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championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewschampionnews

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FRIDAY, JAn. 16, 2015 VOL. 17, nO. 40 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

See Rescue on page 15A

First responders test skills

Photos by Andrew Cauthen

DeKalb County Fire Rescue, DeKalb Emergency Management Agency personnel and Chamblee Police ofcersjoined Atlanta Gas Light representatives in a mock gas leak training exercise Jan. 8.

by Andrew [email protected]

Local first responderswere called to a gas leakina Chamblee neigh-borhoods a cul-de-sac

an. 8, but it wasnt real.It was a drill for repre-

entatives from Atlanta GasLight, DeKalb County FireRescue Department, DeKalbCounty Emergency Man-agement Agency and theChamblee Police Depart-ment.

Early that morning, asemperatures lingered inhe teens, Chamblee and

DeKalb County emergencypersonnel responded a callof a gas leak. A contractorold 911 personnel that he

had hit a 24-inch gas line

with his mini excavator athe Atlanta Gas Light Regu-ator Station at Shalimar

Drive in Chamblee.When the personnel ar-

ived, they learned that itwas a drill.

Todays exercise is aimulation. We are out here

doing emergency scenarioraining, said Kristie Ben-on, manager of public rela-ions and media relations at

Atlanta Gas Light. We did4 last year. This is an exten-ion of our commitment toafety to the communities

that we serve.Patrick Flynn, manager

of crisis management forAGL Resources Inc., ex-plained the scenario to sev-eral residents who attendedthe drill.

Im going to be makinga call to our leak line as aneighbor letting them knowI smell gas, I hear a loudnoise, Flynn said. Theyregoing to ask me all the in-formation. Theyre goingto provide me with safetyinstructions and then theyregoing to dispatch one of ourguys.

Now Atlanta GasLightthey dont know itsa drill, Flynn said. The re-sponder is getting his calllike its a real event, like itshappening, sofrom this

point on, its playing out. Hewill not know until he showsup that this is a drill.

Theyre going to beworking an incident com-mand just like they wouldon any real event, Flynnsaid.

Lt. CraigMedlin, dep-uty director of the DeKalbEmergency ManagementAgency (DEMA), said thatin the event of an actualemergency, he would openDeKalb Countys emer-gency operations center inDeKalb, if necessary.

Business ........................20A

Education ..............18-19A

Sports ......................22-23A

Opinion ...........................5A

Classified .......................21A

QUICK FINDER

LOcAL, 12A eDucAtIOn, 18ALOcAL, 2A

LITTLE HOUSE INLITHONIA RECEIVESLAURELS

GPC TO MERGEWITH UGA

CONTRACTORS

VYING FOR $200M

WATERSHED PROJECT

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015

LOCAL

Contractors vying for $200M watershed project

CELEBRATING A DAYONAND NOT A DAYOFF

Georgia Power is proud to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day a nationwide celebration

of service to mankind and community by encouraging its employees and customers

to use their time off to serve others.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let us all come together to spend a day on by extending

a helping hand to help those who need it most.

Georgia Power employees

georgiapower.com/community

Connect With Us

- - . :


This, No. 1, is a pub-ic works project for us in

DeKalb County.Thats what interim

DeKalb CountyCEOLee

May told approximately 200ocal small, minority and

women-owned businessepresentatives who met

with county leaders Jan. 7during a forum about sub-contracting opportunities onhe Snapfinger Wastewater

Treatment Plant.With a $200 million

price tag, the second phaseof the Snapfinger Wastewa-er Treatment Plant expan-ion is the biggest project of

DeKalbs $1.35 billion wa-ershed capital improvement

project (CIP).In 2010, the DeKalbCounty Board of Commis-ioners approved billion-

dollar improvements toDeKalbs water and sewerystem. At the time, county

officials said approximately$20 million to $30 millionwould be allocated to ad-dressing requirements ofa consent decree in whichDeKalb County agreed topay a $453,000 penalty fromhe federal Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) forexcessive sewage spills. Thecounty also agreed to imple-ment a $600,000 streamcleanup project, focusing ondebris removal from partsof the South River, SouthFork Peachtree Creek andSnapfinger Creek.

We have work to bedone to focus on our waterand wastewater sewer sys-em. Weve got to get that

work done, May said. Thiswork is critical for us.

While we have this op-portunity, we want to doome good with literally the

billion dollars that we haveo procure here in DeKalbCounty, May said. Wewant to make sure that smallbusinesseshave an oppor-unity to put [their] skillsetso work.

May said the countyalso wants to make sure wecan have employment op-portunities for residents inDeKalb County.

The Snapfinger projectalready has had its prob-ems. In 2012, Desmear Sys-ems was hired to grub and

clear land, excavate rock andoil, and construct a retain-ng wall. The county latererminated its $7.7 million

contract with Desmear, cit-ng a structurally unsound

retaining wall, numerouswater violations and ac-cidents at the construction

site. Residents near thesite complained of damagecaused by blasting.

This is our secondcrack at it, May said aboutthe new Snapfinger phase.

Unfortunately, its oursecond crack at it, but for-tunately its also our second

See Snapfinger on page 6A

From left, Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May; Ken Saunders, assistant watershed director; Morris Williams, deputy chief operating ofcer forinfrastructure; and Commissioner Stan Watson spoke to contractors interested in working on the countys Snapnger Wastewater Treatment Plantproject. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 Page 3ALOCAL

Background checks challenged

NOTICEOFSPECIALELECTION,QUALIFYINGREQUIREMENTS,ANDREGISTRATION

CITY

OF

AVONDALE

ESTATES,

GEORGIA

Notice is hereby given that a Special Election for the City of Avondale Estates will be held on

Tuesday,March17,2015tofillthevacancyandunexpiredtermofMayor.Thepersonelectedtofillthis

unexpiredtermwillservethroughDecember31,2015. ThisseatwillbeupforreelectiononNovember

3,2015andthecandidateelectedinNovemberwillserveafour(4)yeartermbeginningJanuary1,2016.

VotingwilltakeplaceatAvondaleEstatesCityHall,21NorthAvondalePlaza,from7a.m.to7p.m.

AnypersonwhoisaresidentoftheCityofAvondaleEstatesandwhoisregisteredwithDeKalbCounty

BoardofRegistrations andElectionsby February17,2015, as anelectorwithin theCityofAvondale

Estates,shallbeeligibletovoteinthiselection.

PersonswishingtoqualifyforthiselectionmayfileanoticeofcandidacywithCityClerkJulietteSims

OwensatCityHall,21NorthAvondalePlaza,from8:30a.m.to11:30a.m.and12:30p.m.to4:30p.m.

beginning

Monday,

January

12,

2015

through

Friday,

January

16,

2015.

The

qualifying

fee

is

$3.

Advance

voting

begins

February

23,

2015, at theDeKalbCountyElectionsDivision,4380Memorial

Drive,Decatur,Georgia30032,4042984020.

by Ashley [email protected]

A newly elected mem-ber of the DeKalb CountySchool Board refused tosubmit a fingerprint and al-low a background check by

the school district, accusingthe board chairman of bul-lying and saying he will onlyagree to background checksdone by police.

It is a conflict of inter-est to be investigated by theagency I was elected to over-see, Stan Jester said.

According to an emailchain between Jester andDr. Melvin Johnson,DeKalb school board chair-man, all district employeesand members of its Boardof Education undergo acriminal background check,

which involves fingerprint-ing. Johnson told Channel2 News that he was takenaback when Jester told himhe would not submit to acheck by the district.

Jester said, In prepara-tion for my service on theBoard of Education, I filledout paperwork and par-ticipated in board orienta-tion. The administrationasked their internal staff tofingerprint me in order toreceive an ID badge. The

administration insisted I befingerprinted because theyconsidered me an employeeof the district. I researchedthis and found that bothDeKalb BOE policy andstate law explicitly state thatBOE members are not em-

ployees.Jester said after heemailed Johnson inform-ing him of the DeKalb BOEpolicy and state law, John-son emailed him with a newrationale that he was con-cerned about ensuring a safeenvironment for DeKalbsstudents.

Jester emailed a state-ment to Channel 2 that read:I do not object to a thor-ough background check orbeing fingerprinted. In fact,last week I sent the chaira copy of my background

check completed by theDunwoody Police Depart-ment. Additionally, I havealready made arrangementsto have my fingerprintstaken by the DeKalb CountyPolice Department... I willbe putting my reports on-line and they will be madeavailable for anyone to see.I challenge the rest of theboard members and admin-istration to do the same.

He added, I do rejectthe manner and rationale of

the board chair in dealingwith this issue. It has rangedfrom inaccurate to intimi-dating. Our children de-serve better. Rather than tryto bully or embarrass otherboard members, I will takegreat care to do what is in

the best interests of childrenand taxpayers.Jester posted a blog

titled Why is WSB Call-ing Me? on his factcheck.com/stanjester website asan attempt to get the factsstraight.

There are two thingsthat Jester highlighted in hisdefense; he wrote There isno requirement in DeKalbpolicy or Georgia state lawthat I provide my finger-

prints to the school districtand it is a bold conflict ofinterest to be investigated bythe agency I am elected tooversee.

