a Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, your site must provide the basic components of a wildlife habitat: food, water, nesting and resting places.

The online Audubon Society Sanctuary Resources are excellent references for native plants, how to combat non-native, invasive species, how to create a haven for hummingbirds and much more.

National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat®

Since 1938, the National Wildlife Federation has provided conservation programs across the country, including the Ranger Rick magazine for children.

The National Wildlife Federation will recognize your site with a NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat® sign if you meet the following requirements for creating a wildlife habitat garden to attract birds, butterflies, and other neighborhood wildlife:

• Food: Native plants provide food eaten by a variety of wildlife. Feeders can supplement natural food sources.

• Water: All animals need water to survive, and some need it for bathing or breeding as well.

• Cover: Wildlife need places to take shelter from bad weather and places to hide from predators or hunt for prey.

• Places to Raise Young: Wildlife need resources to reproduce, and to protect and nourish their young.

• Sustainable Practices: Maintain your yard or garden in natural ways to ensure soil, air, and water stay healthy and clean.

Start a new HABITAT® is a conservation movement

by Doug Tallamy, a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, to plant native plants and remove most invasive plants.

According to the website, Homegrown National Park™ is a term coined by Doug and is the key to the call-to-action: “Our National Parks, no matter how grand in scale are too small and separated from one another to preserve species to the levels needed. Thus, the concept for Homegrown National Park, a bottom-up call-to-action to restore habitat where we live and work, and to a lesser extent where we farm and graze, extending national parks to our yards and communities.”

You can print a yard sign as well as get on the online map that shows individual contributions.

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.

About the Author

This week’s guest Master Gardener

“Garden Buzz” columnist is Pam Rentz. Pam has been a North Fulton Master Gardener since 2010. Along with a background in marketing communications for tech companies, she has a longtime passion for plants and our planet.

Homegrown National Park

HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK® –

inspired

Happy Gardening!

PAM RENTZ

Garden Buzz

PERSERVING THE PAST

A passion for preserving and riding historic bicycles

Alpharetta resident Jaime Woodward was born to ride bicycles, not the bikes kids ride to school or even sleek racing bikes serious riders use.

Jaime’s choice is the “high wheeler” with the huge front wheel and small rear wheel that goes very fast and creates a stir wherever it appears. His father was an engineer with Ford Motor Company and repaired and collected antique bicycles, accumulating more than 100 bikes at one point. For two years in the 1970s he served as national Commander of The Wheelmen, the organization of individuals devoted to collecting, restoring and, above all, riding historic bicycles.

BOB MEYERS Columnist bobmey@bellsouth.net

It is easy to see how Jaime comes by his passion. One of his first dates with his wife Lora was riding their high wheelers together at the 1982 Mummers Parade in Philadelphia.

The most common question asked about high wheel bicycles is “why is the front wheel so big?” The answer is to make the bike go faster. The larger the wheel, the more ground is covered with each turning of the wheel. Tall people have a distinct advantage because their longer legs allow them to ride larger wheels. Wheels came in various diameters in the heydays of the high wheeler in the 1880s, initially as small as 36 inches and growing over time to 64 inches. The average wheel was 52 inches. Today’s bicycle tires usually range from 12 to 29 inches.

According to Jaime, high wheel bicycles have a surprisingly good ride. He should know, because he owns three antique high wheel beauties and four other antique bikes. Relatively quick at normal speeds of 10-12 miles per hour over long distances, large wheels smooth out rough roads which was a big advantage on 19th century unpaved roads. “A common question people ask,” says Jaime, “is how riders get up on the bike.“ Answer: a small step on the backbone helps the rider get into the saddle.

High wheel bicycles are also known as Ordinary bicycles, or Penny-farthings in England because they looked like a penny chasing a farthing, to distinguish them from older bicycles that actually looked

Jaime Woodward takes a spin around his neighborhood on his 1885 Victor Light Roaster with its 52-inch wheel.

