Thanksgiving 2012

The Pilgrims had come to America not to conquer a continent but to re-create their modest communities in Scrooby and in Leiden. ...  The Pilgrims' religious beliefs played a dominant role in the decades ahead, but it was their deepening relationship with the Indians that turned them into Americans.
By forcing the English to improvise, the Indians prevented Plymouth Colony from ossifying into a monolithic cult of religious extremism.  For their part, the Indians were profoundly influenced by the English and quickly created a new and dynamic culture full of Native and Western influences.  For a nation that has come to recognize that one of its greatest strengths is its diversity, the first fifty years of Plymouth Colony stand as a model of what America might have been from the very beginning.
By the midpoint of the seventeenth century, however, the attitudes of many of the Indians and English had begun to change.  With only a fraction of their original homeland remaining, more and more young Pokanokets claimed it was time to rid themselves of the English.  The Pilgrims' children, on the other hand, coveted what territory the Pokanokets still possessed and were already anticipating the day when the Indians had, through the continued effects of disease and poverty, ceased to exist.  Both sides had begun to envision a future that did not include the other.
In the end, both sides wanted what the Pilgrims had been looking for in 1620:  a place unfettered by obligations to others.  But from the moment Massasoit decided to become the Pilgrims' ally, New England belonged to no single group.  For peace and for survival, others must be accommodated. The moment any of them gave up on the difficult work of living with their neighbors - and all the compromise, frustration, and delay that inevitably entailed - they risked losing everything.  It was a lesson that Bradford and Massassoit had learned over the course of more than three long decades.

--Nathaniel Philbrick

Mayflower:  A Story of Courage, Community and War

Can Dunwoody Schools Be Independent?

Just when parents think they've seen everything in DeKalb County schools, Central Office comes up with new combinations of arrogance and incompetence to appall them.

No one has any business being surprised that DeKalb cities are looking for alternatives to the county-run public schools.  Communities looking to create start-up charters now have an appeal option with the State if the county-based school board shoots it down.  Arguments for "local control" only work when you're talking about extremely rural counties - which make up the majority of Georgia.  Urban and suburban counties are not going to be served well by a county-based organization.  Every news outlet in Atlanta has proof of that in DeKalb.

So what would it be like if Dunwoody were to take advantage of the ability to create a start-up charter?  This would be more likely to happen in the foreseeable future given the long road to independent school districts, or even charter clusters.

Here's a hypothetical.

Interested Parent Group (IPG for short) wants to start a new charter elementary school because their current school is overcrowded and doesn't offer the classes the parents want their children to have. These parents want to see a foreign language requirement and guaranteed art, music, and PE.

Let's assume IPG has gone through the charter application process, got shot to hell by DeKalb, appealed to the State and were approved.  They're good to go.

IPG has three key requirements to start up:  1)  Money.  2)  A location.   3)  Faculty and staff.   Needs #2 and 3 could be resolved by fulfilling Need #1.

There are three options for raising money.  IPG could apply for grants from major foundations.  Serious paydirt if you're selected but the competition process is long and the results far from certain.  IPG could pass the hat in the Dunwoody community for startup funds.  Also not impossible but how certain are we that our most well-heeled residents would be willing and/or able to write a 7-figure check?  The final option is the most expedient, the most reliable, and was used as a foil by those opposed to the state charter amendment:  private charter school providers.  Here's an example that is active in Michigan charter schools.

Let's say that our IPG has received a grant from a private foundation for startup costs.  Let's also say that they've contracted with a company like the one linked above for management.  Let's say they even found a location:  the stars aligned and, with the startup grant, they purchased the old elementary school site on Shallowford and Chamblee Dunwoody roads and are going to level the current eyesore and construct a new building and grounds.

The story looks like it approaches a happy ending with local growth and control of Dunwoody schools within easy reach of the local community.

Ah - ah - ah!  Not so fast!

The ending can't be that happy and that simple in Dunwoody.

You see, when you contract with a private company to manage your school, then it's no longer just a neighborhood school.

It's "commercial activity in a residential neighborhood."  And we all know what kind of reaction that will get.

Even if IPG managed to get their charter school property zoned as O/I (which is the closest thing the still-in-progress zoning code has to an "educational" use) it still backs up to residential properties.  Get ready for the angry mobs and the threats of lawyers.

