Zoning Sounding Board Confidential

As of last night the zoning code rewrite drafting is about 3/4 done.  Last module is going to involve the stream buffers and related issues.

When the Sounding Board was first assembled, Steve Dush cautioned all of us that discussions would be heated and there was a potential for them to get out of control.

That never happened.  We each had areas of concern and expertise, but no fights broke out.  There were no "hijacked" meetings.  Once we got to know each other in the context of the Board and its goals, once we were sure that none of our perspectives would be dismissed or censored, we came together as a group and looked for ways that all of the diverse interests of Dunwoody's many communities could be accommodated. That is, we recognized that not all districts or subdivisions, or businesses were alike.  One size fits all wasn't going to happen.  We strove to watch a code develop that would accommodate ever-diversifying interests through the next two decades of the 21st century.

We hashed through all kinds of interests.  Some of which I believe will become anachronisms in 20 years when the zoning code has to be reviewed again.  There were all sorts of groups looking to have their interests codified.  There were sloppy displays of Gluteus smoochium to the Atlanta Regional Commission. There were activities and interests I couldn't imagine myself involved with in a million years.  There were major conflicts that needed fine lines drawn.  When last night's meeting rolled around, the Sounding Board members present and reps from the City and the consultants were sitting around, agreeing with each other (!) that the current draft was comprehensive, consistent, accommodating of various interests when able and most of all, fair to the entire city,  not just one segment of it.

There are going to be individual cases to be worked out one at a time.  But the framework is in place.

The most interesting thing I learned was that it is not necessary to personally endorse an activity or perspective to accommodate it in the code.  That epiphany broke down a lot of barriers.  There were some requests and recommendations that I thought were ridiculous.  But determining their place in the code wasn't about what I thought personally.  It was about making room for as many as possible.

City staff and council members have sat in on these sessions at various times, usually without comment.  Last night Denny Shortal visited and offered his personal advice to the team.  (Unfortunately, he did so in the bottom of the 6th out of nine innings, bless his heart.)  Denny's advice was (paraphrased) to base our decisions of what the code should read based on what we would like to live next to personally.

Denny is wrong and last night's advice was bad for Dunwoody.  Here is why:

When peoples' only perception of  "the city" begins and ends at their property lines, communication becomes impossible.  Cliques form that consider other taxpaying and homeowner citizens the "foe" that they must be "protected" against.  Any step in evolution, growth, improvement is met with suspicion and hostility.  Then you see groups of grumpy red shirted-citizens opposed to any change, whatever the reason.  The impact of any previous progress is diluted.  Focusing your attention on only what you, yourself,  "like" and "prefer" pits neighbors against each other and progress grinds to a halt.  Focusing on your own likes to the detriment of others who think differently is to write a zoning code based on fear, rather than reality.  I dont' know if Denny even realizes this is what he has done.

Speaking of basing code upon fear, my colleagues and others interested in this process love to inform me how home occupations are going to be a "hot button" issue.  I can't tell if they're dreading the conflict or thriving on it.  I supposed it depends on who's doing the talking.   The number of recorded complaints regarding home occupations is minuscule compared to the hundreds of home business owners in Dunwoody. No one believes for a minute that any homeowner should put up with egregious nuisances.  There are some little red lizards running around town trying to convince you that home business owners want the right to be a nuisance  That is a lie.

Every effort was put into writing the current code to accommodate the majority of home business owners who get along with their neighbors without causing the problems that are the source of the fear.  Past incidents of code violations by home business owners were examined and the code written to prohibit those practices.  At the same time, the punitive processes were removed.  If this code is passed, home business owners will be free to come forward and be permitted by the city to see one customer at a time, without hiding from a months-long process that drags out in the pages of the Crier.   Music teachers and other tutors can receive their pupils without their parents whispering nervously about being at someone's home.   Neighbors and others can file a complaint where necessary and leave the peaceful owners alone.  Peaceful home business owners don't need or deserve to be stigmatized by the few who cannot function in their neighborhoods.

Why has this process taken so long?  Because every time this discussion comes up, the first words out of every nay-sayer's mouth is "I'm afraid."  The previous code was written in the 1970s  and is only enforced because of someone's fear, not the reality of the wide variety of activities that take place in a 21st century home.  Home business owners were considered guilty of being a nuisance before proven innocent - and they could never be innocent.  The current code draft balances the needs of home business owners and other residents fairly, without a presumption of guilt on either side.

