Dec-11-2015 Dunwoody Reporter by Rough Draft Atlanta: Atlanta Intown, Reporter Newspapers

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Dunwoody Reporter

Lighting up the skies

Teen time Town hall success COMMUNITY 2

Police tips

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Take care when shopping PUBLIC SAFETY 28

DEC. 11 — DEC. 24, 2015 • VOL. 6 — NO. 25

A light for the holidays

COMMUNITY 21

As mayor leaves office, he’s proud of leading a City Council without factions BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

elleneldridge@reporternewspapers.net

PHIL MOSIER

Dancers with J Dance Company stand with Sandra Bass, assistant program director for the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, as she lights a menorah on Dec.6, the first night of Hanukkah. The candle lighting followed a performance of the ballet of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” ballet. See more photos on page 25 and at ReporterNewspapers.net.

Mike Davis said he’s learned a few things over the four years he spent as Dunwoody’s second mayor, not the least of which was how to handle criticism. “The one wild card nobody knows until you get in there, ‘How thick is your skin?’” Though he lost his bid for re-election and leaves office Jan. 4, when newly elected Mayor Denny Shortal takes over, Davis walks away from the job saying he’s proud of the way he implemented the founding City Council’s plans. Shortly before he decided to run for office, Davis thought, “Why don’t people like us run for office?” He said he believed he was a competent communicator who could speak equally well in one-on-one conversations as in public forums, making his ideas understood. As a retired executive salesman, he also had time. “I was young enough to throw a lot of energy into [the job of mayor] and I was old enough to have acquired enough money that earning $16,000 a year wasn’t going to SEE DUNWOODY, PAGE 26

Trails show where walkers really want to go BY JOHN RUCH

johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

Dunwoody resident Rashaud Stockdale walks to work on Cotillion Drive in a rut worn in the roadside grass. The road is a major connector to I-285 and the Georgetown commercial district, but for pedestrians, it’s like rural pastureland. “I’d say it feels dangerous,” Stockdale says of the offroad hike he sometimes has to make in the dark. Meanwhile, in Sandy Springs, Cedron Tigner escorts his visually impaired relative Hershell Horton along Hammond Drive. Instead of a sidewalk, there’s a muddy trail, studded with exposed tree roots and stones, which looks imported from a backwoods park. “Taking a chance every time,” Horton says of his walk to a convenience store. These trails blazed by pedestrians are known as “desire paths” or “desire lines”—or, more picturesquely, “goat

trails.” For decades, Atlanta’s car-centric suburbs left pedestrians to fend for themselves. But that’s changing. Sidewalks are now replacing desire paths on such routes as Buford Highway in Atlanta and Brookhaven. But finding the money can be tough, and public accessibility can still spark debates over keeping desire paths in such places as Buckhead’s Atlanta Memorial Park. Desire paths are “especially common in areas where people have no choice except to walk or use public transit” because they don’t own cars, said Sally Flocks, president and CEO of the Atlanta-based pedestrian advocacy group PEDS. “I think attitudes nationwide are changing. I do think a lot more people want the sidewalks,” Flocks said. SEE ROADSIDE, PAGE 10

JOHN RUCH

Dunwoody resident Rashaud Stockdale pauses on the trail along Cotillion Drive.

COMMUNITY

City officials solicit feedback from teens through town hall

PHOTOS BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

Councilman John Heneghan gives out free hugs to students. To see a video of his gesture, go to ReporterNewspapers.net

BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

elleneldridge@reporternewspapers.net

Student Riley Sitzman gathered with hundreds of others students Dec. 3 at Dunwoody High School as part of the city’s Teen Town Hall initiative. He said his teachers didn’t tell him much about the Teen Town Hall that gave students a chance to discuss city poli-

tics with local leaders. “I was thinking, ‘There could be a sidewalk here,’ or ‘This park needs to be touched up,’ or something like that, but the only park I use is Brook Run — just to congregate with people and hang out,” Sitzman said.

DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

Dunwoody City Council members, staff and police hosted the gathering to reach students and receive feedback from the young community members. More than 200 students had a chance to tell city officials what they want to see in their community. Resident Adrienne Duncan said in a Facebook post that the Teen Town Hall was a smart idea. “What’s right about Dunwoody’s Teen Town Heneghan talks to students at town hall. Hall is that the event traveled to the targeted audience,” meeting to identify problem areas for Duncan said. “You’re meeting motorists, Riticher said. your audience where they are, not in“I was looking at the boards where viting them to a location of the city’s they were putting dots on problems archoosing. Plan this more often, in more eas and I think there are some interestplaces, and you’ll get a wider view of ing insights as to where kids perceived different elements of the community.” problems,” Riticher said. Sitzman said before the Teen Town They identified some road probHall he mostly talked with friends, not lems the city is already aware of, Ritcity officials, about issues in the comicher said. munity. “I talk about problems in gov“They’re paying attention,” he said. ernment outside of school, but not re“For example, there was a dot at Peelally in school,” he said. er and North Peachtree and my comCouncilman Jim Riticher said the ment on that was, ‘Yeah, that’s about to students’ questions impressed him and be under major construction partially showed that they thought critically to fix that dot.’ about the community issues. Many stu“It’s interesting to see their percepdents put stickers on maps during the

DUN

COMMUNITY

PHOTOS BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

Police Chief Billy Grogan and Dunwoody High students react to a video on distracted driving during the teen town hall at Dunwoody High School on Dec. 3.

CREDIT

Julie Hensley took part in a Teen Town Hall Dec. 3.

DUN

CREDIT

Public Works Director Michael Smith solicits feedback from students during the meeting at Dunwoody High School.

tions of problems with the city and how they marry up with how the adults see similar problems,” he said. One of sophomore Julie Hensley’s questions led to Councilwoman Lynn Deutsch explaining the legislative push for an independent school system. “I asked when are we expanding and are we going to take over Vanderlyn [Elementary School] and have an actual high school campus,” Hensley said. “If you look at other high school campuses, they are much larger, so I was asking if we are ever going to get a football stadium or are we ever going to get our own soccer fields and they [City Council members Deustch and Doug Thompson] said that’s not in the process right now, but before we can do that we have to form our own city school system.” Dunwoody’s Chief of Police Billy Grogan took the opportunity of the Town Hall at the high school to teach teens about distracted driving. He and Officer Trey Nelson showed students a video that illustrated how quickly looking down could lead to disaster. “Hopefully, we can get their attention and teach them about the dangers of distracted driving not only by texting but if you’re under 18 you’re not allowed to talk on the phone in the car,” Grogan said. The chief hopes to inspire students to

Golf For The Rest Of Us.

“think twice” before they text and drive or do anything in the car that could distract them, such as eating. “I totally understand what it’s like to be distracted,” Sitzman said. The presentation confirmed for him what he said he expected when he walked over to the station. During the Town Hall, tables and easels asked students for feedback on parks, public safety and traffic, and council members walked around to answer questions and engage students. Councilman John Heneghan brought “Free Hugs” stickers and gave them out along with hugs so that he could personally make a connection with each student. “I’m here to answer questions and talk to teenagers, but at the same time we need to let them know that we care about them,” Heneghan said. “They are human beings and we need to interact with them—at least I feel I want to on a person-to-person basis. I want to look them in the eyes and say ‘Hey, we care.’ “And I thought the only way I could do that personally was to give away a hug and I thought that was an opportunity for me to serve my community and the citizens of Dunwoody and the students of Dunwoody High School, by giving a free hug. It’s a very simple gesture.”

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COMMUNITY

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The new Ronald McDonald House on Pill Hill will begin serving families of ailing children on Dec. 21. The 31-bedroom facility at PeachtreeDunwoody Road and the Glenridge Connector also includes a three-story interior “treehouse” play area for children. It is more than three times The ‘treehouse’ inside the new Ronald the size of the original McDonald House located on Pill Hill will house that began opprovide a play area for children when the erations on the site in facility opens Dec. 21. Photo Randy Maxwell 1994. “We dreamed big in imagining a modern facility that would Efforts to expand the Pill Hill house meet all the needs of more families copbegan more than a decade ago. Fulton ing with sick children,” Javier Goizueta, County approved the project in 2005, a board member of Atlanta Ronald Mcprior to the existence of the city of Sandy Donald House Charities and its capital Springs. But a lawsuit from neighbors decampaign chair, said in a press release. “We layed it. The groundbreaking finally came hope it will be a safe haven for healing for last year. those who need it to be their home away “A larger facility was needed to fulfill an from home in the coming years.” ever-increasing need,” the ARMHC press Ronald McDonald Houses around release said. the country provide free or low-cost The new house is about 53,000 square housing to families of children who are feet in size and cost more than $15 milundergoing treatment at nearby hospilion. A notable design element is the tals. In the case of the Sandy Springs fa“treehouse”—a play area designed like a cility, that’s Children’s Healthcare of Attree that stands three stories tall in a loblanta at Scottish Rite. The houses are by area. run by chapters of an Illinois-based nonAll rooms have private baths. The faprofit that is separate from, but heavily cility includes common areas, a kitchen, a supported by, the McDonald’s fast-food dining room, and arts/crafts and activity company. room, a laundry and a conference room. ARMHC opened an Atlanta house in In addition, a community room will be 1979, followed by the Peachtree-Dunavailable to local organizations. woody location—originally an 11-bedThe building will be accessible to peoroom house—in 1994. Both saw heavy ple with disabilities and has a LEED Silver demand and wait lists, leading to the concertification, a construction industry meastruction of new facilities in recent years. sure of environmental sustainability. The Atlanta house, near CHOA’s EgFor information on eligibility to stay at leston site, was rebuilt with 50 bedrooms the house, call 404-315-1133 or see armin 2008. hc.org DUN

COMMUNITY

Local Muslim leader condemns recent terrorist attacks

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BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

elleneldridge@reporternewspapers.net

A founding member of the Muslim congregation in Dunwoody says members of the group have not experienced any “untoward incidents” in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. Khalid Bashir, a spokesman for the group, said he and the congregation condemn the attacks. “We as humans and, more so, as Muslims, deeply condemn the dastardly act,” Bashir said. “The Quran is very serious and absolute in its declaration that innocent people and civilians of any kind

Khalid Bashir

should never be harmed.” Masjid Uthman Dunwoody is “doing OK as a community,” he said. “Our approach has been simple: Be patient, strengthen your connection with God, return any evil action or comment towards you with a good one,” Bashir said. The congregation is raising money for a permanent home in Dunwoody. Members are raising money with the hope they can move “two blocks from the current location,” the congregation said on Facebook. “The Facebook [post] and website implies that [we have found a permanent location], but we are far from having made a final decision,” Bashir said. “We are in the process of securing a permanent place, have few options but haven’t finalized it yet.” Masjid Uthman Dunwoody now is located at 1707 Mount Vernon Road in an office park. “Unfortunately, during the heat of all of this in the national debate, Islam and Muslims are under fire for all the negativity and all the good values and high moral standards that Muslims possess and practice and what good Islam advocates is being lost in the noise,” Bashir said.