On the blog Jester wrote,Regarding the inaccuratereport this evening on WSB;

I am dedicated to transpar-ency and disclosure. As theparent of three preciouschildren that go to publicschool in DeKalb County,I am as concerned aboutsafety as any parent. So, Itake great umbrage from thesuggestion that I am doingsomething that might im-pede safety.

According to Jester, hecompleted a police back-ground check before Christ-

mas, sent the report to theboard chairmen and postedit on his website.

Jester had another back-ground check conducted bythe DeKalb County PoliceDepartment on Jan. 5, mo-ments before being sworn

in to the board. He said, Ithink all the board membersand administration shouldput their background checksonline for all to see.

I look forward to work-ing collaboratively with allboard members and staffthat are dedicated to pro-

viding the most effectiveeducation to our childrenand conservative financialstewardship to our taxpay-ers, Jester said.

Chairman Melvin Johnson with board memberMichael Erwin before being sworn in.

Melvin Johnson with his family being sworn back intothe Board of Education.

Michael Thurmond welcomesguests and introduces thenew board.

Stan Jester sworn into the Board of Education

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 16, 2015 Page 4AOPINION

Make home fire safety a priorityAs we head into the heart of winter, its a good

time to offer a reminder about something that somany of us take for grantedkeeping ourselvesand our loved ones safe from fire at home.

Home fires occur routinely throughout theyear, but during colder weather with the use of

heating sources such as space heaters and fire-places, the risks multiply.

According to the National Fire Protection As-sociation (NFPA), nationwide in 2013 there were369,500 home fires that resulted in 2,759 deathsand 12,200 injuries as well as $6.8 billion prop-erty damage. Closer to home, DeKalb County ex-perienced 4,083 home fires in 2013. It was rankedas the busiest department in Georgia in a 2013Firehouse survey.

Te end of 2014 brought an unbearable trag-edy for a local family when five children werehome alone in Decatur when a fire broke out.Tree of the children died as a result of the in-

ferno. Te mother has been charged with murder.One of the best ways to reduce injury and loss

of life from fire at home is simple and inexpen-sivehaving a working smoke detector.

In a fire, seconds count, said DeKalb CountyFire Chief Darnell Fullum on the Fire Rescues

website. Roughly half of home fire deaths resultfrom fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smokealarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads,giving everyone enough time to get out.

According to the NFPA research, workingsmoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a homefire by half and almost two-thirds of home firedeaths resulted from fires in homes with nosmoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Te American Red Cross, which estimatesthat if a fire starts at home occupants may haveless than two minutes to escape, offers the follow-ing advice:

Te most effective way to protect yourself andyour home from fire is to identify and removefire hazards. Sixty percent of house fire deathsoccur in homes with no working smoke alarms.During a home fire, working smoke alarms and afire escape plan that has been practiced regularly

can save lives.If a fire occurs in your home, get out, stay out

and call for help.Install smoke alarms on every level of a home,

inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.est smoke alarms once a month, if theyre not

working, change the batteries.alk with all household members about a fire

escape plan and practice the plan twice a year.Lets start the new year by making sure our

homes are as safe as possible from fire and ensurethat in the event of a fire early detection from aworking smoke detector will be on our side.

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OPINIONThe Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 Page 5A

L us Know Wha Yo think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinions from its readers.Please write to us and express your views. Letters should be brief, type-written and contain the writers name, address and telephone numberfor verification. All letters will be considered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send email to [email protected] FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone:(404) 373-7779 . Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do notnecessarily reect the opinions of the editor or publishers. The Publisher reserves theright to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time.The Publisher is not responsiblefor unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher:John HwiChief Financial Ocer: Dr. earl D. GlnnManaging Editor: Andrw cahnProduction Manager: Kmsha HnPhotographer: travis HdgonsSta Reporters: carla Parkr, Ashly Oglsby

The Champion Free Press is published each Friday by ACE IIICommunications, Inc., 114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA.

30030 Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.hampionnwspapr.om

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

FREEPRESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

W sinrly appria h disssion srronding his andany iss of inrs o DKalb cony. The Championwasfondd in 1991 xprssly o provid a form for disors

for allommniy rsidns on all sids of an iss. W havno dsir o mak h nws only o rpor nws and opinionso ff a mor dad iiznry ha will limaly movor ommniy forward. W ar happy o prsn idas fordisssion; howvr, w mak vry ffor o avoid prininginformaion sbmid o s ha is known o b fals and/orassmpions pnnd as fa.

ONE MANS OPINION

Thats the $45,000 question!For reference, owner-

hip of a personal seat licensePSL) guarantees the rights

o a particular seat in a sta-dium. That is, owning a PSLputs you first in line to pur-hase a ticket for any publicvent at the stadium in your

particular seat - includingNFL Season tickets, AmeliaAhlgren, blogger and con-ributor to The Bleacher Re-

port(April 12, 2012).Just a few football fields

away from our perfectlygood Georgia Dome, whichtill has roughly $100 mil-ion in bonded debt, sitshe Georgia Aquarium, the

worlds largest aquariumwhich was largely a self-inanced gift to Georgia

and Atlanta by BernieMarcus, philanthropist andco-founder of he HomeDepot. Just a few morehundred yards on the otheride of the Georgia World

Congress Center (GWCC)will be the yet-unnamednaming rights pending)

new roost for our AtlantaFalcons. hough the stateand GWCC will technicallyown the new open air anddomed facility, all revenues

or events, parking, conces-ions, etc., will flow throughhe Atlanta Falcon organi-

zation, owned by ArthurBlank, the other cofounderof he Home Depot.

he most coveted lower-

level 50-yard line suites (notthe luxury sky-boxes, as yetunpriced) are proposed ata (PSL) price tag of $45,000per seat. his would give theowner of that PSL the firstright to purchase Falcon sea-son tickets at roughly $350per game. For the ownerof a pair of existing seasonticket holders this is an ask-ing price of $90,000, for theright to purchase seasontickets, and another $5,600for the eight pairs of ticketsfor the home game seasonin 2017. Its not entirely clearat this point if that comeswith parking or free game

programs.Granted, there will be

thousands of less expensive

seats, but its safe to say thatmost all of them will costconsiderably more thanexisting seats in the Dome.Fortunately, Atlanta is hometo more than its fair shareof successful folks, and thatis a good thing. But Im notentirely sure that we haveenough millionaires whoalso happen to be Falconfans. So lets consider a fewother options of what that$90K could buy: Roughly three years of out-

of-state tuition and relatedexpenses at several well-respected neighboring uni-

versities such as AuburnUniversity, Clemson or OleMiss.

Complete purchase of amatching pair of higherend late model BMWs orMercedes automobiles.

A higher end wedding andreception for the daughterof your choosing.

The 20 percent down pay-ment on a half-million-dollar vacation home,in the mountains, at thebeach or on one of Geor-

gias many great lakes.It doesnt take a veryenterprising mind to come

up with other more produc-tive ways to invest nearlytwice the average annual in-

come of most metro Atlan-tans. his price tag is moreon par with purchasing areal estate limited partern-ship, or even a higher endtime-share, but more likethe time share, only one par-ty really makes any moneyon the deal.

Dont get me wrong, Imnot about to join OccupyAtlanta. I applaud success,and believe in low tax ratesand getting government offthe backs of entrepreneursand particularly small busi-ness. My grandmother wasa season ticket holder fromthe Falcons expansion sea-son up through the year ofher passing in 1992. Herseats were nosebleed and50-yard line, in the topback row of Atlanta-FultonCounty Stadium. MaryCranerarely missed a gameuntil her health preventedher from attending.

hat old stadium wasshort on amenities andcharm, and a Peach Bowl inthe mid-80s remains prob-ably the coldest outdoor

sporting event I have everattended. But Id sure be upfor trading and getting that

old stadium back.At the end of each in a

long series of disappointing

seasons, the Smith organiza-tion and now Mr. Blank andhis management team tellus that next year will be dif-ferent. hings are about tochange and our Falcons willsoon Rise Up and be flyinghigh. here is also a smallcodicil in the proposedPSL deals which holds thepersonal seat license holderresponsible for paying offthat seat even if our Falconsshould decide at some laterpoint in time to fly the coupand relocate... Better getstarted on those PSL savingsaccounts for the kiddies athome now. Wait til you seenext year!

Bill Crane also serves as apolitical analyst and commen-tator for Channel 2s ActionNews, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as wellas a columnist forThe Cham-pion, Champion Free PressandGeorgia Trend. Crane isa DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. Youcan reach him or commenton a column at bill.csicrane@

gmail.com.

Bill [email protected]

Columnist

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LOCAL

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

BETTY J. ANDERSON

crack at it because we also realize afterour first go around that there were someissues that we were made aware of. Andalthough this extends our time, we havean opportunity now to address some ofthose things.

Were looking for the winner, saidMorris Williams, deputy chief operatingofficer for infrastructure. Were look-ing for the winner with the best price.Were looking for the winner with thebest team. Were looking for the winnerthats going to be committed to our com-munity.

The Snapfinger project, Williams toldcontractors, means jobs to the communi-ty, stability to the wastewater system andto some of yall, some money.

During a question-and-answer ses-sion during the forum, Brad Hubbard,

of the DeKalb NAACP urged prime con-tractors to be responsive and respon-sible to the DeKalb County citizens byensuring [that] the delivery of servicesand goods [are] utilizing the demograph-ics of the county.

