GDOT Releases a Video Rendering of Toll Lanes Over Dunwoody Neighborhoods

For years, Dunwoody has been telling GDOT and anyone else who would listen under the Gold Dome that paving 285 isn't alleviating congestion and it's time to invest more into rail and other alternatives.  They're going to pave anyway and there is a significant negative impact projected for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Chamblee, and Doraville.

From the Dunwoody Reporter Newspaper:



DHA meeting from February 2019
First 80 minutes.  More is available on the DHA Facebook page.

GDOT will give two updates in Dunwoody on Tuesday, January 28 at St Luke's.

Dunwoody High School Baseball Celebrates Grand Opening of New Field with Ribbon Cutting, Scrimmage and Fundraiser

Members of the community are invited to attend the scrimmage and Marlow’s Tavern Fundraiser on January 25, 2020.


Dunwoody, GA – January 6, 2020 - Baseball season is right around the corner and we can’t wait to play on our new field! As some may recall, last season we were unable to play any home games on the Dunwoody High School baseball field due to unsafe playing conditions. In addition to the visible surface issues, it was discovered that a large drainpipe running across the outfield was severely damaged.

Thanks to our friends at Dunwoody Senior Baseball we rescheduled and played most of our home games at the Brook Run Park baseball fields.

The Dunwoody High School staff and the Dunwoody Diamond Club began collaborating with the Dekalb County School System to explore remedies for restoring the DHS field to acceptable playing conditions and get our games back on campus. This collaboration began in March and many options were considered. Through exploration and constructive dialogue with DCSD, a plan to mutually invest in repairs was put into action. This required the Diamond Club to leverage the hard work of our recent fund-raising efforts to invest in field improvements.

What happened next? Both the Diamond Club and DCSD made substantial investments and a plan was devised to begin the repairs immediately. Starting in July, the field was fully re-graded with appropriate drainage, resurfaced, and the damaged drainpipe repaired.

We are happy to report that the DHS baseball field has been repaired and is now fully operational. Games for the 2020 season will commence AT HOME beginning in February.

These accomplishments could not have been completed without a successful collaboration between Dunwoody High School Staff, DeKalb County School System, Dunwoody Senior Baseball, Dunwoody Diamond Club, Marlow’s Tavern and some brainstorming with The Dunwoody Crier, The Aha! Connection, local residents, former legislators and Dunwoody City Council members.

To celebrate our success, the Dunwoody Diamond Club will be hosting a grand reopening of the field on January 25, 2020. DHS teams will play an inter squad scrimmage to kick off the season immediately followed by a fundraiser to be held at Marlow’s Tavern! Marlow’s reported the most successful fundraiser so far was the one they held for us last spring. They are very excited to help again and are donating 15% of all sales back to our program. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward a few remaining repairs and ongoing maintenance costs to protect our gorgeous “new” field! Please let Marlow’s know that you are present at the fundraiser in support of the DHS Baseball.

We will be raffling off an autographed Nick Chubb / Cleveland Browns Jersey and an autographed Sony Michel / New England Patriots Jersey. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the field between 2 and 5pm or at Marlow's Tavern in Dunwoody between 5:30 and 7:30 PM. The drawing will take place at 8 PM at Marlow's.



Grand Re-opening of DHS Baseball Field, Saturday, January 25

Ribbon Cutting and Celebration 2PM – 2:30PM

Game 2:30PM – 5:30PM

Baseball Gathering and Fundraiser 5:45PM



For more information regarding Dunwoody Baseball, please contact Bob Cucchi, Dunwoody Diamond Club President: 770.330.2971, racucchi@gmail.com.

Dunwoody High School address: 5035 Vermack Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338

Marlow’s Tavern address: 1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway, Dunwoody, GA 30338

BelleauWoody 2019

Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence
Over Belleau Wood that night
For a Christmas truce had been declared
By both sides of the fight
As we lay there in our trenches
The silence broke in two
By a German soldier singing
A song that we all knew

Though I did not know the language
The song was "Silent Night"

Then I heard my buddy whisper,
"All is calm and all is bright"
Then the fear and doubt surrounded me
'Cause I'd die if I was wrong
But I stood up in my trench
And I began to sing along

Then across the frozen battlefield
Another's voice joined in
Until one by one each man became
A singer of the hymn

Then I thought that I was dreaming
For right there in my sight
Stood the German soldier
'Neath the falling flakes of white
And he raised his hand and smiled at me
As if he seemed to say
Here's hoping we both live
To see us find a better way

Then the devil's clock struck midnight
And the skies lit up again
And the battlefield where heaven stood
Was blown to hell again

But for just one fleeting moment
The answer seemed so clear
Heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's just beyond the fear

No, heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's for us to find it here

This song was based on the Christmas truce phenomenon of 1914: a series of unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front around Christmas 1914. (Garth Brooks)

Scholarship Contests for Dunwoody Students

High School Seniors - time to think about college scholarship applications!

There are two scholarship competitions open now presented by Dunwoody institutions

Dunwoody Womans Club
Student Achievement Scholarships

Open to High School seniors (public or private) residing in one of these ZIP codes:
30328, 30338, 30350, or 30360.

