May 30, 2024 | AppenMedia. com
Parents and children enjoy Fulton County Schools’ virtual day of learning May 21 at Milton City Park and Preserve’s City Pool. The Milton Parks and Recreation Department hosted its Summer Kickoff and open house to preview its programming for kids.
MILTON, Ga. — Election Day gave children a doorway to all-day activities with the Milton Parks and Recreation Department May 21.
With many schools doubling as polling sites, the Fulton County School District opted to turn the day over to remote learning.
The department hosted an open house as a kickoff to summer, inviting families with young children to swim, play, learn and explore at the City
Park and Preserve.
While the summer solstice occurs June 20, summer weather in North Fulton County begins around Memorial Day weekend.
A high of 87 degrees throughout the city brought dozens of toddlers, preschoolers and gradeschoolers out to the city pool off Dinsmore Road.
Parents and children visiting the pool from 1 to 3 p.m. were treated to a free swim a week before the pool
See KICKOFF, Page
Outdoor Recreation Supervisor Jen Young , or Ranger Jen, points at the camera during a nature hike. At the Milton Park and Recreation Department’s Summer Kickoff May 21, Young previewed the city’s new Junior Ranger program with nature-themed activities for kids in second through sixth grade.
MILTON, Ga. — The Milton City Council agreed to add a new fulltime firefighter position May 20 as an advanced hire for Fire Station 45 planned at 13801 Birmingham Highway.
While construction of Fire Station 45 is slated to begin sometime this summer, the need for additional personnel in the Milton Fire-Rescue Department is immediate.
The 11,000-square-foot building with two apparatus bays and access to two connector roads is expected to take about 12 months to complete.
Deputy Chief Matt Marietta said Milton Fire-Rescue needs help maintaining its minimum staffing requirements because one firefighter medic serves in the Georgia National Guard.
“This has been figuring into something we have had to work around staffing-wise,” Marietta said. “Potentially, in the worst-case scenario, denying people vacation time, training or something else that is needed.”
The Guardsman began his military deployment in February 2023 after six months with the department. Because he recently received orders extending his deployment through July 2026, the Fire Department asked councilmembers to approve onboarding
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ALPHARETTA, Ga. —Milton Police are searching for a home invasion suspect after a resident on Highgrove Club Drive reported the incident around 11:40 a.m. May 20.
A May 22 statement from the Milton Police Department clarified that only one suspect was involved in the home invasion. Previous statements from Alpharetta and Milton police during the May 20 manhunt provided descriptions for two suspects.
Surveillance video from outside of the home on Highgrove Club Drive shows a suspect matching both descriptions publicly released during the search. The suspect is a bald, light-skinned Black man who also wore black pants and no shirt during the home invasion.
According to a statement from the Milton Police Department, the suspect left the residence in one of the victim’s vehicles.
Alpharetta Police officers located the
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.
MILTON, Ga. — Police charged a 23-yearold Milton man May 15 after he allegedly broke into the home of a woman who had an active protective order against him.
The woman told police she was in the shower, after leaving her baby in the back bedroom, when she heard the suspect bang on the bedroom window, eventually shattering it.
The woman said she hadn’t seen the suspect, with the same listed residence as the woman, in three months, according to the incident report. Police found that the woman had a protective order issued against the suspect for her and her child, valid until December, the report says.
She said the suspect came inside,
MILTON POLICE
DEPARTMENT/PROVIDED
Footage from surveillance cameras shows an image of the suspect from the Milton home invasion May 20 on Highgrove Club Drive.
abandoned vehicle near North Point Parkway, where the suspect had fled on foot toward the Big Creek Greenway, the statement said.
Milton Police reported that several law enforcement agencies joined Alpharetta Police in pursuit of the suspect, including a helicopter from Fulton County.
Authorities focused their manhunt on the greenway, at one point locking down nearby schools.
Alpharetta Police lifted that lockdown later
stating he wanted to talk to her, but left as she went to get assistance from her roommates, according to the report.
A man at the scene told police the suspect was his cousin, who he hadn’t seen in around five months, the report says. The man said he smelled alcohol on the suspect.
The woman and man told police the suspect did not become physical.
Police also found the suspect had active warrants for aggravated stalking, battery and cruelty to children.
Police charged him with criminal trespass, two counts of aggravated stalking, burglary in the first degree and cruelty to children in the third degree.
MILTON, Ga. — Police arrested a 51-year-old Milton man after he struck his wife following an argument about him eating her food.
The woman told police the suspect grabbed her hair, struck her once on the face then struck her in the chest, according to the incident report.
Monday afternoon without having caught the suspect but believing there was – then and now – no imminent danger to citizens, the statement said.
The latest update from Milton police stated no additional information will be released because of the ongoing investigation and work to apprehend the suspect.
The update encouraged people with any information on the suspect or the case to contact Milton Police Detective Rebecca Tidwell at 678-242-2614 or Rebecca. Tidwell@miltonga.gov.
Anyone with information on the case can submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, online at www. StopCrimeAtl.org, or with a text to 274637.
The statement also said people do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
During the altercation, the suspect caused the woman to fall and hurt her knee, the report says.
The woman told police the abuse had been going on for a long time.
Police found the suspect walking toward Walmart, where he works. The suspect admitted to police that there had been a physical altercation, where he grabbed his wife by the shirt collar, but that he forgot what happened after that, according to the report.
The couple’s son told police he heard the altercation and saw the suspect grab the woman’s hair but that his view was blocked to the entire encounter.
Police charged the suspect with battery and cruelty to children in the third degree, then transported him to the North Fulton County Jail in Alpharetta.
If you want to talk to someone about the violence in your life or in the life of someone you know, please call Georgia’s 24-Hour Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836).
Expires 6/30/24.
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Third graders at Woodland Elementary School got creative in semester-long projects that explore solutions to air, water and land pollution.
Their presentations spanned ocean- and land-cleaning robots, prototypes made of cardboard, to letters written to school administration about a recycling program on-site.
Ryder Leary, executive director of Keep North Fulton Beautiful, visited classrooms May 20 to get a look at the projects in their final form, shown in PowerPoints and demonstrations. He had previously given classes a highlevel overview of pollution and visited the school to provide feedback while projects were in progress.
Leary said Keep North Fulton Beautiful has had a relationship with Woodland for a few years, dropping into talk about what the nonprofit does and general recycling information.
But, he opted to make this year more engaging, providing parameters to the students’ problem-based
learning projects, integral to the school’s curriculum. Leary joined Keep North Fulton Beautiful last July.
“I think one of the cool things
that we as Keep North Fulton Beautiful can do is from an education standpoint at all levels, whether it be communicating to our citizens in the community but also showcasing … that even our little ones in elementary school and up can contribute,” Leary said.
He said he plans to take the same approach to other schools. Leary also provides volunteer opportunities for students at the recycling center.
Woodland Elementary, the only STEM-certified school in Sandy Springs, boasts a curriculum designed to help students answer real-world problems and master the education standards it sets.
Each grade level works on one problem-based project per semester.
For third graders, the previous semester was a recurring project on
the decline of the monarch butterfly. Rita Hudson, a third grade teacher at Woodland, said students planted milkweed in the school’s garden to make up for the loss of the food, a contributing factor to the insect’s near-candidacy on the endangered species list. She said 20 monarchs have been released so far, with students facilitating the eggs to hatch inside, away from predators.
Hudson also asks her students to do the little things, like using reusable bottles and picking up trash at parks.
“Small changes — they make a big difference,” she said.
Two students, Reyes Castillo and Cameron Jasso, created a colorful robot to help lower land pollution named the “Catnap Trash Helper.”
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Continued from Page 4
“People that throw trash cause land pollution,” Castillo said. Animals are dying because people throw trash.”
