Recap of Monday's Council Meeting

It was a big night in council chambers. All council gentlemen were wearing sharp blue blazers with collared shirts - looking for some face time on the TV. Two local TV stations were there.

Things started off with Public comment. Farmer Bob addressed council on the firemen issue. He has a letter in this week's Crier.

Public Comment Joe gets to keep his moniker as he spoke to council regarding a sign issue. Joe thinks it is not possible to read 1" high letters from a moving vehicle, from both directions. I think he is right.

All Saints got a 5-o victory for their Special Land Use Permit. They will build a columbarium in the middle of their property. Unlike the previous meeting, the archdiocese made a presentation to council (but not to the public nor to the audience). I'm sure it was a nice design. Most folks want to have their remains placed in a nice setting. Parking for the fish fry may be a little tight next year, but all is well.

The church also promised to look into (and correct) the storm water runoff issue on the back of their property. The new columbarium will be about 5000 sq feet, 80% of it impervious.

Next up was DeKalb's Public Safety Director. He addressed council and the mayor in regards to the recent fire-related death in Dunwoody. He seemed very sincere in his speech, and addressed a few concerns brought up by council members. The only issue I did not hear fully addressed was a question posed by Councilman Heneghan. He inquired as to the staffing (people and equipment) levels in Dunwoody. He mentioned that some local residents want to make sure the stations are staffed, with not only trained firemen, but also trained EMS staff. You can see the video here.

The Public Safety Director, William Smith, said, "The people who responded that day did not do what they were trained to do." He later added, "We will regain your trust".

Mr. Miller could have easily asked to speak to council behind closed doors in regards to the issue. He addressed the issue in public, taking all questions council threw out. He seemed like a dedicated public servant, a person who I feel comfortable with as Public Safety Director. I hope the firemen and the community can move on, and put this behind us. But we all need to stay vigilant, and the trained professionals need to stay sharp at all times.

Dunwoody police chief Billy Grogan did not address council, nor was he questioned publicly in regards to the police department's response to the incident that night. Policemen are not trained to enter fires, nor should they be expected to. Their line of work is just as dangerous as the firemen, probably more so. I read the transcripts of the incident, and the police were informed by the firemen that no fire was found.

I do not know what police department protocol was that night, but I bet Chief Grogan has made changes to how the Dunwoody police will respond should a similar incident occur again. We have not heard much from Dunwoody police on their role from the night of the fire except that they were informed by the firemen that they (the firemen) could not locate any fire. Dunwoody police are investigating.

Chickens Win 7-0

As predicted here in a prior post, the Dunwoody Planning Commission passed by a 7-0 vote the text amendment to city code allowing for city residents to have backyard poultry.

The hearing started with a couple of kids passing out Dunwoody-laid eggs to each of the seven commissioners. Farmer Bob quickly cracked three into his empty coffee cup then chugged it. The other six put them aside for tomorrow's breakfast.

After the egg distribution, the Pro Chicken Posse presented a Power Point presentation. I can't figure out how to post it so here is a link to it over at King John's blog. The presentation was interesting. I learned that the average dog squeezes out 3/4 pounds of poop a day, while a chicken can only produce a couple of ounces a day (but if you had six chickens you could easily match the poop output of Fido). According to the presentation, the dog poop can not be composted but the chicken poop can be composted.

Under current code it is not legal to have chickens in your backyard, but it is OK to have dogs, cats, and rabbits. We currently live under DeKalb code in regards to chickens. DeKalb classifies chickens not as pets but as livestock. Thus, nearly all homes in Dunwoody are not legally allowed to keep chickens. The goal of the Chicken Posse is for city council to approve a text amendment to allow backyard poultry in a residential area, with some restrictions.

City staff has gone on record in favor of allowing backyard poultry, The Community Council voted it down a couple weeks ago, and tonight's 7-0 victory for chickens sets up a City Council showdown with the Chicken Posse.

When this chicken thing came to light, thanks to Councilman Wittenstein, I was 100% opposed to allowing Dunwoody folks from having chickens in their yards. All I could think of is neighbors on three sides of me having chickens. I know what .75 pounds times two dogs times seven days smells like on a hot summer day, and I did not want that smell compounded by chickens. I also thought of my peaceful days in the backyard being disturbed by noisy poultry.

Then I started to educate myself on the topic. Then I went out to see a home in Dunwoody with a few chickens. Then I read the presentation I mentioned earlier. Then I changed my mind - something I rarely do. I believe in property rights, but I also believe in restrictions on behavior, to an extent.

After seeing a chicken coop in person, and after studying the issue more, I am in favor of allowing backyard poultry (with restrictions) in Dunwoody. I never thought I'd type those words. Now don't go looking for me to ride a bike to the market, buying an electric car, or giving up my lead ammunition.

AT tonight's hearing there was just a token of opposition to the amendment to allow chickens. The Community Council meeting had lots more opposition speakers.

It was quite a contrast to see how the Planning Commission and the Community Council handled this issue. You'd think the 'community' folks would be more liberal in their thinking, with the 'planning' folks nitpicking on details. Quite the contrary. I've only been to one Community Council meeting and I did not witness much 'community'. I'll try to get to another one of their meetings and see how it goes.

After the 'for' and 'against' speakers, it was time for the commissioners (all were in attendance) to ask questions. Actually only six of the seven asked questions (one of the six seemed to be more interested in texting during most of the hearing). Farmer Bob used his time to preach in favor of chickens instead of asking questions to which he already knew the answers. One thing about Farmer Bob; he does his homework. In summary, Farmer Bob lectured, "Chicken coops should be treated no differently than any other accessory building on a person's property" (rabbit coops, tool sheds, dog houses, etc). He spoke directly to two council members in attendance (Ross and Wittenstein) and asked that they visit a local family with chickens prior to voting on the issue.. He also asked that they have other council members do the same.