Victor bicycles were made from 1883 to 1900 and were known for their higher quality and lighter weight than less expensive bikes made by competitors. Due to growing competition from low priced bicycles and a disastrous fire in 1899, the company was forced to sell its bicycle business and turned its attention to the automobile industry where it had mixed success.

more like modern bikes. Known as Velocipedes, early bikes had two wheels of the same size and were made of wood and often had metal tires. They did not go very fast and were uncomfortable, hence their nickname, bone-shakers.

High wheels represented a major technological advance when invented in 1870, and they became wildly popular in the 1880s which was the great cycling era in the United States. However, their popularity was relatively short-lived in part because the bikes were hazardous. The rider’s center of gravity was just slightly behind the wheel which increased the risk that the rider would fly over the handlebars when hitting a bump in the road, “taking a header” as it was called. Both Jaime and Lora have done headers, but fortunately, neither has been seriously injured.

The most important manufacturer was the Columbia Bicycle Company founded in 1877, which by 1900 was the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. Its first product was a high wheeler made at the

Weed Sewing Machine Company in Hartford, Connecticut. Called the Standard Columbia it sold for $125 while sewing machines were selling for $13, suggesting that bicycle riding was a pastime for the wellto-do. The Columbia company was responsible for many innovations in the industry, and it became one of the country’s first automobile manufacturers. Although the bicycle industry was the precursor to the automobile industry, the bicycle industry as a preferred mode of transportation was quickly replaced when automobiles gained popularity.

It has been said that without the invention of the bicycle, the automobile would not have been feasible. Hundreds of components incorporated into early autos were invented for bicycles, and bicycles were manufactured using assembly line techniques. Henry Ford’s first 11 dealerships were in bicycle shops (Chicago Tribune September 18, 1994). According to the Chicago newspaper, in 1899 there were 300 bicycle companies in the United

States making a million bicycles. By 1910, there were only 100 companies remaining making half as many bikes.

Another link between the bicycle and the automobile was the efforts of the League of American Wheelmen, founded in 1880. Their effective lobbying for paved roads helped make growth of the auto industry possible.

Jim Farris, a resident of Milton, is an avid antique auto collector and restorer who appreciates the link between the two industries. Owner of an 1886 Victor Roaster 52-inch high wheeler made by the pioneering Overman Wheel Company in Massachusetts, Jim appreciates “any antique machine,” calling them things of beauty. He refers to his Victor Roadster as “a piece of transportation history.”

Jaime says “Lora and I love going out for a ride. Both of us have done organized 25- and 100-mile rides in one day on our high wheel bicycles.” The couple is doing their part to keep America’s cycling heritage alive.

GIL LEINES/PROVIDED

A New Rapid bicycle figured prominently in Jaime and Lora Woodward’s 1983 wedding. The couple has been avid antique bikers ever since. This high wheel bicycle was built in 1888 and has a 52-inch diameter wheel.

BOB MEYERS/APPEN MEDIA

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ANNUAL YETI SLEDDY SKI PARTY

What: Come out for Gate City Brewing’s annual ’80s inspired ski party on January 28 from 1-10 p.m. Sledding passes will be available along with hot cocktails and more.

When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 1-10 p.m.

Where: Gate City Brewing, 43 Magnolia Street, Roswell More info: gatecitybrewingcompany.com

LEARN AND LEAD:

BLACK HISTORY IN ROSWELL: HONORING OUR PAST

What: Presented by the Roswell Historical Society, this event highlights the struggles and triumphs of African Americans in the Roswell area, beginning with the enslaved people brought from the coast by the founding families and ending with the Civil Rights movement. Elaine DeNiro, archivist for the Roswell Historical Society and the City of Roswell, will present original documents pertaining to the area’s Black history. Charles Grogan, Roswell’s Black historian, and Sandra Taylor will share their personal experiences about growing up in a Black neighborhood in Roswell.