More info:  https://www.dunwoodywomansclub.com/our-work/scholarships/

Applications are submitted by USPS mail and must be postmarked by March 20, 2020.

Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association Foundation
Scholarships for High School Women
and Collegiate/Alumnae NPC Members

AAPA Foundation is giving a record $20,000 across several scholarships for women in high school, college, or graduate studies.

Eligibility:

High School Senior Honors Scholarship – for female students planning to attend a four-year college/university with NPC sororities on their campus. Applicants must have legal residence in Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Paulding or Rockdale counties.

Collegiate Scholarship – for Rising Junior or Rising Senior NPC sorority members attending Georgia colleges/universities and having a legal residence in the Metro Atlanta area counties of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale.

Alumnae Scholarship – for alumnae with legal residence in the Metro Atlanta area counties of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding, or Rockdale who is continuing her education.

More info and applications:  https://www.atlantapanhellenic.org/scholarships/
Submissions are made online.  Deadline is 11:59 PM, March 1, 2020

UPDATED: Where are the 2019 Campaign Disclosures for Dunwoody Candidates?

I hope they get posted before Election Day.  Being that we all are open, and transparent, and ethical, and all.

Let's keep watch on this page.  Someone post in the comments when they see the info.

-------------------
Wow, that was quick.
Here is the link to all filings, past and present.
Seriously, link these from the main City of Dunwoody website.  Will save you a bunch of phonecalls, emails, and other time wasters.  ;-)

https://cityofdunwoodyga.easyvotecampaignfinance.com/home?fbclid=IwAR1ilPgDiQOqKDjxRWjTl5GmMCkee83XEZRYiivD5D51BC0ifW9TfzqTeQE

An Open Letter from the DHA to the DeKalb County Board of Education

At the board meeting of September 8, 2019, a quorum of the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to release the following statement regarding the state of DeKalb County public schools within city limits in general and against the GO Bond in particular.

Dear Members of the Board,

The Dunwoody Homeowners Association (DHA) strives to ensure a high standard and quality of life for the homeowners of Dunwoody. An essential component of a strong and vibrant community is quality public schools for every child. Unfortunately, the school facility crisis of DeKalb County Schools (DCSD) is putting the quality of life for all of Dunwoody at serious risk. School buildings are suffering from leaky roofs, mold, malfunctioning air conditioning, non-working bathrooms, unsanitary locker rooms, unsafe multipurpose fields, and catastrophic plumbing breaks. These poor conditions extend to numerous portable trailers which are arriving at an alarming pace with little plan for relief in the next few years. We ask DCSD to prioritize this facilities crisis and school overcrowding through strategic initiatives and alternative solutions, not simply adding more portable classrooms each year.

Through the GO Bond you have proposed, you plan to increase property taxes for homeowners over the next 15 years. While we are quite concerned about the state of the facilities in our schools, we are skeptical of the GO Bond as a vehicle to successfully address these deferred maintenance problems.

We do not support the GO Bond for the following reasons:

• Lack of leadership: Dr. Green is expected to leave by next summer. Many departments are being run by interim leaders who have limited vision and fail to provide a long-term plan for the school system. Strong leadership must be in place to oversee additional taxpayer funds prior to their collection.
• Lack of financial transparency: The 2017 financial audit contained material weaknesses that have yet to be solved. The Athletics department internal audit from October of 2017 found “gross non-compliance due to controls not being in place”. The 2018 procurement audit revealed a risk of liability exposure. We have not seen a 2018 audit even though we are in the 3rd quarter of 2019. A forensic audit, by an objective third-party firm, must be conducted of the athletics, food service, public safety, and procurement departments prior to any consideration of a bond.
• Lack of transparency on the GO Bond process: According to attendees from our community, including elected officials, GO Bond meetings were very confusing and provided no opportunity to answer the public’s questions. DCSD must develop greater trust with the community during the bond approval process.
• Lack of professional acumen in GO Bond construction estimates: Internal DCSD staff compiled the construction estimates, rather than using professional estimators. A construction management firm needs to be hired to manage the entire scope of the Go Bond work.

The DHA has been a long-time supporter of DeKalb County Schools throughout the Dunwoody area and desires to continue this successful partnership. The DHA is proud to be a consistent contributor to all seven public schools and our support goes beyond just financial donations. DHA members are also DCSD parents who support hands-on initiatives like campus clean up days and other service projects to keep our schools strong.

Our primary goal is to promote the recreation, health, safety, welfare, benefit and enjoyment of the homeowners within the community. We know this goal cannot be obtained without focusing on maintaining high quality schools. We implore you to be more purposeful with the funds you currently have and pause the Go Bond process until you have addressed our concerns above. We are confident that taxpayer funds will be better spent when a stronger financial and strategic foundation is in place.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors
Dunwoody Homeowners Association



Printable copy on letterhead

The purpose of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association is to promote the recreation, health, safety, welfare, benefit and enjoyment of the homeowners within the community.