I still think the chicken issue will come down to a 4-3 vote. If the vote were tomorrow, I'd say it would get defeated. But the Chicken Posse has a few weeks to get one of those swing votes to change sides, sorta like Joe Lieberman. There are two on council that will not change their mind on this issue, even if Publix and Kroger both stopped selling eggs. They feel they are representing the majority of the people, and they may be right. Most people will simply think of the negative aspects of chickens, perhaps remembering the odor of a 3000-bird chicken house in Gainesville as they speed past in their car. Or folks may envision chickens roaming free in a neighbor's yard, with dogs, cats, and other animals roaming about.

It does not take much to stir the imagination of some folks. Some residents may be hearing only one side to the chicken issue. Instead of facts they may be basing their thoughts on emotion. I think most of our senior population (please note that I am no longer referring to Dunwoody seniors as 'old folks' or 'Lawrence Welk fan club members' or any other negative term. They are simply adults older than me) are opposed to the issue. Seniors are less likely to be open to new (although raising chickens is not new, raising them in a suburban setting is rather new) ideas. They do not want changes made to roads, shopping centers, post offices, etc. They want to remain in Dunwoody, without anyone messing with them, their car, nor their house. Can't blame them for that - just stating my observations.

Not all non-seniors would be in favor of backyard poultry. You'll probably see a couple of Home Owners Associations voting in rules to prohibit backyard poultry.

If it were as simple as a "don't ask, don't tell" policy, as it has been for quite a while, everything would have been OK. But the issue is here and needs addressed. No doubt some people will be real mad once this issue goes to vote. A few folks on council will be up for re-election soon. Three are already locked in for four more years and have no worries. If the Chicken Posse does not win, look for any council member voting against it to face some opposition, supported by chicken folks, next election (two of the three up for re-election soon are pro-chicken).

Council will take this to a vote next month.

Mayor Wright Delivers

State of the City Address
January 28, 2010

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, local and state officials, honored guests and friends. I am
humbled to stand before you today and present our first State of the City Address.
First, I would like to thank my wife and my family for their unwavering love and support over the past year and a half. Without them, I would not be standing here today, speaking to you as the first Mayor of Dunwoody. I would ask that you encourage them not to abandon me during my tenure, I’m afraid quality time with dad has been as rare as spotting a koala bear on Mt Vernon.

Second, thank you to our City Council. This first year has been one of determination, growth and
learning - from the 2am “pre-swearing in” meeting on my screen in porch, to the evening on
December 1st when we cut the ribbon ushering in a new era for the citizens of Dunwoody, to the
roll out of the Dunwoody Police Department on April 1st, to the close of our first year of service
barely a month ago. You took on the challenges and tribulations of leading a new city unwavering and head on: pushing the personal envelope: never ending emails, meetings, painfully long council meetings, burning the midnight oil, and personal hardships, all the while maintaining your lives, families and in many cases, full time careers.

By now each of us knows all too well Public Service is grueling, and without the dedication and
vision of council members Denis Shortal, Adrian Bonser, John Heneghan, Danny Ross, Tom
Taylor, and Robert Wittenstein, we may not be calling our area the City of Dunwoody. This team is
certainly a 2nd family. They all have my unwavering respect and admiration… Thank you.
Tonight, I also want to offer a special note of appreciation to my Executive Staff and all City
employees. Please stand… Very few outside of City Hall really understand the difficult environment you all thrive in on a daily basis. I do, and I appreciate each one of you more than you know. Thank you.

Finally, I must thank the citizens of this great City… From incorporation efforts first borne in 1971, culminating on July 15, 2008, thousands of future Dunwoody residents made the choice to vote YES for the formation of a new city. From there, in a special election, from a field of 16 candidates, you voted in six inaugural city council members and me as Mayor, and the City of Dunwoody took hold. You certainly didn’t stop at the vote. The great volunteer spirit of Dunwoody has not slowed down one iota, we have dozens of boards and committees whose volunteer members spent countless volunteer hours for the betterment of this city. If you are one of these citizens who serves on a board or committee, please stand. Thank you all.

We are in a time of new beginnings, growth, and promise for the City of Dunwoody. We are
entering into not only a new year, our second year as a city, but a new decade, and an exciting time of self-determination and direction for our community. As we look to our future we must reflect on the past 14 months, to celebrate our accomplishments and highlight where we confronted our challenges. 2009 was not an easy year for many individuals and families. We faced many challenges including a struggling U.S economy, war, nationwide unemployment reaching an unprecedented “reported” 10%, in addition to the challenges faced as a fledgling city.
But, through it all, we have accomplished much in our short time as a city, creating, implementing, and executing a foundation of success.

Following the elections, we held our first council meeting on October 1st. From there, during the
beginning of November, our first City Manager, Warren Hutmacher, joined our City, from our
neighbor the City of Norcross. Warren joined the city with 11 years of government experience and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Ohio State University. He has been an invaluable and integral member of our Dunwoody family.

On Monday, December 1, 2008, the City of Dunwoody opened its doors and began operation. On
that first day, we hit the ground running, voting on a 37 item agenda, and we haven’t stopped
moving since.

