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Some DeKalb County school bus drivers held a protest Jan. 21 as the school boardmet to learn its accreditation status. For more than a year, bus drivers have beenasking for increased pay and the same benefits other district employees receivesuch as health, retirement and Social Security benefits, and employer 401K par-ticipation. Photo by Travis Hudgons

Bus Drivers Protest

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Were SocialFRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 VOL. 16, NO. 44 FREE

A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

FREEPRESS

Probation lifted for

DeKalb school district

See Accreditation on page 17A

Volunteers spend MLK weekendrepairing homes in Decatur

LOCAL, 2A & 12A

Business ........................18A

Classified .......................20A

Education .............. 16-17A

Sports...................... 21-23A

QUICK FINDER TRASH PICKUPS MAY BE

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DEKALB

CELEBRATES

KING DAY

FORMER

JANITOR NOW

A PRINCIPAL

EDUCATION, 18ALOCAL, 11A

by Daniel [email protected]

Officials announced the DeKalbCounty School District(DCSD) is no longer onaccreditation probation but

the districts work is far from over,according to accrediting agencyAdvancED.

AdvancED President Mark Elgarttold the DeKalb County Board ofEducation Jan. 21 that the district isnow on accredited warned status.

A year ago, we found a schoolsystem in significant turmoil,Elgartsaid. It was trending toward failingto meet the needs of its students.

There were three significant areasthat led to those determinations,Elgart said. The district had agoverning body that was failingto successfully govern the system;the system was in financialmismanagement and didnt have anaccurate assessment of its financialresources; and third it had anunfortunate track record of failing toimprove student achievement.

Elgart said over the past yearAdvancED has worked closely with

the leadership in the system toidentify the actions that need to betaken to improve the system but alsobegin the process of continuousimprovement.

We recognize the many areasof improvement the system hasmade and acknowledge that thesystem has come even further thanwe expected, Elgart said. Whatdoes warned mean? First it meansthat the [district] is moving in theright direction; secondly, that thethreat of loss of accreditation is no

longer imminent; third, that moretime is needed to finish what theyvestarted.

When the district was first placedon probation, AdvancED providedthe district with 11 issues the districtwas required to address before beinggranted full accreditation again.These issues included governanceand financial issues, as well aspolicies and procedures involvingthe board of education.

Elgart said DCSD has made sig-nificant improvements on eight ofthe 11 recommendations and theremaining three are currently beingaddressed. Additionally, Elgart said

DeKalb County Board of Education members Jim McMahan, Melvin Johnson and Superinten-dent Michael Thurmond applaud the districts improved accreditation status at a Jan. 21 meet-ing. Photo by Travis Hudgons

oy Jacksons house was upgraded by volunteers during last years Martin Luther Kingr. Day of Service. Photo by Travis Hudgons. See story on page 17A.

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 PAGE 2ALOCAL NEWS

y Carla [email protected]

Avondale Estates and Clarkstonwere among 11 metro Atlanta com-munities selected by the Atlanta Re-

ional Commission to receive Liv-ble Centers Initiative (LCI) grants.

The LCI grants are designed tohelp communities create plans forquality growth and develop policies

hat support more vibrant, connect-d communities. Avondale Estateseceived $50,000 to study the feasi-ility of a roundabout, road dietnd Better Block demonstrationroject, according to the Atlanta Re-ional Commission.

Clarkston received $80,000 ofLCI Supplemental Study funding todevelop a major update of its origi-nal LCI plan. According to city of-icials, in 2004, the original plan wasompleted to provide an attractive

destination for private investmentnd redevelopment within the cityhat would serve both current and

uture residents, business ownersnd visitors.The major focal points of

Clarkstons plan includes downtownevitalization and mixed-income

housing that would create an attrac-

tive live-work-play environment.According to city officials, changesin the economy and real estate mar-ket have made it necessary to updatethe content of the original plan tothat fit todays market and provide arealistic opportunity for successfulimplementation

We continue to live up to ourmotto as a place, where possibilitiesgrow, City Manager Keith Barker

said. Over the past year, we havebeen executing a three-phase plan,starting with our work with the Ur-ban Land Institutes Technical Assis-tance Panel (TAP) program, whichprovided us with subject matter ex-pertise for addressing the issues thataffect Clarkston the most in termsof economic viability and sustain-ability.

Barker said the city was able tosave $3.7 million in congressionalfunds to develop a major streetscapeenhancement project that will covera large portion of the city.

Those funds, paired with a $2

million low-interest loan from theState Road and Tollway Author-ity (SRTA), will allow us to designand construct a project that standsto transform the city, Barker said.Now, we are in a great position to

take full advantage the LCI Supple-mental Study funds we have beenawarded by using the TAP report asa launch pad to reshape Clarkstons

vision for its future.Newly elected Mayor Ted Terry

said Barker and city staff workedhard to position Clarkston for suc-cess.

Prior to taking office, I knewthat they were doing a lot that had

not been done in Clarkston previ-ously, Terry said. Now, as mayor,I have an opportunity to see it first-hand. The city council and I lookforward to the LCI plan updateand all of the activities currentlyor soon-to-be under way that willmove our city forward.

Since 1999, LCI has assisted 113communities with approximately$15 million in planning grants todevise strategies that reduce trafficcongestion and improve air quality.Another $173 million has gone tohelp recipients build transportationprojects that help them accomplish

their goals.The LCI program is funded withfederal transportation dollars. Thegrants fund 80 percent of the study,with the recipient making a 20 per-cent match. Altogether, there will be

a $1 million LCI investment in these11 communities, $800,000 from theLCI program and $200,000 in localmatch.

Over the years, LCI has helpedcommunities across metro Atlantareinvent and improve themselves,creating more places that attractresidents and businesses alike, saidKerry Armstrong, ARC chairman.Our local government partners

have used these grants to the benefitof their individual communities andthe entire region.

LCI communities cover only 5percent of the regions land area, butcontain 7 percent of its residentialdevelopment, 24 percent of its com-mercial development and 38 percentof its office development.

Communities are eager to revi-talize their town centers and unde-rutilized properties to create placesthat foster a vibrant neighborhoodfeel and environment, said DougHooker, ARC executive director.LCI grants have helped communi-

ties re-imagine what they can be,and then helped them make thoseplans a reality.

Clarkston, Avondale Estates awarded LCI grants

DeKalb employees celebrate Kings legacyby Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb County employ-ees paused Jan. 17 for the

30th consecutive year tohonor the legacy of Dr. Mar-in Luther King Jr.

It is honorable that weeflect on his life, said in-erim DeKalb County CEO

Lee May. He has meant somuch to us.

The theme for the MaloofAuditorium event, attendedby hundreds, was Celebrat-ng Life, Freedom and Diver-ity.

This is not a day for youo chill[or] to be in the

park barbecuing, said key-note speaker Isaac N. Farrisr., a nephew of King who in

1996 was appointed chief op-erating officer of The MartinLuther King Jr. Center forNonviolent Social Change.From 2005-2010, Farriserved as president and CEO

of The King Center. He cur-ently serves as senior fellow

of The King Center.The holiday is not meant

o be a day of hero worship,Farris said.

See MLK on page 6A

Isaac N. Farris Jr. of the King Center

Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May

State Court Judge Dax Lopez

The DeKalb County employees choir performed during the 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day program.Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 PAGE 3A

Clarkston proposes annexation to increase tax baseby Daniel [email protected]

Keith Barker, Clarkstons citymanager, said that in order for theity to be sustainable over time it

needs to increase its tax base. Thatswhy the city is looking to annex sev-ral areas in the coming years.

We dont have a sufficient enoughax base to be sustainable over theong haul, Barker said.

Barker said there are several areashe city is interested in annexing, in-luding areas he said the city already

provides some services for locatedalong East Ponce De Leon Avenueand Brockett Road.

The city has proposed the an-nexation of four areas but Barker saidhere will most likely be discussions

between the city and local legislators

about which of those areas will be thebest to annex in the next few years.Barker said he met recently with

Rep. Karla Drenner, Rep. MichelleHenson and Sen. Steve Henson. Tobe eligible for annexation this year,Barker said members of the localegislative delegation of the General

Assembly will have to draft a bill thatallows residents of Clarkston to voteon annexation during the May pri-mary elections.

The tentative commitment thatweve gotten is they would drop a billor Area 1 and Area 2 and then weould come back later to annex the

other locations, Barker said.

Area 1 and Area 2 are approxi-mately 241 acres and 144 acres, re-pectively. Area 1 is located on the

north end of the city, adjacent toStone Mountain Parkway; Area 2 isocated on the west side of the city

near an industrial park and Interstate285.

DeKalb County legislators hosted

a Jan. 9 meeting to discuss cityhood.Currently, there are three proposedcities including the cities of Briar-cliff, Lakeside and Tucker. All threeof these areas underwent a feasibilitystudy by the University of Georgias

Carl Vinson Institute of Government,which said they were financially vi-able. Each of the proposed cities bor-der Clarkston however. Barker saidthe outcome of the cityhood move-ments could have an adverse effect onClarkston.

If those cities are successful it[will] block us in, which would limitour ability to do what we need to doto become sustainable, Barker said.Those areas are of greater prioritybecause they control our gatewaysand it protects our interests againstencroaching cities.