Read it for yourself at zoningdunwoody.com.  Nothing in this process or these documents has ever been a secret.

That's just one issue that is going to come up tonight.  (We'll see if I can get over my cold in enough time to attend.)  The accommodation of bicyclists, standards in the Village Overlay District, "mixed use" districts, are all going to be major.  There are advocates both for and against these accommodation, just like for home businesses.

What's going to happen tonight?  How many attendees will open their discussion on whatever issue concerns them with "We can't do that because I'm afraid"?  How many will look beyond their own property lines and accept the different homes that make up Dunwoody and find common ground?  Or at the very least build a fair fence between them?

Take my advice - let the Angel destroy the lizard.  It's liberating to let go of the fear of the "different".  I did it myself.  The entire Sounding Board did.  It's OK to let everyone be happy citizens in their own way.

The Great Divorce

C. S. Lewis is most famous for the "Chronicles of Narnia" series of books, starting with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."  However he wrote several other novels based on Christian theological themes.

One of his lesser-known is "The Great Divorce".  It was originally written as a serial in a UK newspaper in the mid 1940s, then published as a book, adapted as a play, and there are rumors of a film adaptation in the near future.

Like his other novels, "Divorce" is a fantasy.  The story opens with a group of people waiting at a bus stop.  Not just any bus stop.  This one is in Hell.  The people are waiting for a bus ride to Heaven.

The group is a bunch of grumbling malcontents who are not capable of being happy.  Of course, you wouldn't expect anyone to be happy in Hell.  Their bus reaches its destination.  The opening chapters describe a green paradise of eternal cool summer morning.  The residents are bright white figures.  However the bus riders are oily ghosts who are so insubstantial, even the blades of grass pierce their feet.

They escape Hell.  They arrive in Heaven.  Others urge them to stay and enjoy eternity.

They hate it!

How could anyone hate Heaven?  The answers came in the stories of each of the "ghosts" as they explored and interacted with others they knew on Earth and died like them, but went to Heaven instead.  The "diverse" bus company included an apostate pastor, a bitter conspiracy theorist/pessimist, a vain old woman obsessed with her appearance, and several self-possessed drama-queens who never realized how miserable they made their families.  They were each so wrapped up in themselves that Heaven was a miserable place and most of them returned to Hell.

Only one of the ghosts from Hell manages to stay:
______________________________________

I saw coming towards us a Ghost who carried something on his shoulder.  Like all the Ghosts, he was unsubstantial....What sat on his shoulder was a little red lizard, and it was twitching its tail like a whip and whispering things in his ear.  As we caught sight of him he turned his head to the reptile with a snarl of impatience....It wagged its tail and continued to whisper to him.  He ceased snarling, and presently began to smile.  Then he turned and started to limp westward, away from the Mountains.

"Off so soon?" said a voice.

The speaker was more or less human in shape but larger ahn a man and so bright that I could hardly look at him.  His presence smote on my eyes and on my body too like the morning sun at the beginning of a tyrannous summer day.

"Yes, I'm off," said the Ghost.  "Thanks for all your hospitality.  But it's no good, you see.  I told this little chap...that he'd have to be quiet if he came - which he insisted on doing.  Of course hsit stuff won't do here:  I realise that.  But he won't stop.  I shall just have to go home."

"Would you like me to make him quiet?" said the flaming Spirit - an angel, as I now understood.

"Of course I would," said the Ghost.

"Then I will kill him, "said the Angel, taking a step forward.

"Oh - ah - look out!  You're burning me.  Keep away," said teh Ghost, retreating.

"Don't you want him killed?"

"You didn't say anything about killing him at first.  I hardly meant to bother you with anything so drastic as that."

"It's the only way," said the Angel, whose burning hands were now very close to the lizard.  "Shall I kill it?"

..."Honestly,  I don't think there's the slightest necessity for that.  I'm sure I shall be able to keep it in order now.  I think the gradual process would be far better than killing it."

"The gradual process is of no use at all."

"Get back!  You're burning me.  How can I tell you to kill it?  You'd kill me if you did."

"It is not so....I never said it wouldn't hurt you.  I said it wouldn't kill you."

