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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, JAN. 18, 2013 VOL. 15, NO. 43 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

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See MLK on Page 15A

by Carla [email protected]

Instead of using theMartin Luther King,Jr. holiday as a dayoff, volunteers fromDecatur recognize the

day as serving the commu-nity.

For the 11th year in aow, thousands of volun-eers will participate in the

annual Martin Luther Kingr. Service Project, which

provides home maintenanceand repair free of charge to

ow-income Decatur seniorcitizen homeowners.

We do this to honorhe senior citizens and theegacy of Dr. Martin Lu-her KingJr. said Lee

Ann Harvey of Volunteer!Decatur.

Sponsored by theDecatur Preservation Alli-ance (DPA) in partnershipwith the city of Decatur, theproject is scheduled for Jan.9, 20 and 21. The three-day

weekend project started in2003.

Harvey said the projectwas started after a boardmember of, DPA, a non-prot organization whichpreserves Decaturs historicstructures and green spaces,suggested to save the

homes of Decaturs oldercitizens.

The reason why westarted doing this was to tryto help our senior citizens tobe able to continue to livein Decatur and to be able to

live safely, comfortably andaffordably in their homes,Harvey said.

To be eligible for theservice, homeowners mustreside in their homes withinthe city limits of Decatur,

be at least 65 years old andmeet certain income criteria.Paul Mitchell, this

years chairman of the Mar-tin Luther King Jr. ServiceProject, has volunteeredsince its founding. He as-sesses the work to be doneat all of the homes and de-velops reports for the opera-tions committee to reviewbefore in-depth assessmentson between 25 and 40homes.

Mitchell said this projectis a great thing to do for thesenior citizens.

The homeowners get atremendous amount of ben-et from it, he said. Theseare [repairs] that they cantdo. They dont have theknowledge of how to dohome repairs in general, andso were able to step in andput our knowledge in.

The homes are then se-lected based on the numberof major and minor repairsneeded to be done and yardwork. Repairs may include

Volunteers repair senior citizens homesfor Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Museum offers affordableglimpse at ancient art PAGE 8

Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project volunteers repair homes and do yard work for low-income Decatur senior citizen homeowners. Photos provided

For the 11th year in a row, thousands of volunteers will participate in the annual Martin Luther KingJr. Service Project, which provides home maintenance and repair free of charge.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 Page 2ALocal News

Man raises money in DeKalb to build school in home village in northern India

See India on Page 3A

by Daniel [email protected]

Rajesh Kumar grew upn a rural village in northern

ndia where he worked onhis parents farm each day.When he was old enough toattend high school, Kumarsaid the principal of a pri-vate school unexpectedlyallowed him to attend freeof charge.

Kumar is now an engi-neer for Verizon Wireless inDeKalb County, where hehas been living since 2001.He said if it were not for theeducation he received, hewould still be working innorthern India as a farmer.

When he was younger,Kumar said children at thehigh school used to makefun of him for having noshoes. Since it was a privateschool, many of the studentscame from higher classes ormore educated families.

Although the caste sys-em was formally abolishedn India decades ago, Kumar

said it still exists. In theural village of Abidpura,

where Kumar was raised,many farmers have beeniving the same way for cen-uries.

I grew up in an illiteratefamily, Kumar said. Manyof the residents in rural In-dian villages are farmershey keep working becauseheres no opportunity to

break through our socialsystem.

Kumar said there is agovernment school in hisvillage but not many stu-dents go there because mostof the time there are noeachers. He was grateful

for the opportunity to attenda school free of charge butsaid the school he attendedwas very difcult to reach.

I had to walk ve ki-

lometers then take a bus;it was not expensive but itwas still very far away. Butthats how I was able to fol-low my dream and nish my

engineering degree, Kumarsaid.

After graduating highschool, Kumar studied engi-neering and began workingfor Lucent Technologiesin 1980. In 2001 he cameto Georgia and worked forSprint for several years be-fore taking his current job atVerizon.

Every day I think aboutreaching out to those peopleto give them a chance, Ku-mar said of the people in hisvillage.

DeKalb County has sev-eral areas with large Indianand Pakistani populations.It is these areas that Kumaris trying to reach to tell hisstory and create awarenessof the importance of educat-ing those back home.

A group of engineersfrom Verizon is helpingKumar raise funds to buildthe school, which he said isin its rst phase of develop-ment. Kumar said he hasthe land, which was donatedby the villagers, now hejust needs to raise enough

money to begin buildingclassrooms.

Kumar said that oncebuilt, the Takshila Institutewill serve as a model and hehopes to expand it into othervillages.

There will also be acommunity center wherelower caste people can gettogether and have a mar-riage ceremony so they canget together and break theirbarriers, Kumar said.

Takshila will be a non-prot; Kumar said to have

the school be self-sufcientonce it is built, 60 percentof the students will receive

Rajesh Kumar, who grew up ina small village in northern India,is now hoping to build a non-prot school in his hometown.Photos provided

CLAUDIA G. LAWSONDeKalb County Tax Commissioner

ATTENTIONMOTOR VEHICLE OWNERS

Effective March 1, 2013, House Bill 386 removes the sales and annual advalorem tax on newly-purchased vehicles. A one-time title tax of 6.5%(2013), 6.75% (2014) and 7% (2015) replaces the annual tax. Heres whatyou need to know:

New one-time title ad valorem tax fee applies to all title transactions

(new and used vehicle purchases, transfers, all transfers among

family members, or vehicles new to the state) and eliminates payment

of sales tax and annual ad valorem tax.

If you purchase a vehicle in Georgia after January 1, 2012 but before

March 1, 2013, you may have the option of paying annual ad valoremtax or a one-time title ad valorem tax fee. Vehicles purchased out of

state are not eligible to opt in.

Whether paying the one-time title ad valorem tax fee OR annual ad

valorem tax, requirements for insurance, emissions, drivers license

and the renewal of your tag by your expiration date remain the same.

If you purchased a vehicle before 2012, you will remain on the

current annual ad valorem tax system.

SOUTH OFFICE

2801 Candler Rd. #66

South DeKalb Mall

Decatur, GA 30032

NORTH OFFICE

1358 Dresden Drive, NE

Atlanta, GA 30319

MAIN OFFICE

4380 Memorial Drive

Suite 100

Decatur, GA 30034

(404) 298-4000www.dekalbcountyga.gov/taxcommissioner

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Page 3A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013

India Continued From Page 2A

Refugee overcomes obstacles topursue dream of attending ight school

DeKalb nursing homessettle allegations ofsubstandard wound care

The U. S. Attorneys

Ofce announced Jan. 2 asettlement with GGNSCHoldings LLC of Plano,Texas, to resolve allegationsthat the company providedinadequate and worthlesswound care services to res-idents at two of its nursinghomes, according to a mediastatement.

GGNSC is the operatorof skilled nursing facilitieslocated in metro Atlantaunder the Golden Livingname, including three inDeKalb County. GGNSChas agreed to pay $613,300

to resolve these allegations.Sally Quillian Yates,

U.S. attorney for the North-ern District of Georgia, said,Our ofce is committed toprotecting our most vulner-able citizens and improvingthe lives of nursing homeresidents. By failing to pro-vide adequate wound careservices to its nursing homeresidents, Golden Livingplaced at risk the life andhealth of individuals whowere entrusted to its care.This type of threat to the

health and well-being of theelderly in our communitieswill not be tolerated.

Golden Living fraudu-lently billed Medicaid fornursing services which weresubstandard and, tragically,resulted in harm to patients,said Attorney General SamOlens. The nursing homepatients depended on Gold-en Living to provide themwith quality wound care ser-vices to help them heal, but,instead, were mistreated.We will not stand for such

egregious misconduct by a

Medicaid provider.The government allegesthat GGNSC submitted falseclaims to Medicare, Med-icaid, and the Veterans Af-fairs department because itprovided residents at GoldenLivingCenterGlenwoodand Golden LivingCenterDunwoody with inadequateand worthless monitoring,documentation, and pre-vention and treatment ofwounds from January 2006through May 2011, accord-ing to a media statement.

The claims settled in the

civil settlement are allega-tions only, and there hasbeen no determination of li-ability, according to a mediastatement.

GGNSC has entered intoa corporate integrity agree-ment with the U.S. Depart-ment of Health and HumanServices that will requiresix GGNSC facilities in theAtlanta area to continue toimplement certain policiesand procedures to ensurecompliance with applicablestatutes and regulations

governing patient care. Inaddition, an independentmonitor was appointed tooversee operations at thefacilities for up to ve yearsto verify that the policiesand procedures are workingeffectively and that patientsreceive appropriate care.

Additional affected cen-ters include Golden Living-CenterBriarwood, GoldenLivingCenterDecatur,Golden LivingCenterKen-nestone, and Golden Living-CenterMedical Arts.


In 1993, Kanu Biah andhis family left war-torn Li-beria and escaped to the Ivo-y Coast in western Africa,

where they lived in a UnitedNations refugee camp until2002, when another warbroke out and they wereforced to move again.

This time, Biah and hisfamily moved to Guinea toescape civil warthey trav-eled three days on foot be-fore reaching another refu-gee camp. Soon after, Biahsuncle was granted asylum inhe United States and movedo Clarkston, which was des-gnated as a refugee resettle-

ment area in the 1980s.Thats how I came in

here, said Biah, who movedn with his uncle in 2005.