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | 5

COMMUNITY

Braves exec: New ballpark to offer better road access BY JOE EARLE

joeearle@reporternewspapers.net

Atlanta Braves fans should have better highway access to the new ballpark under construction in Cobb County than they now do to Turner Field, a team marketing official said recently. “The location is really important. Some people are asking, ‘What will the traffic be like?’ We are not solving traffic in Atlanta. That is not the Atlanta Braves’ responsibility,” Derek Schiller, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Braves, told about 50 members of the Buckhead Business Association on Dec. 3. “We are selecting a location that has very strong access. You can get to it many ways.” Drivers will approach new SunTrust Park, located at the intersection of I-285 and I-75 in Cobb County, on interstates from four directions, he said. Once drivers leave the interstate, they will benefit from road network improvements already made in the area by the Cumberland Community Improvement District. Car access to Turner Field is more restricted, he said, because most drivers are coming from the north and must use only a couple of exits to get to the baseball stadium. “It’s a malaise. It’s difficult.

It’s a difficult thing to navigate,” he said. “The number one thing that everyone cites is getting to the ballpark. We know this has been an issue.” Improved highway access was not the only reason Schiller gave for the Braves’ decision to relocate to Cobb, a decision some fans have criticized because of lack of MARTA access. Turner Field did not belong to the ball club, he said, but instead was owned by a public agency, with the Braves as tenants. The 20-yearold ball field, built for 1996 Olympics, also needed millions of dollars in maintenance, he said. And the Cobb site for the new stadium, scheduled to open in 2017, stands closer to the areas where Braves ticket buyers live. “We are moving 10 miles closer to our fan base,” he told the BBA members gathered at the City Club of Buckhead, which is located in the 3300 block of Peachtree Road. “You’re closer to SunTrust Park today as you sit here [than to Turner Field]. Buckhead is important to us. We feel we are very connected to Buckhead.” The new park will be smaller than Turner Field – providing room for about 41,000 seats, as opposed to the rough-

ly 50,000 at the existing park, Schiller said. But SunTrust Park will offer more “premium” seats, he said, and will offer seats at field level for some fans in the outfield. The Cobb property also offered the Braves a chance to develop a housing, office and entertainment complex around the stadium. The new development, called The Battery Atlanta, will include 550 apartments, restaurants, JOE EARLE shops, a microbrewDerek Schiller, executive vice president for ery, a hotel and a conthe Atlanta Braves, talks to the BBA backed cert venue named for by an image of new SunTrust Park. a longtime Buckhead rock club. “We’re Although some fans have criticized bringing back the Roxy Atlanta [concert the team for moving out of the city of hall],” Schiller said. “We’re reinvigoratAtlanta, Schiller said the Braves draw ing the Roxy name. Were super excited their fan base from across north Georabout that.” gia. Schiller said the goal was to build a “This should not be about Cobb development that would be “lively on County,” he said. “It should not be game days or non-game days.” about Atlanta. It should be about the “This is a galvanizing project, we beentire area. ... We expect this project will lieve, for the entire region,” he said. affect everyone”

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Expert says Sandy Springs monorail could work BY JOHN RUCH

johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

The city of Sandy Springs’ review of a proposed Sandy Springs monorail will be token at best, officials say. Meanwhile, a top monorail advocate says a local system could be not only feasible, but even a money-maker. “If you build it right, you can actually turn a profit,” said Kim Pedersen, president of the California-based Monorail Society and author of the new book “Monorails: Trains of the Future—Now Arriving.” Monorails are “really quite popular right now”—at least in other countries like South Korea and India, he said. The monorail idea was floated last month by Sandy Springs Planning Commission Chairman Lee Duncan as a solution to traffic snarls. He suggested a monorail loop connecting downtown Sandy Springs to MARTA stations and other Perimeter Center locations. Assistant City Manager Jim Tolbert said in response that city consultants would “seriously review” the idea. The review won’t really be that serious. City spokeswoman Sharon Kraun said the consultants developing a new land-use plan are tasked with addressing any idea raised in public comments.

The monorail will be treated as just one of those comments, with no particular plan or budget to analyze. Asked if it will be a “back-of-the-envelope” type of calculation, City Councilman Tibby DeJulio said, “I think that may be overstating it.” Pedersen said it’s common for U.S. cities to dismiss monorails, assuming they would be expensive. Sometimes smaller cities look at the price tags of big-city monorail systems and “get some frightening numbers,” he said. But, he added, smaller monorails are available and ones operating in Las Vegas and Seattle are profitable. “Now would a city with 100,000 [people] benefit from monorail? Certainly, if they get the proper scaled monorail…,” he said. The monorail idea also drew the attention of Brookhaven City Councilman Joe Gebbia, who spoke positively of the idea at a recent MARTA presentation at a recent City’s Council meeting. Pedersen is not a transit engineer, just a longtime monorail fan. He has visited Atlanta, but is not familiar with Sandy Springs. However, he said there are precedents for the kind of system Duncan suggested and advantages to a monorail in a dense, commuter-traffic city. Tokyo has a large-scale version of

a monorail connecting to train-based public transit as well as the airport, Pedersen said. New monorails are springing up in dense cities like Mumbai, India and São Paulo, Brazil. Unlike buses, they avoid traffic, and unlike trains, they can be built on small footprints since they are usually elevated on piers. “You just have to dig a hole every 150 feet or something like that,” Pedersen said. “With a monorail, you can plop it along any roadway and not take up [all the space].” Monorails typically have lower construction and maintenance costs than traditional rail, meaning they are the rare type of mass transit that can turn a profit, Pedersen said. “It’s basically an electric bus running on a very small… concrete beam,” he said. Monorails have two big image problems—their connection with Disney theme parks, which popularized them in the 1950s, and a 1993 episode of the TV comedy “The Simpsons” about a con man selling a used monorail to a city. The lingering laughter from “The Simpsons” is “bittersweet,” Pedersen said. “I think it’s hilarious,” he said of the episode, but it also shows “how many people make their educated opinion on transit [based on] cartoon shows.”

The original Disneyland Monorail in 1963.

(Photo by Robert J. Boser/EditorASC, airlinesafety.com/ editorials/AboutTheEditor.htm. Photo used under Creative Commons license.)

Readers weigh in on monorails

The idea of a Sandy Springs monorail sparked online discussion among Reporter Newspapers readers. The following are some of the reader’s comments. It may never come to pass, but it gives us hope that living or working in Sandy Springs might mean more than subjecting oneself to endless gridlock. Consider swinging by Pill Hill as well as the Perimeter. —Mark Perloe While this may be a solution to get from “downtown” Sandy Springs to the Perimeter Area, the real congestion in Sandy Springs comes from people traveling through to get from Atlanta to Cobb County or Northern Fulton County. The gridlock at rush hours is almost all through traffic. —Randy Green

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COMMENTARY Reporter Newspapers Our mission is to provide our readers with fresh and engaging information about life in their communities. Published by Springs Publishing LLC 6065 Roswell Road, Suite 225 Sandy Springs, GA 30328 Phone: 404-917-2200 • Fax: 404-917-2201 Brookhaven Reporter | Buckhead Reporter Dunwoody Reporter | Sandy Springs Reporter www.ReporterNewspapers.net Atlanta INtown www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com

Founder & Publisher Steve Levene stevelevene@reporternewspapers.net Editorial Managing Editor Joe Earle joeearle@reporternewspapers.net Associate Editor: John Ruch Intown Editor: Collin Kelley Staff Writer: Ellen Eldridge Copy Editor: Diane L. Wynocker Creative and Production Creative Director: Rico Figliolini Graphic Designer: Isadora Pennington Advertising Director of Sales Development Amy Arno amyarno@reporternewspapers.net Senior Account Executives Jeff Kremer Janet Porter Account Executives Susan Lesesne Jim Speakman Ofﬁce Manager Deborah Davis

Innovation Academy chair: ‘Great amount of work to perform’ before school opens next fall Brookhaven Innovation Academy is a recently approved public charter school slated to open in the 2016-17 school year and serve students in Brookhaven and surrounding communities. BIA will begin with 420 students in grades K-6 and, under its charter, will eventually expand to 540 K-8 students. BIA’s board is now in a fast-paced search for a school building locaJENNIFER tion, and recently hired Brookhaven City Councilman Bates MattiLANGLEY son as its interim executive director, which led to a city ethics review of GUEST COLUMN his dual jobs. Reporter Newspapers asked BIA Board Chair Jennifer Self Langley, who also runs the Buckhead-based JL Events & Association Management, to describe BIA’s current status.

Q. A.

What are the steps in BIA’s process for getting the school open by August 2016? BIA has a great amount of work to perform prior to school opening in fall 2016. Coordinating this essential work needed in an effective and focused manner is one of the key reasons we recently elected to add four highly experienced board members with specialized talents we felt were needed to assist us in opening the school, as well as our decision to hire a full-time executive director. We have also established a committee to review board development and board strategy for the short and long term of BIA. Additionally, we are working diligently to research and secure highly qualified vendors to fulfill the needs of the school.

Q. A.

Has BIA started seeking a head of school?

The board is considering several proposals and options to assist in recruitment of the head of school. Our aim is to have our candidate for the position identified by end of the first quarter of 2016.

What is the enrollment method and can students get on a registration list now?

We have an intent to enroll form on the “admissions” tab of our website, brookhaveninnovationacademy. com, and have over 200 students who are registered through the form to date.

BIA previously expressed interest in an office building on Skyland Drive in Brookhaven, but now has a proposal to build a school next to it. Is BIA still interested in the existing building or has something changed?

The board members of BIA are looking for the best location available to create an outstanding school with a focus on utilizing technology to teach our children the job skills required for success in the 21st century economy. Furthermore, a school that will inspire teachers to utilize their talents to their fullest extent, and also develop those talents further over time to create a learning environment to meet and hopefully exceed the standards outlined in our charter provided by the State of Georgia Charter Schools Commission. To that end, we are looking at multiple locations in the Brookhaven region. No location is definitely in or out.

Q. A. Q.

Is there a possibility the school will not open on schedule next August? What happens if it doesn’t? We will open in fall 2016 in either a permanent or temporary location. BIA Interim Executive Director Bates Mattison recently came under an ethics review regarding his other position as a Brookhaven city councilman. Does BIA think that ethics review was necessary and has it affected the process of starting the school?

