Dunwoody Town Hall hosted by District 3 - TONIGHT

You wanted 'em, you got 'em!  The next in the local neighborhood Town Hall series is at the Dunwoody North Driving Club tonight.

A word to the wise:  everybody has something they disagree with City Council on.  (Ask me how I know this...!)  Give them a chance to answer questions, even if you're pissed about something.  It's the courtesy you would want from them.  Hear the answers and give them a shot before blowing off the official you already decided you don't like.  Some of the nasty comments in the gallery after the first town hall at DHS directed at Mike Davis were really discouraging.

Due to work obligations I can't attend tonight, but I do have some questions of my own.  If you seven folks are reading, please consider an answer to the following.

1)  Feelings about developments at Brook Run are still raw.  Some will never forget the number of trees that were removed for the walking trail.  There is still conflict over the location of the dog park and whether the trees there are in fact harmed by the dogs.  Then you have the nearby neighborhoods who are watching for any trouble due to both of these.  You're also in the process of (finally!  thank you!) destroying the unusable buildings toward the front.  The trail is as yet unfinished and the outcome of the dog park move remains to be seen.  Why would you consider an unsolicited offer from a company to make use of the park for an obstacle course (which is not even close to being on the parks master plan) when there are still conflicts and concerns for "negative impact" over current developments?  Why was it necessary to move ahead with a treetop obstacle course plan when current development in other areas is still underway and their benefit and potential problems are far from clear?  Why did you not choose to put this request on hold until prior developments and their questions were closer to resolution?

2)  Congratulations on the state grant to fund the redevelopment of the Tilly Mill/N. P'tree/Peeler intersection.  As a resident who drives through it several times a day I concur it is long overdue.  I would have been satisfied with any plan, so long as it expedited traffic through the intersection safely.

With that said, there is much more to safety and shorter wait times than just infrastructure.  Because these roads are arteries to I285 and Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) you have some additional issues:  namely, a large concentration of college students with a limited amount of driving experience and the "ten-feet-tall-and-bulletproof" view of themselves that all college students experience.  Infrastructure alone - including striping, bike lanes, signage, lights, etc - does not necessarily persuade drivers (including bicyclists) to drive safely.  In addition to speed traps and occasional jaywalking warnings at the college itself, how is the City working with GPC to reinforce and encourage safe driving/bicycling habits in this population?

2a)  Even though a street is on the drawing board for redevelopment, the lane striping still needs maintenance.  It is not acceptable for striping to be allowed to disappear from use just because a refurbishment is coming.  That's an accident waiting to happen and you don't need the liability.  Try driving south on N. Peachtree approaching Tilly Mill.  The center yellow lines are *gone* and it is almost impossible to determine where the left-hand turn lane ends and the northbound lane begins.  See above re:  college students.  You also have a population driving through here that doesn't live in Dunwoody, is not as familiar with the streets as those who live on them and an accident is bound to happen.

3)  You may be interested to know that if the City plans to install tennis courts at Brook Run in place of the office buildings (thank you, again!) and even refurbish those at Windwood Hollow Park (please?), facilities grants are available from the USTA for their installation.  (http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/USTA-Awards/grants/ - scroll down to "Facilities".)  Milam Park in Clarkston (http://www.southern.usta.com/milam_park_conversion_opens_in_clarkston_ga/) was a recipient of one of these grants and they created an outstanding facility for their community, including scaled-down "quickstart" courts for smaller children.

If/when these courts are installed/upgraded, please consider additional markings to scale the courts down to 60' and 36' for younger players.  (aka, "blended lines")  You don't have the space for dedicated smaller childrens' courts, and I'm sure you're not planning any professional-grade play, so additional blended lines will do the job.  (For info see:  http://www.usta.com/Facilities/facilities_frequently_asked_questions/#1345)

This is just an FYI from a tennis mom who has seen kids of all ages enjoy the sport when it is scaled for them.  I'm sure other sports enthusiasts can include their two-cents on other sport amenities.