Growing up with my uncle,he was like a single dad andwhile I was staying with

him he had to work two jobso support me during highchool.

Biah graduated fromClarkston High School in2009 and began working atFinders Keepers consign-ment store in AvondaleEstates to save money forcollege.

Its hard to believehat someone so positive

has seen some of the worstplaces in our world and theworst sides of humanity,aid Bonnie Kallenberg,

owner of Finders Keepers.After Biah graduatedfrom high school his unclebecame a U.S. citizen andmoved back to Liberia tem-

porarily.He really supports him-

selftheres no one herethat supports himandsomehow hes managed tokeep aoat and put asidemoney for school but nota lot, so its a giant leap offaith for him to even go,Kallenberg said.

In December, FindersKeepers held a fundraising

event to help Biah pay histuition to pursue a dual four-year degree in commercial

piloting and business admin-istration at Middle GeorgiaCollege of Aviation.

More than 60 peopleattended the event, whereBiah shared his life story.Enough money was raisedto pay for his rst semesterof school.

He has added so muchto our lives, and we want tohelp him succeed, Kallen-berg said.

Biah said his favorite

classes while in high schoolwere in the computer lab,where he learned aboutvideo and audio editing soft-ware. However, one thingthat Biah said he couldntget the hang of was ightsimulation computer games.

I got to the aviationsimulation and I couldnty the plane. I didnt havetime to master it because thesemester was coming to anend so I said, Im going togo get a career in aviationand gure out how to y

these planes, Biah said.Biah hasnt seen hismother since he was 2; theywere separated during thecivil war in Liberia. His

father lives in Minnesota.They talk occasionally buthe said his uncle is more ofa father gure to him.

In 2009, he went backhome and got married andhe sent his wife and daugh-terheretheyve been liv-ing with me since 2012,Biah said.

Once he graduates fromMiddle Georgia, Biah said,

he plans to join the U.S.Coast Guard, where he canuse his piloting skills to help

people in situations thatwere so familiar to him as achild.

Their job is to go outand save people. Backhome, people used the planeto destroy cities and villag-esI know how it was as akid to be displaced and sepa-rated from my familyso Idont want to put someonein that situation, Biah said.

Although he raisedenough money to pay for

his rst semester of school,Biah said that nancial aiddoesnt pay for the ighttraining hours he needs tocomplete his degree, so he

plans to take out studentloans.

Kallenberg, who is help-ing Biah nd an apartment,said there are also severalscholarship opportunitiesthey are looking into.

Were going to bevery sad to see him go butwere happy for him. Hes

been trying to go now for

two years but because ofobligations that have beenput upon him he has had towait, Kallenberg said. Itshis turn now.

Kanu Biah, a Liberian refugee, works at Finders Keepers, located in Avondale Estates. Since 2009,Biah has been working at the consignment store to save money to pursue his dream of becoming apilot. Photo by Daniel Beauregard

a free education while therest will be required to pay asmall enrollment fee.

One of the difcultiesKumar faces is convincingparents in rural areas of theimportance of education.Many children from a youngage work on their parentsfarms and Kumar said its

difcult to make parents un-derstand why their childrenshouldnt work, as they andmany generations before

them did.Although there isnt a

classroom yet, Kumar saidvolunteer teachers havebeen holding classes duringevenings and weekends.

Were trying to makethem aware that educationis totally different and canchange their lives because I

was like them, working likethat when I was 12 to raisemoney to go to school, Ku-mar said.

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We cant wait

The tragedy at Sandy HookElementary School in Newtown,Conn., was a painful wakeup call onhe gun violence that occurs dailyn this country. A crazed gunman

mowed down 20 young children andix women in that lethal rampage.

New legislation is urgently neededo stem this horrific, bloody tide.

President Obama has launchedan assault on gun violence that is no

hreat to law-abiding citizens andheir Second Amendment right tobear arms. The president has com-missioned a task force headed byVice President Joe Biden to takeaction on stricter gun control laws,and he has made it crystal clear thatnaction is not an option. When one

considers that since the Newtownmassacre another 500 lives havebeen lost to gun violence, the needo take swift and certain action could

not be more apparent. We simplycant wait any longer. This is aboutprotecting citizens and saving lives,which is the primary role of govern-

ment.Making gun laws more restric-

tive in this country will not comewithout a fight. Already on thesecond anniversary of the 2011 kill-ing of six people and the seriouswounding of then CongresswomanGabby Gifford in Tucson, Ariz., thepowerful and well funded NationalRifle Association has called a newsconference to announce its Gun Ap-preciation Day. Guess when thisGun Appreciation Day is scheduled?On the day we remember the life ofDr. Martin Luther King Jr., a manwhose name is synonymous with

nonviolence. Ironically, Dr. Kingslife was snuffed out in the most vio-lent wayan assassins bullet firedfrom a rifle. This call for a nationalGun Appreciation Day is the heightof insensitivity at the very least, notto mention disrespecting the memo-ry of a man who sought justice andequality for all humankind.

Why cant we wait for toughergun control laws? Consider this:With two days left in December

2012, the Chicago Police Depart-ments official homicide recordslisted exactly 500 homicides. Cityofficials in the Second City have

blamed their killing field on theavailability of illegal guns. WhileChicago struggles with a prolif-eration of homicides, in 2012 NewYork had one of its least violentyears in recent history. The reason?New York has implemented bans onassault weapons and high-capacitymagazines, something that Illinoisdoes not consider.

While we in DeKalb Countyhave mercifully been spared anymass murders, gun violence is stilla menace. We have had shootingsat houses of worship, on the streets,in the parking lots of malls and

other places where large numbersof people gather. We made nationalnews last year with a fatal shootingat a funeral! Tougher gun laws arenot a panacea or magic bullet, so tospeak. But, just as other civilizednations have demonstrated, strictergun control goes a long way towardlowering homicide rates from gunviolence. Meanwhile, the UnitedStates leads the world in violent gundeaths.

Georgia lawmakers will be soonback under the gold dome for the2013 legislative session. Sensible,tougher gun laws should top their

agenda. Law abiding citizens go-ing about our daily lives must beprotected from criminals and othersdeemed mentally unfit to have guns.

Our leaders are coming togetheraround the country from Washingtonto Wilmington to arrive at solutionsfor this crisis of gun violence. It ishigh time the NRA offered some realsolutions and stopped targeting con-cerned, well intentioned lawmakersin their crosshairs.

Prayerfully, the political climatehas changed in the wake of the New-town tragedy to offset the NRA andother naysayers. It must be recog-

nized that not every gun regulationbill is a threat to our right to beararms. Reasonable people must comeup with reasonable regulations. Wecan no longer wait.

Steen Miles, The Newslady, is aretired journalist and former Geor-gia state senator. Contact SteenMiles at [email protected].

Page 4A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 18 , 2013Opinion

The Newslady

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Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writers name, address and telephone number forverication. All letters will be considered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to [email protected]

FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior

to publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributingeditors do not necessarily reect the opinions of the editor or publishers.The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement atany time. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Graphic Designer: Travis Hudgons

The Champion Free Press is published each

Friday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030

Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.championnewspaper.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

FREEPRESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and any

issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Champion was founded in1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse forallcommunityresidents on all sides of an issue. We have no desire to make the newsonly to report news and opinions to effect a more educated citizenrythat will ultimately move our community forward. We are happy topresent ideas for discussion; however, we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted to us that is known to be false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

One Mans Opinion

It is an equal failing to trusteverybody, and to trust nobody.Thomas Fuller (1654-1734), Britishauthor and historian inAdages andProverbs, 1732.

As you read this, our DeKalbCounty school board will have justexperienced quite a challengingweek. Under a new state law, theboard is required to explain itself to

he Georgia State Board of Educa-ion, after having system accreditationplaced on probation. The law givesauthority for this review to the stateboard, which then makes a recom-mendation to suspend or remove theboard to the governor, who retains thefinal authority.

If removal is the recommendedoption, the entire board goes, as thegovernor has no discretion to pickand choose. Since passage of thisnew standard of review, Gov. Na-han Deal earlier removed the entirechool board in Miller County.

DeKalbs nine-member boards independently elected, seven from

districts and two countywide. Theboard then caucuses and elects itsown chair and vice-chair. A school

board by law and charter has threeprimary responsibilities and func-tions: 1. Set system policy. 2. Hire/fire and manage the superintendent,and 3. Review, approve and set anannual system budget. This list maysound short and simple, but with aschool system of more than 100,000school children, 15,000 employeesand an annual budget approaching$1billion, these tasks are far fromsimple.

Our county is in many ways di-vided. Our school board reflectsthat. Reaching consensus and com-

promise is often a challenge for thisgroup, as political and racial dividescomplicate their existing manage-ment and oversight challenges. Boardmembership is a part-time job, carry-ing full-time responsibility and with a

salary less than half of an entry levelteachers pay.Though a school board may hire/

fire a superintendent, it has no man-agement authority over individualsystem employees, and though it mayask questions and probe regardingvotes and awarding contracts, they areoverly reliant on information supplied

by the superintendent, departmentheads and senior staff. Just becausea voter or a board member makes aninformation request, does not meanthat the information is provided.