"If you wanted to help me, why didn't you kill the damned thing without asking me - before I knew?  It would be all over by now if you had."

"I cannot kill it against your will.  It is impossible.  Have I your permission?"

Then the Lizard began chattering to the Ghost so loud that even I could hear what it was saying.

"Be careful," it said.  "He can do what he says.  He can kill me.  One fatal word from you and he will!  Then you'll be without me for ever and ever.  It's not natural.  How could you live?  You'd be only a sort of ghost, not a real man as you are now.  He doesn't understand.  He's only a cold, bloodless abstract thing....I admit I've sometimes gone too far in the past, but I promise I won't do it again.  I'll give you nothing but really nice dreams...."

"Have I your permission?" said the Angel to the Ghost.

... "Damn and blast you!  Go on can't you?  Get it over.  Do whatever you like," bellowed the Ghost:  but ended whimpering, "God help me."
__________________________________________

And with that, the Angel destroyed the Demon whispering in the soul's ear.  The former Ghost became a saint and Heaven rejoiced as he entered.

The difference between the Ghost who stayed in Heaven and the rest that returned to Hell was that the one who stayed chose to stop listening to his fears being reinforced in his head.  Everyone else couldn't see beyond themselves.  Their fears and their misery were so familiar and so comfortable that it was a horror to release them - even if it meant eternal joy.
------------------------------------------------------------

In any community, including ours, there are a lot of little demonic lizards, sitting on a lot of shoulders, whispering in a lot of ears, reinforcing the comfortable fears that make even neighbors distrust each other.  To be happy, you have to choose to kill the fear.

AT&T Email and Outlook - It's not you, it's them

If your ISP is AT&T in any way, shape, or form (including Uverse) and you're getting error messages when you connect via Outlook, it's not you.  Don't waste your time uninstalling and reinstalling your entire MS Office suite.

AT&T email servers had a hacking incident recently and every geek on deck is twiddling knobs to close the new vulnerability.

Of course, that means someone twiddles the wrong knob and FUBARs authentication with 3rd-party email programs.

Use your webmail or smartphone-based mail client for a while.  Calling AT&T doesn't usually help, they just deny changing anything on their end.  Security, ya know.

I'm in this boat as well.  I'm handling all mail on my phone.  If something is mission-critical, give me a call.

State BOE Hearing will be webcast at 1 PM

The hearing for the DeKalb Board of Education will be webcast.  The state BOE will hear from DeKalb's BOE members before determining their fate.

Whether or not you have children, whether or not they live in your home, and whether or not they attend DeKalb public schools, this affects each of us.  Not just because of "home values" but because 64% of the property taxes we pay have funded the actions that brought us to this point.

The weather is a bear today so listen in online.

Viewing the webcast requires the RealPlayer plugin.  Download for free here.

1 PM  January 17
Be there or be square.

http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/State-Board-of-Education/Pages/Live-Webcasts.aspx

Dunwoody Chamber on Business Radio X Monday Morning

Every month, the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce is featured on Business Radio X, an Internet radio program dedicated to local business enterprises and entrepreneurs.

This month, one of the featured guests on a special edition of the High Velocity Radio show, dedicated to the Dunwoody Chamber is Dunwoody graphic designer and home business owner, Debbie Smith of DesignSeven.

If her name isn't familiar to you, her work is.  Not only has she designed a series of print graphics for the Dunwoody Chamber, (which I have had the great pleasure of adapting to the Chamber website) but she is also responsible for much of the art that you see distributed for the Sustainability Commission.  Debbie also created the new logo for the Dunwoody Nature Center, which is the cornerstone of their new branding and publicity campaigns.

Debbie is going to be talking with the host about doing business in Dunwoody and her involvement with the Chamber.

Listen in at 10 AM on Monday, Jan 14 live.  Or, check back to the Dunwoody Chamber site in a couple of weeks and a mobile-friendly file will be available for review.

Dunwoody business is not just business - it's our neighbors and our lives.  Get your neighbor's perspective this Tuesday.

UPDATE:  Debbie was a smashing success!  Access the recorded show here.
Debbie will be back in the future with a show dedicated to graphic design.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from all of us at the "home office" of DWG to all of our visitors.