From the NAACP standpoint, thatswhat were going to be looking for, Hub-bard said. If I have to go around to thechurches and beg for a dollar here andthere to file a lawsuitthats what BradHubbards going to do.

Hubbard was talking about howcontractors adhere to the countys LocalSmall Business Enterprise (LSBE) Ordi-nance.

LSBE [is a] very important part ofwhat the county does, said Scott Callan,the countys chief procurement officer. Itprovides a mechanism through whichwe can provide the sharing of our con-tractual [dollars] right here in our back

yard.For the Snapfinger project, a mini-

mum of 20 percent of the contracts mustgo to certified LSBE vendors.

Callan had a warning for prime con-tractors who are awarded contracts.

Abuse of the LSBE program, mis-representation in your bid documents orany other failure to deliver as contractedsimply is unacceptable and will be dealtwith, Callan said. Its a fair warning.

To LSBE contractors, Callan said,Represent yourselves well and onlyagree to do those things that you arequalified to do. Nothing is worse for asmall and growing company than to hurtyour own reputation.

The taxpayers of DeKalb Countydemand excellence and they deserveexcellence. Theyre going to be spending

a lot of money for this project, Callansaid.

DeKalb County Commissioner StanWatson told the contractors that every-bodys watching how the county handlesthis contract.

This is one of the largest projectsweve had in a number of years, Watsonsaid. Everybody around the country iswatching what we do, including thosewho make sure we do the right thing.The industry is watching and so we wantto make sure we take the time and makesure everybody does the right thing.

DeKalb County Commissioner LarryJohnsonsaid, The main thing that were

striving for is that we make sure thatthis projectis done in excellence, thateverybody is treated respectfully. Thepeople that youre working for are thecitizens of DeKalb County and we de-serve the best.

Snapfinger Continued from page 2A

Betty J. Andersonsays one rea-on she volunteers is because she

doesnt like babysitting.Im not a good babysitter, said

Anderson, who volunteers at theLou Walker Senior Center in Litho-nia.

My patience is short because Ihad cancer, said the two-time can-cer survivor.

At the senior center, Andersonsaid, she does all kinds of volunteerwork.

I work the desk, said Ander-son, who has lived in DeKalb Coun-ty since she was 11. Im a recep-tionist from 2 to 5 [p.m.] four days aweek and from 4 to 5 [p.m.] one daya week. I stuff letters, do mail outs. Ihelp in any capacity Im needed in.

For me, its just like having ajob, Anderson said.

I do whatever needs to be done.

If cleaning needs to be done, I helpclean, said the 74-year-old, whoalso volunteers as a tour guide.

Not long after the center openedin 2005, Anderson started volun-teering in the cafeteria, servingfood. She learned of the volunteeropportunity at Big Miller GroveMissionary Baptist Church, whereshe attends.

The Decatur resident called vol-unteering something to do otherthan sitting home every day doingnothing.

Andersons 47-year work historyincludes jobs at Cutler-HammerManufacturing Co. making electricmotor control devices; DeKalb Med-ical, Sealey Mattress and GeorgiaDepartment of Labor.

Volunteering keeps me busy,

Anderson said. I was used to goingand doing things.

This will give you something todo, Anderson said about volunteer-ing. Its much better than sitting athome doing nothing and watchingTV all day. Youve got plenty of timeto watch TV after you leave here. Ihave plenty of time[to] do any-thing else I want to do.

Anderson said volunteeringdoesnt stop me from doing any-thing. I go to Bible study still onWednesdays, then come here after Ileave Bible study.

I love it, she said about volun-teering. I enjoy helping the people.I answer a lot of questions aroundhere. I enjoy doing it. Thats why Ido it.

Several vendors and county agencies set up booths for contractors to visitduring the Snapnger meeting. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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AvondaleEstatesMuseum School to host openhouse

The Museum School will hostopen house events for the parentsof prospective students Jan. 16 at 9a.m., and Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. Parentswill meet in the media center for acomprehensive presentation aboutThe Museum School, followed byself-guided school tours. Open

houses provide answers to questionsabout the school and the enrollmentprocess for the 2015-2016 academicyear. The enrollment period is Jan.30 through Feb. 13. Applicationmaterials will be available at eachopen house. The school is located at923 Forrest Boulevard in AvondaleEstates. For more information, callthe school at 404-298-0320 or visitwww.themuseumschool.org.

Clarkston

DSO presents Peter and the Wolf

The DeKalb Symphony Orchestrawill be presenting its Annual Chil-drens Concert performing SergeProkofievsPeter and the Wolf. Thefamily-friendly performance is an op-portunity for parents and grandpar-ents to introduce their children andgrandchildren to live classical, orches-tral music.

This event will take place on Jan.25 at 3 p.m. in the gymnasium atGeorgia Perimeter College, Clarkstoncampus. All tickets will be generaladmission and are $5. For more infor-

mation and to purchase tickets visit,www.DeKalbSymphony.org, or call(678) 891-3565. Tickets may also bepurchased at the door.

DecaturFree paper shredding event set

DeKalb County residents canhave their unwanted documentsshredded at the fifth annual com-munity shredding event on Saturday,Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, andSunday, Jan. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m.

The event will be at2800-ANorth Druid Hills (across fromDunkin Donuts at the corner ofNorth Druid Hills and Lavistaroads) at PalmerHouse Properties

Marshall Berch & Associates Real

Estate office.If the truck fills up early, the

event will end earlier.Residents are asked to bring

documents onlyno binders, foldersor clips, etc. The documents will beshredded and destroyed by the EcoShredding truck onsite while resi-dents watch. Residents can bring amaximum of four boxes per vehicle.

For more information, contactJoanKaplanat (404) 281-4106 [email protected].

Annual MLK service project needsvolunteers

Decatur Preservation Alliance(DPA) will hold its 13th annual De-catur Martin Luther King Jr. ServiceProject Jan. 17-19. Volunteers willassist with home repairs and yardwork for senior residents.

The nonprofit organization cel-ebrated 10 years of preserving De-caturs historic structures and greenspaces in 2010. The first DPA proj-ects were saving Decaturs HistoricTrain Depot and rescuing the circa1870 Fraser building, currently lo-cated at the Church Street entranceto Decatur Cemetery.

Those interested in volunteeringthis year should sign up in advance.Volunteers meet 30 minutes be-fore the start of each shift at the So-larium at the Community Center ofSouth Decatur, 321 W. Hill St. Do-nations of sandwiches and dessertsare also appreciated. All volunteersmust complete a waiver and releasewhich is available at www.mlkservi-ceproject.com.

Zumba fitness fundraiserscheduled

On Jan. 24 from noon to 1:30

p.m., Project S.A.V.E. will host aZumba fundraising event to raisemoney to supply Georgia schoolswith lifesaving equipment. ProjectS.A.V.E. educates and implementsautomated external defibrillator pro-grams as well as promote CPR edu-cation for staff and students. Theevent will take place at NorthDeKalb Mall, 2050 LawrencevilleHighway.

Friends School to hold panel oneducation integration as a publicgood

On Saturday, Jan. 31, TheFriends School of Atlanta (FSA) willhold its fifth annual Beloved Com-munity Dialogue, featuring an in-

tergenerational panel discussion on

how a fully integrated education isgood for everyone.

To be moderated by Dr. Eliza-beth DeBray, professor of educationat the University of Georgia, thepanel will also include ElizabethWilson, mayor emeritus of Decaturand longtime civil rights activist,and Maurlia Upchurch, an FSAalum and current junior at DukeUniversity, among others.

The conversation will focus onhow an integrated education is ulti-mately for the good of the individualas well as the public, based in thebelief that access to and diversity in

education is critical to a thriving so-ciety and very much a civil rights is-sue, especially when our schools arebecoming alarmingly resegregated,states an announcement about theevent.

The Beloved CommunityDialogue will be held at the FSAcampus at 862 Columbia Drive inDecatur and is open to the public.General admission is $10 per ticket.Premium tickets are $100 each andinclude invitation to a receptionwith the panelists. The reception forpremium ticket holders begins at 5p.m., and the panel discussion willbe 6 to 7:30 p.m.

For more information aboutthe event and purchasing tickets,visit www.friendsschoolatlanta.orgor contact NancyBent, director ofadvancement, at (404) 373-8746,ext. 8135 or [email protected].

Recreation center to hold annualSeed and Scion Swap

Gardeners of all experience levelsare invited to celebrate National SeedSwap Day with experts, membersand friends of Decaturs Wylde Cen-ter, Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Decatur

Recreation Center, 231 SycamoreStreet.

The free event is from 10:30 a.m.to 1:30 p.m., and will be held in part-nership with the city of Decatur, ParkPride and Slow Food Atlanta.

Craig LeHoullier, one of thecountrys foremost heirloom tomatoexperts and a member of the SeedSavers Exchange Advisory Board,will be the events featured speaker.LeHoullier, a retired chemist, alsowill sign and sell copies of his newbook, Epic Tomatoes.

At the event, seeds will be pack-aged in envelopes with labels listing

the name of the plant, cultivar, dateseeds were purchased or saved, plant-ing instructions, days to maturity,growth habits, special details andcontact information for the person

who provided the seeds. Those who

have not saved seeds to share are wel-come to participate and may chooseto bring purchased seeds to add tothe assortment.