Federal government agencies regu-larly employ independent ombuds-man offices to operate as watchdogs,

protecting against illegality and thewaste of taxpayer funded resourc-es. The United States Ombudsman

Association (USOA) is a non profitorganization working to assist localgovernments in creating their ownombudsman programs at all levelsof government. Typical ombudsman

programs operate with subpoena andinvestigative powers as well as asmall staff, not unlike the internal af-fairs division of a large metropolitan

police department.

Ombudsman-independent auditorOur school board should ask the

state school board to adopt guidelinesor a template for establishing systemombudsman for larger metropolitanschool systems. The board shouldtake responsibility for its own oc-casional micro-management, butalso explain that parents and theirconstituents with nowhere to turn

after months of unreturned phonecalls or worse from a non-performingschool often look to their local school

board member for help in navigatingan increasingly complex and oftenseemingly unresponsive system. I can

personally vouch for the difficulty ofreceiving simple answers to routinequestions or even getting a humanvoice to answer the phone when acall is placed to the DeKalb CountySchool District (DCSD) administra-tive offices.

Well-staffed and trained public in-formation office

The most robust and well-trustedlocal government entities offer well-staffed and easily accessible publicinformation departments, willing and

able to respond to public requestsfor information as well as the deeperdata dives requested by a board mem-

ber. DCSD should make this a prior-ity, as part of their efforts to rebuild

public trust. When a chief executiveholds this responsibility too close tohis or her vest, and presides over theday to day operations of this function,it is usually not a good sign.

Unfortunately, there are no LeanCuisine microwaveable solutionsavailable to repair our troubledschool system. It has taken nearlytwo decades to reach this currentstate of disrepair and poor perfor-mance. Climbing back will requiredeeper participation and commitmentfrom all of our community leader-ship, as well as time and resources

from our entire community, andperhaps giving authority instead ofsimply responsibility to our school

board. And families and civic leaderswho may have long ago moved theirown children into area private schoolsalso need to understand that a publicsystem circling the drain will impactthem as well. Just ask folks in Clay-ton County.

Bill Crane also serves as a politicalanalyst and commentator for Channel 2s

Action News, WSB-AM News/Talk 750and now 95.5 FM, as well as a columnist

forThe Champion, Champion Free PressandGeorgia Trend. Crane is a DeKalbnative and business owner, living in Scott-dale. You can reach him or comment on acolumn [email protected].

Advice for the DeKalb School Board

The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 Page 5AOpinion

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 Page 6ACommunity


DeKalb County residentswill have the opportunity tohave a say in the future ofgarbage pickup.

The DeKalb County San-

tation Department is hold-ng public meetings, Lets

Talk Trash, across thecounty to discuss the futureof garbage pickup. BurkeBrennan, the countys chiefcommunications ofcer,aid the discussion is about

whether to reduce garbagepickup from two days aweek to one day a week.

This is coming at thebehest of a need to raiseates, he said. What wererying to attain is the opin-on of our customers be-

cause we havent had a ratencrease for sanitation in aong time.

According to a presen-ation at Scottdale Senior

Center on Jan. 10, potentialolutions include keepinghe trash pickup at two days

and increasing the fee by$40 per year. The number ofrucks picking up trash willemain the same and largetem collection will remainhe same.

The other solution isdecreasing trash pickup toone day a week with the fee

emaining the same. Largetem collection would alsotay the same, and fewerrucks would be on the road,

which would reduce wearand tear on the streets.

We need to nd outfrom the community whichway to go, Brennan said.

Brennan added the costof doing business has ex-ceeded the revenue thatcomes into the county.

Everything has goneupthe cost of materials,he cost of trucks, the cost

of operating the facilities,he said. However, the ratesfor sanitation have remainedhe same for several years.

DeKalb County is oneof the few counties that has

two-day-a-week pick up.If you ask people about

our sanitation divisionthey love the two a week,Brennan said. We are try-ing to provide a means to

a method that we have ourpriorities aligned with ourcustomers.

The public meetings willbe taking place up to Feb. 2.Meetings will take place atthe following locations:

Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at St.Timothy United Meth-odist Church, 5365Memorial Drive, StoneMountain

Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. atEastlake Family YMCA,275 E Lake BoulevardSE, Atlanta

Jan. 23 at 12:15 p.m. atNorth DeKalb SeniorCenter, 5238 PeachtreeRoad, Atlanta

Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. atTorah Day School ofAtlanta, 1985 LaVistaRoad NE, Atlanta

Jan. 26 at 9:30 a.m. atthe Maloof Auditorium,1300 Commerce Drive,Decatur

Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m.at Cedar Grove HighSchool, 2360 RiverRoad, Ellenwood

Feb. 2 at 9 a.m. at Cha-pel Hill Middle Schoolin Decatur

For more information, call(404) 371-3689.

ChampionoftheWeek

if you would lke to nomnate someone to be onsdered as a future

champon of the Week, please ontat Kathy Mthell at

[email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 104.

Paul Mitchell

Paul Mitchell said hesenjoyed construction andhome repair since he wasa youth. In fact, he recallsbeing part of a maintenancecrew as a 14-year-old sum-mer camper. I loved it, hesaid.

With his interest and skillin the area of home repair,Mitchell decided that he wasan ideal match for DecatursMartin Luther King Jr. Ser-

vice Project, conducted an-nually on Martin Luther King

Jr. Day weekend. Volunteerswork in teams making re-pairs and improvements at

the homes of low-incomesenior residents in Decatur.

I just contacted themand said Id like to help, herecalled.

Ive been involved incommunity projects beforeand give to a number ofcharities, but Ive never beeninvolved at this level before.Its a great benefit to thehomeowners we work with.Most of them dont have theknowledge to make theserepairs themselves and theycant afford to hire a profes-sional. Theyre really grate-ful for the work we do.

Its nice to give to char-ity, but theres somethingreally special about havinga one-on-one relationship

with the people yourehelping. Youre able to seefirsthand the difference

youre making in their lives,he said, adding that this

years plan includes buildingfour ramps to make homes

wheelchair accessible.Mitchells work with the

MLK Service Project led tohis being selected as one ofcitys Hometown Heroesfor 2012. The HometownHeroes program honorsDecatur residents who

work hard, often behind thescenes, to make the com-munity a better place to liveand work.

Lee Ann HarveyofVolunteer! Decatur said thatMitchell has been an invalu-able asset because in addi-

tion to being dedicated andhardworking, he has profes-sional skills in all aspects ofhome repair and renova-

tion. Moreover, she said,he has people skills needed

to organize volunteers andwork with homeowners.He helps the seniors feel

comfortable with what theproject will do for them and

with the volunteers who willwork on their homes, shesaid.

In 2010, Mitchell joinedthe leadership committeeand has served as projectchairman for two years, ac-cording to Harvey. In thatrole, he assesses the work

to be done at all of thehomes and develops reportsfor the committee to reviewdoing in-depth assessmentson between 25 and 40homes, depending on thenumber of applicants.

Harvey said that Mitchellhas served on the board forseveral years and has takenon a number of administra-

tive duties, as well as grantwriting and other fundraisingduties for the MLK Project.

He works with the op-erations committee to assign

the appropriately skilledhouse captains to each of

the selected homes. Pauloversees material purchases,

tool rentals and oversees allaspects of the project. I cant

think of anyone who doesmore work as a volunteer

than he does, she said.

Its almost time for the biggest games of the season. Dont miss outon all of the game-day highlights in next weeks Sports section.

Complete the subscripon form below to start your subscripon. One Year (52 issues) at just $39.00.

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Sanitation Department hostingmeetings over potential cut in services

Former DeKalb County com-missioner Connie Stokes givesa presentation about the futureof garbage pickup in DeKalbto senior citizens at ScottdaleSenior Center. Photos by CarlaParker

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 Page 7ACommunity

dEcaturSlide presentation class offered

Those interested in learning how tocreate a simple slide show can attendhe Flat Shoals Librarys presentation

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 BasicsTuesday, Jan. 22, 2-3:30 p.m.

Mouse, typing skills and some ex-perience with Windows are required.Registration is now open and is avail-able to the first six applicants. The FlatShoals Library is located at 4022 FlatShoals Pkwy., Decatur. For more infor-mation, call (404) 244-4370.

Weight-loss program announced

A weight-loss challenge supportgroup meets at Rainbow Park Baptist

Church every Thursday at 7 p.m. be-ginning Jan. 17. Rainbow Park BaptistChurch is located at 2941 ColumbiaDrive, Decatur. For more information,call Phyllis at (404) 692-3454.

doraViLLEFinancial education series to starthis month

The Doraville Library on Saturday,Jan. 19, starts a financial education se-ies that will continue through April. The

series is designed to teach participantshow to improve their financial profiles.

Conducted byAlexander

Sanabria of Primerica, the four-partseries begins with a presentation onnsurance, 2-3 p.m. Later presentationswill cover investments, avoiding creditraps and taxes.

The Doraville Library is located at3748 Central Ave., Doraville. For morenformation, call (770) 936-3852.

dunWoodYPaving, resurfacing planned for Mt.Vernon Road

The city of Dunwoody will conductadditional paving and resurfacing of Mt.

Vernon Road between Ashford Dun-woody Road and the citys border withSandy Springs. The road work is tenta-ively scheduled to begin in the spring

of 2013.City officials anticipate the road

work will take place over a one towo-day period when temperatures

are warmer. The repaving work will beperformed by the contractor at no costo the city.