Since Barker began as city manag-

er three years ago, he said Clarkstonstax digest has fallen by 33 percent.Additionally, he said approximately95 percent of the city is residential,which makes economic developmentdifficult.

In the past, Barker said, the citymay have been sustainable with itssmall residential tax base because itwasnt implementing many capitalprojects and trying to spur economicdevelopment. Now, Barker said thecity is undertaking several initiativesincluding a streetscape/beautificationproject that will cost an estimated $6million.

From a tax standpoint, were

trying to expand and diversify ourtax base, meaning were trying toget more commercial and residen-tial property. Were 1.1 square milesand we dont have much land mass,Barker said.

Were implementing capital andbeautification projects and youve gotto have some revenue to do that.

The city of Clarkston wants to annex Areas 1 and 2 this year by way of referendumduring the May primary elections.

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ONE MANS OPINION

I see the light!

We will make electricity socheap that only the rich will burncandles.Inventor, entrepreneurand holder of more than 1,700 pat-ents Thomas Alva Edison(1847-1931) on Dec. 31, 1879, whilecreating a longer lasting lightingfilament for his incandescent bulb.

The incandescent bulb, which

Edison gave the world 134 yearsago, still burns brightly as our pri-mary source of artificial light acrosshe globe, though that is changing

fast. It lights well, but is not energyefficient. Dependent upon the watt-age and particulars of the bulbsmanufacture, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 ofhe energy consumed is burned offn the bulb as radiating heat.

So in 2007, our U.S. Congressstarted to address this energy ineq-uity by law, with the phased elimi-nation of the incandescent bulb. Asof Jan. 1, 2014, it is now illegal tomanufacture forsale in the UnitedStates Edisons longtime standardhe incandescent bulb, in its mostypical and standard sizes.

But lighting does much morehan simply illuminate, properighting can reduce crime, create aomantic mood, and is clearly of the

most important required basics inhe entertainment and motion pic-ure industries.

While I applaud the broad adop-ion of the lower energy consum-ng, compact fluorescents (CFLs)

and LED lights, the Christmasree doesnt seem to twinkle quite

so brightly without the old, occa-sionally burning out incandescent

bulbs. Though fluorescent tube andother applications of that bulb typeare institutionally omnipresent, Ihave long noted the slightly bluepallor that they cast on most faces,making at times the Zombie Apoca-ypse seem right around the corner.

In my home, in single bulb fix-ures, like lamps, I continue to useower wattage Edison bulbs. Theiright is warmer, more golden in tone

and to me still perfect for readinga book or the morning paper. Themulti-bulb fixtures and all exteriorights are now primarily CFL bulbswhich dont light up well in cold

weather). The CFLs cost more, butwill supposedly last longersomeas long as seven years. Well see.

I have no problem with a majorgovernment nudge toward usingmore energy efficient lighting, but

as with anything else, there aretrade-offs. All CFL bulbs containa small amount of mercury. Mer-cury, even in the smallest tracescan be particularly toxic to infants,children, pregnant women and ourpets. These CFL bulbs arenot tobe thrown into the trash.Instead,a blown CFL must be kept andlater recycled. But unfortunately asadoption and use increases, withoutthis public education, the brokenCFLs will make it into landfills, thebulbs will break, the mercury willleech and thousands of gallons ofpotable water in underground aqui-fers underneath will be despoiled.

The law compels a behaviorchange in bulb buying, without therequired disposal education. In an

attempt to solve one problem, ener-gy consumption, we will likely cre-ate anothermore polluted drinkingwater.

The newer LED bulbs, whichconsume 85 percent less energythan a typical incandescent, do not

risk these environmental nega-tives. The newest flat screen TVsare also lit by LEDs. However, thesingle LED bulbs are quite cost pro-hibitive for most consumers, witheven sale prices per bulb runningnorth of $10 a pop. The LEDs comein a wide array of shapes and sizes,several different color tempera-tures and have a slightly confusingwatt conversion table to guideyour purchases for replacing incan-descent bulbs.

Id advise if your wallet or homerenovations budget can cover it,starting with the larger primary lightfixtures in rooms which receive alot of use and come n go traffic,like the kitchen, garage and bath-rooms. You dont have to do the

entire house at once. Exterior lights,or places where a ladder is requiredare also solid candidates for conver-sion and much less frequent bulbchanging.

I wonder if the light in the torchof the statute atop our U.S. Capitol

building is an incandescent. Or fur-ther still if our lawmakers who be-lieve they must intrude on even themost mundane aspects of our liveswill ever truly see the light.

As for me, I intend to stay abulb scofflaw, and Im going downto the man cave in the basement toread another book, and turn on afew wasteful incandescent bulbs,as well as tug the string on my oldBudweiser neon. It still gives off apretty cool glow of its own as well.

Bill Crane also serves as a po-litical analyst and commentator forChannel 2s Action News, WSB-AM

News/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM, aswell as a columnist forThe Cham-

pion, Champion Free Press and

Georgia Trend. Crane is a DeKalbnative and business owner, livingin Scottdale. You can reach him orcomment on a column at [email protected].

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 PAGE 4AOPINION

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Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinions fromits readers. Please write to us and express your views. Lettersshould be brief, typewritten and contain the writers name,address and telephone number for verification. All letters willbe 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] To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior topublication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editorsdo not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or publishers. The Pub-lisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. ThePublisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewitt

Chief Finan cial Offi cer Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Photographer: 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

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FREEPRESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding thisand any issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Championwas founded in 1991 expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for allcommunity residents on all sides of anissue. We have no desire to make the news only to reportnews and opinions to effect a more educated citizenry thatwill ultimately move our community forward. We are happyto present ideas for discussion; however, we make everyeffort to avoid printing information submitted to us that isknown to be false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

Printed on 100%post-consumerrecycled paper

Kathy [email protected]

Editor

Youth encouraged to lead the way for cleaner air

Sometimes its tough to getadults to adopt new habits. Thatsone reason the Clean Air Campaigns working to educate Georgia stu-

dents concerning practices that canead to reductions in air pollution.

The fourth annual Young Lungsat Work art competition is nowunder way with the theme CleanAir Heroes. Students are invitedo create artwork that illustrates the

positive impact that actions such asriding the bus, turning off idling carengines or carpooling can have on

Georgias air quality.Its an inspired idea since stu-

dents who have fun and expressheir creativity as they learn areikely to rememberand practice

the environmental lessons behindthe campaign.

Gretchen Gigley, director ofeducation for The Clean Air Cam-paign, notes that students are ina unique position in that they caninfluence behavior change amongpeers and adults in their commu-nity.

Elementary school studentscan enter the contest by creatingoriginal comic strips on this yearstheme and for the first time sincethe inception of the contest, middleschool students will have the op-portunity to create their own publicservice announcement videos on thebenefits of reducing air pollutionand traffic congestion. High schoolstudents are competing in a T-shirtdesign contest that may includepowerful imagery, catchy slogans

and humor, but must address reduc-ing air pollution from vehicle tail-pipes.

Winning entries will be fea-tured on The Clean Air Campaigns

website, social media channels andprinted materials, potentially expos-ing tens of thousands of Georgiansto the students creative efforts.Donations also will be made to eachwinners school science, environ-mental or art program. Shirts will bemade featuring the winning T-shirtdesigns and presented to first, sec-ond and third place winners.

Gigley said she sees the con-test as a fun and informative wayto prompt students to discuss thebenefits of carpooling, walking toschool and not idling in the carpoollane. I am looking forward to whatour future leaders come up with thisyear, she said.

The competition, which contin-ues through Feb. 28, is one of manyefforts the Clean Air Campaign ismaking to change to habits of the

next generation. Through its CleanAir Schools programs the nonprofitencourages students to take the leadin reducing air pollution in schoolzones across Georgia.

More than 300 Georgia schoolsparticipate in the Clean Air Schoolsprograms aimed at reducing idling,promoting carpooling, increasingbus ridership and engaging in nu-merous other actions to promotecleaner air around schools andthroughout communities. Schoolsparticipate at One Star throughFour Star levels. Participation in theYoung Lungs at Work Art Competi-tion can help a school qualify at theTwo Star level.

The habits of many older Geor-gian may be so deeply ingrainedthat it will take a new generationto demonstrate the thoughtful prac-tices that will lead to much neededair quality improvement. A biblicalprophecy states a little child shalllead them. That may be the waywe learn cleaner, wiser transporta-

tion habits.

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 PAGE 5AOPINION

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COMMUNITY

If you would like to nominate someone

to be considered as a future Champion

of the Week, please contact Kathy

Mitchell at [email protected] or

at (404) 373-7779, ext. 104.

JESSE GROSSMAN

ChampionoftheWeek

by Daniel [email protected]

The DeKalb CountyBoard of Commissionerswithdrew a resolution forhe expedited hiring of annternal auditor Jan. 15.

Commissioner Jeff Rad-er said it was because theubstance of the resolution

called for the appointmentof an internal auditor by the

end of 2013.At an earlier meeting,Rader said the level of de-ferral by the board almostmakes a mockery of the

expedited employment of annternal auditor.

