Sandy Springs Crier - January 19, 2023

Dunwoody police operation targets area prostitution

► STARTS ON PAGE 3

Members hear city report on sites ripe for business

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Sandy Springs Development Authority set the stage for more planned development in 2023, targeting areas ripe for projects to boost the local economy.

At the Jan. 12 meeting, Sandy Springs Economic Development Manager Caroline Davis gave authority members a recap of what was accomplished by the city in 2022, and what could be expected in the coming year.

“You all are sitting in the fruits of what everyone worked on over the past decade,” Davis said.

The biggest highlight of the past year, she said, was major updates to the City Springs Master Plan, which led to development of “City Springs Master Plan 2.0,” a guide to development over the next decade.

For the City Springs Master Plan update, she said they have focused on large-scale improvements to infrastructure, streetscapes and pedestrian accessibility for everything on Roswell Road, from Allen Road to Cromwell Road.

These improvement project recommendations are now in the hands of city staff where Public Works, Community Development and Economic Development departments will research the proposals for presentation to the City Council.

Davis said the new master plan identified multiple areas as “priority redevel-

opment properties”

These areas include a city-owned property to the south of the City Hall campus, which they’ve identified as the possible location for a boutique hotel with office and residential space. The city has already received a number of bid applications, and Davis said the project is expected to move forward at the location.

They have also identified a large block of properties bordered by Mt. Vernon Highway, Hilderbrand Drive, Boylston Drive and Roswell Road as a priority area for redevelopment, she said.

“What we’ve seen is that there’s a lot of fractured ownerships, so we will consider potentially bonuses for assemblage

BUSINESS, Page 4

Kemp highlights pay hikes, tax cuts in inaugural speech

By REBECCA GRAPEVINE Capitol Beat

ATLANTA — State employees will get a $2,000 pay raise if Gov. Brian Kemp can get the General Assembly to approve his budget request.

Law enforcement officers, school employees, and other state workers all need the raise, Kemp said during an inaugural address Thursday that marked the start of his second term as Georgia’s governor.

“If you want to keep good people in jobs critical to the safety and well-being of our children, our communities and our state as a whole, we must be willing to be competitive with state salaries,” Kemp said.

Kemp also said he plans to use part of the state’s current record surplus to fund a one-time $1 billion income tax refund for Georgians. He pushed through a similar income tax refund last year.

The governor is also recommending the state spend $1.1 billion to provide homeowners with a property-tax relief grant.

“We are putting you and your families first because that’s your money, not the government’s,” Kemp said.

Kemp plans to request $150 million for grants that school districts can apply for to address pandemic learning loss and security needs.

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

The Sandy Springs Development Authority met for the first meeting of 2023 and discussed development priorities identified for the coming year. The finalization of the City Springs Master Plan was highlighted as a big win for the previous year.

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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 she threatening to quit.

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.

Man loses $997 in phone number fraud

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga.— Sandy Springs police filed a theft by embezzlement report on Jan. 6 involving a 37-yearold man who had $997 stolen. The police narrative appears to be a transcript from the victim, who claims that while attempting to send money to his niece, somebody linked their bank account to her phone number and is fraudulently receiving her funds. The victim said they “requested the person to send the funds back, this did not happen either.” There is no informa -

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 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.

tion on the case status.

Here are a few more police items that have limited details:

• On Jan. 1 a Sandy Springs police officer responded to an indecent exposure call at Peachtree Dunwoody Road. The police report says the case is cleared by arrest and lists a 26-year-old Virginia man as the suspect. No other information is given.

• A Sandy Springs police officer responded to a disorderly person call on Jan.4 on Northridge Road. The 23-year-old suspect is an Atlanta resident. The police report says the case is cleared by arrest, but no other information is given on the nature of the disorderly conduct or arrest.

Thieves take appliances from Dunwoody home

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police

said multiple appliances were recently stolen from a home under construction on Village North Road in Dunwoody.

Owners of 2009 Village North Road reported Jan. 9, that a washer, dryer and refrigerator had been stolen between Jan. 4 and Jan. 9, from their home which is under construction. Owners said all the appliances were at the home Jan. 4, but when they returned two days later the washer and dryer were missing.

Neighbors reported seeing suspects taking a refrigerator from the home with a van on the night of Jan. 8. However, they were unable to identify the vehicle. The report said homeowners suspected one of their contractors, who they had a bad encounter with, of possibly being responsible.

At the time of the report no suspect had been identified by Dunwoody Police.

Dunwoody police obscure arrest locations

City Hall stands in as reported location of

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 require

Behind the story

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 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.

FILE PHOTO/APPEN MEDIA

Dunwoody:

“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.

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

Business:

Continued from Page 1

that might help developers,” she said.