When: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m. Where: Roswell Branch, Fulton County Library System, 115 Norcross Street, Roswell More info: roswellhistoricalsociety. org

THE SPIRIT OF HARRIET TUBMAN

What: Leslie McCurdy invokes the “spirit” of Harriet Tubman as she portrays the life of the famous Underground Railroad conductor, recreating stories familiar and some rarely told, using words said to have been Harriet Tubman’s own. Through it all, viewers will learn of the faith and conviction that drove Harriet Tubman to follow her dreams — the spirit of the past connecting with the present, inspiring her charges to have the courage to do the same in envisioning their future.

When: Friday, Feb. 3, 10-11 a.m.

Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell Cost: $12 More info: roswellgov.com

JUST FOR FUN:

BLACK OPRY REVUE

What: Black Opry’s stellar line-up

of some of the most acclaimed Black performers in the industry launch the 2023 Roswell Roots Festival at Roswell Cultural Arts Center with a celebratory evening of music and storytelling. Black Opry is home for Black artists, fans and industry professionals working in country, Americana, blues and folk music. This collective of performers brings the long-overlooked contributions of Black country artists to the forefront.

When: Friday, Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m. Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell Cost: Tickets are $32.50; Tickets for seniors, student and military are $27.50

More info: roswellgov.com

DADDY DAUGHTER DANCE

What: Mark your calendar for the annual date night of the year at the Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks 13th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance for daughters in kindergarten through fifth grade. The dance will feature music from both dads’ (and father figures) and their daughters’ favorite playlists provided by a live DJ. In addition to dancing, there will be plenty of fun activities that include dance contests, musical games and refreshments. Participants can make a keepsake photo, and there will be door prizes and a goody bag for each girl. The attire for dads and daughters is business casual to semi-formal.

When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 6-8 p.m. Where: Studio Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs Cost: $35

More info: sandyspringsga.gov

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN PERFORMS

THE JEWISH AMERICAN SONGBOOK

What: Neranenah presents Michael Feinstein performing the music of the Jewish American Songbook, including works by the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe and more. Feinstein has built a

career, bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world. From his Grammy-nominated recordings to Emmy-nominated PBS specials and appearances at iconic venues, his work as an educator and archivist define him as one of the most important musical forces of our time.

When: Sunday, Feb. 5, 8 p.m. Where: Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs Cost: $44-74 More info: citysprings.com

ENCHANTED WOODLAND TRAIL

What: The fairies and gnomes have been busy building whimsical houses along Chattahoochee Nature Center’s forested trails. Slow down as you search for houses made from tiny natural objects. Take notice of the beautiful and enchanting features of the winter woods.

When: Up to Feb. 28, open daily except for December 24-26 and January 1-3

Where: Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell Cost: $15 for adults More info: chattnaturecenter.org

‘COMPLETENESS’ AT STAGE DOOR THEATRE

What: How does a computer scientist hook up with a molecular biologist? He blinds her with science, of course. When Elliot builds a computer program to help Molly with her research project, the variables in their evolving relationship shift as rapidly as the terms of their experiment. This deft and imaginative new ROM-comedy shows that even the most sophisticated algorithm may freeze in the face of love’s infinite possibilities.

When: Jan. 27- Feb. 12, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Where: Stage Door Theatre, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody Cost: $35 for adults, $20 for students, $15 for children

More info: stagedoortheatrega.org

Call today to place your ad 470.222.8469 or email classifieds@appenmediagroup.com • FAX: 770-475-1216

Full-time

POOL TECHNICIANS

WANTED

Part-time & Full-time positions available. Pay is $12-$14 per hour. Hours starting at 6:30AM, Monday-Friday. Pick-up truck not required but must have your own reliable transportation. Gas allowance provided. Looking for people who enjoy working outside and are enthusiastic, dependable & punctual. Able to contribute independently or on a crew with consistently friendly attitude.

Well-established commercial pool maintenance company providing service in the North Atlanta Metro area.

