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Empty NestSponsored section
► PAGE 22
Ministry ‘Shines’ for communityAlpharetta First Baptist holds respite
► PAGE 30
January 21, 2015 | forsythherald.com | 75,000 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 18, No. 4
Lambert goes to LondonLambert High School’s marching band performed in the 29th London New Year Day’s Parade and Festival, which they had been fundraising for since March 2013. See story, Pages 12 – 13.
Panel investigates leaked documentsBy KATHLEEN [email protected]
CUMMING, Ga. — A city of Cumming investigatory panel met Jan. 13 to assess im-peachment allegations against Councilman Rupert Sexton.
Sexton is facing impeach-ment after allegedly releasing personal financial and health insurance information for Cumming city employees on Facebook. He has denied this.
The panel, comprised of
City Attorney Dana Miles who also appointed Forsyth County Commissioner Patrick Bell and Steve Page, a local business-man, were to conduct an inves-tigation of Sexton.
He has been accused by fellow council members of directly or indirectly publishing a list put together by the city’s human resources manager that contained confidential in-surance and financial informa-tion of the city’s employees.
The list of employees who
are covered by health insur-ance was introduced. as evidence in the investigatory panel and was provided to the media on request.
“It apparently is open records [document] because they passed out a packet with it in there,” said Sexton later. “If it’s not public record then it should never have been passed out.”
Miles said that he received KATHLEEN STURGEON/STAFF
Councilman Ralph Perry testifies to the panel while Mayor H. Ford Gravitt, Angela Mullinax, Councilman Lewis Ledbetter and Councilman John Pugh watch.See LEAKED, Page 33
Be a part of historyJudicial Circuit seeks time capsule items
► PAGE 10
Tennis courts under new operationsCounty Parks and Recreations takes control
► PAGE 4
2 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com PUBLIC SAFETY
Man urinates in front of womanFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A man was arrested Jan. 5 for urinating in front of a woman, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
The officer received a public inde-cency call at Pizza Hut, 6415 Atlanta Highway. A woman reported that a man urinated in front of her in the parking lot, then got into a car and left.
The officer tracked the car down and asked the man if he urinated in front of the woman. The man allegedly confirmed he did.
The officer asked the woman to identify the man, and after confirm-ing the man’s identity, the man was arrested.
Golf balls go missingFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A business owner told the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Dec. 1, 2014, that while doing his yearly inventory he noticed several empty golf ball boxes.
He said confronted a man he had hired to work in the back warehouse and in the shipping department, who told him he was saving the boxes for the company’s shipping needs.
When the owner checked the ship-ping labels with the inventory that was shipped out, he noticed several of the printed shipping labels were printed by the worker with his home address as a return address. The owner said the names on the shipping address didn’t match any customers.
A sheriff’s deputy contacted a person whose name was on the ship-
ping address, who said he had no idea the golf balls were stolen. He said he bought them off eBay, where he paid over $150 for the items.
The deputy then asked the worker if anything suspicious had taken place, to which the worker responded “no.” When asked to write a statement, the deputy observed the worker had shaky hands and a pale face.
He asked if the worker was sick or needed to stop writing, to which the worker said “no.” Then he asked the worker to write his address, but upon noticing it matched the shipping labels, he inquired further.
At that time, the officer said he had enough probable cause for a lawful ar-rest for theft by taking. While walking out in handcuffs, the worker allegedly told the owner he was sorry and would pay him back every penny that he stole.
Copper stolen from construction siteFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A builder contacted the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 6 after noticing the copper line set from the air conditioning unit was taken from one of his houses un-der construction in Settles Walk.
There was nothing else missing from any of the other sites under construc-tion. A report was filed.
Man threatened at workFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Terroristic threats were the reason a man came into the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 7.
The man reported that a coworker was walking behind him Jan. 5 as he was returning to work. After clocking in, the coworker said, “What? No gun?” to the man, but the man walked away. Then the coworker said, “This isn’t over with,” to which the man replied “bring it on.”
The man said his coworker said, “I don’t know how you could pull a gun on a man with his kids in the car. Be glad my kids were there, or I would have shot you dead.”
Then the man walked away and didn’t say anything until later in the day when he told a supervisor.
The man told the Sheriff’s Office about a previous report pertaining to his dispute with his coworker which was from an incident in Lumpkin County Dec. 25, 2014.
