Wednesday, December 26, 2007

AJC - Two DeKalb boards' game of chicken blocks traffic & leaves school parking lot empty


The following article was published by the AJC this morning after I mentioned it twice on my blog and let numerous news organizations know of the situation. In my first post, the problem was identified publicly after there was no outlook of a resolution on the horizon. In e-mail traffic that followed, it was shown that the School Board was being forced to pay for the road improvement but only had $50,000 in funds available. Because of this, the County Public Works Department was willing to change the original intersection design to meet the School Boards available funding. (Where are the original designs & why did I attend a public meeting several years ago specifically to see those plans?)

This travesty of ineptitude has effected the entire community for the last couple of months and now
because of these last minute proposed intersection design changes, there is the possibly of it impeding the traffic flow through my neighborhood for many years to come. In my last message to both the County & School Board responsible parties, I requested a copy of the final intersection blueprints. Four days later with no acknowledgment of my request I decided to post those e-mails in a second blog entry and today because of the AJC article below I will be putting forth a request for public records regarding this intersection "improvement".

I encourage you to read the prior posts on the subject, since I of course am still waiting for the blueprints.
KRISTINA TORRES of the AJC
12/26/07

The new parking lot and driveway outside Dunwoody's renovated Peachtree Charter Middle School sits unused. Completed in November, it has become a kind of inside joke.

"We love to look at it through the fence," said Lisa Curtis, a parent volunteer, who like scores of others dreads the morning drive to the school, as a crush of traffic jockeys for position on and around a narrow neighborhood road behind a campus that serves as a temporary access point.

The problem can be summed up in one word — obstruction. Literally, in this case. Perhaps coupled with obstinacy. The county school system and the county government — two separate entities with a history of disagreement over these kinds of things — apparently have been true to form in this case as well.

Here's how it all played out.

The DeKalb County school system completed construction on the parking lot and driveway — replete with fresh paving, road signs and road paint — just short of a roughly 40-foot-long grassy strip. The strip, as well as a curb, blocks the school's new entrance and exit at North Peachtree Road.

Also in the way are two utility poles, which support existing traffic lights. The entire intersection needs to be reconfigured. For the parking lot to be used, earth needs to be moved.

But no one, it seems, wanted to pay for it.

"The statute is clear, the county is responsible for county road improvements," Patricia Pope, the school system's chief operating officer, said in an e-mail Dec. 11 to Dunwoody North Civic Association President John Heneghan. Pope was replying to an e-mail Heneghan had sent."The county has not performed the work and has asked the school system to pay for it," Pope added. "We are paying for the work under strong objections. As you can imagine, we will never get reimbursed."

But last week, in response to queries by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, representatives of both the county government and the county school system indicated that they had come to some sort of accord. At least publicly.

"There is no conflict," Pope said, adding that the cost to fix the problem will be approximately $41,000.

County spokeswoman Kristie Swink said DeKalb and the school system would pool money to pay for the changes — which she called "cost-sharing" — although she said they were still working out exactly what the split would be.

"There's no animosity," said Swink, adding that the work was likely to start "early next year at the latest. We're working together. Everybody's on the same page at this point."

Parents can only wonder what took so long.

"We've been under construction for two years," Curtis said. "Clearly, nobody did their job in planning for this. To me, that's the most frustrating aspect about this."

Of course, it's not the first time this has happened. Most notably, perhaps, is a 1994 Georgia Supreme Court case in which the DeKalb school system sued the county over the same issue.

The ruling? That improving public roads is the responsibility of counties and cities.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Congrats to DeKalb for Updated Police Website

Congratulations to Ms. Keisha Williams, Assistant Director of Community, Media & Administrative Affairs of the DeKalb County Police Department for implementing a complete overhaul of the Department's website. The site is now clean, usable and includes interesting historical information.

http://dekalbpolice.com

The only suggestion I could make is that it is missing a web based interactive crime statistics tool which would assist county residents in participating fully in Interactive Community Policing.

