Dunwoody City Council Agenda for Monday July 27th

Monday, July 27, 2015
Dunwoody City Hall
41 Perimeter Center East
Dunwoody, GA 30346

6 pm Agenda - Watch Live at 6:00 p.m.

Presentation from Dunwoody Senior Baseball.

CAD-to-CAD Interface Update. (goes live on August 10, 2015)

Comprehensive Plan Update of the City of Dunwoody. (interesting read - large file)

RZ 15-072: Pursuant to the City of Dunwoody Zoning Ordinance, applicant Atlanta Office
Investment, LLC, c/o KDC AH Investments One, LP, seeks permission to rezone property
currently zoned Office-Institution (O-I) District to Planned Development (PD) to allow for
construction of a mixed-use commercial/retail/restaurant PD development. The subject
property is located at 245 Perimeter Center Parkway, Dunwoody, GA 30346. The tax parcel is
18-329-04-003. (Deferred until August)

Approval of Memorandum of Agreement for FEMA Flood Study. (Past flood map work)

Update of Weather Alert Policy. (Should blinking lights warn baseball coaches at Dunwoody Senior that lightning is in area?)

Approval of a Construction Contract for the Tilly Mill Road at North Peachree Road Intersection Project.

Atlanta Regional Commission Public Art Grant Resolution. (Looking for a statue / art piece in Georgetown Park - any suggestions?)

Dunwoody City Council Agenda for Monday June 22nd.

Monday, June 22, 2015
Dunwoody City Hall
41 Perimeter Center East
Dunwoody, GA 30346

8:30 am Agenda for Tax Hearing
6 pm Agenda - Watch Live at 6:00 p.m.

Administer Oath of Office to Officer Roger Halstead.

CAD-to-CAD Update.

Presentation of the 2014 Audit Report and Management Letter

Brook Run Theater Assessment.

Resolution Appointing Members to Serve on the Board of Ethics.

SECOND READ: Ordinance Amendment to the City of Dunwoody City Code Chapter 27 toChange the Classification of Massage Activities.

SECOND READ: Ordinance to Adopt 2015 Millage Rate.

Discussion of Weather Alert Policy.

Blame these Dunwoody kids for all the noise on Friday - they asked for the sirens.

Back on November 12, 2013 the Chesnut Elementary Lego Robotics League gave a great team presentation at a packed Dunwoody City Council meeting exalting the benefits of city wide emergency sirens. Soon after, the City Council voted to put emergency sirens in our two largest parks and this morning the sirens will be tested between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

If you hear the sirens this morning, please think of these kids, as I certainly did when we decided to put these safety devices into place.    I couldn't have been prouder of them. 

Code Red Emergency Alerts called many Dunwoody homes last night as limited emergency sirens will be tested soon.

If you want early warnings to your cell phone or land line in case of dangerous weather in Dunwoody...you can sign up for Code Red warnings. I have heard from many people that this warned them early Tuesday morning and allowed them to get their families to safe parts of their home.   Please register today !!
Here is the link: Code Red Alerts - Dunwoody

There was also some confusion regarding the two new weather warning sirens at Brook Run Park and Dunwoody Park that some thought they heard, but actually the sirens heard were set off by the City of Sandy Springs (near the Country Club?) and not Dunwoody.    The two new Dunwoody sirens are still waiting on an internet connection installation and hopefully they will be tested later this week.

The Dunwoody City Council was split on installing weather sirens (I was in favor) therefore the two being installed this week in our major parks are a compromise / test and if deemed successful to see if the residents want more to be installed.

Video

Dunwoody News: New Weather Sirens, City Council Meeting, and Run Dunwoody

Photo from City of Dunwoody

Weather Warning System 

Installation & Testing

At Brook Run Park & Dunwoody Park

The City of Dunwoody installed severe weather warning sirens at Brook Run Park and Dunwoody Park. The sirens are designed as an outside warning device to assist in alerting individuals, in the immediate area, of imminent severe and dangerous weather.

The sirens are capable of being heard by anyone outdoors within a one mile radius. In many instances, sirens can be heard indoors near the vicinity of the siren locations.