Other properties located between Mt. Vernon Highway and Sandy Springs Place, though not ready for redevelopment, have been selected as priority investment areas Davis said, and will eventually be a focus to improve continuity and connectivity in the area.

Davis said her department has a

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 have a book that big,” he said, holding

goal to begin working on a commercial property improvement grant program, possibly for façade, structure, landscaping and even business interior improvements.

That grant program could be something the authority participates in, she said.

Development Authority Chairman Chip Collins said there is funding available he’d like to see put to good use.

“Before we have used funds for sponsorship of things like concerts out there … but I do think that to participate in

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

something like the façade improvements, as development or redevelopment would be more in line,” he said.

Regular annual business approved

In addition to the talk on development priorities for 2023, Development Authority members also conducted the board’s usual annual business of electing officers and setting the meeting schedule for 2023.

After a short discussion, William “Chip” Collins was reelected as Development Authority chair and John Paulson was reelected as vice chair.

More coverage

Appen Media is committed to persistent reporting of local government practices. Send story ideas and tips to newsroom@appenmedia.com.

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.

Members of the Development Authority also approved a meeting schedule which will see them meet three more times in 2023, on April 13, July 13 and Oct. 13. These meetings will be held unless there is no business for the authority to consider, officials said.

These items were unanimously approved by development authority members.

The Sandy Springs Development Authority will reconvene April 13 at 8:30 a.m. at city hall, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs.

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 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.

UGA alumna Shelby Israel joins Appen Media staff

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Appen Media Group announced Jan. 19 that Shelby Israel will join its staff as a reporter. Israel will cover local government and public safety in Forsyth County and the City of Alpharetta. She will report to Carl Appen, director of content and development, and will be based in Alpharetta.

“Shelby is a magnificent addition to our newsroom,” Appen said in a statement. “She has sharp news judgement and

experience leading a quick-moving staff. She’ll bring a lot of fuel for the fire of our developing team.”

Israel graduated from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication in December 2022 with a minor area of study in English. During her time at UGA, Israel served as a contributor, campus news editor and editor-in-chief at The Red & Black, as well as news intern at Flagpole Magazine.

“I have always wanted to write,” Israel said. “Before, it was a creative

pursuit, but through experimentation with my major at UGA, I found that I could still write while contributing to something important. I love local news and community-driven stories, and I am excited to cover the news scenes of Forsyth and Alpharetta.”

Israel takes the position as Appen reporter Alex Popp moves to cover the Perimeter.

To contact Israel with news tips or story ideas, email shelby@appenmedia. com.

PALS

PERIMETER ADULT LEARNING & SERVICES

PALS is pleased to announced its Winer 2023 Program lineup. Classes will run on Mondays from January 9 –March 6 at the Dunwoody United Methodist Church, 1548 Mt Vernon Rd. Dunwoody, GA 30338. Registration is online at www.palsinline.info.

The class line up is as follows:

MONDAYS:

From 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Spies, Saboteurs and Rescuers During World War II

Dan O’Lone will present a fascinating look at double and even triple agents who played key roles in saving thousands of Allied lives during World War II. He will also continue with his unique take on those who rescued Jews during the War, including sewer cleaners, zookeepers, circus performers and German soldiers, as well as the man who stopped the trains to Auschwitz, a diplomat from a country that he had never been to.

From 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars

Tom McElhinny will continue his series on Native Americans, this time dealing with Andrew Jackson’s presidency and his Indian wars from his first battles with the Cherokee and Creek nations until the establishment of the Indian Territory in Oklahoma. The most infamous outcome of Jackson’s relentless exploits at Indian removal culminated with one of the greatest forced migrations in history-the Trail of Tears. It is a sobering reminder of a violent and dark episode in our nation’s history.

From 10:00 am - 1:45 pm

Mah Jongg

Bring your own Mah Jongg card and come play. There is no instructor for the session- just fun and self-evaluation.

From 10:00 am - 1:45 pm

Open Bridge for Experienced Players

There is no instructor for this weekly session – just fun and self-evaluation.

From 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

A History of the Space Race

John Baumbusch will take us through the history of how we got to the Moon more than 50 years ago. He will discuss moon lore, the Cold War, Russians and the Right Stuff! Through this series, we will re-live the heady days of the Space Race from the 1950s to the 1970s.

From 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

The Economic Implications of Immigration

Shai Robkin will discuss how immigration is a misunderstood topic in America’s social discourse, with much of what we believe is based largely on myth. He will compare the experiences of immigrants from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to those of immigrants today, and how immigrants and their children compare educationally, professionally and economically with US born citizens and discuss the policy implications of what we find.

Golf cart dealership keys focus on Milton’s slow, simple lifestyle

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — If you’ve ever been out on the road in any of the dozens of golf cart friendly cities, you might have asked, “Why would anyone chose to drive around in one on the street?”

