Inspiration: A Story of Overcoming the Odds

How often do we complain about our daily challenges? Probably more often than we'd like to admit. DJ Gregory is a man that doesn't complain. He simply overcomes. His is a story of inspiration that all of us can learn from. Click on the photo to watch his story, as told by a friend and colleague of mine, Tom Rinaldi of ESPN.

Home Sales in Springfield, Candidate for Office?

We will welcome two new sets of neighbors to Springfield in the month of July. Bobby & Jessica's home on Springfield Dr. (pictured) will close at the end of July. It was purchased by a young couple (no children yet, but with a friendly dog). Also, the home at 4827 Summerford Dr. has now gone under contract - scheduled to close at the end of July as well.

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The District 2 Dunwoody City Council seat that I ran for in 2008 (the election was won by Adrian Bonser) is again up-for-grabs this fall. It was a one-year term that converts to a 4-year position following this election. Am I considering another run? Councilman John Heneghan is speculating on his blogsite at www.dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com. I enjoy being an active part of the community through my involvement with the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and with the Knights of Columbus, but I have not made any decision on potentially running again. Any thoughts?

Postal Officials Address Relocation

United States Postal Officials Monday night addressed a proposal to relocate the Dunwoody Branch from Dunwoody Village to its postal carrier annex complex on Shallowford Rd. near I-285. USPS real estate specialist David Ashley said no decision has been made, but it wasn't hard to read between the lines. Ashley said the Postal Service lost $2.8 billion in 2008 and $2.3 billion through the first half of this year and is looking hard at all possible cost-cutting measures. The move to the carrier annex would not only allow the Postal Service to consolidate buildings, but to sell the Dunwoody Village property, which it owns outright. The meeting, which took place in the Dunwoody City Council chambers, attracted a near standing room gathering.

Happy Father's Day

Dunwoody Rape Suspect Sought, Lost Cell Phone

Dunwoody Police are looking for a man who sexually assaulted a woman at an office park (Click on photo for FOX 5 Report).
Sgt. Mike Carlson tells WSB the 36-year-old victim was working late when a man, wearing what looked like a security uniform, knocked at the door around 1am June 12th.
"She opened the door and a white male in his 20's, forced the door open. He ended up sexually assaulting the female and tying her up before leaving," said Carlson.
The suspect, who is approximately 6'4", approximately 250 pounds, with a muscular build and a pimply face, took money and her wedding band.
Police are looking at surveillance video in hopes of getting some leads in the case.
Carlson says there are no reports of any similar incidents in the area.
A nearby apartment complex sent letters to residents, warning them of the incident.

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Have you lost your cell phone? I found a Verizon LG phone (the same model as the one pictured) on the curb in front of my house this morning. The phone number is 678-920-2659. Stop by or give me a call to claim it.

Still Time for Spring Cleaning

The start of summer is just days away, but that doesn't mean there isn't still time for spring cleaning. If you're in search of a company that will clean and haul your trash away, 1-800-GOT-JUNK is a reputable national firm, but there is a local Dunwoody company that offers better service at a lower rate: JustTRASHit! After several meetings with JustTRASHit! owner Kevin Copeland, along with a few first-hand testimonials, I have no doubt his company is a better option. By the way, they've been hired by 4th of July parade organizers to handle the clean-up chores!

Homes in Springfield, Rooms To Go Coming to Dunwoody

It's been over a week since my last entry, I apologize. Attached you will find all the homes currently listed in Springfield. The home on Cortleigh is listed separately because the agent, for whatever reason, has it listed as being in Cambridge. Including the Cortleigh property, 7 homes are currently on the market, ranging in price from $1,095,000 to $279,000.

Buyer Brief Page

Below is the listing for the property on Cortleigh.

Buyer Brief Page
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I was present at the Dunwoody Homeowners' Association meeting this past Sunday night. FYI, Rooms To Go has purchased the property that was occupied by Home Depot Expo. Rooms To Go plans to occupy approximately 1/3 of the building that housed Expo, with two national retailers leasing the additional space.

Dennis Shortal's Update on Dunwoody

Below are the most recent thoughts from Councilman Denis Shortal on the City of Dunwoody.

