01-25-2013 Sandy Springs Reporter

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InsidePERIMETER BUSINESS

pages 10-15

Mission manHumanitarian Award goes to Felix Lora

COMMUNITY 2

Wall fl owerDunwoody offi ces

showcase local artists

OUT & ABOUT 18

Cookie queenLocal Girl Scout is

tops in sales

MAKING A DIFFERENCE 19

Trigger happyState Rep. Lindsey

explains education bill

EDUCATION 26

BY DAN [email protected]

Two buyers of some choice Sandy Springs real estate say the city’s recent adoption of a downtown master plan sweet-ened the deal for them.

Nicholas Telesca, president of Branch Properties, and top o� cials with Regency Centers Corp. both endorsed the city’s plan. Branch Properties bought the CityWalk property, ad-vertised for sale at $27.8 million, in November. Regency Centers Corp. in December paid $35.3 million for the San-dy Springs Plaza.

Both properties will have a front row seat to the devel-opment of the city’s downtown redevelopment. CityWalk

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7


Sandy Springs o� cials are scrambling to recalculate what local taxpayers will spend on a new public safety radio sys-tem after the city of Johns Creek balked at helping other cit-ies pay for it.

On Jan. 14, Johns Creek City Council voted unanimous-ly against signing an agreement with four other cities – Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta and Milton – to spend $16 mil-lion to implement the new radios. Johns Creek questioned the selection of the radio provider, Motorola Solutions, and said the contract should’ve been competitively bid.

Sandy Springs City Manager John McDonough said the city opted to use state contract pricing to select the compa-ny, and said the cities bene� t � nancially from the state’s pur-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

PHIL MOSIER

Anna Grinshpon, 5, holds a paper dragon she made during a Chinese New Year program and celebration at the Sandy

Springs Library on Jan. 19. More photos on page 23.

Johns Creek snub could cost the city on radios

Developers encouraged by

downtown plans

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Mission director receives 2013 Humanitarian Award


Leaders of Sandy Springs gathered at City Hall on Jan. 21 in memory of Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. and singled out a man who they felt best exem-pli� ed King’s message.

Felix Lora is the 2013 recipient of the city’s Hu-manitarian Award, a dis-tinction awarded people who serve the local com-munity. He is the � rst man to receive the award since the city, founded in 2005, started bestow-ing the honor. In his role as director of the San-dy Springs Mission, Lora provides an additional resource for more than 140 children who need help in school.

Lora gives them that and more, previ-ous award winner Tamara Carrera said.

“When you see Felix at work, what impresses you is his ability to connect with young people,” Carrera said. “� ey respect him, they listen to him, they learn from him.”

Carrera said 100 percent of students from High Point Elementary in Lora’s program passed the state CRCT exams.

Lora thanked God and thanked the other people like him who are living Dr. King’s dream.

“It’s just a privilege to be recognized today as someone who exempli� ed the work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.,” he said.

Rodney Bullard, keynote speaker for the event, is executive director of the Chick-� l-A Foundation. His remarks focused on progress made but also on the promises yet unful� lled, with an em-phasis on education and low graduation rates among Georgia students.

“Too many of our families, too many of our children still su� er from the soft bigotry of low expectations, the faint

bigotry of the acceptance of status quo, and the blind bigotry of inattention and

apathy,” Bullard said. Bullard said that while

the state ranks near the bottom in terms of ed-ucational achievement, it has other dubious dis-tinctions.

“� e size of our prison population in the state of Georgia ranks fourth in the nation and metro Atlanta leads the nation in child sex tra� cking,” Bullard said.

He said that dreams do come true, but people must take action to make their dreams a reality.

Pastor Henry Bush of Sharon Com-munity United Methodist Church in Sandy Springs said at � rst many in the community were skeptical when San-dy Springs decided to hold the event. When the city became a reality in 2005, it contained a majority white population that had formed its own city within a majority black county.

Bush said the city’s decision to con-tinue the event shows its commitment and shows leaders are not denying more can be done toward improving opportu-nity for all.

“I commend you for Sandy Springs because even though you don’t say it publically, your continuous acknowl-edgement of this event and this day say there’s room for more,” Bush said. “We all agree we are all trying to do one thing and that’s making America better.”

Past award recipients:2012: Tamara Carrera2011: Melanie Noble-Couchman2010: Carolyn Axt2009: Lucy Hall-Gainer2008: Randi Passo� 2007: Nancy McCord

Felix Lora

Nancy McCord

Carolyn Axt

Randi Passoff

Melanie Noble-Couchman

Lucy Hall-Gainer

Tamara Carrera

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C O M M U N I T Y

www.ReporterNewspapers.net | JAN. 25 – FEB. 7, 2013 | 3

Youth leadership program enrolling

new studentsYouth Leadership Sandy Springs is

looking for up to 30 ninth or 10th grad-ers who are interested in learning about their community.

� e program, o� ered by Leadership Sandy Springs, wants to enroll students by March 1 for classes during the 2013-14 school year.

YLSS o� ers students a chance to study government, the environment, public safety, the economy and other topics.

Applications are available at www.leadershipsandysprings.org/ylss. To be eligible, students must be rising sopho-mores or juniors who either live or go to school in Sandy Springs.

For more information, call 404-252-2787, visit www.leadershipsandysprings.org/ylss or Facebook at Youth Leader-ship Sandy Springs.

BRIEFS


A recent audit shows the city of San-dy Springs’ reserves are back up to levels not seen since before the start of the re-cession in 2008.

City Council on Jan. 15 received a report on the audit from Adam Fraley, a CPA with Mauldin & Jenkins. Fral-ey said the city’s audit showed no � nd-ings, meaning there is nothing city � -nancial sta� will have to correct before next year’s audit.

� e audit for Fiscal Year 2012 shows the city’s reserves, called a general fund balance, increased to $35 million from $21.5 million in Fiscal 2011. Fraley said most of the balance – 95 percent – is un-assigned, meaning it hasn’t been desig-nated for any purpose. � e last time the reserves reached that level was in 2008, the audit shows.

Sandy Springs Finance Director Kar-en Ellis said the increase in reserves is partially because the city in 2011 rebid all of its government service contracts.

“� is was the year that the savings were realized,” Ellis said.

City Manager John McDonough said rebidding the contract saved $7 million.

� e audit shows the city in Fiscal 2012 collected $82.2 million in reve-nue, mostly from taxes, a $2.8 million increase over Fiscal 2011. � e city in Fiscal 2012 spent a total of $57.5 mil-lion, a $9 million decrease from the pre-

vious year. According to the audit, Fiscal 2012 was also the � rst year since Fiscal 2008 where the city took in more tax-payer money than it spent.

� e auditor did make a few observa-tions about the city’s � nancial practices:

Auditors noted that 16 city employ-ees built up more vacation time than allowed under city policy. City spokes-woman Sharon Kraun said this was the result of an error that has been correct-ed, and that no employee was able to take or receive payment for more va-cation than allowed under city policy.

Auditors also found that there were issues with the payments from the city’s Hospitality Board. � e auditors found that “several invoices which were paid that did not have the proper, indepen-dent, departmental approval.” Auditors were unable to locate three hospitali-ty board invoices, the summary report says. Kraun said this was the result of switching over to a di� erent accounting system.

“Regarding the three Hospitality invoices, the invoices were properly routed and paid,” Kraun said. “Dur-ing the conversion to a new account-ing software, which was conducted af-ter the invoices were processed, the invoices were missed as we scanned back documents. � ey were never lost or misplaced.”

City’s reserves at pre-recession levels

Council provides funds to nonprofi ts, gives tax breaks to

Cox EnterprisesDuring City Council’s Jan. 15

meeting, council members: - Awarded approximately $50,000

to local nonprofits. The city gave $12,000 to Heritage Sandy Springs; $7,668 to Mary Hall Freedom House; $9,990 to the Child Devel-opment Association; $5,000 to Art Sandy Springs; and $15,000 to the Sandy Springs Education Force.

- Approved $1.4 million in tax breaks for Cox Enterprises. The company plans to construct a 578,000-square-foot building at a cost of more than $100 million. The project is expected to bring 1,500 ad-ditional jobs to the city with an av-erage annual salary of approximately $62,000. The company will receive most of the incentives in 2013 in the form of a $1.3 million impact and building permit fee waiver. Cox En-terprises’ media holdings include the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER

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with a snowball in her hand. Below, left, Louis Nanda, 6, and his brother Adam, 3, enjoy the fun while waiting their turn to

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Council seeks ethics opinion on planning commissioner

Sandy Springs Government CalendarThe Sandy Springs City Council usually meets the fi rst and the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, which is located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500

For the most up to date meeting schedule, visit http://www.sandyspringsga.org/Calendars/City-Calendar


David Rubenstein joined the Sandy Springs Planning Commission in 2006 and he’s also been the city’s real estate broker since 2006.

Now some members of Sandy Springs City Council want to know whether his service is a con� ict of inter-est. Rubenstein has been representing the city in various real estate transac-tions throughout his time on the Plan-ning Commission. He’s also been asked to continue in that role as the city looks at acquiring property for its downtown development plans.

During the Jan. 15 City Coun-cil meeting, Councilman Tibby DeJu-lio and Councilwoman Karen Meinzen McEnerny asked City Attorney Wen-dell Willard to research the question, and the council decided to delay reap-pointing Rubenstein until Willard pro-vides an answer. City Council will like-ly take up the appointment again in February.

Rubenstein declined to comment about his work for the city and ques-tions about con� icts of interest.

“Whatever the city council determines is appropriate, I support,” he said.

It’s not clear how much Rubenstein has pro� ted from his work as the city’s broker. He represented the city in 2008 when it paid $8 million for the old Target property at 235 Johnson Fer-ry Road, and records show he made $80,000 on the deal. He also represent-ed the city when it negotiated the lease for its current o� ce space at Morgan Falls O� ce Park, according to news ar-chives. Whether Rubenstein will con-tinue to serve on the Planning Com-mission is not certain. Members of the Planning Commission do not receive payment for their work, but could po-tentially be asked to consider matters where they have a con� ict of interest.

Willard said he has told council members there’s a provision in the city’s ethics ordinance that limits a public of-� cial’s ability to do business with the city.

“Under the wording of the ordi-nance, he is able to serve on the com-mission,” Willard said. “He would be limited by the ordinance to work he can do for the city, not to exceed $2,500.”

Section 2-115 of the city’s eth-ics code states, “� e city is prohibited from entering into any contract with a

business in which a public servant or a public servant’s partner in interest has a controlling interest involving ser-vices or property of value in excess of $2,500.”

Planning Commission Chairman Lee Duncan said Rubenstein’s work as the city’s broker hasn’t been an issue for the Planning Commission.

“David has been very, very forthcom-ing on everything that’s come before us,” Duncan said. “I think he’s recused him-self once or twice. I certainly don’t con-sider there to be any ethics issues.”

While Rubenstein has served as both a broker and Planning Commis-sion member since 2006, DeJulio said he only recently decided to ask if that’s a con� ict of interest.

“It just really occurred to me that he’s done a lot of business with the city and whether this was proper or not,” DeJulio said. “You know we’ve tried to keep all kinds of con� icts out of the city and I just was inquiring with our council whether this was proper.”

Meinzen-McEnerny said the issue has bothered her “since Day 1.”

“I certainly totally supported Tib-by’s initiating it, and actually wish I’d brought it up much earlier myself,” she said. “I think it’s important for the public to know that the people that are on these boards are truly independent as public servants.”

David Rubenstein

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NEW LISTING! Some residents favor project at Wieuca and Roswell roads

Tennis programs have taught many local children

To the editor:

An article [“Scrutiny slows down development,” Sandy Springs Report-er, Nov. 30-Dec.13] listed High Point Civic Association (HPCA) as one of four neighborhood associations that opposed a planned development near the intersection of Wieuca and Ro-swell Roads.

I wanted to at least send you a dif-ferent perspective as my wife and I are HPCA members that are in favor of this development for the reasons below:

1) � e development will help revi-talize the area and will bring a new im-age as well as new retail shops and res-taurants closer to our neighborhood.