Within the first 31 days of our existence, we hired, from over 100 applicants, Chief Billy Grogan, to lead our new police force. Chief Grogan came from the City of Marietta with almost 30 years of experience, a Masters degree in Public Administration, and as a graduate of the FBI National
Academy. Chief Grogan was not the only person to join our City of Dunwoody family at that time. By the middle of January Ms. Sharon Lowery was appointed as our City Clerk and we had a fully functional Community Development Department, a Public Works Department, and a Finance and Administration Department. On February 25, we held the City’s first Municipal Court session. Ms. Tiffaney Pete, who leads our court, has a Masters degree in Public Administration and was recently recognized as a Certified Court Executive by the United States Supreme Court.

Each of these departments has strived to reach milestones and to exceed the expectations set forth by our residents. Because, when the residents of Dunwoody made the choice to form their own city government, we as elected officials, appointed officials, and city employees made a promise. “To make Dunwoody a better community, built on mutual respect and trust, and to promote and maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct by all involved in City government.”

Let me give you a few examples of the hard work and dedication put forth by our City’s department. As the first police chief for the City of Dunwoody Police Department Chief Grogan was given a task, considered impossible by many, to build, from scratch, a police force responsible for the service and protection of all Dunwoody residents, visitors and businesses. And to do it in the short time of three months.

On March 31 40 officers and 8 civilians were sworn into service and at 12:01 a.m. on April 1, no
April Fools joke, the officers took to the streets with sirens wailing and lights flashing. I know most of you share my sense of pride every time we see our officers on the street. It is a joy that will never go stale.

Since then, our first rate police force has made 1,262 arrests, written 6,300 citations, and made the city of Dunwoody one of the safest cities in the State of Georgia. Our officers even take notice of those who would otherwise be ignored and pushed aside. I have a short note here that I would like to read, originally written to Chief Grogan from one of our fine Sargeants, about two of our officers. Chief, I wanted to let you know about an incident that Officer Sommo and Officer Hasseltine handled at the Crown Plaza on Sunday night January 3rd. We received a call in reference to a disoriented man at the Plaza. The man was homeless, having no money, and no place to go, not to mention the freezing temperatures. Officer Sommo and Hasseltine took it upon themselves to help him out. Rather than run him off or arrest him Officers Sommo and Hasseltine bought him dinner and gave him enough money for transportation to a shelter in Atlanta to get him out of the cold for the night.

This act of kindness is just another great example of the many good deeds, many gone
unrecognized, by the men and woman of the Dunwoody Police Department. I would like to commend Officer Sommo and Hasseltine for going above and beyond their duty to help out someone in their time of need. I don’t know if Officer Sommo and Hasseltine are here this evening, but I would also like to publicly thank them for their generosity and consideration of this man and his wellbeing. Thank you gentleman.


Turning to another of our departments, in 2009, Community Development coordinated a series of community discussions for our first Comprehensive Plan for the City, a guide that will detail the community’s vision and goals for the future. They have been intimately involved with our Sustainability Commission, whose list of accomplishments include creation of the Dunwoody Community Garden. 20% of all the food grown this past year in the garden was donated to a local food pantry which has helped to provide meals to local families in need.

I don’t know what they put in the soil, but it only took them 6 weeks to start donating fresh
produce…their thumbs are definitely greener then mine… As I understand, a community beer and wine garden initiative may not be too far behind.

Our Public Works Department has been busy too. This past fall, a truck specially equipped with
high tech lasers, scanned Dunwoody roads giving us a detailed look at existing problems and areas that may become an issue in the future. This study will allow us to improve Dunwoody roadways in a more timely manner, creating a safer driving environment for everyone.
Public Works partnered with the Dunwoody Homeowners Association to implement an Adopt-A-Spot program. They repaired over 375 potholes and worked with the Perimeter Community
Improvement Districts to upgrade 4 intersections on Ashford- Dunwoody Road including new
sidewalks, upgraded traffic signals, and responded to over 100 emergency calls.

There is a letter I would like to share with you, written to the Crier about one of the hard working members on the Public Works road crew who went above and beyond the call of duty when responding to the needs our residents. Sometime we get it right and you guys let us know about it…an example is this letter the Crier received from Ms. Mary Schultz:

-Dear Cathy,

I wanted to write and publicly thank the City of Dunwoody Department of Public Works. I called
and spoke with the manager, Chuck, this morning because there was a 6-8 week old kitten that had fallen into the storm drain on my cul-de-sac. Chuck sent Joe and his crew (a nice young man) over to look into the situation. It had started raining, but this did not deter them from climbing into the drain to try and retrieve the kitten. Unfortunately, they could not reach the kitten, but they told me if I could hear it come back closer to the drain entrance, to please call them back.

Several hours went by and my neighbor and I went back over to the drain to check and see if the
kitten was still alive. We heard it crying loudly so I called Chuck's office again and I spoke with Jada and I asked if Chuck could please send Joe's crew back over. The two arrived in the pouring rain and Joe's assistant (sorry I don't know his name) pulled up the trap which my neighbor had lowered into the storm drain the night before and low and behold the kitten was clinging to the cage for dear life. I immediately wrapped the soaked, shivering little kitty in a towel and took it to Dr. Cecil Johnson's office at the Dunwoody Animal Hospital. I am happy to report the kitten is in good health with no lasting effects from its ordeal and my neighbor decided to adopt her.
I can't thank them enough for saving this one small life. As Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Chuck and his people in the Public Works Department showed me the greatness of our City of Dunwoody.
I can’t stress enough the importance of creating and sustaining a city government that really listens and cares for the people it serves, both two legged and four.

The City’s Finance and Administration Department has also been busy this past year creating an
entire finance system for the City. We are blessed with the enormous talents and expertise of our finance director, Chris Pike.