The BIA board elected to hire Councilman Mattison because of his unique experience in opening the city of Brookhaven as city councilman, as well as his being an instrumental part of obtaining the charter for Brookhaven Innovation Academy. The report was not necessary. However, due diligence is important for any private or public organization or association. We are pleased that the report came back affirming there was no conflict or ethical issues in Mr. Mattison taking the role as the BIA executive director to further assist our efforts to open in fall 2016.

deborahdavis@reporternewspapers.net Contributors

On the record

Dyana Bagby, Phil Mosier, Allen Rabinowitz

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Read these articles from our other editions online at ReporterNewspapets.net. “They refused to give in. They fought to preserve the community. A community that is as tough and as committed to an idea as this community was must be saved and deserves the best we can give it.” —Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul speaking on Dec. 1, the city’s 10th birthday, about the residents who led the cityhood eﬀort. “The big B—‘You’ve been blighted.’

DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

The scarlet B.” —Sandy Springs City Councilman Andy Bauman, suggesting signs to shame the owners of properties declared “blighted” by the city. “[O]ne, I did nothing wrong, and, two, there’s no conflict going forward.” —Brookhaven City Councilman Bates Mattison on an attorney’s formal opinion that Mattison’s new second job as interim executive director of the Brookhaven In-

novation Academy, a new public charter school, does not create ethical conflicts as long as he recuses himself from school-related votes. “I’m kind of impressed how [planners have] negotiated the Middle East peace accords and gotten consensus. This is a tough crowd.” —Brookhaven Mayor Rebecca Chase Williams, praising consultants working on a master plan for Murphey Candler Park. DUN

COMMENTARY

A flock of Eagles flies together at Troop 304 Eagle Scouts are supsupportive of each other.” posed to be rare birds. It Baker remembered takes years of work to bewhen a lot of scouts started come an Eagle and scout dropping out of the troop leaders say that only a in middle school. Havsmall fraction of the boys ing a group of friends he’d who take part in scouting known since first grade earn the program’s highest stick with scouting made it rank. easier for him keep going. But this year, the boys “If these people weren’t in in Troop 304 at Lovett it, I don’t know if I could School apparently didn’t have done it,” he said. AROUND get the message. In NoA little friendly compeTOWN vember, Troop 304 gradtition helped, too. “Other uated its own flock of Eaguys getting their projects JOE EARLE gles. This group claimed done ... it’s kind of a kick their Eagle badges in in the butt,” said Freddy numbers usually reserved for eggs or Achecar, whose Eagle project installed doughnuts: There are a cool dozen of posts for displaying signs at Chastain them. Park. “I think we beat the odds,” former Their Eagle projects now pop up Troop 304 Scoutmaster Kevin Link all over Buckhead and a few other arsaid one recent evening as eas. Taken together, their he and some of the boys projects contributed more gathered at Lovett’s Scout than 1,500 hours of comHut. munity service and inThese aren’t Troop 304’s volved more than 130 volfirst Eagles. The Lovettunteers, the troop said in based troop has produced a press release. about 100 Eagles since Griffin Leinbeck refurit was chartered in 1996, bished duck boxes at the Link said. The troop acBlue Heron Nature Centually has twice before ter. Sam Baker worked on awarded more than a dozthe community garden at en Eagles in a single year, Little Nancy Creek Park. with 13 bestowed in 2006 Joe Callaway and Ned Eland 2009. lis did landscaping and Part of what’s unusubuilt picnic tables for the Kevin Link al about the 2015 group farmers market at St. Philis that these guys did it all ip’s Cathedral. together. The path to an Wil Harrison renovatEagle badge takes commitment. Eaed a work shed at Chastain Park. Angle scouts work their way through all drew Link built picnic tables for the other scout ranks, then accumulate 21 Vinings United Methodist Church. merit badges, which each shows a proMaxwell McCrady built a sign for Atficiency in certain lanta First Station areas such as citi26 at Howell Mill zenship, personal and Moores Mill fitness or emergenroads. cy preparedness. EaPatrick McGuire “I think part of it for me gles must also think was there were 11 others; installed picnic taup, organize and bles at a school in I think we were really manage public serJonesboro and vice projects in their supportive of each other.” Hayden Page and communities. Garrett Wright reTroop 304’s dozstored a playground – MATTHEW BOUTTE en Eagles helped and added picnic taone another out bles and a bench at along the way. They a women and chilall joined scouts in dren’s shelter in East first grade and stuck Point. together through their senior year in Page moved to Colorado recenthigh school. “It was a group journey ly, but, in November, he was back and to this point,” new Eagle Sam Baker the entire dozen Eagles assembled at said. Lovett’s Scout Hut to receive their EaThey went to scout camp and on gle badges. scout outings together. They worked Andrew Link said making Eagles on one another’s Eagle projects. “I gave them “a sense of accomplishment think part of it for me was there were since we stuck with it from the begin11 others,” said Matthew Boutte, ning and didn’t quit.” whose Eagle project was to renovate Callaway nodded in agreement. the Columbarium at St. Paul’s Epis“It’s been 12 years of our lives working copal Church. “I think we were really on this,” he said.

Eleven of the dozen new Eagle Schoots in Troop 304 gather at the Scout Hut at Lovett School. The are: front row, left to right, Joseph Callaway, Freddy Achecar, Ned Ellis, Patrick McGuire, Wil Harrison; back row, left to right, Grifﬁn Leinbach, Matthew Boutte, Andrew Link, Sam Baker, Max McCrady, Garrett Wright. Not pictured: Hayden Page.

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

PHOTO JOHN RUCH

Sandy Springs residents Hershell Horton (left) and Cedron Tigner are forced to walk in the road on Hammond Drive near Boylston Drive in Sandy Springs.

Roadside trails a challenge for walkers and cities CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

But there’s a big backlog to catch up with. DeKalb and Fulton counties began requiring new developments to include sidewalks in the 1990s, she said, and Atlanta and the Perimeter’s newer cities do as well. Linking those disconnected bits of sidewalk is expensive. “Probably the most important [challenge] is money,” Flocks said. That’s true in Dunwoody, where the city plans to replace part of the Cotillion Drive trail with a paved multi-use path in 2017. The new multi-use path is coming because the city is aware of Cotillion’s obvious pedestrian problem, said Public Works Director Michael Smith. But it’s taking years because new sidewalks cost roughly $250,000 per mile—Cotillion’s multiuse path probably will cost more than $1 million. The city’s overall plan for 20 miles of new sidewalks will cost at least $5 million—or about 16 percent of the city’s $32 million annual budget, if it were all done at once. “It’s not something that can all be done at one time,” Smith said. “We’re trying to chip away a little bit each year.” Cotillion, running a mile along Dunwoody’s southern border between North Peachtree and Chamblee-Dunwoody roads, is a classic environment for desire paths. Smith said it likely was built as part of I-285’s construction in the 1960s or ’70s, when pedestrian structures weren’t automatically included and the area was less developed. Since then, two multifamily housing projects have added disconnected pieces of sidewalk. Even the desire path disappears at the Georgetown end among busy parking lots for gas stations and fastfood restaurants. Jamie Lee lives on one of Cotillion’s sidewalk islands, the Madison Square at Dunwoody condos. She walks for health, but cuts through the parking lots of a near-

by office park to avoid the desire path, which she doesn’t find so desirable. “It’s not as safe because it’s not flat,” she said. “And traffic is so bad here.” Pedestrian safety drove the Georgia Department of Transportation to upgrade walkways along Buford Highway, a state route, starting in 2012. Buford was lined with narrow desire paths along the highspeed, multi-lane road. And it was infamous for pedestrians killed by cars—at least 22 between 2000 and 2009, according to a report in Creative Loafing. GDOT’s recently finished $11.5 million project targeted the Buford corridor from Lenox Road in Buckhead to just south of Clairmont Road in Brookhaven. It replaced desire paths with sidewalks and installed medians and signalized crosswalks. With another round of funding, GDOT plans to extend the improvements north from Clairmont Road into Chamblee, said spokeswoman Annalysce Baker. But that’s not until 2020, so rough desire paths remain in use there. Flocks said the method of getting sidewalk funds can be an issue, too. PEDS opposes metro Atlanta’s tradition of treating sidewalks as something for private property owners to install and maintain, calling that unfair and inefficient. “We’ve said [sidewalks] should be paid for with public funds because it’s a public good,” she said. The burden on private owners can trigger resistance from those who may “want [their land] to have a rural feel. They don’t want people walking in front of their property,” she said. Those issues can spark debate even on public land, such as a current proposal to add sidewalks, as well as paved interior paths, at Atlanta Memorial Park. At a recent community meeting, advocates said paving the existing desire paths along Woodward Way and Wesley Drive is a basic safety and accessibility matter. Opponents worried that sidewalks could damage the environment and attract overuse

COMMUNITY Comprehensive

of the park. All of those issues come together at Sandy Springs’ Hammond Drive. In its first decade of existence, the city has installed 20 miles of sidewalks. But Ham-

district. The main reason is strong local opposition to the city’s plan to widen Hammond, which would include adding sidewalks. The widening project still lacks full funding, said city spokeswoman Sharon Kraun. Adding sidewalks to the existing road isn’t in the near future, either. “Proof of pedestrian activity such as desire paths” is one criterion for prioritizing new sidewalks, Kraun said, but added, “In our current list of sidewalks scoring, Hammond is not on that list.” With cities now working under sidewalk expansion policies, paving the old desire paths is probably a matter of when, not if. But patience can be hard for today’s walkers like Stockdale, who sometimes arrives at work with soaked shoes from wet grass and hikes home PHOTO JOHN RUCH on the road’s white line because A trail on Hammond Drive near Kayron it’s all he can see Drive in Sandy Springs. in the dark. “Hey, make mond remains an obvious sticking point, ’em put a sidewalk out here for me!” he lined with a ragged desire path despite called as he trudged home down the Colinking the increasingly walkable Perimetillion Drive path. ter Center and Roswell Road downtown