Call Bill: 404-245-9396

IT Professionals

DevOps Engineer: Develop,design software & deploy it to end users using various techs. Job locns Cumming, GA & various unanticipated client sites in US req.trvl & relocation to these sites involving long & short term assignmnts. Mail resume: Srsoft Inc, 600 Peach Tree Pkwy,#106,Cumming, GA 30041.AttHR

IT Professionals

Software Developers: Modify complex apps programs from dtld specs,& design, test, debug,doc & maintain those progs using various techs. Job locns Cumming, GA & various unanticipated client sites in US req.travel & reloc.to these sites for short&long term assignmnts. Mail resume: Analytics9 Solutions Inc dba Ai9 Solutions Inc,3810 Windermere Pkwy.#503,Cumming, GA 30041. AttHR

Computer Professionals for GA based IT firm : Sr. Software Engineer to Plan, dsgn, develop, test, enhance, customize & co-ordinate activities to implement advance software module components in complex computing environments using Tableau, SQL, HP Quality Center, MS Office, Visio etc. Travel and/ or reloc to various unanticipated loc’ns throughout the US may be required. Apply w/ 2 copies of resume to HR, Blue Fusion Enterprise Technologies Inc. 11205 Alpharetta Hwy, Ste E-3, Roswell, GA 30076.

ArrowCore Group LLC seeks Master’s+2yrs exp/equiv.: QA Manager (AGQM23): JIRA, Agile testing, Salsify, PIM and PROD. Mail resume with job ID # to HR :24 Sloan Street, Roswell, GA 30075. Unanticipated work site locations throughout U.S. Foreign equiv. accepted.

Landis + Gyr Technology, Inc. Alpharetta, GA

Technical Implementation Manager

Responsibilities: Deliver Landis+Gyr’s GridStream Advanced Metering Infrastructure solutions using structured deployment project lifecycle to ensure quality of delivery. Work closely with program deployment team to evaluate client business processes & consult with clients on technical feasibility & integration of processes utilizing AMI solutions.

Requirements: Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Electrical Engg, or related field & 3 years experience in job offered or 3 years experience with Oracle or SQL Server databases. Experience must include 3 years experience with wireless technologies. Experience must include 3 years utility domain experience. Experience may be gained concurrently. Send resume & cover letter to: Landis+Gyr c/o Lisa Hudson, Talent Acquisition, 30000 Mill Creek Ave, Suite 100, Alpharetta, GA 30022 or via email to: lisa.hudson@landisgyr.com

INFANT TEACHER. ROSWELL, GA.

Take care children, energetic, patient, changing, feeding, teaching infants. Entertain and educate, playing. Req. 2-year exp. (Care for children) Min.40h/h. Bilingual is a plus. $11.14h/h. jessica@wfpimmigration.com

Salesforce Application Managers, Cumming, GA: Work w/ sftwre vendors to identify tech & design patterns for the dvlpmt of a solutions based on customer landscape. Lead organization-wide CRM methodology, framework governing Program and Portfolio Mgmt, Sys Dvlpmt & Tech Governance Drive adoption of dvlpmt method best practices across the COE & facilitate the salesforce pltfrm & eco-system across the organization. Some job duties may be performed from home Trave/reloc to various unanticipated locations. Send res to: Hanya Technologies, hr@hanyatechnologies.com

Now Hiring at Lazy Dog Restaurant Alpharetta!

$500 sign on bonus once training is completed!

Hiring for servers, cooks, bartenders, bussers, host/hostesses, and more. There are competitive wages, tips for culinary teammates, flexible schedules and tons of opportunity to grow! Interviews are held on site at 10800 Haynes Bridge Rd. Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Text LD45 to 52345 to apply or call 430-735-4501.

Agilysys NV, LLC seek Lead Software Engineer - Technical Services in Alpharetta, GA to dev code sols for bus needs. Apply at jobpostingtoday.com Ref: 20490

Tree Services

Driveway

Roofing

COMPLETE TREE SERVICES

Appen-Rated 98

Text or Call us for a FREE quote appointment.

24 hour emergency service. Licensed, insured. Workers Comp, insurance claims. 25+ years experience. Family business. Free estimates. We Love Challenges!

Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts 770-512-8733 • www.yellowribbontree.com

Tree removal, Pruning, Stump grinding, Free mulch. Fully insured.