Tara Uremovich, Woodland assistant principal, said around 150 students participated in the pollutionbased project this year.
Kindergarteners had a role to play as well, filing into the classrooms holding clipboards.
“...We try to … help the kids make connections between what they’re learning and what they might learn in the future, or the problems and how they get bigger and bigger, and how as they grow and learn more, they can tackle bigger problems,” said Uremovich, once a curriculum support specialist at Woodland.
Uremovich played a key role in earning the school’s STEM recertification last year, which involved a two-year process. The school was originally certified by the Georgia Department of Education in 2016.
She said the school’s boost to its STEM integration and its Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports system went hand-in-hand. PBIS is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting student well-being.
“We were rewarding students for being on task, but also their engagement was just genuinely increased because of these connections that they were making,” Uremovich said. “We actually saw our behavior incidences drop significantly.”
7506 Wilderness Parkway Big Canoe, GA 30143
Facts About Me
bigcanoeanimalrescue.org 706-268-1346
ROSWELL, Ga. — The City of Roswell took a leap forward in the cycling community by hosting a two-day workshop May 20-21 with the League of American Bicyclists.
Breed: Yorkie/Chinese Crested Mix
Color: Tan/Grey (Shorthair)
Age: 5 years old
Weight: (Current) 8 lbs
Fully Grown: Small (10 lbs)
Sex: Female
My Info
Healthy, All Shots current
Chipped, Spayed
Loves squeaky toys
No family with large dogs or cats
My name is Dawson!
It’s been a wild ride…. want to hear my story?
First, I was lost, then I was hit by a car, then a wonderful family who I didn’t know helped get me to a vet to take care of me. After a week at the vet’s office (I’m ok, just a few scratches) they picked me up and took me to this nice shelter so I could find a new home!
I’m a little anxious and scared after all this as you might imagine but with the right family and a little patience, I’ll know I found my forever home.
All BCAR dogs are placed as indoor family pets. No electric fences, please. Visit pets every Saturday 11:00 am to 2:00 pm (706-268-1346) or visit our website for adoption information at www.bigcanoeanimalrescue.org
With more than 200,000 members, the organization drives the movement to improve biking conditions.
The program enabled representatives from Roswell, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Chamblee to review plans for pedestrian and bicycle safety and cycling initiatives within their cities.
League officials say Georgia ranks No. 24 among states in bicycle friendliness, featuring 24 businesses, 12 communities, and eight universities that are bicycle friendly.
Bike Roswell President Jan Lattunen said the workshop are an important way for cities and the League to collaborate and explore bike and pedestrian infrastructure and to advocate for its implementation.
“The purpose of the meeting today is to bring different parts together, bring the city staff together with the cycling advocacy organization to talk and discuss about the bike and pedestrian plans within the cities…,” Lattunen said.
The gathering also presented an opportunity for cities like Roswell, which currently holds a bronze status in the League’s Bicycle Friendly Community program, to acquire insights on sustaining the designation or advancing to silver status.
Bronze status acknowledges communities that have exhibited a commitment to improving conditions
for bicycling, taking steps to increase their bicycle-friendly programs, but which still have opportunity for growth.
The workshop also provided cities that have not attained a bronze rating to gain an understanding of the requirements.
Anna Tang, specialist for the League’s Bicycle Friendly America program, led a discussion on how to promote and enhance the cities’ cyclist support. Tang presented a PowerPoint at the meeting and facilitated an exercise among the cycling advocates using an action plan workbook provided by the League.
The group drafted suggestions such as bike events and a bike garden, a bicycle course made to teach riders how to ride appropriately and safely.
Roswell is the first city in Georgia to earn the official designation of Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.
The city last submitted its application in fall 2021 to receive a bronze status. The renewal process is every four years.
For Roswell to attain silver status, its application will be judged on a scale based on the five Es: engineering, education, encouragement, evaluation and planning, and equity and accessibility. Roswell City Councilwoman Christine Hall expressed the benefit of establishing a cycling-friendly atmosphere, like reducing carbon emission and better mental health.
“It speaks to environment. It speaks to health. It’s healthy for your mind. It’s healthy for your body. It gets you moving,” Hall said.
Name of Business: Culinary Dropout
Owner: Fox Restaurants
Description: Culinary Dropout serves classic meals done right. A place where food and music are life. We’re here to party all year long. While you and your crew enjoy good food & drinks, a local band plays live for great vibes. Come hang out and stay a while.
Opened: February 2024
Address: 1231 Ashford Crossing, Building 900; Dunwoody, GA 30338
Phone: (470) 242-6712
Web: https://www.culinarydropout.com/
Name: California Hand Wash
Owner: Jack Craig, Mathew Stoner, and Kirt Lattanze
Description: California Hand Wash’s third location provides a state-of-theart conveyor-driven hand car wash, specializing in full-service washes, detailing, and ceramic coating. Our membership options ensure your vehicle stays beautiful. Relax in our inviting lobby, complete with complimentary refreshments, as our dedicated team pampers your car to perfection.
Opened: January 2024
Phone: (770) 343-9960
Address: 12905 Ga9 N Milton, Ga. 30004
Website: https://californiahandwash.com
Appen Media publishes New Business Spotlights to highlight local businesses as they get started. Submit yours for free at appenmedia. com/newbusiness
food. It also offers stylish essentials, fashionable accessories, a variety of toys, and a wide range of dog spa products.
Opened: February 2024
Description: Woof Gang Bakery and Grooming is a neighborhood pet store, offering full-service grooming and a wide selection of nutritious pet treats and
Address: 4511 Olde Perimeter Way Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30346
Phone: (678) 894-9850
Web Address: https://woofgangbakery. com/pages/locations/dunwoody
Name of Business: Pet Supplies Plus Cumming
Owner: Don Forlani and Chris Miller
Description: Pet Supplies Plus Cumming is a specialty pet retailer with a wide selection of quality pet foods and goods at low prices, state of the art self-serve pet wash stations, full grooming salon, live animals, free local delivery and curbside pickup. We are petcentric and always neighborly!
Opened: April 12, 2024
Address: 1595 Peachtree Pkwy #116, Cumming GA 30041
Phone: (847) 343-8532
Web Address: http://www.petsuppliesplus. com
Facts About Me
Breed: Terrier Mix
Color: Black and white (Short haired)
Age: 6 months old
Weight: (Current) 25 lbs
Fully Grown: Medium Size (50lbs)
Sex: Male
My Info
Healthy, All Shots current Good with dogs & children
Chipped, Neutered Good leash walking & car rides Crate trained
Meet Porter
bigcanoeanimalrescue.org
706-268-1346
This handsome boy would bring any family joy and happiness! Porter has a gentle way about him with a sweet calm disposition. He would be great for a family with children of any age. He gets along with other dogs and never met a human he didn’t like. He is leaning his commands and is very smart. Don’t miss out on him! Bring treats.
All BCAR dogs are placed as indoor family pets. No electric fences, please. Visit pets every Saturday 11:00 am to 2:00 pm (706-268-1346) or visit our website for adoption information at www.bigcanoeanimalrescue.org
Alpharetta and the Johns Creek areas.
Requirements: Must have a perfect driving record and background check, reliable transportation, honest, hard-working and positive attitude.
For more information or to apply, email heidi@appenmedia.com and include a paragraph or two about who you are and any relevant background/experience. In the subject line of the email please put “Delivery Route Application.”
ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic has stopped providing advocacy work for open meetings and open records, Appen Media reported May 15.
Now the school’s dean, Peter “Bo” Rutledge, has announced he will vacate the position and return to the faculty at the end of the year.
“The UGA School of Law is now on course to redefine what it means to be a great national public institution,” he said.