2) � is has potential to increase prop-erty values.

3) Several apartment complexes on Roswell Road could use facelifts or a re-build, and these two complexes are two of many that could use some modern-ization or a dynamic shift is space utili-zation (which is what this will do).

4) � is has potential to help our neighborhood school with population control. High Point has been making great strides toward re-establishing its prominence as a great neighborhood school. No one that has kids going to High Point (or those that live in the High Point school district) wants to see trailers added to accommodate growth. By revitalizing this area, there is a strong

possibility that the High Point popula-tion will see a small decrease in the stu-dent count which helps the school main-tain its focus on the number of students the school is set up to support.

5) Now that the HPCA community has sidewalks on Windsor Parkway that run from High Point Road to Roswell Road, there will be even more potential for neighbors to walk to and from res-taurants and shops located in the revi-talized area.

6) We would like to see a thorough tra� c plan laid out in order to support this development (we agree with every-one with this concern), but we also are cognizant that this new development will possibly attract a di� erent work classi� cation which in turn could help minimize the early-morning tra� c pat-terns we see today. A younger genera-tion (or simply a more technical/pro-fessional generation) could potentially provide more work from home-type sce-narios.

We do understand there is much more to discuss on this and we only ask that the Sandy Springs Reporter also cover some of neighbors that are in fa-vor of this development as well as those that oppose.

We just think this is a great opportu-nity for the neighborhood and want to show our support.

Rodney and Autumn Murray

To the editor:

� e SSTA is a Com-munity Tennis Asso-ciation (CTA) of the United States Tennis As-sociation (USTA). � e SSTA is a nonpro� t or-ganization under 501C3 regulations and its main mission is to grow ten-nis through teaching the sport to the elementary schools of Sandy Springs at after school programs. We have taught more than 500 children in about four years of existence. Our funding depends mostly on small fees, grants and donations, and many of the children are underserved, being part of the Hispanic and African American diverse population.

In the past, the SSTA as a CTA of the USTA, has partnered with many entities which include the city of Sandy Springs, the Sandy Springs Tennis Center and others. � e Reporter Newspapers has been very kind to the SSTA in publiciz-ing our various events. � e health and

welfare of the children of Sandy Springs is a by-product of learning the sport of tennis and the children are always fore-most in our mission. We continue to look forward to a safe and stable envi-ronment for our programs and to the long-term support of the Sandy Springs community.

Best regards,

Manny GuillenChairman of the Board of Directors

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Cars cause more harmthan fi rearms do

To the editor:

Mr. Dan Whisenhunt’s commen-tary on gun control [Reporter Newspa-pers, Jan 11-24] is summed up in one quote... “A right to life without feeling the need to arm myself everywhere I go deserves equal consideration.” In other words, Mr. Whisenhunt feels scared be-cause Americans can own � rearms and he really wants to feel safe.

In his mind (and other squeamish progressives and weak-willed liberals), his emotions trump my right to one of the basic tenets of natural law, the right to self-defense. But what is even worse, is that it is a selective and highly irratio-nal emotion on his part.

If his concern for his health and well-being were accurately placed, he would demand that cars be pulled from the road and banned forever, as far more deaths, injuries and overall misery is caused by auto accidents. His chances of becoming one of those tra� c statistics is far greater than ever even seeing a pri-vate citizen with a gun in public, much less ever being hit by a stray or inten-tional bullet.

If he used a little more logic and a great deal less emotion, he might just cry himself to sleep every night worrying about two tons of steel whizzing by his pretty little head hundreds (if not thou-sands) of times a day. But he doesn’t, be-cause he feels OK about it.

� e comparatively high likelihood of death or dismemberment by driving (which is not a protected constitutional right) is � ne, but lawful gun ownership by lawful citizens (which just happens to be the Second Amendment to the Con-stitution’s Bill of Rights) is cause for hys-teria, hand-wringing and bed wetting.

It just doesn’t ring true... because it isn’t.

� is is a political dogma, not a safe-ty issue, plain and simple. Ill-informed

anti-gun advocates want us to ignore the vast experience of history about oppres-sive governments and tyrannical rulers. Instead, people like this want to pretend that an all-powerful government is go-ing to take care of their every need by day, coddle them asleep at night and be-nevolently nurture them from cradle to grave.

But human nature hasn’t changed in thousands of years of recorded history and the cliche is still true that power cor-rupts and absolute power corrupts ab-solutely. � e Second Amendment was written to give armed citizens the pow-er to not only defend themselves, but to keep a power-hungry government from oppressing them and to physically and forceably resist that entity if necessary.

And it is true that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Ask the Poles, Jews and eastern Europeans during WWII, ask the Russians during Stalin’s purges, ask the Chinese during Mao’s rule, ask Cambodians about Pol Pot, ask the black man during the re-pressive Jim Crow era and ask every oth-er disarmed people throughout history.

� e disastrous results were always the same when a government succeeded in removing � rearms from the hands of the ordinary citizen.

So please, I am unmoved by Mr. Whisenhunt’s need to feel good. I’d rather live with him being irrationally uncomfortable than for all of us losing our freedoms and liberties because we were too weak to defend them.

Price R. Potter

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

E-mail letters to [email protected]

Developers like city’s plans

touches Hammond Drive near Roswell Road and the Sandy Springs Plaza sits on Roswell at Johnson Ferry Road.

Sandy Springs City Council ap-proved a redevelopment plan in De-cember. Under the plan, future develop-ment will move the center of city life to what has traditionally been considered the heart of the community along Ro-swell Road between Hammond Drive and Sandy Springs Circle.

� e plan seeks to make the city more walkable and provides for a mix of uses, expands green space and seeks revisions to the city’s zoning code to achieve the desired downtown aesthetic.

Telesca spoke in support of the plan at a December Sandy Springs City

Council meeting and said recently that he plans to add some luxury multi-fam-ily housing into the mix.

He said the plan will increase the val-ue of real estate around the downtown area.

“It makes sense for the future of San-dy Springs and we want to be a part of that,” he said.

Andre Koleszar, vice president and re-gional o� cer for Regency Centers, not-ed that the plan’s implementation could take decades.

But knowing there’s a plan was a plus for the company, he said.

“What Sandy Springs envisions gives us solace that we’re going to be part of … Sandy Springs for a long time to come,” he said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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C O M M E N T A R Y


STREET TALK

Q&AQ: What would you do to improve MARTA?

Asked at MARTA stations and stops in the Reporter Newspapers communities.

“More buses on this line [85 in Sandy Springs] because we

wait for too long.”

Nelly Ekouba

“More trains and buses – especially on the weekend.”

Stacy Dallas

“Extend it out to Exit 17. I have to drive all the way

down here to get the train. It’s a pain in the shorts.”

Jeff Camp

“I think it works pretty well. My experience has been

good.”

Robert James

A new year means a new start, and MARTA is fortunate to have new leadership at the helm -- General Manager Keith Parker. � e highly-acclaimed administrator has a good manage-ment record in which he worked to improve transit in his previ-ous cities of San Antonio and Charlotte.

Parker’s appointment couldn’t have happened at a more crucial juncture for MARTA, its patrons and its taxpayers, as MARTA’s � nancial stability remains in limbo. Just last week, MARTA said it was entertaining yet another 25-cent fare hike to balance its books.

With new leadership at MARTA, it’s time for MARTA’s management and board of directors to embrace creative ideas to ensure the transit system is still with us in the future. � e � s-cal solution is not continued fare hikes or calls for taxpayer in-fusions of cash into the beleaguered system. Instead, MAR-TA needs to embrace the 114-page roadmap put before it by KPMG last fall in an audit that outlines smart choices to get its � nances in order.

For example, one of KPMG’s suggestions was that MARTA should outsource seven “back o� ce” business functions to one or more private operators including payroll, em-ployee records and accounts payable, for a projected savings of $17 to $27 million over � ve years.

KPMG’s auditors also o� ered the idea that MARTA hire private contractors to operate � ve other services such as cleaning, customer care and the highly expensive paratransit bus service, which serves disabled citizens with a virtually personalized service. � is could re-sult in an additional $43 to $115 million in savings over � ve years.

Of course, MARTA’s union is opposing such ideas including the concept of shifting the employees’ retirement plan to a 401k plan – the type of retirement system found virtually everywhere outside of government service and gaining widespread acceptance in govern-ment, as well. MARTA could save $59 million with modest changes to its healthcare plans and $34 million if it gradually moved to a 401k, according to KPMG.

MARTA’s union contract expires this summer. Now is the time for its board to extract concessions to bring transformational change to a culture at MARTA that yields high ab-senteeism and a disregard for e� ciencies. � e board can’t expect to keep squeezing money from cash-strapped patrons, and state leaders have said they won’t consider funding MAR-TA until there is dramatic change in how it operates.

And the future isn’t pretty for MARTA, either. MARTA’s debt service is 40 to 45 per-cent of its annual prior year sales tax revenues. In comparison, the state is constitutionally limited to a 10 percent debt service. � e annual debt service for MARTA is projected to escalate annually for at least the next 10 years.

Albert Einstein said the de� nition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting di� erent results. With Keith Parker at the helm, we may get great ideas to lead MARTA out of its � nancial mess, but this requires a board willing to support those ideas. � at’s why it is essential we restructure the MARTA board so that the new cities in Fulton and DeKalb counties have representation on the board.

Cities are closest to the people in making transportation policy, and citizens in Sandy Springs, Brookhaven and Dunwoody have chosen to give their cities the power to speak on their behalf in this regard.

Many of these much-needed changes could be led by Parker and the MARTA board. Other changes will require action in the General Assembly, which is likely to occur in this year’s legislative session. With MARTA’s union contract expiring this summer and a new general manager, the time is right to embrace change at the South’s largest transit system.

MARTA cannot sustain itself with continued red ink. More of the same policies will only cause more pain for patrons and taxpayers. � e time is right for MARTA and its lead-ers to truly lead MARTA into the 21st Century.

State Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven) is chairman of the MARTA Oversight Committee (MARTOC), a joint committee of the Georgia House and Senate. Rep. Jacobs can be reached at (404) 656-5116 or [email protected].

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“I’d have more trains running more frequently than they

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Derunta Porter

“The escalators are always broken.”

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“Run more frequently, a longer stretch of service, and for it to have vendors inside

the stations.”

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“I would improve the fare box because a lot of times it fails and make sure the buses

come on time.”

Saran Phillips

“More buses, taking down prices a little bit. They

change it every year. I’ve got a newborn and I have

trouble with a stroller. There’s nowhere to put it.”

Brittany Linehouse

“Have bus service that correlates with the train

service. If the train runs till 2 a.m., the buses should run

till 2. I’ve been stuck before.”

Guy Baylor

“It’s fairly reliable as it is. Some people have a better

connection. They’ve improved technology [to allow you] to know when the bus is coming round, but some people have the money for the [phones and] apps. I’m one of the

people that use it. People who don’t have it probably don’t have the same view as I do.”

Dominic Daugherty

“MARTA is just a train you ride. I don’t see a problem, except they’re constantly

raising the fare. When they increase the fair, it’s never by 50 cents, it’s $7 or $5 [on a multi-ride ticket] and that’s

hard for us. It’s not fair.”

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Perimeter BusinessA monthly section focusing on business in the Reporter Newspapers communities

Page 13: New hotel opening in 2014The first new full-service hotel to be built in

the Perimeter submarket in 25 years is coming to Brookhaven.

Page 12: Perimeter ProfileCharlie Augello

wanted to finally settle down with his family. So in 1986 he left the corporate world behind and opened the E. 48th Street Market in Dunwoody.

By Joe Earle

When Trisha Ring was an undergraduate at the Universi-ty of Kansas two decades ago, she took a part-time job leas-ing apartments to students and professors. That turned into a career that’s taken her to jobs across the country.

Now she works in Dunwoody, in the heart of the Perime-ter business district, as project manager for JRK Residential, which recently purchased the 709-unit Wellesley at the Pe-rimeter luxury apartment and townhome complex.