They’re slower than a car and are almost always open to the breeze. Worse, your range while using one is about 50 miles before they’ll need another charge or fill up.

But according to Robert Copenhaver, a partner with Low Speed Vehicles of Alpharetta, those are all the reasons you should consider a leisurely open-air ride in the Milton community.

Copenhaver opened LSV of Alpharetta as a licensed golf cart dealership with three partners in May 2022, out of a building off Mayfield Road in downtown Milton. The 24-year-old entrepreneur recalls that the idea goes back to his parents’ garage and a side hustle during college.

Growing up in Roswell, Copenhaver started and ran a successful landscaping company for several years until his business was acquired by a larger company in 2019.

“But while I was doing that, I was kind of hustling on the side and selling golf carts out of my parents’ garage,” he said. “It was like super random, I would buy one and then fix it up, make it look nice and then sell it.”

Copenhaver graduated from Kennesaw State University at about the same time his landscaping company sold, and he was left with a big question, ‘What would he do next?’

For about a year and a half he worked for a developer in Florida, and while there he made a connection with his initial partner, John Gaston, who owned a building in downtown Milton. Before long, he was introduced to two other partners with existing connections to the golf cart manufacturer EZ-GO, who saw a viable business in him that could thrive in Milton

“It was three local partners in the Milton area,” he said. “They said, ‘We've got a connection to EZ-GO, you know how to sell the carts … and here we are today.”

With those opportunities and connections, they quickly set up shop in Gaston’s Milton building. Copenhaver said Milton is one of the most golf cart friendly cities they could have picked for the business.

When they opened, Copenhaver said it was like the floodgates had opened and demand went off the charts. He thinks that’s due mostly to the golf cart ordinance Milton city officials passed in 2020 and the fact that there really isn’t another golf cart dealer nearby.

“It just made sense to kind of make our home base here,” he said. “Milton's golf cart friendly, they passed the ordinance about a year before we got here. So, we jumped into that.”

Word has spread about LSV mostly through word of mouth and social media, he said. But it also doesn’t hurt that they’re located on Mayfield Road where traffic backs up near the roundabout at Heritage Walk in the afternoon, providing them a valuable place to advertise their vehicles.

“We put golf carts out front, and everybody sees them,” he said. “It's funny because when they come out of the roundabout, they’re going like 5 miles an hour, so everybody slows down and they'll look at our carts.”

To handle local demand for carts and the price of real estate space in the community, he said they opened with a “Tesla model” — putting their show room at a prominent location in Milton and opening a 5,000 square foot off-site service department on Mc -

Farland Parkway in Alpharetta.

Copenhaver said that if you asked him 10 years ago, he would have never expected to go into this line of business, but he has been continuously surprised at how fun and interesting the golf cart business has been.

“It sounds super cheesy, but you're selling a lifestyle,” he said. “It's a high-ticket item, but there's so much you can do with it, and you can go anywhere.”

That lifestyle is one of LSV’s main selling points to those interested in buying a golf cart, but for Copenhaver, the draw of low-speed vehicles boils down to having a simple, convenient method of getting around town that doesn’t require maintenance or attention.

“Our whole society, I feel like, is moving towards the live-work-play model,” he said. “Everybody wants to live where they work and play … a lot of people don't want to take their cars out, they don't want to struggle with parking, they don't want to drive around a parking deck at Avalon, they don't want to fight traffic.”

To see LSV of Alpharetta’s inventory and learn more about street-legal golf carts, visit them at their headquarters in Milton at 850 Mayfield Road or online at lsvofalpharetta.com.

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Robert Copenhaver, a partner with Low Speed Vehicles of Alpharetta, sits at the wheel of a brand-new golf cart at the company headquarters in downtown Milton Dec. 9. Copenhaver started the business with a group of partners in May 2022.

Roswell Rotary member leads fight against human trafficking

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — In 2017, Dave McCleary organized a survivor-led candlelight vigil for victims of human trafficking during the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta, and 12,000 people attended.

The event had a panel consisting of actor Ashton Kutcher, who started an anti-human trafficking organization called Thorn, former Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, International Justice Mission CEO Gary Haugen and survivor advocate Rebecca Bender.

“The idea of [Rotary’s concept] ‘Power of One’ is that you do for one what you wish you could do for all,” McCleary said. “As Rotarians, we can really make a big impact. There’s thousands of stories out there, where Rotarians in their community did what they could in their sphere of influence. It really made a difference.”

Speaking at the Roswell Rotary Jan. 5 meeting, McCleary said he envisioned the 2017 event while at the Passion 2012 Conference where 60,000 people participated in a candlelight vigil for the same cause.