The in-progress zoning code does not take into account the possibility off Dunwoody-controlled schools.  Zoning designations only acknowledge PRIVATE schools with lot size requirements.  (5 acres for elementary, 12 acres for middle, 20 acres for high school)  But with no standards for public schools, the loudest mob will win the day.

Dunwoody citizens dance a gleeful jig when their hostility alone blocks a day care facility.  The reaction to a K - 5 school with twice as many students and more activity is likely to be much more severe.  A school district would multiply the conflict further - more schools, more students, more to complain about.  If the reconfiguration of an insignificant side street brings out our worst, how can we expect to accommodate start-up charters?   Or manage a school system so that it can educate all of Dunwoody's children to our very high expectations while dealing with the outcry of those who can't stand having any institution other than their own home "visible from the street"?

The question is:  Can Dunwoody schools be independent?

The answer is no.  They cannot.

That has nothing to do with Georgia's constitution, that can be (and has been) changed.  It has nothing to do with the mental midgets running the DCSS Central Office.  Cut them loose and let the legal system have at them.  That fact has everything to do with Dunwoody's own citizenry, the most difficult barrier to overcome.

It's Always the Quiet Ones

Full Story

CBS Atlanta 46
DUNWOODY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -

The city of Dunwoody announced a plan to create its own school system, separate from DeKalb County.
The issue came up for discussion at Monday night's city council meeting.

"This is good for all the students of Georgia," Dunwoody council member Terry Nall said.

Nall proposed the idea because he would like to see the city of Dunwoody take back control from the county.

"I moved to add changing the state constitution that would allow municipalities to establish independent school systems. Today over 500 cities in the state of Georgia do not have that choice," Nall said.

Nall said the city council plans to ask state legislators to consider a constitutional amendment that will give cities like Dunwoody a choice when it comes to government schools.

"Yeah, I would support that," Dunwoody school parent Marty Fritts said.

Fritts is in favor of the idea, because she was appalled at the mismanagement of funds in DeKalb County.
"I would like to say we'd have more of a voice for sure and a lot of concerned parents around here are active in the schools and we help with PTA, sports, orchestra, band - we're active," Fritts said.

Fritts, like most parents, had one major concern about Dunwoody establishing its own school system.
"I know that the funding would still be a problem because I know it's a small city, Dunwoody, so we don't know where the money would come from," Fritts said.

So CBS Atlanta News questioned Nall to find out how he financially plans to make his concept a reality.
"Where do you get the funding?" CBS Atlanta reporter Adam Murphy asked.

"Well today we're paying a very healthy millage rate to DeKalb County School system. And like when we became a city, we took the millage rate we were paying to the county in municipal services and applied it and it became the millage rate for the city of Dunwoody for our services. And I would expect a very similar situation to occur if we were to go down that path," Nall said.

This proposal is far from reality. City council members have to get state lawmakers on board and then a majority of the state house and senate would have to approve it.

Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

The Old Arby's in Williamsburg will be replaced by....

Chick-Fil-A

Earlier this year, .I held an officially unofficial poll asking what the community would like to see fill the old Arby's.  After a lot of dancing around with bids submitted then withdrawn and reconsidered, and a long, awkward, silence, the majority of poll voters are getting their wish.  The temporary signs went up this week and the location is expected to start operations by the end of the year.

And there wasn't even a squabble over zoning.

On to the next question.

What would the community like to see replace the New York Butcher Shop that recently closed its Dunwoody location?  (And I am SERIOUSLY pissed about this because they had some of the best custom meat to be found in a neighborhood retail location and I'm not up for trekking all the way over to Sandy Springs for the same items, no matter how addictive their lobster salad, prime tenderloin, and lobster bisque are!)  Of course, if I happen to be in their neighborhood, I'll stop in to feed the addiction.

Comments are open.  Considerations for this location:

Forget "Williamsburg".  The structure was built by the franchisees of Java U who thumbed their noses at the architectural standard and built what they liked.  

Forget about drive-throughs.  The awkward little triangle has no room for expansion.

Great location for visibility.  Traffic - not so much.

Easily take advantage of marketing to built-in population at All Saints.  Anyone willing to adjust their hours to accommodate Sunday afternoons and evenings should do well.  The site is also poised to participate in the 4th of July parade.

SDOC Welcomes RikEmmett.com

This one is for all of my progressive rock/classic rock fan friends out there.