The City of Chicago Police Department also implemented Interactive Community Policing and they introduced the ClearMaping system as a way to inform residents of what happens around them.

http://gis.chicagopolice.org/CLEARMap/startPage.htm

I hope that DeKalb is looking at such a tool.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council, Wed Jan 9th @ Chusnut Elem

Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council
Serving these Dunwoody/Chamblee Area Clusters:
Dunwoody High School – Peachtree Charter Middle School - Austin – Chesnut Charter – Hightower – Kingsley Charter - Vanderlyn ES. Chamblee Charter High School - Chamblee Middle School – Ashford Park – Huntley Hills – Kittredge Magnet - Montgomery – Nancy Creek Theme ES
.

Wednesday, January 9th

Chesnut Charter Elementary School
8:45 refreshments ~ Meeting 9:15 am – 10:30 am

Mr. Doug Hrabe, Fernbank Science Center

“Science Matters”

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mark Your Calendars - We Look Forward to Seeing You!
Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council
Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council brings parents, school board members, school officials, and legislators together to discuss topics that affect public schools in our community.

Georgia Blog Carnival - If this isn't pointing a finger then maybe it's just a one finger salute?

My little blog entry documenting the lack of coordination between the DeKalb County School System and the DeKalb County Government over a needed intersection improvement has been selected for the Georgia Blog Carnival. Please check out the other entries in the latest edition of the carnival.

Onto other interesting news. Can you imagine Kathie Gannon as the next DeKalb County Commission CEO? It appears someone can and they are floating the idea to see if it has any legs. Is Vernon trying to create a reason to get out of an extremely challenging Senate race? Interesting Rumors found on Decatur Metro.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Dunwoody North & Serendipity Catering honor DeKalb Station 18 with Lunch.

Thanks to Serendipity Catering and the Dunwoody North Civic Association, a warm holiday meal was delivered to the Firefighters of Station 18. Pictured are Chef Louis (4th from left) from Serendipity surrounded by DNCA members Amanda Levi, Renate Herod, and Gerri Penn and the firefighters of Station 18 including Captain Motes (far left back row).
Serendipity Catering
4448 Tilly Mill Rd., Atlanta, GA. 30360
Phone: 770-455-4545 Fax: 770-458-1008
http://www.atlantacatering.com/
atlchef@mindspring.com

Dunwoody North Neighborhood Watch quoted in AJC no holiday from crime article


By Marcus K. Garner

Some leave their purses open on the front seat of their cars. Others may leave a laptop sitting in plain sight in the SUV's cargo bay. Then there's the new GPS system attached to the windshield, just above the dashboard ... in an unlocked car. These are just a few examples of the easy pickings some criminals come across on the Northside. Law enforcement officials say people tend to get careless during the holidays, when crime typically is on the rise. And thieves reap the benefits.

"It's one of those things where it's a crime of opportunity," said Roswell Police Lt. James McGee. "You leave a door cracked or unlocked at home. People are leaving cars unlocked or leaving expensive things in their cars." A ride-along Monday with Alpharetta police Officer John Robinson proved this, as the officer found the garage door open and nobody home in one neighborhood, and an open purse in an area shopping center.

Common sense can protect your property, Sandy Springs police Lt. Steve Rose said. "Many thieves are taking whatever they can find and fencing them out or selling them on the street for whatever cash they can get," Lt. Rose said. "This is their cash plus-up for holiday shopping." Such was the case during Thanksgiving weekend when six teenagers entered more than 150 cars over a three-day period. They found only 50 of the cars locked, and took a huge haul of valuable items.

Last week, Rose reported several break-ins where thieves had apparently stolen garage door openers from cars. "The thieves later returned to the house when the victim was gone," he wrote in his weekly column. "They opened the garage door, drove inside, and then closed the door to hide the car while going through the house." Other Sandy Springs reports offered warnings to GPS device owners. "In one case the victim's GPS was in the car that was stolen," Rose said. "The GPS was programmed to "home" and it gave directions to the victim's home." It's important to stay alert while shopping, as well.

Alpharetta police spokesman George Gordon said that although the department has stepped up patrols around the North Point Mall area to deter crime, some shoppers still make theft all too easy. "We've had people go to Best Buy and get a $1,400 plasma TV, and leave it in their car when they go to eat ... with the door unlocked," Gordon said. "Of course, it's gone when they get back."