While there, McCleary heard from

a trafficking survivor named Melissa, who hails from Roswell. Hearing her story jump-started his campaign to end modern slavery. With Mark Little, McCleary helped form the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery (RAGAS) in 2013 and held the position of global chair for three years.

As part of RAGAS, McCleary served

on the White House roundtable under the last administration, organized and chaired a world summit with former President Jimmy Carter and has spoken to Rotary Clubs in five continents.

Before Passion 2012, McCleary never thought trafficking was an issue that affected his hometown. But when he invited Melissa to speak at Roswell Rotary, he found that she babysat the children of a fellow Roswell Rotary member. She dropped out of high school at 16 years old and was trafficked for several years in Atlanta.

“It wasn’t somebody else’s problem,” McCleary said. “It was happening in our own community.”

Last year, 146 counties in Georgia reported human trafficking, McCleary said.

‘Shine a light’

McCleary is on the steering committee for an upcoming Human Trafficking Summit at the Fulton County Schools Innovation Academy, hosted by Alpharetta Rotary. He said the idea for the summit is to have a local focus.

“It’s estimated that 47 percent of the men buying girls, for instance, live in the Northern Arc, which is Johns

Creek, Roswell and Alpharetta,” McCleary said. “We just want to make the community aware of that.”

The Jan. 21 summit will have keynote speakers, including Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, former Ambassador to the State Department for Trafficking in Persons Susan Coppedge, FBI Special Agent Renee Green, survivor Rachel Fischer and Alia El-Sawi from Homeland Security Investigations.

There will also be a representative from Wellstar to talk about training that helps health care professionals spot signs of trafficking. It’s estimated that a survivor goes to the emergency room 15 times before they realize they have been trafficked, McCleary said.

At the summit, students from Innovation Academy will also present an app they have created, related to human trafficking.

Summit organizers discussed the idea of “shining a light” on the community and integrated the concept into the summit’s stand-alone slogan and logo.

“This does happen here,” McCleary said.

The event is free, but space is limited. Those interested can register online by Jan. 20.

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Dave McCleary, former president of Roswell Rotary, speaks against human trafficking at the club’s Jan. 5 meeting with trafficking statistics behind him on screen. McCleary is the immediate past global chair and founding member of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery, an anti-human trafficking organization.

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A college preparatory environment,

students have access to a wide range of academic opportunities along with athletics, arts, service and other extracurricular activities. Wesleyan’s 85-acre campus provides state-of-the-art aca demic facilities along with on-campus practice space for athletics and arts.

Located just outside of I-285 in Peachtree Corners, Wesleyan enrolled 1,207 students in grades K-12 for the 2022-2023 school year. Wesleyan offers bus routes throughout the metro Atlanta area. Supervised care before school is included in the cost of tuition and after care is available (K-8) until 6 p.m. at an affordable rate.

The Wesleyan School 5405 Spalding Drive, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 770-448-7640 https://www. wesleyanschool.org/

Where authentic Christian mission and academic excellence aren’t mutually exclusive

Brought to you by – Wesleyan School

Sandy Springs Crier | January 19, 2023

Providing an exceptional college preparatory program since 1976

Brought to you by - Saint Francis School

Saint Francis School is a SACS/SAIS accredited, independent, non-profit, nonsectarian college preparatory school founded in 1976. The mission of Saint Francis School is to provide a college preparatory program to students with diverse academic ability in a structured environment that is challenging and supportive. Kindergarten – 8th grades are located on the 24-acre Roswell Campus while the High School is located on the 47-acre Alpharetta campus. The school’s commitment to small class sizes, low pupil-to-teacher ratio, and a strong emphasis on structure and organization allows students to enjoy success in academic areas and develop the self-confidence necessary to be successful in college. Curriculum offerings include AP, Honors, Traditional and Support classes.

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High Meadows lower years classrooms offer low student-teacher ratios in which instruction emphasizes academic excellence, love of learning, critical thinking, and environmental and social responsibility. As a nationally recognized and award-winning leader in progressive education, High Meadows is an

accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering its renowned Primary Years Program for students in preschool through fifth grade.

High Meadows School’s accomplished and experienced faculty lead each student on this journey. Through interactive, inquiry-based instruction, supported by of-the-moment technology and our nature-based campus, High Meadows teachers are unequaled in their intellect, passion, and compassion for these kids. Every day they inspire authentic learning opportunities that are engaging and sticky (literally and figuratively!).

When children graduate from High Meadows, they are empowered with a deep respect for international perspectives, an intuitive understanding of life’s interconnectedness, and an exceedingly strong sense of self. Education is an expedition that starts from the moment we are born. When we teach children to be curious and inquiring at an early age,

we create within them a love of learning that lasts an entire lifetime. What is more important than that?

