Sandy Springs Crier - October 6, 2022

Woman sentenced in fatal hit and run

County leaves public out of sales tax talks

‘Save Fulton cities’

Unity leads sales tax negotiations

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Mayors and representatives of 11 Fulton County cities projected a message of unity and strength Sept. 28 at a second town hall meeting to discuss distribution of the countywide local option sales tax.

The cities are locking horns with Fulton County over how an estimated $3 billion in sales tax revenue will be distributed over the next 10 years. The cities are fighting a Fulton County bid to keep more than the 5 percent share it has been getting over the past decade. The cities say the county’s proposal will cost them tens of millions of dollars they need to pay for local services without raising property taxes.

Held at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, the meeting was well attended by residents and a diverse panel of city officials from Alpharetta, College Park, East Point, Fairburn, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Milton, Palmetto, Sandy Springs, South Fulton and Union City.

City representatives spent nearly two hours answering questions on the proposed distribution negotiations with

Fulton County officials, which have be come increasingly heated.

“What Fulton County has been doing for the last few months, is not working together to help our residents,” Alpharet ta Mayor Jim Gilvin said. “The one thing that is common amongst all of us in this room is if you live in Fulton County, and Fulton County gets what they want, we’re all gonna get screwed.”

Every 10 years, the county and its cities – now 15 in number – renegotiate how money collected from LOST is dis tributed. Most often, the pot is generally apportioned based on each city’s popula tion, while the county keeps a small portion for administrative fees.

But from the beginning of talks over the new 10-year agreement, the county has insisted on taking a greater share than it has in the last two decades. Ful ton County initially proposed to increase its share from 5 percent to 35 percent.

City officials have come down hard against that proposal, saying it would devastate municipalities that rely on LOST proceeds to pay for things like law enforcement, fire and emergency rescue, parks and recreation, roads and other services.

Since that initial offer, negotiators on

both sides have exchanged proposals.

Most recently at a Sept. 23 mediation session with the Georgia Municipal As sociation in Atlanta, talks stalled when county officials refused to participate in negotiations in front of the public.

“There’s no reason for the county that they can justify an increase in their

Farmers market still draws crowds

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percentage of LOST,” Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry said. “If they want an increase in their percentage, they need to come to us, they need to come to you with a concrete proposal.”

The hostilities with the county over

Today marks the beginning of Appen Media’s move into the City of Sandy Springs. We welcome the chance to pro vide you with the best, most thorough local news coverage with our community-based brand of reporting. While new to this area, Appen has been a neighbor for three decades, serving the cities of Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek, and more recently, Dunwoody. The one thing all our publications have in common is a dedication to the communities we serve and a willingness to listen to our readers. Our ears are open.

ALEXANDER POPP/APPEN MEDIA Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul speaks at a public forum in Roswell held Sept. 21 to discuss negotiations with Fulton County over the countywide sales tax. May ors held another public forum Sept. 28 in College Park.

Commissioners draw curtains on sales tax negotiations

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — It appears that if Fulton County and its 15 municipalities are to reach a deal over how to divvy up billions of dollars in future sales tax rev enue, the bargain will be struck behind closed doors.

At a scheduled negotiation session Friday in Atlanta – which had been billed as a public discussion – repre sentatives from Fulton County seques tered themselves from the public and about a dozen mayors, and left word they would not bargain in an open meeting.

Mediator Barry Fleming told the city negotiating team that the county representatives came close to leav ing on Friday before discussions could even begin. He said the county team’s position was that if negotiations were to take place, they would need to happen privately.

“The Georgia Open Meetings Law al lows the mediation process as an excep tion for the doors to be shut for private discussions to be had, because the law recognizes that quite often mediations have more success that way,” Fleming said. “[They argued] Your insistence that it began this way is not in the best good faith.”

Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin later said the city negotiating team felt disap pointed the county changed the terms of their agreement at the last minute and chose not to face the public for the negotiations.

“It’s hard to have productive negotia tions when one partner refuses to make commitments that they’ll follow,” Gilvin said. “However, it’s something we’re growing used to.”

From the outset of talks over the new 10-year agreement, Fulton County has insisted it wants a greater share of local option sales tax money than the 4.97 percent it has been receiving over the

Seats for the county’s negotiation team remain empty while members refused to publicly engage in the discussion.

past 10 years.

While the mayors waited in the main meeting room at the Georgia Municipal Association building Friday, the county did relate through Fleming that it would accept an 8 percent share from the start, graduating to 20 percent over the next 10 years. It also offered a flat 15 percent cut of the proceeds.

After several hours of private dis cussion, in which media was exclud ed from the room and the streaming cameras were shut off, city officials returned a counterproposal offer ing the county 7.5 percent of LOST proceeds.

Another offer was returned from county negotiators several hours later, proposing basically the same offer as before, but with slight alterations to how revenues would be allotted over the next 10 years.

However, Gilvin later said the 15 cit ies are unlikely to accept this proposal because it still falls outside the 5-15

percent increase negotiating range cit ies agreed would limit impacts on city residents.

“The disappointing thing from their offer was that they tried to dangle an incentive for a few cities, which would allow the few cities to only have to make tax increases up to the point where their charters would be invoked,” he said, “I don’t think that’s something that is equitable or even something that can be justified.”

After spending so much time renego tiating terms of how the meeting would be conducted, the city negotiating team said they did not have time to offer an opinion on the proposal before the meet ing concluded on Friday.

They are expected to return a coun teroffer at the next mediation session on Friday, Oct. 7.

MORE COVERAGE

Appen Media will continue to cover the ongoing negotiations between Fulton County and its 15 municipalities.

If you have a tip or an opinion that may help inform our cover age, email alex@appenmedia. com or call 770-442-3278.

Read Now at AppenMedia.com

PHOTOS BY ALEXANDER POPP/APPEN MEDIA Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison and Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin, middle, wait for negotiations to begin at the Georgia Municipal Association on Friday, Sept. 23.

SUPPORT

Farmers market offers goods through November

By LUKE GARDNER newsroom@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. –– People of all ages were on hand Sept. 3 perusing selections of fresh produce, prepared foods, specialty goods and live enter tainment at the Sandy Springs Farmers Market.

The market runs every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon in front of City Hall, at 1 Galambos Way. This year’s market opened in April and runs through Nov. 12.

Shortly after opening Sept. 3, around 50 people were already scout ing the aisles.

