Odds & Ends

Wow - I cannot believe it's been 15 days since my last post.  That's the longest I've gone between posts since I started blogging four years ago.  I'll never be a threat to John Heneghan's record number of post in one year (in 2009, John had 534 posts.  My record is 131 in 2010). 
A lot has happened since my last blog.  Dunwoody real estate has caught fire, at least comparatively speaking.  I have two Dunwoody proper listings, and both went under contract.  One was under contract in less than two weeks, the other had multiple offers.  I also have a buyer under contract on a home in Dunwoody North.  And I even have an offer on my $1,200,000 listing on the Dunwoody side of Sandy Springs (click on photo above to view more pictures and listing details of this fabulous home on the Hooch).  Other agents are experiencing similar results.  Now if we can just get prices up!!!

Butterfly Festival

I went to my first Butterfly Festival at the Dunwoody Nature Center on Saturday and it was fabulous!  In 18 years living in Dunwoody, this is the first time I've attended.  Truth be told, I didn't even know the festival existed until DNC Executive Director Alan Mothner asked me if our All Saints' Knights of Columbus would volunteer to grill hot dogs and help as servers.  Alan - it was a lot of fun.  My guys estimated they grilled up almost 700 franks!

DeKalb Tax Bill Snafu

Oh, how I love DeKalb County.  Last year I filed an appeal of my property taxes.  Finally, in May of this year, I received a postal notification of my hearing.  The only problem was, I received it two days AFTER the hearing!
The hearing was rescheduled, and when I finally had my day in court (so to speak), I got $52,000 knocked off my assessment, and in the process froze my taxes for the next couple of years.
Well last week I received my tax bill for 2012, and lo and behold, the $52,000 had magically reappeared!  DeKalb tells me it was an error, and that my mortgage company will be notified.  Like I said, I love DeKalb County!

Bad Press for Dunwoody PD

It hasn't been a good week for the Dunwoody Police Department.  Chief Billy Grogan's staff is feeling the heat for not treating Andrea Sneiderman as a suspect in her late husband Rusty's murder right from the get-go.  The Atlanta Journal Constitution has called the department to task.
I remember when the murder happened, my neighbor blurted out, "you watch, the wife is involved."  Even he knew!  I'm not sure if the DPD handled this in the correct manner, but I'm willing to give the department a pass.  Dunwoody Police have done too much right to let this drag the department down. 

Bob - You Da Man

Finally, I'm tired or reading follow up comments on the Crier, the Patch, the Dunwoody Reporter and other blog sites slamming Bob Lundsten for going public on an executive session leak.  Here's a guy that's done more for the Dunwoody community than all of those nameless critics combined.  He was a past president of the DHA spending countless volunteer hours ensuring we had the best zoning possible (under DeKalb County), was responsible for lifesaving portable defibrillators in every Dunwoody Police car and was a large part of the creation of the Dunwoody Community Garden at Brook Run, which donates thousands of pounds of food to the needy every year.  Bob thanks for standing up for what you believe in and walking the walk.  I owe you a breakfast at Old Hickory House!

Dunwoody Paving Project

This week, the City will be paving on Winters Chapel Monday-Wednesday with a lane closure between 9:00am and 4:00pm.

The City will also be paving Broughton, Tyndall and Tichenor Courts on Monday. Starting Wednesday, there will be periodic lane closures on Mount Vernon west of Ashford Dunwoody for work on the bicycle and pedestrian improvement project.
To lean more about the City's ongoing paving and construction project follow the link below.

Dunwoody Construction Updates

Thumbs Down on T-SPLOST, Thumbs Up on Brookhaven

There will not be a one percent sales tax on Dunwoody residents, or for that matter Atlanta area residents, to pay for transportation projects.  The T-SPLOST vote was defeated soundly on Tuesday, by almost a 2-to-1 margin.  Why did it fail so miserably? 
The reason I voted against it wasn't so much that I didn't want to pay an additional penny to resolve metro traffic issues, but that the tax really didn't solve the major congestion problems.
For years, our legislatures have known that we need a northern arc in the worst possible way.  We need an outer perimeter on the north side, stretching from I-575 near Woodstock to I-85 near Highway 316.  No ands, ifs or buts about it.  It would do wonders to alleviate traffic on I-285.  However, our legislatures know that such a proposal would get major resistance from the folks who live close to any major thoroughfare project.  Our legislatures don't have the stomach to push for it.  If we're going to spent $7.2 billion dollars, that needs to be part of the plan. 

Click T-SPLOST to read more on the T-SPLOST vote.  Click Results to see statewide results.  the T-SPLOST vote was a regional.   Of the 12 regions across the state of Georgia, nine voted against it. 

New City of Brookhaven

The city of Dunwoody will have a new neighbor.  On Tuesday, residents of the Brookhaven area voted to incorporate - congratulations!  It seemed like a no-brainer.  For more on the vote, click Dunwoody Reporter. 
Perhaps the new city of Brookhaven and the city of Dunwoody can get together and form a fire department.  Dunwoody city council is looking into the possibility of starting its own fire department, however the cost might not make sense.  However, splitting the cost between two or three cities may be a way to make it work financially, as well as provide better service than DeKalb County.  Stay tuned.