Emergency 24/7 770-450-8188

$250 OFF NEW DRIVEWAY!

Mention this ad. Concrete driveway specialists. Driveways, Pool Decks, Patios, Walkways, Slabs.  A+ BBB rating. FREE ESTIMATE. Call Rachael at 678-250-4546 to schedule a FREE Estimate. 30 years of experience. ARBOR HILLS CONSTRUCTION INC. Please note we do have a minimum charge on accepted jobs of $4,500.

ROOF LEAKING?

Call us for roof repair or roof replacement. FREE quotes. $200 OFF Leak Repairs or 10% off New Roof. Affordable, quality roofing. Based in Roswell. Serving North Atlanta since 1983. Call to schedule FREE Quote: 770-284-3123. Christian Brothers Roofing

Dental

SAVE $12,000!

Greenlawn, Roswell. Regularly $7995 each. Owner: $12,000/all 3. Side-by-side Fountain B. 26-c. 1.2,3. 770-490-6425

your free dental info kit! 1-855-526-1060 www. dental50plus.com/ads #6258

Attention oxygen therapy users! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. Free info kit. Call 877929-9587

HughesNet - Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live. 25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499-0141

Become a published author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author’s guide 1-877-729-4998 or visit dorranceinfo.com/ads

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-479-1516

MobileHelp, America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts! Free brochure! 1-888-489-3936

Free high speed internet if qualified. Govt. pgm for recipients of select pgms incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet. Android tablet free w/one-time $20 copay. Free shipping. Call Maxsip Telecom! 1-833-758-3892

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! GIBSON, FENDER, MARTIN, etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. TOP DOLLAR PAID. CALL TOLL FREE 1-866-433-8277

Caring for an aging loved one? Wondering about options like senior-living communities and inhome care? Caring.com’s Family Advisors help take the guesswork out of senior care for your family. Free, no-obligation consult: 1-855-759-1407

PHILLIPS HOME IMPROVEMENT

BASEMENTS-FRAMING-DRYWALL-TRIM-PAINT

Decks repaired/built. Labor payment upon completion. 30-plus years experience. John Ingram/678-906-7100. Act now before prices increase next year! Heritage Home Maintenance homerepairga@ gmail.com. heritageconstructionga.com

ALPHARETTA BUILDING & REMODELING

New home builder. Additions. Electrical. Plumbing. Architectural Drawingd. Kitchens. Bathrooms. Deck design & installation Lic/Ins. BBB A+ rating. 41 yrs. 352-449-5697

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-855-948-6176

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833610-1936

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725

Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800-245-0398

The Generac PWRcell solar plus battery storage system. Save money, reduce reliance on grid, prepare for outages & power your home. Full installation services. $0 down financing option. Request free no obligation quote. 1-877-539-0299

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-theline installation and service. Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-417-1306

Switch and save up to $250/yr on talk, text & data. No contract or hidden fees. Unlimited talk & text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. Limited time get $50 off any new account. Use code GIFT50. 1-855-903-3048

Attention Homeowners! If you have water damage and need cleanup services, call us! We’ll get in & work with your insurance agency to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! 855-767-7031

I have several buyers with varied criteria looking for available homes:

• Single-family home in the West Forsyth High School district with a bedroom on the main level, preferably in a community, up to $750,000

• Single-family or attached home within 30 minutes of Sanctuary Park in Alpharetta, minimum two bedrooms and two bathrooms, up to $260,000

• New or updated farmhouse-style single-family home near North Fulton private schools, up to $2 million (if turnkey)

• Single-family home in Milton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Canton or possibly Cumming, minimum half-acre lot with a pool or pool-friendly, up to $1.2 million

• Single-family home anywhere between Roswell and Cumming, minimum four bedrooms and two bathrooms, up to $800,000

• New or updated single-family home with a basement (finished or unfinished), in close-in Milton, Alpharetta or Roswell, minimum four bedrooms, minimum three-car garage, pool or pool-friendly lot, up to $3 million (if turnkey)