“It’s usually busier in the morning than today,” said produce vendor Jim Pearson. “It’s fairly consistent. If there’s an event nearby it draws more people.”

First opened in 2010, the market has gained popularity over the past decade and has expanded its long list of products and vendors.

“It definitely has grown, and we see about at least 500 people a week,” said Market Manager Erin Cianciolo.

The market is made up of two wide walking aisles with tents on either side. The longer aisle is for produce, prepared foods, and drinks, while the shorter aisle is dedicated to artisan vendors.

There are around 30 food vendors, with a few focusing on fresh produce. One is Pearson, who works for Meadow Greens, which sells produce grown at Cornucopia farms near Avera, Georgia.

Meadow Greens offers peppers, kale, arugula, cherry tomatoes and a variety of lettuces, including romaine, red leaf and green leaf.

Other food vendors offer bagels, cookies, artisan breads, granola, fresh teas, local honey, lemonade, cornbread and more.

The promise of fresh bread and produce is what brought one visitor from Vinings to the market. He said he normally attends the Marietta Square Farmers Market but decided to venture out to Sandy Springs for the first time. He said he was impressed with the vendors, accessibility and inclusion of live music.

LOCAL

“I Iike the vibe,” he said. “I’ll prob ably come more often.”

There are around 10 artisan ven dors selling cutting boards, bandannas, bath products, soaps, stuffed animals and a variety of jewelry.

At the “Not Quite Quotes” tent, Elizabeth Auten sells her handmade goods including necklaces, earrings, bracelets, bottle openers, and tumblers. She started as a vendor earlier this year and said that the market is usu ally pretty busy.

“All the other vendors are super friendly,” Auten said. “When I started,

Vendors like Jim Pearson, above, and various food trucks, top, are open for business every Saturday morning.

they were showing me the ropes. It was the best experience you could hope to have as a first-time vendor.”

It is common for vendors to network and help each other at the market. Sev eral of Auten’s customers are recom mended by other vendors, and Auten tries to help out other vendors, too.

Meadow Greens even sells their pro duce to fellow vendors Go Juicy, which makes fresh juices, and Strive, a local vegan restaurant.

A full list of vendors can be found at https://citysprings.com/our-vendors.

Read Now at AppenMedia.com

PHOTOS BY LUKE GARDNER/APPEN MEDIA The skies were blue and artisan bread lines long at the Sandy Springs Farmers Market Sept. 3.

LOCAL

Redistricting to refine attendance

By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — The redistricting process impacting the entire North Fulton region is underway with Fulton County School officials advising parents to be involved and aware of changes to their student’s assigned schools next August.

“This is a community process,” said Yngrid Huff, executive director of operational planning for Fulton County Schools. “Rest assured this process is transparent and there is access to all the information and data that we have available.”

She noted the district has opened 40 new schools over the past 22 years, with the majority in North Fulton, to address the capacity needs of the growing dis trict. That trend is now reversing as en rollment declines, leaving some schools still crowded and others with many more seats than students.

While periodic redistricting was a familiar process for parents during the enrollment boom, most current parents have never been involved. The last sig nificant redistricting in the North Fulton region was in 2011 with the opening of Cambridge High School in 2012.

In North Fulton, the current redis tricting will focus primarily on enroll ment imbalances in elementary schools. However, any adjustments to elementary zones will likely require tweaks to cur rent feeder patterns at middle and high schools.

The district will also revise the at tendance zone for the replacement Crabapple Middle School which opened last year off Woodstock Road in Roswell. Despite the relocation of the school from its original site a few miles away, atten dance lines were not adjusted.

District officials will spend the next two months gathering information from the community as they develop the new enrollment zones. The Fulton County Board of Education will vote on the maps in December, with the new zones in place next August.

Criteria for redistricting

Huff said Fulton County Schools has used a process for redistricting since the year 2000 with established criteria for decision-making. Prior to that time, new school zones were created by parent groups.

“So [our current process] is tried and true and it has worked,” Huff said dur ing a recent virtual community meeting on redistricting. “It has become a na tional example for revising [zones] based on data and logistics.”

The three primary criteria for atten dance zones are geographic proximity, projected enrollment and school capacity

Redistricting timeline

Round Three – Oct. 18, 2022 (6-8 p.m.) at Alpharetta High School

• Community members review and provide input on revised attendance zone draft plans in facilitated small-group discussions.

• Staff uses comments to develop an attendance zone recommendation for Board consideration.

Final Recommendations – Nov. 8

Staff will present recommended map for attendance zone boundaries to the Fulton School Board (first read). At this point, all public comments regarding the proposed attendance zones should be directed to members of the Board of Education.

Final Action – Dec. 15

Board members will vote on final attendance zone changes that will go into ef fect August 2023.

which varies by school.

Huff noted that while geographic proximity is the first consideration, it does not mean a student will be attend ing the school closest to their home. Planners start at the border of the school district or county boundary and move inward towards a school site as it fills the school.

“For example, if I am starting at the Forsyth County line and have to assign all the students to their nearest high school…oftentimes, the school is close to capacity by the time we get to the school site,” Huff explained.

In those instances, some students may be assigned to their second or third closest school site based on available space.

While primary criteria leads to a deci sion nearly 80 percent of the time, Huff said the district may turn to secondary criteria for a final decision. These in clude traffic patterns, frequency of previ ous rezonings, school feeder alignment and balancing enrollment in special pro grams such as talented and gifted (TAG), and special needs populations.

“We also look at not just where the students are today, but where we antici pate growth in the future,” Huff said.

K-8 academies

Last year Fulton County Schools floated the possibility of converting Haynes Bridge and Holcomb Bridge mid dle schools into kindergarten through 8th grade academies. Both schools are well under capacity and not expected to increase enrollment in the near future.

However, this discussion will likely not be part of the current redistricting, said Huff since there are no concrete plans in place for the school conver sions. She noted the planning for K-8 academies will likely stretch well beyond

the current redistricting process.

“If those [K-8] schools are not coming online within the next three years, then they may not be a part of this [redistrict ing] program,” Huff said. “We do want to ensure students aren’t moving multiple times.”

She added the district will be able to review attendance boundaries and come to decisions even without information on future K-8 academies.

Community involvement

Information sessions for the 2023 redistricting have been underway for the past few months, however community input in the final stretch of the process is still needed as the district moves to ward a final plan.