The university’s press release cited numerous accomplishments from Rutledge’s almost 10 years at the helm. One of them was the expansion of the law school’s outreach programs, including the First Amendment Clinic.
The agency opened its doors in August 2020 to “defend and advance the rights of free speech, press, assembly, and petition via regional litigation and advocacy” and to provide law students with real-world experience on First Amendment issues, according to a UGA news release at the time.
Journalists and citizens across the state looked to the clinic for free legal help gaining access to public materials. Appen Media’s May 15 story included interviews with news outlets Decaturish, Atlanta Community Press Collective (ACPC) and The Current GA. All three shared how the agency’s assistance had strengthened their reporting of government accountability and financial transparency.
The clinic’s change in policy takes that help off the table moving forward.
Remaining an educational resource, University Spokesperson Greg Trevor said the Clinic will now “refer open records/open meetings matters that need
direct advocacy and representation to qualified legal professionals or agencies.”
The timing of the shift coincides with UGA’s decision to transfer the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Atlanta Community Press Collective and Lucy Parsons Labs against the Atlanta Police Foundation.
The Foundation is a nonprofit that supports the Atlanta Police Department and works closely with the City of Atlanta. The organization is largely tied to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center under construction on 85 acres of the South River region in DeKalb County.
The suit alleges the foundation failed to respond to open records requests related to the project, dubbed “Cop City” by its critics.
Georgia sunshine laws, “apply to any entity to which public functions have been transferred by an agency or which receives substantial funding or resources from an agency in performance of a task,” according to the state Attorney General.
The Press Collective and Lucy Parsons Lab filed the suit in January with attorneys on staff at UGA’s clinic.
A few weeks later Rutledge, the law school’s dean, ordered the clinic to cease all work related to public records law, according to The Guardian.
The school told Appen Media the directive, “is part of ongoing efforts to align the First Amendment Clinic’s activities more closely with the institution’s educational mission.”
One of the lawyers representing the Police Foundation is Harold Melton, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court who graduated from UGA Law and now teaches at the school. Melton also served as executive counsel to former Gov. Sonny Perdue, who today is chancellor of the University System of Georgia.
Staff Reporter Amber Perry contributed to this story.
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Barbara Gomes Serafino holds her memoir, “The Book I Always Promised.” Serafino finished her book while participating in the Forsyth Writer’s Club, a group of more than 160 members, mostly women, who have been meeting monthly for the past seven years.
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — It took
Barbara Gomes Serafino years to write the book she promised her grandmother, a memoir filled with stories about her immigrant family.
The Forsyth Writer’s Club, a group with more than 160 members, mostly women, helped her along the way — a “gift from the universe” Serafino found on Nextdoor.
The club, celebrating its seventh anniversary in June, meets monthly, usually at a favorite Starbucks location, to review each other’s works in progress and provide suggestions on how to publish.
Serafino said the original idea was for her family to be the memoir’s sole audience.
“With the encouragement of my friends, I said, ‘I’m gonna do this,’” Serafino said from inside the screened back porch of her home. Her memoir “The Book I Always Promised,” published nearly a year ago, laid before her, its cover a picture of her grandmother Christina LeFosse Longobucco as she was leaving Italy for America in 1920.
“I never felt that I would get a publisher,” Serafino said. “I didn’t think there was anything out there.”
Serafino uses BookLogix, a local publisher recommended by members of the Forsyth Writer’s Club. She has sold around 500 copies so far.
Alongside the journey her family made to Ellis Island searching for a
future in America, captured by oral tradition, Serafino includes adventures abroad uncovering her family’s history in Italy and Portugal.
The 2024 Georgia Author of the Year Award nominee is also laden with humor found in her Brooklyn, New York, upbringing (her accent noticeable), a look into an Italian culture of superstition, like family curses and alleged “stregas,” or witches, who lived down the street.
Growing up a curious kid, Serafino said she would ask her grandmother, or “Nonna,” what it was like living in Italy and how she came to America.
“This just opened up a can of worms, and I drove the poor lady crazy,” Serafino said. “I wanted to know more.”
Much of the memoir is based on memory, but she also uses letters and other artifacts her family kept, traveling to Ellis Island to look at immigration records, and to Italy, after tracking down Longobucco’s family in Calabria.
Part of the book is also dedicated to her paternal family from Madera, Portugal, who she had come to find after reading a letter from her great aunt to her father, found in her brother’s estate after he died.
“She wrote my father a letter and said, ‘We want you with your wife and the baby to come to Madera,’ and she enclosed a holy card, the ‘Our Lady of Fátima’ card,” Serafino said. “I realized I’m the ‘baby.’”
The letter was dated 1953, the same
There’s no better way to slide into summer than with a stack of books. For help filling bookbags bound for beaches or the closest comfy chair, check out this list of June author events across North Fulton and Forsyth counties.
Saturday, June 8, celebrating children’s authors with three authors per hour sharing their stories. 11 a.m. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-797-5566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com
Sunday, June 9, Omar Tyree. The New York Times bestselling author will chat about his newest book, “Control.” 1 p.m. Free. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770-232-9331. read-itagain.com
Continued from Page 14
year she was born.
A section of the book is filled with photographs of her family dated as far back as 1909, a photo of her Portuguese grandmother as a baby at her baptism, up to 1970, showing Serafino in her hippie era, her sister Christina and brother William John in Mystic, Connecticut.
Serafino is working to publish a book of poetry called “Poems from a ’60s Hippie Chick,” pulled from an old notebook of poems she wrote in her late teens on topics like the Vietnam War and women’s rights.
The book is inspired by a favorite growing up, “Sonnets from the Portuguese” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a Christmas gift from her parents still intact but tattered with small pink flowers on the cover. Plans for the book cover include a Polaroid of an 18-year-old Serafino writing on her bed.
She’s already working on a third book, about her career as a criminal prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. She would later start a women-only firm in Staten Island.
Around a dozen books have been published since Amy Lyle formed the Forsyth Writer’s Club in 2017, apart from blogs and freelancing.
Lyle recalled sitting on the floor of a Barnes & Noble with two other “wannabe” authors, joking about
To join the Forsyth Writer’s Club, visit its Facebook page.
starting a writer’s club in a video.
“...Then we posted it, and people were like, ‘Is there a writing club?’” and we were like, ‘Yes, Yes, there is,’” said Lyle, a comedian, who would eventually publish “The Amy Binegar-Kimmes-Lyle Book of Failures” and “We’re All A Mess, It’s Okay.”
At the first meet-up, Lyle said around 10 people showed up, which became the average.
“It’s just been a really, really wonderful thing,” Lyle said.
At the meetings, members perform a 10-minute reading of their work, then others provide feedback. The club has also been a place where leads are shared, like finding an illustrator, an editor or someone to market the book.
Lyle said it’s hard to gain traction as a creative. But, with support from the club, the book launch for her first book, “Book of Failures,” saw more than 300 people. Both of Lyle’s books are No. 1 bestsellers across multiple categories and have made the Goodreads Top Ten Best Humor list.
She said it’s been exciting to see authors in the Forsyth Writer’s Club make it to the finish line.
“I really am proud of people that thought they wanted to write a book, but they weren’t sure, but they showed up with their own notebook at the Starbucks at 10 a.m.,” Lyle said. “… [The club] gave them confidence.”