Wellesley, located at 350 Perimeter Center North, is un-dergoing a $15 million renovation, she said, that will add granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a new theater room, two new fitness centers, a meditation room and a cob-blestone street lined by gas streetlights. Once renovation is done, she said, the complex will be renamed The London.

“It’s all about the ‘wow factor,’” she said. “It’s going to be unlike anything in the Perimeter.”

Luxury apartments have to work for attention if they want to stand out these days in the Perimeter, which experts rate as metro Atlanta’s third most desirable area for apart-ments, after Buckhead and Midtown.

“The Perimeter market has evolved into one of the pre-mier live/work markets in the entire southeastern United States,” said George Reid, who produces The Reid Report, a study of the metro area’s apartment market and who lives in Sandy Springs.

Only 359 new units were built in the Perimeter area last year, Reid said. But work began in January 2013 on two new complexes on Hammond Drive that are to contain a total of more than 690 units. Construction of other luxury apart-ments is under way in Brookhaven, and more units are ex-pected in Sandy Springs by the end of the year.

Hundreds of high-end apartments already have been

Phil MosierMichael Blair, managing director for development for Pollack Shores Real Estate Group, stands at a shopping center the company will replace with a luxury apartment complex. The complex

is one of two planned at Hammond Drive and Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs.

Continued on page 14

High-end apartments lure new tenants

Also...

P E R I M E T E R B U S I N E S S


Reporter Newspapers asked local banker Chris Bur-nett a few questions about how he sees the future of community banks. Here are his answers.

Q At a time banks seem to be growing big-ger and spreading their branches across

the region and country, what is the role of the smaller community bank? How do you compete with the big banks?

A In large markets like metro Atlanta, commu-nity banks find it difficult to compete with

the mega-banks on pricing and locations. Commu-nity banks must be specialists in specific niche mar-kets and must provide a level of professional, per-sonal service that is far superior to the big banks.

Examples of niche markets include small busi-ness lending services like SBA-guaranteed loans and working capital, and asset-based lending ser-vices. Other niches can include wealth manage-ment, trust and mortgage services.

On the deposit side, new technology like re-mote capture deposit machines (RDCs) allow smaller banks to compete with the big banks be-cause we can now install machines at our clients’ offices that enable them to make deposits right at their desks, eliminating the need to physically go to a branch to transact business. This saves our clients time and money, and places us on a more level playing field with the big banks that have

large branch networks.

Q What do you see as the primary market for community banks?

A In smaller towns throughout Georgia and the nation, local banks will continue to be

vital members of their communities because many of the big banks do not want to operate branches in smaller communities because these branches do not offer the profit opportunities that the big cities offer.

The shareholders and employees of community

banks typically live and work right in their own towns. They are the business and civic leaders in their communities and they have a personal, vest-ed interest in seeing their towns succeed.

But in bigger markets like metro Atlanta, it is difficult for community banks to be all things to all people. So, we must pick our niches and do them extremely well.

Q How do you see the Perimeter business/fi nancial market today and over the next

few years?

A I am very optimistic about the long-term health of the Perimeter business market,

which I believe is the epicenter of business for the At-lanta region. With over 30-million-square-feet of of-fice space, we are home to a number of national com-panies, and we must continue our pursuit of professional office users to fill our available buildings. We also have some of the finest medical facilities in the Southeast, and we need to continue expanding our health care services by attracting more medical providers to the Perimeter market.

I am also impressed with the quality of leadership within our city governments, our chambers of com-merce and our civic associations. The future is very bright for the Perimeter market. And, a bright future for this market means a bright future for the banks that serve it.

Chris H. Burnett is the chief executive offi cer of Cornerstone Bank. He has more than 25 years of experience in community banking, has held leadership positions in several community banks, and has served as chairman of the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce.

Q & A on community banking: ‘We must pick our niches and do them well’



Perimeter Profile

By Joe Earle

In 1985, Charlie Augello found himself facing yet another job-related move. Augello worked as a salesman for an engineering company. He and his family lived in the Atlanta sub-urbs, but now his employers want-ed him to relocate to a new city. Again. He’d already moved nine times.

He decided he and his wife and kids had bounced around the country long enough.

“I didn’t want to re-locate anymore,” he re-called recently. “Being Italian, family was al-ways important.”

So he left the corpo-rate world. In 1986, he and Anita, his wife, started a business of their own, the E. 48th Street Mar-ket in Dunwoody. They based their market on the little groceries in the Italian neighborhood near the Unit-ed Nations building in New York where they’d both grown up. Charlie lived on 48th Street. Anita, he said, lived over on East 43rd. They met in grade school.

“Being from New York, first-generation Italians, food was always around us,” Charlie Augello said. “We were always looking for the food we grew up with. You’ve heard of ‘care pack-ages’? I traveled a lot, so I always came home with ‘care packages.’ “

Growing up, Charlie Augello found work making deliveries and doing other jobs for owners of the neighborhood markets. He learned to bone a chicken working for the neigh-borhood butcher. He knew how a real Italian market operated. “When you worked as a delivery boy and there were no deliveries, you learned how to cut meat,” he said.

The Augellos decided to start their Dunwoody shop after they real-ized the north metro Atlanta suburbs lacked a real Italian market.

“We thought there was room for an Italian specialty store,” Charlie Aug-ello said. “There were a lot of gour-met shops, but we didn’t want to be a gourmet shop. We wanted to be an Italian specialty shop.”

Gourmet shops, he said, pull in customers looking to make purchas-es for special occasions. He wanted a place where customers could drop by two or three times a week to pick up a

hero sandwich or some pasta or a bit of the fresh mozzarella they made ev-ery day.

At their market in the Williams-burg at Dunwoody Shopping Center, the Augellos offer a variety of Italian products – wine, cheese, meats. They make their own bread. They sell ol-

ive oil by the pound, and it’s cheaper if you bring your own bottle. They make sandwiches using bread they bake themselves, Charlie Au-gello said. No sliced bread or pastrami on the menu, he said. Their top sellers: meatballs and cheese, sausage and peppers, chicken parmi-giana, prosciutto with fresh mozzarella and a muffuletta.

“Saturday, we had a customer who was a Roman,” Charlie Augello said. “He said, ‘I’m impressed. It’s just like home.’ That’s a pretty good compli-ment.”

The place has changed a little through the years. The Augellos add-

ed wine sales after custom-ers asked for the chance to buy a bottle to take home with a take-out dinner, he said. They added tables when customers asked for a place to eat their sandwich-

es without driving away. But an ef-fort to run a second market in Under-ground Atlanta proved unsuccessful.

Now Charlie Augello, who’s 72 and has cut back to working about five days a week, describes his fam-ily’s market as “an Italian version of ‘Cheers.’” “When you come in, [we] ask your name,” he said. “By the time you leave, you should hear your name three or four times.”

Customers seem to take to it. John Bleacher of Dunwoody, looking over the market’s stock of Italian wines one recent morning, said he’s been shopping there for 17 years.

“It is a genuine, family-owned Ital-ian experience,” Bleacher said. “It’s like going to visit friends, like you’re going to visit family.”

In a sense, you are. The Augellos’ kids just about grew up in the place, their dad said, and daughter, Andrea Augello, now runs it. Other Augello children still pitch in now and then, Charlie Augello said.

“I think the significant thing is we’re still a family and we’re still talk-ing,” Charlie said. “In a family busi-ness, that’s an accomplishment.”

Charlie Augello

Augellos’ market provides a place where family and food is important

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By Melissa Weinman

The Perimeter’s first new hotel in a quarter century is scheduled to open at Perimeter Sumitt in 2014.

The 173-room Hyatt Hotel at Villa Christina will be built adjacent to the Villa Christina Restaurant and Con-ference Center near Ashford Dun-woody Road in Brookhaven.

The hotel will be the first new, full-service hotel built in the Perimeter submarket in nearly 25 years, accord-ing to a press release from the devel-opers of the hotel. Officials say devel-opment is expected to take 18 months with a planned opening in March 2014.

The new hotel will accommodate the people that attend the more than 1,000 weddings and special events at Villa Christina each year. The ho-tel will include: a rooftop pool, out-door garden room, new ballroom and meeting rooms, 47 specialty guest suites, and 126 standard guest rooms.

The hotel is being developed by GE Asset Management, Seven Oaks Company and Legacy Property Group.

David Marvin, founder and pres-ident of Legacy Property Group, said in a news release that he’s excit-ed about working on a hotel next to a venue that already books so many events each year. “That’s a great ad-vantage in the hotel industry – much better than starting the social booking from scratch.”

Brookhaven City Councilwoman Rebecca Chase Williams, whose dis-trict includes Perimeter Summit, said the new city is lucky to have a hotel in

the works.“This is a tremendous project for

Brookhaven and I’m thrilled it’s al-ready coming out of the ground,” Williams said. “It’s just going to be a fabulous place.”

She said the hotel will be an added incentive to attract people to do busi-ness in Brookhaven.

“It’s going to give us an even nic-er conference center,” Williams said. “It’s a great draw to bring in visitors and businesses.”

The Hyatt Hotel at Villa Christi-na will be part of Perimeter Summit, an 83-acre, master-planned devel-opment. Perimeter Summit includes 1.4-million-square-feet of Class A of-fice space and 2.1-million-square-feet of additional density on five future development parcels, according to the release.

New hotel coming to Perimeter

“This is a tremendous project for Brookhaven and Iʼm thrilled itʼs already coming out of the ground. Itʼs just going to be a fabulous place.”

Brookhaven City Councilwoman Rebecca Chase Williams

SPECIAL

2013 chairman of SSPC installedThe Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce installed its new

chairman, Cory Jackson, a branch manager with PNC Bank, at its annual meeting and luncheon Jan. 17 at Villa Christina. The speaker was John

Brock, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises. In photo above, left to right: David Evans, Rotary Club of Sandy Springs; Tom Mahaffey, Executive Director

SSPC; Fran Farias, Rotary Club of Sandy Springs; Cory Jackson; Sally Wyeth, past president Rotary Club of Sandy Springs; Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos; Jim Squire, president-elect, Rotary Club of Sandy Springs.



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Continued FRoM page 14built in the area. Their names are chosen to demonstrate their sophis-tication – names such as the Wind-sor or the Goodwynn in Brookhaven; The Heights, The Drexel and others in Dunwoody; The Stratford or Alta Glenridge Springs and others in San-dy Springs.

“In the past 12 years, Perimeter has developed from a heavily-congested, primarily office, hotel and shopping district into a vi-brant, livable mixed-use community with improvements in traffic flow, air quality, economic development and quality of life,” said Yvonne Williams, president and CEO of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts.

Ron Cameron, senior vice pres-ident in the invest-ment services group at Colliers International, called the Perimeter “an area that is very vibrant, that has a lot going on and is very sought-af-ter by institutional in-vestors.”

“One of the appeals to that market for a lot of renters and home-owners is you feel like you’re in the city and [still] you can get any-where you need to,” said Cameron, who has lived in both Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. “There’s certainly a lot of interest in it, for sure.”

Cameron predicts that more apart-ment projects will be developed in the area. “I see development continu-ing through the year, but I think it’s going to be very, very selective,” he

said. “Not the number of units you had in the go-go years.”

Some elected officials, especially in the city of Dunwoody, complain that too many apartments have been al-lowed in the area in the past, and that long-time residents have been forced to watch as older apartments have

declined in value and hurt the community.

But Reid argues that kind of decline is unlikely in the future because many of the apartments now being built

are designed for young singles or couples and won’t attract large fam-ilies. “All the stuff being built now is smaller,” he said. “Just by design, you are not going see as many fami-lies moving into the properties being built now.”

And the Perimeter area remains a strong draw for renters and developers because of its proximity to three MARTA train stations, I-285 and Ga. 400, and due to the community’s urban feel, developers say. Apartments in the Perimeter market com-mand rentals of more than $1,000 a month and can reach $2,000 or more a month, accord-

ing to listings. “The trend in the market now is,

you’ll hear the term ‘core communi-ty,’” said Michael Blair, managing di-rector for development for Pollack Shores Real Estate Group. “For us, it means [Perimeter offers] for our res-idents’ experience a good core loca-tion, with good proximity to retail

Trisha Ring

High-end apartments try to lure new tenants with the ‘wow factor’

PHIL MOSIER

The Axis Apartments stand among luxury complexes in Dunwoody.