The agenda item wasntroduced in August 2013,

and has been tabled mul-iple times.

Hiring an auditor isone of the recommenda-ions that a DeKalb Countypecial purpose grand jury

made after a yearlong in-vestigation into the countysdepartment of watershedmanagement. The grandury called for an internal

auditor with no personal orprofessional ties to any area

being audited.The grand jurys investi-

gation was closely linked toa criminal indictment thatresulted in CEO BurrellEllisbeing suspended andGov. Nathan Dealappoint-ing Commissioner Lee Mayas interim CEO.

Commissioner LarryJohnsonsaid he sent a let-ter to May asking for a 2014budget amendment to allow

the transfer of three posi-tions from the countys fi-nance department to estab-lish a staff for the internalaudit department.

The purpose of this re-quest is to fully address andoperate the audit functionas provided to the board ofcommissioners through theorganizational act, Johnsonsaid. At present, the exter-nal and internal audits arehandled through the execu-tive branch. And as muchas the executive branch isalso responsible for the day-to-day operations of countygovernment, true systems ofchecks and balances do notexist.

Johnson said that trans-

ferring the staff would allowthem to begin the work ofthe audit department whilethe commissioners decidedwhom to appoint as thehead of the department.

Were transferring threeexperienced people whohave the capacity, skillsetand can do the audits al-ready I think the goal is toget this process started. I

just think we have to move

this way because we have aninterim CEO whos willingto do it as opposed to be-fore, Johnson said.

Rader said, It wont bethe end of the world if wedo this but the first stepshould be appointing an in-ternal auditor.

I think that its going tohandicap the administra-tions capacity and I dontthink it gets us any closerin appointing the auditor,Rader said.

May said that in his ca-pacity as interim CEO andDistrict 5 commissioner, hecould do what Johnson isasking. However, no deci-sion on Johnsons proposalhas been made.

Instead the holiday, theonly federal holiday des-gnated as a day of service,

should be spent doingsomething to benefit some-one other than yourself,Farris said.

My Uncle Martins chal-enge to let freedom ring

still echoes across the halfcentury that has come andgone since he shared hisgreat dream with Americaand the world, Farris said.And were still being called,especially the young peopleof the 21st century, to rise upn that same spirit, to carry

forward his unfinished workand to make America a na-tion that embraces freedom,democracy and opportunityfor all.

Sharon Barnes Sut-ton, the presiding officer ofthe DeKalb County Boardof Commissioners, said,Growing up in Birming-ham, Ala., I never wouldhave dreamed that I wouldbe the person representingStone Mountain, Ga., on thisboard of commissioners.

I think about [Kings] IHave a Dream speech whenhe referenced Stone Moun-tainLet freedom ring fromStone Mountain, Ga.andhow far weve come, Suttonsaid. Freedom is ringing inStone Mountain, Ga.

Im not nave. I know wehave problems, we have is-sues and that we have a lot ofwork to do, but today I justwant to celebrate the prog-

ress, she said. The dream isnot realized, but we sure aremaking progress.

Commissioner JeffRadersaid, We are right today tocelebrate what happened inthe past half century.

We are right to be proudof where weve come, but wealso knowthat we have along way to go, Rader said.But there is nothing thatcan keep us from gettingthere if we go there together.

In spite of the fact thatmany want to divide us inDeKalb County, weve gotto reach out across all linesand work together to be thecounty that we know thatwe can be and that we knowthat we are, he said.

County still undecided on internal auditor

MLKContinued From Page 2AThe presentation of the colors and music were part of DeKalbs Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. Photosby Andrew Cauthen

Jesse Grossman,founder of local non-profit CommunityBucket, said he noticeda lack of young profes-sionals volunteering inthe community.

Grossman sought tochange that by startingCommunity Bucket,which partners withother nonprofits andcommunity organiza-tions to plan and pro-mote group serviceprojects.

Weve planted trees,laid grass along thebeltline, cared for ani-mals, repaired homesfor the elderly, and evencreated a social mediastrategy for the GeorgiaGives Day programpart of the GeorgiaCenter For Nonprof-itsto name just a fewof our projects, Gross-

man said.Most recently, Com-

munity Bucket mem-bers volunteered atMedShare, located inDecatur, the AtlantaCommunity Tool Bankand Trees Atlanta.Grossman said therewere approximately 40

volunteers spread out atthe different organiza-tions.

The cool angle isthat the young profes-

sional crowd does muchless volunteering thanother age groups and itsbrought a completelydifferent group, Gross-man said.

The nonprofit wasstarted in 2012 as a wayto transform how the

millennial generationvolunteers and social-izes. Each volunteerevent ends with a visitto a local bar, restaurantor brewerysome-where Grossman said

volunteers can hang outand meet other peoplelike themselves.

Grossman previouslyworked as a brand andinnovation strategist for

a consulting firm andgraduated from EmoryUniversity with a de-gree from the GoizuetaBusiness School.

Our events are de-signed for the active,socially conscious per-son in [his or her] 20sand 30s who is lookingto give back in a mean-ingful way and also finda new outlet for social-izing and network-ing with new people,

Grossman said.Since its inception,Grossman said Com-munity Bucket hashosted 28 events, cre-ated 950 volunteer spotsand recorded more than2,500 service hours.

Grossman

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COMMUNITY

ATLANTA

Fernbank manager takes post withRonald McDonald House Charities

Atlanta Ronald McDonald HouseCharities (ARMHC) has chosen

Marissa Vi-vona Greider,currently vicepresident ofmembershipand volunteersfor FernbankMuseum ofNatural Histo-ry, as its direc-tor of develop-ment.

In her new role, Greider will

play an integral role in the capitalcampaign to complete Phase II ofhe organizations expansion of the

Ronald McDonald House near Chil-drens Healthcare of Atlanta at Scot-ish Rite. In addition to her support

of the capital campaign, Greider willead annual giving campaigns and

donor stewardship. Her new rolewill be effective Jan. 27.

Greider has more than 15 yearsof experience in nonprofit develop-ment, campaign management, andmarketing and communications. Sheoined Fernbank Museum of Natural

History in 1999 as manager of com-munications. Over the next 13 years,

he continued her career with Fern-bank as the director of marketingand communications, vice presidentof marketing and communications,campaign director, director of devel-opment, and vice president of mem-bership and volunteers.

ARMHC is a nonprofit organiza-ion that provides temporary hous-ng and support services to families

of ill and injured children beingreated at local hospitals.

Reading of Homers Odysseytofeature high-profile participants

In conjunction with the exhibi-ion Romare Bearden: A Black Odys-ey, Theater Emory and the Carlos

Museum is presenting a live, three-day reading of Stanley Lombardosaward-winning translation of Hom-ers epic The Odyssey. Lombardowill be on hand to open and closehe reading.

Readers include Atlanta actorsuch as E. Roger Mitchell, Chris

Kayser, TiffanyMitchenor, LisaPaulsen, Tom Key, Janice Akers,and Tim McDonough; former At-anta Mayor Shirley Franklin, localelevision and radio personalitiesovita Moore, Valerie Jackson, and

Rose Scott; and faculty membersand students from Emorys depart-ments of classics, English, theatertudies, and the Woodruff Library.

Readings will be in the Recep-

tion Hall, level three, Michael C.Carlos Museum, Emory University,571 South Kilgo Circle, NE, Atlanta.They will be Friday, Jan. 24, at 7p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. and

Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. For moreinformation, visit carlos.emory.edu.

AVONDALE

ESTATES

LifeLine Animal Project to offerfree spays and neuters

LifeLine Animal Project has anew program called SNIP DeKalb(Spay Neuter Impact Program),which will provide free spay/neu-

ters, along with free vaccinations,for DeKalb County pet ownersneeding financial assistance. DeKalbresidents who cannot afford to payfor low-cost spay or neuter servicesthemselves can visit www.dekalb-animalservices.com, print and fillout the SNIP DeKalb applicationand then mail it in. Applications arealso available at the DeKalb CountyAnimal Shelter. When approved,applicants will receive a voucher fora free spay and neuter and instruc-tions in the mail.

CHAMBLEELibrary to hold internationalevents

The Chamblee Library will hosttwo international events on Satur-day, Jan. 25.

A Chinese New Year celebrationwill be held 10:30 a.m.-noon andwill include traditional drumming,dancing, crafts and storytelling. Theevent, which is suitable for all ages,is presented in conjunction with theAsian Pacific American HistoricalSociety.

Taste of Italy, presented 1-2 p.m.,is suitable for adults. Italian foodhas been influenced primarily byGreek and French flavors. However,during ancient times food and spiceswere imported from all over theworld to satisfy the Roman appetitefor exotic ingredients, states an an-nouncement from the library. Asa result, as you travel through Italyyou will find each city and regionhas its own style of cooking.

The event is limited to the first25 people to register. To register,call (404) 370-8450, ext. 2257. TheChamblee Library is located at 4115Clairmont Road, Chamblee. Formore information, call (770) 936-1380.