Experts will be on hand to talkabout how to save seeds and how tograft cuttings. Participants will beable to choose from heirloom seedsand scions, seeds from local gardensand even purchased seeds. Tableswill be set up for tomatoes, summer

vegetables, flowers, herbs, wintervegetables, bulbs and miscellaneousseeds and cuttings.

For more information visit goto www.Facebook.com and search

for Seed and Scion Swap or visitwyldecenter.org/events/seed-and-scion-swap.

StoneMountainLutheran MLK day of servicescheduled

The public is invited to celebratethe Martin Luther King Jr. holiday byparticipating in Lutheran day of ser-

vice on Jan. 19 at Rock of Ages Lu-theran church, 5135 Memorial Drive,Stone Mountain. The day of servicebegins at 9 a.m. Volunteers will writepen pal letters for immigrants indetention, repackage rice into usablepackages that will be given to refugeefamilies in the Atlanta area and readto groups of children.

TuckerCommunity improvement districtto be discussed

On Jan. 22, join the Tucker-Northlake Community ImprovementDistrict (CID) and Sizemore Groupin a discussion about a master plan-ning study of the Tucker-Northlakearea. The three-month Tucker-Northlake CID study will providemarket based guidance for futuregrowth of the Tucker-Northlake areato create mixed use centers that ad-dress this communitys needs.

The free community event willbe from 6 to 8 p.m. at HamptonInn, 3400 Northlake Parkway NE,Atlanta.

AROUNDDEKALB

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LOCAL

Jewish education program expandsby Ashley [email protected]

There are no grades, exams orhomework at the Lisa F. Brill Institutefor Jewish Learning, but it has been

recognized as one of Atlantas largestJewish education programs and was therecipient of the 2014 Florence MeltonAward for Outstanding Achievement.

The Marcus Jewish CommunityCenter of Atlanta (MJCCA) in Dun-woody has hosted the program forabout 20 years and in the past severalyears the courses have been extended tomultiple venues around Atlanta.

Rabbi Brian Glusman, director ofoutreach for the MJCCA, said, Ourprogram keeps growing each year, andreceives more recognition.

Glusman, who instructs severalclasses within the program, added,Our students typically come away

from these classes enriched and en-gaged, with a new thirst and passion forlearning that leads them to take classafter class.

The winter and spring semestersfeature new courses such as: IsraeliLiterature as a Window into IsraeliSociety; Uncovering Kabbalah: SecretKnowledge in Judaism, Spirituality andJewish Ideology; Its Good to be King;and Dramas of Jewish History.

The semesters first classes be-gan Jan. 11, while other classes startthroughout January and February.Classes are offered at the MJCCAs Za-ban Park campus in Dunwoody as well

as other locations in metro Atlanta, in-cluding Emory University.Daytime and evening options are

available and classes are open to thecommunity.

Dr. Shelley Buxbaum, directorof the Lisa F. Brill Institute for JewishLearning and the MJCCAs FlorenceMelton Adult School of Jewish Learn-

ing, said, We have such an incredibleline-up of classes this semester, and weare lucky to partner with such giftedteachers and presenters, she said.

Our classes are really for people ofall ages and denominations. Adults ofany faith, who are interested in worldreligion and how it shaped the pastand influences our lives today, will findclasses of interest.

We are constantly updating andresponding to the needs of our studentsand looking ahead to where were go-ing. Adult education is all about rele-

vance and I try to come up with coursesthat are relevant to their lives and thatswhy this has been so successful, Bux-

baum said.Partnerships with such institutions

as Emory University, which hosts class-es through its Osher Lifelong LearningInstitute, and Oglethorpe University,which has hosted classes in the past,enhance the program and open it upto a more diverse audience, accordingto Buxbaum, who added that this se-mester marks the return of one of theprograms most beloved instructors,Rabbi Analia Bortz, who is leading twoclasses. With an engaging personal-ity and lively instruction, Rabbi Bortzbrings a unique voice and perspectiveto learning, which has made her classes

some of our most popular, she said.

Residents get help navigating healthcare choices


On Jan. 8,Marilynohnsonof Clarkston wento the library to do some

work on a computer and leftwith health insurance.

While at the ClarkstonLibrary, Johnson talked to acertified healthcare naviga-or with Georgia Watch, a

nonprofit consumer advo-cacy organization that is aubcontractor providing

assistance with obtainingaffordable healthcare toesidents in DeKalb, Clayton

and Cobb counties.I was curious about the

healthcare information be-cause I had been informed

by someone from anothercompany and they had avery large premium, John-on said. Im a naturopathic

doctor. Im a health educa-

tor, so Im very interested innot having to participate inhigh insurance premiums.

Johnson said the health-care navigators were verykind and took their time

and with my low income,they walked me through andI found out I could get aninsurance premium that was

very inexpensive.I was very happy about

that, Johnson said. Plus Iwas able to get dental insur-ance as well. They took thetime and they were con-cerned to be able to help meto achieve that goal.

Healthcare navigatorsare tasked with helpingthose interested in obtain-ing healthcare through the

Federal Healthcare Market,which was initiated by Presi-dent Barack Obama.TheAffordable Care Act requiresmost people to maintain

health insurance.Johnson said she has not

had health insurance in acouple of years because ofthe exorbitant expense.

Im an adjunct faculty

member at the Art Insti-tute and they dont supply[health insurance], Johnsonsaid. They stopped sup-plying that a few years backbecause they felt you wouldgo through the healthcaremarketplace.

Had I had a preexist-ing condition or some otherproblem, I would have reallybeen up the creek because inaddition to [my employer]not providing any kind ofoption for healthcare, theyalso cut our hours, she said.

So healthcare gets on theback burner.Before talking with a

healthcare navigator at thelibrary, Johnson said she had

not tried to get healthcarethrough the Affordable CareAct.

I just felt I just had tolive without it, Johnsonsaid. Im a naturalist, so

whenever I have a problem,I know what to do about it,but its just nice to have it incase theres a major emer-gency.

Prayan Rana, a licensedhealthcare navigator withGeorgia Watch, said naviga-tors screen [applicants]based on their family sizeand their income and theirage. If they fulfill the ageand income criteria, theymay be eligible for afford-able care where they getsubsidies.

The subsidies come inthe form of a premium taxcredit and a cost-sharing re-duction, Rana said.

For those whose house-

hold incomes are too low,Rana said, they still cancomplete the applicationand at the end theyll get aneligibility notice saying thatthey do not qualify for sub-

sidies based on their incomebut they are exempt frompenalties.

These applicants willreceive a penalty exemptioncode which they can usewhen they file taxes.

Johnson had a messagefor others without medicalinsurance.

At least fill out the ap-plication,because it reallyopens your eyes to whatsavailable. People should re-ally check it out, Johnsonsaid.

Georgia Watch repre-sentatives are scheduled tobe at Clarkston Library eachThursday from 10 a.m. to 5p.m., through Feb. 15.

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta adds more courses for adults.

Adult education students study for group discussion.

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DeKalb residents make magazines most influential Georgians list

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When DeKalb County school SuperintendentMichaelThurmondtook the helm of the coun-ys school district, he inherited a mess.

He stabilized the troubled district, built a$30 million surplus, improved student achieve-

ment and increased graduation rates, states anarticle in Georgia Trend Magazine, which hasnamed Thurmond to its annual list of 100 Mostnfluential Georgians. Along the way, he has en-

hanced his reputation as a leader and public edu-cation advocate.

Thurmond, the only local public schooluperintendent to be recognized, said, This isurther evidence that the DeKalb County School

District has made significant progress in address-ng critical issues facing Georgia public educationrom fiscal management, academic growth and

achievement, school safety, diversity and poverty.Fourth District Congressman Henry Hank

ohnsonof Lithonia also is on the Georgia Trendist.

The magazine notes that Johnson, who serveson the House armed services and judiciary com-mittees, has supported legislation to addresspost-traumatic stress disorder and soldier sui-cides and maintain veteran education benefits.

Im humbled to be mentioned in the samebreath as my fellow awardees, Johnson said.Serving the people of the Fourth District is aingular honor. As long as Im in office, I will give

citizens of the Fourth everything Ive got.

Others representing DeKalb on the list in-clude:

State Rep. Stacey Abrams. She is the firstAfrican-American minority leader and the firstwoman to lead either party in the Georgia leg-islature. In 2014, she launched the New GeorgiaProject to drive voter registration among minori-ties, adding more than 85,000 names to Georgias

voter rolls in time for Election Day, GeorgiaTrendstates.

Robert Brown, president and CEO of RLBrown & Associates, of Decatur.Georgia Trend

states that Brown and his facilities design firmhave left their mark all over Georgia and theSoutheast, including the Ray Charles PerformingArts Center at Morehouse and the BirminghamCivil Rights Institute. The magazine describesBrown as a proponent of civic leadership whoserves on several boards, including the MetroAtlanta and Georgia chambers, and serves aschairman of the Georgia Department of Trans-portations Statewide Transportation Planning/

Strategic Planning Committee.Chris Carr, a commissioner for the Geor-

gia Department of Economic Development, ofDunwoody. Carr plays a vital role in the devel-opment and continued growth of the states busi-nesses, international trade and tourism, and arts,film and music industries, according to GeorgiaTrend.