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uses, transit, the live-work-play ex-perience right at their doorstep.”

Pollack Shores, which is based in Sandy Springs, in January start-ed work on a new apartment com-plex that will add 341 luxury apart-ments at Ham-mond Drive and Peachtree Dun-woody Road in Sandy Springs.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring, with completion sched-uled for 2014, Blair said. The project will create more than 300 construc-tion jobs, he said. “When it’s com-pleted, it’ll be con-tributing over $600,000 in taxes to the community,” he said.

The apartments will be part of a mixed-use devel-opment and will replace parts of the existing Hammond Center develop-ment on the south side of Hammond Drive. When complete, the new apart-ment complex will offer a lawn where residents can socialize, a wellness and fitness center, a yoga area and a dog spa, Blair said.

North Carolina-based apartment developer Northwood Ravin is build-ing another new luxury apartment complex on the north side of Ham-mond, according to the company’s website.

The project, called Perimeter Town

Center, is part of a larger, mixed-use development and will stand right across the street from Pollack Shores’ project. Northwood Ravin says its apartments will feature 10-foot ceil-ings, tiled backsplashes, a private central courtyard, a saltwater pool, a fitness center and, of course, a pet grooming center.

One recent afternoon, Blair stopped by the 4.5 acres on Hammond Drive where Pollack Blair has begun work to replace a small strip shopping cen-ter with a taller building filled with new, luxury rental homes. “Why here?” he said. “This location has ev-

erything you want from a multi-fami-ly residential per-spective.”

Restaurants, a grocery, a drug store operate near-by. And the devel-oper’s offices, Blair pointed out, are nearby, too.

“This, for us, is right in our back-yard,” Blair said. “It’s a very home-grown, in-our-backyard develop-ment. We’re going to be proud of it for a long, long time.”

PHIL MOSIER

The Drexel Apartments in Dunwoody.

A rendering of apartments Pollack Shores plans to build in Sandy Springs.

aboutout&

BROOKHAVEN • BUCKHEAD • DUNWOODY • SANDY SPRINGS


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W E L L N E S S

Tinnitus SupportSaturday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – � e Atlanta Tinnitus Support Group (ATSG) holds a meeting on “success stories,” how those with tinni-tus, using TRT, neuromonic and/or masking over-came their tinnitus. Free. Family and friends are wel-come. Dunwoody Branch Library, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. For more in-formation, contact Erica at [email protected].

Mental HealthSunday, Feb. 10, 3-5:30 p.m. – � e Na-tional Alliance on Mental Illness starts a 12-week family-to-family program designed to help care-givers understand and support those with mental ill-ness, while maintaining their own well-being. Free. Peachtree Presbyterian Church, 3434 Roswell Rd., Atlanta, 30305. For more information, call 770-432-4712, email: [email protected] or go to: www.naminorthsideatlanta.org.

P E R F O R M I N G A R T S

Music at the MJCCAMonday, Jan. 28, 5-7 p.m. – � e Mondays on Main Street music series at the Marcus Jew-ish Community Center Atlanta presents “� e Baal Shem Tones,” an acoustic duo playing pop-in� u-enced Americana songs, described as “100% Amer-ican and 100% Jewish,” with “a powerful spiritu-al punch.” Free and open to the community. Food available for purchase. 5342 Tilly Mill Rd., Dun-woody, 30338. For more information contact Rabbi Brian Glusman at: [email protected] or call 678-812-4161. www.atlantajcc.org.

Hungry EarSaturday, Feb. 2, 8-10 p.m. – Hungry Ear Co� ee House wel-comes Karl Hepler, a guitarist, multi-instru-mentalist and songwriter who mixes the styles of bluegrass, newgrass, country, folk and Americana to create “New Traditional American Music”; Kate and Corey, with two acoustic guitars and two distinct voices; and Kevin Spears, “� e Kalimba Man,” with skills and creativity often compared to Herbie Han-cock, Jimi Hendrix and Les Paul. $5, plus a canned goods donation for the Sandy Springs Communi-ty Assistance Center. 1025 Mount Vernon Highway, NW, Sandy Springs, 30327. Call 770-955-1408 or email: [email protected] with questions.

Scottish HeritageSunday, Feb. 3, 11 a.m. – St. Luke’s Presbyte-rian Church invites the community to join in a cel-ebration of Scottish heritage, with a Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans service. Various Scottish tartans - through banners and the wearing of tartans - will be present-ed for a blessing. � e Atlanta Pipe Band (bagpipes and drum) will play during the procession. 1978 Mount Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. For more information, call 770-393-1424 or go to: www.sl-pres.org.

F U N D R A I S E R S

Cathedral Antiques Show

� ursday, Jan. 31, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. – � e 42nd annual Cathedral Antiques Show is here! Over two dozen dealers of period furniture, jewelry, art and acces-sories, ranging from 17th-century antiques to mid-cen-tury modern pieces are gathered under one roof. Find that perfect piece, begin a collection, or simply enjoy browsing! Show continues Feb. 1-2, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $20 admission for all three days. Funds bene� t Refugee Family Services, which supports those resettling in the U.S. in becoming successful at work and school. Oth-er on-site events include a book signing and apprais-als room. � e Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Rd., NW, Atlanta, 30305. To learn more, call 404-365-1107, email: khrhett@¬bellsouth.¬net or visit: www.cathedralantiques.org.

Tartan TrotSaturday, Feb. 2, 8:30 a.m. – St. Luke’s Presby-terian Church holds its annual 5K/10K Tartan Trot, bene� ting outreach e� orts close to home and around the world. 1-mile run goes o� at 8 a.m.; Tot Trot at 9:45 a.m. Both 5 and 10K are Peachtree Road Race quali� ers. $30; $15 for 1-mile. Awards, t-shirts for en-trants. Space limited to 1,500 participants. Rain or shine. Vehicle parking in Dunwoody Village; shuttle buses available. St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, 1978 Mount Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. To register or to learn more, go to: www.tartantot.com.

Bridge Party� ursday, Feb. 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Mark your calendar to attend the St. Martin in the Fields’ Mary Magdalene Chapter’s annual bene� t luncheon and card/game party. You don’t even have to play bridge! Cards provided. Any game may be played. Door prizes; lunch served at 12 p.m. Tickets, $15, with proceeds going toward community outreach ef-forts. RSVP by Feb. 3rd. For ticket information call Carole at 404-262-3570. 3110 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., Brookhaven, 30319.

Proof of Heaven� ursday, Feb. 2, 6 p.m. – Dr. Ethan Alexan-der discusses his book “Proof of Heaven: A Neuro-surgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife” at Holy Inno-cents’ Episcopal Church. Open to the community. $10 suggested donation, with funds going to the church’s youth ministries. Book signing at 6 p.m.; discussion at 7 p.m. 805 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, 30327. Call 404-751-2907 for more information. www.hies.org.

Mardi GrasSaturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. – � e Cumberland Academy of Georgia, specializing in the needs of children with high functioning autism, Asperger’s, LD, ADD and ADHD, hosts a Mardi Gras-themed gala and auction. $150 per person. Attire: carnival casual, masks encouraged. New Orleans-inspired dinner, drinks and desserts. 650 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, 30328. Email: [email protected] for additional details or visit: www.cumberlandacademy.org to � nd out more and to purchase tickets.


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L E A R N S O M E T H I N G !

History CenterTuesday, Jan. 29, 5:30-8:30 p.m. – In cele-bration of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bu-reau’s 100 years of hospitality, the Atlanta History Center gives the public free after-hours access to the center and museum. Meet characters from Atlanta’s past who share stories about what life was like dur-ing some of Atlanta’s most pivotal moments! Open to all. Cash bar available. 130 W. Paces Ferry Rd., NW, Atlanta, 30305. To � nd out more, call 404-814-4000 or visit: www atlantahistorycenter.com.

Writer’s Forum Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2-3:30 p.m. – Share original creative writings in a safe, community-friendly environment. Readings followed by audi-ence feedback and discussion, led by writing coach Wayne Smith. Writers of every skill level encouraged to attend. Limit works to 500 words or � ve minutes of reading time. All readings must be appropriate for family audiences. No registration required. Open to � rst 20 participants. Free. For those 18 years and up. Brookhaven Public Library, 1242 N. Druid Hills Rd., NE, Brookhaven, 30319. Call 404-848-7140 to � nd out more.

Civil War� ursday, Jan. 31, 6-7:30 p.m. – George Mc-Daniel, Ph.D., presents the third lecture in the Civil War series at � e Lovett School. McDaniel, a Lovett alumni and former faculty member, tells the story of his great-grandmother’s Civil War experiences as a young Jonesboro, Ga. girl. Free and open to the com-munity. Reservations required. Refreshments served at 5:30 p.m. Call 404-262-3032, ext. 1717 or visit: www.lovett.org/civilwar for reservations and details. Hendrix-Chenault � eater, � e Lovett School, 4075 Paces Ferry Rd., NW, Atlanta, 30327.

Black History Month Friday, Feb. 1, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. – � rough-out the month of February, during library opening hours, check out the special bulletin board collages, unique items in the display case, and the book dis-play featuring famous African Americans. Free. Ap-propriate for all ages. Buckhead Branch Library, 269 Buckhead Ave., NE, Atlanta, 30305. Email: [email protected] or call 404-814-3500 for ad-ditional information.

Partner Violence Saturday, Feb. 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. – � e Part-nership Against Domestic Violence organization is widening the conversation about intimate partner violence with its 4th annual Teen Summit. � e sum-mit, themed “Expect More, Be More,” welcomes teens and concerned adults interested in learning how to recognize and address teen dating violence. Free. � e Lodge Café, 3417 Roswell Rd., Atlanta, 30305. To � nd out more, visit: http://padv.org.

Personal FinanceWednesday, Feb. 6, 6-8 p.m. – Participants will learn how to obtain and analyze credit reports; how to negotiate debts successfully; and how to un-derstand a credit score rating. Free and open to all. Recommended for adult audiences. Sandy Springs Branch Library, 395 Mount Vernon Highway, San-dy Springs, 30328. Email: [email protected] or call 404-303-6130 with questions.

Wildlife GardensSaturday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. – Join na-tionally-recognized naturalist Jerry Hightower for a workshop to help create and enjoy wildlife sanctuary gardens at homes and schools. � e workshop covers: evaluating and developing a plan; feeders, nesting boxes, birdseed selection, and “quick � xes” for add-ing food and shelter; working with � owering vines, trellis, arbors and living walls; butter� y gardens and water features. Open to everyone. $10. � ere will be a “lunch & learn” session, so bring a lunch. Blue Heron Nature Preserve, 4055 Roswell Rd., Atlanta, 30342. To learn more or to register, call 404-345-1008 or visit: www.bhnp.org.

Groundhog Day Tuesday, Jan. 29, 4-4:30 p.m. –Groundhogs and shad-ows are the themes for this story time session, followed by a craft activ-ity. Free and open to all. For ages 3-6. Northside Branch Library, 3295 Northside Parkway, NW, Atlanta, 30327. Email: [email protected] or call

404-814-3508 for additional information.

Life as a SlaveFriday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m. -1 p.m. – Understand what life was like for an enslaved person in a special school program at the Atlanta History Center. Meet Harriett Tubman, and learn how she helped enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Hands-on activities and self-guided gallery tours included. Admission: $9 per student; one adult admitted free for every � ve students. Outdoor event; dress appropriately. 130 W. Paces Ferry Rd., Atlan-ta, 30305. For more, go to: www.atlantahistorycen-ter.com or call 404-814-4000.

Practice SAT Saturday, Feb. 2, 1-6 p.m. – Get practical ex-perience taking the four-hour long SAT test spon-sored by Kaplan. Free and open to the public. Reg-istration required. Kaplan requires a minimum of 15 students to present the test. For high school stu-dents. Sandy Springs Branch Library, in the Meet-ing Room, 395 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, 30328. Call 404-303-6130 or email: [email protected] to � nd out more and to register.