Come see how all this comes to life. Join us for our Winter Open House,

Sunday, January 22nd from 2:004:00pm. Please visit our website at highmeadows.org or call 770-993-2940 to learn more about High Meadows School.

Where children develop a love of learning

Brought to you by – MJCCA Preschools

MJCCA Preschools are where children develop a love of learning and find friendships that last a lifetime.

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta has been providing outstanding early childhood education to discerning Atlanta families for more than 60 years. The Weinstein School in Dunwoody and The MJCCA Schiff School at Temple Emanu-El in Sandy Springs both offer full- and half-day options for children ages 6 weeks to Pre-K, and The Weinstein School also has outstanding Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs.

MJCCA preschoolers experience our innovative and progressive curriculum, infused with traditional Jewish

learning all in a safe and supportive environment. Our warm and loving teachers focus on four traditional areas of child development: social and emotional growth, literacy, cognition, and movement/physical development. Exceptional enrichment and extracurricular classes allow children to explore their interests and try new things.

The Schiff School is accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission with Quality. The Weinstein School is a NAEYCaccredited program (National Association for the Education of Young Children) — a distinction awarded to only the top 7% of preschools nationwide and is Cognia and GAC with Quality Accredite

Registration for 2023-24 is now open. To learn more visit atlantajcc.org/preschool or call 678.812.3834.

Springmont…Atlanta’s First Montessori School

Brought to you by - Springmont

Springmont, the oldest Montessori school in the Southeast, offers students 18 months through middle school an authentic, Montessori experience that is extraordinary by design. Individualized learning inspires our diverse population of students to become creative, independent, and globally minded. Classrooms are large, light-filled, and thoughtfully prepared, while the campus’ many natural areas, class gardens, and farm animals afford rich outdoor life science lessons.

Specially designed Montessori materials support children’s developmental needs and offer students a wide variety of hands-on activities that concretely reinforce skills, lessons, and concepts. Highly-experienced and caring teachers guide students through an individualized curriculum that develops the whole child—socially, emotionally, and academically. Multiaged classes allow younger children to learn from older ones and older students to mentor younger classmates.

Art, Music, Physical Education,

Outdoor Science Education, and Spanish are essential parts of the student experience. At Springmont, students are challenged to reach their fullest potential and empowered to help steer their own educations. Children’s innate curiosity grows into a life-long love of learning and a quest for meaningful discoveries and deeper knowledge.

Middle School students run microeconomies and compete in regional academic competitions. Opportunities to hone time-management skills, experience active leadership roles, articulate complex ideas, and work both independently and in diverse groups make our Middle School Program a true capstone experience.

Springmont graduates are confident, collaborative, engaged learners, prepared for success in Atlanta’s premier high schools as well as life beyond academics. Springmont School— Extraordinary by Design.

Applications for the 2023-24 school year are due February 1. For more information or to schedule a personal tour, call 404-252-3910 or visit springmont.com

PROVIDED

Education solutions for every mind, every age

Eaton Academy offers multiple programs, both in person and online, since a “one size fits all” approach to education is not effective in today’s world.

Academic Programs

The full-day K-12 school , with its 5:1 studentto-teacher ratio, allows instructors to address students’ individual learning styles, while maintaining social distancing. Students achieve significant academic and personal success resulting from STEAMrelated activities and multisensory instruction. The challenging college-prep curriculum is delivered in a safe, nurturing environment.

For students with more significant academic and social needs, the Pace Program helps students develop life skills and independent living strategies. Pace students follow the traditional school day and work to develop greater self-sufficiency and independence, on their way to earning a high school diploma.

The Independent Study Program (ISP) , tailored to students’ schedules and academic needs, permits individuals to work at their own pace. The tutorial setting enables aspiring athletes and perform -

EATON ACADEMY NOW ENROLLING

ers to work toward graduation while following their dreams. Some students enroll in ISP to accelerate their scholastic work; others seek academic remediation. ISP arranges the one-to-one sessions on a schedule that accommodates the students’ needs for flexibility.

Post-Graduate Programs

LEAP is designed to help individuals strengthen their life skills in order to achieve greater independence. Participants benefit from job readiness training, life skill development, and scholastic support.

The LIFE program places young adults into their own apartments. Participants meet with a LIFE coach several times each week for support with topics such as budgeting, hygiene, roommate relations, and housekeeping.

Supported Employment prepares young adults for the workplace. Assistance is given with resume writing, applying for positions, and keeping a job.

College Exploratory offers individuals college level, non-credit courses so they can gauge their readiness for university life.

Eaton Academy is the ideal place for families to discover education options and independent living solutions.