DECATUR

Hungrytown to perform at li-brary

The musical group Hungrytownwill perform at the Decatur LibraryTuesday, Jan. 28, 7-8 p.m. Hungry-town is the musical and married duoof Rebecca Halland Ken Ander-son. They have released two high-ly acclaimed CDs that have receivedmuch airplay on folk and Americanastations worldwide, according toan announcement from the library.Rebecca and Ken tour fulltime.Their adventures have taken themthroughout the United States,Canada, Europe and New Zealand.Their songs have been performedby many other artists, includingNashville songwriting legend DavidOlneyand bluegrass veterans theVirginia Ramblers. Hungrytownsmusic has also been featured onseveral television stations, includingthe Independent Film Channels hitseriesPortlandia.

The performance is suitable forall ages. Decatur Library is locatedat 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. Formore information, call (404) 370-3070.

TUCKER

HomeAid Atlanta announcesaward winners

Tucker-basedHomeAid Atlantaannounced on Jan. 15 the recipientsof its eighth annual awards duringthe Greater Atlanta Home Build-

ers Associations Installation andAwards Program at Villa Christina.Awards were presented for Builderof the Year, Trade Partner of theYear and Volunteer of the Year.

These awards honor organizationsand individuals demonstrating greatcommitment to HomeAid Atlantaand its mission of building newlives for homeless families and in-dividuals through housing and com-munity outreach.

Founded in 2001, HomeAidAtlanta is a nonprofit organizationworking in partnership with theGreater Atlanta Home Builders As-sociation, and is a local chapter ofHomeAid America, a national pro-vider of transitional housing for thetemporarily homeless.

The three award recipients were: 2013 Builder of the Year MikeSmith, Harcrest Homes

2013 Trade Partner of the Year Marketing RELEVANCE, CarolMorgan

2013 Volunteer of the Year Monica Love Phillipsof Bank ofAmerica

Smith has been involved withHomeAid Atlanta through ProjectPlayhouse, HomeAid Care Days, andhe is the current volunteer BuilderCaptain for HomeAids build projectat Rainbow Village in Duluth.

The HomeAid Atlanta honors an

extraordinary non-builder partnerof HomeAid Atlanta.

For the first time ever, a market-ing/public relations company waschosen for the Trade Partner of theYear Award. Since 2008, MarketingRELEVANCE has helped spread theword about HomeAids activitiesthrough blog postings on AtlantaReal Estate Forum.com and throughguest spots on their radio program.

Phillips served on HomeAidsEssentials for Young Lives Drivecommittee for the second year. Shehelped organize the drive, involvenew collection sites, gather/sort

donations, and deliver items to orga-nizations around Atlanta. She volun-teered for a HomeAid Care Day withBank of America, at the silent auc-tion, and assisted at the Installation& Awards Ceremony.

AROUNDDEKALB

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An Atlanta man has beenarrested and charged withmurder for the stabbingdeath of a homeless man.

Malcolm Black, 34, whois also homeless, was ar-rested Jan. 12 in connectionwith the case and was latercharged with one felonycount of murder. Accordingto DeKalb Police spokesper-son Mekka Parish, Blackand the 50-year-old victim

were in a wooded area be-hind the Quick Trip at 2375N. Druid Hills Road at ap-proximately 1:20 a.m.

Detectives have deter-mined that two men gotinto an argument and onestabbed the other, resultingin his death, Parish said.

Police are still working todetermine the identity of the

victim.

by Carla [email protected]

South DeKalb nativeMelody Maddoxis hopingo become DeKalbs first

emale sheriff. Maddox an-nounced Jan. 14 her can-didacy on the steps of theDeKalb County Old Court-house.

I know its going to be aong journey and I know its

going to be a tough journeybut its a road Im willing toravel, she said.

Maddox has more than4 years of law enforce-

ment experience in Atlantand DeKalb County. Her

most recent position inDeKalb was assistant chiefof police with Georgia Pied-mont Technical Collegen Clarkston. During herix-year career at Georgia

Piedmont, Maddox was re-ponsible for the supervision

of sworn law enforcementprofessionals and civilianpersonnel while managing amultimillion-dollar budget.

She started her careerwith the Atlanta Police De-partment where she workeds a recruiter. While working

with the Atlanta Police De-partment, Maddox enrolledt Morris Brown College as a

ull time student and worked

as a campus security guardfor the Morris Brown Col-lege Campus Police Depart-ment.

After graduating fromMorris Brown, Maddox was

sworn in as a police officerfor the DeKalb County Po-lice Department. In 2000,she earned a masters degreein science and currently isworking on completing herPh.D. in business adminis-tration.

Maddox said holdingmany positions in law en-forcement has afforded herthe training and skills thatuniquely qualify her as thebest candidate for DeKalbCounty sheriff.

I am poised at this timewith my experience and myleadership to lead DeKalbCounty, she said.

As sheriff, Maddox said,one of the issues she willaddress is the senselesscrimes occurring in DeKalb,such as the shooting deathof 21-year-old Xavier Ar-nold, an Army reservist whowas shot in the head duringan attempted robbery by twomen as he and his girlfriendwalked on a bike trial inKirkwood.

These are the crimes,these senseless crimes that

we need to address and we

cannot address it alone,she said. This is not a self-initiative community. This isa joint effort.

Some of Maddoxs otherpriorities include establish-

ing partnerships among alllaw enforcement agencies inDeKalb; and forming com-munity outreach programs,including youth educationalprograms and post-releaseinmate development initia-tives.

What happens whenthese inmates are releasedfrom the DeKalb County

jail? Theyre given a tokenand theyre released out onthe streets, she said. Letslook at post-educationalprograms. What about part-nering with the technicalcolleges in DeKalb Countyso that when they are re-leased they can go and finda trade, train in it and be re-leased back into our society.

Maddox also plans tohave an efficient, customer-friendly administration, im-prove departmental moraleand relations between em-ployee and employer, createa liaison between the sher-iff s office and the courtsand address concerns thepublic may have regardingthe courthouse.

Once elected sheriff of

Michael Rothenbergwas sentenced Jan. 10 on aharge of wire fraud for de-rauding investors and usingheir money to fund his po-itical campaign for a seat onhe DeKalb County Superior

Court.

This defendant commit-ed fraud at the very timehat he was asking the voters

of DeKalb County to trusthim, said United States At-orney Sally Quillian Yates.Now he will spend time inederal prison.

Ricky Maxwell, actingpecial agent in charge, FBI

Atlanta Field Office, stated:Todays sentencing of Mr.

Rothenberg will not onlyhold him accountable for hisriminal conduct but will

provide him with time toontemplate those actionsnd the harm that he caused

others and, ultimately, tohimself as well.

According to Yates, theharges and other informa-

tion presented in court,Rothenberg, a DeKalbCounty resident, deceit-fully persuaded the ownersof WinterHawk Energy andDevelopment Corporationto invest a total of $1.35million. Rothenberg rep-

resented that the investedmoney would be placed in atrust account, controlled byhim, which would be used tofund the trading of notes by

large financial institutions.These notes, according toRothenberg, would be splitinto tranches, and a 10 per-cent profit would be earnedeach time a note or tranchwas traded. Rothenberg toldthe investors that the invest-ment involved no risk.

In fact, no investmentexisted and Rothenberg usedthe money paid by Winter-Hawk to fund his politicalcampaign for a seat on theDeKalb County Superior

Court as well as to pay per-sonal expenses, court re-cords indicate. He ultimatelywas unsuccessful in his bidfor a judgeship. During thescheme, Rothenberg pla-cated the investors concernsand lulled them into believ-

ing that the investment op-portunity was real by email-ing them fabricated bankstatements, which made itappear as if the money theyhad invested remained inhis trust account and thatRothenberg himself waswealthy.

Court records furtherindicated that from time totime Rothenberg returnedsome of the money to theinvestors in response totheir demands, and claimedfalsely that he was makingup for the shortfall by per-sonally investing his ownmoney. But Rothenberg didnot invest his own money,and in fact spent the remain-ing fundsapproximately

Melody Maddox announces run for sheriff

DeKalb County I plan toserve my community in

honesty, humility, integrityand justice, she said. I will

work to improve an un-compromising devotion to

service.

Man arrested in stabbing death

Former candidate for DeKalb County Superior Court sentenced

Rothenberg

$800,000without the in-vestors knowledge or con-sent.

Rothenberg, 36, was sen-tenced by United States Dis-trict Judge Steve C. Jonesto three years, five monthsin prison to be followed by

three years of supervisedrelease, and ordered to payrestitution in the amount of$800,000. Rothenberg was

convicted on these chargeson Sept. 11, 2013, after hepleaded guilty.

This case was investigat-ed by the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation with assistancefrom the DeKalb CountyDistrict Attorneys Office.

Assistant United States At-torney Steven D. Grimbergprosecuted the case.

Melody Maddox stands on the steps of the old DeKalb CountyCourthouse as she announces her candidacy for DeKalb County Sheriff.Photo by Carla Parker

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Willcott has her own privatepractice and is a special as-sistant attorney general rep-resenting the Department ofHuman Resources and Rock-dale and Dawson counties

Department of Family andChildren Services.

She was appointedDeKalb County JuvenileCourt judge pro tem andpreviously served as the Ful-ton County Juvenile Courtjudge pro tem. Willcott wasthe executive director of theFulton County CASA Inc.and the corporate counsel forUnited Cleaning SpecialistsInc.