This department includes much more than just Finances, it also houses IT, Human Resources, Purchasing, Marketing, and the Taxes & Licensing Departments.

IT continues to be the driving force behind Dunwoody’s ability to successfully communicate. From the design and deployment of 38 mobile data terminals for the City’s police department to the creation of the entire technology infrastructure for the city, IT has enabled our departments to seamlessly share information. Our dynamic and interactive city website gives you access to our services from placing a work order to following us on Twitter and Facebook…

Human Recourses assisted with the hiring of the Police Department (48 employees) in only 3
months. They created an employee handbook and created and implemented a competitive benefits program. In anticipation of our recent flu season, they organized a flu clinic for all employees and their family members to receive the regular flu and H1N1 vaccines.
And finally, not to be overlooked, our Municipal Court has been busy since it began service at its
new location this past June, holding court twice a week; they have processed over 7000 citations.
The court offers translation for multiple languages, has four part-time municipal court judges, and two part-time solicitors. So here we are. One year later. It was said (over and over and over) that it couldn’t be done. The naysayers never thought we would ever make it this far.
Well I am proud to stand up here today and say we did it. By virtually ever measurement we have been successful. We are, as a community, despite the greatest recession in a generation, better off than we were a year ago. We are a proud, determined, resilient community. We are the City of Dunwoody!


It is easy to look back on 2009 and think the tough part is over. In some ways it is, in many ways it is not. It is the road ahead, 2010 and beyond, that will bring us constant challenges and triumphs. If we approach each day as a fresh slate, a new beginning, we will continue to excel, to thrive, to surmount any obstacle that comes our way.

As we move into 2010 we will continue to build on the foundation painstakingly poured by so many this past year. This year will bring about the completion of our inaugural Comprehensive Plan and work on a Master Redevelopment Plan for the Dunwoody Village and Georgetown/North Shallowford areas. These documents will create a quality foundation that will guide all future development for the City, the Village, and Georgetown/North Shallowford areas.
They will aid the city in preserving our historic treasures, promoting our economic vitality and
protecting Dunwoody’s many picturesque neighborhoods.

With the aid of these documents and the detailed reports created by our Public Works Department, one of our most important initiatives for 2010 is the continued maintenance and the re-pavement of Dunwoody’s roadways. We have heard the concerns of the citizens and have identified the areas most in need. So in the next few months, be prepared to start seeing work crews around the City filling pot holes and working to make sure driving around our beautiful city is a pleasant experience for everyone.

Traffic flow and mitigation is a priority this year and will be for years to come. I can tell you what
will not happen on this councils watch, road widenings. We share the belief that “if you build it”,
“they will come”. The Fiscal Year 2010 budget includes funding for a Master transportation plan
that will include plans for traffic congestion mitigation, a stand alone bicycle plan and pedestrian
improvements. The City has also funded engineering plans for intersection improvements at North Peachtree Road at Tilly Mill Road as well as Mt. Vernon Road at Vermack Road.

We will continue to work towards the acquisition and development of parks and public green space within the City. Part of the process of protecting our common space, neighborhoods, shopping, and dining areas is to make a commitment to the protection of our environment and natural resources…

We worked throughout 2009 towards the designation of a “Green Community” as part of the
Atlanta Regional Commission program for environmental sustainability. We are well on our way
with 105 points towards the first level of certification. In 2010, to gain the last 70 points, we are
going to focus on initiatives we can bring to the community.


Encouraging the use of more efficient outdoor lighting, implementing sustainable building policies, working to create and adopt a city-wide green space plan, and working towards a zero waste zone initiative. It is our responsibility for now, and for future generations. Together we can create a more sustainable Dunwoody.

We all know Dunwoody is a great place to live, work, start a business, operate a business, and
otherwise enjoy a fruitful and enjoyable life. People choose to live in Dunwoody because it provides an excellent way of life as well as first rate schools, driven by significant parental involvement and nonstop citizen involvement We will work in 2010 to bring more businesses to Dunwoody. We know there are many empty office spaces, many signs in widows.

By encouraging new business and growth of those already here, we secure the future of the City and the livelihood of our community. There will be a concentrated multi-faceted approach to get the word out… Dunwoody is the place to be.

As we look to the future that 2010 holds, our city must be a place in which each resident has the
opportunity to prosper and thrive…

It would be an enormous mistake to use these tough times as a reason to retrench, to do less. No…doing less is not an option. We are not a community of doing less. We must continue to be bold. We didn’t grow from a tiny group of settlers just down from the Chattahoochee River because we were timid or intimidated. That’s the way it’s always been in Dunwoody, and why our continued strength and determination will ensure Dunwoody will always be, a city of resilience, a City of new beginnings.

Many things we do and discuss are not instant gratification, but things whose fruits will be borne for future generations. The City of Dunwoody and this council, will not be divided by “district”, but united as one community, for one community, … The City of Dunwoody. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to speak to you this evening, to be a neighbor, to serve as your Mayor and to be part of this new beginning for the City of Dunwoody.

Councilman Wittenstein (West Side, District 1) Report

NOTE:

Councilmen Shortal & Wittenstein both reside near me on the west side of Dunwoody. Both put out an email on a regular basis. I suggest all of you to email these guys and get on their email lists. Don't rely on some hack blogger for all you Dunwoody news (unless it is King John's blog). I like both of these guys, but I do not always agree with them. They both care about Dunwoody and have done a good job in year one.