Brought to you by - Eaton Academy

PHOTOS PROVIDED

A true vision of learning

For over 53 years, our vision at Dunwoody Baptist Preschool has been to inspire the love of learning by nurturing each child within a Christcentered environment. We are accredited by Cognia. We offer 2, 3, 4 and 5 day Playmates for children ages 6 months to 2 years as well as 5-day Preschool for 3’s, Pre-K for 4 year olds and Young 5’s. Our Young 5’s program is unique and geared for children with summer and fall birthdays. Young 5’s is aligned with kindergarten standards, but the pace of the day and the small class size is perfect for some children. DBP children not only learn and explore within the classroom, but they also enjoy music and science classes, gym, playground time and chapel. In addition to our caring teachers and high-quality learning ex -

periences, we focus on developing our children spiritually. With Bible stories woven throughout the curriculum, our children experience God’s truth, power, and love in fun and engaging activities. Our preschool day is from 9:00am -1:00pm with Early Morning, Extended Day and Enrichment class options. Online registration is now open for new students. To see all that is going on at DBP and to register, please visit www.dbc.org/weekdayschool. We would love to be part of your child’s early learning and growing to know Jesus Christ!

Brought to you by - Dunwoody Baptist Preschool

PROVIDED

OPINION

PERSERVING THE PAST

Local U.S. Marine stood watch for presidents

It is an understatement to say that entrance into the U.S. Marine Ceremonial Guard Company is a major accomplishment. Strict standards have to be met, and few volunteers make the cut. When Alpharetta resident Egil (Gil) Leines accepted the invitation to try out for the Guard Company’s elite Silent Drill Platoon in 1958, 600 to 700 Marines gave it their best, but only 36 were accepted. This is the story of this historic organization and the experiences of one of its members some 60 years ago. Many things have changed since Gil served under presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, but the spirit and significance of the Company carries on.

BOB MEYERS Columnist bobmey@bellsouth.net

The U.S. Marine Ceremonial Guard Company lived and worked in the celebrated Marine Barracks, a group of buildings also known by its location at 8th & I streets in Washington D.C. Founded in 1801 by President Thomas Jefferson and Lt. Col. William Ward Burrows, the second commandant of the Marine Corps, 8th & I is today the oldest post in the Marine Corps. Although the Barracks is historic, the building where Gil lived was very cramped.

The Barracks housed both Marine ceremonial and security units, such as the three Silent Drill Platoons, Color Guard, Body Bearers, Drum and Bugle Corps, Marine Band and the Marine Corps Institute. John Philip Sousa was director of the Marine Band from 1880 to 1892 and composed many of his famous marches during his tenure. The Barracks is also where the top generals in the Marine Corps reside. The Commandant’s home is the oldest public building in continuous use in Washington.

Gil was a member of the Silent Drill Platoon for 12 months. Rigorous training was constant for the 36-member platoon. Long hours of practice built teamwork and precision so the unit could move as one. The platoon gave frequent public demonstrations at major sporting and other events in the U.S. and abroad.

The silent drill team went to Camp David for from two to three weeks every three months for guard duty on the perimeter or at the gate.

“That took us away from constantly shining all our equipment,” Gil says.

Following his year with the Silent Drill Platoon, Gil was appointed to the Marine Corps Color Guard unit at the Barracks. The Color Guard carries the

American Flag and the Marine Corps Battle Color. Each team consists of four Marines, the flag bearers in the middle plus two Marines with rifles. The Battle Color weighs 35 pounds because the pole is metal with 55 rings around it and 55 streamers hanging from it representing more than 400 campaigns in which Marines have participated from the American Revolution to the present.

Before modern warfare, soldiers tried to keep in formation and were often separated from their units. The color guard carried flags so soldiers could locate their units. Today the color guard is largely traditional and ceremonial.

“We did not have to purchase our dress blues because they were part of our work uniform,” recalls Gill. The uniforms were tailor made. If buttons stretched at all, we went on the H&I diet of spinach and carrots until our bellies were flat again.”

“We were always with the president when he went to Camp David.” Gil says. “I was assigned to the front gate where my job was to know what military people were allowed on the property. A Secret Service agent was responsible for non-military persons.”

While the work at Camp David was deadly serious, there were some lighter moments. One morning the officer in charge asked who among the Ceremonial Guard Company had lifeguard experience. No one responded. Then he asked who would like to be a lifeguard. Again no one responded. He then asked who could be a

The Marine Color Guard Platoon stands in front of the Marine Barracks in Washington DC. In 1961. On the left holding an M-1 rifle is Gil Leines of Alpharetta. Next is the National Flag and the Marine Corps Battle Color. The fourth member on the right holds an M-1 rifle. The Battle Color weighs 35 pounds because the pole is metal and carries streamers representing more than 400 U.S. and foreign campaigns and awards from the Revolutionary War to the present.

lifeguard.