The sirens will be activated under imminent threat of:

• tornadoes
• thunderstorms with winds 70 mph or greater (potential to uproot or snap large tree limbs)
• golf ball sized hail or larger (potential for windows to break)

During the week of October 13, the city will test the new sirens at Brook Run Park. The exact date and time of the test will be announced next week. Please be advised it will only be a test, not an actual alert.

If you have questions about the sirens and early warning system please email parks@dunwoodyga.gov. 

Monday, October 13: City Council Work Session and Meeting The City Council Work Session will begin at 6 p.m. with the City Council Meeting to follow at 7 p.m. Both are held at Dunwoody City Hall, 41 Perimeter Center East, Suite #103.  Click here for the meeting agendas.

Thursday, October 16: Food Truck Thursday Put the pots and pans away and come out to Brook Run Park, 4770 N. Peachtree Road, and enjoy a fun evening out and feast on some of the best food truck cuisine in Atlanta. This foodie event, complete with live music, takes place  from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. and features a variety of new and different offerings each week. This event is scheduled to run every Thursday through October. The last Food Truck Thursday will be held on October 30, with a special "Truck or Treat" event, sure to be spooktacular!

Saturday, October 18: Peachtree Charter Middle School Fall Festival  Peachtree Charter Middle School’s Drama Club is hosting its seventh annual fall festival from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the school. The event will be held rain or shine. Activities will include inflatables, games, face painting, fair hair, crafts and live music, including Missing Cat playing at 1 p.m. Look for concessions, a book sale, bake sale, cake walk, photo booth, silent auction, vendors, and art sale.

Saturday, October 18: Bird & Nature Walk Join fellow bird watchers and nature lovers at Island Ford Park, 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.  Led by naturalist and birder, Marshall Weber. Island Ford is a National Recreation area park off Roberts Drive. in Sandy Springs. Serious birders and brand new birders welcome. Cost:  $3.00 Vehicle parking fee. Please call Bobbi Sedam at 770-986-7776 for details and directions.

Sunday, October 19: Run Dunwoody Certified as a Peachtree Road Race qualifier 2015, the Run Dunwoody 5K begins and ends at Perimeter Mall. The course is designed for runners—a fast and challenging course with spectacular views of the premier central perimeter location. Fast times in a fabulous setting await each runner. The 1M Fun Run and Tot Trot (ages 2-5) offer family fun for all. There is still time to register! Click here to learn more or to register for the run.

Dunwoody Events Coming SOON!

October 24-26: 2014 Ceramic Bowl Sale Looking for special and unique holiday gifts?! Come purchase beautiful and unique ceramics pieces at the Spruill Education Center, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd.

October 22-26: Apple Cider Days Apple Cider Days is the newest fall community event to come to Dunwoody, presented by the Dunwoody Preservation Trust! Apple Cider Days 2014 will feature a family friendly carnival atmosphere, new rides, a broad selection of food options, live music and fun activities outside Perimeter Mall - Find out more at http://www.appleciderdays.org.

Saturday, November 1: Clean, Shine, Fix-Up Dunwoody Join us for Dunwoody’s annual volunteer day at Brook Run Park on Saturday, November 1. We will be planting trees in the park as well as taking care of some general park maintenance. Volunteers can meet at Brook Run Park in front of the children’s playground at 8 a.m., 4770 North Peachtree Rd. Click here to register.

Dunwoody priorities as seen through the eyes of the Purchasing Department - Tree Canopy Obstacle Course / Dog Park / Active Recreation / New Police Vehicles and Warning Sirens in Parks.

Running a city is a complicated business with many intermingled moving parts but reviewing the city purchasing website will sometimes give you a glimpse of how we are serving you, what we are spending your money on and therefore to certain aspect, what our priorities are for improving the quality of life for the residents.  The typical Dunwoody homeowner with a $350,000.00 dollar home pays about $18 per month for all City of Dunwoody services and the City Budget goes into much greater detail on exactly how we plan to spend those tax dollars.