Dear Dunwoody Friends and Neighbors,

I spent this past weekend at the Georgia Municipal Association’s semi-annual conference in Atlanta. As part of that event I took a one day course taught by a UGA instructor on “An Introduction to Municipal Finance”. While it was pretty basic, it is a prerequisite for Municipal Finance II, which is taught over the summer in Savannah. I learned that we are doing many things right. Our budget process, financial controls and reporting are superior to what many other cities are accustomed to—even cities with much larger budgets.

I also had a change to meet counterparts in other cities, hear from state legislative leaders and participate in discussions on policies that effect municipal governments.

This coming weekend I will travel with the rest of the city council to Franklin, TN. Franklin and Dunwoody have a lot in common. Like Dunwoody, Franklin is a suburb of a major metropolitan city (Franklin is located roughly 20 miles outside of Nashville.) Franklin’s population and demographics mirror Dunwoody in that they are highly educated (33% with bachelor’s degrees and 15% with graduate degrees) and relatively affluent (average household income $80,778). As with Dunwoody, Franklin has made a deliberate choice to maintain its thoroughfares as two-lane roads and preserve their existing neighborhoods and single-family homes that surround downtown. We will tour Franklin and meet with their staff and elected officials.

Our preliminary year-end financial numbers are now available. Once you adjust out the HOST funds, which are still subject to a court battle with the County, and the lease payment due in January for our start-up costs, we ended the year with a surplus of $1.2 million, which is 6.4% of our budget. I think that shows great financial management. 2010 will be a difficult year. We had one source of income in 2009 that we won’t have in 2010—Franchise fees from Georgia Power. Our 2010 franchise fees won’t be paid to Dunwoody until March of 2011, so we are headed into a lean year. We will need to watch our spending very carefully.

Late in 2009 we commissioned an in-depth study of our roads. It will come as no surprise that the condition of our roads is only fair. To bring all of your roads up to excellent condition it would cost $23 million—about $2,000 per household. Obviously we can’t do all of that in one or two years. Some significant findings include:

· Although the overall condition of the city’s pavement is described as “fair”, the majority of the city’s pavement is at a point where it is beginning to deteriorate at an accelerated rate due to its age and lack of maintenance.

· Approximately $2 million per year is needed to maintain the current condition of the overall road system. If we want to gradually improve the road system we will need to budget $2.7 million for the next ten years.

· Currently, there is a 13% backlog of roads in “poor” condition. Even at appropriate funding levels, this backlog will remain and may even grow slightly in the first 5 years of the pavement management program.

Would you like to see how your street is rated? Check out the full report at the city’s web site: http://www.dunwoodyga.gov/Libraries/Public_Works_Documents/01-13-10_City-wide_Pavement_Evaluation.sflb.ashx. Every street in Dunwoody is listed and the condition of the pavement is rated.

Finally, please try to join us this coming Thursday, January 28^th for our 1^st year Celebration. It will be held at the 1420 Room on Dunwoody Village Parkway at 5:00pm. We will have displays of “historic” artifacts and prepare a time capsule. Ken Wright will make his “State of the City” address. There will be food and refreshments and the event is free and open to the public. Several corporate sponsors are underwriting the event and we thank them for their support. Please try to stop by and say hello.

Regards,

Robert

PS: I've discovered a group of about 30 e-mail addresses that were in my database but not attached to my mailing list. I didn't even know that was a potential issue. If you are receiving this update for the first time and wondering why, please know that I've been sending these updates out approximately monthly.

Columbarium and Final Notes on Council Meeting

All Saints Church in Dunwoody wants to put in a memory garden and a columbarium so they need the council's blessing. Actually they do not need council's blessing, but rather they need council to approve a Special Land Use Permit. You can listen to the meeting audio here.

A columbarium is a building where urns (containing cremated remains) are stored in public.

This project first came to light last fall. The city Community Council gave it a thumbs up as did the Planning Commission. It should get approved by council, even without Councilman Ross. Councilman Ross said he will not vote on the matter since he is a parishioner of All Saints and was involved with the design. Councilman Heneghan attends All Saints as well, but he has no ties to the new project there.

The strange thing about tonight's hearing on this was that there was no presentation. A representative of the archdiocese was there (perhaps the Rector of All Saints?) with some poster boards but they were not revealed. Perhaps the presentation was reserved for the conclave.

Farmer Bob raised the issue of 'no presentation', but it was shrugged off by council. Farmer Bob, a key member of the planning commission, has seen the plans, but no one other than committee members and those affiliated with the church have seen them. Perhaps the local neighbors were given an opportunity to see them.

The planned columbarium and adjoining memory garden will be in the center of the property, being approximately 5000 square feet. The construction will not interrupt the annual fish fry. Glad to hear that. I really enjoy the home-made desserts after some fried fish. My kids like the fish fry as well. I heard this year they are adding Dunwoody-fresh omelets (from Dunwoody backyard chicken eggs) to the menu.

Councilman Wittenstein, not a member of All Saints, had some concern regarding the project. No, it was not a war of religion at the council meeting. The Catholics really had the numbers in the room had anything gotten out of hand. Council has members from a few different houses of worship and I have never seen any bias for or against any church. But if I were to rank the Power of Religion in Dunwoody city government, first place goes to the Catholics, runner-up would be those from the Methodist church.

No one spoke against the columbarium, but a few people did speak in favor of it. However, we did hear of concerns regarding storm water runoff from church property. A lady spoke during public comment and said she met with church officials over the years and they acknowledged the problem of water run-off from the church property. She wants the church to fix the storm water problem. Problem is that the issue at hand deals only with the construction of the new stuff and the storm water associated with it. If city staff wanted to play hard ball with All Saints they could. It would not be difficult for an engineer to tie in run-off from the center of the property to the back left corner of the property.