Adrienne, Pat Sr, Maggie, Michelle, Pat Jr.

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.

UPDATED How NOT to add pedestrian islands and other niceties on Dunwoody streets

"Harry Pothole" has broadcast a couple of features regarding "pedestrian improvements" on streets around Atlanta.

In the clip below, the pedestrian island made the street so narrow that it was difficult for vehicles to navigate turns.  Another similar story aired today at 5 PM but isn't available on cbsatlanta.com at the moment.

Don't let this be one of the infamous "unintended consequences" of streetscaping here in Dunwoody.




CBS Atlanta 46

UPDATE:  Found it!  CBS Atlanta just posted the video from the other day.  The construction project in Midtown is *intended* to create a happy "pedestrian-friendly" streetscape.  But the construction has removed turning lanes and made the street so narrow that it is difficult to navigate.

Don't let this happen in Dunwoody.

(Here's the link in case the video doesn't appear below.)


CBS Atlanta 46

Random Samples in the Dunwoody Area

Chamblee's Own Georgetown?

Chamblee Plaza to Get Facelift

After years of decline, another major shopping center is staged for a revival.  A new owner (Trinity) has taken over Chamblee Plaza and is planning its resurrection.  A food truck rally is scheduled to become a regular event to renew interest.

Can Chamblee Plaza repeat the success of Georgetown?
It wasn't long ago that  Georgetown Shopping Center was "that other part of Dunwoody" that was just oh-so-undesirable for the "right" Dunwoodians.  With an upscale contemporary makeover of the facades, a new monument-style sign at the main entrance, a renovation of the Kroger supermarket and some new hip, trendy merchants in the storefronts, it is becoming the new must-shop part of town with a feel comparable to any of the "desirable" neighborhood shopping nodes.   There's no reason why Chamblee Plaza cannot enjoy the same success.


Jet Pizza Opening in Orchard Park (old Oscar's)

It looks like that space vacated by Oscar's Villa Capri is not going to be vacant for long.  Jet Pizza is loading in and the welcome mat is out for job applicants.  If anyone has heard of this outfit, the comments are open.








Dunwoody Nature Center Seeks Corporate Sponsors

Dunwoody Nature Center has become the extended back yard for lots of Dunwoody and regional families.  My family are members here and it isn't summer without daycamp for the kids.  If your company, however large or small, is looking for an opportunity to support a Dunwoody institution, this is your chance.  Sponsorships are affordable for any enterprise from international corporations down to local home-based operations.

Visit the Sponsorship Page for the possibilities.





Neighbors When You Need Them - Dunwoody Door Lift

I had an "oh, crap" moment the other day when my garage door opener failed.  While getting two toddlers to preschool.  And I'm late for a meeting.  And my hands are full of sh....  stuff.

When the day started to calm down I did a search for "dunwoody garage door" and found Dunwoody Door Lift, the only garage door installation and repair service in town.  With one call they had a technician out to my house the very next day and the problem was repaired within an hour.

Garage door repair isn't something you think about until you need it.  So it's easy to forget that Dunwoody Door Lift has been established in Dunwoody for almost 40 years.  It is also a  long-time home-based business that is a shining example of how home-based businesses can operate  peacefully within a neighborhood.

When it's time to repair or install a garage door or opener, please consider Dunwoody Door Lift and give them a call at 770-393-1652.

Dunwoody's Scarlet Letter

The Life Center Ministries variance request with the local opposition and request for lawyer money was a key agenda item at the last DHA meeting.

The variance request was coming from a church in Sandy Springs but because of its proximity to the Dunwoody city line, neighborhoods inside of our city were riled up too.  The reason I looked forward to this discussion was because I wanted to see how different Life Center's plan was from all of the churches/synagogues in Dunwoody who also provide preschool and daycare.  Along Mt. Vernon alone you have Dunwoody Baptist, All Saints, and Dunwoody United Methodist. Not far away are the JCC, Kingswood UMC and North Peachtree Baptist.  All of these faith-based communities provide preschool and/or daycare with several elements in common:

• While there may be a preference for children whose parents are members, all programs are open to the public.
• Children enrolled in these programs may reside outside of Dunwoody, and even outside of DeKalb county.
• Some parents of enrolled children choose these programs because of proximity to their work, rather than their home.
• The programs are not free of charge - each requires tuition.  Some find it very expensive.
• Most, if not all, subcontract some part of their program to an outside vendor.
• All of these programs have  200 children registered, or more, per year.  