Another community meeting will be held Oct. 18 at Alpharetta High School at 6 p.m. Draft maps for elementary, middle and high school zones will be presented for community comment in small group settings. Typically only one draft map will be presented. Online com ments will also be accepted.

Following the Oct. 18 meeting, dis trict staff will develop a final recommen dation to present to the Fulton School Board at its Nov. 8 meeting.

Huff noted there has only been one instance in the past 22 years that the final recommended map was not one of the previous versions reviewed by the public.

“So we really are taking into consid eration the feedback that we receive to make any possible adjustments that we can to accommodate the public,” Huff said.

At this point, district planners step back, and the board of education be comes the “voice of redistricting” with all comments on the final recommendation directed to board members.

Auburn classes draw local high schoolers

By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — More than five dozen Fulton County students are finishing out their high school career while taking college courses through Auburn University this semester – all without having to pay out-of-state tuition.

Fulton County Schools entered into a landmark agreement with Auburn University last year that allows all public high school students access to free or re duced-cost classes. So far, 63 students, representing 13 local high schools, have enrolled, according to Fulton County Schools Chief Academic Officer Clifford Jones.

About 38 percent of the students are seniors, and 62 percent are ju niors. The top three schools with students enrolled in the program are Roswell, Johns Creek and Milton high schools. Jones told Appen Media in July the most popular courses are English 1100, Psychology 2010 and Economics 2020.

The first-of-its-kind arrangement allows the university to establish virtual learning locations in the county to assist

CARTERSE/WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

At last count, 63 Fulton County stu dents are enrolled in free or low-cost classes at Auburn University.

in outreach classes, including virtual learning centers at the district’s two innovation academies in Alpharetta and Fairburn.

Under terms of the agreement, students are allowed to take up to 24 hours of college courses through the university without paying out-of-state tuition. Students receiving free or re duced lunch can apply for the classes at no cost. Other students pay $550 a class.

When the partnership was an nounced in September 2021, Julie Huff, Auburn assistant vice president for Strategic Initiatives and Communica tions, said the university had stepped up efforts in recent years to expand opportunities to students who may have felt left out of the traditional path to college.

Introducing the college experience into high school, she said, could help students garner some success, gain confidence and help put them on a path that might have intimidated them before.

Fulton County Schools spokes woman Anne Boatwright said while it is too early to engage in interviews, the district is thrilled with the “incredible opportunity” to partner with Auburn University, and students and families are committed to active participation in the program.

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Unity:

LOST negotiations has unified the cities.

“North, south, there’s always been a divide,” Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said. “Republican, Democrat, there’s al ways been a divide. Black, white, an un fortunate divide … Look up here, there’s one positive thing that Fulton County has accomplished. They organized all of us.”

Paul said the cities have set aside all historic differences to focus on solving the real problems residents face in their daily lives.

That theme was echoed by each of the panelists, from all parts of Fulton County, each expressing their apprecia tion for the chance to tackle issues fac ing all of Fulton County together.

“We’re all here united because this is a vitally important issue,” College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom said.

Motley Broom, who’s city hosted the town hall Wednesday night, said all Fulton County Commissioners had been invited to share their position on LOST with residents. County officials chose not to attend.

“This was not supposed to be an event where we just talked and didn’t have a dialogue with them,” Motley Broom said. “Commissioners Ellis, Ab dur-Rahman, Morris and Arrington said they would not be able to attend, the others went radio silent … That is not good enough, when they are accountable to each one of us.”

Challenging the crowd to reach out to their county elected officials on the issue, Motley Broom said the County Commission should be held accountable by its constituents the same way city residents demand accountability from their mayors.

“Ask them the hard questions,” she said. “Ask them why they are so proud of a rollback in their millage rates – Because they want to look like the good guys while they’re putting it on our backs.”

City and county officials will have their second mediation session on LOST at the Georgia Municipal Association in downtown Atlanta on Friday, Oct. 7, starting at 10 a.m.

Antiquarian book shower sparks curiosity

By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — Sonny Ideker wasn’t fond of reading growing up, but today, he spends most of his time surrounded by a grand collection of rare and an tiquarian books that hold rich history between their pages.

The 76-year-old is the owner of Son ny Ideker Rare and Antiquarian Book seller inside City Antiques and Interiors in Roswell. The bookstore features an eclectic mix of decorative, general anti quarian books, most 100 years or older.

His collection ranges from “St. Gregory’s (Pope Gregory I.) Teachings on the Gospel” from 1493 to the 1987 “We the People,” an elephant folio work made in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. The shelves also include a variety of classics as well as works by authors such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe and Jane Austin.

And, if you just so happen to be looking for costume books from Russia, Turkey, England, Africa or Asia, he has those too.

“We’re called booksellers, but we are book showers,” Ideker said. “Our job is to find out your interest and show you books of interest. You decide if you want to buy or not. You can have a library and not one book looks like this, and it could still be a wonderful library. You should always buy what you want, not what someone tells you to buy.”

Ideker has been in the bookselling/ collecting business for over 25 years, but he said he doesn’t read for pleasure and never has, because of his dyslexia. How ever, that doesn’t stop him from trying to spark an interest in others, especially

children, whenever they visit his store.

“We show them the fore-edged painted books and have them say, ‘abra cadabra,’ because they’re magic,” Ideker said.

Before he was a collector, Ideker was a U.S. Air Force pilot for 20 years and served in the Vietnam War. He was stationed in countries such as Korea, Thailand, Spain and Germany, where he was able to immerse himself in different

cultures. When he retired, he was hired by Delta and eventually moved to Eu rope, where he lived with his wife, Janel, for five and a half years.

At that time, he says he had never visited a bookstore or antique store. Then, one day his wife, who owned a home décor store, asked him to bring her back interesting books he happened to come across on one of his trips. He said she planned to use them to deco

Thursday, October 13, 2022

rate.

“That’s how it all started,” Ideker said. “Once I was introduced to books, the people in England were so kind to me and willing to share their knowledge with me, ... and I just fell in love with the process.”

The first set of books Ideker bought was at a street fair in Brighton, Eng land, that had been in a fire. While they smelled, he said they were nice look ing. His wife didn’t quite feel the same, and the books never made it out of the garage, Ideker said.

As time went on, he learned what to look for in antiquarian books from his bookseller friends in Europe. The more he collected them, Ideker said the more they became a reason to get up in the morning.