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

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Steve Kilby wasn’t sure he was ready event benefitting the U.S. Marine Corps to organize the first Jingle Mingle in Reserve Toys for Tots program. “We 2003. He knew it would take a lot of support their mission,” Kilby said. work to organize a charity fundraisThis year, Jingle Mingle will be held er from scratch, but it turned out to be Dec. 19 at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Peworth the trouble. rimeter at Ravinia, located at 4355 Ash“I somewhat reluctantly did the ford-Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody. event, because these things are a lot of Toys for Tots started in Los Angeles, effort, but we were so successful, with Calif., in 1947, when Diane Hendricks 700 attendees,” the asked her husband, Buckhead salesman Maj. Bill Hendricks Do you know someone making a said. of the U.S. Marine That first Jingle difference in our community? E-mail Corps Reserve, to Mingle, an upscale deliver a Raggedy editor@reporternewspapers.net party benefitting Ann doll she had the U.S. Marine made to an organiCorps Reserve Toys zation that would for Tots program, took place at a sports give it to a child. No such organization bar on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. existed, so Bill Hendricks started one, The restaurant cleared out its tables to according to Toys for Tots website. host the event, but the hundreds who As the director of public relations showed up gridlocked Roswell Road to for Warner Brothers Studio, Hendricks the point that Fulton County police arconvinced many celebrities to support rived, Kilby said. Toys for Tots and, in 1948, the Marine The officers likely would have shut Corps Reserve adopted the program on the event down due to the logistical a nationwide basis. Walt Disney then mess, but “when I pointed to the two designed the Toys for Tots logo, which Marines at the front door taking donathe organization still uses today, the tions, and said they were Marines, the website says. officers both looked at each other and Kilby’s fundraising party connected said, ‘Hey, we’re Marines,’ and they to Toys for Tots its first year. turned their attention to managing traf“The Marines were first to answer fic congestion rather than shutting the the phone and we adopted them as our event down,” Kilby said. “It really was a charity,” Kilby said. “They were enthusimagic moment.” astic and excited to hear from me.” Kilby, who had worked with othKilby said the Marines accept toys er nonprofits, started the Jingle Minduring the Jingle Mingle event. They gle after several charity workers he knew take the toys to a warehouse and distribasked him how they could do more. ute them with the help of the United He organized a group called the AtlanWay, which helps determine organizata Two Hundred, which hosts the fortions can give the toys to needy families. mal dinner dance called the Jingle Min“The toys absolutely stay in metro Atgle each year. lanta,” Kilby said. “You don’t realize it, “We’re a rag-tag group of volunteers,” but someone who may look okay [beKilby said. cause he or she] has a car and apartment, He describes Jingle Mingle as the will get some toys. It’s our neighbors — largest metro Atlanta area one-night it’s people right beside us that may be on

MAKING A DIFFERENCE 28 and 32, chosen on the basis of five criteria, the “least of which is looks,” Kilby said. “The angel concept relies on personality and charisma,” Kilby said. “They have to be fit. They have to be professional, accomplished and have a charitable history. Number 5 is looks.” Sara Davis, who has been an “Angel” several times, says her role is to serve as the “face and the inspiration” for the program. The Angels call Kilby the “Toy King,” Davis said. “Our job is to be classy ambassadors for the event and raise awareness of the cause, aiming SPECIAL to reach thousands of people Steve Kilby, founder of Atlanta Two and help over thousands of unHundred, and Angel Sara Davis, derprivileged children to have at a Jingle Mingle event. something under the tree at Christmas,” Davis said. “It is all food stamps or assistance. The toys aren’t about bringing joy to others. It is such going to Bolivia or Tennessee; they stay an incredible rewarding experience.” right here in Atlanta.” Jingle Mingle sold out last year and By 2006, Jingle Mingle attracted Kilby said he expects 2,500 to 3,000 atmore than 4,000 attendees to Grand tendees this year. Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, Kilby said. When the Atlanta Two Hundred isn’t The U.S. Marine Corp Reserve says on working on its flagship Jingle Mingle its Toys for Tots program website that event, the friends work to benefit the 2006 was one of the biggest years on National Alliance on Mental Illness and record. In 2007, the Marines flew four Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. generals from Quantico, Va., to the Jin“To keep Atlanta Two Hundred acgle Mingle, Kilby said. tive in minds and hearts, we support Now, Kilby uses what he calls “Amother charities throughout the year,” bassadorettes of good will and cheer.” Kilby said. His 15 “Angels” are between the ages of

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | 13

DINING OUT

OK Cafe

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the midpoint of the dining room where one’s eyes simply cannot help but gravFor the last 10 years, the occasionitate, no matter what table those eyes al recommendation was dropped on me are sitting at. I guess the flag didn’t get that I ought to have breakfast at OK caught up in the fire. Cafe in Buckhead. Time stands still at the OK Cafe. OK Cafe is an old fashioned diner Call Senior Helpers today at 770-442-2154 It’s predictable, delivering all the comwith reasonably priced meals and good Your local Senior Care Expert since 2006 fort foods of Southern livservice. It had been there ing that this restaurant forever and would be there has perfected over its very forever, so I put it on the • Alzheimer and Dementia • Caregivers Available from many years as an Atlanback burner as a place I’d Care 1 hr./day to 24/7 and Live-in ta landmark. Its familyget to eventually. au friendly atmosphere with However, it was de• Transportation and Errands • Care available in the rant Re kiddos running just a little stroyed by fire before I got • Bathing, Dressing and Light hospital, rehab, wild and its kitschy decor around to eating there. Housekeeping assisted living or home. are just what one wants in a Sunday afI was a little saddened that I didn’t get ternoon get together. to try it out, but hey, time marches on. • Fall Risk Care The lines of folks waiting to get in at When the news came that OK Cafe was this no-frills and no-reservations historbeing renovated, I was eager not to let ic institution always looks excruciatingly my chance at redemption slip away. I Senior Helpers long, but the crowds are actually seated also brought two friends who had eatMatt Fredenberg, quite quickly. My party of four arrived en at the first incarnation of the place, Elizabeth Jackson, at 12:30 p.m. on a Sunday and was seatso they could tell me what has changed ed within a half hour. Most of the servabout it. Pam Hodgson, ers are making a career of it, and being They tell me that literally nothing Hutch Hodgson a little older and wiser than the average whatsoever has changed there. From the restaurant staff members, their warmth layout to the service ware to the light fixand experience shone through at every tures, everything looks exactly as it did Family Owned turn. before. This includes…um…the giant & Managed The service is as golden as the food. Georgia 1956 flag with the ConfederOK Cafe can fry up just about anyate battle emblem framed majestically at thing to perfection. We had the crab and crawfish cakes, held together by a stalwart shell of fried goodness with nary a crumble in sight. We had the fried pickles, their golden crust flexible enough to bend with the wet insides but stable You asked..... We heard.. We have worked with enough to contain them without teara major hearing aid manufacturer to offer the ing. We had the jalapeño fried cheese grits, formed as perfect two-bite nugfollowing Holiday Hearing Aid Extravaganza on gets with only the barest, least offensive a special inventory close out. Up to 60% off with kind of peppery jolt to the taste buds. Let’s not even state the obvious about prices starting at $995.00 per device. the french fries. Aside from the fried, there is plen“We believe hearing aids need to be affordable for ty of delicious color. The black cow was frothy and delicious, served in proper everyone who needs them.” soda fountain style. The potato salad left Joy Pritchett, Doctor of Aud. Owner all the red skin in the mix, for an earthy riff on a classic in need of refreshing. The corn muffins were bursting with actual This Year Hear Your Holidays niblets of corn. The avocado in the omelette was both smooth and startling. Each of us loved the mac ’n’ cheese CALL NOW Limited inventory available! for a different reason, and the burger For your convenience take advantage of our extended was nothing to scoff at. Right down to Dunwoody/Sandy Springs the pecan pie, served warm with a smallhours in our Decatur and Dunwoody locations. 678-500-8185 er nut size so it’s plenty pliable, and the key lime pie, with a proper sour and Decatur/ N. Druid Hills without the neon green, OK Cafe nails 404-963-9904 just about everything that makes a Great American Diner. Lake Oconee/Greensboro Now if they could just take down 706-438-4227 that embarrassing relic of an America that is long gone for good reason, I’d be Lake Sinclair/Milledgeville glad to eat there again next Sunday. 478-607-7576 OK Cafe, 1284 West Paces Ferry Road, okcafe.com. www.HearAtlanta.com Megan Volpert lives in Decatur, teaches in Roswell and writes books about pop culture. | | 14 DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 www.ReporterNewspapers.net

DINING OUT

Quick Bites

Italian beverages. For more, visit facebook.com/verobrookhaven.

il Giallo Osteria & Bar is now open in Sandy Springs at 5920 Roswell Road, #118. Chef Jamie Adams, formerly with Veni Vidi Vici, is hand-making pasta in the kitchen for tagliatelle, agnolotti, linguine and more. Visit ilgialloatl. com for more information.

Dolce Italian, located on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, is now open for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Chef Paolo Dorigato’s menu highlights handcrafted pastas, Neapolitan-style pizzas and classic egg dishes. There’s even a spin on the Southern standard, Tuscan Fried Chicken & Waﬄes. For more information, visCalifornia Pizza it dolceitalianrestaurant. Kitchen has reopened its com. flagship Atlanta restauMeals on Wheels has Chef Jamie Adams rant inside Lenox Square announced that as of Nov. hand makes pasta. in Buckhead after exten9 Charlene Crusoe-Insive renovations. gram, a former CocaCola Company execLuxury chocolatutive, has become the ier CACAO Atlanta organization’s new exhas officially opened ecutive director. She its flagship store at The replaces Jeffrey Smythe Shops Buckhead Atwho served as MOW’s lanta. The store feaexecutive director for tures limited-release 13 years. “I can’t wait collections of handto begin leading an orcrafted chocolates as ganization that I hold well as collaborations Dolce Italian is now open for so dearly,” said Cruwith artists. For more Saturday and Sunday brunch. soe-Ingram. “My iminformation, visit cacaoatlanta.com. mediate goal is to end our wait list of seniors who are hungry and need food. Five Guys has opened its sixth loAnd with the help of my board and the cation in metro Atlanta, serving up its great staff here at Meals On Wheels Atburgers and fries inside Lenox Square. lanta, I believe we can do that.” The new location is offering Five Guys Sprouts Farmers Market will open Milkshakes, featuring 10 different mixits 10th store at 1853 Piedmont Ave. ins to the vanilla shake base including NE in Buckhead on Feb. 3. The combacon, chocolate, Oreos, banana, coffee pany will hire about 100 full- and partand salted caramel. time team members to work at the Atlanta store. Available opportunities Word of Mouth Restaurants has include clerks, cashiers, department opened Vero Pizzeria in Brookhaven, managers and administrative coordinanestled between its sister restaurants tor. Visit sprouts.com/careers to learn Haven and Valenza, at 1441 Dresden more and to apply. Drive. The restaurant offers custom pizzas, small bites, salads and a selection of — Collin Kelley

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | 15

out& about

BROOKHAVEN • BUCKHEAD • DUNWOODY • SANDY SPRINGS

KIDS & FAMILY

Music & Movement Tuesday, December 15, 4 - 5 p.m. – Put on your dancing shoes and join the Imaginators for upbeat, fun activities based around geography, culture or sports. This workshop is ideal for children aged pre-K through third grade. The programs combine music, dance and education sure to please your little ones. Free and open to the public. Dunwoody Library, 5339 ChambleeDunwoody Road, Dunwoody, 30338. For more information, call 770-512-4640 or go to dekalblibrary.org.