Chinese New YearWednesday, Feb. 6, 4:30 p.m. – Celebrate Chi-nese New Year with Atlanta Chinese Dance! Ribbons, fans and handkerchiefs! Students will perform several dances from across China. Free and open to the com-munity. Appropriate for ages 6 and up. Sandy Springs Branch Library, 395 Mount Vernon Highway, San-dy Springs, 30328. Call 404-303-6130 or email: [email protected] with questions.

Turtle ToursSaturday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. – Heritage Sandy Springs continues its “Turtle Tours,” an ed-ucational series ap-propriate for children ages 2-5 in the Her-itage Sandy Springs Museum. � rough stories, hands-on ex-hibits and crafts, mu-seum mascots “San-dy” the chipmunk and “Spring” the tur-tle introduce pre-

schoolers to history. “Critters from Seedpods” is scheduled for Feb. 9. Free; donations encouraged. 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs, 30328. For additional details, visit: www.heritagesan-dysprings.org, call 404-851-9111 or email: [email protected].

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Romance WritingSaturday, Feb. 9, 12-2 p.m. – Boy trouble! Girl trouble! Romance can be as di� cult on paper as it is in real life. Meet a member of the Georgia Romance Writ-ers Association who will help you explore the complexities of a character’s feelings in your work. Free and open to the public. Regis-tration required. Appropriate for middle and high school age. Sandy Springs Branch Library, in the Meeting Room, 395 Mount Vernon Highway, San-dy Springs, 30328. Email: [email protected] or call 404-303-6130 with questions or to sign up.

Father-Daughter Dance

Saturday, Feb. 9, 6-8 p.m. – Dance features music, geared for dads and daughters, provided by a live DJ, and event includes dance contests, mu-sical games, complementary snacks and refresh-ments, keepsake photo, door prizes and a goodie bag for each girl. Attire is business casual to semi-formal. $35 per father-daughter; $10 each addition-al daughter. For all girls attending school in Sandy Springs. Space is limited; registration open until Feb. 8 or when full. Woodland Elementary School, 1130 Spalding Dr., NE, Sandy Springs, 30350. For more information and to register, visit: www.sandysrpings-ga.gov or call 770-730-5600.

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Dunwoody artists show their works in local businessesBY JOE EARLE

[email protected]

It looked at this stage like somebody’s living room was being redecorated. Ceil-ing tiles sat in a neat stack next to a step-ladder at the center of the small, out-of-way shopping center storage room. Freshly painted walls gleamed.

“We’ve been cleaning and paint-ing and getting things ready to go,” Ju-lie Marshall said. “It’s been fun to see how the whole business looks. We start-ed looking [for a place for the gallery] in November and got in with the paint last week. It’s a process.”

Once completed, this process will produce a new art gallery where Dun-woody artists can show and sell their work. � e Dunwoody Fine Arts Asso-ciation is calling its new showplace a “pop-up” gallery because it’s intended to be open only for a few months, starting in February.

“We should have some jewelry and paintings and hopefully some sculp-ture,” Marshall said. “It’ll be fun. It’ll be a place in the community [for asso-ciation members] to display work and hopefully people will come see it.”

� e new gallery – being cleaned and decorated by volunteers from the associ-ation – will be up and running in con-junction with the group’s annual “Art Walk” through the community.

During the walk, which starts Feb. 1 and continues through the month, local artists display their work on the walls of

dozens of local businesses. � e associa-tion has put together the event each of the past several years, Marshall said.

“Our goal is to bring awareness of the arts to our community and to showcase the terri� c talent of artists right here in Dunwoody,” Susan Proctor, president of the association, said in a press release.

“� roughout the month, all of us will � nd our shopping to be a more beauti-ful experience, thanks to the artists who have created stunning watercolors, oils, acrylics, pen and ink, and collages, as well as the businesses that are showcas-ing them.”

Marshall, a painter and member of the association, said about 200 pieces of art will be displayed during the citywide exhibition. At least 30 businesses and public o� ces have signed up to show works. All the works will be o� ered for sale, the association said.

“I think the businesses feel happy to see some new work on their walls,” Mar-shall said. “All artists have works in their basements and are happy to get it out for people to see. At least people who come in for a dentist appointment have some-thing new to see.”

Jennifer Howard, � nancial advisor for Edward Jones, said her o� ce has tak-en part in the association’s show for the past three years and will again this year.

“I was an early adapter,” she said. “It’s worked out great. I really enjoy it. It’s

something to show my cli-ents. I get to meet some new artists. It’s a very nice way to give back.”

Last year, she had two landscape paintings hanging in the o� ce, she said. “I’m a big na-ture fan, so the landscapes work well,” she said.

� e asso-ciation’s tem-porary gallery will present additional works for sale in the small room o� the Courtyard at Dunwoody Village. “We’re hoping to get everyone’s work in there,” Mar-shall said during a chat at a local cof-fee shop.

� e association plans to launch the gallery with a party Feb. 23 and then open it to the public on Feb. 25, Mar-shall said. � e 1,000-square-foot gal-lery, installed in what had been a storage room at Dunwoody Village, is sched-uled to remain open at least through the end of April, Marshall said.

“Hopefully, it won’t close,” she said.

Dunwoody Fine Arts Association “Art Walk” and “pop-up gallery”

When: Artworks are displayed at various Dunwoody businesses in February. Gallery holds opening party Feb. 23 and opens to the public Feb. 25.

How much: Free

For more information: www.dunwoodyfi neart.org

JOE EARLE

Local artist Julie Marshall, at the Dunwoody Village storefront where the Dunwoody Fine Arts Association plans to open a new “pop-up” art gallery in February.

M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E


Do you know an organization or individual making a difference

in our community? Email [email protected]

Sandy Springs Girl Scout tops the cookie chartsBY MELISSA WEINMAN

[email protected]

It’s that time again. You can expect a knock on the door,

an order form passed around the o� ce, perhaps a booth in front of the grocery store where your friendly, local scouts will be o� ering those delectable Girl Scout cookies.

When it comes to cookie sales, few can outdo Dunwoody resident Meghan Devine.

Devine has regular-ly ranked as one of At-lanta’s top cookie sellers, often selling more than 1,000 boxes each year – and around 13,000 over the course of her scouting ca-reer – to earn money for her troop.

Devine, a junior at Holy Spirit Prepara-tory School in Sandy Springs, said her am-bitious cookie sales are rooted in a com-petitive spirit and a philanthropic nature.

As a � fth grader in 2006, Devine signed up to sell cookies at a booth out-side of a Walmart. But the store acciden-tally double-booked Meghan with an-other scout, who seemed to be making all the sales that day.

“I was like, ‘I want to outsell her now,’” Meghan recalls.

� at scout happened to be one of At-lanta’s top sellers, and Meghan decided to try to top her. � at year, Meghan sold 2,802 boxes.

Meghan was also driven to sell cookies in hopes of helping the Girl Scout camp she attended. She had heard that due to � -nancial troubles, the camp would have to sell some of its horses because they could no longer a� ord to care for them.

“I wanted to sell a bunch of boxes and save the horses,” she said. “I was a little girl with big dreams.”

Meghan said it was rewarding to learn that through money earned by the local Girl Scout Council that year, they were able to keep all the horses at the camp.

“� ey were able to save the horses, they didn’t have to sell any of them,” she said.

Each year after, Meghan continued to think big. In 2007, she set her person-al record, selling 3,111 boxes of cookies.

And the competitive spirit has been contagious. “� ere have been a couple of other girls that have sold 1,000 [box-es] with me,” Meghan said. “Now my troop -- every year, we’re one of the top selling troops in our service unit.”

Meghan’s mother, Anne Devine, said it’s been amazing to watch the girls push each other to sell more.

“When Meghan started selling a whole bunch of cookies, she showed the other girls in her troop that it was actu-ally possible. No one else had thought that big,” Anne Devine said. “It caught on and other girls in her troop started selling more and more. …When girls see that things are possible, they start to be-lieve that they can do it, too. Girl Scout cookies sales have skyrocketed over the

last few years.”And the troop has been able to do

some pretty amazing things as a result of all those sales.

Meghan said the troop at Holy Spir-it, which has been together since most

of them were in ele-mentary school, has used the money from cookie sales to travel to Switzerland. � is summer, the troop is saving money to travel to Costa Rica,

where they will form a partnership with a troop of Girl Guides, the Costa Rican analogue for scouts.

Meghan said she’s learned a lot about herself from selling cookies.

“I think the thing I like most about it is I’m kind of shy, and cookie sales bring me out of my box and forces me to talk to other people and smile, and be friendly and outgoing,” she said. “I can kind of be shy and close up with people I don’t know. It’s like a whole other me when I’m selling cookies. Its shown me a side of me I didn’t know was there.”

Meghan said her cookies sales may have been driven by competition in the

beginning, but now it’s something she does because she loves it.

“I love selling cookies, I love being interviewed because of my cookie sales. I actually did the � rst pitch at the At-lanta Braves game. I’ve just been award-

ed so many opportunities because of my cookie sales,” she said.

� en, as the conversation was wind-ing down, Meghan said, “Now, I have a question for you: Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?”

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Meghan Devine, a Girl Scout from Holy Spirit Preparatory School, has consistently been one of the top cookie sellers in the Atlanta area.

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When you ring the doorbell at Ma-rie Frank’s Dunwoody home, she bare-ly cracks the door.

“Come in quickly,” she says, open-ing the door just enough for you to squeeze through.

Once inside, the reason for her cau-tion is clear. Frank has three pet cocka-tiels that � y freely about her home.

Dixie perches on the handle of her oven, singing to his re� ection in the stainless steel appliance. Lucky hops over to the table where Frank is sitting, curiously inspecting her co� ee mug.

Frank said her birds are always en-tertaining her. But she said most peo-ple don’t know what they are getting into when they buy a parrot.

“� ese are the best pets,” Frank said. “But if you don’t treat them well, they can be your worst nightmare.”

Frank is passionate about teaching people about responsible bird owner-ship.

Frank said when she got her � rst gray and yellow cockatiel, Dixie, she assumed it would be happy living in its cage. “I had a 5-year-old son who wanted a parrot,” Frank said. “I think people think – like I did – that you can buy a big cage and look at him because he’s pretty.”

But she soon learned that her bird needed to spend time outside of his cage, � ying and interacting with her family.

“Dixie is kind of the one who trained us on how he wanted to be treated,” Frank said. “To treat them properly, you have to give them little or no cage time.”

Since getting her � rst cockatiel, Frank has rescued three more and has traveled to Arizona to volunteer with a bird res-cue sanctuary.

She said there are many things people don’t know about parrots – the family of exotic birds that includes macaws, cocka-toos and Amazons.

If birds are bored or unhappy in their cage, they can be very loud and destruc-tive, she said.

Some birds will even pick out their feathers and bite their skin with their beaks if they are con� ned to a cage.

“People need to know they are social creatures, they do need stimulation, they do need interaction,” Frank said.

Frank said many people give away their parrots, annoyed by the noise the birds make. � ere are only a few bird res-cue groups around the country, and there often isn’t much space.

“� e rescues are bursting at the seams. � ey’re so overcrowded,” Frank said.

One reason those rescues are so crowd-ed: birds have incredibly long life spans.

Smaller parrots like cockatiels can live up to 25 years. But some larger birds, like

macaws and African Grey Parrots, have a life span of up to 100 years.

Ron Johnson, owner of Feathered Friends Forever, cares for 1,400 birds at his rescue facility near Augusta.

He said birds come to the rescue from around the country for a variety of rea-sons. Some have owners who have died, or owners who have moved and can no longer keep them. Some people turn their birds in because they are simply tired of being bitten by the birds or hear-ing them chirp.

Johnson said the problem is that breeders continue to sell the birds for a large pro� t.

“Breeders and pet stores don’t care what people buy so long as they collect their money,” Johnson said.

Johnson said someone recent-ly dropped o� a bird that was only six months old.