Roswell's McGee said people have called to report being followed after they leave a shopping area with a car full of gifts. "Watch your surroundings when you leave a store," he said.

Lisa Unkefer, neighborhood watch coordinator for the Dunwoody North Civic Association, said the best deterrent for home break-ins is neighborly vigilance. "Having neighbors watch over is a big deterrent," she said.

But Rose warns that the smartest tactic is not to make theft easy for criminals. "The risk vs. opportunity is the most important thing to remember, because it affects every crime that's committed," he said. "Crooks take the path of least resistance. Victims are often the lazy ones or the procrastinators who think that it won't happen to them."

Staying safe at home
  • Vary the times you leave home and come back.
  • Leave your lights on a timer.
  • Leave a radio or TV turned up loud when you leave the house.
  • Keep your garage door closed.
  • If you are traveling, stop your mail delivery or have a trusted person retrieve your mail.
  • Trim shrubs and any landscaping that obstructs your entry and exit areas
  • Join a neighborhood watch group. Become active in your homeowners association.
Here are some suggestions from law enforcement agencies for protecting your property while shopping:
  • Lock your vehicle at all times.
  • Watch your surroundings when you leave a store.
  • Call police and don't go home if you see a car you think is following you.
  • Don't program the GPS for 'home' unless you need to.
  • Remove GPS units or garage door openers each time you exit your car.
  • If there is a theft, reprogram the garage door opener.
  • Do not leave any item(s) of value in your vehicle unattended.
  • If you purchase an expensive item please take it home prior to stopping at another business or restaurant.
  • Always park your vehicle in a lighted area at night.
  • Be aware of your surroundings and try to shop when other patrons are present.
  • Do not display large amounts of cash.
  • Carry your credit cards and cash in your front pockets.
  • Do not leave a purse unattended.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

If this isn't pointing a finger then maybe it's just a one finger salute?


A couple of weeks ago I raised an issue regarding the politics playing out between the DeKalb County School System & the DeKalb County Government about improving an intersection in front of a new middle school that has been under construction for several years. The intersection needs to be reworked to a four way stop & several light poles need to be moved prior to a large parking lot on the school property being allowed to open. Without this happening all 1,000 students must now enter & exit through a dangerously congested back side street which also serves a DeKalb Fire Station. It is a very bad situation which affects not only the Peachtree Charter Middle School, but also the neighboring Chesnut Charter Elementary and the safety of all the citizens served by the Fire Station.

Since I figured one little blog entry wasn't enough, I sent an e-mail to nine various Atlanta & DeKalb County news organizations making them aware of the situation and copied every school & County government representative I could find hoping to end this silly stalemate.

Ms. Pat Pope, Chief Operations Officer for the DeKalb County School System replied that she was not pointing fingers but it is the County's responsibility to improve the intersection, yet the County is asking that the School System to pay for the road improvement. In a separate e-mail from the DeKalb Traffic Department, the school system stated they couldn't pay more then $50,000 to improve the intersection and now they wanted the road design changed to meet the money available. I'm not sure that throwing out the properly engineered plans of a major intersection which feeds onto I-285, just to save a few dollars, is a wise long term investment? I have asked for the final engineered drawings of the intersection so that I can post them on-line but have yet to hear back from anyone.

Below is the history of the e-mails sent & received on the subject, documenting if nothing else, the fact that the coordination between these two governmental bodies are a joke. I really hope the intersection doesn't turn out the same way!