The Sheriff’s Office gave the man a case card.
iPads stolen from storeCUMMING, Ga. — Cumming Police were notified that two iPads had been allegedly stolen from Game Stop, 1060 Marketplace Blvd. on Jan. 6.
The manager said that the devices were taken from the back counter behind the registers. She said the iPads were for store use and used mainly for inventory. There was no video footage of the event.
Deputy chases outlet mall shoplifterFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A Forsyth County deputy said he joined a high-speed vehicle pursuit on Ga. 400 near McFarland Parkway Jan. 8.
The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) told the Forsyth Sheriff’s Office to be on the lookout for a specific car traveling south on Ga. 400. Dawson County said they had charges on the male for shoplifting at the outlet mall, with one suspect reported to be in custody.
The Forsyth deputy saw a car that fit the description on Ga. 400. He waited until there was another deputy close by, given the nature of the situa-
POLICE BLOTTERAll crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.
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CUMMING, Ga. — According to police reports, a Cumming Police officer was dispatched to Dairy Queen, 103 Atlanta Road, because two employees were fighting.
The officer said when he arrived that one man was bleed-ing from his head at a table and another man was bleeding from his hand in the back of the store.
The second man said he was allegedly getting picked on by other employees. He said he walked up to the ice cream
machine and started punching it. The report stated when the first man told him to stop, the second man started punching him – so much that the first man was knocked unconscious.
At the time, police say there were customers in the lobby who claimed the second man started pointing at them, curs-ing and threatening to fight them too.
The second employee was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
Employee attacks coworker while on the job
See BLOTTER, Page 3
forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 3PUBLIC SAFETY
DUI arrests ► Raymond Stokes, 40, of
Crestmont Court, Cumming, was arrested Jan. 8 on Crestmont Court in Cumming for DUI and suspended license.
► Laura E. Metheny, 29, of Crestmont Court, Cumming,
was arrested Jan. 8 on Crestmont Court in Cumming for DUI.
► Andrew Dalton Ingalls, 49, of Athens was arrested Jan. 8 on Vickery Creek Road in Cumming for DUI and no headlights.
► Raphael Michael Torres, 30, of Monterey Street, Cumming, was arrested Jan. 7 on Merchants Square in Cumming for DUI.
► Janice R. Shields, 51, of Allen Drive, Cumming, was arrested Jan. 6 on Keith Bridge Road in Cumming for DUI and no headlights.
Drug arrests ► Devin Tara Landeweer, 21,
of Singing Hills Court, Roswell, was arrested Dec. 29 on Nesbit Ferry Road in Johns Creek for possession of marijuana.
► Phillip Andrew Raywood, 27, of Holcomb Pond Court, Alpharetta, was arrested Dec. 30 on Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta for possession of marijuana.
► Roderick C. Strickland, 31, of Decatur was arrested Jan. 1 on Mansell Road in Alpharetta for possession of marijuana and suspended license.
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DUIS & DRUGSAll crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.
tion, before following.When the deputy activated
his emergency equipment to signal the car to stop, the car accelerated to about 90 miles per hour and didn’t attempt to yield. The car then reached 120 miles per hour before suddenly changing lanes and traveling through the grass onto the off ramp of Windward Parkway. The deputy slowed down and safely followed, but was then called off the pursuit by the watch commander.
The suspect continued by getting back onto Ga. 400 southbound.
He’s not eventrying to hideMILTON, Ga. – A brazen would-be thief was caught after allegedly trying to leave a store without even hiding the goods he was trying to steal.
Police received calls of a fight from the Windward Walmart about 3 p.m. Jan. 5. When they arrived, they found the loss prevention officer en-gaged with a suspect, Spencer Lee Gregory, 28. According to the employee, Gregory was seen walking into the store and headed for the electron-ics aisle. He picked up two speaker sets, valued at $60 and $90, and tried to walk out of the store without buying or hiding the items.
$20K in jewels takenJOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Some-one broke into an Abbotts Bridge Road apartment over the holidays and made off with more than $20,000 in jewelry.
The victim told police she suspects someone entered her apartment between Nov. 27, 2014 and Jan. 7, 2015. She said she was missing a platinum diamond ring ($12,000), gold platinum band ($4,000), David Yurman necklace ($700), gold wed-ding band ($200), a pair of diamond earrings ($2,000), a diamond tennis bracelet ($3,000) and two dresses ($10 and $30).
There are no suspects.
Continued from Page 2
Blotter:
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4 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com NEWS
By JONATHAN [email protected]
ATLANTA – The flu is now an epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The CDC says this year’s virus is strong enough and widespread enough to affect hundreds of thousands of people around the country.