Dunwoody officials will alert nearbyesidents and neighborhoods on the

dates and times for the road work re-pairs once they are scheduled with thecontractor.

For more information regarding thecity of Dunwoody, contact Bob Mul-

en, marketing and public relationsdirector, at (678) 382-6700 or [email protected].

Real estate veteran elected to Cen-tral Perimeter CID board

John V. Barton II, senior vice presi-

dent and managing director of ParkwayProperties Inc., has been elected to theboard of the Central (DeKalb) PerimeterCommunity Improvement District.

The Perimeter Community Improve-ment Districts (PCIDs), composed ofboth the Central (DeKalb) and FultonPerimeter CIDs, are special areas es-tablished by the state legislature wherecommercial property owners voluntarilypay additional property taxes to helpmake transportation and other infra-structure improvements.

DeKalb PCID board chairman JohnHeagynoted, John Barton will cer-tainly bring a unique perspective to ourboard given his experience with otherhigh quality mixed use markets around

the country.John represents one of Atlantas

premier Class A office owners andbrings a wealth of experience to theboard, said Bob Voyles, immediatepast chair of the DeKalb PCID Boardand one of the organizations founders.

We are honored to have John onthe DeKalb PCID Board, said PCIDsPresident and CEOYvonne Williams.He will be an asset on the leadershipteam as we undertake major initiativesnext year.

Barton serves as managing direc-tor for Parkways portfolios in Atlanta,Philadelphia, Nashville, Memphis andJackson, Miss., which comprise ap-proximately 8.3 million rentable square

feet of wholly owned, joint venture andthird-party office buildings.

In the DeKalb perimeter market,Parkway owns and manages the17-story Ravinia Two office building off

Ashford Dunwoody Road containing437,846 rental square feet of space.

Barton, who has 17 years of com-mercial real estate experience, also hasserved as senior asset manager forParkways Atlanta and Richmond andHampton Roads, Va., portfolios as wellas asset manager for the companysNashville and Knoxville, Tenn., port-folios. He and his leasing teams haveconsummated several million rentablesquare feet of leases, including Auto-

Trader and Cox Communications in the

Perimeter market.

Workshop provides money-savingtips through couponing

Valerie Hoff, 11 Alive anchor,money saving expert and aSavings.com DealPro, will teach atwo-hour grocery coupon workshop.

Attendees will be taught how toshop with coupons using strategiccouponing and menu planningtechniques and achieve savings of 50percent or more.

The workshop will be Jan. 24, 11a.m.-1 p.m.

Topics to be discussed in the work-shop include:

Strategic grocery shopping: Learnhow to avoid common marketing trapsat the grocery store and shop smarter.

Realistic couponing: See exactlyhow coupons work, how you can usethem to save at least 50 percent onyour groceries, understand your storespolicies, and keep coupons orga-nized.

Meal planning made simple: Getpractical help with how to plan yourmenu to save the most money whileproviding healthy meals for your family.

Participants will receive a workbookfor note-taking during the workshopwhich will be at the Marcus JewishCommunity Center of Atlanta at ZabanPark (MJCCA), 5342 Tilly Mill Road,Dunwoody.

The cost of the event is $15 forMJCCA members and $20 for non-members.

For more information, contact IlanaSchlam at (678) 812-3727 or [email protected].

LitHonia

Event to combine needlework,movie watching

Knitters, crocheters, quilters andembroiderers are invited to watch anepisode ofRootsas they work on theirlatest pieces Monday, Jan. 28, at theSalem-Panola Librarys Threading YourRoots program. The event is 6-8 p.m.

The Salem-Panola Library is locatedat 5137 Salem Road, Lithonia. For

more information, call (770) 987-6900.Stonecrest Library hosts spokenword event

The Stonecrest Library in Lithonia,located at 3123 Klondike Road, ishosting an event centered on musicand poetry Jan. 19, 2-3:30 p.m.

The event, titled The Power ofMusic and Poetry, will feature spokenword and musical performances by lo-cal performance group H.Y.P.E.

Activities will also include a youthdiscussion panel, centered on honor-ing your legacy, loving yourself andfinding you voice, a press release stat-eds.

For more information call (770) 482-3828 or visit the library branch.

stonE Mountain

Businesses benefit from in-creased holiday patrols

Officials from the Stone MountainCommunity Improvement District (CID)believe new data shows the positiveinfluence of public safety patrols duringthe holiday season.

Plaza Security, a contracted securitycompany, increased safety patrols inDecember, under the direction of theCID.

Vulcan Safety Shoes benefited fromthe CIDs security presence. The com-pany sought assistance after a show-room break-in and the detection ofsuspicious activities in a locked parkingarea.

The CID immediately stepped upthe security patrols in our area, saidVulcan representative Wayne Brooks.Early one morning, a suspiciousperson was observed parked in ouremployee parking lot. The officer con-fronted this person, registered his tagnumber and advised him to move on. Ifirmly believe this was a deterrent to thethreat we encountered.

Plaza Security CEO Jim Estlundsaid it is probable that incidents againstcommercial properties, employees andpatrons were prevented when suspi-cious persons were diverted from CIDbusinesses.

Possibly as many as a quarter ofthose unexpected visitors were seeking

opportunities to engage in some formof criminal behavior, Estlund said. Theholiday season is a time when somebecome desperate, and unfortunatelyunsuspecting businesses and individu-als become their targets. Our objectiveis to provide a solid presence that de-ters all forms of crime.

During the week before Christ-mas, officers recorded the followingincidents: 143 business checks, twosuspicious persons, two suspiciousvehicles, two open doors at businessesand one motorist assist.

During the week of Christmas, therewere 188 business checks, 77 illegallyplaced signs removed, nine suspiciouspersons, four suspicious vehicles, two

motorist assists, one false alarm andone stolen vehicle.CID-funded security and off-duty

DeKalb County police officers providecontinual, daily public safety patrols.

For more information about all CIDefforts, please contact CID PresidentEmory Morsberger at (770) 409-8100or [email protected].

aroundDEKALB

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Emorys Carlos Museum offers

affordable glimpse at ancient art

Emory Universitys Michael C.Carlos Museum is consideredone of the Southeasts premierancient art museums. Someitems in its collection were

acquired more than a centuryago. Photos by John Hewitt


Some of the collections inEmory Universitys MichaelC. Carlos Museum were ac-quired more than 135 yearsago in 1876, when a generalmuseum was created on theuniversitys original campusn Oxford, Ga.

Over the years the mu-eum collected artifacts from

uch places as ancient Egypt,Nubia, Near East, Greece,Rome, ancient Americas,Asia, Latin America andAfrica. It is considered oneof the Southeasts premierancient art museums.

In addition to presentingexhibitions throughout theyear, the museum operatesa teaching library and con-ervation center and peri-

odically publishes scholarlycatalogues. The museum alsoplaces great importance onpromoting interdisciplinaryeaching and research. It also

develops educational pro-grams for the university andcommunity.

Priyanka Sinha, CarlosMuseum director of com-munications and marketingat the museum, said the mu-eums website includes a

database of more than 1,200mages and text captions forhe public to access.

Sinha said the museumworks across disciplineso develop its exhibitions.

The museum recently heldan exhibit titled For I am

he Black Jaguar: ShamanicVisionary Experience in An-cient American Art, whichan from Sept. 8, 2012 Jan.

6, 2013. Sinha said the ex-

hibit was the result of EmoryProfessor and Faculty Cura-tor of the Art of Americas Dr.Rebecca Stone collaboratingwith experts from many dif-ferent elds.

Stone worked with an-thropologists, ofcials fromthe Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention (CDC)and marine biologists tocontextualize the meaningsof objects presented in the

exhibit.Many shamans usedmind-altering plants to en-hance their experiences; thisis why Stone worked withthe CDC. Additionally, manywere believed to have hadmystical connections or ex-

periences with animals, soStone worked with animalexperts.

The museums extensivecollection of ancient andclassic art, Sinha said, alsoenables students to experi-ence the things theyre study-ing rsthand.

People are looking intomaterial cultures of civiliza-tions and different societiesso students from all acrossthe board from Emoryarthistory, politics medicineanthropologyare able touse these primary sources,Sinha said.

Over the years, Sinha saida students perspective maychange as he or she is do-ing research but the museumgives them the opportunityto always go back to thesource.

In February, the museumwill be reopening its Artof the Americas collection,which will also now includeart of the early North Ameri-

can.Recently, the museum

acquired new Egyptian, Af-rican and Asian objects. Inspring 2013 it will not have aspecial exhibition but insteadwill switch out some of theolder objects on display withsome of the museums morerecently acquired objects.

For more information visitwww.carlos.emory.edu.

IMPORTANTANNOUNCEMENT

DEKALBCOUNTYHUMAN&COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENTMULTIFAMILYAPPLICATION

WORKSHOP

BeginningFebruary

11,

2013,

the

DeKalb

County

Human

&

CommunityDevelopmentDepartmentwillacceptapplicationsfor

gapfinancingformultifamilyhousingprojects. Anapplication

workshopisscheduledtoprovideinformationregardingthe

applicationprocess.