101 Dalmatians Tuesday, December 15, 6 - 7 p.m. – The

MJCCA Youth Ensemble Junior presents a performance of 101 Dalmatians. The classic animated tale of kidnapping villains and courageous pups has been adapted for a new generation of young performers. Free and open to the public, no registration required. MJCCA Zaban Park, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, 30338. For more information, go online to atlantajcc.org or call 678-812-4000.

Car Seat Inspection Wednesday, December 16, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. – Sandy Springs Fire Rescue wants to en-

sure that the city’s kids are secure in their car seats. The department is hosting free inspections to make sure that seats are safely installed and provide child safety seat installation assistance for new parents with appointment. Inspections typically take between 30 to 60 minutes per seat and include training for the parents. Recommended

for parents of kids under the age of 8. Schedule your appointment by calling 770-206-1518.

Masquerade Party

EDUCATION

Mental Health Discussion Saturday, December 19, 12 - 2 p.m. – Author Lena G. Clark will speak about her purpose, passions and story. Centered around her relationship with her late husband Norris Clark who suffered from mental illness, her book “An Amazing Mind” is a resource to those also experiencing mental illness within their families. Free and open to the public. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Buckhead Branch Library, Large Meeting Room, 269 Buckhead Ave. NE, Atlanta, 30305. For more information, go online to afpls.org, call 404-814-3500 or email comments@co.fulton.ga.us.

Star Stories Sunday, December 27, 1 - 2 p.m. – Do you have a passion for astronomy? Love learning about

the stars? Well, the Chattahoochee Nature Center has a special event that’s perfect for the stargazers among us. With an inflatable planetarium, STARLAB, the center will offer insight into the stories of Creek and Cherokee people who once lived in this area and how they used the stars in their daily lives. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Two sessions, each 25 minutes long, will be offered during that time. Free to CNC Members and included with general admission for nonmembers; $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (65+) and students (ages 13 -18), $6 for children (ages 3 -12), and children 2 and under are free. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell, 30075. Have questions? Call 770-9922055 or go online to chattanturecenter.org.

SEASONAL EVENTS

Sunday, December 19, 7:30 p.m. – Me-

della Mental and Behavioral Health, Inc. is hosting a “Father-Daughter-Mother-Son Masquerade Party” at Huntcliff by the River Clubhouse. Medella Mental and Behavioral Health, Inc. is a nonprofit organization supporting families and adolescents diagnosed with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and mental illness. All proceeds generated from this event will support Camp H.O.P.E., a camp designed for children with disabilities. The event will include an evening meal, beverages, dessert bar and music. Huntcliff by the River Clubhouse, 9072 River Run Road NE, Sandy Springs, 30350. Go online to medellahealth.org for more information and to register.

Family Fun Day Friday, December 25, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. – The MJCCA is opening its doors for a day

of family entertainment and fun. The JCC fitness center, indoor pool and Marcus gym will be open and available all day, and at 11 a.m. Family Fun Day officially begins with a sing-along followed by family-friendly movies. Kids are invited to play on inflatables, ride-on toys, play table tennis, basketball games, indoor pool, and enjoy the playground. Food will be available for purchase at Goodfriend’s Grill from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free and open to the community. MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, 30338. For more information, go online to atlantajcc.org or call 678-812-4000.

Menorah Lighting Sunday, December 13 at 4 p.m. -– Join the First Lady, Sandra Deal, as she hosts the Menorah Lighting Ceremony at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion. Israeli Consulate General Varnai Shorer and Temple Emanuel’s Rabbi Spike Anderson will join other local dignitaries in the Hanukkah festivities. Governor’s Mansion, 391 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, 30305. Have questions? Go online to sandyspringsga.org to learn more.

Merry Monday! Monday, December 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – The

crew at the Atlanta History Center is hosting a Christmas-themed Magic Monday as part of the ongoing program. This monthly series is recommended for kids aged 18 months to 5 years, and engages them in activities that bring history into their play. Catch the Christmas spirit with sing-alongs, dances and crafts. Members get in free, adult admission is $6.50;

$5.50 for children. Discounted rates are available for groups with 10 or more children. For more information, please call 404-814-4110 or go to atlantahistorycenter.com. Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, 30305.

Adopt-AFamily Through Thursday, December 17 – The Com-

munity Assistance Center in Sandy Springs is hosting an Adopt-A-Family program that serves local families. It’s easy to sign up as a donor by going online to the CAC website, there you can view family stories as well as children’s wish lists. Donors are asked to spend $50 per child and to deliver the new and unwrapped gifts to the gift distribution site. Gifts will be distributed to families as they are received. If you have questions, email holidays@ ourcac.org or call 770-552-4889. Community Assistance Center, 1130 Hightower Trail, Sandy Springs, 30350.

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Brookhaven’s Birthday Thursday, December 17, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. – The city of Brookhaven is throwing a

birthday party at City Hall. Residents are invited to stop by for a slice of the city’s birthday cake, served up on December 17. Free, open to the public. Brookhaven City Hall, 4362 Peachtree Road, Brookhaven, 30319. For more info, go online to brookhavenga.gov or call 404-637-0500.

Toy Drive Through Thursday, December 17 – The Sandy Springs Police Department is collecting toys this season for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. You can make a difference to a child in need with your gift donations. Toys will be accepted at the SSPD Headquarters, 7840 Roswell Road #301, Sandy Springs, 30328. For more information, go to sandyspringsga.org/ public-safety/police-department or call 770551-6900.

Krampus Xmas Thursday, December 17 through Saturday, December 19 – 7 Stages presents a

performance of Krampus Xmas, a holiday tradition in the community. Paired with music by The Little Five Points Rockstar Orchestra and Syrens of the South, the performance includes burlesque dancers, stilt-walkers, aerialists and more surprises. Go online to 7stages.org to see showtimes and purchase tickets, call 404-5237647, or email boxoffice@7stages.org. 7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave. Atlanta, 30307.

Let Nothing You Dismay Thursday, December 17 through Sunday, December 20 – Stage Door

Players in Dunwoody present a play centered around two soon-to-be-parents at Christmas time. The couple requests that their family gives them space until they bring the baby home, but a variety of eccentric characters show up despite their wishes. Eight actors play twenty-two characters in this quick witted holiday farce that celebrates families of all shapes and sizes. General admission tickets are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors, $22 for students, and $15 for kids under 12. For more information and showtimes, call the box office at 770-396-1726 or go online to stagedoorplayers.net. Stage Door Players, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, 30338.

Chocolate Nutcracker

ech.edu/ferstcenter for information and tickets. Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech, 349 Ferst Dr., Atlanta, 30332. Need more info? Call 404-894-9600.

Gingerbread House Decorating Party Saturday, December 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Making a gingerbread

house is a holiday tradition that has been celebrated for many years. Putting the project together, however, can be timeconsuming and daunting. This year crafters of all ages are invited to this holiday decorating workshop. Participants will be provided with a blank canvas gingerbread house and will be taught how to make a decadent Royal icing, as well as choose from more than 20 candies to accent. Groups are limited to two people per house, and each house costs $35 for supplies. Vino Venue, 4478 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, 30338. Call 770-668-0435 or go to atlantawineschool.com/ shop/gingerbread.

Tales & Green Gifts

during this last day of the market. The Spruill Gallery features unique and locally crafted gifts, artwork, and decor. Spruill Gallery, 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody 30338. For more information, go online to spruillgallery. blogspot.com or call 770-394-4019.

Monday, December 21, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. – The Chattahoochee Nature Center in-

vites the community to enjoy winter break activities and wrap some gifts at the same time. Nature Exchange Points can be used to purchase a nature gift for someone special in your life. Nature-inspired wrapping materials will be hand to prep your gifts for the ocon casion. Free to CNC Members and included with general admission for nonmembers; $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (65+) and students (ages 13 -18), $6 for children (ages 3 -12), and children 2 and under are free. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell, 30075. Have questions? Call 770-992-2055 or go online to chattanturecenter.org to find out more about this event and others.

Christmas for Kids Through December 25 – The City of Dunwoody Police Department has teamed up again with I Care Atlanta to bring toys and food to those in need this holiday season. Christmas for Kids is seeking donations of new, unwrapped toys and gifts for ages newborn through 15 years. Nonperishable food items such as cereal, flour, sugar, pasta, and oatmeal are welcomed, as well as nonexpired canned goods like tuna, vegetables, fruits, pasta sauce, soups, etc. Donations can be dropped off 24/7 at the Dunwoody Police Headquarters, 41 Perimeter Center E #100, Dunwoody, 30346, as well as at I Care Atlanta, Inc., 5879-B New Peachtree Rosd Doraville, 30340. To learn more, visit dpdchristmas4kids.com.

Holiday Sale Wednesday, December 23, 10 a.m. 7 p.m. – Spruill Gallery invites last-minute shoppers to a day of savings during their Holiday sale. Take 20% off your entire purchase

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out & about HOLIDAY CONCERTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

‘Tis the season to treat yourself to our Holiday Open House.

Music of the Holidays

Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19 – The Atlanta Young Singers

will perform a holiday tribute to famed conductor Robert Shaw, reliving favorites from their 23 years of appearances with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. Tickets start at $12 for general admission and can be purchased online at aysc.org. Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 2855 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, 30329.

side Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The event will feature the AYS Treble Concert Choir & Youth Chorale, and harpist Dania Lane. Tickets start at $15 for general admission, and more information can be found online at aysc.org. Please note, seating is in pews and is reserved by row but not seat, all individual seats are first come, first serve. Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 2855 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta, 30329.

Coro Vocati Concert Sunday, December 20 at 3 p.m – This musical group is an en-

semble of professional singers based in Atlanta. Coro Vocati serves as a master class for singers and they will present a program of Advent and Christmas music sure to please the whole family. All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 634 West Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, 30308. For more information go to allsaintsatlanta.org or call 404-267-4264. General admission tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors.