Willcott earned a bach-elors degree from TulaneUniversitys Newcomb Col-

lege, in psychology and Eng-

lish and a law degree fromEmory University.

County recreationdepartment to

hold adult softballregistration

Registration for the adultcoed and mens softballleagues will be open throughFeb. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4:30p.m. at the athletics officelocated at 4898 LaVista Road,Tucker.

The season begins inMarch and will include 10regular games. The registra-tion fee is $420 per team anda person for non-DeKalb resi-

A Stone Mountain Wom-n was sentenced Jan. 10 foriling false tax returns usingtolen identities, includinghose of homeless and dis-bled persons.

Stealing someones iden-ity for personal gain is badnough, but this defendantargeted some of the most

vulnerable people in ourommunitythe home-

ess and disabled, saidU.S. Attorney Sally Quil-ian Yates. Her crimes left

people who were alreadydisadvantaged to deal withyet another obstacle in theirives. The defendants sig-

nificant sentence today willhopefully bring some solaceo those who suffered from

her greed.According Yates office,

5-year-old Cora CadiaFordprepared and filedalse tax returns with theRS, using the names andocial Security numbers of

poor, homeless and disabledpersons from approximatelyanuary 2007 to May 2011.

Ford intentionally pre-pared each tax return with

false information so thatit would generate a tax re-fund, according to a newsrelease. Ford deposited thetax refund checks into herown bank account or cashedthe checks at check-cashingstores.

As a result of Fordscrimes, many of the victimswhose names and Social Se-curity numbers were stolen

had their Social Securitydisability benefits reducedor eliminated for a period oftime, according to the newsrelease.

According the release,Ford sometimes convinced

victims to provide her withtheir identifying informa-tion so that she could applyon their behalf for a nonex-istent government homelessgrant.

In other instances, Ford,who also ran a small churchwith her now-deceasedhusband, told her victimsthat she would file a tax re-turn on their behalf and itwould be a gift from God,the release stated. Truth-fully, Ford used the victims

identifying information toprepare and file false tax re-turns, and kept the entire taxrefund for herself.

Ford was found guiltyin September 2013 on 30counts of mail fraud, ag-gravated identity theft andfiling false claims withthe government. Ford wassentenced to nine years,three months in prison to

be followed by threeyearsof supervised release, andordered to pay $101,000 res-titution.

Cora Ford thought shehad figured out a cleverscheme using the identitiesof people who were home-less, mentally challengedand physically disabledto steal and defraud theAmerican taxpayers, statedIRS Criminal InvestigationSpecial Agent in ChargeVeronica F. Hyman-Pillot.Todays sentence clearlydemonstrates that taking ad-

vantage, manipulating andstealing from the Americanpeople will not be ignored orgo unpunished.

A Stone Mountain manhas been sentenced to a de-cade in prison for attempt-ing to smuggle cocaine anda Mac-11 machine gun ontoa commercial flight.

Rasondo Maurice Nor-ris, 30, of Stone Mountain,worked as a baggage handler

for AirTran Airlines at theHartsfield Jackson Interna-tional Airport.

By using his creden-tials to bypass security withbackpacks of contraband,the defendant tried to al-low drugs and a machinegun onboard a commercialflight, said U.S. AttorneySally Quillian Yates. Publicsafety is a responsibility wetake seriously, and our officewill continue to prosecutethose who are endanger-ing our citizens. Security

screening at our airportsis vital to keeping citizenssafe.

Norris abused his posi-tion to enrich himself with-out any regard for the harmthat could have resultedfrom his actions, said BrockD. Nicholson, special agentin charge of HSI Atlanta.HSI special agents will con-tinue to work closely withour partners at Hartsfield-Jackson to ensure the safetyof the traveling public.

According to a newsrelease from the U.S. At-

torneys Office, HSI specialagents in May 2013 learnedthat Norris, for a fee, wouldhelp people engaged incriminal activity bring con-

traband onto airplanes byusing his security clearanceto bypass TSA security.

On or about May 23,2013, an HSI Special Agent,acting in an undercover ca-pacity, gave the defendant abackpack containing whatwas represented to be five

kilograms of cocaine, ac-cording to the news release.Norris took the backpackfrom the undercover agent,bypassed security and re-turned the backpack backto the agent once the agentcleared security.

On May 30, 2013, Norrisbypassed security with abackpack, this time contain-ing what was representedto be $500,000 in drugproceeds, according to thenews release. In June 2013,agents said Norris bypassed

security with a backpackcarrying what was repre-sented to be three kilogramsof cocaine, and a Mac-11 au-tomatic firearm (which hadbeen previously renderedinert by law enforcementagents), a magazine and asilencer.

Norris was paid between$600 and $800 each time hebypassed security with thecontraband, agents said.

According to the newsrelease, Norris admittedin court that he violatedthe airports security mea-

sures and was sentenced to10 years in prison after hepleaded guilty in October2013.

Man sentenced for bypassing airportsecurity with a machine gun

Stone Mountain woman sentenced for identity theft

Jaywalking leads toarrest of alleged humantrafficker

Jaywalking across the

busy Wesley Chapel Roadwas a shortcut to jail for aman Jan. 16.

A DeKalbCounty Po-lice officerfrom theeast precinctobserved theman cross-ing the roadat 4:30 p.m.without

using the designated cross-walk, according to a newselease from the department.

The officer detained thendividual who presented andentification that did not

match his physical descrip-ion, the release stated. Thisaised the officers suspicion.

Through further investi-gation, the officer discoveredhat the man was Archie

Byrd III, who was wanted byhe Clarke County Sheriff s

Office for human traffick-ng and had been profiled on

Americas Most Wanted.

Dunwoody Policeseeking suspect inaggravated assault,shoplifting

A man who fought withloss prevention officers Jan.15 in the Von Maur storeat Perimeter Mall is beingsought by Dunwoody Police.

Dunwoody Police re-sponded to a shopliftingin progress call at approxi-mately 4:30 p.m. The suspectfought with loss preventionofficers and fled the store.

Von Maur loss preven-tion officers and a customerchased the male suspectthrough the mall park-ing lot, where the suspectbrandished a handgun and

pointed it at them, accordingto a news release.

The suspect is describedas a Black male, 18-25 yearsold, 5-feet-10 to 6-feet tall,dark complexion, weigh-ing approximately 150-160pounds. He was wearinga black Nike hoody, blackpants, black and blue hat,light colored belt and greentennis shoes and had twistsin his hair.

The male was last seenrunning toward the Dun-woody MARTA Station on

Perimeter Center Parkway.According to police, the

man was accompanied bytwo female suspects whoacted as lookouts during theshoplifting. The suspects are

considered armed and dan-gerous.

Anyone with informationregarding this suspect or in-cident is asked to contact theDunwoody Police DetectiveLaudaat (678) 382-6914 [email protected]. Anonymous tips can besubmitted at www.dunwood-ypolice.com.

Governor appointsDunwoody residentto top child advocateposition

A Dunwoody woman waschosen by Gov. Nathan Dealto be the director of the Of-fice of the Child Advocateeffective Feb. 1.

In her capacity as director,AshleyWillcottwill workclosely with and provide in-put to state entities tasked tofight child abuse and neglect.

Willcott is a certifiedchild welfare law specialistwho has served as an attor-ney in various capacities injuvenile courts since 1992.

NEWS BRIEFS

See Briefs on page 11A

Byrd

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Restaurant Health Inspections

Residents concerned about proposedapartments near MARTA stationby Daniel [email protected]

A proposed apartmentcomplex adjacent to thendian Creek MARTA sta-ion has raised the concerns

of residents, who said theyhave gotten little to no in-formation from developersabout the details of the pro-posed complex.

The area is a 17-acre par-cel of land located at the in-ersection of George Luther

Drive and Durham ParkRoad in Stone Mountain.

Lesa Walden-Young, aesident who lives near the

proposed developmentsocation, told commission-

ers at a recent meeting thathe is disappointed at the

process of working with theboard and developers.

Each one of us [dressed]

n red represents about 10axpaying, single-familyhomeowners in and aroundhe South Indian Creek

MARTA station, Walden-Young said. We have madenumerous calls and sentnumerous emails. Our veryown commissioner has notmet with us yet. Other com-missioners on the boardhave met with us. The rep-esentatives of the builders

have met with us twice withimited to no information onhis project.

Walden-Young said she isconcerned that the proposedapartment complex wontbenefit taxpayers in thecommunity and will bringdown property values. She

said many neighborhoodsadjacent to MARTA stationsare in decline.

That is why manyDeKalb County residents areeither moving out of DeKalbCounty or petitioning tohave cities of their own be-cause we feel we have noleadership representing ourinterests, Walden-Youngsaid.

Other residents alsovoiced concerns about thedanger of crossing a busystreet to get to the MARTAstation and poor visibility.Additionally, several peoplestated that there are cur-rently no sidewalks on eitherside of Durham Park Road.

Michele Battle, an at-torney representing RussellNew Urban Development,the company that has pro-posed the apartment com-

plex, requested that a voteon its zoning application bedeferred for a month.