Influenza, also called “flu,” is a viral illness that causes fe-ver, sore throat, muscle aches and cough. Influenza can weaken the body’s defenses and lead to complications like
bacterial pneumonia. It can also worsen existing chronic health problems like heart disease and diabetes.
Dr. David Smith, of Betha-ny Bend Urgent Care in Milton, said this year’s flu is a problem not so much because of sever-ity but rather of the ease with which is spreads.
“It’s bad that a lot of people are getting it, but it’s not much more severe,” Smith said.
When people get the flu, they will typically stay at home until their symptoms sub-side, Smith said. With this flu strain, symptoms manifest themselves for a few hours and then go away for a few hours. Then it repeats itself. This causes the ill to think they are not sick with the flu and to go
about their daily lives, thus spreading the virus.
“People are going out and doing things and exposing people to it,” Smith said.
The flu season can start as early as October and last as late as May. In Georgia, it is most prevalent in January and February. During an average flu season, 36,000 Americans die and more than 200,000 are hospitalized because of complications from influenza. Some people, such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with certain chronic health conditions are more likely to have com-plications related to influ-enza. While most deaths occur among the elderly and people with chronic health conditions, deaths can also occur among younger adults and children.
In Georgia, there have been 13 confirmed deaths due to flu. Of those, eight were in people 65 or older. One was a child under the age of 4.
The very young and adults older than 60 are encouraged to get the flu shot or nasal spray. While the flu vaccine may not work as well as usual against some flu viruses, Smith is still recommending getting the vaccine. Vaccina-tion can still protect some people and reduce symptoms, hospitalizations and deaths and will protect against other flu viruses.
Smith urged those who feel ill to stay at home, to not touch their face and be sure to cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing, as this spreads the
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New tennis operations coming to county parksBy KATHLEEN [email protected]
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Tennis play-ers in Forsyth County have a reason to get excited now that the county is looking into new tennis operations at its parks.
At their Jan. 15 meeting, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation by Jim Pryor, director of parks and recreation for Forsyth County, and Jim Brennan, recreation division manager.
Annacone Tennis Management, the company that was handling tennis opera-tions at Fowler Park, ended its contract Dec. 31, 2014, said Pryor.
“At that point, the county took back over control, operation and maintenance of the courts at Fowler Park,” said Pryor. “The county has been managing all the courts since Jan. 1.”
Pryor said the best thing to do would be to unify the courts throughout the county.
“Under the new system, we will handle all of the tennis operations at the 36 county-owned courts,” said Pryor. “No private company is involved. However, for instruction of lessons or programs, we plan on contracting with private profes-sionals, skilled tennis players or even
those that might work for tennis compa-nies. But, we look for specialized individ-uals interested in working for us to teach lessons.”
The commissioners allowed the Parks and Recreation Department to start look-ing for qualified tennis instructors through its recreation division to plan future tennis programs.
“I believe with the uniform operations, we can renew the revenue that we lost,” said Brennan. “It’s a good proposal bring-ing it back in house. We can bring it back to being positive.”
Pryor said they do entertain private companies that wish to rent court space to teach through their own business.
“But they pay a rental fee to the county for this and they are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis like any other group wanting to reserve the court,” said Pryor. “Per county ordinance, anyone teaching tennis for financial gain must have an approval agreement with the county.”
About 16 months ago, the county decided to hire a professional manage-ment company to manage Fowler Park’s tennis program, instead of operating it internally like other courts in the county.
“The change back to county manage-ment will serve to unify tennis opera-tions within the county,” said Pryor. “The county’s 36 tennis courts will operate consistently in terms of reservations, rent-als, tournaments and fees. While we will contract different instructors in various areas, those instructors will be man-aged by parks and recreation and their programs advertised through parks and recreation.”
Pryor said anyone wanting to reserve a tennis court can do so in-person by going to any of the three recreation centers in the county – Fowler, Old Atlanta or Cen-tral – or by going online at www.forsythco.com through the Parks and Recreation Department.
Under the new system, [the county] will handle all of the tennis operations at the 36 county-owned courts.”