Effective this morning, SDOC Publishing is providing all development and back-end maintenance services for RikEmmett.com, the official website for former Triumph frontman Rik Emmett in Toronto.

You won't notice any visible changes when you visit.  The current theme by Burning Fire Design will remain.  However I'm climbing down into the back with my digital wrench and doing some major upgrades on the e-Commerce side, with upgraded capabilities for downloadable music and other products, as well as improved functionality for the fan forum and promotional newsletters and assorted other interactive features.  Some time next year, SDOC will provide all hosting services as well.

Helluva way to hit the ground running after Briers North Halloween!  Enjoy!

So Much For Code Enforcement

GOTCHA!!!

It's Halloween and we're all gearing up for a night of world-class decorations and trick-or-treating in Briers North!

You won't see anything on the news (several news agencies have been turned away already) so if you're going to visit for Halloween, here's the 411.

Some information for you if you are planning to join us:

• Halloween is ALWAYS and ONLY celebrated on October 31st.  Rain or Shine!  For 2012, this will be on a Wednesday.

• The passing out of candy begins at 6:00pm and stops at 9:00pm.  No one is admitted to the subdivision after 8:30pm.

• We start closing the subdivision to automobile traffic at 5:45pm and we do not reopen until 9:30pm. There is NO parking inside Briers North subdivision. If you park outside, please do so legally. The North Peachtree Baptist Church (corner of Tilly Mill & Peeler) is accepting donations for the use of their parking lot for anyone wishing to park there (proceeds being given to the Boy Scouts).

• Trick-or-treating in Briers North on Halloween is AT YOUR OWN RISK. This is a public event on public streets and is NOT sponsored by any association or group. Briers North assumes no liability or responsibility for visitors.

• NO pets are allowed during this time (they get scared and some of the children get scared!)

If you enjoyed Halloween in Briers North in the past, or plan to visit this year, please consider giving a small donation.  Donations help to make this a SAFE event for everyone and are gratefully received!

There is something for everyone here.  Kids, adults, whoever.  For the local curmudgeon who isn't happy unless they are complaining about something, we have Code Violation Bingo.  Lots of unauthorized construction going on so you'll rack up your bingo in no time.  The free star in the center of the card is the outhouse on my front lawn.

But seriously folks....

My neighborhood is proud to welcome so many visitors from so many places this night.  Everyone is a knight, or a princess, or whoever they want to be regardless of their walk of life.  You learn a lot about people and more about yourself when you show hospitality to people you normally don't encounter.  I ran across this piece on Facebook recently.  Please give these words some serious thought if you are tempted to get frustrated with Halloween celebrations and encountering people you are not accustomed to.

With Halloween upon us, please keep in mind, a lot of little people will be visiting your home.
  Be accepting.  The child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy may have poor fine motor skills.   The child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy may have motor planning issues.  The child who does not say "trick-or-treat" or "thank you" may be non-verbal.  The child who looks disappointed when they see your bowl may have an allergy.  The child who isn't wearing a costume at all might have a sensory issue (SPD) or autism.
   Be nice.   Be patient.  It's EVERYONE'S Halloween.

May I Have a Word(Press)?

Almost all web development these days is based on a content management system (CMS).  The most popular currently is WordPress.  WordPress began its life as a stand-alone blogging software package but evolved over the past several years into a full-fledged open-source CMS.  WordPress users can add pages, design elaborate themes, and add all kinds of functionality - including some surprisingly robust ecommerce capabilities.

Several of my current clients requested WordPress updates this year, including Atlanta Panhellenic, COCAP, Northside Tree, and there are more in the pipeline.   Most users find it easy to use for a layperson.  But WordPress is not the only CMS out there.  How do you know if it's right for your project?

Here's the breakdown:

Pros:
Again, ease of use.  Many hosting providers, like GoDaddy or BlueHost offer "1-click" installation.  You don't have to know what you're doing, you just have to remember your username and password and the server does the rest.  Adding functionality ("Plugins") is also easy as a user can search for the right plugin through the site's administrative page and install with a couple of clicks.  You can truly get away with not knowing any code or how to interact with a server if you need to.

Flexibility.  Unlike specialized systems like Drupal or Sitefinity, WordPress will function on either Linux or Windows servers, so long as they support the PHP programming language.  99.9% of them do.