Fortunately for the Dunwoody area, the parent of a preschool child has a variety of equally outstanding options, those above, and the non-sectarian private options throughout town.  The saying goes that a parent could choose a preschool blindfolded, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey style, and always select an excellent program their child will benefit from.

When I walked into the DHA meeting, I was anticipating a comprehensive discussion of pros and cons from all sides in the debate to fully understand the source of the conflict.

But that's not what happened.

First, the pastor of Life Center Ministries cancelled his appointment to appear, and did not send a representative at all.  There was no getting the story from the horse's mouth.

Second, there was very little analysis of the variance request itself.  All that anyone said was that they were going to build buildings, that Life Center was using Discovery Point as a vendor, and that it was "COMMERCIAL".

The word "commercial" was used no less than two-dozen times in a 15 minute discussion.  (That was where I stopped counting.)  It was COMMERCIAL that parents would pay tuition to drop off children there.  It was COMMERCIAL that they were outsourcing management to Discovery Point.  When other words failed, someone just repeated COMMERCIAL, COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL.  As if that single word was enough to conclude the case.

When the subject of tuition came up, I mentioned to the lady sitting behind me, "What do you mean, all of the church daycares in town charge tuition."  Her response was an aghast look and an urgent whisper, "But, but....  it's COMMERCIAL!"

Someone else described what other Discovery Point centers look like and claimed that this would be the appearance at Life Center.  Was it true?  No one knows.  No one brought any proof one way or another.  But it doesn't matter, because that same person repeated the magic word:  COMMERCIAL!

Fran Millar added to the performance.  When the discussion turned to the type of church Life Center Ministries is, Fran chimed in with his own indictment:  "Remember, he is a BUSINESSMAN!"  I have to hand it to Fran:  in spite of his own business dealings and support from the business community, he can read an audience and play to it like he's headlining Caesar's Palace.

Dunwoody (and as it would seem from this scenario, Sandy Springs) are inherently hostile to anything described as "COMMERCIAL".  No matter what it is, no matter how large or small, no matter who is involved, "COMMERCIAL" is evil and "C" is the new Scarlet Letter, like Hester Prynne's embroidered "A" in Hawthorne's novel.  What exactly is this commerce everyone is so afraid of?  The definitions below come from the dictionary at Reference.com.

com·mer·cial   [kuh-mur-shuhl]
adjective1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of commerce.
2. engaged in commerce.
3.  prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability, profit, or success
4.  able to yield or make a profit:
5.  suitable or fit for a wide, popular market: 

com·merce   [kom-ers]
noun1.  an interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale between different countries (foreign commerce)  or between different parts of the same country (domestic commerce);  trade; business.
2.  social relations, especially the exchange of views, attitudes, etc.
3.  sexual intercourse. (????  -DWG)4.  intellectual or spiritual interchange; communion.
5.  ( initial capital letter ) Also called Commerce Department. Informal . the Department of Commerce.

When you pay someone to cut your lawn or prune your bushes, that is commercial activity.  When you pay a babysitter while you go out for the night, that is commercial activity.  When a church or synagogue pays their light bill or has a contractor resurface a parking lot, that is commercial activity.  When you take your children to preschool at All Saints or Dunwoody UMC and pay their tuition, that is commercial activity.  When Kingswood UMC or Winters Chapel UMC have their consignment sale, that is commercial activity.

Life is commercial!!!

I think what causes residents of a certain age to become fearful is not necessarily the fact of commercial activity, but the perception of the scale and the inherent belief of change.  Fear is a powerful motivator.  Perhaps that's why there was so little factual discussion and no documentable evidence of the alleged concerns one way or another.

I was able to glean two items out of the discussion that could impact the variance decision.  First are the operating hours.  A local resident claimed that the operating hours would be from 6 AM to 6 PM, corresponding to peak traffic times along Mt. Vernon.  I have no idea whether or not this is true.  It may very well be.  Or, it may be an assumption on the part of someone who researched Discovery Point and merely concluded that these hours would be applied.   The second was reported by Sam and Molly Portis who were also sitting behind me at the meeting.  They claim there is a house on the property with significant cultural and historic value that would be destroyed if the church's plan were approved.  That could be very important but alas, the documentation was not presented at the meeting itself.