After the lady spoke we were treated to a rather bizarre comment from a public speaker. Apparently offended by the lady who accused the church of creating a water runoff problem in Dunwoody, a guy approached the microphone and said, “I really don’t think the water is generated by the church, but by God himself” .

If there really is a storm water problem caused by the church's growth over the past years I hope they take care of it, but don't look for city staff to mess with the church over it.

A couple of other churches in Dunwoody already have these in place.

Golf Carts

The council had a brief discussion about allowing golf carts on city streets. Some on council want to ban gasoline powered golf carts, allowing only electric carts. Council decided to send the issue back to the Sustainability Committee for guidance. I think I know how that will turn out.

I know electric carts are more efficient than gas versions, and they make less noise. They also cost less to operate. But I also know that a gas cart is more efficient than some gas automobiles. Gas powered carts have more power and can be used not only in Dunwoody but also in a rural setting (on a farm, at a hunting camp, etc). Normally I'd be in favor of allowing both gas and electric carts in our city, but since Dunwoody has very little variance in terrain and few of us are hauling firewood and deer carcasses with a cart, I think allowing only electric carts in Dunwoody is a good idea.

Storm Water RFP

City staff had a bucket full of storm water thrown on them by a council member after the councilman requested more details on the bids submitted for city storm water work. It seemed like a simple task of approving staff's recommendation of hiring Terramark for the city's storm water project at a cost of $99,000, but a council member wanted to see the dollar figures associated with each bid. It seems as staff 'scores' each company's proposal.

The scoring system can lend itself to be subjective perhaps, allowing for a favorite company to get higher 'scores' even though their services cost more. But the scoring system can also be used to get rid of low bidders with no qualifications. I for one rarely go with the lowest bidder on projects for my home or business. Instead I evaluate references, past work, and price. I for one do not want to drive on a bridge or ride in an elevator that was installed by a company chosen strictly based on price.

The city manager seemed to want the issue to go through at the meeting, not pleased with the councilman's questioning his staff's recommendation. In the end it did not matter as Terramark was approved 4-3 by council.

Fire Suppression Fees

The city council discussed changing its fees for fire suppression systems. Currently the city charges 15% of the initial construction cost of fire suppression fees (sprinkler systems you see in buildings). Some organization (not sure of the name but I am sure it is some association that sells/installs fire sprinkler systems) has informed the city that its fees are too high. The association must have hinted at taking legal action on the fees, thus council is reviewing the fee schedule. Council is considering a set fee per sprinkler head. A council member wants to add in a special rate for residential sprinkler heads (I assume a lower fee per head) and encourage new home builders to install these. Not a bad idea to encourage these things for the home but not sure why homeowners should pay less than a business for the same thing. It's not like trash service where a business produces more trash than a residential structure.

This is not the first time the city has had pressure to reduce its fees. Back a few months ago a local home builder put on the squeeze regarding permit fees for new homes.

On some issues council will look at neighboring cities like Sandy Springs and Johns Creek for guidance. Other times, when what those cities do does not fit a councilman's agenda, we'll here nothing about what Sandy Springs or Johns creek does.

What's next? Will an ad agency threaten to file a lawsuit because we are not spending enough to brand our city?

I wish council much success on their trip to Franklin, TN. I like Franklin's web site better than the Dunwoody site. While in Franklin I hope council asks how much they (city of Franklin) plan to spend on 'city branding'. Did King John have a voice in choosing Franklin? Looks like a fun time.

Go Forth (to Franklin) Council, and May Your Journey Bring You Health, Fun, and Wisdom.

Georgia Perimeter College Fills The Room!

The big topic at tonight's City Council meeting was the Dunwoody campus of the Georgia Perimeter College (GPC). First, a little background. The GPC has six locations in metro Atlanta. GPC is a 2-year college offering Associate Degrees. It is also a stepping-stone to GA Tech, UGA, and other 4-year universities.

Seems like a lot of kids want to attend the Dunwoody campus of GPC. Too many kids if you ask neighbors living around the college.

At issue tonight was future expansion and current traffic.

Let's first talk about traffic. I've been over in that area a few times (yes, I do leave the West Side and dare venture to Dunwoody East Side on occasion, but I do not wear my West Side colors once I cross Chamblee Dunwoody Road) and traffic is ugly. When you combine college kids on the road in pimped out Toyotas with Dunwoody Blue-Hairs rollin' in Buicks you will have problems. The college kids are in a hurry, the Dunwoody folks just want to get home. Add in those pesky Gwinnett people cutting through our fine roads and you have a bigger mess.

The college has 9,500 students (12,000 if you ask any homeowner living on Tilly Mill Road) and nearly all of them drive to the college. How much of the traffic in the area is from the college? According to GPC president Dr. Anthony Tricoli, the college is responsible for about 27%. Tricoli (not related to Jeff Spicoli) revealed that their own traffic study showed that on a Wednesday between 4:45 and 5:45 PM, prime time, 27% of the cars at the college entrance area were for the college while the majority were not.

The GPC hearing started off with a PowerPoint presentation by Tricoli. Not sure if the college's media students put it together or if a paid staff compiled the slides. Either way, it was fairly boring - showcasing some attractive students leisurely resting on a well manicured campus. A few slides gave some statistics but the slides went by too fast for me to really take notes. Look for King John to post the presentation as I think they promised him a copy. But the PowerPoint was not really needed as Tricoli was a good presenter.