Support for non-Flash animations.  It is rare to see a WordPress site without a slideshow that is visible on tablets and smartphones.  That's because the standard WordPress installation has excellent built-in support for these functions.  Don't let slideshows fool you - they have a million moving parts and are NOT simple creatures!  WordPress has made it easy to install slideshow plugins and the plugins themselves are easy to learn.

Cons:
Quality control of "plugins".   Plugins - additional functions that extend the capabilities of a basic WordPress site - are linked from a dedicated section of the main website, wordpress.org.  However there are many duplicates and not all of them are equally useful or reliable.  Some are so generalized it is difficult to customize them to your needs and even require some coding knowledge.  That defeats the "ease of use" principle.  Others are so specialized they can't be used at all.  Further, there is no synchronization between plugin development and core evolution.  Plugins rely on community feedback to determine if they are compatible with the most recent upgrade of the standard WordPress installation, which is notoriously unreliable.  Plugins can be useful but choosing the right ones can be a crapshoot.

Little support for online communities.  Unlike WordPress' counterparts Joomla and Drupal, WordPress does not have major support for directories of users or custom profiles, or individual contact forms. Online community functions like bulletin boards are slowly emerging into sunlight.  WordPress assumes that all users with access to the admin page are there to edit content and not necessarily interact with each other.  The closest WordPress comes is a plugin called BuddyPress; however for the average user, this plugin - plus its over 300 companion plugins - is difficult to use and intended mainly for professional developers.  Most WordPress users I've encountered will use a separate bulletin board program, like phpBB as an additional installation for this purpose.

Weak internationalization.    If your target audience uses more than one language, you're going to run into problems.  Most WordPress plugins rely on automated translation (remember Babelfish?) which is never recommended by serious interpreters or translators.  If you have to have your content translated into different languages (or, if you want to deliver different content based on the audience's language) my personal favorite is Joomla with the JoomFish extension.  (I used this combo on the Cap Global Language Services site.)

When you're planning a website, make sure that you have a solid list of what you want it to do, how you want it to function, and what you want your visitors to be able to do when they get there.  That will help you and your webmaster determine the right technology and the right CMS for the job.

What fair?

It's the middle of the weekend and I just happened to see a small sign promoting this fair at lunchtime today.

Does anyone know anything or am I just the last to know?  ;-)

From the meta description:  "The Dunwoody festival & Fair is a Community Festival that celebrates the History and heritage of the City of Dunwoody."

http://www.dunwoodyfestivalandfair.com/

City Hall is Invested in Dunwoody Businesses - This Means YOU!

From this week's Crier:

Attention all 2,400 Dunwoody businesses—-the city of Dunwoody feels you are vital to the community and wants to foster your continued growth and success.
And, to help ensure local business owners and corporate leaders understand their importance to the city, Dunwoody’s economic development office recently launched a business retention “listening tour” to, in the words of one city official, “make sure businesses that call Dunwoody home are happy.”

Entire article online here.

Who are "Dunwoody businesses"?

According to City Hall's own statistics, almost 80% of these have 10 employees or fewer.  The most current numbers available indicate almost 400 of them are home-based.  (That we are sure of - many home business owners hide.  Some are deliberately trying to skirt the law.  Others feel their enterprise is so small it's not worth the effort to do the licensing paperwork at City Hall.)  That factors out to between 15-20% of your business community;  a huge amount.

It is in City Hall's best interest to pay attention to the small, local, family-owned, and home-based operations as much as if not more than the large corporations.

Why?

Because the overwhelming majority of these small business owners are Dunwoody residents.

They are businesses that can VOTE.

It wouldn't be wise to piss them off to the point they decide to vote as a block.

Contrary to the NIMBY party line, there is almost no deliniation between a business owner and a homeowner in Dunwoody.  They are not separate feudal kingdoms, eternally at war, with an alligator-stocked moat between them.  Dunwoody business owners are not out to ravage their neighborhoods (you know - the ones they LIVE in....) and transform them into polluted wastelands.  They're your neighbors.  Like 'em or not, they are the people who walk their dogs and jog and play tennis at the local club.  They're the people you buy products from.  Or who provide services in your home.  It amazes me that the occasional NIMBY uprising at some DHA meetings is so short-sighted they would alienate people they live with just for being a business owner.