From: Dunwoody North Civic Association [mailto:John@dunwoodynorth.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 9:50 PM
To: Various Major Atlanta & DeKalb News Outlets
Cc: 'Swink, Kristie N.'; 'callcenter@co.dekalb.ga.us'; 'Gannon, Kathie'; 'Boyer, Elaine'; 'McBride, Nancy J.'; 'pat_a_pope@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us'; 'acnorth@co.dekalb.ga.us'; 'jewright@co.dekalb.ga.us'; 'jim_redovian@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us'; 'Jones, Bernadette R.'; 'Kimbrough, Ann L.'; 'ANGELIQUE E. CONNER'; 'Chesnut School'; 'steven_e_donahue@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us'; and many interested parents

Subject: Why are DeKalb County & the School Board pointing fingers at each other over an intersection improvement?

http://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com

Dear news organizations,

There seems to be a stalemate on an intersection improvement project needed for Peachtree Charter Middle School in Dunwoody and I was wondering if someone could please look into this situation. I have been informed that neither the County nor the School System are taking responsibility for completing this final aspect of construction and it is affecting an entire neighborhood, passing traffic, two schools and the safety of more then 1,000 children. The intersection of North Peachtree Road & Kings Point Drive needs to be reconfigured and a four-way traffic light installed for the parking lot to be opened.

Copied on this e-mail are most of the people responsible (either directly or indirectly) for some aspect of the project, maybe someone can let the community know exactly when we could expect this situation to be rectified? For the DeKalb County School Board there is the Director of Construction Operations, Pat Pope, Board Member, Jim Redovian, PCMS Principle Steve Donahue and many interested parents. For DeKalb County there are Commissioners Kathie Gannon & Elaine Boyer, Public Information Officer Kristie Swink, Chief of Staff, Ann Kimbrough and various other DeKalb Transportation e-mail addresses found on the internet.

We would like to see some movement on this project because it causes an unsafe atmosphere around the schools. If you would like to see the problems caused by not having this parking lot open, I invite you to please come out some afternoon to see it for yourself.

For the good of the community, I thank you for making inquiries on this subject.

Sincerely,

John Heneghan, President
Dunwoody North Civic Association
John@Dunwoodynorth.org
http://www.dunwoodynorth.org
From: PAT A. POPE [mailto:PAT_A_POPE@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us]
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 12:56 PM
To: Dunwoody North Civic Association
CC: Various Major Atlanta & DeKalb News Outlets, all of the DeKalb officials as well as the parents.

Subject: Re: Why are DeKalb County & the School Board pointing fingers at each other over

Thank you for your concern. However, no one is "pointing fingers". The statue is clear, the county is responsible for county road improvements. The Department of Transportation is responsible for state road improvements. The county has not performed the work and has asked the school system to pay for it.

We are paying for the work under strong objections. As you can imagine, we will never get reimbursed. We are paying because we want to get this project completed as soon as possible to help lessen the impact on our parents and students.

Mr. Heneghan, I don't agree with your approach; but, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. The team is working hard and aggressively to complete the project. The only thing I ask is that you allow us to do so.

Patricia A. Pope
Chief Operations Officer
DeKalb County School System
Operations Department
1780 Montreal Road
Tucker, Georgia 30084
678.676.1331 Office
678.676.1350 Fax
From: Dunwoody North Civic Association [mailto:John@dunwoodynorth.org]
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:58 PM
To: 'PAT A. POPE'; 'vjones@co.dekalb.ga.us'
Cc: Various Major Atlanta & DeKalb News Outlets; all of the DeKalb officials as well as the parents.

Subject: RE: Why are DeKalb County & the School Board pointing fingers at each other over

Thank you Ms. Pope for your response; I’m glad your not pointing fingers otherwise we wouldn’t know exactly where you stand on the matter.

As a taxpayer, I am disgusted by what I read below. As a future PCMS parent, I am grateful the school system is willing to spend the out-of-budget $50,000 to get the project finished. But I am very angry at DeKalb County that you are being forced to doing so. The PCMS construction project has been going for over two years and yet the discussion of the reconfiguration of the light is only now taking place. Surely both parties are at fault for the lack of communication and planning that should have taken place starting two years ago. “The county has not performed the work and has asked the school system to pay for it.” Why? It has been in the plans since the construction project was first conceived. Why does the school system have to pay for this project? As a taxpayer and a parent, I would prefer that those tax dollars be spent on instruction, the core business of the school system. I pay other tax dollars for roads – where is that money?