Tricoli started off by saying how he lives, shops, and dines in the community. He started off to clear up some mis-information out there. He said the Governor has eliminated all funding for GPC projects except for one building - a 120,000 square foot structure for some health sciences program. He went on to say that he wants to work with the city, to plan together for GPC's growth. He mentioned bicycle avenues. College kids are not going to ride bicycles to class. I guess that less than 50 students live within a mile of the Dunwoody campus, and few of those 50 would dare drive a bike. First, it's too dangerous. College kids need to carry books (heavy books), as well as some food, water, etc. Riding a bike to a park? Perhaps. Riding a bike to the Nature Center or to Publix? Perhaps. Riding a bike to Mellow Mushroom for a cold pitcher of Hoegaarden beer? Doubtful. That area is not even close to suitable for bikes. Our weather is too unpredictable for safe bike commutes and kids don't like getting all sweaty before going to class.

I wish Dunwoody had bike trails all over like in Hilton Head, but our city was not designed for it.

Tricoli spoke of his historic meeting with our beloved superintendent of DeKalb Schools, Dr. Lewis. DeKalb School District swapped a piece of 'their' land for a chunk of GPC land. The Dunwoody Elementary School now resides on the land acquired by DeKalb Schools. Around Christmas 2009 GPC demolished the former Occupational Education Center building on its recently acquired land. I bet some locals would like to turn back toe clock on that land swap.

Anyway, back to the presentation. Tricoli gave his David Letterman Top Ten list of things they (GPC) have done to be a good neighbor.

I missed a few because he was going too fast for me to write it all, so here goes my version:

1: GPC moved its security officers off the campus and on to the streets to help direct traffic
(he thinks this is a good idea, but I think it holds up local traffic while the college 'dumps' all at once)

2. ? (I was not really ready to write a Top 10 list and missed #2)

3. New parking spaces added

4. Monday-Thursday class times moved into a weekend pattern
(I do not know what that means, but perhaps its a good thing)

5. Made Tilly Mill Road exit wider (at their own expense)

6. Increased the amount of on-line (Internet) courses
(8,000 taking on line courses, up from 1,600)

7. Enrolled 1000 kids at Alpharetta campus instead of Dunwoody

8. Expanding Alpharetta campus so students can do more/all their course work there

9. ? (see #2)

10. Completed a traffic study
(see note above about claim that only 27% of car traffic is related to the college)

He went on to say that as Dunwoody grows, so grows GPC. He showed a chart depicting Dunwoody growth compared to GPC growth and they seemed to grow at the same rate)

He mentioned that GPC students pump money into local economy

Said GPC partners with local businesses, etc.

Said GPC transfers more students to GA Tech than any other 2-year college

He also mentioned that the college has cultural programs that are available (no charge) to the community.

After his presentation folks lined up for Public Comment (Public Comment Joe was not in attendance tonight).

When the meeting started I thought the college guy was in for a long night. I envisioned person after person hammering him on traffic, noise, etc. But this guy did not become a college president by merely attending a few night classes at the University of Phoenix! The audience was NOT an anti-college audience as I anticipated. I counted 17 speakers, 10 speaking in favor of the college! (chicken lovers take note)

The college had students and faculty members speak on its behalf. And not just any ordinary faculty members, but faculty members who reside in Dunwoody. Of course it plays in a person's favor to speak FOR (not against) their employer, but I was still impressed that the college got folks up to the microphone.

Here's a brief run-down on the speakers:

1. In favor of college, traffic is from Gwinnet folks cutting through Dunwoody

2. (Celebrity Public Comment from Rep Fran Millar) He does not seem to be a fan of GPC Dunwoody Camous. He said Dunwoody has grown 12% while the college has grown 34% over a certain time period. Said the Dunwoody campus is over capacity now. Said Board of Regents turned down GPC's funding request for a Roswell campus and that is why GPC is expanding the Dunwoody campus. Said there is no money at the state level for any new buildings for GPC. He suggested the city and college work together to solve traffic issues. Don't look for Fran to vote in favor of any funds for GPC expansion.

3. Honor student from GPC, studying to be an orthodontist, drives 60 miles round trip to attend Dunwoody campus. In favor of GPC

4. Does not want city to open Luray Drive to college kids, said college kids throw trash onto his street, said that Dunwoody has "all the downside of a college campus without any upside of a college"

5. Local resident opposed to college, says it grew from 3000 to 12,000. Said Dunwoody roads not designed for all that traffic. Said students use center turn lane as a passing lane

6. another long time resident, but in favor of college. Is a faculty member. Said the college is a great way for kids to live, learn, work, live in community

7. in favor of college, feels bad for the few home owners affected by traffic but feels overall the school is good for Dunwoody

8. Lady from Bunky Way, works at college and likes it

9. 20 year resident in favor of college, his kids went there. Said city should work with college and not attempt to constrain its growth

10. student in favor

11. local resident accepts that college is there, thinks the roads should be widened to 4 lanes to help traffic woes

12. 32-year Dunwoody resident and faculty member, he made a good point when he said that Perimeter Mall creates more traffic than the college yet no one is calling for the mall to be closed (of course the mall is zoned and planned differently, but still a good thought)

13. Student/Resident who said traffic has always been bad here and not the college's fault

14. A person said it was bad idea to add classrooms without adding parking spaces. Is concerned students will soon be parking on residential streets (in front of his house)

15. Guy said the college is a blight in the community and that GPC should roll back to 3,000 students instead of growing to 12,000. Said the college president was right that the college is great, but that it should be somewhere else, not in a residential area. He added that the college is for 'outsiders' (Soda Pop, PonyBoy, Darrel, Two-Bit, etc.? or is this code for some other outsider?). He said the city was built by folks like him investing in their homes, and that the college is damaging the goodness of Dunwoody. He said he wants the elected officials to do everything in their power to stop the college from growing.