Fellow Citizens of Dunwoody ... Just a quick update on some current issues:
1. Dunwoody City Property Taxes ... There has been some misunderstanding about the headline of a recent article in the Crier entitled "Tax Increase for Dunwoody?." If you read the entire article it clears up the headline to some extent. Here is what you need to know in plain words. There will be no increase in the millage tax rate for your Dunwoody City Property Tax ... it will remain at last years rate of 2.74 mills. I assure you I will note vote for any tax rate increase this year and I think that is the consensus of the entire City Council. I know for sure the majority will vote not for a tax rate increase. There is a quirk in the Georgia State law that requires a new city to advertise any public hearings to establish the first year's city tax millage rate as a tax increase. The rationale is that since the City did not have a tax millage rate last year that any tax rate the City sets for this year will be a tax increase. If you can figure out that type of reasoning you have a special talent that can be used in some very odd jobs in this world. FYI, we will have three public hearings (8 JUN @ 7 PM, 15 JUN @ 11:45 AM and 15 JUN @ 6:30 PM) concerning setting the City tax millage rate. The location of the hearings is in the new City Hall. DeKalb County is currently discussing increasing their tax rate for this year by approx. 4%. If that increase passes it will not effect your City tax rate and therefore you will be saving approx. 4% on your City tax this year. Remember, that the City Council only controls the City tax portion of your property taxes which amounts to about 6% of your total tax bill. This amount was shown as "UNIC TAXDIST, STORMWTR FEE and STREET LIGHT" on your 2008 DeKalb County Real Estate Tax Statement. I know the above is rather lengthy but I hope this explains the City tax millage rate situation .... if it doesn't contact me personally.
2. Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) .. As promise we have contracted to create a CLUP this year. It is common to relate the CLUP to zoning. Zoning is part of the CLUP but the CLUP is much more in depth than just zoning. This plan will be what we want our City to look like through the year 2030. The Pond & Company was awarded the contract and the cost of the contract is within budget. This is a lengthy process and is currently on it's scheduled timeline to be completed by the end of 2009. There are a lot of government regulations that control this process. We have created a required Steering Committee of some very talented folks all of whom have a vested interest in our City. There will be several public meetings and I urge you to attend as many as possible as I strongly believe this is the number one issue that faces our citizens. You confirm my belief when you listed land use / zoning as the major issue of why you wanted you own City in the poll that was taken during last years march to city hood. The dates of the public meetings are 2 JUN (that is tonight), 23 JUN, 7 JUL, 3 AUG, and 24 SEP. All of the meetings start at 7PM and the location is at the Dunwoody United Methodist Church. Come and be part of this most important process.
3. Committee Membership ... At our last meeting your City Council passed what I believe is a very important resolution. This resolution requires that any member of a Dunwoody committee have a vested interest in our City. Basically that is defined as being a resident, owning a business in Dunwoody or being an officer in a business in Dunwoody. I strongly supported this resolution as it is in keeping with the motto of "Dunwoody Yes" .... "Local Decisions Close to Home."
4. Security ... Security is the business of all of us. Our police are doing a great job but they need us to help be their eyes and ears. If you see something or someone suspicious that "makes the hair stand up on your head or just doesn't pass the smell test" call 911 ASAP. When you call 911 identify yourself as a Dunwoody resident ... the 911 operator should know this information but identifying residency helps clarify your location. Any information that you can give our police like a description of the person and/or the vehicle (color , make, model and/or license number) is extremely helpful. I would caution you not to personally confront anyone as that is a job for the police. Lets all do our part for the security of our City.
5. Crosswalks ... Remember, drivers must yield to pedestrians who are crossing the street in a crosswalk. We have had incidents of drivers not yielding to pedestrians ... please drive careful and be courteous ... also please pass the word to your friends, neighbors and other drivers in your household.
As usual thanks for your support and efforts to enhance our City. I ask that you please forward this to all your fellow citizens in Dunwoody. If anyone would like to be added to my email list please contact me.
Denny Shortal

Dunwoody City Councilman

District One, Post 1,

Mayor Pro Tem

Help Determine Dunwoody's Future

The following is straight off the city of Dunwoody's webpage and contains information on the city's Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which, for all intent and purpose, we charter the course of the city. The first public meeting concerning the plan is this coming Tuesday evening. Details are below.