Saturday, June 15, J.D. Cervantes signing his novel, “Fran and Her Friend Death.” 11 a.m. Free. Johns Creek Books, 6000 Medlock Bridge Road. 770-696-9999. johnscreekbooks.com
Sunday, June 16, Keeping the Chattahoochee: An author talk with Sally Sierer Bethea. 2 p.m. Free. Sharon Forks Library, 2820 Old Atlanta Road, Cumming. forsythpl.org/ event/10167432
Tuesday, June 18, Suzi EhteshamZadeh, Parul Kapur, Mike Coleman. A Novel Idea and Bookmiser present the trio of authors and their “Journeys of Freedom and Acceptance.” 7 p.m. Free. Brimstone Restaurant & Tavern, 10595 Old Alabama Road Connector, Alpharetta. 770-509-5611. bookmiser. net/book-events.html
Saturday, June 19, Licia Chenoweth, promoting her latest middle-grade book, “Finding Lila.” Noon. Free. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770232-9331. read-it-again.com
Friday, June 21, Mazey Eddings. The neurodiverse author and dentist will examine her popular romances that focus on mental health. 6 p.m. Purchase of $18 “Late Bloomer” required. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770-232-9331. read-it-again.com
Saturday, June 22, Judy Highum, reading from her children’s book, “Parker P. Possum – A Lesson in Gratefulness.” 11 a.m. Free. Johns Creek Books, 6000 Medlock Bridge Road. 770-696-9999. johnscreekbooks.com
Saturday, June 22, Brynn Barineau, with her debut novel, “Jaguars and Other Game.” Noon. Free. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770232-9331. read-it-again.com
Saturday, June 22, McCracken Poston Jr. Atlanta Authors presents Poston detailing “Zenith Man,” a true crime thriller. Bookmiser will have copies available to purchase. 2 p.m. Free. In person and online. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., 770-5095611. bookmiser.net
Monday, June 24, Lynn Cullen, discussing “Mrs. Poe,” inspired by literature’s most haunting love triangle. 7 p.m. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-797-5566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com
Tuesday, June 25, Survival skills with author Mark Warren. 6:30 p.m. Free. Hampton Park Library, 5345 Settingdown Road, Cumming. forsythpl.org/ event/10336655
Thursday, June 27, Crabapple Summer Stroll, supporting local independently owned stores. 5 p.m. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-7975566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com
Saturday, June 27, Bookfair for Grownups. Read It Again Bookstore will partner with Gate City Brewing for a boozy book fair. 6 p.m. Free. Gate City Brewing, 43 Magnolia St., Roswell. 678-404-0961 https:// www.gatecitybrewingcompany.com/ Saturday, June 29, Clint Smith, signing “The Georgia Air National Guard.” Noon. Free. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770-232-9331. read-it-again.com Sunday, June 30, Cherry Mo. The children’s author will read her book, “Home in a Lunchbox.” 10 a.m. Free. Johns Creek Books, 6000 Medlock Bridge Road. 770-696-9999. johnscreekbooks.com
To submit an author event for the upcoming month, email Kathy Des Jardins Cioffi at kathydesjardins3@gmail. com by the 15th.
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a replacement.
A firefighter medic counts toward the minimum of five paramedics required to maintain Advanced Life Support status.
The current minimum for fulltime staffing per shift is 18 personnel, including different ranks, and a minimum of 5 paramedics to maintain Advanced Life Support status.
Marietta said 12 firefighters are needed to staff the new facility off Birmingham Highway.
“This resolution is asking to be able to anticipate the future hiring for [Station] 45 and to hire an individual early to fill in this gap,” Marrietta said.
Funding from current salary savings will cover the position through the end of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. After that, funding for the position will transition to the proposed staffing levels for Fire Station 45 in the 2025 budget.
The city budgeted 69 full-time positions for the Fire-Rescue Department in 2024.
Mayor Peyton Jamison has discussed the growing anticipation for Fire Station 45 at the Ga. 372 and Providence Road roundabout.
“Fire and EMS statistics showed a notable ‘hole’ around this part of Milton – which, significantly, is close to our emerging downtown and denser surrounding neighborhoods – when it comes to emergency response times,” the mayor stated back in January. “Constructing this station is a potentially life- and property-saving measure to address that deficiency, mindful that every second counts in a crisis.”
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officially opens for the season.
The city’s 2018 purchase of the former Milton Country Club included its swimming pool, tennis center and former clubhouse.
The 137-acre property is now called the City Park and Preserve.
The acquisition marked the first purchase using the $25 million greenspace bond for properties serving as nature preserves or conservation land. Most of the property, or 130 of its 137 acres, is for passive park use and includes public trails.
Parks and Recreation staff encouraged families to stop by May 21 for activities serving as a preview of the department’s summer programming.
The open house and summer kickoff from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at
A rendering of Fire Station 45 shows what the new building at Birmingham Highway and Providence Road will look like. Members of the Milton Design Review Board gave the site plan a final look May 7 with project leaders from MSSA-PBK Architects.
The 2-acre fire station site sits across Ga. 372 from the Family Tree Animal Clinic, sandwiched between Providence Road and Birmingham Highway at a roundabout.
Back in March, city officials approved a transfer of $2 million to cover inflated construction costs for the new station.
The proposed expenditures for Fire Station 45 total just under $8 million, according to the city’s ClearGov budgeting software.
At a May 7 meeting of the Design and Review Board, Joey Bodiford with MSSAPBK Architects discussed a final review of building site plans.
Board members had asked architects for more evergreen trees, the requirements for a Providence Road sidewalk and options to add a single dormer – a vertical
the Milton City Park and Preserve began and ended with “Toddler-andthen-some Tuesday,” featuring toys for youngsters and STEM-oriented activities aimed at adolescents.
Activities involving science, technology, engineering and math endow young children with the skills they need for 21st century jobs, while also keeping them engaged and curious with the natural world.
Other options during the summer kickoff included nature-themed activities with Outdoor Recreation Supervisor Jen Young, a two-hour session with an inflatable bouncy house and an early opening of the city pool.
Young, known as Ranger Jen among the city’s youngest outdoor enthusiasts, formally inducted the city’s first Junior Rangers May 16 with a pledge and badge ceremony at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting.
The Junior Ranger program is a
window that projects from a sloping roof –on the west side of the building after their April 9 meeting.
City staff said a sidewalk is not required because of the site’s location away from schools and parks.
Bodiford presented three options for dormers to the Design Review Board May 7. He said architects did not like the aesthetics of the faux dormers and each cost around $10,000.
“When you factor in how many we’re putting in here to make it look close to aesthetically pleasing, it’s $30,000 extra,” Bodiford said. He suggested the money would be better spent on life-saving equipment for firefighters.
Members on the Design Review Board did away with the dormers and zeroed in on specific design details related to materials, colors and signage during their
chance for young people to explore, learn and love nature in Milton. It is designed for 2nd through 6th graders along the lines of Junior Ranger programs found at many national and state parks.
Junior Rangers engage in hands-on activities, receive insights about the natural environment and venture in and around the city’s parks.
Milton’s 2024 Parks and Activities Guide for the spring and summer, available on the city’s website, lays out a variety of programs involving arts and crafts, team athletics, individual sports, dance, photography and other pursuits.
While there was no cost to participants at the kickoff, many of the city’s camps and activities throughout the summer require registration and fees.
Mayor Peyton Jamison discussed improvements to the City Park and Preserve during the annual State of the City in January and touted
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN
Matt Marietta, deputy chief of administration for the Milton Fire-Rescue Department, discusses the need for an additional firefighter medic at the May 20 Milton City Council meeting. Marietta said a firefighter who is also certified as a paramedic is needed to replace a national guardsman and maintain staffing levels for the future Fire Station 45.
final review.
The board recommended changing the roof color of apparatus bays to be distinct from the main building, dependent on a rendering showing the alternative.
Building and site plans will not come back to the board for review, but staff will present its recommendations to the City Council.