On Monday, the City Council is discussing a proposal for a possible Tree Canopy Obstacle Course at Brook Run Park that would operate at no cost to the city and in fact it would provide revenue as well as an amenity to the visitors of the park.  The proposed obstacle course would be situated in the roughly four acres to the west of the vacant dormitory building. The city would ensure the exact course maintains adequate buffers to protect residential property bordering this part of the park while rejuvenating an underutilized part of our parkland.  The sketch of the proposal is attached here and of course there will be lots of questions at the meeting on details not outlined.    Thoughts?
 
The City of Dunwoody is again soliciting bids from qualified contractors for Brook Run Park Dog Park Construction at a new location.  Back in December, I attempted to find a workable and less expensive solution to keep the dog park where it is and the Brook Run Dog Park Association presented a serious proposal to operate the facility and mitigate any issues.   The Council quickly compared the BRDPA proposal against a proposed contract to construct a new dog park but walked away from making any decision at that time.  The new dog park contract was deferred in December as Council had questions on cost and location of the proposed new park vs the cost and effectiveness of the proposed repairs to the current park. Several on Council were leaning towards and "hoping" for a compromise and since that time Council member Riticher has joined our ranks but little else has been done.   The City released the latest proposal to again move the dog park for a possible decision as soon as June.   The patrons of the dog park and the Brook Run Dog Park Association members are not pleased with the updated proposal and they are voicing their concerns to council in emails as well as on their Facebook page.   Residents of Lakeview Oaks who live behind the dogpark, as well as the new trail, want the dog park moved therefore Council will be weighing all sides and proposals to make a decision in the coming months.

The admin buildings at the front of Brook Run are coming down and tennis courts, sand volleyball & basketball courts are planned for that area as per the parks master plan but the trail was also placed in some of that space so we will need to see in the coming year what could be proposed for the area.

Touring Brook Run last week I noticed the new trail is really coming along with some sections needing extensive work in order to bring it up to grade, but it is that level of effort that will make it ADA accessible with just minor grade changes that will make it an ideal location for a young child to take a long safe bike ride.   During my stroll, I also noticed what appears to be an expanded section of the Dunwoody Community Garden being installed behind the original space for additional plots. With the new orchard that was installed around the garden, it is really a beautiful place.

Another tidbit shown on the city purchasing website is that the City of Dunwoody will be purchasing 22 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles as the newest police vehicles for our officers.   The police vehicle currently in use was discontinued and it was decided that the amount of gear carried by our officers, the number of hours spent in the vehicles and the physical size of many of our officers necessitated the larger vehicle.

Finally an email crossed my desk stating that the City is purchasing two Federal Signal outdoor warning sirens with Weather Bug lightning detection to be installed at Dunwoody Park near the baseball fields and at Brook Run Park.   As Council already approved these purchases and they were below the $50,000 threshold for formal bids, the Acting City Manager went with the best product at the lowest price.

Dunwoody City Council Meeting Agenda for Monday August 12th

Monday, August 12th
Dunwoody City Hall
41 Perimeter Center East

Dunwoody, GA 30346

6:00 p.m. - Work Session

7:00 p.m. - Voting Meeting

Watch Live at 7 pm

Agenda 6 PM

Update on the CAD-to-CAD Interface Project.

Agenda 7 PM

Minutes from Aug 5th - Zoning Special Called

Economic Development Program Implementation and Future Development Overview.

Presentation of the YTD Financial Report for June 30, 2013.

Discussion of Emergency Notification Systems.

FIRST READ: Ordinance to Amend Chapter 25, Section 25-32: Possession, Use, or Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages.

Discussion of City of Dunwoody City Code Chapters 27, Zoning, and 16, Land Development, and all Previous Amendments Thereto.

FIRST READ: Annual Amendments to the International Property Maintenance Code.

Discussion of the Contract Amendment for Georgetown Park Construction.

Discussion of Design Contract for Chamblee Dunwoody Road at Spalding Drive

Discussion of the Contract Amendment for Mount Vernon Road at Vermack Road.

Discussion of Appointment of Members to Serve on Dunwoody Board of Ethics.

Discussion of Appointment of Members to Serve on Dunwoody Alcohol License Review Board.