Georgia Boy Choir Friday, December 18, and Saturday, December 19, 7 p.m. – Enjoy two eve-

You’re cordially invited to our Holiday Open House Thurs, December 17th • 11:00am-3:00pm Wow! We’ve been busy. We’ve been decorating our community in its “holiday best” and we’re soooo excited to show you. So, if you’ve been thinking about taking a tour of The Piedmont, now may just be the best time ever. And did we mention the holiday goodies? Go ahead, treat yourself to our Holiday Open House and grab hold of some holiday cheer (and maybe a cookie, too).

Please RSVP by Dec. 14th • 404.381.1743

nings of holiday classics performed by the Georgia Boy Choir at the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church. This performance is a well-loved community tradition and is a sure bet for getting into the holiday spirit. General admission starts at $20 each, preferred seating is $40 each, and students, seniors, and children are $12 each. To purchase tickets go online to georgiaboychoir.ticketleap.com/christmas2015. Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, 30305.

Atlanta Young Singers Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19, 8 - 9:45 p.m. – The Im-

maculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church will host the 41st annual Music of the Holidays. Presented in celebration of the legacy of late famed conductor Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Young Singers 23 years of appearances along-

Messiah SingAlong Sunday, December 20 from 3 to 4 p.m. – Join voices

from around Atlanta for an annual musical tradition. Professional vocal soloists and an orchestral ensemble from the Georgia Philharmonic will join the ranks with organist Tom Alderman and hundreds of other community singers for classic holiday songs. Whether you’d prefer to bring your own score or buy one at the church, guests are welcome to join in the music or simply sit back and enjoy the tunes. Tickets are $10 each regardless of participation. Go to mosingers.com/tickets or call 770-594-7974 to buy tickets and find out more details. Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell, 30075.

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Grifﬁn’s animal portraits showcased in Sandy Springs BY ALLEN RABINOWITZ Although better known for advertising images, music album covers and portraits of business leaders, musicians and other celebrated people, photographer Marti Griffin says her new project, titled “Animalia,” combines her two great loves: photography and animals. The collection of 40-plus images of animals includes domestic and feral cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, amphibians, horses, rabbits and other members of the animal kingdom. The exhibit is on display at the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library-Sandy Springs Branch, through Dec. 30. “Animalia” marks the longtime Sandy Springs resident’s third animalthemed show at the library. Griffin says the library is one of her favorite exhibition spaces, primarily for what she calls the “intelligence factor.” “A lot of intelligent people go in there,” she explained. “They look at the art and enjoy it. Sandy Springs is more oriented toward families and young professionals. The show is geared to anyone who loves animals.” Along with photographs of animals in their habitat and pictures of friends’ pets, many of the images were taken as assignments for clients of her business specializing in animal portraiture. She founded her company in 1999 after she reached a point where, she said, “I was tired of shooting advertising assignments.” “I love photographing people, but I felt more drawn to animals,” she said. Gaining a subject’s trust, according to Griffin, is one of the key elements to a successful animal portrait. “First and foremost,” she said, “you’ve got to gain the animal’s trust, unless you can grab a candid shot like ‘got it and gone’ because they’re skittish. To gain their trust I just try to be myself, but if it gets bad, especially with the cats, I try to have catnip with me and see if that helps. I try to get a bond going and they respond to me.” Although most cats look annoyed, Griffin explained, “That’s just the way

cats are. I found out that it’s hard to find a smiling cat. Especially the feral cats, they never are happy and they mistrust you somewhat. It’s rare where I can get in and actually pet a feral cat.” Dogs, on the other hand, are natural hams in front of the lens. “They seem to relate to the camera more,” said Griffin. “In the right situation, if a cat is comfortable, you can get a relaxed shot.”

“Animalia,” a photo exhibit by Marti Grifﬁn Where: Atlanta Fulton Couty Library Sandy Springs Branch, 395 Mt. Vernon Highway When: through Dec. 30. For more: www.petraiture.com.

PETE MCHUGH

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COMMUNITY

Residents light up their homes for the holidays

ELLEN ELDRIDGE

The Talbott home in Sandy Springs, above, displays 22,000 lights and ďŹ gurines set out by Greg Talbot Sr. and son, Greg Talbot Jr., below.

BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

elleneldridge@reporternewspapers.net

Metro Atlanta neighbors arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shy about lighting up their homes for the holidays. Here are a few must-see sites for anyone wanting to see some extraordinary displays. Pragya Singh moved into her Buckhead home at 815 West Paces Ferry Road six months ago. Her husband is Indian Consul Gen-

eral Nagesh Singh, so the family moves about every three years for his job. This year, she decided to decorate for the holidays. Her house now is aglow with hanging lights. A contractor did much of the work around the yard, while Singh served as creative director and strung lights around smaller pillars. Her hol-

iday lights recognize and celebrate the Indian holiday Diwali, which was Nov. 11 this year. The lights were all up by the last week of October and she decided to continue the lightshow through the New Year, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to have your house decorated,â&#x20AC;? she said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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COMMUNITY

Residents light up their homes for the holidays

ELLEN ELDRIDGE

The Singh home on West Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead, above, features hanging lights, above. The home was lit in October ahead of Diwali.

The Harris home on Leisure Drive in Dunwoody, top left, displays a toy train, a lighted Christmas tree and, at left, a snowman skating on a frozen pond. SPECIAL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

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“The festive season started here with Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas and then New Year’s, so I thought it’d be nice to have the lights for at least two months since everybody’s worked so hard.” Over in Sandy Springs, Greg Talbott has been decorating his home during the Christmas season since the 1980s. His display of more than 22,000 lights goes up in October. It adds about $175 a month to his electric bill, he said. Talbott said he does it for his two grandkids. “We had three [grandchildren], but we lost one to cancer a few years ago this month,” he said. “She was 9. She was the light of our life.” This year, they added an LED lighted Olaf the Snowman figure, representing a character from the movie “Frozen.” Talbott said it doesn’t shine as brightly as the older figures that don’t use LED lights, but the LEDs save electricity. “Quite a bit” of storage space is needed to house the decorations during the year, Talbott said. “We’ve got a couple of rooms in the basement and we’ve got a shed.” Dr. Gary Gropper also needs a large amount of storage space for his more than 150 inflatable decorations. Year after year he fills his yard at the corner of Winall Down and PeachtreeDunwoody roads with everything from snowmen to Santa Claus to the leg lamp from the movie “A Christmas Story.”

COMMUNITY

State-ordered dam repairs can take years Editor’s note: This is one of a series of articles Reporter Newspapers is publishing about dams in our communities. Previous installments have looked at the location and condition of the 11 local high-hazard dams and the costs of maintaining high-hazard dams. To see previous articles, go to ReporterNewspapers.net.

BY JOHN RUCH

johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

The goal of the state Safe Dams Program is as simple as its name suggests. But when the program identifies dams—including two in Sandy Springs—as needing safety-related repairs, the process can get complicated quickly and can take years. The local Lake Forrest and Tera Lake dams are in conditions that concern the state, but are still ongoing issues more than seven years after the first notices were sent to dam owners, said Tom Woosley, program manager of the Safe Dams Program. In part, that’s due to issues in identifying and getting cooperation from dam owners; it’s also due to the state’s lengthy review processes. Tera Lake, off Burdette Road, is an example of a “long enforcement process that can go on for years,” said Woosley. And, he said, the dam under the 4600 block of Lake Forrest Drive is “definitely not going like the typical project. It’s taken so much longer.” Lake Forrest and Tera Lake are two of 11 dams in the Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs area on the state’s list of “high-hazard” dams. That means that if the dams failed, the flood likely would kill people. The high-hazard classification is not a judgment about the current condition of the dam. But it does trigger regular state inspections and suggests the stakes involved if a safety problem is discovered. The dam on Tera Lake (also known as Berezney and Lee Lake on some maps), built in 1958, is one such situation. The state placed the dam on the high-hazard list in early 2008 and has had serious concerns about its condition. In 2013, Woosley said, inspectors found “an instability with slope of

Lake Forrest dam also ran into long ownership confusion when Safe Dams declared it high-hazard in 2009. It is partly owned by the homeowners around the so-called Three Lakes the dam creates, but it also runs under a road on the Atlanta-Sandy Springs border. The two cities have agreed to do repairs and split the costs. Trees will have to be removed from the dam, Woosley said. And the cities are in the process of assessing the condi-

tion of an internal pipe, which requires draining the lake. A partial draining— including the removal of fish—was carried out several months ago. But it took until Nov. 30 to get state permission to fully drain the lake, said Sandy Springs City Attorney Wendell Willard, who is supervising the work. “Anytime you touch the structure itself, you need approval of the state,” Willard said. The work so far has cost $98,000, he said.

the dam” and ordered its partial drainage. The dam remains a safety concern because heavy rains could build up the water again. “It would not take much at all for the lake to fill back up again,” he said. But the Safe Dams program had trouble identifying the dam’s owners from the start. In 2008, the state sent dam-operating permit forms to four potential owners, only one of whom responded—with the form declaring the dam’s owner “unknown.” Since then, Woosley said, two owners have been involved in coordinating repairs and maintenance, particularly Marc Pollack. Pollack is the chairman and CEO of the Pollack Shores real estate firm, but the company is not a dam owner, Woosley said. Pollack did not respond to interview requests. The Safe Dams program is scheduled to inspect the dam early next year for the first time since 2013, though the owners have privately-hired engineers examining it as well. The state believes work still needs to be done to stabilize the Tera Lake dam. “It does need upgrading,” Woosley said. “Here we are today and nothing is submitted to us for getting it into compliance. This ofSPECIAL fice is going to have to push them to get moving on it.” Eleven dams in the Buckhead, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and Brookhaven areas have been classiﬁed as “high hazard” in the Safe Dams Program ﬁles.

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| 23 DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 11/17/15 11:25 AM

Call (404) 497-1020 for an appointment.

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High Point Elementary School fourth grader Olivia Collins, at left, welcomed Georgia Tech professor Daniel Cooksey,a research faculty member in the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, to the Sandy Springs elementary school for a Science Day presentation on Nov. 20. Throughout Science Day, High Point students took part in a variety of science experiments.

at ATLANTA history center CORRECTION The name of the Standout Student that appeared in the Nov. 27-Dec. 10 issue of Reporter Newspapers is Haley Barnes. Her advisor is Angela Morris-Long.

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

COMMUNITY

MJCCA celebrates Hanukkah with community ballet

Faith Vidal-Gobea as Alice dances in “Pool of Tears” during the recent MJCCA ballet of “Alice in Wonderland.”

Reporter_GTC_ANF_Nov_27_Half Page_111915.pdf

PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER

Molly Caplan is Tiger Lily in the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta production of “Alice in Wonderland” on Dec. 6.