I have no idea which side in this dispute is in the right.  There was no evidence presented.  There was talk and the word "COMMERCIAL" was thrown out like candy at the 4th of July parade.  But no documentation, photos, diagrams, business plans, ANYTHING that could back up what anyone was saying.

But no one needed to bring proof.

Because in Dunwoody, if anyone has a complaint about anyone else, for any reason, all you have to do is claim they are engaged in COMMERCIAL activity.  It doesn't even have to be true!  A complaint could be based on a personality conflict or other neighbor feud.  It doesn't matter.  Just make sure to repeat the word "COMMERCIAL" when you complain about someone and an army will materialize to subdue whomever you dislike and gain whatever solution you want.



EPILOGUE:
Per this week's Crier, Life Center Ministries has withdrawn the application for the day care center and required variances.

See, it works!  Just yell the word COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL as frequently as you can and you don't have to trouble yourself with standards of proof or evidence.  Your word is law when you brand your sworn enemy with the Scarlet C.

INTRODUCING: Wine Xplorer!

Last night I launched one of my big summer projects!!

www.wine-xplorer.com

The front door of Wine Xplorer's venue
in  Dunwoody Plaza

WineXplorer is a cozy wine tasting club in the Dunwoody Plaza shopping center on Dunwoody Village Drive.  (The same center that houses the 1420 Room, Dunwoody Pediatrics, etc.)  This location serves as the new physical headquarters of the Atlanta Wine Meetup.  The club has over 3,000 members and now has a venue for comfortable, casual, neighborhood-scale wine tastings and related special events.

I met the owner/coordinator Katt Martin through the Chamber of Commerce.  She had commissioned a combination online community/e-commerce website based on Drupal, the same CMS that the Dunwoody Chamber website is built in.  However, she was becoming unhappy with the results and wanted a new developer to take over the project.  That's where I came in.

First step was to go through the database and additional functions that were built already, find the bugs, then find what had not been included or done incorrectly.  There were a couple of standard Drupal "modules" (plug-in additional functions) that had been customized by the previous company - but there was no documentation included.  Oh joy.  The project started by reading lots of code line by line.

Next issue on the table was the appearance.  The version I received was not even close to what Katt wanted to represent her club.  Katt wanted a unique combination:  the sleek, glossy, uncluttered structure of now-standard "Web 2.0" technology, but instead of the cool greys and blues that are typical of that design, she wanted a color palette of earth tones to exude a sense of warmth and comfort and closeness.  That's not a combo you see very often.  The result is what you see in the image above.  In honor of the Wine Xplorer club, I call this theme "Cabernet & Chocolates."

There are numerous features in this site, some included with the initial launch, others planned to debut in a scheduled sequence.  First and foremost is membership.  Members can join the club free of charge and engage in the online community as well as participate in events.  Next - the calendar of events.  The site owner and her staff schedule club events for the venue and display them in a calendar form.  From there, a visitor can browse the upcoming events, and purchase tickets securely right where they're sitting.  Tickets for multiple events can be purchased in one secure transaction.

Bring your camera when you attend an event.   Registered members are welcome to upload their photos to the gallery and share their experience and POV.

Finally, membership has its benefits.  The first benefit that rolled out with the site launch are Xplorer Points.  Members earn "points" by participating in events and interacting with the online extension of the Wine Xplorer community.  The points can be used to get discounts on future purchases.  Katt has more surprises in store.  I'll let her brag on them when she wants me to pull the trigger.

Looking for more than just membership?  The Wine Xplorer community welcomes wine bloggers, wine experts, and other who would like to add their expertise to the website, to organizing events, and growing the club.  Opportunities are on the site as well.

Your Host, Katt Martin!

Best of all, Wine Xplorer is a community in real life as well as online.  When I first visited to go over programming mid way through the project.  I was determined to keep my mouth shut so I wouldn't embarrass myself with my lack of knowledge about wine, even though I have a firm grasp on what I like.  I need not have been concerned.  Wine Xplorer is not only not expensive or difficult, it is also not overbearing, or intimidating, or pretentious.  Anyone who enjoys wine and is interested in learning or experimenting is welcome, from any walk of life.  The venue at Dunwoody Plaza has a comfortable homey atmosphere.  It's impossible NOT to make yourself at home.  There's even an adjoining "wine cave"-type room if you'd like a more formal tasting experience.

