If you have ever thought you might need your house numerals painted on your curb, I highly recommend Roman's Numerals service. At $25.00 per set, this is a great deal and arrangements can be made via text or call to 470-939-5705.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
House numbers painted on curb at $25.00 per set by Dunwoody's Roman's Numerals
If you have ever thought you might need your house numerals painted on your curb, I highly recommend Roman's Numerals service. At $25.00 per set, this is a great deal and arrangements can be made via text or call to 470-939-5705.
Monday, April 15, 2024
2024 Dunwoody Lemonade Days Festival kicks off Wednesday - suggestions for your visit. @LemonadeDays
Lemonade Days Festival is held at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody (4770 North Peachtree Road) starting Wednesday and here is the current weather forecast as I see it Monday evening.
Dunwoody's Annual Spring Festival, Lemonade Day's presented by the Dunwoody Preservation Trust remembering the tornado of 1998 that flattened sections of our community, snapped trees like twigs and took a mans life
has returned to the typical April timeframe this year and it looks like
the weather will be great all weekend! We are once again
making Lemonade from Lemons and am hopeful for a sweet event. A personal thank you to Hope Follmer and all the volunteers & sponsors who assist in making this a fabulous event.
Based on past experience, I can tell you that Wednesday & Thursday are the best days to purchase a wristband for unlimited rides as the crowds are light and the lines extremely short. The cost of wristbands on Wednesday & Thursday is $20.00 but the cost jumps to $30 starting Friday. If your children don't have after school commitments on these days you may want to visit these days to maximize your ride per dollar ratio as the numbers will typically drop significantly come the weekend.
A large number Middle School Students will make a bee line to Brook Run after school on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday as there is a secure book bag check in area at the festival to ensure those Chromebooks do not get lost. Middle Schooler's running in packs at Lemonade Day's without direct parental oversight is a right of passage for many as the park is safe because the crowd is all local until about 7 pm on Friday when the carnival area is taken over by teenagers & college kids with cars. Friday night usually gets busy and then on Saturday and Sunday the park is over run with visitors from near & far.
Parents, please
note that there is now a dedicated drop off / pick up point in the new
parking lot as you enter Brook Run on Peeler Rd and take a left
immediately after crossing the walking / bike trail as this location has
easy access into the park, a well lit parking lot with a pavilion and a
restroom.
Besides the carnival rides, the food choices for festival goers will include everything from hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and BBQ to foods with a tropical, Italian, Greek and/or Hispanic flair. For those just wanting a snack, there will be popcorn, funnel cakes and pretzels and for a cool treat yogurt, Italian ice and ice cream. Cold craft and domestic beer and delicious wine are also available.
Food venders include: Chick-fil-A Dunwoody Coco Bongo Tropical Delights Country Cabin Sweets & Treats Greek Tavern Mexican Fiesta King of Pops The Mad Italian Midway Munchies Bid Daddy Dane’s BBQ PTR Concessions Repicci’s Italian Ice Roy’s Royal Dogs Shock Top, Lemon Shandy & Bud Light Soul Truckin Good Top Job Wine
The 2024 Dunwoody Authors Bookstore at Lemonade Days
(open Saturday & Sunday) is delighted to bring you local authors
and friends! Each of the featured authors will have their fabulous
works for purchase at the booth and will be available to sign your
copy. Check the schedule here.
Another
highlight of the festival is the Children's Petting Zoo & Pony
Rides which is only available on Saturday & Sunday; the weekend also
brings various vendors at the County Store selling arts & crafts,
there is music everyday starting Thursday
and then there is the Dunwoody Idol music competition happening on Saturday. Finally, on Sunday there will be a number of Dance performances available for entertainment.
Parking for Lemonade Days is available at:
- St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church (directly across from entrance)
- Kingswood United Methodist Church
- St. Barnabas Church
- Peachtree Middle School (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only)
- Back of Brook Run Park - new back entrance available on Barclay next to Fire Station.
Some Parking Areas Are Paid Parking
Please be conscious of NO Parking signs during Sunday Church schedules and nearby neighborhoods.
Uber/Lyft/Parent Drop-off & Pick-up will be located in the 90 spot parking area in front of the small pavilion across from the Great Lawn. Look for the sign.