Faith VidalGobea, who played Alice, dances with butterflies in the 11/19/2015 1:14:13 PM production held the first night of Hanukkah.

Emma Mailman portrayed the Cheshire Cat in the MJCCA production of the ballet featuring dancers from the J Dance Company and the Collective Dance Project.

Taking a final bow after a performance of “Alice in Wonderland” are, from left to right, Kalyn Hardman as the Mad Hatter, Molly Caplan as Tiger Lily, Keith Nedd as Tweedle Dum and Frankie Freeman as Tweedle Dee.

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | 25

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Mayor departs with thicker skin CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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ELLEN ELDRIDGE

hurt my family,” Davis said. Davis said he is most proud of the fact that City Council worked well together under his leadership. “I think representative government in general has a tendency of breaking down into factions,” Davis said. “I successfully kept our City Council from ever going that direction. Everybody truly stayed with the idea of making decisions based on what is best for the community.” During the years Ken Wright was mayor, committees of citizens worked with City Council to create a Comprehensive Master Plan and the Georgetown and Dunwoody Village master plans. “The first three years of cityhood, we had tons of meetings putting our plans together. It was all planning,” Davis said. “When I came in as mayor, it was time to start implementing these plans and a lot of people came out of the woodwork when they saw these plans coming to fruition and they said they didn’t want these things.” He named the Dunwoody Village Master Plan as an example. The plan was passed unanimously by the council after seeking citizen feedback. “Nobody had ever made a single complaint about it, but as soon as we announced we were going to move forward with it, as had been agreed—the money was there and it was all set to go—and all of a sudden it was the worst thing to happen in the city of Dunwoody,” Davis said. The major impetus for Davis to run for mayor, he said, involved the City Council’s bond referendum. “The City Council decided they wanted to float a bond referendum for upwards of $66 million dollars when we were only bringing in $22 million a year — so we were talking about three times the annual revenue of the city to go into debt,” David said. “When I heard that, I thought that was crazy.” He looked at the local thinking with a national perspective, and said he didn’t want Dunwoody to go down the path of

“spending $10 to bring in $6 and then having to borrow $4,” he said. The bond failed on the same ballot that elected him mayor. Davis earned a reputation among City Council members for his relationship building. “Mike Davis has done an awesome job in the business community,” Councilman John Heneghan said. “He has reached out—I just can’t say enough about Mike’s ability to connect with the business community.” Councilman Doug Thompson agreed. “Another thing Mike is very good at is meeting with the other leaders, whether it’s the other mayors or the council members, the business leaders. ... He was highly thought of by the other regional leaders and that brings good stuff to Dunwoody.” Davis said under his leadership City Council orchestrated a deal to borrow money to buy an old hospital site, where Pernoshal Park is being installed. “We bought that with the intent that we would turn right around and cut a deal with a home developer, who ended up being John Weiland Homes, and use that money to pay off the loan and end up with enough land left over to create some parks,” Davis said. Developing homes on that land helped Dunwoody maintain its character of a single-family suburb, Davis said. He said residents were upset by what Davis called a loophole in DeKalb County government law allowing office space to be replaced with four-story or five-story multi-family housing units. “The fear in Dunwoody was that loophole was allowing Dunwoody to become more urbanized,” Davis said. “I come in, in 2011, and the reality is we now have those 8,500 apartments and the Perimeter area is becoming the premier area for new businesses.” Davis said he hasn’t made a decision on his next move now that he is leaving office. He plans to take some time off, travel and think about next steps. “The worst case, in my mind, I golf and travel the rest of my life,” he said. DUN

COMMUNITY

Wish upon a tree and ‘take a moment to appreciate everything’ BY JOE EARLE

joeearle@reporternewspapers.net

Dozens of brightly colored paper “I wish for a sibling to laugh and play tags flutter in the breeze. They’re tied to with.” “I wish all the homeless pets find the bare limbs of a dogwood like leaves loving homes.” that haven’t yet fallen for the change of Another simply expressed gratitude seasons. They record wishes. on one side: “for the brothers I share “The idea is kind of to throw them blood with” and, on the other, “for the to the wind,” said Debra Minkley, who brothers I shed blood with.” Yet anstarted the Buckhead wishing tree in other visitor was grateful for success in her front yard Thanksgiving weekend. business, but added: “Also, please send Minkley made the first wish herself. a good man my way.” Since then, passersby on Powers Fer“There’s all kinds of different things ry Road have stopped and left dozens up there,” Minkley said. “I love that more. They fill out tags with colorful part.” Sharpie pens from the roadside display This is Minkley’s first Wishing Tree. Minkley set up at the foot of her dogShe got the idea from a TV news rewood tree. A small sign instructs a visiport earlier this year about a similar tor to record a wish on one side of a tag tree in San Francisco. She looked it up and to record something he or she is on Facebook and liked what she saw. grateful for on the other. Visitors leave “It was very touching,” she said, “but their wishes in a glass jar. Minkley colthere was something beyond touching lects them, laminates them or covers that just stuck with me. I just wanted them with waterproof tape and hangs to bring joy into the house.” them from the tree. She decided Buckhead needed its The wishes cover a lot of territory. own wishing tree. She settled on the “Some of them are poignant,” Minkley dogwood planted in 1983 in front of said. her home at 4160 Powers Ferry Road, Some seek peace, for the wish-makthe year she moved in. It stands right er, or for others, or for the world. Some across the street from the Chastain Park ask for improved health or improved golf course. One recent Sunday, passlove lives. Others are more idiosyning joggers and strollers and dog walk07-29-15_PerimeterPediatricDentistryFinal_Layout 1 7/27/15 9:18 AM Page 1 cratic: “I am grateful to be here, now.” ers admired the tree. A few stopped to

read the notes and contributes their themselves, but you can tell people own additions. have that yearning for something more. “I love how many people have reIt is lonely sometimes.” sponded,” said Chumaine Dowdle, So Minkley has come to see the tree who, with her friend Liza Pevehouse, as something larger. “I don’t see it as my stopped to take a look at the wishes posted on the trees. “We were just staring at it and we were like, ‘Let’s go over there.’” Dowdle picked up a tag and pen and thought about what to record. “I can’t decide what I’m wishing for,” she said. “I want to wish for my family – for my family to get along,” Pevehouse replied. PHIL MOSIER “Family peace,” Debra Minkley hangs paper tags covered with wishes Dowdle agreed. “Family peace, that on a tree in her yard across from Chastain Park. is a good one,” Pevehouse said. tree, as much as the community’s tree,” Minkley says she reads them all beshe said. fore she attaches them to the tree. So Some of her wishers seem to agree. far, she hasn’t had to reject any. “I post “I’m grateful for random acts of kindeverything,” she said. ness and people like you who brightShe thinks people have responded en out days by making us take a moto the tree, in part, because it’s anonment to appreciate everything,” one ymous. “Think about how we live in unnamed wisher wrote. “It is a lovely a big city,” she said. “People keep to tree.”

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | 27

PUBLIC SAFETY

Cops share safety tips via video, social media BY ELLEN ELDRIDGE

ing to the gym. “People go shopping and they’ll come out and put stuff in their trunk, but what people don’t realize is that the criminals are actually out in the parking lots watching,” Irwin said. Brookhaven’s Officer Carlos Nino said remembering to lock up valuables

of your vehicle. • Park in a well-lit area. elleneldridge@reporternewspapers.net • Check around your car and look in the backseat before getting behind the Law enforcement and government out of sight. wheel. officials are spreading the word — mostDunwoody Mayor Mike Davis re• Lock your doors and windows at ly via social media —to help keep shopcently appeared on Facebook in a Dunhome, even if you step out for a few pers safe this holiday season. woody Police Department video for minutes. Atlanta Police Department is workits “Lock. Take. Hide” • Leave a light or a TV ing with The Justice Network, a “new campaign, while Sandy on so potential burglars will network that is partnering with us to Springs created a video think you’re home. share safety tips,” Elizabeth Espy, a in 2013 that shows how • Never hesitate to call 911 spokesperson for APD, said in an email. a thief can break into a if you think something doesn’t “They produced the videos for their netcar and steal items in look right. work and we are simply sharing them on 20 seconds. The Sandy • Thieves will always target our social media.” Springs video says, “If the people who look distractIn a holiday safety video posted on there is nothing to steal, ed, so be alert and pay attenYouTube, APD Officer Ralph Woolnothing will get stolen.” tion. folk suggests traveling in groups, keepSandy Springs Offi• Shop in groups of two or ing your car keys in hand when walking cer Forrest Bohannon more people. through a parking lot and removing or said the city hasn’t seen • Don’t put your purse in hiding valuables from view in a car. more crime than usual your shopping cart. Thieves Heather Sautter, a publicist for Justhis holiday season, but YOUTUBE SCREENGRAB will try to distract you so they tice Network said tips will continue to the department postAtlanta Police Officer Ralph Woolfolk takes to YouTube to can lift your wallet or your be posted after the holiday seaon. ed a graphic on Face“We have created the BeSAFE Initiabook reminding shop- give shoppers suggestions and ways to have a safer holiday. purse when you’re not looking. tive that includes Safety Tips from Offipers to “Stay alert and • Don’t hang your purse on cer Woolfolk,” Sautter said. “These will be aware of everybody is one part of staying safe. Rememberthe back of your chair at restaurants. The be ongoing and be featured every hour around you.” ing to alert police and “say something” best place to keep your purse is your lap, on our network.” Dunwoody Traffic Enforcement Ofis paramount, he said. police say. Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy ficer Christopher Irwin said people To stay safe during the holidays, local • Place purchases beneath the table, Springs police departments each have should think ahead and place valuables police departments recommend: near your feet. a “Lock. Take. Hide” campaign, where in the trunk before getting to the mall • Put all shopping bags in the trunk shoppers are advised to keep valuables or even throughout the year when head-

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PUBLIC SAFETY

Dunwoody Police Blotter From police reports dated Nov. 20 to Dec. 3 The following information was pulled from Dunwoody’s Police-to-Citizen Portal Event Search website and is presumed to be accurate.

BURGLA RY 1000

block of Potomac Road—On Nov. 21, burglary was reported at a residence.

2300

block of Pernoshal Court—On Nov. 22, burglary was reported.

4400

block of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 23, burglary was reported.

1600

North Springs Drive—On Nov. 24, burglary was reported.

4700

block of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 27, burglary was reported.

A U TO THE FT 2400

block of West Madison Drive— On Nov. 22, a motor vehicle theft was reported.

4300

block of Dunwoody Gables

2200

THEFT/LAR C EN Y

2300 block of Dunwoody Crossing—On Nov. 20, theft of parts from a vehicle was reported.