John T. Fox, president and CEO of EmoryHealthcare. Georgia Trend cites how, underFoxs leadership, Emory Healthcare steppedinto the national spotlight when it became thefirst U.S. hospital to successfully treat patientswith Ebola.

Donna W. Hyland,president and CEO ofChildrens Healthcare of Atlanta, was recognizedfor managingone of the nations largest and bestpediatric healthcare systems.

James W. Wagner, president of Emory Uni-versity. In addition to serving on several boards,Wagner continues to advocate for the value ofa liberal arts education, while working to buildstrong collaborations in the community andwith Georgia Tech, according to Georgia Trend.

Georgia Trendalso has a list of most notableGeorgians. Representing DeKalb County on

that list are Dr. Tom Frieden, director, Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention; Amy Glen-non, publisher, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,of Dunwoody; Mark Rosenbergpresident andCEO, The Task Force for Global Health, Decatur;and Yvonne D. Williams,president, PerimeterCommunity Improvement Districts.

Johnson Williams Thurmond

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LOCAL

galottery.com

IT DOESNT TAKE

WITH THEIR EDUCATION.

TO HELP KIDSA ROCKET SCIENTIST

Nope. All it takes is a scratch or two. Because every time

you play the Lottery, Georgia kids are the real winners.

Thats because for over 20 years the Georgia Lottery h as

contributed more than $16 billion to education. On top of that,

more than 1.7 million HOPE scholars have gone to college and

more than 1.3 million 4-year-olds have attended a Lottery-funded

Pre-K Program. That qualifies as a rocket booster in our book.

Domestic violence victims get Fresh Starty Carla [email protected]

In 2004, Janice Pet-igrew wanted to do morehan just get up, go to worknd then go home.

She wanted to make adifference in peoples lives,specially women who havexperienced domestic abuse.he and her husband, Os-ar Pettigrew Jr., foundedresh Start For Women. Therganization helps guide

women to live successfully,ree from domestic violence,exual assault and abuse.

She made that her focusecause of her own experi-nce with domestic abusend rape.

I was gang raped whenwas 13 years old and never

old a soul about what hap-ened to me until I wasetting ready to start Freshtart For Women, she said.My parents never knew,nd it was such a huge se-ret that when I knew I goteady to share it with othereople I was going to haveo tell my mom.

I had also been in two

ery abusive marriages,nd eventually after goinghrough the process of heal-ng, and even understand-ng my role in the choicesmade, I decided I wanted

o do something more thanust going to work and com-ng home, she added.

Fresh Start For Women,which celebrated its 10thnniversary in September,

has helped more than 378women and almost 80 teen-ge girls. The organizationrovides counseling, work-hops, seminars and careerssessment training.

When they first started,Pettigrew said they did aot of word of mouth stuff

to let people know of FreshStart.

I definitely stay in thefaith community a lot, espe-cially when I first started,she said. Now, its tryingto make a difference wherethe faith community is get-ting involved with that typeof issue. I ran across a lot ofwomen who were in church,but that [need] was not an-swered. So, we became thatanswer for them. Through-out the year, we conductseveral workshops, semi-nars, retreats and individualand group counseling.

Fresh Start For Womenalso provides services forgirls ages 13-17 through itsYou Are A Precious Jewelprogram. The programhelps them use the arts as away to express themselves.Pettigrew said the programwent from a half-day work-shop to a 12-week programbased off the situations thegirls were going through.

We want to try toteach them how to be goodleaders and how not to getcaught up in that particularcycle because it starts early

now, she said.The organization doesnot have a physical location,but goes to women who arein need. Pettigrew said shehas been all over Georgiaand has traveled to SouthCarolina, Florida, Alabamaand Tennessee.

We take our programwherever its needed, shesaid. Im even getting callsnow to go further out, liketo Arizona and Michigan.The need is there; its justbeing able to answer thatcall.

Fresh Start also has con-nections with local sheltersthat can place women ifneeded. She said the orga-

nization is all about helpingvictims get back on their

feet.I have connectionswith a couple of people thathelp us with getting cloth-ing that they need for goingon proper interviews I havea young lady who has been

volunteering with me for awhile now that helps themwith doing their resumeproperly, she said

Fresh Start is an all-vol-unteer organization.

Nobody gets a pay-check, she said. Everythingthat we do, any funds thatcome inexcept for theadministration cost, every-thing else goes into us put-ting into our programs.

Pettigrew is office man-ager at Newfield in midtownAtlanta. She said her em-ployer has been supportiveof Fresh Start.

They are so supportiveof everything that I do, shesaid. Anything that Im do-ingif they can help in anyway, volunteering or donat-ing money, they do it. I feelreally blessed to have a jobthat does that.

Pettigrew said she hopesto find a location to hostmeetings, workshops andmore. Fresh Starts maingoal is to find a transitionalfacility that will providehousing while helping wom-en get back on their feet.

We want to be able tooffer the educational partof things to train them sothat they can get better skillsand also training them onhow to make better choicesabout their livesnot justfor themselves but for thosethat have children as well,she said. Our ideal situa-tion is one in which womenare able to give back to otherwomen that come through

the program. We want to beable to allow them to stay at

least a year so they can re-ally get on their feet.

Janice Pettigrew, cofounder of Fresh Start For Women, teaches womenhow to live successfully, free from domestic violence, sexual assaultand abuse.

Fresh Start For Women also provides services for girls ages 13-17 through its You Are A Precious Jewelprogram. Photos provided

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 Page 11ALOCAL NEWS

NAACP leader comments on civil rights progress

Pet of the WeekBearden (ID# 24079318) is a handsomegentleman that just wants a nice place torelax and a family to love. He is a 6 yearold Labrador Retriever/ Rottweiler mix anddreams of laying around your house, gettingpetted everyday and maybe even going onsome steady paced walks every now andthen. Bearden is a sweet boy that is a littlenervous in the shelter environment. Hejust wants to have a forever home to settledown in. Come into the shelter now to takeadvantage of our Ring in the New Year witha New Pet promotion and through January31st you can adopt any dog, puppy, cator kitten for no charge! All adopted petswill be spayed or neutered, microchipped,vaccinated and more services with a retail

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Where doctormeets neighbor

www.dmpg.org404.501.MYDR

TO FIND A PHYSICIAN INYOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

by Kathy Mitchell

The National Associa-ion for the Advancement of

Colored People (NAACP)was only 20 years old whenMartin Luther King Jr.wasborn on Jan. 15, 1929. Thevenerable civil rights organi-zation was started, accord-ng to its website, to secure

for all people the rightsguaranteed in the 13th, 14th,and 15th Amendments tohe United States Constitu-ion.

Those rights, which in-clude equal protection of theaw as well as voting rights

without regard to race,creed, color or previouscondition of servitude, arealso ones that King, before

his death in 1968, worked toecure.As Martin Luther King

r. Day Jan. 19 this yearapproaches, John Evans,current president of theDeKalb branch of NAACP,commented that many ofhe issues that King battledemain today.

In thinking of the prog-ess Black Americans have

made, he said, We cantust think in terms of what

Oprah[Winfrey] andWhoopee[Goldberg] haveaccomplished, we have tohink in terms of the masses.n that regard, we still have

a long way to go. Electinga Black president of theUnited States is somethingpeople can stick their chests

out about, but it didnt mark

the end of Americas racialstrife.

Evans underscored eco-nomic empowerment asan issue still needing atten-tion. King once said, Letus be dissatisfied until thetragic walls that separatethe outer city of wealth andcomfort from the inner cityof poverty and despair shallbe crushed by the batteringrams of justice.

Weve made some eco-nomic progress, but its notenough, Evans said. You

can put 50 cents worth offuel in an 18 wheeler andit might start it up, but itsnot going to go anywhere.Our young people need thetraining and inspiration tobe leaders in business and

industryto start their owncompanies and have peoplework for them instead ofthem working for someoneelse.

Evans said one of themost important achieve-ments in America sinceKings day was assuring alladult Americans the right to

vote. Now, Evans added,people have to use thatright and use it thoughtfully.People have to register to

vote and pay careful atten-tion to who theyre votingfor and what theyre votingfor.

Political power doesntjust come with winning anelectionthats just partici-pation, but its not necessar-ily power. You dont have

power until you figure outwhere you want to go andhave a strategy for gettingthere.

Evans said he feels manyof the problems in Ferguson,Mo., and other communi-ties struggling with racialtension can be addressed atthe ballot box. People therehave the numbers to createthe kind of community theywant. They need organiza-tion. They need training.They need voter registra-tion.

Evans comments alsoparallel a statement Kingmade in a sermon deliveredin Detroit in 1954. If we areto go forward today, Kingsaid, weve got to go backand rediscover some mighty

precious values that weveleft behind.

In some ways, wevegone backwards, Evanssaid, adding that families inwhich parents spend timetalking with children aboutmoral values and the im-portance of education arealmost extinct.

I understand the pres-sures of earning a livingand the difficulty of get-ting children to understandthat they dont need everynew phone and gadget thatcomes along, but the homeis where values start, saidEvans, who noted that he isinvolved in the rearing of hisgrandchildren.

Im fortunate to be ableto go to their schools whenIm needed. I understandthat not every parent cantake off from work everytime the school calls, hesaid. The communitythechurches, especiallyhaveto care about our youngpeople and help instill the

values they need to keepmoving us forward.