But Michael Starling's office and City Hall for that matter aren't going to get drowned out by NIMBYs.  I believe that the meetings being proposed are a safe haven for business owners to say what they think without being subjected to a "Lord of the Flies" scenario by an angry, mindless mob driven by fears whispered in their ears.

No matter how large or small your operation is...  whether you work in Dunwoody Village, Georgetown, Perimeter, or at home - the invitation is out for YOU.  Take advantage of it.  Call Starling's office, make an appointment to visit, and say what's on your mind.  This is not speaking in public, so you're not going to make yourself a target by standing up for yourself, your employees, your colleagues, and your customers.

As a business owner if you want your rights defined and defended, the welcome mat is out and the next move is yours.

Mr. Starling - please check your voicemail.  I left a message for you.

What's Cooking in the Incubator?

At the State of the City address in 2012, Mike included as part of his speech the intention to form a "business incubator".

Sounds good on the surface.  With the business community paying the majority of taxes and fees to the City, and a high number of entrepreneurs creating their own jobs, who doesn't want to develop small businesses and help them reach their potential?

I wish I could say there has been progress on this, but the fact is no one knows for sure.   All inquiries into this project - including from people who have worked in these endeavors before and have experience - have gone unanswered.

No one has defined what this "incubator" is specifically going to accomplish, what business sectors are going to be targeted, what time frames are for goals, and especially - where is the money going to come from and how much.

The following commentary regarding business incubators is from a TechCrunch blog.  It specifically discusses IT business incubators but I believe the points can be expanded to any business field.

It's important because there is a perception that money is getting thrown around like confetti on non-priorities  with no reason or end in sight.  The last thing the City needs is an ultra-high-risk project with no definitions corralling it and no information distributed.

90% Of Incubators And Accelerators Will Fail And That’s Just Fine For America And The World

Key excerpts below.  Entire article in the link above.

I would like to present the claim that 90 percent of incubators will fail. By “failing,” I mean they don’t return (or don’t exceed) the money that was put into them. On what basis do I make my claim? Well, the hundreds of incubators are really startups, and the oft-cited rule of thumb is that 9 out of 10 startups fail.\ 

Is there any reason why incubators would be different from other startup spaces? Just as we’ve seen with daily deals, mobile apps and games, it’s clear only a few (maybe four or five) will become leaders in the category. The rest will absorb more capital than they can return, shut down, or pivot into something else. 

1. Too Many Companies, Too Little Mentorship
2. No Clear Funding Path After The “Program”
3.  Lack Of Business Development Resources

So - what exactly is the status of Dunwoody's proposed "incubator"?

MAJOR WATER MAIN BREAK ON TILLY MILL ROAD

January 8 story here.

UPDATE:  the break has been patched to some degree and the crew is finishing their cleanup as of now (10:15 PM)  Tilly Mill Road is back open.  There was no service  shutoff and no boil water advisory.  Dodged a big bullet there.  There's going to be some big metal plates in the road.  Heads up for those if you're passing through during tomorrow's traffic.

That growing lake at Briers North Drive is not the result of our subdivision rehearsing for Halloween.

Some time around 9 or 10-ish this morning a major water line broke under the street  just south of Briers North on Tilly Mill Road.

Tilly Mill Road is closed and Briers North Drive is closed to all non-residents.

There is no boil water advisory however if you live in the area, fill your bathtubs and stock up on drinking water.  They're expecting  repairs to be ongoing "through the night".

Just got pictures....

When we left for Mass this morning, this stream was  a small enough puddle that we thought a neighbor accidentally left their garden hose on.  Apparently not.

DeKalb County sent a crew out and they are working here to find the valve  (one of several required) to stop the water flow.  What's that in the background behind the crewman's right shoulder?

Oh, that's just the GEYSER created when the backhoe was brought in to dig into the street and find the leak.  It started as a slow-ish trickle up through a buckle somewhere down the asphalt.

Yes, this is real and when these pictures were taken was at least 20 feet high.  The water exploded through the concrete when the crew started digging for the leak.  This is at the Madisons subdivision.  Tilly Mill road is closed to all non-residents from Eidson  up to about Laurelwood.

Thank you, DeKalb on-call crew.

The scary part.  When the water burst through the paving, it literally RAINED chunks of concrete.  Right onto the crew trucks.  This windshield didn't survive.