Ideker said he probably sells more religious books than anything else be cause most early books were all religious in nature. But, his personal favorite is a French version of the New Testament and Book of Psalms from 1710 in which every psalm is put to music.

Somehow though, he says he doesn’t get attached to any one book.

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Developing Your Effectiveness as a Leader in a Post-Covid Workplace

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PHOTOS BY CHAMIAN CRUZ/APPEN MEDIA

From left, Sonny Ideker and Steven Martin bond over their passion for antiquarian books at Sonny Ideker Rare and Antiquarian Bookseller inside City Antiques and Interiors in Roswell.

Books:

“When someone buys a book, you see the person and you see the joy it brings them,” Ideker said. “So, it’s not like it’s just a financial transaction. There’s some emotion because you’ve met the person.”

Steven Martin, a business partner at Sonny Ideker Rare and Antiquarian Bookseller, said their customers are some of the most interesting people he’s ever met. They come from all walks of life, often oohing and aahing as they move from shelf to shelf.

“It’s a good feeling to be able to provide something like this to the com munity,” Martin said. “Most people are not familiar with this sort of shop. The two words I hear constantly from outside the door are ‘wow’ and ‘amazing.’ A lot of people are afraid to come in or touch anything, but, I mean, the books are here, books are designed to be held. So, we’ll go through the process of educating them on how to hold a book or what to look for, and that’s neat when you can open somebody’s eyes.”

Martin was a student at Kennesaw State University when he responded to a request to help porter a book fair. There, he met Ideker, and the rest is history. He says he’s in heaven being surrounded by

the artistry, workmanship and crafts manship of every book in the store.

“Many of them are just as beauti ful with the information on the inside as they are with the bindings on the outside,” Martin said. “There’s just so much to learn about everything in here. It’s nonstop. If I don’t know something, I’ll get up and grab a book.”

Martin said they don’t restore many of the books, but they do “feed” them to get them ready for sale, meaning they condition the leather to bring luster and life back into the bindings and protect them for future generations.

“Every book tells a story in one sense

Sonny Ideker Rare and Antiquarian Bookseller in Roswell features an eclectic mix of decorative, general antiquarian books dating back to the 1400s.

or another, whether it’s what’s in the book, what’s on the book, what’s writ ten in the book or where it came from,”

Martin said. “These books are special because, for the most part, they’ve been taken care of over the millennia and are ready for their new home. There’s a cer tain feel. I think they give off an energy

in a sense. Maybe we sound a little silly, but they kind of do.”

Sonny Ideker Rare and Antiquarian Bookseller is at 700 Holcomb Bridge Road, No. 100 in Roswell. For more information, visit sonnyidekerbookseller. com or call 770-853-3311.

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in

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Sandy Springs firm hosts U.K. tech startups

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Deluxe, a $2 billion payments and business technol ogy company, recently hosted a delega tion of 10 British fintech companies in partnership with the U.K.’s Department for International Trade. The partnership is designed to promote transatlantic col laboration and innovation in financial and business services, and to strengthen the ties between Atlanta and the U.K. as lead ing regional and global Fintech markets.

After a competitive recruitment process, 10 companies were selected for the chance to showcase their products and expertise to Deluxe leadership at the company’s Innovation Center in Sandy Springs. The selected companies re ceived feedback and advice from Deluxe, and all applicants enjoyed the chance to learn about the Atlanta fintech ecosystem from local economic devel opment organizations, industry bodies and academia. The 10 fintech startups in attendance were BR-DGE, Centelli, Datactics, EarthID, Eedenbull, Float, Identitech, Liberis, Willo, and Yoello. The DIT, through the British Consulate in Atlanta, approached Deluxe for the opportunity because of its reputation as

an innovator and focus in payments and data spaces.

“Deluxe is committed to open innova tion, not just within our walls, but with new, emerging businesses no matter where they are located,” said Scott San chez, vice president and chief innovation officer for Deluxe. “Participating in this event allows us to shape the way we work within the broader payments and data ecosystem. The future of fintech is all about collaboration, and this event was a way to explore exciting new com panies as we continue to push forward.”

Deluxe has engaged with customers in the payments space for more than a century.

Magda Lowisz, head of the Southeast Financial Services Sector at DIT and lead on the initiative, said Deluxe is a payments and data powerhouse, and At lanta is one of the most competitive and rapidly developing technology markets in the financial industry.

“It’s no surprise that this mix attracted the most competitive cohort of trade mis sion applicants and resulted in top-caliber companies being selected to represent the U.K. fintech sector,” Lowisz said.

North Fulton CID announces newly elected officers, board

ATLANTA —The North Fulton Commu nity Improvement District announced the election of new officers during its regu larly scheduled board meeting on Sept. 6.

Newly elected officers include:

Chairman Tim Perry, managing partner of North American Properties Atlanta; Vice Chairman Leslie Day-Har rell, executive vice president of Jackson Healthcare; and Treasurer Al Nash, Parallax Advisory Group LLC.

Former Chairman Kerry Armstrong, managing director at Pope & Land Enterprises, and former Vice Chairman Moses Brown were recognized for their distinguished service to the Community Improvement District.

In addition to new officers, Bernie Tokarz, principal with Cloverhurst LLC, was sworn in as a new CID board

Our mission

Investigative journalism is one part of local news. Appen Media will contin ue to spend money on FOIA requests, comb through police reports and keep an eye on city spending.

member. Tokarz was appointed by the City of Milton after John Bell stepped down last month.

Tokarz has been heavily involved in transportation throughout his career. He currently serves as vice chair of the Fulton DeKalb Hospital Authority and on the Board of Directors for the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation.

“The North Fulton CID Board of Directors is a group of business profes sionals volunteering their time and efforts to make our community a better place to live, work and do business. Their leadership has allowed our orga nization to deliver significant and need ed infrastructure improvements and we look forward to our future success providing more important projects,” NFCID Executive Director Brandon Beach said.

It’ll also remain dedicated to featur ing baseball tournaments, board ap pointments and everything else that makes up community news. Send tips, story ideas and announce ments to newsroom@appenmedia.com.

Leadership Sandy Springs welcomes 34 new members

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Thirty-four new members began their nine-month commu nity leadership development program with Leadership Sandy Springs with a retreat at Unicoi State Park in Helen, Georgia.