Thanks for hosting this event tonight and I look forward to hearing your responses to the above questions and more.  Please give answers as honest as the questions.  They are going to be posted somewhere, right?

Vote in the May 20 primaries

May 20 is an odd date for a US or state election so pollsters are anticipating "low turnout".  So every vote will carry more weight.

I was going to write up a litany of candidates in the Republican primary that are getting my vote tomorrow (no listing means my thinking is still in progress) but I would be repeating what some of my neighbors are saying.  So I'll include links to their thoughts and you'll get the gist.

State School Superintendent - Nancy Jester

I supported Nancy from Day One in her campaign for school board and have never regretted it.  The only way to get any improvement in systems in crisis is to put officials in place who call a spade a spade and aren't cowed by the inevitable slings and arrows from the sectors clawing their way up to the status quo.  I'm relieved that Stan is running unopposed for District 1 of DeKalb Co. Schools

Dunwoody Talk on Nancy

State Representative - Tom Taylor

I had no idea who Brad Goodchild was until I started getting stark campaign letters with vague positive language and no specifics.  Which immediately buried the needle on my personal BS detector.  Then I saw Erika Harris' letter in rebuttal to a campaign letter I had not yet seen.  I've met Erika briefly when she was discussing GLASS at one event or another.  I completely agreed with her points as I've heard Tom speak directly to what was at stake with his local school district bill and how difficult it would be to get it into law.  But surely, she was exaggerating, right?  Who could be that silly to call Tom's bill "DOA"?

Then I received my copy in the mail today.  The articles were not an exaggeration.

I roll my eyes at a lot of campaign materials, even those for our own City Council.  (Sorry, guys.)  I was utterly offended by this one.  You don't accuse someone of "just showing up" and then fail to show up in any public venue to promote yourself and your ideas.  You don't campaign for a seat in one of the biggest shark tanks in the state and then refuse a community-level candidate forum over alleged lack of fairness.  (You want to see "unfair"?  Sit on that floor for an hour and watch the rhetoric, then watch the local media spin at 11 PM.  Now that is unfair.)  You REALLY don't criticize a long-haul effort for reform in educational structure without knowing what was happening any step of the way.  Even an elementary school chess club knows that to secure an advantage and win a battle you have to move your pieces backwards and sideways in your strategy.

Anywho, Erika's words speak to my thoughts in the link above.  Goodchild doesn't have a pot to piddle in compared with Taylor

State Senator - Fran Millar

Believe me, I do not sit around agreeing with Fran on every little detail.  No question the man is a politician and good at that role.  But has he performed in any way in the State Senate than warrants broad spectrum attacks from Dick Anderson?  Not that I can see.  Fran hasn't deviated from the Constitution (state or federal) so that someone has to come in and "return" to it.

Commentary from Bob L including observations of this race.

Now I'm hitting the hay so I can get to vote ASAP in the morning.  Make the time to vote - it's always worth it.

Happy Mother's Day

Reposted from "The Time Warp Wife" blog.
Read the entire article at:  http://timewarpwife.com/?p=3120

The best Mother's Day tribute I've ever read because I've been through quite a few of these.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you

To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you

To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you

To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst

To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be

To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths

To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you

To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

History Alive! from the Dunwoody Preservation Trust

Thursday, MAY 8TH @ 8PM
Dunwoody United Methodist Church
Activities Building – Upstairs – Fellowship Hall
1548 Mt. Vernon Road, Dunwoody GA

Second in our History Alive! Series, Dunwoody Preservation Trust is bringing to you Dunwoody’s own, Dr. Seymour Goodman who will be discussing the Human Toll of the Civil War in the South. The event will be held at the Dunwoody United Methodist Church, 1548 Mt. Vernon Road, Dunwoody GA. Thursday, May 8th at 8PM.