We have attempted toaddress many of the ques-tions that were raised, par-ticularly those concerningthe environmental issuesand related issues on sitedevelopment of the project,Battle said. That being said,we also understand that weneed to do better and werecommitted to doing better.

Battle requested the de-ferral to allow time for allstakeholders to meet; theseinclude residents, officialsfrom MARTA, as well asrepresentatives from Geor-gia Perimeter College andGeorgia Piedmont Techni-

cal School, which are bothnearby.

We are very commit-ted to this project and webelieve this is one that willenhance the community,Battle said. We are alsoputting together some addi-tional information and try-ing to work toward having ameeting in which all of theplayers will be at the table.

Battle said the proposedcomplex will consist of 300units; 200 private student-housing units and 100 unitsfor senior housing. The pro-

jected cost of the complexis approximately $22 mil-lion for the student housingcomponent, which Battlesaid would be built first. Shesaid she was unsure of theamount for the proposed se-nior housing units.

The DeKalb County

Board of Commissionersagreed to defer the item un-til February. CommissionerKathie Gannon said theboard had heard the com-munitys concerns and frus-trations.

Weve all agreed thatthe development, as it wasproposed, wasnt suitable forthis area and weve asked forinformation. I did promiseto meet with the applicantand get that new informa-tion and see where they aregoing. We will then have ameeting with the commu-nity before we come back inone month for a public hear-ing, Gannon said.

Establishment Name: Stars And StrikesAddress: 1741 Mountain Industrail BoulevardCurrent Score/Grade: 93/AInspecon Date: 01/16/2014Observaons and Correcve Acons

Food stored in facility past manufacture best by date.Observed two bulk containers of whipped buer with

manufacture best by date of 11/12/13 stored in walkin cooler. Corrected to discard. Advised PIC to monitorfoods to ensure that items are being used or discarded bythe manufacture use by date. Corrected On-Site. NewViolaon.

Employee wearing jewelry other than a plain ring whilepreparing food. Observed food handling employee wearingwatch and bracelet. Advised PIC to remind sta that onlyone plain ring is alowed to be worn while prepping food.Bracelets, watches, and rings with stones are not allowed.Repeat Violaon

Establishment Name: Lambadina CafeAddress: 3652 Market Street, Suite ECurrent Score/Grade: 89/BInspecon Date: 01/16/2014Observaons and Correcve Acons

Food not protected from contaminaon by separang

raw animal foods during storage, prep, holding, and displayfrom cooked or raw ready-to-eat foods. Observed 2 bags ofraw beef stored with and above tomatoes. Advised to storeraw beef on boom shelf by itself. CFSM stored raw beef onboom shelf. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaon.

Establishment Name: Nathans Soul Train Bar-B-QAddress: 1544 Wellborn Road, Suite 9Current Score/Grade: 81/BInspecon Date: 01/16/2014Observaons and Correcve Acons

Raw sh stored on top of grits and oatmeal storedon top of raw sh in the true cooler. Raw bacon and raweggs stored next to and over vegetables in the Kenmorecooler. PIC advised that all raw animal food must bestored separated from cooked and ready to eat foodsand furthermore that raw animal foods must be storedseparated based on nal cook temperature. COS- PIC

rearranged cooler. Distributed separaon poster. CorrectedOn-Site. New Violaon.

Food observed date marked 1/4/14. PIC stated thatsome of the foods and been frozen and thawed and thatothers had been mislabeled. PIC advised on proper datemarking of frozen foods and advised that all potenallyhazardous foods cooked and held in the establishment forlonger than 24 hours must be labeled with the preparaondate and must be used or discarded within 7 days. COS-PIC labeled food. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaon.Wet wiping cloth stored on counter. Wiping cloth soluonexceeding 200ppm Cl-. PIC advised that wet wiping clothsmust be stored in sanizer when not in use. PIC advisedthat concentraon of wet wiping cloth soluon must bemaintained between 50 and 100ppm Cl-.

Pans observed drying in vegetable sink. PIC advised thatvegetable sink may only be used for washing produce. NewViolaon.

In use utensils in kitchen stored in water at 104F. PICadvised that if in use utensils are stored in water thenwater must be maintained at or above 135F. PIC advisedthat water on the countertop in a bucket is not likely tomaintain a temperature of 135F and that in-use utensilsmay be stored in a clean, dry locaon if utensils are washedevery 4 hours.

Establishment Name: KFC / LJSAddress: 5681 Memorial DriveCurrent Score/Grade: 99/AInspecon Date: 01/16/2014Observaons and Correcve Acons

Establishment Name: Obrians TavernAddress: 2486 Mount Vernon Road, Suite ACurrent Score/Grade: 81/BInspecon Date: 01/16/2014

An architects rendering for a proposed apartment complex off Durham Park Road in Stone Mountain. Residentsre concerned they were not given enough input into the planning process of the proposed development.

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Once-a-week trash pick-up comingby Andrew [email protected]

Once-a-week trash pick-up could soon be the normn DeKalb County.

The countys sanitationdepartment will soon begina pilot program in which28,000 households will haveheir garbage collection dayseduced to once a week. Forhose residents, the pick-up

day for garbage, yard debrisand recycling will all be onone day.

Right now we collectgarbage twice a week, yarddebris on a day and theningle stream recycling on a

day, said Billy Malone, san-tation director. If we can

get it all on a single day webelieve it will be more con-venient for the customerand it will be more efficienton the supervision.

Preselected householdsn the pilot program include

portions of Brookhaven,Chamblee, Dunwoody, Li-honia and unincorporated

DeKalb. Households in thepilot will receive a 65-gallongarbage cart, informationn the mail and an opportu-

nity to participate in publicmeetings.

During the program, par-ticipating households will besurveyed on the effective-ness of the changes.

Malone said the new gar-bage carts will be emptied

by trucks equipped withmechanical arms.

Cost savings is one rea-son the sanitation depart-ment is pushing for thechange in garbage pickup,Malone said.

The sanitation depart-ment operates as an enter-prise fund, which means itdoes not receive taxpayerfunds.

We have to balanceour budget, Malone said.Traditionally, the sanitationdepartment would raise its

rates every five years butthe last increase was Jan. 1,2006.

During that [eight-year]window we had the 2008 de-bacle, where fuel prices es-calated so much. We use themost diesel in the county. In2008, it went up $2 million.That kind of burden has ahuge impact on an opera-tions budget, but we wereable to absorb that.

We balance our budgetevery year, but we are at thepoint that we cant stay at

the same balance if we staywith twice-a-week garbage,Malone said.

In a series of 14 commu-nity meetings last year, 67

percent of the participantssupported the once a weekpick up, Malone said.

The pilot program isdesigned to try to get the

gauge of the community,Malone said. Will they ac-cept going to once-a-weekgarbage?

dents. All checks and moneyorders should be made pay-able to DeKalb County Parksand Recreation & CulturalAffairs. Registration is on afirst come, first served basis.

For more information,please call the Athletics Of-fice at (770) 414-2111.

DeKalb County seekspeer reviewers toexpedite commercialpermit process

In an effort to improvehe countys permitting

process, DeKalb County ispreparing to launch the Ex-pedited Commercial PlanReview Program to offercustomers a guaranteed tenbusiness day review time forall commercial projects.

To meet this objective,he county is seeking certi-

fied architects and engineerso apply to become peer re-viewers.

One of the best things wecan do to stimulate our local

economy is to improve ourprocesses so that it is easyto do business in DeKalbCounty, Interim DeKalbCounty CEO Lee Maysaid.To that end, we are askingqualified experts to becomepeer reviewers as we seek toreduce our commercial planreview time to 10 days.

In the new program, cus-

tomers will be able to submitplans directly to an approvedpeer reviewer to ensure theproject is consistent with allapplicable building, fire andaccessibility codes. Once thepeer reviewer approves theplans, the customer can sub-mit the approved plans to thecounty. If no code violationsare found, the customer willreceive a permit within 10business days.

For more information onthe program or to learn moreabout becoming a peer re-viewer, visit www.planning-

dekalb.net/expediteplans.

BriefsContinued From Page 9A

Sanitation Director Billy Malone displays a 65-gallon garbage cart that will be used in an upcoming pilotprogram. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

NOTICEOFPUBLICHEARING

TheMayorandCityCounciloftheCityofChamblee,Georgiawillholdapublichearingat6:00

p.m.onThursday,February13,2014attheChambleeCivicCenter,3540BroadStreet,

Chamblee,GA30341toreceivepubliccommentsregardingthefollowingmatters:

BenVo,representingJVDevelopment,LLC,requestsavariancefromtheCitysstreambuffer

andsetbackrequiredinCityOrdinanceChapter34,Section1005forastreamlocatedona

parcelthatiszonedCorridorCommercial(CC)andconsistsof7.37acreslocatedat5000Buford

HighwaybeingTaxParcel1829702012.

GlennMurer,representingW.R.Court,LLC,requestsrezoningfromCorridorCommercial(CC)

toIndustrialTransitional(IT)foraparcelconsistingof2.17acreslocatedat2050WillRoss

CourtbeingTaxParcel1830802022.