The retreat was held Sept. 22-24. Class members will now attend monthly program days and special events to educate them about Sandy Springs and the Greater Perimeter area, enhance leadership skills, deepen civic understanding and connect them with leaders across many sectors.

Executive Director Rosalyn Putnam said she’s proud to say that community doesn’t just happen, but that Leadership Sandy Springs helps create it.

“Since 1987, Leadership Sandy Springs has graduated nearly 1,000 alumni who make a positive impact in our community and region,” Putnam said. “They lead nonprofits, large and small businesses and organizations, serve on boards, city councils and commissions, and volunteer their time and talent to build a thriving, inclusive community.”

The foundation starts each year with the members selected to the new class.

The Leadership Sandy Springs Class of 2023 includes:

• Lauri Barrett - Community vol unteer

• Charnaye Bosley - Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital

• Sherry Collins - Community volunteer

• Cameron Darweesh - Community Assistance Center

• Michelle Day - Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta

• Gail Early Jokerst - Brightside Works LLC

• Jennifer Emery - City of Sandy Springs

• Maite Fuertes - Los Niños Prim ero

• Shanti Gangadharan - Health

Stream

• Candice Giardino - Arrow Exter minators

• Sequoia Hanneman - Genpact

• Megan Harris - Nagem Manage ment Group, Inc.

• Eric Hollinhead - Fulton County Schools

• Kacy Homans - HP, Inc.

• Imani Isaac - Sandy Springs Fire Department

• Scott Levy - Sandy Springs Police Department

• Rashida Liddell - DIRECTV, LLC.

• Ryan Love - Created With Love Events LLC

• Leslie Marie Moseley - eXp Realty

• Matt Neylon - The Mount Vernon School

• Brian Patterson - North Springs Charter High School

• Rollin Richmond - Rotary Club of Sandy Springs

• John Runningen - Commenda Capital LLC

• Crystal Seymore - Kaiser Perma nente

• Marc Sonenshine - Atlanta Gas troenterology Associates

• Justin Sparano - Northside Hospital

• Kevin Stone - Burr & Forman LLP

• Kyle Sweeney - Sandy Springs Fire Department

• Ben Taube - Bank of America

• Linda Trickey - Cox Communica tions

• George Tucker - Campbell-Stone North Apartments

• Nancy Votta - Atlanta Orthodon tic Specialists

• Matt Weiss - Parker, Hudson, Rainer, Dobbs LLP

• Chris Zorn - Emory Winship Cancer Institute

TODD LAWRIMORE/PROVIDED

Members of the new Leadership Sandy Springs Class of 2023 take their first class photo at the Leadership Luau, held in their honor on the outdoor terrace of the Leadership Sandy Springs office at 1000 Abernathy Road., Suite L-10.

Spotlight: Estate on banks of Chattahoochee

Through the ages, majestic waterways have inspired artists, musicians and writers. Banks of the Seine by Edouard Manet, The Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss are but two. Thus, it seems reasonable that a family devoted to art, music and entertainment would find their forever home on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. And you, too, will delight in the magic their elegant estate inspires.

This home is one of the stunning homes featured in the 49th Annual Dunwoody Home Tour set for Wednes day, October 12, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and is hosted by the Dunwoody Wom an’s Club. All profits of the home tour are used to implement the club’s chari table initiatives. Home tour tickets can be purchased now online at the follow ing link -https://www.dunwoodywom ansclub.com/ht-tickets/ In addition you can purchase tickets in other ways as shown at the end of this article.

Stone lions entice you to enter through leaded-glass doors into a grand, two-story foyer where a stun ning floral display on a marble-topped table invites you to explore further, and a sweeping curved staircase beckons you to the second floor where you’ll find the artist-owner’s studio, offices, and guest bedrooms. (Note the oneof-a-kind Dana Ross wood sculpture on the second-floor balcony.) To the right off the foyer is a richly paneled den with coffered ceiling, fireplace, and inset bookshelves. Here you will first learn that the family loves chess. You’ll also find a large outdoor chess set on

the back deck.

Ahead is a light-filled family room with gray granite fireplace, velvet seat ing, and a Steinway piano that can play music of your choosing. You only have to ask Josh. Through smart tech nology, Josh controls the home’s many TVs, music, lighting, and thermostat with but a polite command from the homeowners.

A gilded double Möbius sculpture atop a mirrored credenza captures your attention as you travel from the family room, through the spacious din ing room, and head into a bright, mul tifunctional kitchen with keeping room that goes from breakfast to cocktail hour with ease. This gourmet kitchen features professional grade appliances including two dishwashers and belowcounter coolers for water and drinks.

While the home has seven beautifully decorated en suite bedrooms, the master on main will take your breath away. It is an oasis of soothing off-whites, mirrors and gold. Its spa bath features his and hers walk-in closets, separate vanities and toilets, steam shower, and a free standing, clawfoot jet tub.

Centerpiece of the ground floor is a media room with plush leather seat ing and recessed ceiling twinkling with miniature lights, another full-service kitchen, billiard room, fully equipped ex ercise room, and (yes) another bedroom.

But there is more. Extensive deck ing sweeps the back of this home and a stone bordered pool invites a lap or two. And the property’s pipestem path to the mighty river’s edge encourages a

call for inspiration.

This year’s home tour will include three outstanding private homes; one in Dunwoody and two in nearby Sandy Springs. Once again the club is partnering with Southern Comforts Consignments in Dunwoody. Included on the tour is “Designing for My Best Life”– a home tour decorating event with Marc Jones our in-house Con signor’s Designer. Seating is limited so pre-registration is encouraged. Home Tour tickets are available now and can be purchased as follows:

• Online at: https://www.dun woodywomansclub.com/ht-tickets/

• From any member of the Dun woody Woman’s Club

• At the following locations: Blooms of Dunwoody, Camelot Jewel ers, Face Haven, Lauderhills Fine Jew elry, Lookingood Hair Design, Southern Comforts Consignments, The Enchant ed Forest, and Under the Pecan Tree.

Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 on tour day. We look forward to seeing you at the home tour and appreciate your support. Buy your tickets today!

For more information about the Dunwoody Woman’s Club go to www. dunwoodywomansclub.com.

Blooms

Tickets On Sale At:

Comforts

Camelot Jewelers,

Mount Vernon Shopping Center,

Dunwoody, Lauderhills Fine Jewelry at Orchard Park Shopping Center, Lookingood Hair Design, 1841 Peeler Rd, Ste B, The Enchanted Forest at Dunwoody Hall, Under the Pecan Tree in The Shops of Dunwoody, online at www.dunwoodywomansclub.com/ht-tickets/ or from any DWC member.