We've met the goal of a completely seamless online community that includes calendars, online ticketing, e-commerce and various forms of member interaction including photo sharing and blogging - with more to come.  In addition, this online community blends seamlessly with real life interactions and an easy-to-use administration interface where various members have different abilities to manage different elements of the site.  This is the ideal spectrum that an interactive website is supposed to accomplish.

Next event is a Wine Social tonight at 7:30 which I'm going to try to attend if I can get the kiddos squared away early enough.  Tickets are still available at the site.  Keep your eyes peeled for more local wine events from Wine Xplorer.

Who is the Face of Dunwoody?

Most Facebook comments from city hall aren't too exciting.

This one should be interesting!  Are you the face of Dunwoody?  Your spouse?  Your neighbor?  Or kids?  Here's a chance to find out.  Comments are open if you go to the event and would like to report back.

We will be out at Brook Run Park this Saturday 9/22 taking pictures from 4pm-7pm. We are looking for men, women, families, kids, and pets who would like to be models for our Dunwoody photography. No experience necessary, just have fun! Please contact Molly 404 949-3776 for more information.

A Greenway By Any Other Name

The latest hot topic in Dunwoody development is the resurgence of "multi-use trails".

This topic nearly came to a riot before the last election when the first "greenway" plan was presented.  The original version involved confiscating easements (private residential property that utilities pay to use for their equipment) and paving them over for general public use.  While some were willing to donate their property to this purpose, others, notably those who would stand to lose 1/3 or more of their lot and have the greenway uncomfortably close to their homes, objected.  Loudly.  The "greenways" were removed from the parks plan.

Now in 2012 the subject is "multi use trails".  Same concept, same purpose, different name, slightly different approach.

These trails run around Brook Run Park in this overlay drawing, except at the northwest end of the park where the trail diverts south so as to avoid private property that is surrounded by the park.  The rest of the trails (in red) run directly on the perimeter for the most part.

The sales pitch images are oddly familiar:

The text in the  links and warmfuzzyfeelgood pitch images are exactly the same as the original Greenway presentation.  The only difference is that "Greenway" has been substituted with "multi use trail".

Not only is this new proposal flat-out laziness, it assumes that no one will notice or call out city staff for it.

The best thing I can say about the Brook Run greenway is that it employs municipal land, rather than privately owned residential land.  The city can make whatever plans they want without intruding directly on anyone's castle.  The similar trails in Georgetown are being planned in with the rest of the development from scratch.  Again, nothing to tear down.  

Q&A by Hutmacher.

(Note:  words are great, pictures supporting them would be better.)

There are still drawbacks.  First, the amount of construction involved.  Brook Run had a small network of forest-like trails to stroll or hike along.  We're talking nature trails, not paved highways.  Then that evolved into "paved walkways".  Now we're back to the original 12-foot-wide greenway.  Development projects in Dunwoody have a tendency to expand during discussion, along with their budgets (cf, Dunwoody Village Parkway).  I'd still like to know why this is the usual trend.

Second:  when the playground and skate park were built, homeowners on the opposite side of Peeler Road went completely ape at the number of trees being cut down and the lack of screening between their homes and the active parts of the park.  Does anyone think the reaction will be different this time?  The trees are not going to obediently uproot themselves and replant elsewhere.  The screening that immediate neighbors say they want is going to be completely demolished.  The Q&A claims that only a "minimum" of trees are going to be removed but doesn't clarify a number and there are no artist renderings or even sketches superimposed over photographs to demonstrate this.  Only the same greenway sales photos from the original presentation.  

Speaking of trees, how is this plan getting reconciled with the efforts of the Sustainability Commission who claim to want to preserve tree canopy in Dunwoody?  You can either develop land for greenways by cutting down trees or you can preserve trees via force of law.  You can't do both.  I don't find the Q&A credible when it implies that few trees are going to be disturbed.  There's 12 feet of pavement plus a buffer zone on either side, especially during construction.  Again, there are no photos of the area to be built itself to confirm anything in the City's documents.  