Below is a message, forwarded from Elaine Boyer’s assistant Nancy McBride, which shows that the plans provided to the community back in 2005 may now be changing the right of way in order to save money. Community meetings were held showing acceleration and deceleration lanes as well as a northbound, left turn lane on N. Peachtree Rd entering PCMS. When the final plans for the intersection are available, I would like the Public Works Department to send me a pdf version of the plan so that I can post the document to my neighborhood website & blog.

Ms. Pope, I appreciate the fact that your team is working hard to aggressively complete the project, but the only thing I now ask is that design shortcuts aren’t taken on this intersection project which will negatively affect the community for many years to come.

Thanks,

John Heneghan
From: McBride, Nancy J.
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 7:14 AM
To: Dunwoody North Civic Association
Subject: RE: Why are DeKalb County & the School Board pointing fingers at each other over an intersection improvement?
Importance: High

John,
According to Ted Rhinehart, Director of Public Works for the county:

“John Gurbal, Director of Transportation, is working with the School District’s project managers; the way they wanted the signal designed, to avoid their having to dedicate some right-of-way, was more costly than they expected; When Traffic Engineering sent them the estimate, they asked if it could be reduced; so we’re trying to work on the cost estimate to get it within their budget (under $50,000). I think John and the project manager have worked that out, and then our construction crew can schedule the work.”

Hopefully, things will come together soon.
Thanks,
Nancy McBride
For Commissioner Boyer

Monday, December 17, 2007

DeKalb County Police Telephone Resource List - since DeKalb's website needs a little work.

My internet logs tell me that I get a number of hits for people looking for DeKalb Police Telephone numbers. It was stated at a public meeting that DeKalb's website was suppose to be completely rewritten by Mid November, but it hasn't, therefore I figured I would publish what the North Precinct provided in a handout I received during a recent meeting.

The DeKalb Police website is an embarrassment of self promotion that says absolutely nothing of use to the residents; telephone numbers are hard to find & statistics or other crime data is nowhere to be found. I am looking forward to the changes and hope to be impressed when it is finally on line?

North Precinct (across from Perimeter Mall)
4453 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346
404-297-3950 & Fax 404-297-3863

Precinct Commander, Major D.B. Calhoun dbcalhoun@co.dekalb.ga.us
Asst. Precinct Commander, Captain M.P. Yarbrough mpyarbrough@co.dekalb.ga.us
Business Relations MPO W.L. Swann 404-294-2673 dekalbpolicenorth@yahoo.com
Public Education Specialist, Al Fowler 404-294-2558 alfowler@co.dekalb.ga.us

404-297-2000 Police Services Information
404-294-2858 Crime Prevention / Neighborhood Watch
404-294-2625 Criminal Investigations / Detectives
404-294-2911 Non Emergency Number
770-724-7850 Domestic Violence & Elder Abuse
440-413-5557 Foreign Language Assistance
770-724-7710 Youth & Sex Crimes
770-322-2540 Drug Hotline

Center Precinct - 1960 W. Exchange Place - 770-724-7621

East Precinct - 2484 Bruce Street - 770-482-0300

South Precinct - 1816 Candler Road- 404-286-7911

Tucker Precinct - 4451 Lawrenceville Hwy- 678-937-5301

770-724-7740 Police Records & Crime Stats
404-294-2996 Animal Control
404-371-2882 Commissioner Bolton's Office
678-413-8650 DMVS & Driver's License
404-298-8500 DeKalb County Jail
404-298-8515 DeKalb County Sheriff
404-370-5000 Children & Family Services
678-406-7750 Fire Services
404-294-2700 Juvenile Court
404-294-2769 Juvenile Intake
770-724-7805 Homeland Security
404-377-1428 Rape Crisis Center
404-371-4778 Roads & Drainage
404-294-2900 Sanitation
770-492-5497 Speed Hump Application
770-492-5296 Street Light Request & Repair
404-294-2278 Tactical Ops - Speeding & Radar
770-492-5483 Traffic Engineering
770-492-5221 Transportation - New Street & Parking Signs
770-724-7970 Code Enforcement
770-724-7940 Code Enforcement (2nd Line?)