“I said I earned a swimming merit badge when I was a Boy Scout. I spent four hours that day lifeguarding for President Eisenhower’s daughter in law and her young son,” says Gil.

The favorite time for Gil was the summer of 1960 when President Eisenhower spent six weeks in Newport, Rhode Island, at the Summer White House on Fort Adams.

“The locals treated us very well

because we were among the few who wore presidential badges.” On Sundays the unit accompanied the president and his family to church. Some unit members stood guard in the church and others stood outside the church.

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.

PHOTOS BY GIL LEINES/PROVIDED

An official portrait was made of Egil (Gil) Leines when he was a member of the elite US Marine Color Guard in 1961.

APPEN MEDIA’S FIRST EVER

Shopping Spree Giveaway

Start the year off right with a chance to win a $1,000 Shopping Spree courtesy of Appen Media and the Crier Newspapers.

Each week, our newsroom will hide this shopping cart image in the newspaper. Once you find it, visit appenmedia.com/shoppingspree and enter 1) Your name 2) Your email 3) The page number you found the image That’s it!

The contest will run for 13 consecutive weeks, so submit an entry each week to maximize your chances of winning.

The winner will be randomly drawn, notified on Monday, April 3rd and announced in the April 13th Crier publications. HAPPY SHOPPING …and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

GARDEN BUZZ

Introducing ‘Garden Buzz’ and the North Fulton Master Gardeners

Garden Buzz is a new gardening column coming to the Appen Media Group newspapers and social media.

Guest columnists will be certified Master Gardener Extension volunteers and members of the North Fulton Master Gardeners. Master gardeners will write about their diverse areas of expertise, including roses, daylilies, fig trees, fairy gardens, herbs, insects, and plants for water gardens, just to name a few of the many possibilities. Future columns may also address several ways to certify your garden as a wildlife habitat, how to conduct a proper soil sample, how to create a no-dig garden and other information.

We North Fulton Master Gardeners are very excited to partner with Appen Media group on Garden Buzz, another opportunity for us to provide horticultural education to the North Fulton community and beyond. If you have suggestions for future columns, please email us at northfultonmastergardeners@gmail.com.

So, what is a Master Gardener?

The Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer (MGEV) Program connects the University of Georgia Extension, plant enthusiasts and communities across the state. MGEVs share UGA Extension consumer horticultural programming about

Kemp:

selection and care of plants for ornamental value, recreation and home food production.

A Master Gardener is a volunteer educator who is trained and supervised by UGA Extension, representing the university in educational events, activities and programs. Master Gardeners teach community members how to use plants and gardening to improve their environment, personal health, and quality of life. More information about how to become a Master Gardener can be found at nfmg.net/becomeMG.html.

We are a small group of people (about 105 or so!) living primarily throughout North Fulton County who enjoy plants and people. North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc (NFMG) is a Georgia nonprofit organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology to promote and foster community enrichment.

Over the years, the North Fulton Master Gardeners have provided gardening community education classes in Alpharetta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Farm Chastain (now transitioned to a virtual learning format due to the pandemic); gardening education for young children; university and college scholarships for horticulture students; and local demonstration gardens maintained by the North Fulton Master Gardeners and Garden Faire, which will return April 29, 2023, to a new venue at Wills Park in Alpharetta.

In response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the North Fulton Master Gardeners went virtual with our pre-recorded Fall 2020 Gardening Lecture

Series. The 2021 David Gibby International Master Gardener Search for Excellence (IMGSFE) Awards have recognized the North Fulton Master Gardeners for our efforts in the face of a global pandemic in successfully providing horticultural education to the North Fulton community and beyond through virtual webinar technology. The First Place Award in the Workshops/Presentations Category was made on September 15, 2021, during the virtual International Master Gardener Conference. View our video at https:// youtu.be/_1hSJfpsFS0.

More than 5,800 people have attended one or more of the 43 free NFMG Garden Lectures live-streamed on Zoom or Facebook since May 2020. An additional 25,000 people have viewed the videos on www.youtube.com/ northfultonmastergardeners. Please check out our YouTube video library.

The North Fulton Master Gardeners in collaboration with the UGA Extension in Fulton County are continuing to provide horticultural education to the North Fulton community and beyond through free virtual gardening education programming. The Spring 2023 Gardening Lecture Series begins Sunday, March 5, 2023, and will be available through live Zoom webinars and Facebook Live.

Each class emphasizes practical gardening activities at the time of year that is best suited for that activity. You may register for all five classes or just pick specific classes. Please register in advance at https://bit.ly/Spring2023NFMG-

event at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in downtown Atlanta.

Some of the funding will also be designated to help current paraprofessionals become certified teachers.