Discussion of Appointment of Member to Serve on Convention & Visitors Bureau of Dunwoody.

Discussion of Appointment of Members to Serve on Dunwoody Construction Board of Appeals.

DeKalb Fire Chief O'Brien visits Dunwoody to discuss ambulance changes and an overall meeting recap.

Presentation of DeKalb Fire Chief, Edward O'Brien

Video of Chief O'Brien is shown at about the 15 min mark on the following video link.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/35550351

Video two    http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/35556011

The audio from the meetings are rather poor but it works if you turn your volume way up.

Recap - everything officially presented (Ashford Dunwoody Hotel items) were passed but the discussion items are telling as it gives the city staff an idea on where the council is leaning for approval items at the next meeting.    General Emergency Notification Sirens look to be going nowhere soon with only me and Councilman Shortal in strong support but lightning detection for large open areas (like used at Murphy Candler) has full council approval and will be researched by staff.  The Tree Atlanta item looks promising for passage but a discussion on fruit trees not being a part of the project at all for planting in our parks where we already have an orchard doesn't make sense to me.  Design number 2 on the Mt. Vernon Vermack intersection was selected.  The cost of GIS maps are going up soon.  Building construction standards for four story buildings are being proposed to be toughened.  Public Safety Video Surveillance will be passed, the election IGA has more questions than answers and finally Alcohol in the parks will pass.

Dunwoody City Council agenda for Monday July 8th

Monday, July 8th
Dunwoody City Hall
41 Perimeter Center East

Dunwoody, GA 30346

6:00 p.m. - Work Session Packet

7:00 p.m. - Work Session Packet

Watch Live at 7 pm

Agenda 6 PM
Agenda 7 PM

CAD - 2 - CAD Update  (6 pm agenda)

Update on Changes to Ambulance Service Provision in DeKalb County.

Presentation of the 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (Audit).

Hearing & Second Read - ReZoning 13-051: Pursuant to the City of Dunwoody Zoning Ordinance, Applicant, HDP Acquisitions, LLC c/o Hotel Development Partners, LLC, Seeks Permission to Rezone Property Currently Zoned Office-Commercial-Residential Conditional (OCRc) to Office-Commercial-Residential Conditional (OCRc) to Allow For a Change of Previous Conditions.

Hearing & Second Read -Special Land Use Permit SLUP13-051: Pursuant to the City of Dunwoody Zoning Ordinance, Applicant, HDP Acquisitions, LLC c/o Hotel Development Partners, LLC, Seeks a Special Land Use Permit For a Change in the Maximum Allowable Building Height of Two-Stories to Eight-Stories.

Discussion of Emergency Notification Sirens.

Discussion of Trees Atlanta Agreement for Tree Plantings Within the City Parks.

Discussion of Mount Vernon Road and Vermack Road Intersection Improvement.

Discussion of Project Agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for Perimeter Center Traffic System Upgrades.

Discussion of Resolution to Establish Print Fees for GIS Maps.

Discussion of Transmittal to Georgia Department of Community Affairs for Codification of City Code Chapter 8, Buildings and Building Regulations

Discussion of Contract Award for RFP 13-02 Public Safety Video Surveillance Project - IronSky.

Discussion of Revised IGA with DeKalb County for the Provision of Election Services

FIRST READ: Ordinance to Amend Chapter 25, Section 25-32. (Building Construction Codes)

Some Dunwoody residents want tornado sirens - Fox5

Video

Some residents in Dunwoody say there's no system in place to warm them when dangerous weather is approaching.

Dunwoody was under tornado warning last Thursday when this damage was done, but resident Gerri Penn said that none of the neighbors heard sirens.

"The only reason we went to our basement was because our son happened to be watching TV and called us and told us there was a tornado warning for Dunwoody," Penn said.

The National Weather Service reports that an EF-1 tornado lifted just before getting to Dunwoody, but severe winds still did damage. Throughout Dunwoody, trees fell on houses, roofs were crushed and cars were reduced to rubble.