(Enter the Activities Building from the rear of the church– upstairs in the Fellowship Hall)

Dr. Goodman is professor of International Affairs & Computing at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. He also serves as Co-Director of the Center for International Strategy, Technology & Policy and the Co-Director of GA Tech’s Information Security Center.

Dr. Goodman is also interested in case studies of how scientists and engineers work in the context of intense national security pressures, and the roles of science and technology in large-scale conflicts. The latter include the American Civil War, World War II, the Cold War, and conflict in cyberspace.

Dr. Goodman’s has been a speaker of the Smithsonian Institution’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Symposium, C-Span & is a member of Atlanta’s Civil War Roundtable and this evening will examine the human costs of the Civil War.

Join us on Thursday, May 8th at 8pm while we learn about the Human Toll of the Civil War from this fascinating local speaker!

Opportunity Knocking: Lots of Openings for Business Sponsorships

Are you a small business owner looking for a combination of advertising and community support?  Or the "go-to" person for a civic group or other not-for-profit?  There are several sponsorship opportunities that are right up your alley to promote yourself in front of thousands of Dunwoody eyeballs throughout the summer.

Food Truck Thursdays

The Dunwoody Homeowners' Association new signature event is looking for sponsors each week from now through October 30.  For costs and further information, please contact Bill Grossman at the DHA:  http://www.dunwoodyga.org/Contact  (The office address is no longer valid, so email - don't drop by.)


Adopt A Bench

The new initiative from the Dunwoody Woman's Club aims to place park benches in parks throughout Dunwoody.  For $1,000 you can place your four-line text message on a plaque that will last for years.
More information and contact info on this printable flyer.

Dunwoody 4th of July Parade

Back again is the Georgia's largest July 4th parade.  Sponsors of the parade will have a captive audience over over 30,000 along the parade route.  Grab some employees, make a banner, and march!  Prices for sponsorship levels and further information are on this printable flyer.

Help Senior Connections win a grant for their Meals on Wheels program

From my email today:

Senior Connections is a finalist to win $25,000 from State Farm though their Youth Advisory Board Grant program.

To win, they need to be one of 40 causes that garner the most votes through their Facebook Campaign.

The contest goes through May 16 and you can vote 10x per day, please vote as many days as possible for our cause “Meals on Wheels”.

 To vote go to

· https://apps.facebook.com/sf_neighbor_assist/

· Accept the app confirmation (so they can make sure your votes are valid)

· Once in, click the vote button to enter.

· Search “meals on Wheels” and click the link that will pop up.

· Check the box and click vote!

· Share on FB and Twitter with your friends, family, co-workers, everyone!

This $25,000 will mean a lot for Meals on Wheels program and help better serve the senior community.

If you have any questions about Meals on Wheels, please contact Grant Yarbrough (info below)

For updates check out www.facebook.com/seniorconnectionsatl

Grant Yarbrough | Grants Manager
Senior Connections
Tel 770-455-7602 ext 112
Fax 770-455-8157
Web www.seniorconnectionsatl.org

Help us "Pack the Car" and raise $12,000 for 2,000 Meals on Wheels!

DHA Hosting Candidates Forum April 24

The Dunwoody Homeowners Association is hosting a Candidate Forum on April 24th from 6:30-8:30 at the Kingsley Swim Tennis Clubhouse. Both Republican and Democrat candidates running for State House District 79 and State Senate District 40 will attend to present their views on a variety of issues. The tentative schedule is as follows:

6:30-6:55 - Candidate Meet and Greet

7:00-7:30 - Democrat Candidate Debate

7:45-8:3 0 - Republican Candidate Debate

Dick Williams from The Crier will be the moderator for the forum. The primary election is May 20. The address for Kinglsey Swim Tennis is 2325 North Peachtree Way.

Get Directions on Google Maps

Dunwoody Preservation Trust Schedules Cleanup for New Hope Cemetery

New Hope Cemetery is one of Dunwoody's historic treasures, predating the Civil War.