Other DeKalb Police Related Websites
ScanDeKalb, http://www.scandekalb.com
DeKalb County Police Alliance, http://www.dekalbpolicealliance.org
DeKalb Police North Precinct Community Relations; http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dkpdcommrel/

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Dog Bite victim needs to find Dog & Owner


On Saturday, around 1:30 in the afternoon, my son Erik was bitten on the leg by a dog in front of Peachtree Middle School. He and two of his friends were skateboarding; as they passed the dog (which was on a leash being walked by it's owners), it bit Erik on his upper thigh through his blue jeans. According to Erik & friends the dog was a yellow lab and the couple were "middle aged" wearing sunglasses and the woman was wearing a sports bra. They both have dark colored hair. These details were given by 14 year old boys so I don't really know what middle aged means to them.

I need to find the owners ASAP and make sure there is nothing wrong with the dog or our pediatrician wants Erik to have rabies shots. Since the dog is a pet, I'm sure the dog is healthy but I also understand the fact our pediatrician doesn't want to take any chances.

There is a 10 day window so I'm hoping the owners will come forward to avoid those unnecessary shots for Erik.

A number of friends and my husband included are afraid the owners will not identify themselves because they fear a lawsuit. PLEASE LET EVERYONE KNOW WE WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!!

Thank you so much for your help!!!!

With great appreciation,

Lisa Johanson
770-939-3165 (HOME)
678-516-5960 (CELL)

Monday, December 10, 2007

DeKalb North Precinct enjoys lunch provided by community.


Major Dewayne Calhoun, Commander of DeKalb’s North Precinct enjoys lunch provided by the Dunwoody North Civic Association & Carrabba’s Italian Grill.

In appreciation of the service the DeKalb Police Department provides the community, the Dunwoody North Civic Association, in conjunction with Carrabba’s Italian Grill of Dunwoody provided lunch to all three shifts of the North Precinct.

Thanks to our Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, Lisa Unkefer who coordinated the huge effort as well to the ladies of the Dunwoody North Home & Garden Club who provided enough desserts to negatively affect the local donut economy for the next several weeks.

If you haven’t visited Carrabba’s restaurant located in near the new Super Target, please do and tell the Manager, Mr. Brett Cavalli that you apprenticed his willingness to assist us in honoring the DeKalb Police Department.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill
1210 Ashford Crossing
Atlanta, GA 30348
(770) 804-0467

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Why are DeKalb County & the School Board pointing fingers at each other over an intersection improvement?


Peachtree Charter Middle School was completely rebuilt at a cost of $19 million dollars and the school has been open to the 1,075 students since the middle of August. The beautiful new, striped and lit parking lot was finished about a month ago yet it is not open because the main entrance to the school at the intersection of North Peachtree Road & Kings Point Drive needs to be completely reworked. There are two street poles that need to be moved and the traffic controller, currently in the entrance lane to the parking lot also needs to be relocated and reprogrammed for a 4-way intersection.

The DeKalb County School System and the DeKalb County Transportation Division are arguing over who pays to rework the intersection & I have been informed that they have been arguing for almost 25 months over this specific detail with neither side willing to budge!!

Parents, Children & School buses are forced to use a cramped temporary access point at the back of the school which puts children at risk for being in an accident. The finger pointing between these two governmental agencies needs to stop, the intersection needs to be changed and the new parking lot needs to be accessible.

Monday, December 3, 2007

DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones and Commisoners viewed at their Worst!

I found these two clips from the Nov. 13, 2007 DeKalb County Commissioners Meeting where CEO Jones appeared to have possibly threatened Commissioner Ellis and then went on a tirade. For my neighbors who don’t have the opportunity to observe our esteemed Government Leaders in action, these clips explain a great deal on why our County operates the way it does.

As a commenter on my favorite on-line newspaper GoDeKalb.com stated, we all deserve better then we are currently receiving from this Administration.

Part One



Part Two

DeKalb reports that speeding is typical in Brook Run and proposes Speed Bumps & Legislative Change.

This afternoon the DeKalb County Police Department informed me that the average speed detected by the clearly visible speed diction device (shown above) in Brook Run Park was 21.20 MPH with the highest speed recorded at 31.04 MPH.