ApplicationWorkshop

Thursday,February7,2013at11:00AM

DecaturLibraryAuditorium

215SycamoreStreet

Decatur,GA

InformationContact: MaryColbertat4042863308or

[email protected]

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nEWs BriEfsMETROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Notice o Public Hearings Jan. 22 & 24, 2013Notice is hereby given that the Board o Directors o the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)

will hold public hearings or the purpose o considering

Proposed Bus Service Modifcations or April 20, 2013Proposed routing and/or adjustments or the ollowing bus routes:

Route 6 Emory: Realign services to operate a shortturn alignment rom Lindbergh Station to the NorthDecatur and Oxord Roads trafc circle (roundabout) andcontinue operation rom Lindbergh Station to Inman Park/Reynoldstown Station via alternating trips on weekdaysonly. Saturday and Sunday services remain unchangedand will continue to operate between Lindbergh Stationand Inman Park/Reynoldstown Station all trips.

Route 15 South DeKalb/Candler Road: Realignservices with an extension along River Road and LinecrestRoad segments and discontinue the Ridgetop Drive,Lincolndale Drive and Clevemont Court segments in theEast Glen subdivision.

Route 21 Memorial Drive: Realign services to dis-continue direct service to King Memorial Station inbound to

Georgia State Station. Route 21 would continue to providedirect service to King Memorial Station outbound romGeorgia State Station only.

Route 51 Joseph E. Boone Blvd. /Dixie Hills: Realign services to maintain current routing to New JerseyAvenue and Joseph E. Boone Blvd., which will be the newterminus or Route 51 with the exception o the selectedtrips that operate via Collier Heights Apartments. Thesegments along Aurora Avenue, Morehouse Drive, MorrisBrown Avenue and Wadley Street will be discontinued.The segments along Anderson Avenue, Tiger FlowersDrive, Carver Drive, Hyacinth Avenue, Verbena Street andPenelope Street will be assumed by modifcations to Route67-West End.

Route 67 West End: Realign services to operate

a one way loop rom West Lake Station that assumessegments rom Route 51-Joseph E. Boone Blvd. /DixieHills and restructure o current services provided by Route67. The new realignment would operate as ollows romWest Lake Station: Right-Anderson Avenue, Let-WaterburyDrive, Right-Anderson Avenue, Let-Tiger Flowers Drive,Let-Carver Drive, Right-Hyacinth Avenue, Let-Verbena

Street, Right-Penelope Street, Let-Aaron Street, Right-Penelope Road, and Right-Anderson Avenue returningto West Lake Station. The segment along Verbena Streetbetween Waterbury Drive and Chenault Place and alongChenault Place will be discontinued.

Route 86 Fairington Road/McAee Road:Realign services to operate a short turn alignment romGRTA Panola Road Park and Ride Lot to the I-20 AccessRoad and Old Hillandale Drive on all service days duringthe hours that the Mall at Stonecrest is closed.

Route 95 Metropolitan Parkway/Hapeville:Discontinue operation along the S. Central Avenue andTradeport Blvd. segments. All trips will terminate at KingArnold Street and Sunset Avenue with the exception o thetrips that provide direct service to Atlanta Technical and

Atlanta Metropolitan Colleges.Route 110 Peachtree Street The Peach: Realign services to provide alternating trips between FivePoints and Lenox Stations and Arts Center and Lenox Sta-tions during the hours o 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM on all servicedays. Service between Arts Center and Five Points Stationswill be discontinued beore 9:00 AM and ater 8:00PM.

Route 172 Sylvan Road/Virginia Avenue:Realign services to assume the S. Central Avenue andTradeport Blvd. segments discontinued by Route 95 Metropolitan Parkway/Hapeville on selected trips onweekdays and Saturdays only. Service along this segmentwill not be provided on Sundays.

Route 186 Rainbow Drive/South DeKalb:Realign services with an extension along Wesley Chapel

Road, Snapfnger Woods Drive, E. Wesley Chapel Roadreturning to Snapfnger Woods Drive, which will be thenew terminus or Route 186. Service along the PleasantWood Drive and Eastside Drive segments will be providedinbound rom the Snapfnger Woods Drive terminus in theAM and outbound beore terminating at Snapfnger WoodsDrive in the pm until 9:00 pm on all service days.

Copies o the proposed bus service modifcations will also beavailable at MARTAs Ofce o External Aairs, 2424 PiedmontRoad, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30324 during regular business hours,Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For ormats (FREE o charge) in accordance with the ADA andLimited English Profciency regulations contact (404) 848-4037.For those patrons requiring urther accommodations, inormationcan be obtained by calling the Telephone Device or the Dea (TDD)at 404 848-5665.

In addition, a sign language interpreter will be avail-able at all hearings. I you cannot attend the hearings andwant to provide comments you may: (1) leave a message at(404) 848-5299; (2) write to MARTAs Ofce o External A-

airs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30324-3330; (3)complete an online Comment Card at www.itsmarta.com; (4) orax your comments no later than January 27, 2013 to (404)848-4179.

All citizens o the City o Atlanta and the counties o Fulton,DeKalb, Clayton and Gwinnett whose interests are aected by thesubjects to be considered at these hearings are hereby notifedand invited to appear at said times and places and present suchevidence, comment or objection as their interests require.

Keith T. Parker, AICP General Manager/CEO

Tuesday, Jan. 22 Thursday, Jan. 242424 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, 30324

MARTA Headquarters7:00 p.m.

Community Exchange: 6-7p.m.

Riding MARTA: Across the street from

Lindbergh Center Station.

1300 Commerce Dr, Decatur, 30030

Maloo Auditorium7:00 p.m.


Riding MARTA: Walk one block west of

Decatur Rail Station.

3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr, SW

Adamsville Rec Cntr7:00 p.m.


Riding MARTA: Route 73 from

H.E. Holmes Station.

Key witness inschool corruptiontrial dies

by Andrew Cauthen

[email protected]

A key witness in theacketeering trial against for-

mer DeKalb County SchoolSuperintendent CrawfordLewis has died.

The funeral ofCointa A.Moody, of Decatur, was heldan. 8, at New Mercies Chris-ian Church in Lilburn, wherehe was a minister. Moody

was 50.Moody was a witness in

he trial in which Lewis, hisformer construction chief

Patricia Reid and Reids ex-husband Tony Pope are beingharged with conspiring to

defraud the DeKalb CountySchool District (DCSD) ofapproximately $2.4 millionhrough illegal contracts

from several district projects,ncluding Columbia and Mc-

Nair high schools and the dis-ricts central ofce complex

on Mountain Industrial Roadn Stone Mountain.

Reid allegedly used herole as the districts construc-ion chief to award contractso then husband Pope, an

architect who worked for thechool system. According to

ofcials and court documents,Lewis signed off on contractsand knowingly participated inhe conspiracy.

Lewis, who was termi-nated in 2010 after a 33-yearareer with the school district,

and Reid also are chargedwith taking tickets fromontractors to professional

and college sporting events,hows and balls.

Moody, Reids secretary,was originally charged with

four counts of racketeeringand theft by a governmentmployee.

Those charges weredropped last year when thease was re-indicted and

Moody agreed to become awitness against her Lewis,Reid and Pope.

The trial is scheduled tobegin April 15 and could takehree weeks.

County winstechnology

nnovationshowcase award

TheDeKalb County Infor-mation Technology Depart-

ment received the TechnologyInnovation Showcase Awardfrom Governing Technology(GT) at the 2012 GeorgiaDigital Summit that was heldin December.

This technology innova-tion award exemplies theprogress that we are makingin DeKalb County as we con-tinue to implement innovativeinformation technology solu-tions to improve the Countysservices to its citizens,DeKalb CEO BurrellEllissaid.

GTs Technology Innova-tion Showcase is a forumdesigned to share ideas, expe-riences and lessons learned,and recognize outstandingefforts in both state and localgovernments. DeKalb Countywas recognized for the imple-mentation of upgrades to theiasWorld Tax Billing andCollection Systems, which isa product of Tyler Technolo-gies.

The DeKalb County TaxBilling and Collection Systemhad resided on the countysmainframe platform for manyyears, but the mainframehardware and software wereno longer supported. In ad-dition, the old system waslacking functionality andthe ability to integrate with

other systems according to arelease.The project was estimated

to be a 24 to 30-month effort,but Tyler Technologies andthe DeKalb Tax Commis-sioners Ofce and Informa-tion Technology Department-implemented the tax billingand collection module aheadof schedule, completing a keycomponent of Tyler Technol-ogies appraisal and propertytax solution. The implementa-tion of the Tyler Technolo-gies application will enhanceDeKalb Countys ability toaccurately assess propertyvalues.

The project paves the wayfor additional enhancementsthat will improve efciencyand functionality, accordingto JohnMatelski, chief in-formation ofcer and directorof the countys informationtechnology department.

During the rst quarter of2013, we should have the ap-

praisal and property tax sys-tem integrated with DeKalbsGIS system, which will en-able citizens to access accu-

rate property data, maps andimages at their convenience,Matelski said.

7/29/2019 Free Press 1-18-13

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by Andrew [email protected]

It boils down to a cul-de-ac.

Gravel has been deliv-red and orange construction

fencing installed at the siteof a proposed subdivision inNorth Druid Hills as residentsprepare for the next battle ina decade-old ght against adevelopment.

Approximately 150 resi-dents of the community at-ended what was called anemergency neighborhood

meeting Jan. 10 to get up-dates on what they calledimproper permits granted

for the proposed, four-acredevelopment in the historicdistrict.