Fire Chief Gabe Benmoussa also addressed the Design Review Board May 7 and discussed the Milton Public Safety Plaza at Fire Station 45. He said the plaza will be near the roundabout and main entrance to the new fire station for easy public access.
“We’re going to be working with the Milton First Responders Foundation to fund two bronze statues of a Milton firefighter and police officer,” Benmoussa said.
funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and a Georgia Outdoor Stewardship grant to pay for the next two phases of its buildout.
Phase I transformed an old cart path into a 1.25-mile paved trail.
The second phase of the Milton City Park project includes replacing a failing stormwater system associated with the golf course with green, natural landscaping.
The third phase, funded with transportation sales tax revenues, includes a 10-foot-wide decomposed granite trail adjacent to Chicken Creek and a new multi-use sidewalk along Dinsmore Road, connecting the existing trail on the west side of the park for a 2.5-mile loop around the property.
Combined, the upgrades will cost about $3.6 million, with completion set for late summer 2025. Amenities will include wildlife habitat education stations and signage, benches, and water foundations for people and dogs.
Ireland! We’ve been here a week, and we are driving. Yes. Driving. As in a car – a car with the steering wheel on the other side. That wouldn’t be too bad by itself, but it turns out that the cars (including ours) are all on the other side too.
In theory, that’s just a little right-toleft conversion. How hard could it be?
Yeah.
When we picked up the rental car, it was all fun and adventure till we started across the rental car lot and suddenly realized that, yes, it was gonna be up to us to make an Irish car go where we wanted it to go. Actually, it was going to be up to the not-me part of us. We had decided early on that she would be the driver, and now it was time.
We found our car, settled in, and decided to start out with a little practice.
“Let’s drive around the parking lot a few times,” I offered helpfully. So we did. It was harrowing.
We drove around a few more times. Harrowing still.
After about a half hour, we got to the point where we could drive in a big rectangle without having a heart attack every 30 seconds.
“There!” I said helpfully. “That wasn’t too bad! And may I say that you have a very firm grip on the wheel!”
So lesson one of driving where the wheel isn’t where you think it should be is to practice a bit in a place where the odds of rending metal are. Heed that, Grasshopper, for wiser words were never writ.
But eventually, we knew, we would have to leave the safety of the car park (a bit of Irish for you there) and take to the open road. Our task was to drive from the city of Cork across 69 miles of right-is-left-is-right roadway to our cottage by the waters of Coulagh Bay.
“You’ve got this,” I said, ever helpful. We set the GPS (lesson two of driving where they drive on the other side of the road is to have, and use, a GPS –it means you’ll have one less thing to worry about) and slowly made our way to the exit. It was not on the expected side. We panicked for a minute but adjusted and then…and then…
Into the traffic we went.
You think driving mirror-image-style in a parking lot is exciting? Wait till you try it on an actual road.
What’s it like? Well…
“It’s like you’re in a video game,” she said. “You’re driving along and suddenly HEART ATTACK! A car or something just pops into view, and you’ve got to dodge it!”
It’s one heart attack after another for the passenger, too, only their magnitude is compounded by the stacked-stone wall zipping by not 6 inches from your left ear. Fortunately, you’re usually warned of impending wall encounters by the sound of branches scraping down the side of the car. That doesn’t really help things, but it does provide a nice conversation starter. In fact, one time when I gently commented on it, she replied (fairly directly) that whatever they were, those [insert descriptive adjective] branches were probably softer than the front corner of the [insert another descriptive adjective] construction truck which had just zoomed by not 6 inches from HER ear.
Which brings us to lesson three: No matter how strong the urge, while sitting in the passenger seat, try if possible to avoid screaming “WALL!”
All that does is upset things, including any nearby sheep who may be within earshot. You do not want upset sheep.
And speaking of sheep, here’s lesson four: Sheep do not have any concept of boundaries, at least the kind between pasture and highway, so when it comes to the open road they hold all the cards. It was not at all unusual to round a corner and find the road suddenly blocked by one or two or 200 sheep, all standing there cool as can be and saying “Ba-ha-ha-ha-ha!” That’s Sheep for “So you enjoyed that roast leg of lamb last night, did ya? Well, who’s in charge of things now, buddy boy?”
Usually, about that time, the nearest sheep will get what I swear is a menacing look in its otherwise friendly eyes and begin to ease inexorably toward your car. Or maybe that’s just my imagination? Or maybe not…
Anyway, passing cars and sheep eventually got a little easier too. Eventually we got to where hearts did not completely stop every time another vehicle passed.
But then came that horrible, awful, terrifying realization: Sooner or later we were going to have to TURN!
Pulling off a right turn
Oh no. You think driving on the other side is hard? Wait till you have to turn from one other side to the other other side. Just wait.
The first time this happened, we just stopped and looked.
“Where do I go?” she asked.
I looked left, and I looked right, and
there were cars and trucks and various farm machines coming and going, and sheep, and they were all looking our way...
My brain said “No way” and went back to thinking about escape routes should the sheep attack.
I glanced in the side mirror and saw the face of the driver in the car behind us. He was apparently familiar with drivers trying to drive on the other side of the road, for he smiled a big smile and gave a jaunty wave.
I appreciated that. I really did. But we still had to do something.
“Which way?” she asked again, and my brain kicked back into gear.
“We’re going right, so go to the far lane,” I think I said, or at least I should have. “But look right, then left, then right, or something like that. And watch for sheep, for I’m told they have long memories. And be sure to –”
But she was already in motion. She turned right, rolling smoothly into the far lane.
“There!” I said.
There were a few more turns, and with each one it got easier. We learned to talk through each turn, watching
the road and the traffic and whatever sheep were within range and trying against all odds to get our brains to think in upside-down mirror images. Two really are better than one when it comes to driving like this, and that brings us to lesson five: When driving someplace where you drive on the other side, be sure you have a wingman, at least at first. That lets you, the driver, concentrate on driving while your partner concentrates on where exactly that driving should take place.
Try it, and you’ll understand exactly what I mean.
Why are we here?
So now we’ve been in Ireland for close to a week. We have learned to drive, mostly. Yeah, Ireland changes your life.
But back home, I recalled, we had met some who did not understand how that could be or even why we would want to give it a chance to do so.
“Why would you want to do that?” someone said to me before we left for Ireland. “Why would you want to go
See IRELAND, Page 21
RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com
Just when you think that Alpharetta has run out of rabbits to pull from their hat, they somehow find yet another one. It never ceases to amaze me.
One would be hard pressed to choose the “best rabbit” that the City of Alpharetta has created during the last 35 years. Which one would get your vote? And, some of these are serious and others, not so much!
Spoiler: At the end of this column, there is a party invitation for everyone.
No. 1. Big Creek Greenway: Alpharetta’s greenway (9 miles long) is a 12’ wide paved linear park for biking, walking, roller blading, inline skating along Big Creek; birds and mammals, flora and fauna, can be seen from the trail. The Alpharetta greenway connects with the Roswell & Forsyth greenways (with several gaps) for a total of 26 miles of linear park. Construction of the Alpharetta section began in 1995 and has cost roughly $10 million. Google “Awesome Alpharetta greenway” for more details. Nice work leading the initial construction Marie Garrett, then Alpharetta’s Community Development Director.
No. 2. Ga. 400: So, Alpharetta didn’t
build Ga. 400. However, legend has it that when the Georgia Department of Transportation asked then Alpharetta Mayor Jimmy Phillips how many exits he wanted off Ga. 400, he replied with: “How many can I have?” This contrasted with another mayor who reportedly replied to the same question with: “Do I have to have any?” Way to go Mayor Phillips (wherever you are)! Those five exits drive a massive amount of business to our fair city.