“A breeder convinced this lady that this was a quiet, lovable bird,” Johnson said. “She paid $900 for the bird, $300 for the cage, and had it 48 hours because she couldn’t stand the noise that it made.”

He said it’s important to keep in mind that parrots are wild animals. � ey still have natural instincts that can make them unfriendly.

“� ey’re in a sense “domesticated” in that they will take food from your hand and they will talk to you,” Johnson said. “When it’s breeding season, you have Dr. Jekyll.”

PHOTOS BY MELISSA WEINMAN

Above, Dunwoody resident Marie Frank with one of her cockatiels.

Below, admiring a coffee mug.


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BY J.D. MOORHer leash taut with anticipation and

her tail wagging wildly, 3-year-old Am-berley pulled her owner into a hallway at the Plantation South Assisted Living home in Dunwoody.

Resident Sarah Baker gingerly ma-neuvered her walker one step at a time and spotted Amberly. Baker then was all smiles and Amberley was all a� ection.

“� is is the best part of the week for me,” Baker said. “I used to have a Rott-weiler I loved. I look forward to this be-cause it’s so special.”

Amberley, a 3-year-old Hungarian bird dog, is certi� ed as a service dog and constant companion to Doris Beardsley, who recently recovered from spinal sur-gery.

Amberley also is a member of the Pet � erapy Program at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church in Brookhav-en, which has trained 72 dogs since 2009, eight of them specializing in vis-its to three nursing homes. Amberley has already made 17 visits to Plantation South.

Preston Bentley is another Amberley fan who’s been at Plantation South for two years. “I have lots of free time here and she’s a nice break,” he said.

Beardsley actually received a pet-to-people outreach herself before deciding to get involved in the program. Her hus-band brought Amberley to brighten her day while in a rehab facility that dou-bled as a retirement home.

“I was there after my back surgery and I remember how during therapy, it helped me emotionally to work harder through the pain,” Beardsley said. “But then the retirees living there wanted to pet her, too, and asked me when Amber-ley would come back again.”

� at was all the motivation Beard-sley needed to sign up for the Canine Good Citizenship class at St. Martin’s Pet Ministry. � e � ve-week class trains

animals to be obedient and stay calm around strangers, including those in wheelchairs.

Usually dogs with good tempera-ments do better in passing the 10-step test, but the ministry also o� ers a ba-sic class for dogs that may not be quite ready to become canine good citizens.

Ingrid Siegert devotes her free time to running the pet ministry whenever she isn’t busy as St. Martin’s music director.

She has her cat, Maggie, living full-time in her church o� ce, plus two dogs at home. “We do this out of love for the animals, and it’s fun to meet others who share that feeling,” she said. � e pet ministry has blossomed from the early days when the � rst feature was prayers for animals through its website. It was a huge success with requests for prayers coming in from all over the world. “I think our pet ministry is unique because we do so much,” Siegert said.

J.D. MOOR

Doris Beardsley, left, and Amberley, visiting Sarah Baker

at Plantation South Assisted Living in Dunwoody.



Here’s Looking at You!To view photos from your community visit www.ReporterNewspapers.net. To submit your photos email [email protected]

Sophie’s Uptown54 Pharr Rd, Atlanta GA 30305

404-812-0477 | www.sophiesuptown.comMon. – Fri. 10 – 7 Sat. 10 – 4 Closed on Sun.People treats – Animal love. Your community café and bakery

dedicated to saving Atlanta’s Homeless Animals. Gluten free and sugar free desserts. Homemade bakery favorites, coffee, ice cream,

sandwiches, salads and more, all in a great atmosphere

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.2955 Cobb Pkwy SE, Suite 240 – Akers Mill & Cobb Pkwy

Akers Mill Shopping Center | 770-988-9991Open 365 days: 6 AM – 4 PM

New York Style Gourmet Bagels, 3 egg breakfast sandwiches, over-stuffed bagelwiches, pizza melts, scooper melts and fresh baked muffi ns. Beverages

consist of a coffee station that has everything you need to customize your perfect cup of coffee including unique blends, creamers and U-Bet syrup along

with fresh squeezed orange juice and soft drinks. Try the Cubsta® - iced coffee made with frozen coffee cubes. Catering services also available.

Chin Chin Chinese Restaurant3887 Peachtree Rd, Buckhead/Brookhaven & other locations

404-816-2229 | www.ChinChinAtlanta.comMon-Thurs 11:30-10:30, Fri/Sat 11:30-11, Sun 12-10:30

Fine Asian Cuisine - Its atmosphere, service and quality of food are above reproach. You can sit in the dining area and watch the preparation of food through a large plate glass. The menu is extensive, offering items in every category including chicken, seafood, pork, beef and

duck. There are also vegetarian dishes for those who prefer.

MoSaiC Restaurant3097 Maple Drive, Buckhead

404-846-5722 | www.mosaicatl.comMon–Thur 11:30–10, Fri/Sat 11:30–11,

Sun Brunch, 10:30–3, Dinner 3–9MoSaiC is a popular neighborhood, Buckhead eatery, located between Peachtree & Paces Ferry. Visit this hidden gem for a charming escape from city living. Our

eclectic wine list and seasonal menu is sure to please the palate.

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks600 Ashwood Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30338

770.399.9900 | www.mccormickandschmicks.comM-Th: 11-9, Fri: 11-10, Sat: 4-10, Sun: 4-9

From fresh seafood and shell fi sh to aged steaks and garden fresh salads, our goal is to exceed your dining expectations. Our menus refl ect seafood from the

Pacifi c Rim, Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. We also source products from local ranches, farms and wineries to showcase regionally inspired dishes.

Flavor Restaurant & Bar236 Johnson Ferry Rd. NE, Sandy Springs GA 30328

404-255-7402 | www.fl avorcafebakery.comMon: 10.30am to 3.00pm Lunch only

Tue: to Fri 10.30am to 10.00pm Lunch and DinnerSat and sun 8.00am to 10.00pm Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Flavor with a twist. Taking traditional dishes and giving them a new twist. Babaganoush * Tabuli * Hummus * Lambchop Kabob * Jumbo Shrimp

Pig-N-Chik4920 Roswell Rd, Sandy Springs/Buckhead, 404-255-6368

5071 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Chamblee/Brookhaven, 770-451-11121815 Briarcliff Rd, Emory area 404-474-9444

Mon-Thurs. 10:30–10; Fri/Sat, 10:30–11; Sun, 11–10 | pignchik.netTreat your friends and family to the best food in town at Pig-N-Chik. From barbecue

ribs and pork to turkey and chicken wings, our irresistible dishes will have your taste buds begging for more. And don’t forget our delicious desserts!

Los Bravos Mexican Restaurant2042 Johnson Ferry Rd NE, Atlanta 30319770-452-9896 | www.losbravosatlanta.com

Mon - Fri 11 - 10:30, Sat 12 – 10:30, Sun 12 – 10Mouth-watering agave margaritas, carne asade, taco salads, fajitas, poblanos, quesadillas, taco salads, Mexican soup, guacamole…. It’s

all at your fi ngertips regardless of what part of Atlanta you live in.

McKendrick’s Steak House4505 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., Atlanta, Georgia, 30346

770-512-8888 | www.mckendricks.comLunch; M-F 11-2:30 Dinner: M-Th 5-10, Fri/Sat 5-11, Sun 5-9

Selected by Zagat as the number one rated steak house in Atlanta, McKendrick’s serves only prime cuts of meat as well as the freshest seafood

all of which is complimented by an extensive wine list. McKendrick’s has been a steak house tradition for Atlantans and visitors alike since 1995.

Tantra Restaurant2285 Peachtree Rd. N.E., Atlanta, GA, 30309

404-228-7963 | tantrabuckhead.comTantra restaurant in South Buckhead features a contemporary American menu

highlighted with the exotic fl avors of Persian & Indian cuisine. The menu is crafted by Executive Chef Terry Dwyer and his staff. Popular items include: mussels in roasted pepper broth with chipotle and star anise, large plump scallops

caramelized in a basil rub with a dried lime beurre blanc to compliment, grilled Australian lamb served with crisp eggplant frites and horseradish-ghost chile aioli.

Another Broken Egg CaféNow Open in Vinings! 4300 Paces Ferry Rd

Vinings GA 30339770-384-0012

Open 7 days a week 7 AM – 2 PMCome by to see our beautiful renovated facility. Great for hosting

business or private functions or just stop by and try one of the delicious menu items. Receive 20% off the month of January.

Restaurant Guide

R

View these listings online with a map of each location at www.ReporterNewspapers.net.

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SPECIAL

Building relationshipsSophia Academy middle school students went on

an overnight, spiritual retreat in the north Georgia mountains, where they took part in activities to build

teamwork, conquer fears and build confi dence.

Far left, Madison Parker, left, joins Noelle Marchais in cheering on their peers during a competitive game of “Ga,” modeled after an ancient game played in Greek and Roman times. Left, Matthew Wallace challenges

his agility and balance on the high ropes course.

Uncle Julio’s created a unique restaurant concept around original recipes that demand only the freshest ingredients





Colorful celebrations mark the new yearLeft, Sofi a Polar, 7, a fi rst grader at Atlanta International School, gives the paper dragon she just created at the Sandy Springs Library an admiring look. Sofi a attended a Chinese New Year celebration at the branch on Jan. 19. Right, the

program included making crafts out of paper, stories and other Chinese New Year-related activities.


Making the center sparkleGeorgia Perimeter College students got together to help

beautify the Dunwoody Nature Center on Jan. 21, creating a new trail, cleaning and remulching an existing trail, and

clearing the forest of evasive plants. The students participated as part of a school-sponsored civic engagement project.

Clockwise, from left, Krishna Chatla and Cristian Morales, right, drag broken limbs away from a trail. Center, Tiffany Robinson, majoring in

pre-nursing at the GPC Dunwoody campus, removes her work gloves and takes a break. Right, Krishna Chatla clears brush. At left, from left,

Cristian Morales, Usman Bako, Martin Kovombele and Elizabeth Gats pick up small twigs and branches while they clean the path.

E D U C A T I O N


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Standout StudentsStudent Profi le:

Ferra Pinnock Atlanta Girls’ School, senior

� ere is never an idle moment in Fer-ra Pinnock’s life.

She plays three sports – soccer, soft-ball and basketball. She hikes. She’s pres-ident of the Circle of Sisters, the equiv-alent of the student council at Atlanta Girls’ School.

In fact, she so busy, she’s learned to dedicate a half-hour to an hour each night to relaxation, no matter how busy she is. She’ll watch a TV show, listen to music or read a book.

“I try to spare myself some ‘me time’ as often as possible, just to maintain a reasonable amount of sanity,” she said. “Nothing is worth running myself into the ground, and it is this understanding that keeps me motivated and grounded in spite of the many obstacles that come with being a student-athlete.”

Ferra transferred to the Atlanta Girls’ School, an all-girl school in Buckhead, when she was in the seventh grade. She enjoys the laid-back environment an all-girl school o� ers.

“We all look the same, and there are no social standards that you always have to worry about it,” she said. “It leaves a lot of time and sanity for focusing on what is important like school, and just becoming a good person.”

At the same time, Ferra misses as-pects of being in a coed school, such as pep rallies and football games.

At school, Ferra is a member of the Outdoor Club, which organizes outdoor trips, including excursions to go rafting and rock climbing.

She’s active in both student a� airs and sports. Sports teams mean a lot to her. As an only child, she feels that her teammates are like her family. And be-ing president of the Circle of Sisters has helped make her a better leader and a more patient person, she said.

Ferra’s favorite subjects are math and chemistry.

“I like them both because they are very practical and I am a very realistic

person,” she said. “I like studying con-crete ideas.”

At AGS, students are required to complete an internship during the sum-mers before 11th and 12th grade. Two years ago, Ferra shadowed emergency room residents at Grady Hospital as she was considering a career in medicine. Ferra then decided that she was inter-ested in engineering and completed the Yerkes Internship at Emory University this past summer.

