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VOLUME 25 NUMBER 10
JUNE 7, 2019 Stay connected
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Marian McDaniel Deputy Fire Chief
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Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties
KC Krizic Planning and Development Dir.
Sue Sanders Parks and Maintenance Dir.
Roselyn Miller Finance Dir.
Jennifer Rutledge County Clerk/Legislative Dir.
Toni Holmes Talent Management Dir.
ROCKDALE’S ‘EXTREME MAKEOVER’ County government pushes to recruit more women
By Valerie J. Morgan Women and minorities are increasingly breaking barriers in Rockdale County, filling top-tier and other positions that historically have lacked diversity. Currently, six women serve among the county’s 12 directors and five serve among Rockdale’s 12 deputy directors. Add in Rockdale’s 12 deputy directors, the number of women in leadership roles rises to 8, comprising one third of the county’s 24 directors and deputy directors. Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt says that while workforce diversity remains a work in progress, he is proud of the gains Rockdale has made since he launched what he calls an “extreme
makeover” in the county’s government. Nesbitt said he decided to make workforce diversity one of his top priorities after his election as Chairman in Nov. 2016. He had served two, four-year terms on the Board of Commissioners before he took the reigns as the county’s top official. “The No. 1 thing that I saw lacking was effective communication, accountability, follow-up and follow-through,” said Nesbitt. “That’s when I knew Rockdale County government needed an extreme makeover. ” Marian McDaniel, who serves as deputy chief of administration at Rockdale County’s Fire Department and is known as “Chief Mac,” is part of the “extreme makeover” in Rockdale. The Fire Department is Rockdale’s second-largest depart-
ment after the Sheriff’s Office. McDaniel said for the first time in Rockdale’s history, a woman recently achieved the rank of lieutenant in the Fire Department. McDaniel announced Lt. Melissa Chirello during the May 7 Board of Commissioners meeting. “With Lt. Chirello’s promotion, we currently have a female sergeant, a captain in training and myself as deputy chief,” McDaniel said. McDaniel said job fairs have made a big difference in the county’s workforce transformation. In January 2018, she worked with Rockdale’s Chief of Staff Corey Hambrick to host a job fair, hiring her first group of firefighters. “We had 100 interested applicants at the job fair. From that group, I recruited 24 firefighters, the
SEE MAKEOVER page 10
THIS OLD HOUSE
DeKalb officials dedicate historic Lyon farmhouse
By Sarita Mason OCG News Intern
D
enise Williams instantly recalled the rich wood scent that filled the Lyon home where she grew up. “The house still smells just like it did when I was a little girl,” said Williams. Williams, the niece of George and Betty Lyon, the couple who lived in the house for over 20 years, traveled back in time as she walked through the house for the first time in years. Williams was among several descendants of the Lyon family who visited on May 31 to witness the dedication of the 150-year-old home located in what is now the city of Stonecrest. The historic home is one of DeKalb’s oldest homesteads. Williams said she was pleased to be a part of the celebration. The dedication marked the culmination of the first phase of preservation efforts of the property, a collaboration between various partners including the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance and Flat Rock Archives, among others. In 2003, DeKalb County’s
Department of Watershed Management (DWM) purchased the Lyon Farm, over 100 acres, as greenspace to buffer the Pole Bridge Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sprayfields in the area. In 2016, the house was placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Places in Peril” list due to advanced structural damage, potential for imminent loss, and its historic significance, officials said. Last fall, DWM kicked off work on the historic structure, spending a total of
$225,000 to start the preservation. Now, after months of careful repairs, the home has been stabilized by contractor F.H. Paschen. The work included jacking and leveling the entire structure, stabilizing the foundation, rebuilding part of one of the chimneys and replacing the roof and siding. “We reused most of the same structure that was already on the house,” said Wayne Thompson of F.H. Paschen. “All the material had to match the historic blend we still
needed to have. We used modern versions of the old material to do that.” Kelly Jordan, co-founder of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliance, praised the project, saying it would be a treasure for local residents and tourists to explore. “The Alliance has been working with DeKalb County and other partners for nearly two decades now to preserve numerous historic structures, including the Lyon home, which is one of our most special projects,” said Jordan. According to the Alliance, a log cabin was likely the first structure built on the property in the 1820s. The footprint was expanded in 1853 and again in 1893, creating the house that stands today. Congressman Hank Johnson, who attended the dedication with his wife, DeKalb’s District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, said the preservation is an important aspect of DeKalb’s history. The congressman noted that the black community of Flat Rock was birthed from the Lyon farm after slavery in the U.S. ended in 1865. “This is our history and I’m so happy that a history of black people is in the Lyon family history and property,” said Congressman John-
SEE HOUSE page 10