No. 3. Wills Park Equestrian Center: So, while I personally have never been a big fan of a park that is used by such an ultra-small percent of the population, the Equestrian Center is an amazing regional marquee facility for the horse world, and it does set Alpharetta apart from almost all other cities in the state.
No. 4. Wills Park: What can you say about Wills Park other than wow! Created in the late 1960s by then Mayor Harry Wills, the park today spans 110 acres (Central Park in New York City is 843 acres), including the Equestrian Center which is but one component of this immense and multi-faceted facility. The park includes so much – walking trails, a huge multi-use community pool, one of the most popular and largest disc golf courses in the state, tennis courts, multi-use community buildings, picnic shelters, basketball courts (indoors and out), a dog park, many ball fields, playgrounds and more. In addition to the actual facilities of the park, the city’s management of the park shines just as
brightly; it has changed and adapted to the needs of the population over time and stays current and magnificently relevant.
No. 5. Rucker Farm: This one may be the least well-known of Alpharetta’s gems. The 10-acre farm located off Rucker Road is a working farm operated by Alpharetta’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. Two of the 10 acres are dedicated to organic farming, and the remainder is used in a variety of ways including providing agriculture-related classes, community gardens, green house space (soon to expand with a new larger greenhouse), outdoor classrooms, Eagle Scout resources, 700 volunteer opportunities, food for North Fulton Community Charities and so much more. Great big “high-five” to the city and council for having the foresight and wisdom to create and support Rucker Farm as an outreach that addresses some of the most challenging and critical issues of today and especially the future – food, health, soil, education and connection.
No 6. Alpharetta’s high-tech nature: What do you get when, decades ago, you (Ross Perot, Georgia Power and other players) bury miles and miles of concrete-encased electric and fiberoptic cable underground and run it due north up Ga. 400 from Atlanta to a little backwater city (at the time), facilitating near fail-proof power delivery and one of the largest fiber-optic systems in America? Well, you ultimately get
Alpharetta, “Technology City of the South.” And while Alpharetta did not really have much to do with the creation of this infrastructure, it had everything to do with managing the growth and direction of that growth that came as a result of the power and fiberoptics. Boom! Kudos to Alpharetta’s elected officials and voters through the years!
So, how does a city pull yet another rabbit out of the hat – produce yet another encore – after launching such an amazing run of rabbits over time?
The answer is two words: the “Alpha Loop,” yet another gem in Alpharetta, perhaps the crown jewel of them all!
That encore is in progress as we speak and is accepting visitors, users, and anyone else who maybe just wants to be amazed with wonder or, perhaps, simply is looking for some down time to stroll, think, slow down and “smell the roses.”
Saturday party invitation
Come help us celebrate (food trucks, music, face painting, fun for the entire family) the opening of the newest section of “the Loop” this Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. to noon. Celebration will be held in Northwinds parking lot at 2500 Northwind’s Parkway (near Village Tavern off Haynes Bridge Road). Come walk the new section and explore – a taste of more wonder to come – and Alpharetta’s hits just keep on coming!
New to the Loop? Find out more about it: www.AlphaLoopFoundation.org
While researching S&H Green Stamps, I came across an interesting story about the Colonial Foods grocery store and its 1978 move into Dunwoody. In this article, I only refer to women because it was assumed they did all the grocery shopping at the time. Before a Big Apple grocery store was built in Georgetown Shopping Center in the late 1960s, Dunwoody shoppers had to travel to other nearby towns to buy groceries. There was a Big Apple grocery store in the Sandy Springs Shopping Center on Roswell Road beginning in the late 1950s. Colonial and Kroger opened when Chamblee Plaza was completed in 1960.
When Colonial Foods tried to gain some of the Dunwoody grocery market in 1978, Ogletree’s was in Dunwoody Village and Winn-Dixie was in Dunwoody Plaza. Ogletree’s was known for upscale, gourmet food offerings. Winn-Dixie changed their exterior design to meet the requested Williamsburg style of Dunwoody, but the inside of the store and the discounted price model remained. Protests and pickets followed the Colonial Foods announcement to build a grocery store on wooded land along Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Residents told the grocery chain they would boycott the store.
Colonial Foods decided to collaborate with the people of Dunwoody. They formed the Dunwoody Consumer Advisory Committee, a group of 21 women from church, civic, social, school and scout groups to tell
the store’s top management what they did and did not want in their store.
The committee held meetings once a month for four months. Each meeting ran three hours. “Colonial paid $250 to each club represented and another $100 to the club of each woman who allowed her picture to appear in advertising announcing the opening of the Dunwoody store.” (AJC, July 23, 1978, “The Effects of the Battle in Dunwoody Might Be Felt Throughout the Industry”)
Agnes Olmstead, Consumer Affairs director for Colonial, was asked to return to work from retirement to assist with the efforts.
Meetings with future shoppers of Dunwoody led to the store having a snack bar, florist, bakery, gourmet delicatessen, butcher and in-store consumer adviser. The neighborhood women gave input to store
management on concerns, such as how returned glass would be managed and how many express lanes there would be. This was during a time when glass soda bottles could still be returned for cash.
The Colonial consumer adviser was paid to give nutritional advice and help customers plan party menus and club luncheons.
Colonial reported having spent three years preparing to open the Dunwoody store. The store’s grand opening lasted four days, and revenue from those days broke all previous records of Colonial Stores.
Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
BOB MEYERS Columnist
In a recent column I described the origins of the Mansell family of North Fulton. Attention was focused on Robert Henry Mansell (18731950), who was born in Crabapple, and his wife Maude Dorris (1883-1977). This week I will portray their children in more detail and how they and their descendants contributed so much to North Fulton and surrounding areas. Robert (known by most folks as Bob) and Maude had five children, a girl and four boys, all now deceased. Bob was a farmer and businessman, influential and widely respected in the area. These are their children listed by birth year:
Pauline Mansell Matthews (19021985) married Jason Henry Matthews (1894-1983) in 1920. They had seven children. Pauline was a full-time homemaker with her seven children which kept a wringer washing machine on the back porch very busy. Life was hard during the war and Pauline baked cakes and sewed for people. Jason had a series of jobs including insurance sales, medicine sales and owning a coffee shop until he started farming on the approximately 60 acres Bob Mansell gave to each of his five children.
Joseph Cliott Mansell (1906-1997), known as Joe, married Lessie Mae Coleman (1908-1959). They were married for 30 years. After she passed away, he married Mary Clara Wright (1918-2010). Joe tried his hand at farming on land gifted from his father, but it was not the life for him. He opened the Joe Mansell Filling Station in Roswell where he also ran a coal and ice business. He owned and operated the Mimosa Café across the street from the gas station. In 1941/42 he was mayor of Roswell. After that, he became a deputy sheriff in Atlanta for 20 years, where among other assignments, he investigated the 1946 Winecoff Hotel fire on Peachtree Street. It was the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history, with 119 hotel guests killed. In 1960, Joe and some partners opened a recreational park on Alpharetta Highway called Sun Valley Park. It had three lakes, a sandy beach, offered fishing and boating, horseback riding and other fun activities. He sold it in 1965. Unfortunately, the new owner did not maintain it, and it shut down after a few years. Joe and a partner Ben Tolbert then opened the Roswell Department Store which they operated for approximately 10 years.
MANSELL FAMILY/PROVIDED
The annual Mansell family reunion has been held for some 150 years. In 2009 an estimated 250 people attended. By 2017 the number of attendees had declined to about 150, but the tradition will continue in the future. The photo shows some of the family members attending a recent reunion.