ZlatanOruch

requests

avariance

from

the

Citys

rear

yard

setback

requirements

in

Section

1004.B.from30feetto15feetforproposedLot1at3676SchoolStreet,beingTaxParcel18

30807002,zonedNeighborhoodResidential2(NR2)andconsistingof0.35acres,pending

proposedsubdivisionintotwolotslargerthan6,000sq.ft.

ZlatanOruchrequestsavariancefromtheCitysrearyardsetbackrequirementsinSection

1004.B.from30feetto15feetforproposedLot2at3676SchoolStreet,beingTaxParcel18

30807002,zonedzonedNeighborhoodResidential2(NR2)andconsistingof0.35acres,

pendingproposedsubdivisionintotwolotslargerthan6,000sq.ft.

Reduce Reuse RecycleReduce Reuse Recycle

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DeKalb NAACPs 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade, Jan. 20

Vis

itAtlantasDeKalbCounty.c

om

DeKalb Convention & Visitors

Bureaus Reunion Specialist

will teach you everything you

need to know to plan the

perfect Family Reunion in

DeKalb County!

Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort

4021 Lakeview Dr, Stone Mountain, GA 30083

DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau

Call 770-492-5016Pre-registration is required

Saturday - February 22

FREE Family ReunionPlanning Workshop & Showcase

Photos by Travis Hudgons

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 PAGE 13AWEEK IN PICTURES

Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

For a programming guide, visit www.yourdekalb.com/dctvNow showing on DCTV!

Finding DeKalb Countys MissingStories of our missing residents offer profound

insights and hope for a positive reunion.

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Decatur Farmers MarketsVendors and residents come out to the Decatur Farmers Markets new

Wednesday location, the front lawn of the Decatur First Baptist Church, at theorner of Commerce Avenue and Church Street, each Wednesday where local,ustainable and fresh foods are available year-round, rain or shine. Photos by

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 PAGE 14ALOCAL NEWSNOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners will hold Public Hearings on the2014 Proposed Budget at the times and places listed below:

Tuesday February 11, 2014 10:00AM Maloof Center Auditorium1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur

Tuesday February 25, 2014 10:00AM Maloof Center Auditorium1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur

All interested citizens are invited to attend these hearings and have the right topresent comments pertaining to the proposed budget.

The recommended budget is available for public inspection in t he office of theDirector of Finance, 6th Floor, Maloof Center, at all DeKalb County Librariesduring normal business hours, and electronically at www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

BUD GET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORecommended

TAX FUNDS

GENERAL FUND

ANTICIPATED REVENUES:

Taxes $206,413,531

Licenses and Permits 93,013

Intergovernmental 2,428,680

Charges for Services 34,180,817

Fines and Forfeitures 12,291,029

Miscellaneous 4,209,144

Other Financing Sources 2,444,789

Fund Balance Carried Forward 24,810,618

TOTAL - GENERAL FUND $286,871,621

PROPOSED EXPENDITURES:

Chief Executive Officer $2,342,504

Board of Commissioners 2,638,518Ethics Board 118,000

Law Department 3,195,025

Geographic Info Systems 1,975,175

Facilities Management 14,038,503

Purchasing 2,854,759

Human Resources & Merit System 2,866,741

Information Systems 17,204,763

Finance 5,745,956

BUDGET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORecommended

Property Appraisal 4,348,270

Tax Commissioner 7,028,612

Registrar 3,800,080

Sheriff 75,818,336

Juvenile Court 9,146,290

Superior Court 8,426,869

Clerk of Superior Court 6,438,212

State Court 13,230,468

Solicitor - General 6,002,207

District Attorney 12,173,303

Child Advocate's Office 1,926,259

Probate Court 1,550,176

Medical Examiner 2,411,858

Public Defender 6,900,703

Police 3,833,867Magistrate Court 2,582,868

Fire & Rescue Services 8,096,259

Planning & Development 1,194,952

Public Works - Director 281,392

Economic Development 750,000

Library 12,701,400

Cooperative Extension 515,543

Public Health 3,955,634

Community Service Board 1,497,257

D F A C S 1,179,220

Human Services 3,945,795

Contributions to Capital Projects 6,000,000

Non - Departmental 28,155,847

TOTAL - GENERAL FUND $286,871,621

FIRE FUND


Property Taxes $53,056,834

Licenses & Permits 670,296

Charges for Services 21,302


TOTAL - FIRE FUND $58,272,711


Fire & Rescue Services $48,326,657

Non - Departmental 9,946,054TOTAL - FIRE FUND $58,272,711

SPECIAL TAX DISTRICT - DESIGNATED SERVICES


Taxes $11,835,607


Miscellaneous 259,737

BUDGET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORecommended



TOTAL - S T D - DESIGNATED SERVICES FUND $30,986,835


Public Works - Transportation $3,374,388

Public Works - Roads & Drainage 9,330,944

Parks & Recreation 9,791,338


TOTAL - S T D - DESIGNATED SERVICES FUND $30,986,835

SPECIAL TAX DISTRICT - UNINCORPORATED


Taxes $30,805,314Licenses and Permits 20,862,265


Miscellaneous (101,998)

Other Financing Sources (53,518,190)

Fund Balance Carried Forward (7,734,058)

TOTAL - S T D - UNINCORPORATED FUND $12,063,144

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C E O Office - Cable TV Support $379,680

Finance - Business License 776,780

Recorder's Court 3,957,262

Planning & Development- Zoning Analysis 3,208,864


TOTAL - S T D - UNINCORPORATED FUND $12,063,144

HOSPITAL FUND


Taxes $17,354,121

Fund Balance Carried Forward (5,605,232)

TOTAL - HOSPITAL FUND $11,748,889

PROPOSED EXPENDITURES: $11,748,889

POLICE SERVICES FUND


Taxes $57,857,226

Licenses and Permits 1,027,952





I I , ,BUDGET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORec ommende d


DEBT SERVICE FUND


Taxes $1,442,010


TOTAL - DEBT SERVICE FUND $8,050,672


SPECIAL TAX DISTRICT - DEBT SERVICE FUND


Taxes $26,470,313

Fund Balance Carried Forward 10,903,349TOTAL - STD - DEBT SERVICE FUND $37,373,662


TOTAL RECOMMENDED 2014 TAX FUNDS BUD GET $561,505,846

SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS

DEV ELOPMENT FUND


Licenses and Permits $5,061,400


Investment Income 1,500

Miscellaneous (7,200)

Fund Balance Carried Forward 667,871

TOTAL - DEVELOPMENT FUND $5,749,571


Planning & Sustainability $5,749,571

TOTAL - DEVELOPMENT FUND $5,749,571

PUBLIC EDUCATION & GOVERNMENT ACC ESS FUND


Investment Income $10,000



TOTAL - P E G FUND $1,985,066


COUNTY JAIL FUND


BUDGET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORec ommende d

Intergovernmental $110,000

Fines and Forfeitures 807,288


TOTAL - COUNTY JAIL FUND $1,117,498


FORECLOSURE REGISTRY FUND


Charges for Services $240,000


TOTAL - FORECLOSURE REGISTRY FUND $1,180,620


HOTEL / MOTEL TAX F UND


Taxes $4,000,000


TOTAL - HOTEL / MOTEL TAX FUND $5,074,462


RENTAL MOTOR VEHICLE EXCISE TAX F UND



VICTIM ASSISTANCE FUND





TOTAL - VICTIM ASSISTANCE FUND $1,480,000


RECREATION FUND

ANTICIPATED REVENUES:Charges for Services $962,168

Fund Balance Carried Forward (354,235)

TOTAL - RECREATION FUND $607,933

PROPOSED EXPENDITURES: $607,933

LAW ENFORCEMENT CONFISCATED MONIES FUND

See Budget Adon Page 15A

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BUDGET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORecommended


Fund Balance Carried Forward $6,946,410

TOTAL - L.E.C.M. FUND $6,946,410


Sheriff $814,562

District Attorney 110,486

State Court Marshal 9,212

Public Safety - Police 6,012,150

TOTAL - L.E.C.M. FUND $6,946,410

JUVENILE SERVICES FUND



Investment Income 225


TOTAL - JUVENILE SERVICES FUND $249,347


DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT & EDUCATION FUND


Fines and Forfeitures $130,000



TOTAL - D.A.T.E. FUND $263,454


STREET LIGHT FUND


Charges for Services $4,500,000



TOTAL - STREET LIGHT FUND $6,624,566


EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM FUND


Investment Income $5,000



TOTAL - EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM FUND $14,125,021


BUD GET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORecommended

SPEED HUMPS MAINTENANCE FUND





TOTAL - SPEED HUMPS MAINTENANCE FUND $2,212,157


GRANT - IN - AID FUNDANTICIPATED REVENUES:

Miscellaneous Revenue $34,877,510

TOTAL - GRANT - IN - AID FUND $34,877,510

GRANT - IN - AID FUND (cont inued)