Brook Run Dog Park: If you’re planning on using the
Dog Park at Brook Run, we won’t get in your way at all. Just please use
the Peeler Road entrance to the Park, and a friendly volunteer will
point you in the right direction from there. SORRY, NO PETS ALLOWED in the Festival Area.
I will be at the festival the first couple of days so if you see me at the event, please pull me aside to introduce yourself as I would love to chat to hear what is on your mind. Thanks John Heneghan
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Dunwoody City Council Meeting for Monday April 8, 2024 (Clean Air / Smoking Regulations, Winter Chapel 12 ft Path, State Farm complex apartments, Chief Grogan)
Agenda 6 pm - City Site Agenda
City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page.
They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/84919972403 or phone +14703812552,,84919972403#
You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.
Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
Public comments - in person 3 min each / 30 min max with additional at end of meeting if needed.City of Dunwoody Proclamation for Chief Billy Grogan
Approval of Conversion of Contracted Positions and Creation of New City Position for the Technology Department
Approval of Amendment of Position Allocation and Compensation Chart and Market Adjustment for City Employees
Agreement for Managed Networking Service Provider
Funding Authorization for 5695 Trowbridge Drive Storm Repairs
Contract Award for Parks and Recreation Sign Package
Contract Award for North Shallowford Annex Maintenance Repairs
First Read: Review and Consideration of a Text Amendment to Update the Clean Indoor Air Regulations, Chapter 24
I am not a smoker but I have attended "late night business meetings" in an establishment that focused on Bourbon and Cigars. The place of business I visited had a negative pressure air filtration system whereby my clothes didn't smell of smoke when I left. I believe this proposed ordinance brought to us from the American Heart Association and placed on the agenda by staff or council is an overstep of regulations and I am unsure what we are fixing. I would like to know the complete impact of the proposal prior to voting on it especially when it may limit a niche business model that could bring a successful establishment to our city. I understand the intent of protecting all employees from second-hand smoke but when the establishment (or private club) can protect employees an exception needs to be explored. I will be asking staff to review Gwinnett, Houston and other jurisdictions looking for best practices allowing exceptions. A cigar bar exception could include the following ...
“Cigar Bar means an establishment operated by a holder of an On Premise Beer and Wine
Permit or other Alcohol Beverage Licensing Permit that:
1. Does not sell food;
2. In addition to selling beer and wine, annually receives 15 percent or more of
its gross revenue from the sale of cigars, and tobacco-related products, except from the sale of
cigarettes. A cigar bar shall not discount alcohol if sold in combination with
cigars or other tobacco products and tobacco-related products;
3. Has a walk-in humidor on the premises;
4. Has a high capacity, negative pressure air cleaning ventilation system, located in such a manner to control second hand smoke exposure to non-smokers.
5. Only permits the smoking of cigars, and does not permit the smoking of cigarettes; and
6. Does not include any establishment which is primarily a bar or restaurant and
which undertakes to make retail offerings of tobacco products as a means of
circumventing the purposes of this article.”
Contract with AECOM for North Shallowford Road Path Project Concept Design
Contract with Practical Design Partners, LLC for Winters Chapel Path Phase 2 Design
On November 7th, the Citizens of Dunwoody voted down a bond referendum for Parks & Paths development and on November 8th an RFP was released for the Winters Chapel Path design which mandates that the path will be 12 feet wide, even in front of the single family residential properties. This item is now on the agenda for discussion.
Description: Winter Chapel Road Path Phase II. The project consists of a 12-foot shared-use path (SUP) along the west side only of Winters Chapel Road between Charmant Place and Peeler Road in the cities of Dunwoody and Peachtree Corners. In addition to the shared-use path, the project will add lighting and street trees along the corridor. The project connects residential areas on the north end of the project to a MARTA bus route and commercial node at the south end of the project.
Request for Pre-Construction Funding for Real Time Crime Center
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Dunwoody City Council agenda for Monday March 25, 2024 (4.25% raise, IT position conversion, Park Signs, New Crosswalks, LPR's in PCID)
Agenda 6 pm - City Site Agenda
City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page.
They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/86390235645 or phone +14703812552,,86390235645#
You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.
Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
Public comments - in person 3 min each / 30 min max with additional at end of meeting if needed.Dunwoody High School Youth City Council (Michael Berry)
Retreat Recap
SECOND READ: MMSP 24-01: Review and Consideration of a Major Master Sign Plan for 4896 N Peachtree Road (Kingswood Church)
SECOND READ: MMSP 24-02: Review and Consideration of a Major Master Sign Plan for 4553 N Shallowford Road - Emory Healthcare (Wall Sign - lights out 10:30 to 5:30)
Approval to Apply Additional Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Funds to the 2024 Paving Contract
Approval of Flock Safety Two Year Contract for LPRs, Surveillance Cameras, and Gunshot Detection in the PCID Area
Approval of a Contract with Sunbelt to Install Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons on Perimeter Center West and North Peachtree Road
Discussion of Conversion of Contracted Positions and Creation of New City Position for the Technology Department
Discussion of Amendment of Position Allocation and Compensation Chart and Market Adjustment for City Employees - 4.25% Raise
Contract Award for Parks and Recreation Sign Package
Contract Award for North Shallowford Annex Maintenance Repairs
Discussion on Approval of Agreement for Managed Networking Service Provider
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
2024 City of Dunwoody Retreat Recap from Councilman John Heneghan (Park Plans, Financial Future, Police Priorities and maybe a few paths too)
The City of Dunwoody hosted a "Retreat" for Council & Staff to sit in a room for two days to discuss our past, present & future. Financial realities were brought forward that we have a large capital reserve, but operating expenses are slowly outpacing revenue, commercial property is strong, hotels are thriving, and apartments are full with high rents; on the downside, office vacancies are currently at 25%, with most of that in several large complexes and residential taxes are locked, frozen and low. We are presently funding police expansion and ambulance service with Federal funds; we are still looking at compensation raises by year's end, and in 2026, we will be renegotiating city contracts for services that will rise in price because in 2021, we received low bids because of COVID.
Parks discussions were had regarding build-out plans for Wildcat (on Roberts) and Homecoming (on Vermack), with some council members wanting to put a bond on the November ballot. However, it was decided to maintain these parks as open fields just as they are and to install portable restrooms (better than porta potties) at each park. It was also decided that there will be no parks bond in 2024.
Everyone on Council (including me) agrees with building the trails in the Perimeter Center Business District as the PCID is matching funds and other monies are coming from our hotels. There is still disagreement on the construction of 10 to 12-foot wide paths in front of single-family homes, but the current Council (excluding me) has the will and votes to move forward on Winters Chapel and Mount Vernon.
In other park news, when the slides for park priorities failed to mention the turfing of the PCMS field with the track, I asked for an update. I was told DeKalb County School System didn't see it as a priority and was worried about equity to other schools in the district who don't have turf. As a reminder, the DCSS was bound to rebuild Austin Elementary School on its original site when the City proposed a a win / win solution to the County so that our families and children wouldn't be inconvenienced. In October 2016, we proposed a land swap for the Dunwoody Senior Baseball Fields; in order to make that happen, the City purchased the land where the ball fields sit from DCSS and executed a 25-year lease for nighttime use of the football field. The City later installed lights for night time use on the field, installed a facility storage building and would now like to turf that field in order to maximize usage. Without that turfing of the field, it is overused and almost unplayable without adequate care. The City of Dunwoody set aside 1 Million dollars in our 2024 budget with the hopes to pay for the turf installation but the required construction approval from DCSS has not been received. Unsure of all logistics, but maybe there will be some movement soon?
I have been very open regarding my concerns about the long term stability of City Finances and they will be a huge topic of conversation in the coming months because we are currently at our maximum millage rate and based on everything I am hearing, in 2026 our operating revenue will not be keeping up operating expenses. This is a separate conversation from dedicated Capital funds for stuff like parks and paving as we can not use those funds for operating costs.
Based on the intention of the city founders and charter, if taxes were to be increased over our current maximum millage limit, a referendum would be needed to remove the cap. We have operated under those constraints for the last 15 years, but financial pressures are building. We know there is possibly a technical workaround by placing the entire City into a special tax district for safety (Police, Ambulance, and maybe a supplemental charge to 911 costs over current phone taxes) to raise taxes for those services, but doing so without a resident vote is contrary to the founding plans of the City. If a referendum were to be held to raise operating funds and it were to fail, would we want to cut police services that are needed based on the growth and crime stats?