4300 block of Ashford-

100 block of Perimeter Center West—On Nov. 21, shoplifting was reported and an arrest was made.

9100

Drive—On Nov. 25, motor vehicle theft was reported.

Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 20, 21, 22, reports and/or arrests were made for shoplifting.

4400 block of Ashford-

Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29 and Dec. 1 and 3, shoplifting, thefts of parts from a vehicle and/or larceny was reported and/ or arrests were made.

4700

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 30 and Dec. 1 and 3, larceny, theft of articles from a vehicle and/or shoplifting was reported and/or arrests were made; On Nov. 25, an arrest for larceny by pocketpicking was made.

300 block of Perimeter Center North—

On Nov. 20, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported; On Nov. 21, an arrest was made for theft of parts from a vehicle.

100 block of Perimeter Center Place—On Nov. 21, larceny was reported; On Dec. 1, an arrest was made for shoplifting.

4600

block of Peachtree Place Parkway—On Nov. 22, theft of articles from a vehicle was reported.

6400

block of Madison Drive—On Nov. 23, larceny was reported.

4400

block of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 23, larceny was reported.

Winters

Chapel Road at Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard—On Nov. 26, theft by receiving stolen property as reported and an arrest was made.

block of Pernoshal Court—On Nov. 26, larceny was reported.

2200

block of Dartford Drive—On Nov. 28, larceny was reported. block of Madison Drive—On Dec. 3, theft from mail was reported.

A S S A U LT 4800

block of Cambridge Drive—On Nov. 20, battery of a family member was reported.

3300

block of Asbury Square—On Nov. 23, simple assault and battery was reported.

1800

block of Independence Square— On Nov. 23, simple assault and battery was reported.

I-285

at exit 29—On Nov. 25, assault by intimidation was reported.

4500

block of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 26, an arrest was made for simple assault.

4900

block of Winters Chapel Road— On Nov. 26, family battery was reported. CONTINUED TO PAGE 30

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DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | 29

PUBLIC SAFETY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

Estate Planning & Probate Law Dunwoody attorney Jim Fletcher helps families prepare their wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills, and also helps them with probate and trust administration.

block of Dunwoody Park—On Nov. 28, simple assault and battery was reported.

6800

block of Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard—On Nov. 28, aggravated assault and battery with a weapon was reported.

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2800

block of Winter Rose Court— On Nov. 29, an arrest was made for simple assault.

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4000

First

block of Perimeter Center East— On Dec. 1, an arrest was made for assault by intimidation.

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2300

block of Dunwoody Crossing— On Dec. 3, simple assault and battery was reported.

FR AUD 4600

block of North Shallowford Road—On Nov. 21, fraud was reported.

4400

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 22, fraud by swindle was reported.

4400

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 22, a wanted person was located and arrested; On Nov. 26, an arrest was made for failure to appear in court.

100

block of Drexel Point—On Nov. 23, an arrest was made for DUI.

I-285

at Ashford-Dunwoody Road— On Nov. 23, a wanted person was located and arrested.

4700

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 25, an arrest was made for driving while unlicensed.

Perimeter

Center Lane at Meadow Lane—On Nov. 26, an arrest was made for possession of marijuana.

Peachtree-Industrial

Boulevard and Tilly Mill Road—On Nov. 27, an arrest was made for a window tint violation.

On Nov. 23, fraud by swindle was reported.

block of North Peachtree Road— On Nov. 27, loitering and prowling was reported and two people were arrested for loitering.

First

block of Perimeter Center East— On Nov. 24 and 30, credit fraud was reported.

100

5300

4700

5600 block of Queensborough Drive—

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made for violation of probation; On Nov. 23, an arrest was made for failure to appear in court.

block of Brooke Ridge Drive— On Nov. 24, credit fraud was reported.

1200

block of Mile Post Drive—On Nov. 24, larceny was reported.

1000

block of Manoah Court—On Nov. 26, credit fraud was reported.

4700

block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road—On Nov. 26, credit fraud was reported. block of Peeler Road—On Nov. 27, fraud was reported.

4700

block of Azalea Gardens Drive— On Nov. 28, an arrest was made for disorderly conduct. block of Winters Chapel Road— On Nov. 29, an arrest was made for driving while unlicensed.

1300

block of Valley View Road—On Nov. 30, a wanted person was located and arrested.

4800

block of Kings Down Road—On Dec. 1, a wanted person was located and arrested.

OTHER

1800

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4000

block of Dunwoody Park—On Nov. 27, credit fraud was reported.

100

block of Drexel Way—On Dec. 2, forgery was reported.

2200

block of Spring Mill Cove—On Dec. 2, fraud was reported.

1300

block of Charleston Place—On Dec. 3, fraud was reported.

AR R ES TS I-285 at Chamblee-Dunwoody Road—

300 block of Perimeter Center North—

On Nov. 20, damage to property was reported.

4400

block of North Shallowford Road—On Nov. 21, an open container while driving violation was reported.

1300

block of Wyntercreek Road—On Nov. 21, damage to private property was reported.

6800

block of Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard—On Nov. 23, damage to private property was reported.

On Nov. 20, an arrest was made for driving without a license, during a traffic stop for improper lane usage.

4300

First

2300

block of Perimeter Center East— On Nov. 21, a wanted person was located and arrested; On Nov. 22, an arrest was

block of Dunwoody Park—On Nov. 24, damage to private property was reported. block of Dunwoody Crossing— On Dec. 1, criminal trespass was reported. DUN

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Antique Repair Specialist • Speciality Care Hand Wash Cleaning (front and back with plenty of water) • No Chemicals Used Air Dried, Scotch Guard • Mothproof, Padding, Storage Appraisal & Insurance Statements • Pickup and Delivery Available

• Most Air-Cooled Models In Stock and Ready To Install • Most Air-Cooled Models In • Automatic Standby Generators Stock Ready To Install • Most Air-Cooled Models In • Automatic Standby Generators Stock Air-Cooled Ready To Install • Most Models In (770) 251-9765 • Automatic Standby Generators

(770) 251-9765

HVAC, Plumbing, Carpet Cleaning, Pest Control, Moving Services & More

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ROOFING COMPANY

470-222-4369

housedox.com it’s

your

business

advertise here (404) 917-2200 x110

™

www.generatorstore.com

404-875-2299 www.imbrexrooﬁng.com

Handyman Services

moving & delivery too! No job too small References Available 470-545-8408 Cell/803-608-0792 Cornell Davis, Owner

Atlanta’s Premier

• Window Cleaning • Gutter Cleaning • Pressure Washing • Family Owned • Licensed and Insured • FREE ESTIMATES

since 1968

www.WindowCleanAtl.com

justTRASHit!

www.generatorstore.com

Fall & Holiday

404.355.1901

(770) 251-9765

Stock Ready To Install www.generatorstore.com www.generatorstore.com • Automatic Standby Generators (770) 251-9765

Pre-screened Providers. Pre-negotiated Rates.

This A d

404-467-8242 • 3255-5 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta GA 30305

• Rooﬁng • Gutters • Painting

With

In the heart of Buckhead

poern ou c stom u 0 c $ 5 e per

Call Tony 404-402-5435

15% O

Belco Electric

Commercial & Residential Junk Removal Recycling 770-399-6605 www.justtrashit.com

• Family Owned since 1972 • Fast, Dependable Service by Professional, Uniformed Electricians

Detail Cleaning Services

The Handyman Can

Licensed Insured

Free Estimates

Locally Owned Since 1997

I will beat ANY advertised price. 770-837-5711 Houses Apartments Offices Plus more Affordable prices Excellent references

770-455-4556

Check out our new website www.BelcoInc.com and follow us on

• Plumbing • Electrical • Sheetrock • Floors • Tile • Framing • Kitchens • Painting • Roofwork • Concrete • Stained Glass • Antique Door Restoration as well as many other issues...

John Salvesen • 404-453-3438 thehandymancanatlanta@gmail.com

Reporter Classifieds LANDSCAPING SERVICES Tranquil Waters Lawn Care - Pressure washing, aerating, ﬂower beds, trimming, tree/shrubs installation, hauling of debris, etc. Free estimates, Discounts for Seniors & Veterans. No contracts needed. Call Mike 678-662-0767 or Andrew 678-672-8552.

WINDOWS & SIDING Offering vinyl, wood and composite windows – All types of siding. Factorytrained installation. Family-owned, Familypriced. Angie’s List ‘A’ Rated. BBB ‘A+’. 33 Years In Business. Quinn Windows & Siding. 770-939-5634.

CEMETERY PLOTS

YARD SALE

Arlington Memorial Park – two spaces in section A of the Calvary lot. Asking $11,500 for both spaces.Call 864-569-9049.

Saturday, December 19, 2015 - Brookhaven Baptist Church, 1294 North Druid Hills Rd NE (parking lot behind the church). Sales is between 8:00 AM till 3:00 PM.

Arlington Memorial Park – Two (535-A 1 & 2) spaces in the Calvary section of the cemetery. Plots available for viewing by visiting the cemetery ofﬁce. Closing will be held at Arlington Cemetery ofﬁces. Asking $9500.00 for both spaces. Call 404-2167175. DUN BK

Reporter Classifieds can work for you! (404) 917-2200 x110 www.reporternewspapers.net

STORAGE SPACE WANTED 300 sq. ft. of storage space. Lease for 12 months. Call 404-932-4774.

SERVICES AVAILABLE Driveways & Walkways – Replaced or repaired. Masonry, grading, foundations repaired, waterprooﬁng and retaining walls. Call Joe Sullivan 770-616-0576.

CAREGIVER Caregiver / Certiﬁed Nurse Assistant – Specializing in Alz/Dementia. Medication reminder, memory games and activities. Delicious and nutritious meals. Patient, kind and respectful – nonsmoker. Excellent references available. Contact: Zena 404454-6697

www.ReporterNewspapers.net |

HELP WANTED EXCITING! FUN! AND REWARDING OPPORTUNITY! – The Sandy Springs/ Perimeter Chamber seeks an ambitious, commission based sales person to sell memberships. Work from home and engage with businesses that are helping our community grow and prosper. Call Suzanne Brown, Director of Member Services (678) 443-2990 or email suzanne@sandysprings. org. Administrative Assistant: Performs full administrative duties and general support duties to assist the manager and Board of Directors. Proﬁciency in MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Outlook. Excellent starting compensation with beneﬁts. Sandy Springs area. E-mail resume to: sjankowski@ cmacommunities.com

DEC. 11 – DEC. 24, 2015 | 31

DEC. 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DEC. 24, 2015 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net

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