Community Development $17,007,973

Workforce Development 5,500,840

Other 840,801

Justice Assistance Grants 11,527,896

TOTAL - GRANT - IN - AID FUND $34,877,510

ENT ERP RISE FUNDS

WATER & SEWERAGE OPERATING FUND






TOTAL - WATER & SEWERAGE OPERATING FUND $283,557,377

PROPOSED EXPENDITURES:Public Works - Water & Sewer $276,146,587

Finance - Revenue Collections 7,410,790

TOTAL - WATER & SEWERAGE OPERATING FUND $283,557,377

WATER & SEWERAGE SINKING FUND


Miscellaneous $583,114



TOTAL - WATER & SEWERAGE SINKING FUND $67,828,224

BUD GET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORecommended


SANITATION FUND





Other Financing Sources 147,143


TOTAL - SANITATION FUND $66,373,559


Public Works - Sanitation $66,123,925

Finance - Revenue Collections 249,634

TOTAL - SANITATION FUND $66,373,559

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DEKALB - PEACHTREE AIRPORT


Miscellaneous $5,071,400


TOTAL - DEKALB - PEACHTREE AIRPORT $13,160,155


Airport Operations $11,160,155

Transfer to Capital Projects 2,000,000

TOTAL - DEKALB - PEACHTREE AIRPORT $13,160,155

STORMWATER UTILITY OPERATING FUND


Charges for Services $14,750,000Investment Income 12,000


TOTAL - STORMWATER UTILITY FUND $24,107,087


Stormwater Operations $22,017,246

Reserve for Appropriations 2,089,841

TOTAL - STORMWATER UTILITY FUND $24,107,087

INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS

FLEET MAINTENANCE



Charges for Services 33,100,000

BUDGET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORec ommended


TOTAL - FLEET MAINTENANCE $33,900,000


Public Works - Fleet Maintenance $33,900,000

TOTAL - FLEET MAINTENANCE $33,900,000

VEHICLE FUND





Other Financing Sources 500,000


TOTAL - VEHICLE FUND $27,018,221


Vehicle Acquisitions $25,145,484

Interdepartmental Services 19,634

Reserves and Other Miscellaneous 1,853,103

TOTAL - VEHICLE FUND $27,018,221

RISK MANAGEMENT



Payroll Deductions and Matches 99,295,898


TOTAL - RISK MANAGEMENT $121,203,916


Unemployment Compensation $500,000

Group Health & Life 99,845,898

Buildings & Contents 1,326,500

Boiler & Machinery 51,000

Non- Immunity Expenses 2,000,000

Vehicle 4,452,655

Airport Liability 6,588

Helicopter 150,000

Money & Securities 35,000

Loss Control 478,000

Other 12,358,275

TOTAL - RISK MANAGEMENT $121,203,916

WORKERS' COMPENSATION



BUDGET RESOLUTION

2014 CEORec ommended


TOTAL - WORKERS' COMPENSATION FUND $6,634,316


REV ENUE BONDS LEASE PAYMENT FUNDS

BUILDING AUTHORITY LEASE PAYMENTS




TOTAL - BUILDING AUTHORITY $3,852,373


PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUDICIAL FACILITIES AUT HORITY LEASE PAYMENTS



Fund Balance Carried Forward (906,279)

TOTAL - PS&J FACILITIES AUTHORITY $3,106,601


URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BONDS DEBTSERVICE


Miscellaneous $950,165


TOTAL - URA DEBT SERVICE FUND $1,161,532


Budget Ad Continued from page 14A

7/27/2019 Free Press 1-24-14

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 PAGE 16ABUSINESS

Tucker Business Association speaker shares tips for building small business success

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030

by Kathy [email protected]

Early in her years in thework force, Terri Teagueaid, it never occurred to herhat you can earn money

without having a boss. Now,n her business, New Biz

Team, she not only workswithout a boss, she also ad-vises other business owners.

While many of Teagueslients are small businesses,

her Atlanta-based market-ng firm has implemented

award-winning campaignsor such large Georgia-basedorporations as The South-rn Company, UPS, Coca-

Cola and Equifax.At the Jan. 16 meeting of

he Tucker Business Asso-iation, her presentation wasWinning is a Habit: The

Three Key Habits of EverySuccessful Small BusinessOwner.

Teague started with herown story. Approximately 40

years ago she took a sales jobfor a Birmingham, Ala., steelcompany. She was gratifiedto learn that she had becomethe companys leading salesperson until she learned thatshe was also receiving thelowest salary on the salesstaff.

That was the South inthe 1970s, she said. Wom-en were paid less than menno matter how well theyperformed.

After trying other careerpaths, she took a friends

suggestion and went back toschool to learn marketing.Today, she is an entrepre-neur with 25 years of experi-ence, including creating andlaunching five profitablebusinesses with annual grossbillings up to $3 million.

In launching and build-ing a small business, hardwork is not enough, Teaguesaid. You have to make aplan and work the plan, shesaid. Its amazing what you

can accomplish.Through her consulting

company, she started form-ing small groups of busi-ness entrepreneurs. Eachhad to agree at the start tothree rules: to meet weekly,to continue the meetingsfor three months and to dowhat she asked of them. Herfirst groups saw such im-provement in their business-es that she soon had othersclamoring to go through thesame exercise.

Over the years Teague

identified practices she saidare key to business success.The first is to establish

excellence. It may seemobvious, but you have to bethe absolute best at whatyou do, Teague noted. Shedeveloped a phrase basedon her experience eat-ing lunch at a Chick-fil-Arestaurant. I was having asalad, she recalled. A staffperson came over and askedif I would like fresh ground

pepper. This was a $6 saladin a fast food restaurant andsomeone was offering mefresh ground pepper.

In every business theressomething extrasome-thing specialthe businesscan offer its customers, saidTeague, who refers to theextra as the companys pep-per.

The pepper varies withthe company, but theresalways something that willgive the customer a little ex-tra. I ask my clients, Are you

grinding your pepper?Another key, Teaguesaid, is to find time to focus.Business owners often stayso busy that they never stopto think about the busi-nesshow its going andwhat needs to be done tomake it go better. That, shesaid, is an advantage of theweekly meetings she insistson. They force owners tostop periodically and thinkabout details of the business.

You have to look at yournumbers. Youd be surprisedhow many people run abusiness without payingattention not just to howmuch is coming in but alsoto how much every aspectof the operation costs. Youhave to know whether youreoperating efficiently, shesaid.

She advised companies toperiodically examine theirbrand. Is it up-to-date? Howdoes it compare with whatcompetitors are offering?

She asked, Are you telling acompelling story?A lot of business own-

ers dont like to think aboutmarketing, but marketing isessential. You have to figureout whos most likely to buyyour product whos not nowbuying your product andwhat the best ways are toreach them, she advised.

Successful businesses,Teague said, monitor whatmatters.

At a Tucker Business Association meeting, consulting rm head Terri Teague urges business owners to be the absolute best at what they do.

7/27/2019 Free Press 1-24-14

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Accreditation Continued From Page 1A


Joy Jackson, right, and her aunt stand by the ramp that volunteers built during last years Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Photo by Travis Hudgons

by Nigel Roberts

An army o volunteers descendedon Decatur the third weekend inJanuary, marching into town armedwith tools to repair the homes oelderly residents. Tese volunteerswere participants in the DecaturMartin Luther King Jr. ServiceProject, under the auspices o theDecatur Preservation Alliance.

In honor o Kings legacy, the al-liance created the service project tohelp at-risk seniors in the communi-ty live saely and comortably in theirhomes. During the Martin Luther

King Jr. holiday weekend, more than1,000 volunteers gave their time andtalent in service.

Volunteers have signed up orone or more shifs to make much-needed repairs and to do yard work.Tey came with a range o skill lev-elsrom experienced contractors tothose who dont know the differencebetween a Phillips head and plainscrewdriver.

Paul Mitchell, chairman o theMLK Service Project, scheduled 26

Decatur homes or repair projectsthis year. Repairs or the low-incomeDecatur seniors ranged rom fixingplumbing problems and installingnew urnaces to roo work. Andnearly everyone received yard workall ree o charge.

Mitchell, who came into the pro-gram as a volunteer, said it operatedin 2013 on a $20,000 budget romdonations. Volunteersand generouspartners such as Lowesprovided ap-proximately $180,000 in repair goodsand services to the homeowners.

More than 1,100 people volun-teered last year. Te diverse group

ranged rom young Cub Scouts to70-year-old retirees. Mitchell saidthey came rom all points in DeKalband surrounding counties, mostlyby word o mouth. Tey worked anestimated 7,000 hours over the three-day weekend.

Joy Jackson described the day oservice as a godsend. She and herhusband, the Rev. Dr. Mance Jack-son who taught at the Interdenomi-national Teological Center, bought

their home 1968. And it has beena challenge to maintain the housesince his death in 2007.

Te volunteers take time out otheir busy schedule to help someonethey dont know, she said. Its likewere neighbors. Tat says a lot aboutour community.

In 2013, more than a dozen vol-unteers did a range o work to herhome, rom bathroom plumbing andinstalling insulation in her attic, tobuilding an outdoor handicap rampor her 100-year-old aunt who liveswith her. She still praises the BoyScouts who did an amazing job on

her yard.Without the program, all o thatwork might have remained undone.It helps [seniors] to regain theirsense o dignity when they cantmaintain the home they purchased,said Jackson, who r

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