A Happy and Prosperous 2016 to All!

I hope everyone reading has been able to enjoy some time that does not involve nose-to-the-grindstone work:  by yourself, with family, travelling, or whatever makes you happy.

In the Duncan house we have a mix of work (there is no such thing as "vacation" for entrepreneurs), laundry, cooking holiday specialties, sports, play, and just lounging around until work and school pick up again.

SDOC had a banner year!  We built and launched new websites for:

• DeKalb Commissioner Nancy Jester 
• Timberhood Consulting (Dunwoody citizen-owned business)
• Learning on the Log (Sandy Springs service location with Dunwoody business office)
• Georgians for Local Area School Systems (GLASS)
• Kenneth Gordon - Private Jeweler (Dunwoody citizen-owned business)

SDOC returned to Business Radio X for a live interview and discussion of web trends and business needs.

SDOC was accredited by the Metro Atlanta Better Business Bureau - an achievement not made by most website design and development firms.


In addition, we continued our long friendships with these clients via hosting and maintenance services as well as long-needed complete redesigns that were not only more modern but improved mobile usability.

• Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association
• RikEmmett.com

2016 is already looking bright.  We are discussing new projects with their clients.  Upgrades for our current friends are always in the hopper.  SDOC continually reaches out to build new relationships with organizations in need of a modern web presence and lightning-fast communications with people of all ages.  We might even treat ourselves to a new look on the SDOC website.  (Shhh!  Don't tell the owner.  It's a surprise!)  

SDOC is also returning as a Platinum Sponsor of the 2016 Taste of Dunwoody on February 20 at the Westin Perimeter hotel.  Get your tickets NOW before they sell out!

Thank you everyone for a wonderful 2015 and I wish you all the best in the coming New Year!

Dunwoody Crossing Residents Homeless after Apartment Fire

6 PM last night, DeKalb Fire and Rescue responded to a 2-alarm fire at the Dunwoody Crossing Apartments on North Peachtree at I-285.  The fire and extent were very similar to another apartment fire in January of this year.

UPDATE:  Two of the affected families have children at Chesnut ES.  Friends of Chesnut is accepting donations for these families as well.  From Friends of Chesnut on Facebook:

Update #2 (12/22) - per the AhA Connection, one of these families also has a student at Dunwoody HS and is a member of Lady Wildcats basketball.  A separate GoFundMe account is active.

We have two Chesnut families who lost all of their belongings in the fire last night at Dunwoody Village apartments on...
Posted by Friends of Chesnut on Monday, December 21, 2015

From Dunwoody Police on Facebook:

At 5:56pm, the Dunwoody Police Department and Dekalb Fire Department responded to a fire at the Dunwoody Crossing...
Posted by Dunwoody Police Department on Sunday, December 20, 2015

If you are able, please donate online to help get these 10 families through Christmas and the New Year.  (Donations coordinated by ICare Atlanta)

On a related note, incidents like  Dunwoody Crossing and the January fire at Dunwoody Glen are reasons why Councilman Terry Nall proposed requirements for fire retardant building materials on multifamily housing, rather than timbers and wood siding.  It's not about making building more expensive, it's about keeping all Dunwoodians safer - and not having to face Christmas burned out of their homes.

Dunwoody Town Hall Meeting on January 21, 2016

Use the Connect Dunwoody page to submit topics you would like to see discussed at this event.

(Click on "Town Hall 2016" under the "Open Topics" tab to add your feedback.)

Connect Dunwoody requests your address (which is kept private) so that those reviewing the responses can see where they are coming from.  As in which Dunwoody district, or from outside the city.

Anyone can answer and there is one vote/comment per person.

Event details:
Dunwoody Town Hall
All Saints Catholic Church Social Hall (the building next to the sanctuary, closest to the driveway/parking lot)
2443 Mt. Vernon Road
6 PM til 8 PM

Deadline to request a topic for discussion is 12 noon on January 21.

My first request will be to have a live video feed via YouTube, Meerkat, Periscope, Vimeo, etc.  Looking at my calendar I already know that 2 of my children have after-school activities and then I have to get dinner on the table and then my husband may not make it home in time for me to make a 6 PM meeting, and the youngest child has a 6:30 PM bath time.  Listening via streaming media is the only option many of us have to be informed of the conversation.

I'd also like to recommend accepting follow-up questions and commentary via Twitter or similar social media.  Again, this may be the only way of receiving real-time feedback from the demographics that are not able to attend in person.

Third paragraph, same feedback - when will the video on the agendas/minutes management system on the city website be upgraded to function in all browsers (instead of just Internet Explorer) and on mobile devices?