And Kemp promised to continue to build on his success in bringing hightech manufacturing facilities to the state. He pointed to Archer Aviation’s plans to hire 1,000 people to build electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft as well as Hyundai and Rivian electric vehicle manufacturing plants and an SK battery facility as prime examples of his administration’s commitment to economic growth.

“By the end of my second term, I intend for Georgia to be recognized as the electric mobility capital of America,” Kemp told the crowd of lawmakers and supporters.

Republicans won all of the state’s constitutional offices in the November elections. Those officials were also sworn in during the inauguration

Three former state senators took the oath of office for their new statewide roles. Burt Jones was sworn in as lieutenant governor, Tyler Harper as agriculture commissioner and Bruce Thompson as labor commissioner.

The occasion also marked the start of new terms for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr, Commissioner of Insurance John King, and State School Superintendent Richard Woods.

Now that the inauguration formalities are over, elected officials can turn their attention to the state’s budget. Kemp is expected to release further details of his spending recommendations Friday, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will begin three days of budget hearings Jan. 17.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

GardeningLectureSeries to assure your place. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the webinar. If you cannot attend the live webinar, you can register anyway so you will receive a recorded link to the class. Don’t miss these incredible opportunities to learn more about gardening in metro Atlanta.

We hope you will become a Garden Buzz reader!

Happy New Year 2023 and 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. Learn more at nfmg. net.

About the Author

The first “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Lee Tanenbaum, a master gardener since 2011. Lee is NFMG’s Communications Co-Chair for Publicity and Marketing as well as the current Interim Chair of the NFMG Gardening Education Team. Lee is a retired speech-language pathologist and public health professional, a mother of three, and a grandmother of nine. Lee loves to garden and travel, especially with her grandchildren.

LEE TANENBAUM

ARVIN TEMKAR/CAPITOL BEAT NEWS SERVICE

Gov. Brian Kemp is sworn in for his second term by Justice Carla Wong McMillian in an inauguration ceremony at Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta on Jan. 12.

H R NG ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

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A little background on today’s Spalding Drive

Spalding Drive east of Roberts Drive was originally part of Jett or Jett’s Ferry Road. The old Jett Ferry Road ran closer to the Chattahoochee River near the place where the Jett family operated a ferry. The ferry was where Ball Mill Creek meets the river.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF

In 1929, the wooden bridge that crossed Ball Mill Creek washed out and that section of the road was moved farther south to where Spalding Drive is today. A new bridge was built over the creek, just west of where Spalding Drive meets Ball Mill Road. (“The Writings of Jim Perkins,” Dunwoody Historian, 2006)

According to Jim Perkins, the abandoned stretch of Jett Ferry Road became Clay Drive. Perkins attributes the name Clay Drive to Lucius Clay, but several newspaper articles describing parties at the summer home of Ryburn and Helen Clay indicate they owned the land along the former Jett Ferry Road in the 1930s and 1940s. The Clay brothers may have both owned summer homes and property along the Chattahoochee River adjacent or nearby.

Today’s Jett Ferry Road, past the crossroads with Spalding Drive, was once part of Old Nesbit Ferry Road, leading to that ferry crossing of the Chattahoochee River.

In Lois Coogle’s 1981 book, “More of Sandy Springs Past Tense,” she recorded history of the Spalding family for which the road is named. The history comes from her interview with Atlanta Journal editor Jack Spalding.

Jack Spalding’s grandfather was Jack Spalding Sr., co-founder of King and Spalding Law Firm. Jack Spalding Jr.’s parents were Bolling Phinizy and

This 1930 map shows Spalding Drive to the west of Roberts Drive, then known as Old Roswell Road. Spalding Drive continues just past Ebenezer Church and the Geffcken property. This map is part of the Jim Perkins collection.

Hughes Spalding. Hughes Spalding and Albert Thornton purchased 400 acres on Johnson Ferry Road in 1925. This land later became Breakwater and River North neighborhoods.

Local builder Arthur Mabry built the Spalding family a weekend retreat along the Chattahoochee River, which they named The Shack. In 1939, the family built another home on this land, naming it Hang Over because it was on a bluff overlooking the river near Johnson’s Ferry Road. Both The Shack and Hang Over burned in the 1960s, but the family had built more permanent homes on the property by then.

Hughes Spalding also purchased 600 acres for farming which later became the Spalding Woods neighborhood. Local Dunwoody farmer Floyd Spruill oversaw this land.

Suzanne Spalding Shroder and her son John donated their 20 acres along the Chattahoochee River in 1957 to establish the Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center, which remains today on the same site along Riverside Drive.

Today, Spalding Drive begins at Roswell Road and continues past Winters Chapel Road, Holcombe Bridge Road and Highway 141, until it changes to South Old Peachtree Road at Medlock Bridge Road. Perkins says this part of the road was once known as the Lawrenceville Road which is also one of the old names for Dunwoody Club Drive.

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