Dr. King laid the foun-dation and Im optimisticthat were going to make it.Were going to solve our so-cial problems, but we haveto stay concerned and stayactive to make it happen,Evans said.

John Evans

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Little house in Lithonia receives laurelsby Andrew [email protected]

A historic Lithonia house has beeneceiving accolades after being restored in

2013.

One of DeKalb Countys oldest houses,he Housworth-Moseley farmhouse was

built around 1843 by the Housworth fam-ly which moved into the area in the 1820s

and owned the house for more than 160years.

Keith Crosbyand Scott Pluckhahnheard about the house in 2010 and in 2012purchased it through the Georgia Trust forHistoric Preservations Endangered Prop-ertiesRevolving Fund program.

The house won the 2014 ChairmansAward for Historic Preservation from theGeorgia Trust. It was also featured in ThisOld Housemagazine in October as one ofhe best before and after renovations of

he year.The home two bedrooms, one bath-oom, kitchen, dining room, living room

and family room. It also has two fireplacesmade of local stone, original hardwoodloors, wooden walls and ceilings.

Pluckhahn, a landscape architect, andCrosby, a management consultant, havemade the home their permanent residenceand now call the seven-acre farm SharedPlough.

The gentlemen farmers have a,000-square-foot vegetable garden and

are raising chickens for eggs. They intendo build a barn and raise sheep for wool

and donkeys to protect the sheep. The pairhave also dabbled with pickling and can-

ning and has planted apple trees.On the property are several outbuild-

ngs dating from the mid-19th to early20th centurya corn crib, grain shed,mokehouse, sorghum evaporator andivestock pen. A small creek runs at the

back of the property.We did as little structural work as

we could, Pluckhahn said. We put allnew systems innew electrical, new air-conditioning and heating, new plumbing,nsulation in the floors and ceiling. Weeplaced about half the siding. We paintedhe house. We restored the windowswe

had to replace about 14 of them to makehem match the one original we had.

The houses two chimneys are nowunctional and the house was given a ce-dar shingle roof.

A new fence was installed for the own-ers dogs.

Pluckhahn and Crosby hired contrac-ors to do most of the work but did a lot

of the landscaping themselves. It took ap-proximately eight months to renovate the

,400-square-feet house.We didnt really have to change much

on the inside, Pluckhahn said. We triedo just clean the existing woodwork. Keith

and I cleaned it ourselves.The kitchen has probably changed the

mostand the bathroom. We had to maket livable, Pluckhahn said.

Everything is pretty much like it was,ust a little cleaner, Pluckhahn said.

Scott Pluckhahn and Keith Crosby have been recognized for the renovations they did to an 1843 house in Lithonia. Photos byAndrew Cauthen

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WEEKPICTURESIn

Photos brought to you by DCTV

Interim CEO Lee May will present to

citizens, businesses, and other community

stakeholders a review of 2014 and his

outlook for 2015 during the State of the

County Address. The public is cordially

invited to attend.

January 22

Doors open at 6:30p.m.

Program starts at 7:00p.m.

Maloof Auditorium1300 Commerce Drive

Decatur, GA 30030Stateof the county

2015

Live broadcast provided by:

on Comcast Channel 23.

Live Stream available at:

www.DCTVChannel23.tv

DeKalb County workers responded to a water main break Jan. 7 on Candler Road. Photos by AndrewCauthen

8/9/2019 FreePress 1-15-15

14/24


Interim CEO Lee May will

present to citizens, businesses,

and other community

stakeholders a review of 2014

and his outlook for 2015 during

the State of the County Address.

The public is cordially invited to

attend.

January 22

Doors open at 6:30p.m.

Program starts at 7:00 p.m.

Maloof Auditorium1300 Commerce Drive

Decatur, GA 30030

of the county2015

State

OBITUARY NOTICE:

EllisBarneyFreeman

EllisBarney

Freeman

was

born

on

July

23,

1911

to

RichardFreeman

andAlmaBrownFreemaninSpringfield, Missouri. EllisgrewupinSt.

Joseph,MOwherehegraduatedfromBartlettHighSchool. He

attendedMorehouseCollegeinAtlanta,butwasunabletofinishdue

tohardshipbroughtonbytheDepressionof1929. Uponreturningto

Missouri,Ellismarriedhisbeautifulwife,MaxineMcGeeFreemanon

December19,1935.

Ellisperseveredandworkedvariousjobsuntilhesecuredaposition

withtheUSPostalService. Heovercamenumerousracialobstacles

andbecameoneofthefirstAfricanAmericansappointedtothe

positionofCivilServiceExaminer.

Elliswasalwaysinvolvedinlocalcommunityactivities. InSt.Joseph,

hetaughtSundayschoolforover30yearsatTrinityBaptistChurch,

servedasvolunteerChairmanof theYoungMensChristian

AssociationBranchBoardofDirectors,leading communityyouth

programs.HewasanactivememberofthelocalNAACPandwasa

memberofseveralsocialclubs. Afterretirement,heearnedlicenses

tosellrealestateandpropertyinsurance.Healsobecamealicensed

taxpreparer

and

provided

free

tax

services

to

seniors.

In1989,EllisandMaxinerelocatedtoStoneMountain,Georgia

whereEllisdedicatedanother15yearstoteachingSundayschoolat

WhiteOaksHillBaptistChurch. Eveninhis90sElliscontinued

receivingaccolades. HewashonoredatMorehouseColleges2008

SummerCommencement and2013SpringCommencement

ceremoniesastheoldestlivingmemberoftheclassof1933andwas

honorablyinductedintotheMorehouseCollegeAlumniSociety.

Asadynamicpair,EllisandhiswifeMaxinearealsobreakingrecords

withtheireverlastinglove. In2005,thecouplereceivedrecognition

fromtheDeKalbCountyCEOforreaching70yearsofmarriageandin

December2014celebrated79yearsofblissfulmarriage.

EllisFreemanpassedawayattheageof103onTuesday,January

6th,2015duetocomplicationsfromtheflu. Thankfully, hisfinaldays

werespentpeacefullyresting. Ellisissurvivedbyhis96yearoldwife

Maxine,hischildrenGregoryandRebecca,grandchildrenScott

andJasmine,andgreatgrandchildrenMarcusandNia.

Ifyouaremovedtosendcondolences,pleaseaddressthemtothe

followingaddress

or

email

JasmineLangevine

at

[email protected]

MaxineFreeman

NorthlakeGardens(SeniorLivingFacility)

1300MontrealRoad,Room100, Tucker,GA30084

CityofChamblee

OccupationalTax

PublicHearing

TheMayorandCityCouncil

oftheCityofChambleewill

holdapublichearingatthe

ChambleeCivicCenter,3540

BroadStreet,Chamblee,GA

30341onTuesday,January21,

2015,at7:30pm.Thepurpose

ofthepublichearingwillbeto

invitecommentonthe

proposed

amendments

to

the

occupationaltaxordinance

andbusinessprofitability

classifications.


Because there were notnough votes to decide on

a new presiding officer forhe DeKalb County Board of

Commissioners on Jan. 13,Commissioner Larry John-onremains in that role for

now.Late last year, Commis-

ioner JeffRaderannouncedhis candidacy for the presid-ng officers position, whichs decided by the Board of

Commissioners (BOC).Rader,the most senior

member of the board whohas not served in the boardsop position, told his fellowommissioners that he has

been thinking a lot about

how to improve the opera-ions of the commission tomake each of us more effec-ive in our roles as policy-

makers.I believe that leadership

n this important positions critical to restoring the

BOCs capacity to serve thepublic and provide for theransparency needed to be-

gin to restore trust in DeKalbCounty government, Raderaid during the boards regu-ar meeting Jan. 13.

Rader said the boardstaff has been decimated as

personnel have moved intohe administration, and he

would place a top prior-ty on reinforcing our loyalemaining staff with new

highly qualified profession-als who will reestablish theBOCs capacity to conductanalysis and advance policy.

Rader also said he wouldchange slightly the commit-ee structure and appoint-

ments on the committees.The most immediate re-

ponsibility of the presiding

officer is to appoint commit-tees to handle BOCs busi-ness over the year, he said.Our committees constitutean important division ofresponsibility and the BOChas to rely on each members

expertise and interests in vet-ting legislation for action.

The establishment of anindependent audit commit-tee would be a top priorityfor Rader, he said.

This committee is theonly BOC committee thatis required by our Organi-zational Act, Rader said. Iwould propose that the com-mittee stand alone in recog-nition of that mandate and tofocus its efforts on two areasof activity: the annual auditand the office of the internal

auditor.Im hoping that by set-ting up this independentaudit committee we canfinally move to appoint aninternal auditor that we havedeveloped code for in 2010,Rader said. Over the pastfive years now we have beenunable to even bring a candi-date forward.

Rader said, Its time torenew our capabilities toserve the public interest.

Although he was notnominated for the presidingofficers position during themeeting, Commissioner Lar-ryJohnsontouted his workin that position.

What Ive done is try

to be collaborative in myleadership approach, saidJohnson, adding that he onceappointed Rader chairman ofthe audit committee. WhenI made him chair of the auditcommittee that was an op-portunity tomove forwardand talk about internal audi-tors.