Right now, I anticipate a slowdown of some capital projects (Parks and Paths) in order to preserve high fund balances in the coming year so that we can attempt to get a good handle on finances from the spending side. These fund balances include both Capital and some Operational that we are saving for a rainy day or a golden opportunity should one arise. That being said, there are some capital projects and improvements to the police department going forward (again with one-time federal funds) because the safety our community is the primary goal of government.
Below are the documents from the retreat provided to council for discussion.
https://www.jkheneghan.com/city/meetings/2024/03/Retreat/06%20Dunwoody%202035.pptx
https://www.jkheneghan.com/city/meetings/2024/03/Retreat/01a%20Commercial%20Real%20Estate.pptx
Parks discussions were had regarding build-out plans for Wildcat (on Roberts) and Homecoming (on Vermack), with some council members wanting to put a bond on the November ballot. However, it was decided to maintain these parks as open fields just as they are and to install portable restrooms (better than porta potties) at each park. It was also decided that there will be no parks bond in 2024.
Everyone on Council (including me) agrees with building the trails in the Perimeter Center Business District as the PCID is matching funds and other monies are coming from our hotels. There is still disagreement on the construction of 10 to 12-foot wide paths in front of single-family homes, but the current Council (excluding me) has the will and votes to move forward on Winters Chapel and Mount Vernon.
In other park news, when the slides for park priorities failed to mention the turfing of the PCMS field with the track, I asked for an update. I was told DeKalb County School System didn't see it as a priority and was worried about equity to other schools in the district who don't have turf. As a reminder, the DCSS was bound to rebuild Austin Elementary School on its original site when the City proposed a a win / win solution to the County so that our families and children wouldn't be inconvenienced. In October 2016, we proposed a land swap for the Dunwoody Senior Baseball Fields; in order to make that happen, the City purchased the land where the ball fields sit from DCSS and executed a 25-year lease for nighttime use of the football field. The City later installed lights for night time use on the field, installed a facility storage building and would now like to turf that field in order to maximize usage. Without that turfing of the field, it is overused and almost unplayable without adequate care. The City of Dunwoody set aside 1 Million dollars in our 2024 budget with the hopes to pay for the turf installation but the required construction approval from DCSS has not been received. Unsure of all logistics, but maybe there will be some movement soon?
I have been very open regarding my concerns about the long term stability of City Finances and they will be a huge topic of conversation in the coming months because we are currently at our maximum millage rate and based on everything I am hearing, in 2026 our operating revenue will not be keeping up operating expenses. This is a separate conversation from dedicated Capital funds for stuff like parks and paving as we can not use those funds for operating costs.
Based on the intention of the city founders and charter, if taxes were to be increased over our current maximum millage limit, a referendum would be needed to remove the cap. We have operated under those constraints for the last 15 years, but financial pressures are building. We know there is possibly a technical workaround by placing the entire City into a special tax district for safety (Police, Ambulance, and maybe a supplemental charge to 911 costs over current phone taxes) to raise taxes for those services, but doing so without a resident vote is contrary to the founding plans of the City. If a referendum were to be held to raise operating funds and it were to fail, would we want to cut police services that are needed based on the growth and crime stats?
Right now, I anticipate a slowdown of some capital projects (Parks and Paths) in order to preserve high fund balances in the coming year so that we can attempt to get a good handle on finances from the spending side. These fund balances include both Capital and some Operational that we are saving for a rainy day or a golden opportunity should one arise. That being said, there are some capital projects and improvements to the police department going forward (again with one-time federal funds) because the safety our community is the primary goal of government.
Below are the documents from the retreat provided to council for discussion.
https://www.jkheneghan.com/city/meetings/2024/03/Retreat/02%20Parks.pptx
https://www.jkheneghan.com/city/meetings/2024/03/Retreat/05%20Police.pptx
https://www.jkheneghan.com/city/meetings/2024/03/Retreat/01b%20Sangster.pptx
Sunday, March 10, 2024
DeKalb / Dunwoody area Elections for 2024 - New DeKalb School Board Member & CEO with other interesting races to follow.
https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/qualifying-candidate-information
Apologies if I missed anyone in a local contested race (as the website is not the easiest to navigate) and congratulations to those serving our community who are running unopposed (not listed).
Thank you to those who have served and decided not to run for re-election; we appreciate your service.
Special thanks to Anna Hill & Michael Thurmond.
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