JIM PRYORDirector of Parks and Recreation for Forsyth County
Flu widespread this year What are the emergency warning signs of flu sickness?In children•Fast breathing or trouble
breathing•Bluish skin color•Not drinking enough fluids•Not waking up or not
interacting•Being so irritable that the
child does not want to be held
•Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
•Fever with a rashIn adults•Difficulty breathing or
shortness of breath•Pain or pressure in the
chest or abdomen•Sudden dizziness•Confusion•Severe or persistent
vomiting•Flu-like symptoms that im-
prove but then return with fever and worse cough
In addition to the signs above, get medical help right away for any infant who has any of these signs:•Being unable to eat•Has trouble breathing•Has no tears when crying•Significantly fewer wet
diapers than normal
Spreads quickly, easily
See FLU, Page 31
forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 5Submit your news & photos to [email protected] NEWS
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — At the Jan. 8 meeting, the Forsyth County Board of Commission-ers recognized and thanked those who have assisted the county with parking during the construction projects taking place in downtown Cumming.
Resolutions of appreciation were adopted for Cumming Baptist Church, Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, the city of Cumming, the Cumming Playhouse and Tam’s Back-stage, for their assistance with parking.
Construction of the new courthouse, jail and related parking facilities, which are funded by the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Op-tion Sales Tax (SPLOST) VII program, resulted in a loss of areas available for parking at and near the Forsyth County Administration Building and current courthouse. The
county had to turn to others in the com-munity for as-sistance with identifying and designat-ing areas for citizens and employees to park during the construction.
“Cumming Baptist Church, Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, the city of Cumming, the Cumming Playhouse and Tam’s Backstage graciously allowed the use of their park-ing lots by county citizens and employees,” said Commission Chairman R.J. (Pete) Amos, who noted that the county truly appreciated their gener-osity.
While construction of the new courthouse and jail con-tinues, the two new parking
facilities are now open for use. The new five-level, 491-space Mason Street Parking Facil-ity located near the Forsyth
County Administration Build-ing opened in December.
The new three-level, 222-space Castleberry Parking
Facility at the intersection of Castleberry Road and Maple Street opened for use over the summer.
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Commissioners express appreciation for parking assistanceCumming Baptist Church, Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, the city of Cumming, the Cumming Playhouse and Tam’s Backstage graciously allowed the use of their parking lots by county citizens and employees.”R.J. (PETE) AMOSCommission Chairman
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6 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
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Greenway to open new phase
The Greenway will be about 15 miles when phases 4 and 5 are completed.
By KATHLEEN [email protected]
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Outdoor enthusiasts will have a new place to walk, run or bike in Forsyth County this spring.
The Big Creek Greenway is a linear park with open green spaces for people, as well as natural areas for plants and animals. Most use the space for exercising without having to go to the gym.
The Greenway is a 12-foot wide concrete and boardwalk path through the woods along Big Creek.
Tim Merritt, deputy county manager for Forsyth County, said they expect to open phase 4 in early spring.
“Work has been ongoing for some time,” Merritt said. “In the summer of 2009, we were working on the concep-tual plans for phases 4 and 5. Phase 4 construction contract was awarded to CRS Build-ing Corporation in the amount of $2,874,579.87 on Oct. 17,
2013.”Currently, the Greenway
has three phases located in Forsyth that span from Mc-Farland Parkway to Bethelview Road for approximately 6.8 miles.
The Greenway will be about 15 miles when phases 4 and 5 are completed.
“This work is funded by the $100 million Parks, Recreation and Greenspace Bond ap-proved by the voters in 2008,” Merritt said.
Once the fourth phase is completed, construction will begin on phase 5.
“We are currently working with developments along the proposed path to enhance the existing design,” said Merritt. “We expect to be able to bid this work later in 2015 and begin construction soon after.”
The Greenway is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. November through February, and 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. March through October.
For more information, visit www.forsythco.com.
Where can the Big Creek Greenway be accessed?•5120 Bethelview Road; offers bathrooms and park-
ing. •Exit 12, east of Ga. 400 on McFarland Parkway;
offers parking for 50 vehicles and portable bath-rooms.
•Fowler Park at 4110 Carolene Way; offers park-ing and bathrooms. (Visitors should follow the Big Creek Greenway signs inside the park to access parking. Do not park along Carolene Way.)
•Union Hill Road; offers parking for 25 vehicles and bathrooms.