"If this had happened in the middle of the night, houses like that where someone could have been sleeping -- we could be dealing with injuries or worse. And I think this should be a wakeup call for the city of Dunwoody," Penn said.

The area hasn't had tornado sirens since DeKalb County sold them to Cobb County in the 1980s. Dunwoody City Councilmember Denny Shortal said that he'd like to see sirens in the city, but the last time it came up for vote, it didn't pass. He wants the issue addressed again, believing with Dunwoody's history with severe weather, they could make a big difference.

"Every indication that I have, they have an indication that they could save lives," Shortal said. "In my opinion, tornadoes are the number one thing that could cause a high number of casualties or injuries amongst our citizens."

However, some residents told FOX 5's Julia Reynolds that they don't want sirens because they don't want their taxes to increase.

Dunwoody does have a code alert system. It's a phone app, but a lot of the people said they did not get the alerts until after the storm was already out of here.

Dunwoody Code Red Warning System and the future of Sirens

Thursday night I was at Food Truck Thursday enjoying the evening with my wife and a couple of my boys and we were entertaining former neighbors who had returned to Atlanta to vacation.  At 7:27 pm while sitting in the big grassy field where the music was playing, I received the first of three severe weather warnings on my phone from the Code Red Mobile Alert App as shown below.  The warning had a map of the warning area reaching from Canton to Sandy Springs, but Dunwoody was not listed, so why worry?  Just as the second notice came in at 7:40 pm, a Dunwoody policeman was walking around to notify everyone of the impending storm and the band was asked at that time to start packing up.

We packed up the chairs, the boys and the food that was yet to be eaten and headed off to the car.  Unfortunately the 18 year old former neighbor wasn't found at the vehicle as we were loading up, so I ran around to look for him.  I checked the field we were at, the rest rooms and he was nowhere to be found.  As the rain started to pour, I received the third warning at 7:48 and finally found him waiting for his second cheeseburger of the evening and he was without a doubt the last person served on Thursday as the truck owner was upset at his employees that he was still open with the impending weather.

The storm came in very heavy at that time and I saw the tall pine trees bend toward North Peachtree Rd.  At 7:50 as shown below, I attempted to call my wife to tell her that I found the neighbor, then she quickly called me back to say that she had moved the vehicle closer to where I was.

Finally at 8:05, well after the wall of straight line winds had done much of the damage, I received a phone call from the Code Red Weather Service informing me of the possibility of severe weather. It was too little - too late.

Did the Dunwoody Severe Weather warning system work for those at Brook Run on Thursday; to a certain level yes as the park had many people streaming out before the storm hit, but to a larger level the system either didn't work or didn't imply the seriousness of the situation.  Sirens would have done that and they would have cleared out the park much faster.

I will admit that I have been a member of council who has questioned the cost / benefit of a city wide sirens system even though the subject has been broached several times in the past couple of years by Councilman Denny Shortal.  With smart phones that buzz, beep and ping on command as well as the technology in most of our homes, I wasn't sure of the implementation of a city wide system was needed or be effective where double pane glass would muffle the sounds.   That being said, Council explored grant opportunities to see if we could supplement the funding but in the end no grants are available.  After the experience of Thursday, I believe that if the sirens were in place we would have taken the warnings as a serious warning an not just another ping on our phone and that second cheeseburger would have never been ordered.

On June 25th, the Dunwoody City Council will be amending the budget and if allowed (not sure that it is) I would happily vote to expend the $250,000 - $300,000 on a city wide siren system.   Trust me, that this item will once again be discussed by council in the very near future.

Rick Callihan over at Dunwoody Talk discussed this same topic and the aspect of possible zip codes affecting the triggering of the warning.  As an FYI, we have been attempting to unify the Dunwoody Zip Codes but have not made much progress in changing this Federal system.   

Pattie Baker also has been asking about a City Emergency Shelter but the City does not have any manned governmental buildings built to the public building code able to withstand possible disasters, as our City Hall & Police Station are just a typical commercial building and the library is leased DeKalb and we don't operate our schools therefore this is a hard question to answer until which time (8 - 10 years down the road) we start discussions on whether or not we should build our own city hall.

 

Siren Memos