Haven

Can the pace of home remodeling continue?

Brought to you by – Remodeling Expo Center

Throughout 2021 home remodel ing seemed virtually unaffected by the Covid pandemic. Home sales continue to be robust, but the pace of home remodeling is even greater. New home buyers tend to remodel as soon as they move into their new home, but the remodeling craze seems to apply to everyone. “Our Kitchen and Bathroom remodeling business has experienced a 75% year over year increase” says John Hogan, president of Remodeling Expo Center, “and we don’t see any slowdown in sight.”

There’s been a rapid change to supply chains in our entire economy and while some businesses are suf fering, others are prospering. Demand for products and services are at record levels and businesses are required to re-think their supply chain from end to end; those businesses that creative ly maneuver around the supply chain

issues are prospering.

“Last year we re-focused all of our purchasing to those suppliers with local inventory, so we get instant ac cess to products, then we diverted custom built products to smaller, more nimble suppliers, and finally we began to inventory some items so our remodeling jobs could get started faster and eliminate job progress interruptions. These changes weren’t easy but without them we couldn’t be in the hyper-growth mode that we’re presently experiencing, says Bobbie Kohm, Vice President of Remodeling Expo Center, “Turnkey Design-Build companies, like us, keep the process very simple.”

Low interest rates are going to be around for a long time and investment in our homes is likely to continue. For more information on Remodeling Expo Center (RemodelingExpo.com), contact them at their showroom at 48 King Street in Roswell or at 404-910-3969.

Choosing the right material for your Exterior Shutters

Brought to you by – Dupbel Millworks, Inc.

Shutters can make or break the curb appeal of a house and it is important to consider the different materials that shut ters are made of. Prices will vary consid erably between the different materials and each will have its own positives and nega tives. Let’s take a look at the 4 main ones.

Wood:

Very traditional and good looking. Could be pricey depending in the wood species that is used. Stay away from cheaper woods like Poplar or pine that will rot, twist and split within a short pe riod of time. Good species are Western Red Cedar and Cypress. Make sure you add some sort of a cap to the top of the shutter to prevent splitting and make sure your provider seals the wood effec tively to prevent rot. Easy to customize size and styles. Easy to repaint depend ing on the paint used, and special care should be taken to ensure the paint seals the product completely.

Vinyl:

Cheapest option you can get, but then it will also look like that. The summer heat can play a trick on these where the shutters became brittle with color fading over time. These shutters are typically hollow and not very strong. Its recommended that they are mounted flush against the wall, although some service providers sell hardware kits to mount them on hinges. Vinyl shutters are typically 3 times cheaper than wood or composites, but remember you’ll have to pay for installation 3 times. Limited options available for size, style and color. Difficult to repaint effectively.

Composite Wood:

Pricing is comparable to wood, and although you get the look and feel of wood, you don’t have the issues that comes using wood. No rotting, swelling, twisting and if it is the right material, no insect damage. There are different com posite materials available and not all are rated for extended exterior use, so make sure your provider uses the right stuff (and can prove it). Very long lasting and in some cases you even have environ mentally friendly/safe options available. Easy to customize and a good provider should be able to create unique designs and styles perfect for your home. Simi lar to wood it will need repainting in a few years, but generally easy to do. Can be mounted on hinges or direct to the wall.

PVC:

Pricey, so shop around. This stuff will last almost forever and moisture have no effect on it. Heat does play a role and it’s prone to cupping, bend ing and warping, so make sure your provider adds some form of additional strengthening. Seems that the indus try standard is to add metal bracing on the back to prevent some of the issues. Difficult to paint and typically comes in standard colors. Make sure from you provider what steps you’ll have to take when it comes to repainting. Can be mounted flush or on hinges.

Dupbel Millworks Inc. manufactures exteriors shutters using only weather resistant materials.  Our core business is shutters made from a composite wood material that is rot, insect and weather resistant.  This is especially important in Georgia’s hot, humid conditions.  Although we carry a series of shutters styles, we are fully equipped to help you design the specific look you desire, and every shutter is custom made based on your house, windows and design.

We use your house as our showroom, knowing very well how difficult it can be to see what a specific style of shutter will do the look of your home.  We come to your house with samples and will help you to choose the perfect style of shutter for your house.

Our business is located in Alpharetta, GA and we are proud to serve the resi dential and commercial market of North Georgia.  We are small enough to provide you with personal attention, yet strong enough to handle complex designs. 678662-4815

2022 WIRE & WOOD

What: Alpharetta’s Wire & Wood music festival brings togeth er nationally and locally recognized musicians to perform and tell the stories that inspired their songs. The festival show cases performers who write and perform their own original work, raises awareness about the importance of music and highlights the many facets of the music community.

When: Friday & Saturday, Oct. 7-8

Where: Downtown Alpharetta, 20 South Main Street, Al pharetta

Cost: Free More info: wireandwoodalpharetta.com

FEATURE YOUR EVENT ONLINE AND IN PRINT!

It’s even easier now than ever to promote your event to hundreds of thousands of people, whether online, through our newsletters or in the Crier and Herald newspa pers.

To promote your event, follow these easy steps:

1. Visit NorthFulton.com/Calendar;

Click the red button that reads “Go to Form” under the submit an event header;

Provide the details for your event including title, description, location and date;

Click the red button that reads “Create event”

That’s it! Submissions are free, though there are paid opportunities to promote

p.m.

Where: Brook Run Park, 4770 North Peachtree Road, Dunwoody More info: www.facebook.com/dunwood yfoodtruckthursdays/

OVERLOOK PARK BIRD WALK

What: Join naturalist Roseanne Guerra for a walk-through of Morgan Falls Overlook Park, which boasts several habitats with a variety of birds. The walk will involve (possibly wet) grass, stairs, gently sloped pavement and unpaved trails. A scope and loaner binoculars will be available.

When: Saturday, Oct. 15, 8-11 a.m. Where: Meet at the overlook, past the playground, Morgan Falls Overlook Park, 200 Morgan Falls Road, Sandy Springs

Cost: Free

More info: Register online, sandyspring sga.gov. For morning of walk, call 678358-4916.