James Earl Mansell (1910-2002), married Lillian Shirley [1911-2002]. Earl did not go to college, something that bothered him throughout his life. Consequently, he stressed the importance of a good education to his children. Earl was mentally gifted, however, and was a very successful buyer and seller of land throughout his life. Lillian was one of 10 children of the Shirley family of Alpharetta. She received a degree in education from Young Harris College and taught in several local schools until her marriage in 1935 when she had to leave the profession because married women were not allowed to be teachers. A little-known story about Earl, told to me by his son Barry, is about Aubrey Morris, who Earl knew when Morris was a boy. Aubrey was not planning to go to college, but Earl took him to Athena to visit the University of Georgia. Aubrey was convinced and studied journalism at UGA. Aubrey became a celebrated columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and personality on WSB radio for many years – all thanks to Earl Mansell’s appreciation of Aubrey’s potential.
Crawford Walton Mansell (19121990), known as C.W., married Francis Louise Pinkerton (1908-2002), known as Pinkie. Walton as a farmer and businessman and Pinkie was a nurse.
Walton and his brother C.B. were very close. They enlisted in the Navy together right after Pearl Harbor. They jointly founded Egg Acres, one of the largest poultry farms in Georgia. Walton’s 100 vine muscadine grape vineyard was well known. He grew several varieties of muscadines including Dearing, Cowart and Higgins. Making wine was his hobby. He also had a large apple orchard with Jonathan, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Stayman Winesap, Mutsu and other varieties. Pinkie was raised in Putnam, Ga., on a dairy and cotton farm. She was a trained nurse and headed the Fulton County Health Center in Roswell. She retired in 1972 after 30 years when she and C.W. traveled throughout the U.S. in their Airstream Trailer.
Clarence Broughton Mansell (19162004), known as C.B., was the only son born in the original house built by Bob Mansell in 1910. He married Louise Paris [1919-1974]. During World War II, C.B. served as a baker on a destroyer escort. Egg Acres, mentioned above, had seven chicken houses and some production machinery. Workers had Sunday’s off, so C.B.’s and Walton’s four children had to work among the smelly chickens gathering eggs, a job they did not relish, according to C.B.’s daughter Clair Louise’s account in Linda Mansell
Martin’s book “The Great Generation of Mansell’s of North Georgia.” C.B. and Walton had annual Easter egg hunts for all Roswell children for several years at Egg Acres, and school field trips took place frequently. C.B., like many farm children, did not go beyond the sixth grade. However, he was a successful businessman with Seed and Feed Store and later Egg Acres. He obtained his GED at age 50, obtained a commercial real estate license and had a successful real estate career in his later years.
The Mansell family was and is very special, and quite numerous. The annual Mansell Family Reunion had 250 attendees in 2009. It has dwindled since then as the younger generation has more activity options, but according to Linda Martin “we are confident that this 150-year-old tradition will continue.”
I believe that the best term to describe the Mansell family is “hard working.” That is the farm-based ethic that has motivated the family for generations.
Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.
It seems like we hear comments about global warming every day. As the weather reporter or meteorologist can tell you, the average summer temperatures are increasing, but on the other hand, are the winter temperatures increasing or decreasing? In December of 2022, we had one day in North Fulton and surrounding areas when the temperature reached a low of 6 degrees for the first time in 30 years. As a result, many shrubs lost a significant number of leaves, died or had their overall growth significantly impacted. Some of the shrubs most significantly impacted by last year’s hard freeze were the camellias, azaleas, lorepetulum and gardenias. These four shrubs are evergreens, do not lose their leaves in the fall and are green throughout the winter. As a result of the deep freeze, some of my azaleas partially died and did not bloom last
This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Carole MacMullan, a master gardener and a Milton resident. She taught biology for 35 years in the Pittsburgh area. In 2012 after moving to Milton, Carole completed the Master Gardener training program and joined the North Fulton Master Gardeners (NFMG) and the Milton Garden Club. Her favorite hobbies are gardening, hiking, biking, and reading.
weather events, and new plantings should be selected with these extremes in mind.
spring, and one of my large Camellia japonicas sadly lost all of its leaves, and its flower buds were frost damaged and did not bloom as they normally do in late February. When I saw what I thought was a dead plant, my impulse was to cut it down and remove it from my landscape. But fortunately, I got busy, and several months later to my amazement it started to show signs of life and began to produce a new crop of green leaves! I am happy to report it is alive and well, and this year it has 100 plus flower buds.
If you lived anywhere in the Atlanta metropolitan area on January 28, 2014, I am sure you remember the history-breaking, catastrophic snow and ice storm that covered all of the roads and brought traffic to a halt. This storm even has a name, Snowmeggedon! It not only paralyzed everyone’s ability to get home from school, work or shopping, but it also had a devastating effect on plants in our yards, on the Georgia’s farm economy and people with nursery businesses. In my yard, every Indian hawthorn planted by the builder in 2004 died. Because the Indian hawthorns outnumbered all the other landscape plantings, I lost 35 bushes as a result of the storm. When I researched to determine why these shrubs failed to survive while most of the other plantings survived, the answer was that the shrubs were the wrong plants for my planting zone. Indian hawthorns are winter hardy in zones 8 through 10.
Although the Indian hawthorns survived for nine years during mild winters, 2014 was too much for these zone 8 plants! As a result, I caution all gardeners in north metro Atlanta to carefully read the plant tags and note the Plant Hardiness Zones. Think carefully before purchasing any plant recommended for zone 8 and higher and determine if there is a safer option.
During the current winter season, the temperatures dipped into the mid and low 20s for several days. Taking these high and low temperatures into account, what effect do these temperatures have on the plants we try to grow in our landscapes and flower and vegetable gardens? What are the current planting zone designations, and have the plant zones changed because of global and regional warming? If you do an internet search to determine your planting zone, you will find two sources of information. Based on the USDA 2012 Plant Hardness Zone map, North Fulton, Cherokee, Forsyth and most of north Georgia were identified as zone 7b. In November 2023, the USDA modified the Plant Hardiness Zones for Georgia, and now Fulton, Cobb, Forsyth and Cherokee have been reassigned to Planting Zones 8. These changes are based on weather data collected over a 30-year period from 1991 to 2020. The 2023 map reflects a half zone shift for our area of Georgia.
CAUTION - Even as the climate warms, there will always be extreme
How can you avoid an expensive landscaping mistake? My suggestions are: do not fall in love with a zone 8+ plant, and look at the plant tag before you purchase any plant. The gardenias and camellias are especially vulnerable to single-digit temperatures because some of the cultivars are zone 8 plants. If you want to purchase a gardenia, I would suggest the two most frost-tolerant cultivars, Frostproof or Foolproof. Both of these cultivars are designated as zone 7 plants. The same is true of camellias. Some camellias are more frost-tolerant and are designated as zone 7. Here is a quote from Tom Money, a landscape designer from Scottsdale Farms in Milton, when asked about planting zone 8 plants: “l would not plant zone 8 plants because in a year or two I would need to return to replant.”
Please compare the 2012 and 2023 planting zone maps that accompany this column and note the current changes. If you are a vegetable gardener, I suggest you read the Georgia Vegetable Planting Calendar cited in the “Learn More” resources.
Happy Gardening!
North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net. Previous Garden Buzz columns are featured at https://appenmedia.com/ opinion/columnists/garden_buzz/.
Continued from Page 17
some place where they don’t even drive on the right side of the road? Why not just stay here in America where we do it like God ordained it, like it’s ‘sposed to be done?”
What an odd thing to say.
It occurs to me this morning, as we drive comfortably and relaxed through the Irish countryside, that the right side
of the road is simply a matter of what side of the road is right. I drive on the right side of the road at home. My new fishing buddy Derek, who I met in the past week, is dyed-in-the-wool Irish and drives on the right side of the road too.
We are much more alike, and much less different, than we sometimes think. You know? This world of ours could do well to remember that right about now, don’t you think?
