City wants answers on greenway fixes

By Bob Pepalis

Sandy Springs City Council members want to hear from an expert engineer before spending more than $2 million on the first phase of stormwater-related fixes on the Abernathy South Greenway.

Recreation Director Mike Perry shared with the council at its work session on Jan. 3 that the original greenway design did not manage stormwater.

Construction of the trail cost a little more than $700,000 in 2017, he said. The 10 to 12-foot aggregate trail from Johnson Ferry Road to Roswell Road with five or six inlets for water did well until the rains started and large volumes of water entered the property.

“It goes down to Marsh Creek there at a very high rate of speed and does lots and lots of damage,” he said.

Atkins Global, an on-call engineering firm for the city, was awarded a contract to create a plan with associated cost estimates.

“The major goal is to improve the drainage and erosion, trail stabilization and additions, a range of rain gardens and water quality stream bank restoration pedestrian crossings, streams and landscape material storage areas,” Perry said.

The middle section of the Abernathy South Greenway from Long Acres Drive to Wright Road has the most problems with water, he said. The proposal splits the greenway into three sections with this middle section most critical. Atkins Global estimated it would cost $2.5 million to fix and improve this section.

Councilmember Andy Bauman said he wants to hear from the Atkins Global engineer in a public forum so the engineer can be asked questions about the project.

Edited by Sammie Purcell RoughDraftAtlanta.com

By Kenny Blank

Storytelling is our most transformative vehicle for conveying the shared human experience. Good stories investigate life’s intricacies. Great stories unite us through empathy. At a time when we all need a great story, the 23rd Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is proud to showcase 60 world-class films. By curating and contextualizing these dynamic stories, AJFF seeks to entertain, educate, and inspire our wonderfully diverse city.

Karaoke, a delightful comedy helmed by emerging filmmaker Moshe Rosenthal and nominated for 14 Israeli Academy Awards, sets the festival tone as our Opening Night selection. Funny, heartfelt, and sharp, this cautionary tale of midlife ennui and selfdiscovery captures the poignant nuances of human nature, and the transcendent need to fulfill one’s aspirations.

Killing Me Softly With His Songs bookends the 2023 lineup with its tuneful tribute to songwriter-composer Charles Fox, joined on Closing Night by director Danny Gold. Featuring exuberant performances and an array of entertainers—Rita Wilson, Jason Alexander and Henry Winkler to depictions of terrorism in Closed Circuit and Savoy. rapper-actor Common and rock band Barenaked Ladies, and more—this utterly engaging profile of a wildly talented yet humble artist showcases music’s unique ability to transcend languages, borders and genres…hitting a universal note.

Young Professionals Night, presented by AJC ACCESS, will bring Atlanta’s next generation of leaders to the Woodruff Arts Center for a reception and screening of French-Israeli comedy, Paris Boutique. Directed by Marco Carmel, this comedy of errors received six Israeli Academy Award nominations including a Best Actress nod to Nelly Tagar (Zero Motivation), one of Israel’s funniest talents.

Cinephiles, rejoice! A magnificent restoration of The Hourglass Sanatorium awaits. Other film-loving fare includes silent-era gem Broken Barriers, fully restored and complete with a live organ accompaniment by composer Donald Sosin. Movie lovers will also enjoy zany classic The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob and the 45th anniversary of Girlfriends, with pioneering filmmaker Claudia Weill in attendance.

Roughly half of the festival lineup will also be available to access from home in our Virtual Cinema. Thanks to a generous grant from the Jewish Abilities Alliance, all streaming titles are available to view with optional closed captioning.

Narrative highlights include courtroom saga The Accusation, the morality fable Farewell, Mr. Haffmann, Polish protest romance-drama March ’68, Yiddishlanguage arthouse masterwork SHTTL, Israel’s Oscar submission Cinema Sabaya, and character-dramas Where Life Begins, Barren, and America.

Unmissable documentaries include 1341 Frames of Love and War, Prophets of Change, and Reckonings, along with taut

Born from the pandemic and back by popular demand, our In Conversation series will focus on some of the festival’s must-see titles. With both virtual and inperson options, these interactive dialogues will focus on a wide range of themes, each facilitated and informed by expert voices from our community.

To AJFF newcomers, and everyone, we invite you to join our story. AJFF is for all of Atlanta, regardless of faith, politics or identity. Together, we look forward to indulging in curiosity, engaging in conversation, and experiencing a vibrant culture, one story at a time.