PAWS AND PASTRIES

What: Bring all your puppers to this “pawsome” socialization event. Spend ing time at the park helps keep a dog’s socialization skills in tip-top form and can wear out a busy pup. There will be dog treats, tennis balls, water and pastries. Bring a dog bowl and water. When: Saturday, Oct. 15, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Where: Morgan Falls River Park Dog Park, 100 Morgan Falls Road, Sandy Springs

Cost: Free

More info: Register online, sandyspring sga.gov

FEATURED:

SANDY SPRINGS FARMERS MARKET

What: Shop for fresh produce and arti san foods from more than 30 vendors every Saturday morning through Nov. 12 at the Sandy Springs Farmers Market.

When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 8:30 a.m. -noon

Where: City Green, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs More info: citysprings.com

ART:

PAINT LIKE BOB ROSS

What: Complete a Bob Ross painting in just one class with Bob Ross Certified Instructor Jeremy Rogers, who will walk you through step by step how to paint a Ross landscape, complete with “happy trees.”

When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Where: Hammond Park Activity Building, 6005 Glenridge Drive, Sandy Springs Cost: $65

More info: Register online, sandyspring sga.gov

SPIRITS FOR SPRUILL

What: Enjoy a casual celebratory eve ning at Spruill Gallery with spirits, food, music and comradery as the gallery

unveils AMPLIFY, its 3rd annual public art installation.

When: Saturday, Oct. 15, 4-7 p.m. Where: Lawn of the Spruill Gallery art garden, 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody Cost: Tickets are $45 More info: spruillart.org

STUDIO SERIES: RANDALL BRAMBLETT

What: Known for his “swampy, sweaty Southern-fried funk,” Randall Bram blett continues the Studio Series with an exploration of his discography and a few stories along the way about his work with legends like Bonnie Raitt and Levon Helm.

When: Thursday, Oct. 20, 8 p.m. Where: Studio Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs Cost: Tickets start at $10 More info: citysprings.com

OUT AND ABOUT:

DUNWOODY FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS

What: Sweet and savory food trucks with live music every Thursday through the end of October.

When: Thursdays, Oct. 13, 20, & 27, 5-8

FESTIVE:

SPOOKY SPRINGS

What: Come to this safe, family-friendly event for young trick-or-treaters. There will be trick-or-treat candy stations, face painting stations, fog machines, a DJ and food trucks.

When: Saturday, Oct. 22, 5 p.m.

Where: Abernathy Greenway Playable Art Park, limited parking at Sandy Springs Christian Church, 301 Johnson Ferry Rd, Sandy Springs

Cost: Free

More info: sandyspringsga.gov

BOO-TACULAR FUN RUN

What: Superheroes, pirates, prin cesses and ghosts, etc. are invited to walk, skip or run. This is not a timed run. After the run, enjoy a hayride and roast marshmallows. Runner will receive a race medal, apple cider and supplies to make s’mores. Please, no scary costumes.

When: Friday, Oct. 14, 7 p.m.

Where: Roswell Area Park, 10496 Wood stock Road, Roswell

Cost: $22

More info: Register online, roswellgov. com. Call 770-817-6670

Hello Sandy Springs

It is our distinct honor and privilege to introduce you to the first edition of the Sandy Springs Crier, Appen Media’s new est publication in our family of community newspapers.

It’s not every day that we at Appen Media have the oppor tunity to bring a new publication to market. In fact, the last time we did so was in 2006 when we launched the Milton Herald and helped usher in north Fulton County’s newest city.

It is, however, a process we are familiar with and know how to make successful.

Appen Media is a family owned and operated news media company, founded by my parents, Ray and Christina Ap pen in 1990. They bought what was, at the time, a monthly newspaper called The ReVue in a sleepy little cotton town called Alpharetta.

They built and grew their company as north metro Atlanta grew, and The ReVue became a weekly newspaper called the Alpharetta-Roswell Herald. They launched the Forsyth Herald in 1998, Johns Creek Herald in 1998, and then the Milton Herald. In 2019, they purchased the Dunwoody Crier from long time newspaperman Dick Williams.

My parents still work part-time in

the company, but have since passed the reigns to my brother Carl and me. You could say that ink is in our blood.

What you can expect every week from your hometown newspaper is a commitment to journalistic excellence that has earned Appen Media countless regional and national awards in its 32year history. The newspaper is delivered for free to 12,000 homes in the city and available online at appenmedia.com. We believe that people should have unfet tered access to local news, which is why we deliver our newspapers for free to 105,000 homes every week and do not have a paywall on our website. We are able to operate by helping local busi nesses promote their products and ser vice with advertising campaigns. Please support them and shop local!

In our newsroom, we cover the is sues and events that most personally effect your lives. We avoid the noise of Washington, D.C., and instead focus on local issues that you often have a more frequent and personal connection to.

You will see extensive coverage of Sandy Springs City Council meetings, infrastructure projects, Fulton County Commission and School Board, business developments, local sports, and public safety updates and trends.

These issues are the threads that connect communities and determine the quality of life that you and your family can expect to enjoy. We think they de serve the full attention of our newsroom.

I think it’s also important to note that we at Appen Media are here for the long haul, and are not done expanding our news offerings and creating new ways to connect people to news about their com munity. Too often now we are seeing local news organizations consolidate or sell to hedge funds that strip them of local re sources. Or even worse, go away entirely.

We are doing the opposite. I am 33 years old. My brother Carl, who is my business partner and runs our news room and new business development efforts, is 26. We are excited about and looking forward to investing and then reinvesting in local news.

Earlier this year we launched the Appen Press Club, which is a division of Appen Media 100% dedicated to solving issues of sustainability for local news and providing the necessary funding to make sure that happens. The Press Club is a membership organization comprised of people like you, members of the com munity, who care about staying informed and are willing to voluntarily pay monthly or annual dues to ensure that happens. I will make sure to keep you informed of the effort in future publications, but in the meantime, you can find out more (or join!) at appenmedia.com/join

Again, we look forward to working with you to tell the ongoing story that is Sandy Springs.

Feel free to email hans@appenmedia. com or call 770-442-3278. See you again next week!

The city that started it all did things right

It’s been almost 15 years since proud north metro residents cut the ribbon on Sandy Springs. The city of 108,000 people laid the groundwork for what has served as a model for other residents in Fulton and DeKalb coun ties to declare their independence from county rule.