If you look at who wasthe presiding officer beforeI became one,you had achance to talk about internalauditorsway back in 2007and 2008, Johnson said. It

wasnt popular back then be-cause it wasnt politically inthe news then.

Johnson said he changedthe time when residentscould speak in board meet-ings.

We did not have publiccomments at the beginningof the meeting, Johnsonsaid. Now citizens can comeat the beginning of the meet-ing.

Johnson said, Its impor-

tant as we move forwardto have a board thats strong,thats united, thats makingthings happen.

As the presiding officerits not our jobto push fortheir own legislative priori-

ties. Its up to the individualcommissioners to ensure thatthat priority is the priority ofthe whole board, Johnsonsaid.

Larry Johnson has notbeen a person who didntwant to be collaborative, hesaid.

Although the boardsrules require commissionersto vote on a new presidingofficer during the first meet-ing of the year, the vote wasnot on the agenda. It wasadded after a successful mo-

tion by newly elected Com-missioner NancyJester.In his comments, John-

son tied the vote for the pre-siding officer to the boards

inability to break a deadlockin filling the District 5 seatvacated when LeeMaybe-came the interim countyCEO.

In order for us to moveforward its important for us

to have a District 5 commis-sioner on board to vote foran important position as pre-siding officer and also as welook at the budget, Johnsonsaid.

Thats my reason for uswanting to wait and makesure we can have a District 5commissioner, he said. Thisis a democracy and taxationwithout representation iswrong.

Commissioner KathieGannonsaid, I was won-dering what we were going

to do today to stall this elec-tion and so now its out there:were going to wait for a Dis-trict 5 representative.

Two DeKalb commissioners vie for boards top job

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Rescue Continued From Page 1A


There is where all of theemergency support func-ions come, Medlin said.Thatll be someone from

fire, police, DEMA, water.Were supporting them herewith whatever they need.

Temporary shelters inecreation centers and hotels

also could be provided, heold residents.

During the drill, Medlinencouraged residents toign up for Code Red, a no-ification system that alertsesidents about emergencyituations in their area.

The system sends phonecalls, text messages and

emails to registrants.It takes you all of twominutes to sign up. You puthe phone numbers and

emails that you want to bealerted on, so when we doa reverse 911 you get [themessage], Medlin said. Itdoesnt call yall a dime. Youcan pick what you want tobe alerted for. It could bea winter storm warnings.t could be evacuations. It

could be active shooters. Itcould be any type of thosemajor disasters.

Medlin said he couldpolygon the message sohat it only goes out to the

affected areas, but if yourenot opted in, youre not go-ing to get that call.

After the drill, respond-ers analyzed their responseduring a time for assessmentand debriefing.

In an email, DeKalbCounty Commissioner JeffRader said the drill wasscheduled in response toconsistent and continuedpressure from residents.

During the constructionof the new AGL high pres-sure transmission pipeline,there was massive confusionresulting from the rupture ofa very small existing gas line

by the construction crew,he wrote. Area residentswere given contradictoryinstructions about evacu-ation. Police and first re-sponders were not properlyand immediately notified.Even AGL employees andthe Georgia Public ServiceCommission were not up tospeed on precautions andactions necessary for suchan event.

Chamblee residentCher-yl Huvard, said she attendedthe drill because the blastradius for this facility is 500feet and I live 150 feet fromit.

irst responders brave freezing temperatures for a drill. Photos byAndrew Cauthen

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LOCAL

PUBLIC NOTICEHUD Submission for 2015 Funding Annual Action PlanPreliminary Budget and Plan

Public Comments Invited

PROPOSED UPDATE TO DEKALB COUNTYS 2014-2018CONSOLIDATED PLAN, INCLUDING THE YEAR 2015ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FOR THE COMMUNITY DE-VELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT, HOME INVESTMENTPARTNERSHIP AND EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANTSPROGRAMS

The DeKalb County Community Development Department is pre-aring its update of the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan, which haseen extended to include the Year 2015 Annual Action Plan forhe Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), the

Home Investment Partnership Act (HOME), and the Emergency So-utions Grants Program (ESGP).

Written public comments will be received fromanuary 15, 2015 through February 13, 2015and should be sub-

mitted to the DeKalb County Community Development Depart-ment, 330 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue, 6thFloor, Decatur, Georgia0030.

Anticipated Year 2015 Grant Awards and

Program Income:015 Community Development Block $ 4,625,313Grant Allocation (CDBG)

rojected CDBG Program Income $ 129,077

015 HOME Program Allocation $ 1,748,808

rojected HOME Program Income $ 235,184

015 Emergency Solutions Grant Program $ 382,895Allocation (ESGP)

TOTAL $ 7,121,277

PROGRAM POLICY for PROGRAM INCOME

. Twenty percent of CDBG Program Income will be used forPlanning and Administration. Up to 15% may be used for Pub-lic Services activities as outlined in the budget. The remaining

balance will be used for other eligible activities.. Ten percent of the HOME Program Income will be used for

Planning and Administration.. CDBG regulations require program income to be used beforeTreasury funds are expended. Program income will be usedfor any approved eligible activity as outlined in the 2014-2018Consolidated Plan.

. If more program income revenue is received than anticipatedfor any activity, the additional funds will be appropriated toactivities indicated in this policy.

. The DeKalb Enterprise Business Corporation (DEBCO) man-ages the Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund, andmay retain the program income for approved loans programsfor small businesses in DeKalb or return the funds to the Coun-ty. The County must approve the loan fund programs that uti-lize County funds and Program income generated from repay-ment of loans that were made with County funds.

. Program income funds generated from the Housing Rehab Re-volving Loan Fund will be returned to the revolving loan fundto be used for additional loans to eligible borrowers or othereligible programs and activities as approved by the Commu-nity Development Director. Program income funds may also

be withdrawn and returned to the County for any other eligibleactivities.

. If we receive any recaptured HOME funds, they will be de-posited into the Local HOME Trust Account and used for ad-ditional HOME eligible activities.

. Program Income receipts may vary widely from amounts pro-jected due to any number of unanticipated factors. Regardlessof the amount received, the Consolidated Plan will not need to

be amended unless the funds are used for activities not outlinedin the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan or other approved eligibleactivities.

YEAR 2015 CDBG PROPOSED ACTIVITIES

Below are preliminary recommendations. Please review the com-lete proposed recommendations to the 2014-2018 Consolidatedlan, which has been extended to include the Year 2015 Annual Ac-on Plan for details about the activities.

. PUBLIC FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS ($1,051,000)

A. Fire Station #3 Under Construction ($300,000)(See additional CDBG recommendation K)

B. Construction of a new Fire Station #7 Phase 1 Pos-

sible Acquisition, A&E - ($100,000)C. Revitalization of Flowers Park in the City ofDoraville - ($331,000)

D. City of Stone Mountain Matching Funds forStreetscape Improvements - ($100,000)

E. Oakhurst Medical (See additional CDBG recom-mendation N) - ($220,000)

2. LOAN/BOND REPAYMENT ($800,000)

A. HUD Section 108 Loan Repayment Estimatedannual repayment amount ($800,000) (Seeadditional CDBG recommendation G.)

3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ($1,125,455)

A. Economic Development/Transit Oriented Develop-ment Initiatives Kensington LCI Development,I-20 East Transit Initiative , Memorial Drive Re-development/Economic Development Initiative -($300,000)

B. City of Chamblee Small Business Incubator Ini-tiative ($125,000)

C. Economic Development Browneld Loan Funds-DeKalb Development Authority - ($500,000)

D. Revolving Loan Fund for Small Business Initia-tive DeKalb Enterprise Business Corporation ($100,000)

E. DeKalb County Small Business Incubator Initiative ($100,455)

PUBLIC SERVICES $693,796(15% Cap)

4. Africas Childrens Fund, Inc. ($21,916)Provides case management, (including assessment and refer-ral) to assist homeless and underserved households in DeKalbCounty, as well as housing and supportive services that enablethose households to become self sufcient and avoid incidentsof homelessness.

5. Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. ($40,000)Prevention of predatory lending, consumer education, fraud-ulent mortgages and mortgage scams public awareness.

6. Atlanta Urban League, Inc.($21,916)Provide housing counseling and foreclosure prevention coun-selor.

7. Center for Pan Asian Community Services. ($21,916) Home Education and Loss Prevention (HELP) program

that will help homeowners by providing foreclosure preventioncounseling to them.

8. Drug Court Transitional Housing ($54,116)Provides housing assistance to participants in a judicially su-

pervised drug treatment and alternative sentencing program.

9. First Step Stafng, Inc. ($20,000)The agency offers homeless persons assistance in getting ac-cess to SSI benets and securing employment, along with sup-

portive services such as uniforms, tools, transportation, andcounseling.

10. Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, Inc. ($15,500)Provides free household furniture to people in need withinDeKalb County. The majority of clients impacted will be mov-ing out of homelessness, are living with HIV/AIDS, or eeingdomestic violence.

11. Jerusalem House, Inc. ($30,000)Transitional housing and services for persons with HIV/AIDS.

12. Latin American Association, Inc. ($22,000)Employment counseling and support services primarily forHispanic persons who are homeless or at risk.