“My favorite part was interacting with a variety of people,” Ferra said. “Be-ing a witness to the dynamic variation of cultures and perspectives was often en-lightening and especially entertaining.”

Amy Conlee is the internship coun-selor at AGS and has gotten to know Ferra well during the past three years.

“She is full of leadership and human-ity,” Conlee said. “She has a great char-acter that is displayed in everything she does.”

All in all, Conlee describes Ferra as “the girl who is kind to the person who others aren’t.”

What’s Next:

Next year, Ferra hopes to attend a college with a great engineering pro-gram where she will study chemical en-gineering.

–Stacy Bubes

E D U C A T I O N


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Student Profi le: Carson Waln The Galloway School, Senior

Carson has been involved with ath-letics since he was 4 years old. When he was in middle school, he decided he wanted to play baseball in college.

“I played a ton of sports like every lit-tle kid does, but baseball was the only sport that every year I looked forward to,” said Carson.

His dad encouraged him to play catcher from the start, a position he has kept throughout his career. He has al-ways admired retired Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Ro-dríguez, and as a young player tried to emulate his performance as a defensive catcher.

When Carson joined the East Cobb Baseball club at 14, he was able to grow his skills as a catcher. Some summers were � lled with over 80 games. When he was 16, the East Cobb Titans won a national championship under coach Chance Beam.

“He was my favorite coach. He made me a better player and, at the end of the day, we won some really big tourna-ments,” said Carson.

As high school approached, Carson was in a bind. He wanted to go to � e Gallo-way School, but at the time the school did not have an active baseball team.

Carson chose to work with the coach-

es to start up a program which has con-tinued to grow over the past four years. And his work paid o� : He’s going to Wo� ord College next fall and will play baseball there.

Not only has Carson excelled at base-

ball but also at running. He has been a member of Galloway’s cross country team since freshman year. � is past season, the team earned a � fth place � nish in the state meet.

“Carson is a true student-ath-lete,” said cross country and track coach Denny Be-atty. “Carson dem-onstrates outstand-ing leadership, and leads his team-mates by example. He does what is asked of him and more. His dedica-tion and work eth-ic is superb, and yields positive out-comes, champion-ship results,” Beat-ty said.

In attempts to garner support for Galloway’s teams,

Carson initiated and led a new spirit

committee. “Since we don’t have a football team,

it can be di� cult to get the students out to other games,” said Carson. “I’ve tried to get more people out to support all the teams at school.”

Carson has a great group of friends at Galloway with whom he shares an in-tense academic competition.

“It’s a good competition - we are either working together or working against each other to get a better grade,” said Carson. “We’ve got a great, smart bunch of people.”

One of his favorite memories of high school was a mock presidential debate for AP Comparative Government class, in which he acted as Mitt Romney for an hour. He argued political points in front of the entire school. Although he does not plan on being a politician, he thoroughly enjoys debating.

What’s Next:

Carson has signed to play baseball for Wo� ord College where plans to pursue a pre-med degree. He hopes to be an or-thopedic surgeon someday to help get injured players back on the � eld.

–ElizabethWilkes

Do you know a standout high school student? Send nominees to [email protected].

SS

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Lindsey: Plan means parents would get involved in chartersState Rep. Edward Lindsey, a Buck-

head Republican, says his proposal making it easier to convert an existing school into a charter school is about getting parents involved in education.

Lindsey’s “parent trigger bill” would allow a majority of parents or teach-ers at a school to petition to have their school become a charter school. Char-ter schools usually have more indepen-dence from a local school system, but the freedom comes with heightened expectations for students.

“I � nd it interesting that some peo-ple are concerned that parents may ac-tually spend more time talking to their school board about the quality of their children’s education. � at’s inherently a good thing,” Lindsey said during a Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education symposium on Jan. 11.

Not everyone is convinced Lind-sey is on the right track. Rep. Stacey Abrams, an Atlanta Democrat, said at the same symposium that Lindsey’s bill sounds like a good idea at � rst, but “the devil is in the details.”

“You don’t want it to become a tool that is used to bludgeon schools into behavior that perhaps may not repre-sent the full sense of what’s best for those kids,” Abrams said. “� ere have been states where it’s been used fairly improperly.”

So parents could have a clearer idea of what Lindsey is proposing, Report-er Newspapers asked him a few ques-tions about the proposal. Here are his answers.

Q. What is a ‘parent trigger’ law?

A. You have a traditional public school. � e parents believe

that converting it to a charter school would improve education in their school. � ey would get a petition to-gether and would have to get a majority of student households. (My wife and I constitute one student household. My neighbor down the street, who’s a single mom, she’s a student household.) If you get a majority of the student households to request the charter, it then goes to the school board for their consideration.

� ere’ll be certain factors for the school board to consider, or reject, the petition. It has to be rejected by two-thirds of the school board. � e whole idea is to keep it local.

My friends who opposed the state charter amendment last year made a big deal about “we believe in charter -- it just needs to stay at the local level.” Let’s

see if they can prove that. Right now, it’s a lot more of a convoluted process to go to a charter school, a lot more hoops they have to go through.

Q. How do you think a parent trigger law could improve

schools?I’ve sat on the House Education

Committee for eight years, and one thing I’ve learned over the years is any kind of education reform must touch on one of the following three aspects of ed-ucation: an engaged student, an inspir-ing teacher or an involved parent. � is bill brings parents into greater involve-ment in their children’s education.

Q. Why do you want to intro-duce this legislation?

A. You know, we need to be working on a whole series of

education reforms in this state. � e fact of the matter is, the state of public edu-cation in Georgia today is not where it should be. When you’ve got a gradua-tion rate of 67 percent and if you drill it down to low income households, it’s in the low 50s. � at’s morally and econom-ically unacceptable.

Q. Are there similar laws in oth-er states?

A. � ere are seven other states that have similar laws.

Q. Do you think recent events with the Atlanta and DeKalb

County public schools may create more interest in this bill?

A. North Atlanta High School and DeKalb County provide

excellent examples for why this is neces-sary. But the need is statewide. � e need isn’t con� ned to our local area.

State Rep. Edward Lindsey

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Keller Williams Real Estate Agent

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Police BlotterThe following incidents and arrests are some but not all of the reports fi led with SSPD over the listed pe-

riod, dated through Jan. 18.

The following information was provided by the Sandy Springs Police Department from its records and is presumed to be accurate.

ROBBERY 7700 block of Spalding Drive 30350 – On

Jan. 8, around 9:30 p.m., a man came into the business of Hong Kong Lee and pulled a gun. He took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register and left the scene in a small car. He had a bandana covering his face and held a small black revolver. He also had a white bandage on his left hand that looked to be covering an injury.

Cedar Run 30350 – On Jan. 17, a wom-an reported that she was leaving her apart-ment when she saw a man in the breezeway. The man had a silver gun. He said “Where do you live? Where is the money? Who else is in there?” The man told her to go into her apartment and face the wall. The man then called someone on a cellphone, and two oth-ers came into the apartment and the group looked around. They took some items and left. She reported that she did not call the police until a day later because she was too upset. She later told the detective a TV was taken. The leasing offi ce told the detectives that the woman contacted them to break her lease because she was robbed and they

told her they needed a police report—which is why the robbery was reported a day late.

BURGLARY 1000 block of Brentwood Way 30350 – On

Jan. 8, a man reported that while he was in jail for domestic violence, someone broke into his apartment.

600 block of Virginia Road 30328 – On Jan. 8, a man reported that he was on vaca-tion from Dec. 16-Jan. 8. When he returned, someone had burglarized his home and taken a TV and other items.

4600 block of Roswell Road 30342 – On Jan. 8, the victim reported that she came home and found her back door open. She saw evidence that her apartment had been ran-sacked. The victim reported cash missing.

200 block of Northwood Drive 30342 – On Jan. 9, someone shattered a window and

then entered the victim’s apartment. Missing is a laptop, gold chains, a bracelet, a Ninten-do Wii and an iPod.

4700 block of Jett Road 30342 – On Jan. 9, answering an alarm, an offi cer found a side door that was pried open. Several items were later found to have been taken in the bur-glary.

100 block of Hampton Drive 30350 – On Jan. 9, the victim came home and found that her door was slightly open. She dis-covered that someone came in and took her 32-inch TV and Wii video game system.

8200 block of Colquitt Road 30350 – On Jan. 9, someone forced the victim’s front door and took large furniture items. The vic-tim has been gone from the apartment since the early part of December.

OTHER BURGLARIES 3600 block of Treelodge Parkway 30350 –

On Jan. 10.

7300 block of Hunters Branch Drive 30328 – On Jan. 12, the victim reported that a bike was stolen from an unlocked storage room attached to the carport.

100 block of North Mill Road 30328 – On Jan. 14, offi cers answered an alarm at about 11:30 a.m. They found evidence that someone forced a utility-closet door and at-tempted to gain entry. Footprints were found where the person walked around the home

looking for a way in. A window was broken and the burglar apparently set off the alarm when he removed the glass. It appears he did not get inside.

6400 block of Scott Valley Road 30342 – On Jan. 14, sometime between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., someone broke a sliding door. The resi-

dent said nothing was taken.

7200 block of Brandon Mill Road 30328 – On Jan. 15, the victim said she left the home around 11:30 a.m. and returned just after 12 p.m. She found that a rear window had been broken out. Several drawers had been ransacked. Some jewelry items were reported missing.

2300 block of Treelodge Parkway 30350 – On Jan. 16, the res-

ident said that between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. someone entered her apartment and

took an Xbox game system and a PS3 game system. Entry was made by breaking out a back bedroom window.

Old Stratton Chase 30350 – On Jan. 17, offi cers, responding to an alarm, found that someone forced a rear door open and came into the house. The resident said at the time of the report that nothing appeared to be missing.

1000 block of Wedgewood Way 30350 – On Jan. 17, a man reported that he noticed that someone had changed the deadbolt on the back door to his home and upon looking, discovered a gold watch and $300 in Euros

CAPTAIN STEVE ROSE, [email protected]

100 block of Hampton Drive – On Jan. 9, the victim

came home and found that her

8200 block of Colquitt Road – On Jan. 9, someone

forced the victim’s front door and took large furniture items. The vic-tim has been gone from the apartment

dent said nothing was taken.

Mill Road 30328

Parkway 30350

ident said that between 8 a.m. and 8

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

SS



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were taken from his night stand in his bed-room.

THEFT A man on Dunhill Court reported some-

one stole two concrete lions from outside his home.

1100 block of Mount Vernon Highway 30328 – On Jan. 7, a man reported that he accidentally left his iPhone on the seat at Wendy’s. He went back and the staff said they knew nothing of it. He activated “Find my Phone” and the GPS signal showed the phone was still there. The staff insisted they knew nothing of it. He fi nally left the store but tracked the phone to the MARTA station and then to an address on Willow Lake Drive in DeKalb County. The phone contact was lost afterward. The offi cer obtained video but it does not show anyone taking the phone.

5600 block of Roswell Road 30342 – On Jan. 8, a student placed her purse on a roll-ing cart next to her. She left the room for several minutes and during that time, some-one took it.

5900 block of Roswell Road 30328 – On Jan. 8, a woman reported that someone took her wallet while she was shopping at Whole Foods. A credit card was later used unsuc-cessfully at a local Chevron before the card was inactivated.

700 block of Dalrymple Road 30328 – On

Jan. 12, the victim said that overnight, some-one stole his bike that was chained to the stairs outside his apartment building.

A man reported that he dropped o� his shirt, valued at $125, at his cleaners and they lost it.

1000 block of Johnson Ferry Road 30342 – On Jan. 12, an employee said her cellphone was taken from a room adjacent to the ER room at Northside Hospital.

100 block of Pres-ton Woods Trail 30328 – On Jan. 12, a woman reported that her roommate moved out and stole her Louis Vuitton bag. When she asked her for it, the roommate replied “When I see you, I’ll give you more than just your key!”

Mount Vernon Highway -- woman report-ed that while she was at a store, her wallet was stolen.

Spender Trace 30328 – On Jan. 14, a man reported that his 2004 Dodge Ram truck was stolen sometime during the day.