In 2004, Robert H. Buck-er and Anthony McCullar

bought three lots on CliftonRoad directly adjacent toBurbanck Park with plans toell them after subdividingnto seven lots, ranging fromwo-thirds to four-tenths of

an acre. The development

would require a cul-de-sac ina historic neighborhood withnone.

The property is located inhe historic Druid Hills which

was designed by renownedandscape architect Freder-ck Law Olmsted, who also

designed Central Park in NewYork and the grounds of theBiltmore Estate in Asheville,N.C. The community is listedon the National Register ofHistoric Places.

The subdivision was theonly one designed by Ol-msted in the South and itwas the last subdivision hedesigned anywhere, saidBruce MacGregor, presidentof the Druid Hills Civic As-ociation, which represents

4,000 households.It does not have any cul-

de-sacs in it, MacGregorsaid. The planning and streetlayout is the reason its ofnational importance, not thehouses, although the housesare important secondarily. Ifevery house in the neighbor-hood burned it would still behistorically signicant.

In November 2012, theBoard of Commissionersvoted to approve the appealof Buckler and McCullar andreverse the decision of thecountys Historic Preserva-tion Commission which de-nied the two property ownersa certicate of appropriate-ness for a proposed faadeof a retention pond wall andfence required by the county.

A certicate of appropri-ateness is a document statingthat the proposed work isappropriate for the historicdistrict.

Its so bizarre, Mac-Gregor said. The man got acerticate of appropriatenesswhich is required in order to

get a land disturbance permitfor two very minor, innocu-ous itemsgranite facing ona retention pond and a chain-link fence. Somehow thatmorphed into a full develop-ment permit for an entire sub-division.

County ofcials issued aland disturbance permit inDecember, which gave Buck-ler permission to construct aroad into the subdivision.

In July 2012, Buckler andpartner Anthony McCullarsued Ellis and two planningdepartment members over theland displacement permit.

At the time, Buckler saidthe lawsuit was led becausethey wont let us put a cul-de-sac on our property.

The lawsuit was droppedDec. 19, according to courtrecords.

On Dec. 28, commission-ers Jeff Rader and KathieGannon led an appeal of theland disturbance permit withthe DeKalb County Board ofZoning Appeals. Three dayslater, the Historic Preserva-tion Commission sent a letterto the DeKalb County CEOBurrell Ellis and the Boardof Commissioners, voicing itsconcern about the develop-ment of the property.

The Druid Hills Civic As-sociation, along with someconcerned residents, led asimilar appeal on Jan. 2 whileother residents began collect-ing signatures on a petitionasking that the county rescindthe land use permit.

On Jan. 5, a stop work or-der was posted at the CliftonRoad site.

On Jan. 15, DeKalb Coun-ty spokesman Burke Bren-nan said the stop work orderwas lifted in the past coupleof days.

This project has been thesource of some lengthy de-

bate, Brennan said. Therewas an appeal made to theBoard of Commissioners ofa portion of work to be donethat not being litigated. Thecounty found no basis to denythe appeal.

After an outcry by resi-dents, the county pledged togo back and review its work,Brennan said. During thatreview a stop work order wasissued.

The county never intendedfor the work to be halted for along time, Brennan said.

MacGregor said DruidHills representatives metwith Ellis staff Jan. 7 and

presented copies of [legal]cases that were on point asto why the permit should not

be issued, and we gave themcode citations about why itshould not be issued, and weexplained the process thatshould have happened.

We believe the code andthe law and the court rulingssupport our position, Mac-Gregor said.

A petition signed by ap-

proximately 100 people asksthe CEO to revoke the permit,

which we believe was issuedimproperly and to investi-gate the circumstances underwhich the permit was issuedin the rst place, MacGregorsaid.

The administration hasmade an administrative er-ror and it can easily be xedadministratively and weveasked them to do that, hesaid.

During the past decade,there have been 10 lawsuitsagainst the development.

The owner has lost all 10lawsuits, MacGregor said.

This has been a long dif-cult road and its been ex-

pensive for us, MacGregorsaid. People are very upsetthat were having to exhaustour treasury and spend thisincredible amount of energyto get the county to do thingsit should have done in therst place. Neighborhoodsshould not have to x thecountys mistakes on theirown nickel and on their owntime.

Buckler could not be

reached for this story.

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Stop work order lifted for Druid Hills subdivision

After receiving county permission to begin work on a controversial project, a developer was ordered to stop his work in the North Druid Hills neighborhood. The order hasow been lifted. Photos by Andrew Cauthen.

7/29/2019 Free Press 1-18-13

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LITHONIA, Ga. (AP)The Mall at Stonecrest has

become the latest shoppingvenue in metro Atlanta toace debt issues that mayeave it vulnerable to fore-losure.

Fitch Ratings reportshat a loan backed by part

of the Lithonia mall is nowheld by a company thathelps rms work out of debtrouble. TheAtlanta Jour-

nal-Constitution reports themove will not affect malloperations. The shoppingacility opened in 2001 and

was seen as a boost to theconomy in south DeKalb

County.In its report, Fitch Rat-

ngs said the loan trans-erred to a special servicer

had a balance of nearly $99million and faced imminentdefault.

Stonecrest is owned bya joint venture that includesForest City Enterprises inCleveland, Ohio. Stone-rests general manager,

PatriciaElmoreEdge,did not return calls seekingomment.

On Jan. 7, Forest City

eleased the following state-ment about the StonecrestMall:

Like other retail cen-ers across the country, the

Mall at Stonecrest has beenmpacted by the sluggishconomy and housing fore-losure.

Despite this, the prop-rty is very well positioned

with a quality tenant mix,and strong, signature na-ional department stores andn-line retailers, accordingo the statement. The mallurrently has a securitized

mortgage and we are work-ng through a normal pro-ess to restructure the loan.

We and our partner fullyxpect to reach an amicableolution with the lender.

This process will have nompact on shoppers or ten-

ants and it is business-as-usual at the mall.

Lithonia MayorDeborahJackson called the mallsproblems disturbing news.

My concern is that itsone of the economic enginesn the area, so we wouldnt

want to see it closed or dras-ically reduced, Jacksonaid.

Malls around the coun-ry of that nature have had

some economic challenges,Jackson said. Its not

unique to Stonecrest appar-ently.The mall is the latest in

Georgia to face nancialtrouble since the Great Re-cession. Since 2008, therehave been more than 70mall foreclosures nation-

ally. In Georgia, the Gwin-nett Place Mall went into

foreclosure last year after itsloan went to a workout rm.The loan on Southlake Mallin Morrow last year went tothe same workout rm thatis holding the Stonecrestloan. Fulton Countys UnionStation Mall was foreclosed

Stonecrest Mall in DeKalbfaces debt trouble

georgiapower.com

I HAVE A __________How you fill in the blank is up to you. Because Dr. King had a dream,our options are infinite. Theres no greater testament to his life and

work, than using this holiday to pursue them.

Please visit our Facebook page to view pictures of community service

projects posted by Georgia Power, or to upload your own.

See Stonecrest on Page 14A

7/29/2019 Free Press 1-18-13

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Eli Tabb, paralyzed in an October 2012 accident, is hoping for afull recovery. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

Community helps man copewith paralysis after accidentby Andrew [email protected]

Twenty-year-old Stone

Mountain resident EliTabbdoesnt remember muchabout being hit by a car whileattempting to cross Law-enceville Highway in Oc-ober 2012. The incident left

him paralyzed from the waistdown.

Theres not much I canell you myself because I wasn a coma after it happened,

Tabb said.The Mississippi native re-

members pushing a crosswalkbutton and being hit by thear.

When I woke up, it wasweeks later, Tabb said. Theaccident injured his spine andpinal cord. I had lost 50

pounds and I couldnt movemy legs and my right sidewas pretty damaged. Thatspretty traumatic: waking upand seeing this skinny bodyall of sudden.

Tabb said he was not im-mediately bothered by hisparalysis: I was just like,Whats for dinner?

The emotional effects ofhe accident manifested when

he realized that a moving ve-

hicle smashed him, he said.I was in tearsI did that inecret. I didnt want anybodyo see me crying, but I was

pretty distraught.Tabb moved to Stone

Mountain two years ago af-er graduating high schooln Mississippi. He relocatedo Georgia to attend Oxford

College of Emory University,but never started because of aproblem with a grant he wasxpecting.

I just stuck around, Tabbaid.

He applied to GeorgiaState University but had -nancial aid issues there andater applied and was ac-epted to Georgia Perimeter

College.I was super excited,

Tabb said about registeringfor classes. Then I had myaccident.

Tabb spent two months inhe hospital and one month of

ve-days-a-week outpatientphysical therapy.

Everything in life, I hado relearn, he said. It tookt settling in and getting used

o and [realizing], OK, thiss my body. This is what I can

do. This is what I cant do.Recently, a website was

stablished, Friends for

Eli, to help raise money forTabbs medical expenses andday-to-day living costs. Atwww.friendsforeli.com, those

wishing to help Tabb can do-nate via credit card or PayPal.

Tucker residents remem-ber Elis smiling face fromthe drive-in window at Star-

bucks, or from the sandwichcounter at Roly Poly, saidNancyQarmout, owner ofRoly Poly of Tucker, whostarted the website. He hasgiven so much to the peoplearound him. Now its our turnto give to him.