City of Dunwoody Comprehensive Plan

Under the leadership of the Mayor and City Council we have begun the process of writing the first City of Dunwoody Comprehensive Plan. The public meetings to solicit your opinions and visions of the future will happen over the summer and early fall months. The plan is to be the “Community Agenda”, a policy guide that details the community’s visions and goals for the future. This is a plan truly created by the community, for the community. We need to know your thoughts!

How do I participate?
There will be five public meetings, and we highly recommend your attend as many as possible. The meetings will have different themes, exercises, and information.

The dates are:
Tuesday June 2
Tuesday June 23
Tuesday July 7
Monday August 3
Thursday September 24
Location:
Dunwoody United Methodist Church
1548 Mount Vernon Road (Click for Map)
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Time:
7:00PM

Community Workshops and Meetings
The City of Dunwoody Community Workshops and Meetings for the Comprehensive Plan are organized so that participants:

· learn about the Comprehensive Planning process
· obtain data about their city (prepared in the Community Assessment)
· express preferences and priorities for the future of the City
· engage in city planning

The workshops will include information and education regarding community planning specific to the City of Dunwoody and the Metro-region.

Schedule of Activities:

June 2 Kick-Off
Present Process and Community Assessment Key Findings
Preliminary Issues/Opportunities (whole assembly)
Change/Preserve exercise (break-out working groups)

June 23 Transportation, Gateways and Urban Design
July 7 Parks, Facilities and Funding
August 3 Putting it all together: Vision and Future Development
September 24 Open House – Community Agenda Draft Components
December Public Hearing
A series of official public hearings will provide community members an opportunity to review the draft Community Agenda, comprised of the community Vision, Policies and Implementation plan.

What is a Comprehensive Plan?
The City of Dunwoody has begun the process of creating its first Comprehensive Plan. The Community Development Department leads this effort, but the process will coordinate policy across city departments. A team of consultants facilitates in engaging the community and preparing the components comprising the Comprehensive Plan. Once completed and adopted, the document will serve as a source for key city data and a strategic plan guiding city officials and staff concerning the future development of the city.

The Comprehensive Planning effort contemplates the 2009 - 2030 planning period, and is undertaken per the Rules of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), O.C.G.A. Chapter 110-12-1, effective May 1, 2005. It asserts a long-range vision and commits the city to a short term action plan.

DCA rules state the format of the Comprehensive Planning process consists of three distinct components as follows:

Community Assessment: Summary of existing conditions with supporting data
Community Participation: Program for providing public input opportunities
Community Agenda (link coming soon!): Policy goals and strategies for plan implementation

The Community Assessment provides an analysis of existing conditions, issues, and trends facing the City of Dunwoody and reports detailed data in a Technical Addendum to support key findings. Furthermore, the Assessment identifies unique opportunities and advantages the community has at its disposal. These elements are combined to inform a strategic plan for the municipality over the 20 year Comprehensive Plan horizon. The Assessment contains this Executive Summary, which presents salient data, and is supplemented by an attached Technical Appendix which includes the full data analysis for existing conditions. As a base-line resource from which community members can draw during the development of that Community Agenda, the Community Assessment helps communicate the City’s profile. A primary component of the Assessment is the Character Area map (categorizing areas of the City and their respective character type), from which a future development map will be derived during the creation of the Community Agenda. Additionally, a map identifying Special Areas of Attention, along with a series of Cultural Resource, Natural Resource, Community Facilities and Transportation maps help to graphically visualize the infrastructure, institutional and natural features of the Dunwoody. The Community Assessment should serve government officials and the public as a concise reference document. (click here for the Technical Addendum)

The Community Participation Program details what measures a local government will undertake in order to ensure that community members can participate in the creation of an Agenda for future planning.

This Community Agenda is the heart of the Comprehensive Plan; it articulates the community vision for a 20 year planning period and provides the policy that guides land-use decision making. It also specifies the strategies by which the community intends to pursue its vision, with a five-year action plan detailing implementation of goals and policies.

Million Dollar Home Back on the Market

Springfield's only $1 million home is back on the market! The new construction on Summerford Court , which originally went on the market last year for $1.15 million, is now listed for $1.095 million. Market conditions as they are, it will be tough sell. For more details, click on the link:

Buyer Brief Page