DeKalb calls Meeting to discuss 4th & 5th Elementary School on Womack

The New 4th & 5th Grade elementary school on Womack is suppose to open in nine months yet the community has more questions than answers. In light of DeKalb thinking about cutting the number of buses to be offered by increasing the walking distance for students from 1 mile to 1.5 miles and now discussing layoffs and a cut in teacher pay; the Dunwoody community is wondering how these items will affect the new school whereby 3/4's of the students will have to be bused? Is the school really going to serve 4th & 5th grade students from all over Dunwoody or is there now a chance that the school will be reverted back to a K through 5 elementary school which would force redistricting?

The Dunwoody Crier just announced on their website that the DeKalb County School System will be holding an informational meeting regarding the design and construction of the new 4/5 academy on Womack Road to be held Wednesday, November 5 at Dunwoody High School at 6 p.m. No other information was available regarding the agenda for the meeting, but DeKalb County Spokesperson Dale Davis said it would follow the format of the previous informational meetings on the new school.

I will not be able to be in attendance at the meeting, so I hope it goes well for all concerned. Below are a few of the blueprints to the new school that I obtained as an interested parent (with children scheduled to attend for the next four years) and I will let you know that as part of the City Council we are already exploring options for the two intersections in front of the school.

Womack_Composite1st_A111.pdf

Womack_Composite2nd_A112.pdf

Womack_LifeSafety1st_A121.pdf

Womack_LifeSafety2nd_A122.pdf

Womack_SiteGrading1_C06c.pdf

Womack_SiteGrading2_C06d.pdf

Womack_TreeProtection1_L101.pdf

Womack_TreeProtection2_L102.pdf

Womack_LandscapeDetails_L104.pdf

A history of now 18 articles exists on this blog regarding the "Dunwoody 4th & 5th Grade Academy" dating back to April when the DCSS last changed their mind regarding redistricting and those articles can be found here.

Thanks to the Dunwoody Chamber and one last revision to the Dunwoody Alcohol Ordinance.

Below is what I believe to be the final revision of the Alcohol Ordinance that we will be voting on Monday evening at Dunwoody United Methodist Church.

11012008_Chap_4_Alcohol_v6.doc

In my last entry on the Alcohol Ordinance I talked about how the community came together to work out an agreement and in doing so forgot to specifically mention the important role that the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce had in formulating the policies of the community.

I can attest that for the very short time that the Chamber has been in existence that they are already a cohesive group of business owners who want to build cultural bridges with public and private partnerships for a thriving local economy. If you own a business within the City Limits of Dunwoody, I highly recommend that you join the Chamber.

Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
5588 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, # 180
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Phone: 678-244-9700
Fax: 404-935-0951

Joe Devita
678-244-9700 x 6001
joe@dunwoodycommerce.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lindsay Ballow
678-244-9700 x 6002
lindsay@dunwoodycommerce.com

Dunwoody Pep Rally and Fox 5 News Coverage.

On Thursday the Dunwoody Wildcat Football Team was named the FOX 5 team of the week and the school held a huge pep rally to prepare for tonight's game against Druid Hills.

Below are three video news clips covering the team, the pep rally and the award presentation.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EDDrNk2cME



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iOw1rqyEM8



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PJsOA2jljo

Square Foot Gardening being offered at the Dunwoody Nature Center

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING - Building Your Box
Saturday, February 28, 2009; 10 am - Noon

Members: $20; General Public: $25

Learn the basics of Square Foot Gardening, an easy-to-understand concept for novice and expert gardeners alike. Based on the book, All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, teachers Lyn and Bob Bernstein will provide hands-on instruction on building a 4x4 square foot raised bed box, mixing the three "magic" soil ingredients, and siting your box. No matter what soil you have in your yard, you can harvest an abundant selection of fresh vegetables throughout the growing season or enjoy a constant array of lovely annuals and perennials . . . all in an easy-to-manage space. Our class is offered in two parts - choose one or both.

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING - Planting Your Early Spring Garden
Saturday, March 7, 2009; 10 am - Noon

Members: $20; General Public: $25

You've built your box - now it's time to plant your early spring garden! Lyn and Bob Bernstein will provide hands-on instruction in choosing the best plants and seeds for Dunwoody gardens, plant spacing, watering techniques, and trellising. Based on Mel Bartholomew's popular All New Square Foot Gardening book.

Register soon as class space is limited! Register at www.dunwoodynature.org or call 770-394-3322.

Community collaboration allows major changes to Dunwoody Alcohol Ordinance

2 a.m. - Proposed Last Call for Alcohol

After four revisions to the Dunwoody Alcohol Ordinance which was being piecing together various aspects of DeKalb and other cities laws, it was shown at Monday's City Council meeting that a little more work was needed to polish the document. The Mayor formed a joint committee of representatives of the residential and business communities to come together with the city council and our city attorney to go line by line create a document which will be mutually beneficial to all involved.

Councilman Danny Ross chaired the committee and appears to have brokered an agreement within the community which will modify the pouring hours from the current 4:00 am to a 2:00 am last call, drinks must be cleared from tables by 2:30 am, but doors can remain open. The latest draft of the document is being circulated for comments & revisions, and will then be presented to the city council on Monday for possible approval.

Congratulations to Mayor Wright & Councilman Ross for showing with actions and not just words that the City of Dunwoody will live up to its mission statement.

The mission of the City of Dunwoody is to provide the highest quality of life for those who live, work or play in our community and to foster an environment where business can prosper. We will serve all stakeholders in a transparent manner with resourceful, efficient, progressive and professional leadership.

The latest revision of the Alcohol Ordinance is here but I know that it is still being reviewed and refined by all interested parties for an acceptable win / win situation that both the business community and the residents can live with. The city council will obtain the final revision about 24 hours prior to the meeting and I believe it will be up for a vote at Monday's meeting.

Do you want to verify that your Absentee Ballot was Received and other tidbits?

If you voted early this election (in person or by mail) and want to know if your vote was documented, you can go to the Secretary of State website to see if your absentee ballot was logged in, and the date received. Make sure it says "Absentee Ballot Received" for the date you voted.

I just voted today and mine is already in the system.

http://sos.georgia.gov/cgi-bin/locator.asp

If anyone needs information on the referendum questions (other than school uniform question since we wore out that topic in the comments to a previous entry), ballotpedia is the best source I found.

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_2008_ballot_measures

If anyone needs to know where to vote anywhere in the US, Google has the answer.

http://maps.google.com/vote