Yeah, it sure could. Maybe it’ll help.
But I’m still gonna let her drive.
Pre-planning
Funeral Services
Grief Support
Veteran Services
770-645-1414
info@northsidechapel.com www.northsidechapel.com
During these turbulent times, we would like to highlight the continued courage and commitment of everyone who works in the health care, law enforcement, childcare, food service and utility sectors. We are extremely grateful.
12050 Crabapple Road • Roswell, GA 30075
The City of Milton City Council will hold a public hearing for the applications for alcohol licenses listed below on Monday, June 3, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the First Floor of City Hall located at 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, Georgia 30004. All interested persons are encouraged to attend the public hearing.
PH-24-AB-08
- Smoke on the Farm LLC d/b/a Smoke on the Farm has made an application for a license to sell Wine, Malt Beverages, and Distilled Spirits for Consumption On-Premises, to be a Resident Caterer, and for Sunday Sales at its place of business located at 12635 Crabapple Road, Suite 210, Milton, Georgia 30004.
Request for Proposals Fire-Rescue Physical Evaluations
RFP NUMBER
24-FD01
Proposal Due Date:
June 20, 2024, by 2:00PM Local Time
Electronic submission via: www.miltonga.gov
Names for submissions received will be publicly announced via a virtual opening at approximately 2:30 PM at the City of Milton City Hall located at 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, GA 30004. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. If the contract is awarded, it will be awarded to the highest scoring Offeror whose proposal meets the requirements and criteria set forth in the request for proposals.
The City of Milton is requesting proposals from qualified parties to provide medical services to conduct physical evaluations for Milton's Fire & Rescue employees. All qualified proposals will receive consideration without regard to age, handicap, religion, creed or belief, political affiliation, race, color, sex, or national origin.
The request for electronic proposals for RFP 24-FD01, Fire-Rescue Physical Evaluations will be posted on the following websites the week of May 30, 2024: https://www.miltonga.gov/government/finance/bids-rfps and https://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/gpr/index
Notice is hereby given that Skinner Studios LLC, a Domestic Limited Liability Company in Georgia, will offer Performing Arts Training services under the name of RISPA. Services to be rendered at 14155 Highway 9, Milton, GA 30004. The registered office of Skinner Studios LLC is located at 443 Carmichael Circle, Canton, GA 30115 and its registered agent at such address is Guy Skinner.
Invitation to Bid
In-Car, Body Worn, and Interview Room Camera System. ITB NUMBER 24-PD02
Bid Due Date: June 12, 2024
Electronic submission via: www.miltonga.gov
Submissions will be publicly announced via a virtual bid opening on the above date at approximately 2:30 PM at the City of Milton City Hall located at 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, GA 30004. The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids. If the contract is awarded, it will be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder whose bid meets the requirements and criteria set forth in the invitation for bids.
The City of Milton is requesting bids from interested parties to provide goods and services for Milton's police in-car, body worn, and interview room camera system. All qualified bids will receive consideration without regard to age, handicap, religion, creed or belief, political affiliation, race, color, sex, or national origin.
The request for electronic bids for ITB 24-PD02 In-Car, Body Worn, and Interview Room Camera System will be posted on the following websites the week of May 23, 2024:
http://www.miltonga.gov and http://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/PRS app/PR index.jsp
Notice is hereby given that on Monday, June 3, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., the Milton City Council will hold a public hearing to consider the possible extension of the existing moratorium on acceptance of applications for use permits, rezonings, zoning condition amendments, or any other sort of approval designated as a zoning decision under the Zoning Procedures Law for properties within the Deerfield district that are subject to the form-based code. This moratorium, if extended, will continue while amendments to the Milton Zoning Ordinance and/ or UDC (following public hearings) are drafted and adopted, with such changes possibly altering the policies, standards, guidelines, and requirements for development within the Deerfield district. The public hearing will be held in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, Georgia. All City of Milton residents and any other affected and/or interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend.
City Council of Milton
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ATLANTA HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING, INC. 678 605-91592 TON $5500 INSTALLED 3 TON $6000 INSTALLED COMPLETE SYSTEM INCLUDES CONDENSER 410A, FURNACE 80% AFUE, HIGH EFFICIENCY EVAPORATOR, WIFI THERMOSTAT, PAD, OVERFLOW PAN, FILTER RACK. CALL 678 605-9159
Sawnee EMC is seeking a Staff Accountant – Financial Services to provide financial and accounting services in compliance with RUS accounting requirements and standards, coordinate budgeting and financial planning functions, compile and analyze financial information, prepare financial statements, statistical analyses, balance sheet and financial position statements, make recommendations on reserves, collect appropriate data to prepare tax returns, and prepare related reports to management. Requires: Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in accounting with a minimum of two years progressively responsible work experience; high level of competency in MS Office, Accounting, Spreadsheet and Database Software; knowledge of RUS System of Accounts preferred.
Applicants must complete an application prior to 5 PM, June 7, 2024. Apply online: www.sawnee.coop/careers. If you require a paper application or an alternate format, please contact us at 770-887-2363 extension 7568.
Deadline to place a classified ad is Thursdays by 4pm
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Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer of Females, Minorities, Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Sawnee EMC is VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Drug Free Workplace.
SALESFORCE.COM ADMINISTRATOR (MOTREX
LLC – ALPHARETTA, GA): Mult. pos. avail. Resp for spprtg IT Apps Team to help alignment w/ the business around the Salesforce.com stack. Actively involved in the IT processes that spprt ongoing ops as well as planning for future appl capabilities in order to be more efficient in deliver’g solutions for customers. F/T. Dom trvl required up to 10% of working time. Apply w/ resume to talent. acquisition@motrexllc.com. Ref. JobID: 7062279.
Midway Preschool is hiring lead and assistant teachers for the 2024-2025 school year. Please call Beth @ 770-752-0440 or email beth@midwayumc.org
Software Developers – Multiple openingsAlpharetta, GA
Intuites LLC needs professionals:
Work using Splunk, AWS, Dynatrace, Docker, Kubernetes, Puppet, Ansible, Maven, Jenkins.
Req. – Bachelor’s +2yrs exp. Comp. sal. Relocate to unanticipated site. Please mail resume to Ref: Director, 1740 Grassland Parkway, Ste 405, Alpharetta, Georgia, 30004.
Deadline to place a classified ad is Thursdays by 4pm
Save the date - actually, the entire day – Saturday, June 1 for three big events in Alpharetta. Start your day with a swing by the Alpharetta Farmers Market from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM - one of the most popular Farmer’s Markets in the region - packed with food, crafts, and something for everyone! Next, explore the new section of the Alpha Loop from 10 AM
to noon and celebrate its grand opening with food trucks, music, and face painting- a fun time of the whole family! Last but not least, spend Saturday evening at Alpharetta’s Brew Moon Fest concert and street festival.
For more details about the Alph Loop visit alphaloopfoundation.org
Alpharetta Farmers Market by Alpharetta Business Association
When: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Where: Alpharetta Town Green; 30 South Main St. Alpharetta, GA 30009
For more information and a list of vendors, see alpharettafarmersmarket.com
Alpha Loop Grand Opening Party by The Alpha Loop Foundation and sponsored by Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau
When: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Where: Along the new section of the Alpha Loop; Parking and food trucks at 2500 Northwinds Pkwy. Alpharetta, GA 30009
Want to learn more about the Alpha Loop? Visit alphaloopfoundation.org
Brew Moon Fest by the Alpharetta Business Association
When: 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Where: Milton Avenue (between Hwy 9 and Roswell/Canton Street) Alpharetta, GA 30009
Purchase tickets in advance at alpharettabusinessassociation.com