Hunters Trace – A man reported that two guns are missing from his home. He said that he recently had a handyman living in his home (since June) and suspects he took the guns.

6400 block of Roswell Road 30328 – On Jan. 17, a man reported that while he was at Flasher’s Club, someone stole his iPhone, which was lying on the table.

200 block of Northridge Road 30350 – On Jan. 17, an employee of Waffl e House report-ed that between 1:45 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., someone took his cellphone from the employ-ee counter near the coffee cups. The phone could be reached from the customer section of the counter.

THEFT FROM VE-

HICLES Articles were

stolen from vehi-cles on the follow-ing dates:

100 block of River North Drive 30350, Jan. 6

300 block of Granville Court 30328, Jan. 6

800 block of Mount Vernon Highway 30328, Jan. 7

300 block of Northridge Road 30350, Jan. 8

7200 block of Chattahoochee Blu� Drive 30350, Jan. 9

900 block of Marsh Trail Circle 30350, Jan. 9

5600 block of Roswell Road 30342, Jan. 9


1100 block of Mount Vernon Highway (x2) 30328, Jan. 9

400 block of Franklin Road 30342, Jan. 9

300 block of Crosstree Lane 30328, Jan. 12



FRAUD A man reported that his credit card num-

ber was taken after he used it at a local res-taurant. � e card was later charged for $150 for gift cards at Target, Taco Mac for $37 and a purchase at a local Citgo station.

A man reported that he was swindled out of $100 by someone in the Perimeter Cen-ter West area. He told the o� cer that the man said they went to the same church and this tugged on the heart strings of the vic-tim, who continued to listen as the man said he needed a new tire. � e victim bought the tire. He dropped the man o� and the man told him that he lived at an address nearby and would repay the debt. � e victim went to that address and found a family living there who never heard of the man.

A woman reported that her credit card in-formation was compromised and that some-one made purchases from Pier 1 on the card. � e items were sent to Phoenix, AZ.

ASSAULT 6300 block of Roswell Road -- Cops were

called to a restaurant on a complaint that a person refused to pay a cab fare. A wom-an told o� cers that another woman pushed her. � is complainant went on to say that she was a housewife from Alpharetta and mother of three kids who went to Johns Creek High School. � e report said she re-peated this several times. She then said she knew the owners of the bar. She said she was talking to a man inside the bar when anoth-er woman came up and began to argue with her and then pushed her. She said the wom-an made an aggressive move toward her so she pushed a bar stool at the woman. � e other woman arrived and they began to ar-gue again. � e complainant said the other woman was young and needed to be taught a lesson.

ARRESTS 1000 block of Vicksburg Place 30350 – On

Jan. 6, around 1 a.m., cops responded to a disturbance and found three women whose argument had turned violent. Witnesses said they awoke to the sounds of screaming, and looked outside to see a woman on top of an-other woman, beating her. All were drunk. One went to jail and the other to get patched up at the hospital.

6300 block of Roswell Road 30328 – On Jan. 6, cops were called to a drug store on

Sandy Springs Police BlotterCONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

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Roswell Road just before 3 a.m. They found a man in the road in front of the store, danc-ing. Witnesses said he narrowly missed being hit by oncoming traffi c. Cops got him off the road and offered up a taxi due to his intoxi-cated condition. The taxi arrived, picked up the subject, drove away, and then returned. The driver kicked the man out saying he was cursing and refusing to pay for the ride. The offi cers spoke with the man who then cursed at the offi cer. The offi cer arrested him. The man then threw a tantrum, kicking the car di-vider cage. He ended up in leg restraints and was taken to jail.

6100 block of Peachtree Dunwoody Road 30328 – On Jan. 7, vice offi cers arrested a prostitute at the Comfort Inn and Suites af-ter a phone conversation and agreement to pay $140 for an hour’s worth of companion-ship. The defendant told the offi cer to meet at the hotel. When they did meet her, they arrested her.

4600 block of Roswell Road 30342 – On Jan. 7, a patrol offi cer located a man, who was wanted on a probation warrant, sitting at a bus stop. He stopped the man and con-fi rmed the warrant. He was arrested.

6200 block of Peachtree Dunwoody Road 30328 – On Jan. 8, vice offi cers arrested a woman at a hotel. She was charged with prostitution solicitation.

An o� cer pulled a car over. When he walked up to the driver’s side of the car, he smelled marijuana. � e man was cited for disorderly conduct which covers misde-meanor possession of, in this case, a joint. He was released.

6700 block of Roswell Road 30328 – On Jan. 8, offi cers arrested a man for military desertion. He was wanted on a warrant stat-ing that he deserted in November 2012. In-side the apartment, offi cers found marijua-na, stamps and liquid bottles of suspected LSD and capsules that contained MDMA (Ec-stasy.) Several other people were arrested in this case.

5600 block of Roswell Road 30342 – On Jan. 9, cops responded to a discount store on a call of a shoplifter who fl ed. The man had been seen multiple times in the past stealing. He was in with his girlfriend trying to make a cash return on a baby monitor they stole. The offi cers found him and rounded him up for the trip to jail.

Huntingdon Chase 30328 – On Jan. 13, cops were called just before 9 p.m. to a lo-cation about a woman who was screaming. They spoke to the woman who was lying face down in the breezeway of an apartment com-plex. The woman was intoxicated and speak-ing somewhat incoherently. She asked the offi -cers to sit “Indian style” on the fl oor with her to talk to her. The offi cers had to help her up and to her apartment. She became belliger-ent and began to yell at the offi cers. She be-gan to scream and would not settle down so the offi cers handcuffed her in order to arrest her. She threatened to shoot one offi cer in the “blank” and told the other that she would kick his “blank” up into his throat. Inside the car, she head-banged the back of the metal parti-tion. She refused to walk and had to be carried from the car to the intake port.

600 block of Hampton Drive 30350 – On Jan. 14, a man called and said two men were at his apartment and kicked open his apart-ment door. The suspects left in a small white car. The arriving offi cers spotted the car leav-ing the complex. They were detained and later charged with burglary. The victim said he heard a knock on the door but didn’t answer. Just af-

ter, they forced the door open but when they came in, the victim had a knife and the perps turned and ran to the car and drove away.

1000 block of Hammond Drive 30328 – On Jan. 15, cops were called to the Home-stead Studio Suites after an employee saw a man trying to force himself into a room where the sprinkler system control area is lo-cated. The man fl ed on foot but was caught by a pursuing offi cer and his Taser. The sus-pect was wanted in Cobb County for proba-tion violations having to do with a previous motor vehicle theft case. The man gave the offi cers false information. He was taken to the hospital, where he was found to be okay enough to be lodged into jail. He was charged with the warrants and the attempt to bur-glarize the hotel room.

5600 block of Peachtree Dunwoody Road 30342 – On Jan. 17, the security staff of St. Joseph’s Hospital called the police and re-ported that a man, later identifi ed as the suspect, came into the hospital building and said he was going to the cafeteria. The of-fi cer personally escorted the man into the eating area. The security offi cer said as he watched the man in the cafeteria, the man approached an area as if to make a normal and legal transaction for a burrito. Sudden-ly, without warning or provocation, the man took a burrito and then exited the cafeteria without paying for it.

� e o� cer’s attention was then drawn to a woman who entered the scene and con-fronted the man about the burrito in his pocket that was not paid for. � e woman asked “What is going on?” � e man replied, “Nothing.” � e security o� cer, seeing the

inconsistency in the man’s story, took con-trol and returned to the cafeteria with the now suspect and told him to empty his pock-ets, checking for stolen items, weapons, or other fast food. � e burrito was produced and the theft was foiled.

� e suspect told the o� cer the reason he took the $2 burrito was that he was discharged from the hospital earlier and he was hungry. He was charged with theft and driven up to Alpharet-ta, where the intake section is for Fulton County Jail.

Target store employees called police following a shop-lifter who took a cellphone. � e suspect was sitting at a Starbucks location inside the store but past all points of sale. � e o� cer asked if he could talk to him. � e man said “Okay, but I didn’t steal any-thing. I was going to pay for this later.” He pulled out lip gloss and put it on the table. � e o� cer later found three cellphones on him. He was charged with the theft and taken to jail.

STRANGE BREW A man on Glenridge Road called the po-

lice to report that his date had gone bad. He contacted a “date” on a website and met him at the victim’s apartment. � ey two “dated” for a couple of hours. � e victim asked the date to leave. An argument ensued and the

cops were called. � e date left but then left threatening text messages to the victim say-ing he is going to get what’s coming to him.

6200 block of Peachtree Dunwoody Road 30328 – On Jan. 13, a woman called the cops to a hotel. She told them that a man she knew as Jay Rou, whom she met two days ago and let stay in her room with her, started talking about her prostituting her-self to make some money for him. She com-

plained that he keeps call-ing her. While the offi cer was there, he called. The offi cer asked for his information and he gave him a name of “Jay Sloan” and he was from Ala-bama. The offi cer told him to stop calling or be charged with harassing communica-tions.

Weatherly Drive 30328 – On Jan. 16, a woman reported that around 4:30 a.m., a man had been in the back yard of her home on at least two oc-casions in the past week. The man has tried to peer into one

of the windows, but the dog alerts and starts to bark. She said the man is tall but because it is dark, she could not expand on the de-scription. Neighbors reported seeing a man walking in their back yards.

Sandalwood Drive 30350 – On Jan. 16, a man reported that he broke up with his girl-friend and now is receiving threatening text messages from a man whom he thinks is her brother or other friend. The threats state that they will kill him.

Map CrimeIn Your

Neighborhood.www.ReporterNewspapers.net

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Johns Creek snub could cost Sandy Springs on radios

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chasing power. “� ey’ve already done the work, es-

sentially,” McDonough said.Motorola Solutions spokesman Steve

Gorecki said the company didn’t see any problems with the contract. “Motorola abided by the process established by the cities, and believes it was a fair process,” Gorecki said.

� e Sandy Springs council on Dec. 18 approved an agreement with the other cities to pay for the radios, even though Johns Creek hadn’t yet commit-ted. At the time, Motorola o� ered the cities an $825,000 discount to sign by the end of the year, according to city re-cords.

If Johns Creek had accepted the agreement, its share of the cost

would’ve been $2.8 million. Sandy Springs committed $4 million, a num-ber likely to increase without Johns Creek’s participation. � e amount each city was supposed to pay under the proposed agreement was based on a formula that included city popula-tion, the number of radio subscribers and the square mileage covered by the new system.

McDonough told Sandy Springs City Council during its Jan. 15 meeting that City Attorney Wendell Willard is recal-culating the city’s new share. He said the council would have to amend the agree-ment or adopt a new one at a special meeting at the end of January.

McDonough said the city already had set aside $2 million in its Fiscal Year 2013 budget for the radios, and start

up costs would carry over to 2014. “We don’t anticipate any impact in Fiscal 2013,” McDonough said.

� e radios are badly needed, San-dy Springs Police Chief Terry Sult said. “We’ve got a failing radio system that’s fragile at best,” he said.

But Johns Creek o� cials weren’t swayed by pleas to � x the system sooner rather than later.

Johns Creek City Councilman Ran-dall Johnson said the other cities didn’t provide a convincing explanation about why the contract wasn’t competitively bid. Johnson, who also works in com-munications, said the cities agreed to a contract with Motorola on the basis of a recommendation by a consultant, Com-mdex.

Commdex is a reseller for Motorola,

Johnson and Johns Creek City Manager John Kachmar said.

Kachmar said the city began ques-tioning the selection of Motorola af-ter receiving complaints from two other companies interested in the work.

“I felt we didn’t do it the right way,” Kachmar said. “� is isn’t calling any-body names. We didn’t believe the pro-cess was handled correctly so we’re en-gaging in our own process.”

� is isn’t the � rst time the cities have teamed up to improve public safety re-sponse times. Johns Creek and Sandy Springs are both members of the Chat-tahoochee River 911 Authority known as ChatComm.

“� at worked out well, absolutely,” Johnson said of ChatComm. “But that was all competitively bid.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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01-25-2013 Sandy Springs Reporter

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