13. Metro Fair Housing Services Inc. ($40,605)Provides legal advice and referrals for housingdiscrimination complaints.

14. Nicholas House, Inc. ($23,551)Provides legal advice and referrals for housing discriminationcomplainants.

15. Our House, Inc. ($74,119)Daycare services for children of homeless families.

16. Refugee Family Services, Inc. ($21,916)Financial literacy counseling and education for refugees

17. Scottdale Child Development and Family Resource Cen-ter, Inc. of Central DeKalb ($21,916)Affordable childcare and family resource center.

18. The Sheltering Arms, Inc. ($21,916)

Affordable childcare and family resource center.19. Homeless Access Point ($24,938)Provides case management services for homeless individuals.

20. DeKalb Ofce of Senior Affairs ($35,000)The DeKalb County Ofce of Senior Affairs will provide supportfor the Golden Shuttle which serves as an alternate transporta-tion option for seniors.

21. Youth Voucher Set-aside Program ($100,000)Assistance for youth participating in recreational activities.

22. Crime Prevention Initiatives (Neighborhood)($42,471)

23. Implementation of DSNI (Individual Clusters) ($40,000)

HOUSING ACTIVITIES

24. Tuscany Village Housing Services ($30,000) CDBG funds not to exceed $30,000 per year (totaling

$300,000 for years 2009-2018 toward housing services).

PLANNING AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION(20% CAP)

25. Community Development Administration ($925,062) Gen-eral oversight, planning management, monitoring and Imple-

mentation services.

YEAR 2015 PROPOSED HOME ACTIVITIESHOME Investment Partnerships Program ($1,748,808)

26. HOME Program Administration (10%) Set-aside ($174,880)Funds to be used for direct administration and project imple-mentation costs associated with the HOME program.

27. HOME/CHDO Projects (15%) Set-Aside ($263,321)Funds will be provided to eligible organizations for cost as-sociated with the development, sponsorship, orownership of affordable housing.

28. HOME CHDO Operating (5%) Set-Aside ($87,440)Fundswill be used to provide general operating assistance to CHDOs

that are receiving set-aside funds for an activity or activities.32. HOME Eligible Projects ($1,223,167)

These are undesignated funds. The proposed activities beingconsidered are: Single-family owner-occupied rehab, Single-family homeownership new construction, Singlefamily rehab(Rental), Multi-family (Rental), Single-family Homeowner-ship (Down payment Assistance) Acquisition (including as-sistance to homebuyers), Tenant-based Rental Assistance, andany other housing development activities considered eligibleunder HOME Program regulations. Housing Initiative to lever-age Neighborhood Stabilization Program Fund.

YEAR 2015 ESGP PROPOSED CATEGORIES OFFUNDING ($382,895)

28. Emergency Shelter + Street Outreach - 60% Cap ($138,000)29. Administrative Costs 7.5% Cap ($28,714)

NOTES SECTION

ADDITIONAL CDBG RECOMMENDATIONS

A. These projects are a part of the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan.If funds are available, these projects listed below will moveforward in accordance with the Countys priorities.

The Art Station Facility Replacement of the existing roof

on a County owned facility - $273,000

Clarkston Community Center, Inc Assist in the

completion of the renovation of the existing facility,

leveraging other funds $628,060. Consideration of

funding for the Clarkston Community Center facility

expansion is contingent upon the agencys leveraging of

$628,060 through private foundation contributions and/or

fundraising efforts. Based on the current funding level, we

do not anticipate any HUD funding for this project in the

immediate future.

Renovation of DeKalb Atlanta Human Services Center

renovation of building to replace the elevator and create a

conference and learning center - $50,000 contingent upon

funding availability.

DeKalb Atlanta Senior Center Parking expansion;

contingent upon funding availability.

The Salvation Army Improvements to an existing facility

located on Sherrydale Lane, Decatur, GA - $87,000.

Bruce Street Senior Center Assess needs for new center.

B. The Community Development Department Director may ap-prove interchanging the use of HOME and CDBG funds, andESG and CDBG funds, for projects as long as all program eli-gibility standards are met.

C. Any additional funding received may be used to assist with fur-ther implementation of the strategies outlined in the Quality ofLife Plans (developed by the four clusters participating in theDeKalb Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative) and/or actionsthat will focus on the ve elements (Literacy, Job Readiness,Housing, Transportation or other Social Services) as dened inthe PHLOTES report. Both initiatives will provide benet tolow and moderate income families in these areas.

D. CDBG funds will be used for any approved eligible activity asoutlined in the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan. Because CDBGregulations require program income to be used before Treasury

funds are expended, exibility is needed in order to complywith the regulations.

E. The DeKalb County Community Development Department isauthorized to reallocate funding of prior year projects that areno longer feasible or needed. Reallocating previously funded

projects will allow for other approved projects to utilize prioryear or current year funds. Through the reallocation process,the Community Development Department is allowed to utilize/reallocate funds immediately to ensure compliance with HUDguidelines and regulations.

F. The DeKalb Performing Arts and Community Center was -nanced with bonds issued by The DeKalb Development Au-thority and other approved sources, including CDBG funds.The primary resource for the repayment is the

designated rent-al car tax revenue. CDBG andother County resources will beutilized as backup resources if the rental car tax revenue is notsufcient to pay the debt. There is no funding gap anticipatedfor the 2015 payment. If there is a need, the CDBG funds will

be used to pay for a portion of the remaining balance of thebond repayment up to the allowed maximum. The 2015 CDBG

funding gap is estimated to be approximately $200,000 pend-ing the total generated by rental car tax revenues, subject to thetotal rental car taxes received. Funds needed may also comefrom the Public Facilities Improvements/Economic Develop-ment/Housing set-asides. The Community Development Di-

See DCD on page 17A

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 PAGE 18AEDUCATION

Smoke Rise Prep to host open house

GPC alumni finds temporary business home in Hawaii

Smoke Rise Prep Coop-erative School will host anopen House on Jan. 25, from3 until 5 p.m. for families of

rising first through eighthgraders interested in learningmore about the school. Theevent will be held at SmokeRise Prep, in the lower level ofSmoke Rise Baptist Church,5901 Hugh Howell Road,Stone Mountain.

An introduction to theschool and a to tour of theclassrooms will be available.Teachers from each gradelevel, as well as school admin-istration and current parents,will be present to welcome

visitors and answer questions.Smoke Rise Prep Coop-

erative School was founded byparents and teachers in 2011as an alternative to traditionalpublic and private school op-tions.

Maintaining its small classsize and parental involvement,the school has as its primaryobjective preparing studentsacademically and socially for

higher education and for life.The schools goal is to inspirelearning in each child by ap-plying challenging academicsthrough project-based learn-

ing experiences that empha-size personal responsibilityand problem solving.

Directors Kim Fongand

Lisa Khemaniwill host theevent to raise awareness of theschool. The traditional con-cept of school is in f lux, andparents and families are seek-ing alternative choices. Wewant people to know who weare and what we offer, Fongsaid.

Khemani added, We wel-come families who are consid-ering the cooperative schoolalternative to come meet ouramazing teachers and parentcommunity.

Smoke Rise Prep seeks toenroll new students who are

self-directed, high-academicachievers and welcomesfamilies who are specificallyinterested in the cooperativeschool alternative.

by Ashley [email protected]

University System of GeorgiaChancellor Hank Huckabys recom-mendation for the consolidation ofGeorgia State University (GSU) andGeorgia Perimeter College (GPC) has

been approved.The Board of Regents approved

he proposal at its Jan. 5 meeting.GSU and GPC will consolidate to

orm a new institution to be namedGeorgia State University.

Huckaby said, Georgia State is aecognized national leader in improv-ng student retention and graduationates and will be able to apply its best

practices.Combining these attributes with

Georgia Perimeter Colleges leader-hip in providing access to students

across the metro area presents a majoropportunity to improve student suc-ess, Huckaby added.

The merger will be the sixth con-olidation within the past two years

of schools within the states system of

public colleges and universities.Huckaby first suggested mergers

in 2011, a few months after takingover as chancellor, as part of a planto deal with declining state revenues.The plan first went into effect earlylast year, when the state Board ofRegents agreed to merge eight insti-

tutions into four new ones, whichshrank the systems school count from35 to 31 colleges.

The fifth and most recent merger,Kennesaw State University withSouthern Polytechnic State University,was approved by regional accreditorsearlier this month.

The decision to consolidate GPCand GSU institutions, whose com-bined enrollment for fall semester was53,927 students, follows the guidingprinciples for consolidation approvedby the board in Nov. 2011.

The GPC and GSU merge willmake the new institution the largestwithin the states system of public col-leges and universities.

Georgia Perimeter College Inter-im President Robb Wattssaid, Geor-

gia Perimeter College has always hada close relationship with Georgia StateUniversity. GPC is the number onetransfer institution to GSU.

He added, GPC students chooseGSU for its fine degree programs andits broad array of other student activi-ties. GPC is excited about the pros-

pect of working with GSU to createa new type of institution in the Uni-

versity System of Georgia: A researchuniversity that also has an access mis-sion. The consolidated institution willprovide GPC students with additionalpathways to success, in academics andin life.

Georgia State President MarkBeckerwill serve as the president ofthe new institution.

The consolidation timeline callsfor the approval of the plan by theboard of the Southern Association ofColleges and Schools Commission onColleges by the end of this year, fol-lowed by Board of Regents approvalof the new institution in early 2016.

An implementation team withrepresentatives from both institutions

to work

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