From the Dunwoody Preservation Trust:



Saturday, April 19, 2014 from 8AM – Noon

Dunwoody Preservation Trust (DPT) will be working to clean up the NEW HOPE CEMETERY located 5695 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody GA (across from Publix center, behind the Kindercare).

We currently have teams from Caldwell Banker Realtor – Dunwoody, Berkshire Hathaway Dunwoody/Sandy Springs, and Boy Scout Troop 764 working to assist with the Clean-up. Kris Turnbull and Erik Christensen, Owner, BullDog Movers will be leading the efforts on behalf of the DPT.

If you are interested in joining the clean-up efforts, we are accepting additional Volunteers.

You may so to our website: http://www.dunwoodypreservationtrust.org/Cleaning-of-the-New-Hope-Cemetery for more information.

Zoning Retrospective: Group Homes, The Neighbors, and Federal Law

During one of our evening Sounding Board sessions, we had to discuss how to regulate group homes - residential facilities where unrelated people live together for some kind of supervision and/or medical care.

"Can't we just ban them?  It would make this a whole lot simpler."

"No.  It's against the law to ban group homes.  You can regulate them the same way you regulate anything in a residential district but they can't be banned."

"Then it almost doesn't matter what we put in the Zoning code, because the minute anyone wants to establish a group home, the neighbors are going to go ballistic."

An evening's worth of Googling brought me to the law being referenced:  the federal Fair Housing Act.  Enacted in 1968, the Fair Housing Act was created to prevent racial, ethnic or religious discrimination in selling or renting homes.  In 1988, the Act was expanded to include all with disabilities (which includes those requiring any additional medical care, including mental health) and further solidified in 1990 with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This is the Fair Housing Act text in its entirety from the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.

In 1999, the DOJ issued a statement regarding how the FHA viewed group homes.  In short, the conclusion was what I learned in a Sounding Board meeting:  you can't ban or otherwise regulate a "group home" to a greater degree than you would any other household of unrelated persons as this would constitute discrimination based on disability.

This is the 1999 DOJ statement regarding residential group homes.

Please note, dear readers, that the federal law predates the City of Dunwoody and anyone working for it in any capacity by several decades.  This has nothing to do with Mike Davis.  Whether you like Mike, whether you hate Mike, whether you think Mike should fall off the planet tomorrow, his hands are tied by this federal law.  Ditto for anyone else, past present or future, whose backside has warmed one of the seven chairs behind the big desk in Council Chambers.   Ditto for anyone whose name plaque has been applied to a cubicle in City Hall.   Any administrative decision, zoning change, or council vote has to be consistent with the FHA or the financial and legal consequences to the entire city will be devastating.  

So if you find yourself in a position where you feel a burning desire to protest against the establishment of a group home, get your poop in a group and your facts straight.  Your "feelings" about this type of establishment are not only not relevant, they could be used against you should you lawyer up and head to court.  The links above are what you are up against.  Make sure you have documentable facts to support your protest.  Otherwise you are out of gas - the DOJ takes a dim view of NIMBYs.  

Here's some of the more pointed tidbits from the Q&A section of the second link:

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful --To utilize land use policies or actions that treat groups of persons with disabilities less favorably than groups of non-disabled persons. An example would be an ordinance prohibiting housing for persons with disabilities or a specific type of disability, such as mental illness, from locating in a particular area, while allowing other groups of unrelated individuals to live together in that area.
To take action against, or deny a permit, for a home because of the disability of individuals who live or would live there. An example would be denying a building permit for a home because it was intended to provide housing for persons with mental retardation.
To refuse to make reasonable accommodations in land use and zoning policies and procedures where such accommodations may be necessary to afford persons or groups of persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing.