Next is the question of materials.  Sustainability Commission and related "green" advocates have been touting  "green" building and "green" materials to the sky since the city was founded.  Now they have a chance to put that rhetoric into action by using the much celebrated "pervious paving".  But wait, there's a snag.  It turns out that "pervious paving" materials are only functional if nothing "green" falls on them.  Like leaves, dirt, or pine straw.  So we're now back to concrete, the less expensive of the standard paving alternatives.  The "green" advocates have not been forthcoming about the disadvantages of "green" materials - we have to find them out the hard way when it's time to consider their use.  

These questions of mine are just for the Brook Run section of the greenway plan.  They don't apply to the Georgetown development because the land was already cleared for development.

Before I can decide what side of this plan I stand on, I'd like to see more than an aerial photograph of the entire park.  I would like to see on-location photos of the areas being developed with similar markups clarifying what is going to be disturbed and what isn't.  I'd like to see the engineers' reports that confirm that water runoff will not affect the properties on the opposite side of the street from the greenway where it runs along the edge.  (Especially along Peeler Road where the curbs are crumbling and water is a major issue during storms.)

I want to believe that what is being presented is the best option.  But no one at the city is showing it in any tangible way.  Recycled sales photos from the old greenway project and memos on city stationery don't cut it.

INTRODUCING: Northside Tree Professionals

I'm pleased to announce the launch of a new site for Northside Tree Professionals.

Northside Tree is a Dunwoody-licensed company that has become a trusted institution over the 40-plus years of its existence.

Northside had invested in a new brand identity that is evident in all of their printed materials from their paper stationery, to the employee uniforms (both labor and management) and all of their vehicles.  You've probably seen their bright red trucks and equipment tooling around town.  The only thing remaining was their website:  it looked absolutely nothing like their new brand image.

Well, now it does!  This site is based on the WordPress content management system (CMS) and was designed to coordinate with the rest of their marketing outreach.  There is a new interactive quote request form and structured, easy-to-find content.  Even with all of these upgrades, it is still a work in progress.  The guys have been collecting images and video as well as case histories to present throughout the summer season.  We're going to sort it, compile it, and incorporate it into the new site this fall.

There's even a matching mobile version for your smartphone.  You can switch between them through the link at the bottom of each page.

Check out Northside Tree on your computer, tablet, or phone and stay tuned for more treats in the next month or two.

There but for the grace of God goes any of us

"20/20" is airing an episode tonight on ABC regarding extreme neighbor conflicts.
The episode is featured tonight on their website.

Video and interviews show surreal behaviour by neighbors rubbing each other the wrong way.  If these extremes can happen in these idyllic neighborhoods, they can happen anywhere.

What is to prevent these types of extremes from occurring here in Dunwoody?  Comments are wide open.

Never Forget

Federal Law Enforcement or Big Brother via Internet? You make the call.

From Yahoo News /Digital Trends earlier this year:

US gov't claims right to seize any .com domain

If your domain ends in .com, the United States government says it has the right to seize it from your control, reports Wired. The same goes for any URL that ends in .net, .cc, .tv, .name, and .org.
This troubling declaration of power comes after US authorities shutdown the online sports gambling site Bodog.com last week — even though the website was owned by a Canadian company, which many assumed put it outside of US jurisdiction. Not so, apparently. That’s because the only company allowed to issue new .com domains is VeriSign, which is based — you guessed it — in the US.
According to a spokesperson for the department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), anytime the US government wants to take down a .com, .net, .tv, or .name domain, all it has to do is issue a court order to VeriSign, which quickly complies. The same process applies to the Public Interest Registry, which controls the .org top-level domain.

In principle, if you're obeying the law, not using your .com (or dot-whatever) domain to violate US Federal law like online gambling, selling counterfeit or pirated merchandise, you won't have any trouble.  In short, the article clarifies that since the US invented the internet, the US makes the rules.  .com may be used worldwide but it is, at its core, an American domain issue and VeriSign is going to obey every last order to keep its federal contract to issue .com and .net domains.

If you're going to engage in activity that violates US federal law, you probably want to pick a different nation's domain.  I'm not recommending that, nor am I saying that's 100% protection either.

So how close are we to the line between "freedom of information" and prevention of abuse that harms law-abiding citizens?  Comments are wide open.