COMMUNITY
WELLNESS
PEOPLE
Alice Waits Bailey, 73, and eight other residents of Flat Rock received honorary diplomas during the community’s black history program. 5
When Chamblee High senior Quanesha Biggs (left) heard that her mentor was planning a medical mission to assist earthquake victims, she made sure she was included. 7
William Howard Taft was in the White House when Mary Brown, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, was born. 8
Dreams realized
Copyright © 2010 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
Helping out in Haiti
March 6, 2010
100 years and counting
Volume 15, Number 44
www.crossroadsnews.com
Wayfield closes 20-year-old Candler Road store A delivery driver checks the locked doors of the Wayfield Foods supermarket on Candler Road, which closed on Feb. 27.
By Deborah Alberto
After 20 years anchoring the CandlerMcAfee Shopping Center on Candler Road, Wayfield Foods closed its store on Feb. 27, leaving its loyal customers in dismay. Ron Edenfield, Wayfield’s founder, president and CEO, blamed rising lease rates for the store’s sudden closure. On March 1, the iconic blue Wayfield name had been removed and the windows were blocked with brown paper. Customers were met with signs thanking them for their years of patronage and directing them to visit the Wayfield Foods location three miles away at 1757 Columbia Drive. Lucious Jackson Jr. pulled into the parking lot Monday, planning to pick up some loose roasted peanuts, only to find the store closed. “I’m shocked,” he said. “I don’t shop here all the time, but they have been
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
around as long as I can remember.” Neighboring businesses also were surprised at the store’s departure. “I heard rumors from employees that they might close, but it’s still a surprise to see them gone so fast,” said Trinh Nguyen, who works at nearby Candler Nails.
have been out then. It was an older store and we were not able to update the equipment and pay extra rent. Economics just did not make it viable to stay.” He said the store’s 25 to 30 employees were sent to other locations in the area. Edenfield said the store’s departure was not as sudden as it seemed. “We have known about this for years, but it’s just not something you post in advance,” he said. Infinity Leasing Co. manages the Candler-McAfee Shopping Center, which just got a new McDonald’s that opened for business Feb. 15. Shawl Pryor, Infinity’s senior vice president, said the community was asking for renovations at the Wayfield store. “I’m not sure they put any money into the store in the 20 years that they were there,” he said.
Edenfield said their current lease was expiring and he was unable to enter into successful lease negotiations for the next five-year period. “The lease was excessive for the location,” he said Tuesday. “It was a considerable amount five years ago, and we should Please see WAYFIELD, page 6
Riders blast MARTA over proposed cuts By Deborah Alberto
More than 200 angry MARTA users showed up Monday to tell MARTA why it’s a bad idea to ax nearly half of its bus routes in DeKalb County. The elderly and the disabled, including some in wheelchairs, and other commuters who depend on public transportation to get to work, school and doctors appointments packed the county’s Maloof Auditorium in downtown Decatur for the lone public meeting in DeKalb County hosted by the transit authority. MARTA is facing a $120 million revenue shortfall for its 2011 financial year that begins July 1. It has proposed contracting its service by 25 percent to 30 percent and laying off up to 1,500 employees, or 29 percent of its work force of 5,200 employees. In South DeKalb, where MARTA currently carries 45,141 passengers on weekdays, MARTA has proposed cutting 10 of the 23 routes that serve Decatur, Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Ellenwood. Anita Jackson, who lives in the Indian Creek area of Decatur, said MARTA knew this was coming. “Why did they wait so long to look for solutions?” said Jackson, who uses the bus system regularly. “Martin Luther King fought all over the South so we have the right to get on a bus, and now you are going to take our bus service away?” Speaker after speaker expressed frustration over the proposed cuts. They said the cuts and service consolidation would make commute times much longer and result in long walks in high traffic areas for residents who are not physically capable. Many called for state funding and the exploration of other options to keep the routes as they are.
Anita Jackson of Decatur was one of many residents who expressed anger at MARTA’s plan to cut 10 of the 23 bus routes that serve Decatur, Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Ellenwood.
Deborah Alberto / CrossRoadsNews
More than 130 people signed up to speak directly to MARTA officials. MARTA gets the bulk of its revenues from a 1 cent sales tax from DeKalb and Fulton counties, and with the economic recession, consumers have cut back spending, causing a reduction in its revenues. Cheryl Jackson, a MARTA planning official, said the transit system must cut its service 25 percent to 30 percent and increase fares to stay afloat. MARTA’s board must approve a balanced budget by June 30. Don McKay, a resident of Decatur Christian Towers at North Decatur Road and Church Street, said MARTA is the only transit system that does not get any money in operating funds from the state. “It’s time for the mayor to go up to Per-
due and the state Legislature and tell them we need your help and we need it now,” said McKay, who was one of 30 residents from the senior living facility attending the meeting. Renee Kirklin, a Decatur Christian Towers administrator, said the facility has 300 residents who are 62 years and older. She said the bus is a lifeline to the residents, who use it to get to work, medical appointments and the store. Presently the bus stops directly in front of the building, but Kirklin said she believes the new route will require residents to walk several blocks in a high traffic area. There was plenty of blame to go around, but public officials at the meeting looked to the possibility of gaining finan-
cial assistance from other counties besides Fulton and DeKalb. State Rep. Howard Mosby said the state has looked at the transportation dollars for roads, not public transportation. “MARTA was set up to be a five-county system and only two counties support it,” he said. “Georgia is the only state in the union that does not support a public transportation system of this size. In the Legislature, Fulton and DeKalb are the two bluest counties in the state of Georgia, and guess what, we’re under attack.” Mosby called for a strong showing of people to voice their concerns to public officials. “It’s time to stop playing politics,” he said. “It’s about the people and the people’s voices need to be heard.”