Q. Who are persons with disabilities within the meaning of the Fair Housing Act?The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap. "Handicap" has the same legal meaning as the term "disability" which is used in other federal civil rights laws. Persons with disabilities (handicaps) are individuals with mental or physical impairments which substantially limit one or more major life activities. The term mental or physical impairment may include conditions such as blindness, hearing impairment, mobility impairment, HIV infection, mental retardation, alcoholism, drug addiction, chronic fatigue, learning disability, head injury, and mental illness. The term major life activity may include seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, caring for one's self, learning, speaking, or working. The Fair Housing Act also protects persons who have a record of such an impairment, or are regarded as having such an impairment.
Current users of illegal controlled substances, persons convicted for illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance, sex offenders, and juvenile offenders, are not considered disabled under the Fair Housing Act, by virtue of that status.

Q. What kinds of local zoning and land use laws relating to group homes violate the Fair Housing Act?Local zoning and land use laws that treat groups of unrelated persons with disabilities less favorably than similar groups of unrelated persons without disabilities violate the Fair Housing Act. For example, suppose a city's zoning ordinance defines a "family" to include up to six unrelated persons living together as a household unit, and gives such a group of unrelated persons the right to live in any zoning district without special permission. If that ordinance also disallows a group home for six or fewer people with disabilities in a certain district or requires this home to seek a use permit, such requirements would conflict with the Fair Housing Act. The ordinance treats persons with disabilities worse than persons without disabilities.

This excerpt is the biggee

Q. Can a local government consider the feelings of neighbors in making a decision about granting a permit to a group home to locate in a residential neighborhood?
In the same way a local government would break the law if it rejected low-income housing in a community because of neighbors' fears that such housing would be occupied by racial minorities, a local government can violate the Fair Housing Act if it blocks a group home or denies a requested reasonable accommodation in response to neighbors' stereotypical fears or prejudices about persons with disabilities. This is so even if the individual government decision-makers are not themselves personally prejudiced against persons with disabilities. If the evidence shows that the decision-makers were responding to the wishes of their constituents, and that the constituents were motivated in substantial part by discriminatory concerns, that could be enough to prove a violation.

Federal Law:  learn it, know it, live it, love it.  Keep your case factual, document your facts with more facts and evidence, and check your personal emotions and feelings at the door.  Then you'll have a much stronger case should you wish to protest this type of situation.

Addendum, 4/8/2014
I've been accused of being too subtle.  Fair enough.
Below is a comment in response to a question where this post was added to my Facebook timeline.
This is about a proposed group home for minors w/ eating disorders on Manget Way. I don't know if the homeowners involved have hired an attorney yet, but they would be wise to start zipping their lips. The comments made in the Crier articles and on Crier website/FB can be used as proof of discrimination. The links to the DOJ website in the blog are the most important. I sent an email to the Exec Board of DHA advising them to tread carefully. it's going to take more than a bunch of angry yelling to get your way on this one - you have to *prove* that your complaints/concerns are legitimate and not NIMBY-ish. I'm worried that the DHA will become the usual pep rally (my words, from the email) and people will be more concerned with yelling whatever pops into their heads rather than actually winning their case. I see a federal judge in the future.

Greater Perimeter Business Expo Welcomes Local Entrepreneurs

For the 3rd year, the Dunwoody and Sandy Springs Chambers of Commerce are putting on the Greater Perimeter Business Expo to showcase the business community that supports our tax base.

This year, there is an extra emphasis on local enterprises.  Dunwoody is home to a long list of start-ups and entrepreneurs.  Over 80% of licensed businesses in Dunwoody alone have fewer than 10 employees; many of these are family-owned and operated.  Locally-owned businesses play a big part in building and preserving Dunwoody's character now and in the future.

If you are an entrepreneur or family-owned business, take this opportunity to showcase your locally "grown" business.  Home business owners are welcome too!  Small businesses can get a booth or table together to share costs.  Call the Dunwoody Chamber office for more info at 678-244-9700

Visit the Expo at www.gpbe.org to register as an exhibitor or for the luncheon or after hours event.

Happy April Fool's Day!

The commentary prankster is back!