With the posted speed limit of 15 MPH in the park, the county now agrees that speeding may be a problem in Brook Run Park.

Unfortunately, current State laws restricting the use of speed detection devices for law enforcement purposes do not allow the Police Department to effectively use this tool in these specific circumstances. Because of this, the DeKalb Police Department is discussing with the Parks Department in order to get speed humps on the main road that winds through the park.

These State laws limiting law enforcements police powers need to be modified and Governor Perdue’s Office of Highway Safety is aware of the need to change the laws and are already working on changing them. The 2007, Law Enforcement Legislative Proposal states that “Georgia public safety agencies have numerous restrictions which prevent their officers from effectively enforcing speed limits—restrictions not imposed by Georgia’s neighboring states. These include being required to have marked vehicles, blue lights clearly visible on the top of vehicles, for speed limits 35 mph or higher requiring the offender to exceed the posted speed limit by 10 mph (excluding GSP) when detection devices are used, the enforcement vehicles must be visible for 500 feet, and requiring signs to be posted where detection devices are being used by agencies (excluding GSP).”

If any State Legislators read this post, I ask that you review the laws regarding speed enforcement in order to allow local law enforcement jurisdictions to properly serve & protect its citizens. I also ask that the 10 MPH over the speed limit for strict enforcement be modified for roads adjacent to or inside a park just as it is for school zones. Thanks.

Lost Cat - Found Cat

John,

We have a situation here on Brookhurst Drive where one cat appeared and another disappeared. Two of us have been loving and feeding one cat that appeared.

Here is his description.
Male, Black w/white patch under his chin.
Stocky/sturdy body, Big yellow eyes.
Young, Neutered, Very affectionate/purrs loudly.
Short haired, Looks well cared for.

The cat that disappeared about two weeks ago is described this way.

Female, about 17 years old. Beautiful orange, brown & white
Long hair, Maine Coon Cat

If you have found a cat or lost a cat, please call me at: (770) 458-0884.

Thanks,
Pat Grayson
2331 Brookhurst Drive, Dunwoody, GA 30338

Sunday, December 2, 2007

New Cross Walk at Tilly Mill Road & Dunkerrin Lane

Thank you to Ms. Amanda Levi (who will be joining the DNCA Board at the next election) for requesting that a cross walk be installed across Tilly Mill Road at Dunkerrin Lane. Amanda was very persistent in working with the County representatives whereby they conducted several examinations of the land, traffic and pedestrian flows prior to installing the yellow warning signs & painting the street.

After this initial success, additional crosswalks have now been requested at Tilly Mill & Stonington, North Peachtree Road & Riverglenn Circle (in order to cross over to Brook Run) and a re-striping project on the existing crosswalk at Chesnut Elementary.

The DNCA would also like to thank Mr. David Pelton (770-492-5223) & Ms. Patrece Keeter (770-492-5281) of DeKalb Counties Traffic Engineering Department for being responsive to our request. Thank You.

Callanwolde Concert Band - Brook Run, Fri Dec 7th at 7:30

HOLIDAY POPS SPECTACULAR IN DUNWOODY

DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones, The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, and The DeKalb County Office of Arts, Culture, and Entertainment cordially invite you to join them for special Holiday Pops Concerts by the Callanwolde Concert Band, Raymond Handfield, Conductor, on Friday, December 7, 2007 at 7:30 PM at the Brook Run Theatre, 4770 North Peachtree Road, Dunwoody.

This year’s concert features a suite from The Nutcracker by Peter Tchaikovsky, Shalom! – Suite of Israeli Folk Songs by Philip Sparke, the Farandole from the L’Arlesienne Suite by Georges Bizet, Amen from Messiah by Georg Frideric Handel, and other holiday selections. In addition, in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, the Band will perform composer Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival.

The Band will be joined by the eighty-voice Treble Concert Choir of the world-renowned Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde, Paige F. Mathis, Conductor. This ensemble will perform Festive Alleluia by Lyn Williams, the French traditional carol Angels We Have Heard on High, Shchedrik a Ukrainian Bell Carol, This Little Babe from A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, and other holiday favorites.