I have lots and lots ofbills, Tabb said. Ive nevergotten so many bills. They

come from everywhere. Ohmy God, its overwhelming.Stone Mountain-based

Friends of Disabled Adultsand Children (FODAC) hasalso supported Tabbs recov-ery by supplying home medi-cal supplies to help with histransition from hospital andrehabilitation to home.

FODAC has been superhelpful, Tabb said. The or-ganization donated a shower

bench and a cushioned toiletseatnew necessities forTabb.

We got involved because

were very plugged in lo-cally to the community, saidChris Brand, FODACs

president.Brand said he learned of

Tabbs plight from Qarmout.We wanted to go up andabove because this is a localneed, he said. Eli has beenan inspiration to us all as hestrives to recover from thislife-changing event.

His story is like those ofso many of our clients, whond themselves with little orno insurance and dealing with

a devastating illness or injurythat happens suddenly andwithout warning, Brand said.

Tabb plans to major insign language, a skill thathelped him while he was hos-

pitalized.When I was in the hos-

pital, I had a tracheotomy,said Tabb, who has been sign-ing for ve years. I couldntspeak because I had the tubedown my throat. I communi-cated with one of the nursesthrough sign language andshe was able to interpret formy family.

It meant so much morewhen I could ask for waterinstead of pointing and writ-ing things down, he said.

Tabb got interested in

signing while working for afast food restaurant in Missis-sippi.

We had a few deaf cus-

tomers, Tabb said. I just feltlike I wasnt doing customerservice justice to not speaktheir language.

Tabb began learning signlanguage through online les-sons.

Eventually I was ableto take their orders with no

problem, he said. I thenwent from taking orders toconversations and from con-versations to teaching kids,tutoring them in English andenvironmental science atAtlanta Area School for the

Deaf (AASD) in Clarkston.At the time of his accident,Tabb was working at Star-

bucks and Roly Poly whilevolunteering two days a weekat AASD.

Before that, I was work-ing three jobs like a psycho,he said. I just like to stay

busy. Ive never been one tonot do anything.

Being sedentary since Oc-tober is probably the mostdifcult part of having hadthe accident, Tabb said.

Now I cant be at work,he said. Now I cant drive. I

cant go out and do anything,so thats probably the mostchallenging thing for me

personallyto nd things todo at home and to be content

with not running all over theplace.

Tabb said he has beenreading and watching TVquite a bit since the ac-cident. He also spends a lotof time conducting Internetsearches for local wheelchair-friendly restaurants and busi-nesses.

When I start going backout, I dont want to go to arestaurant with all my friends

there and theres no ramp,Tabb said. Thats denitely aworry.

Tabb said much of his timeis consumed with regular

daily activities that take moretime because of his disability.

All the things I used to beable to do, or that able-bodied

people can do so quickly, ittakes me so much more timeto do, Tabb said. Just mak-ing the bed usually takes along time. If I have to changethe sheets and put them in thelaundry, and put new sheetson, it usually takes about anhour.

Tabb is hopeful for a fullrecovery; he has regainedmobility in his right leg sinceleaving the hospital.

VisitAtlantasDeKalbCounty.c

om

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Holiday Inn Select Perimeter Center4386 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta, GA 30341

Call 770-492-5050 ext. 1181

Pre-registration is required

Saturday - February 9, 2013

FREE Family ReunionPlanning Workshop & Showcase

Host your Family Reunionin DeKalb County!

Workshop - 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Showcase - 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

7/29/2019 Free Press 1-18-13

13/24


Dunwoody Police to plungefor Special Olympics

Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance underthe current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests ofyour community to www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

DeKalb County Wants to Hear From YouRegarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewal

with Comcast Cable Communications

The Dunwoody Police De-partment will be participatingn the upcoming 2013 Polar

Plunge beneting SpecialOlympics Georgia.

This will be the depart-ments fourth consecutiveyear participating in the event,which raises funds and aware-

ness for the 23,000 athletesof Special Olympics Georgia.Several ofcers have eachpledged to raise $50 for theopportunity to plunge at Lani-r World.

Last year, the departmentaised more than $12,000.

The fourth annual PolarPlunge beneting SpecialOlympics Georgia will beheld Feb. 16 at Lake Laniersnew Lanier World at SunsetCove. Registration and activi-ies begin at 11 a.m. and the

plunge will take place at 2p.m.

All participants who raiseat least $50 can plunge intoLake Lanier and all proceedsgo to Special Olympics Geor-gia.

The department has cre-ated a Dunwoody PoliceDepartment team fundraisingpage on the Special Olympicswebsite and all plungers haveoined the team with their per-onal fundraising page.

The goal for the Dun-woody Police Departmenteam is to lead all police

departments in total fundsaised. For the past three

years, the department wasecognized as the largest lawnforcement fundraising team

for the polar plunge.As of Jan. 11, the depart-

ment had raised $2,950.To make a tax deductible

donation to the DunwoodyPolice team, go to www.rst-giving.com and type Dun-woody Police Department inhe search box. All donations

are tax-deductible.Residents interested in tak-

ng the plunge, can join theDunwoody Police team or

form their own teams.Visit the 2013 PolarPlunge website at http://www.pecialolympicsga.org/torch-un/events/polar-plunge/ for

complete details on the event.The Plunger Tool Kit linkexplains how to start a team.

To join the Dunwoody Po-lice team, select DunwoodyPolice Department 2013from the drop down list. Tostart another team, type inDunwoody Police Depart-

ment as the referring group.

Preceding the PolarPlunge, a golf tournament at

Lake Lanier is scheduled for

Feb. 15. To register for thegolf tournament, go to http://

dunwoodyga.gov/Libraries/

Police_Documents/PP_Golf_Registration.sb.ashx.

Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan led his department in raising$12,000 to benet Special Olympics Georgia last year.

Dunwoody Police personnel take the Polar Plunge in last years event. This year, the departmenthopes to be the top fundraising police department. Photos provided.

The Northeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with isolated snow today

through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 74 in Germantown, Md. The

Southeast will experience mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with a few showers

today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 83 in Ft. Myers, Fla. In the Northwest, there

will be mostly clear to partly cloudy skies today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of

52 in Colville, Wash. The Southwest will see mostly clear skies today through Saturday, with the

highest temperature of 77 in Fullerton, Calif.

Weather History

Jan. 17, 1990 - Twenty

cities across the southeastern

United States reported record

high temperatures for the

date. Record highs included

61 degrees at Williamstown,

Pa. and 85 degrees at

Brownsville, Texas.

Jan. 18, 1987 - A storm in the

south central United States

blanketed Oklahoma City

with eight inches of snow,

their highest total since 1948.

Snowfall totals in Oklahoma

reached up to 13 inches at Gage,

with drifts ve feet high.

Weather Trivia

Which type of cloud

produces lightning? ?Answer:Cumulonimbus.

Detailed Local Forecast

Today we will see cloudy skies with a 90%

chance of rain, high temperature of 46,

humidity of 81%. North wind 5 to 15 mph. The

record high temperature for today is 75 set in

1943. Expect cloudy skies tonight with a 30%

chance of rain, overnight low of 34.

THURSDAY

Rain LikelyHigh: 46 Low: 34

FRIDAYSunny

High: 52 Low: 33

SATURDAYMostly Sunny

High: 54 Low: 36

SUNDAYSunny

High: 55 Low: 33

MONDAYSunny

High: 52 Low: 34

TUESDAY

Mostly SunnyHigh: 54 Low: 32

WEDNESDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 51 Low: 35

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Sunrise

7:41 a.m.

7:41 a.m.

7:40 a.m.

7:40 a.m.

7:40 a.m.

7:39 a.m.

7:39 a.m.

Sunset

5:54 p.m.

5:55 p.m.

5:56 p.m.

5:57 p.m.

5:58 p.m.

5:59 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

Moonrise

11:08 a.m.

11:42 a.m.

12:18 p.m.

12:56 p.m.

1:37 p.m.

2:23 p.m.

3:11 p.m.

Moonset

Next Day

12:22 a.m.

1:18 a.m.

2:13 a.m.

3:07 a.m.

3:59 a.m.

4:48 a.m.

First

1/18

Full

1/26

Last

2/3

New

2/10

Last Week's Local Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 52 39 51/33 0.00"

Wednesday 65 50 51/33 0.00"

Thursday 68 58 51/33 0.06"

Friday 69 60 51/33 0.30"

Saturday 74 58 51/33 0.01"

Sunday 72 60 51/33 0.01"

Monday 65 48 51/33 0.56"

Rainfall. . . . . . . . 0.94" Average temp. . 59.9

Normal rainfall. . 1.12" Average normal 42.0

Departure . . . . . .-0.18" Departure . . . .+17.9

Local UV Index

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index

0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate,

6-7: High, 8-10: Very High,

11+: Extreme Exposure

The Champion Weather Jan. 17, 2013Seven Day Forecast Todays Regional Map

Tonights Planets

Rise Set

Mercury 7:49 a.m. 5:46 p.m.Venus 6:37 a.m. 4:32 p.m.

Mars 8:54 a.m. 7:28 p.m.

Jupiter 2:05 p.m. 4:11 a.m.

Saturn 1:58 a.m. 12:52 p.m.

Uranus 11:02 a.m. 11:13 p.m.