16. Suggested a limit on parking at the college and the college should offer incentives for car-poolers and those taking MARTA.

17. A mom stating that the area is dangerous due to college drivers. Has safety concern for her children.

After Public comment the Mayor and Wittenstein wrapped things up by saying they (council) will review these comments from tonight's meeting.

Councilman Ross thanked everyone for attending.

Councilman Shortal said, "some hard decisions will need to be made on this issue" an suggested a traffic study to see what the local roads can handle. He favors turn lanes and intersection improvements.

Councilwoman Bonser stressed that the city and college need to have a working relationship

Councilman Heneghan reminded college representatives that they promised to do research on the topic of MARTA, bikes, etc. He wanted the college's report before the end of the evening. Here it is.

King John now has the video uploaded to his site. I need to get a different seat next time so I am in the camera shot. I was up front, first row, but behind the speaker from the angle of John;s camera. Thanks to John for posting this video. Hopefully we'll soon broadcast live on Comcast. If the city council wants to do some branding, how about using that $50,000 for a couple of cameras, a couple of microphones, and a video mixer. I'll be the host, commenting like they do at a golf tournament on CBS.

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UPDATE
A guy I'll call Dunwoody Anarchist emailed me the missing two items from the Top Ten list. #2 was a new one-way loop road on campus and #9 was longer hours at the campus (to reduce traffic at peak times).

The Dunwoody Anarchist made a great observation in relation to the speakers of the Public Comment section. As I sat there last night, speaker after speaker mentioned something like, "I've been a Dunwoody resident for 28 years....." or "I am a long-time resident....." or my favorite, "I've lived here my entire life.....". This tenure is stated up front, attempting to sway council's opinion based on your longevity in the community. Often times these same folks will throw out issues from yesteryear (back when the Farmhouse was a farmhouse I suppose) that have no bearing on an issue at hand. As Dunwoody Anarchist puts it, "And be sure to bring up issues completely tangential to the issue at hand (how great GPC is to community, great education opportunity it provides, how long you've lived in Dunwoody, etc.). It's best to confuse and obfuscate the issue and play into emotions (such as the "Tilly Mill is a post-apocalyptic wasteland of drag races and loud GPC drivers" lady)."

Public Comment can be both informative and entertaining to Council and the others at the meeting. Regardless, I encourage readers to give it a try. Don't worry, I won't put your name here. I only put up names of council and famous folks like Farmer Bob and Sustainable Patti and Public Comment Joe (who is in jeopardy of losing his moniker).

In first place for award of Public Comment of the Year happened last night as the discussion All Saints Church had ended. After a discussion of storm water runoff we had this gem, . “I really don’t think the water is generated by the church, but by God himself”. Tonight I'll post about the All Saints issue as well as a couple other items from last night's meeting.

DeKalb Fire Department Investigation

Recently a Dunwoody resident died in a structure fire. I'm not sure, but I think the home was in Dunwoody Club Forest neighborhood. See here for the AJC story. This is a real sad story. At the start of tonight's City Council meeting Councilman Ross offered his condolences to the family. Terrible that this happened. Hopefully an investigation can keep it from happening again.

DeKalb fire chief is now investigating the response to the blaze. The 'ScanDeKalb' web site is no longer in existence (too bad, I liked that site) and nothing about an investigation on sister site ScanGwinnett or ScanCobb so we'll need to wait and see what's going on.

Do you feel safe with DeKalb Fire Department serving Dunwoody? Do you think their manpower is adequate here in Dunwoody? Back when the FFF's (Farmhouser Founding Fathers) were discussing the financial points of setting up a city, having our own fire department was briefly kicked around. Seems like folks were more interested in having a police department instead of our own fire department. Will this tragedy change some minds?

I rarely see structure fires in Dunwoody so I am not convinced we need our own fire department. I do know fire departments are expensive to start up. And since the city cannot yet pave roads (but they can spend $50,000 to an ad firm to promote city hotels and restaurants) don' t look for anyone to suggest we have our own fire department. Dunwoody would need some serious equipment to handle a potential fire in the PCID (If there ever is a major blaze in the PCID look for Sandy Springs to respond in full, with DeKalb). Although there are lots of grants out there for fire trucks, a fire department would be too pricey for residents. DeKalb Fire also includes the 'Rescue' and paramedics as well. Without a major tax increase Dunwoody will never have its own fire department. I'm not convinced we need our own fire department. Until this last incident DeKalb Fire seems to have been doing an OK job.


Back when ScanDeKalb was up you could listen to radio calls on your computer (for those of you out there without a scanner). Interested in reading some juicy tidbits on our former police department? head over to DeKalbOfficerSpeak and do some reading (DeKalb is dropping their 9mm and getting .40 Smith & Wesson M&P pistols. They should have purchased the .45 in Glock and issued some nice Corbon DPX rounds. City of Atlanta has had issues with S&W and so will DeKalb. DeKalb paid less than $180 per gun/holster after trade. You get what you pay for). Nearly as good a site as the DeKalb School Board Watch site. Be warned! Reading these DeKalb sites can be depressing and may cause you to put your home up for sale.

The big issue I hope council will address is, 'How soon can we join the Sandy Springs / Johns Creek 911 Center'? I've called 911 a few times in my years in Dunwoody. Nearly each time I was put on hold or redirected incorrectly. Forget about spending $50,000 on advertising for city hotels and restaurants and let's put that $50,000 toward joining ChatComm. Ask your council member what's more important to its residents; branding the city or serving/protecting its residents?