PAT FOX Managing Editor pat@appenmedia.com

This was not a bunch of malcontents. Leaders behind the movement were a smart and shrewd bunch who’d had an axe to grind for over 35 years. They fend ed off a move from the city of Atlanta for annexation, then fought for a voice of their own from Fulton County.

They spoke with one voice, inspired by one vision: to build a community that conforms to local values, a community with order.

In the years since, city leaders have

forged that vision into reality, sorting out the – sorry – mess they’d been left with. What we see today and what has been evident along the way is the sheer intel ligence this city has forged that path. The host of cities that followed – Johns Creek, Milton, Dunwoody and others –all, in one form or another, used Sandy Springs as a template to engineer their own road to self-rule.

What struck me as a witness to this municipal upheaval was just how perfectly Sandy Springs had crafted its emancipa tion. Its city charter, its collaboration with consulting firm CH2M Hill, was copied by countless other new cities in the following years. Those who strayed from the Sandy Springs template regretted it.

One brief, and truly tragic, example of this is the case of Milton and Johns Creek.

As adopted in 2005, Sandy Springs’ charter caps the property tax rate at 4.731 mills “unless a higher limit is recommended by resolution of the city council and approved by the qualified voters of the City of Sandy Springs.”

A year after Sandy Springs incorporated, Milton and Johns Creek followed suit. They also capped their property tax lev ies at 4.731 mills. But, for some reason, they used different wording in their charters to say the levy could only be increased through city council approval and “a majority of all registered voters” in a referendum.

It was an unfortunate oversight. The two cities had painted themselves into a revenue corner by requiring more than half of all registered voters in the city to approve a tax hike. Many times, half the registered voters don’t even turn out for an election, much less favor a proposal to raise their taxes.

As a result, both Milton and Johns Creek suffered in their ability to secure bonding capacity to pay for major proj ects because no bonding company would gamble on a city that couldn’t raise taxes to pay off the debt. It took them years to get their charter language straightened out through legislation at the Capitol.

Sandy Springs did it right.

Blacksmithing, a way ‘back to simpler times’

The work of a blacksmith was crucial to everyday life in small farm ing communities. Blacksmiths made tools, horseshoes and plowshares. They were called on to repair horsedrawn wagons and they made railroad spikes and railroad tools.

According to Vivian Price’s 1983 book “Past Memories, Present Progress, Future Dreams, a History of the Com munity and City of Chamblee,” there was a blacksmith shop in the early 1900s near the Chamblee railroad depot. Robert Hardin is listed in the 1910 census with a blacksmith shop on Peachtree Road in Cross Keys.

The blacksmith shop of James Cephas Spruill was near the Dun woody Depot, located between where CVS and Chevron are on Chamblee Dunwoody Road. His shop was in the triangle that is formed by today’s Nan dina Lane, Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Road. The census records of 1920 and 1930 indicate Spruill continued working as a black smith for many years.

His son, Sentell Spruill, was also a blacksmith. His shop was behind the farmhouse where he and Emma Spruill lived on the property where Dunwoody Baptist Church is today.

John W. Ball worked as a black smith at his home on today’s Roswell Road where Big Trees is located. He and wife Margaret Adams Ball built a log cabin, two wells, a barn and a blacksmith shop on their property. John Ball made wagon wheels, plows, and shod mules in his blacksmith shop. The property was along a wagon road that led to Roswell.

Two other blacksmiths are listed

in the 1910 census in Dunwoody, both near the depot and the railroad tracks. Zebulon Reeve also had a blacksmith shop in the area where Chamblee Dunwoody Road forks at Roberts Drive. He is listed on the 1910 census with his wife Sarah Reeve and six children.

William Allgood was a horse shoer and blacksmith, listed in 1910 with wife Mary and eight children. Their street name is identified as Sandy Spring Road, an early name for Mount Vernon Road as it leads to Sandy Springs.

William J. Donaldson, who built

the farmhouse at Donaldson-Bannis ter Farm in 1870, was a blacksmith. The blacksmith shop was in the small buildings down the hill from the house and caretaker’s house.

The large estate known as Glen ridge Hall (now demolished) at Glen ridge Drive and Abernathy Drive included a blacksmith shop. An estate this large and with several horses needed a blacksmith shop on the property.

Another blacksmith shop in Cham blee was built in 1917 as part of World War I encampment Camp Gordon. Ten

paddocks for horses, a blacksmith shop, housing for veterinarians and a mess hall were all part of the Remount Station built at Camp Gordon. In 1920, Joel Logan, Singer Moon and Claude Lynch were still employed at the Camp Gordon blacksmith shop.

Not every blacksmith considered that their occupation. Farmers, such as Ambrey Carpenter at the corner of Tilly Mill Road and Mount Vernon Road, also were skilled blacksmiths but considered farming their principal work.

If you are interested in learning the skills of a blacksmith, classes are offered at the Spruill Center for the Arts in Dun woody. Falls classes just began and are full, but more will be available in Janu ary according to instructor Mike Romeo.

Romeo took a class himself when his sons bought him a gift certificate for Spruill Center for the Arts. He enjoyed the class, adding “The original blacksmiths mostly made tools. I find it fascinating that if I need a tool to complete a project, I just make it. You really can’t say that about many other trades. Tradespeople used to go to a blacksmith for that needed tool. Today, you go to a big box store for a tool.”

“Blacksmithing as a hobby is a way to detach from the fast-paced technol ogy driven world and make something useful or create art out of a piece of metal,” suggests Romeo. “I think the renewed interest in blacksmithing today has a basis in people wanting to get back to simpler times where you can take pride in what you’ve made and actually use physical labor to make it - no button pushing.”

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

VALERIE

FROM THE COLLECTION OF VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF

The Remount Station of World War I Camp Gordon was built in 1917 to house horses and the people who would care for them. It included a blacksmith shop.

Full-time

Carmichael, Brasher, Tuvell & Company is hiring an Income Tax Preparer, Corporate and Individual. Great pay and flexible, relaxed work environment. Seeking full and/or part-time individual for individual and corporate tax prepara tion and accounting. Prior tax preparation required and have working knowledge of QuickBooks. Our office is located in the heart of Dunwoody and work from home is an option. To apply email your resume to gbrasher@cbtcpa.com

POOL TECHNICIANS

WANTED

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

commercial pool maintenance company

service in the North Atlanta Metro area.

Dunwoody

PIANO,

Retaining

ROOF LEAKING?