National Weather Summary This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Skinny Moon Debuts in Evening Sky

Have you noticed the sun setting just a tad bit later? December 7 was the earliest sunset, 4:35 p.m., for souls living at 40 degrees north latitude. We still havent gained that much

daylight since the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, but we are at least making the most progress at the correct time of the dayevening. Sunsets are now about 25

minutes later. Sunrises, on the other hand, are only three minutes earlier in comparison to the latest sunrise which occurred on January 4. The bottom line is that we still have

a long way to go before spring, even though I remain optimistic. At the beginning of the week, youll notice a scimitar-shaped waxing crescent moon hugging the SW horizon

about 45 minutes after sundown. The horseshoe shape of the moon always points to the location of the sun below the horizon, while the tilt of the horseshoe gives a good

approximation of the tilt of the moons orbital plane to the horizon. Bring binoculars along to help accent one of the most beautiful aspects of a young moon, earthshine. When the moon is near

its new phase, the Earth as viewed from the moon is nearly full. The Earth consumes 16 times the sky area of a full moon and reects light about ve times more efciently than the moon,

making Earth appear about 80 times brighter (5 x 16 = 80) in the moons sky than a full moon appears in our sky. Light reected from a nearly full Earth is reected back to us by the moon,

producing sufcient illumination on the dark face of the moon to allow the entire disk to be seen. This ashen light, earthshine, is also referred to as the old moon in the new moons arms.

Although Sunday through Tuesday will be the best time to catch the ashen light with the unaided eye, binoculars will still reveal its presence right through First Quarter (Friday) if conditions

are clear enough. More fun lunar observations next week or read ahead at www.astronomy.org...

Dunwoody44/33

Lilburn

45/34

Snellville

46/34Decatur

46/34

Morrow

47/34

Hampton

48/35

Union City

47/34

College Park

47/34

Atlanta

46/34

Doraville

45/34

Smyrna

45/34

Lithonia

47/34

7/29/2019 Free Press 1-18-13

14/24

Page 14A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013

Tucker parents honor daughters memory with nonprofit

Stonecrest Continued From Page 11A

by Andrew [email protected]

Norman Hayes of Tuckeraid his daughter was a very

giving child.He said it was in the

pirit of that kindness andhat kind heart that Livvys

Love, a nonprot organiza-ion that supports underprivi-eged youth, was formed in

September 2008 to honor thememory ofOlivia NicoleHayes, affectionately knowno family and friends as

Livvy.In August 2008, a school

bus carrying 10-year-old Ol-

via was hit by an armoredruck. Olivia died from hernjuries four days later.

Olivia, even though shewas 10 when she passedaway, got to participate in aot of activities, said Nikki

Hayes, Olivias mother.Olivia was a cheerleader

for an all-star travel squadand the month before herdeath she attended the Na-tional Youth Leadership Fo-rum in Washington, D.C.

All of these activities areactivities that cost money,said Nikki Hayes. We wantto give other children the op-

portunity to do some of thethings she was able to enjoy.

After the accident, theTucker community wasoverwhelmingly support-ive, Nikki Hayes said, andenlightened us just howmuch our daughter hadtouched so many people.

Livvys Love is a way for

us to continue to honor Oliviaand to keep her memory vi-able, Nikki Hayes said. Itsalso therapeutic and gives usa chance to do things for oth-er kids that we would havedone for her.

For the Hayeses, LivvysLove is a family affair with

son Norman II, a sophomoreat Harvard University, anddaughterKelsey, a seventh-grader at Tucker MiddleSchool, also helping out.

Both are very activeabout promoting the organi-zation to their peers, NikkiHayes said. Its a really neatthing to watch unfold.

Since 2008, Livvys Love,Inc. has raised approximately$12,000 to provide scholar-ships and various education-al, extracurricular, and com-munity involvement opportu-nities. The organization hassponsored tutorial programs,helped students prepare for

standardized tests, sponsoreda trip for cheerleaders to a na-tional convention and madecontributions to various othercharities.

Funds raised last yearfrom donations and the Liv-vys Love Fun Run/Walk sup-

ported two Olivia Hayes Me-

morial Scholarships, a needs-based scholarship sponsoredby the organization. Thisscholarship is awarded an-nually to a graduating seniorfrom Tucker High Schoolwho excels academically, isintrinsically motivated, hasa passion for serving oth-ers, and has demonstratedan exemplary ability to riseabove unusual challenges andobstacles while remainingfocused on pursuing educa-tional opportunities suitablefor a career dedicated to com-munity service, according tothe organizations website.

Proceeds also funded two

other scholarships and an At-lanta Hawks outing.

On Jan. 19, Livvys LoveInc. will host its second an-nual Livvys Love Fun Run/Walk at Stone MountainPark to raise funds to benetvarious youth developmentgrants and scholarships.

The run/walk will beginat 8 a.m. Participant check-in and on-site registration,which is $40 for individu-als and $20 for children ingrades K-5, will begin at 7a.m. Prizes will be rafedduring the event, includinga new iPad. There will besigns to direct participants tothe event site upon entry intoStone Mountain Park. Partici-

pants can register online atwww.livvyslovefunrunwalk.eventbrite .com. All registra-tions include a Livvys LoveRun/Walk T-shirt and onefree general rafe ticket.

Last year more than 500

participants registered for therun/walk.

Its going to be a lot offun, Nikki Hayes said. Itsa great way to start the newyear.

For more informationabout the organization, visitwww.livvysloveinc.org.

n 2010 and is now empty. At least three othermalls in Macon, Gainesville and Rome wereforeclosed on in recent years but still operate.

The spaces in Stonecrest owned by major ten-ants such as Dillards, Sears and JCPenney, areowned by the retail companies and are not part ofhe troubled loan.

While experts said nancial distress rarelyforces the closure of large malls, a turnaround

may require changes in stores, new marketingor cost cutting. Analysts said the collapse in thelocal housing market cut growth in DeKalb and

Rockdale counties, hurting the mall.It was built with the best intentions with theidea that it would do well, said JimBieri, a re-tail real estate expert with Stokas Bieri in Detroit.But the economy didnt continue that way.

The Lithonia mall is a project that was de-

veloped in the early 1980s when the economycould support it, but Jackson said now may be achance to rethink the mall concept.

Do we keep doing the same thing or is therea new opportunity? Jackson asked.

Champion writer Andrew Cauthen contirbut-ed to this story.

After their daughter Olivia was killed in a 2008 accident, Norman and Nikki Hayes formed Livvys Love, a nonprot that gives underprivileged children some of the opportu-nities the Hayeses would have given Olivia. Since 2008, the organization has raised more than $12,000 through a fun/run and other activities. Photos by Travis Hudgons

7/29/2019 Free Press 1-18-13

15/24


MLKContinued From Page 1A

electrical, plumbing, oor and roof repairs, andmore.

We had a home the second year of the proj-ect that had a re and it had knocked out theelectrical system in the home, Harvey said. Sowe had to have an electrician come in the homeand rewire the entire house.

Harvey said they also do a lot of weatheriza-tion to the homes to help the homeowners reduceutility bills.

We also build a lot of handicap ramps be-cause some of the seniors use walkers or wheel-

chairs and cant get in their homes because theyarent able to, Harvey said.

The project has grown from 100 volunteersin 2003 to 1,300 volunteers participating in lastyears project. There is a minimum age of 12years old to volunteer.

Its 12 unless they are coming with a Boy

Scout or Girl Scout troop, Harvey said. Theyneed to make advance arrangements with us forthat because we need the parents consent.

Harvey said it is important to help seniorcitizens because they are the foundation of the

Decatur community.Theyve lived here 30, 40 years and theyve

made Decatur what it is today, she said. Theystarted neighborhood associations and they vol-unteered in the schools. Part of it is giving backto them for all that theyve given to the commu-nity.

It allows them to live in their house, as longas they want to, Mitchell added.

For more information about the project, visitwww.mlkserviceproject.com.

7/29/2019 Free Press 1-18-13

16/24


New Decatur mayor:

We cant continue to prosper ifDeKalb County doesnt prosper

Countys interim planningdirector quits after a year


City of Decatur commis-sionerJim Baskett is nowthe mayor of Decatur.

Baskett was elected may-or after former mayorBillFloyd resigned Jan. 7. Bas-kett was elected to the De-catur Board of Commissionin 1995 and served as mayor

pro tem from 2002-2012.Baskett, who praised Floydfor his 13 years of service asmayor, said he had felt pre-

pared to take over as mayor

for some time.I supported Bill, Bas-

kett said. Bill was a greatleader, a strong leader and

just what the city of Decaturneeded. But I feel I can dothe job.

The Stone Mountain na-tive, who studied social eth-ics and political thought atEmory University, said heran for a commission seat

because he felt like he had alot to offer to the city.

I thought I could pro-vide a lot of energy andexperience, he said. AndI especially had experiencewith budgeting.

A founder of the DeKalbLibrary Foundation, heserved as chair of theDeKalb County Library Sys-tem board of trustees wherehe gained his experiencewith budgeting.

The [Decatur] budgetat that time was not muchgreater than the budget Ihad been working with theDeKalb County Library, hesaid. So I felt that I camewith some knowledge of re-

sponsibility.Baskett is also a gradu-

ate of Leadership DeKalband the Regional Leader-ship Institute. He servedon the board of directors ofOur House Inc., LeadershipD