Dog of the week: PepeCUMMING, Ga. — Pepe is 4.5 years old, and he has been with the Humane Society of Forsyth County for a year-and-a-half. Pepe is very bold with larger dogs but plays nicely with other small dogs. He’s very well-loved by staff and volunteers, but this poor guy just needs to catch a break and find the right family. Meet Pepe at the Humane Society of Forsyth County, 4440 Keith Bridge Road. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 7Recycled paper | Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
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8 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your opinions to [email protected] RAY TO PHOEBE:
Passing a grandfather’s wisdom to a new generation
Waiting in a hospital is something I haven’t done in a long time. Many years ago, I would visit the local hospital where I grew up with my phy-sician father in the emergency room during his 24-hour shift.
I would typically go in the middle of the night, drink cof-fee with him and talk about nothing significant. We just enjoyed passing that time together. For that and many other reasons, the hospital is hard-wired into me.
Right now, I am in another hospital waiting on my first grandchild to be delivered – the first child of her genera-tion in the extended family.
It’s the same hospital in which my youngest child was delivered just over 18 years ago (North Fulton Hospital). The same physician who delivered my youngest child is also delivering my first grandchild. As Yogi Berra used to say, it’s “Deja vu all over again.”
I can see time not just passing by in front of me, but riding a jet at Mach 2.
So what kind of world will my granddaughter encounter?
The world that I see her encountering has many faces, but the one I see best is the one of staggering opportunity, wonder and startling beauty.
She will grow up in a world more accessible and more enabling than any time in history. Her access to knowledge, art, music and her peers will be immeasurably greater than previous genera-tions. She will know more, feel
more and be more aware of the world around her.
She will live in a world of mobility and connectivity. She may listen to the same music that kids her age are listening to in China, Tibet or Finland.
She might create her own music because she can. She will understand that kids her age in other countries have more in common with her than differences. She will not be aware of a time when the world was different.
She will not follow so eas-ily the paths that we want her to walk. In fact, we may not be able to see or understand many of the paths that will seem so obvious, accessible and relevant to her.
She will understand intui-tively that her decisions and those of her peers do make a difference – in her school, her country, her world.
And she will have far less knowledge of what “can-not be done” and “cannot be changed” or “will not work” than her parents or grandpar-ents.
Change for her will be the norm. This will drive her parents crazy. She will find it curious when her parents and grandparents become
stressed out about stuff that she considers routine. The life and priorities she establishes for herself will often not make sense to us.
She will have vast amounts of knowledge, but will she have wisdom? Will she understand the context of her world? Will she appreciate history? It is my fear that she will not.
Will she realize that the change that is a norm for her was not the norm for older generations? Will she have enough patience to listen? I do hope so.
If she were listening, what advice would I have for her? Phoebe, if you ask me one day, this is what I will tell you: • Write letters to those you
want to remain close to – ink on paper. This will not make sense to you, but do it anyway.
• Keep a journal – again, ink on paper. It will help you think through challenging issues and make sense of things around you.
• Realize that emails, texts, Facebook posts, Insta-grams or whatever else takes their place are no substitute for face-to-face conversations, holding hands, touching or actu-ally asking someone if they are OK. As the world be-comes less personal, you need to make it your prior-ity to keep it personal.
• Art feeds your soul, keeps you happy and sane and will bring joy into your life. Make it a big part of your life.
• Listen much more than you talk. Do not miss the opportunity to learn from others.
• Be the friend you want others to be for you.
• Never, ever doubt your-self because of something someone else says or does – especially if they do it in a digital format.
• Beware of the Internet. The Internet is wonderful, but don’t forget that it is also the greatest thief of your most valuable pos-session – your time. Guard your time wisely.
• Set goals, and make sure that one of those goals is to make this world a better place than how you found it.
I am excited, pleased and proud to have you as my granddaughter. Welcome to my world, which is now your world.
–Grandpa Ray
Grandpa Ray and Phoebe.
Food for thoughtAs a vegetarian in the
South, I’m used to the shocked looks and multitude of ques-tions I receive when I tell people of my meat-free life-style, similar to asking for unsweet tea.
The most common response is, “I could never do that!” After being a vegetarian for over 10 years, I can understand that.
It’s hard to find restaurants to dine out at that will cater to my dietary choice.
Many times, my options are limited to bland salads or carbohydrates. More than once after I’ve asked the wait staff to omit the meat from an entrée that usually comes with it, I’ll find tiny bits of chicken or bacon in my food.
This doesn’t bother me as much as it used to because it has become such a normal thing to expect.
When looking for dining out choices that are vegetarian-friendly, I usually have to look up the menu in advance to see just how limited my options are.
North Fulton and Forsyth are fairly good areas in terms of restaurant options that have vegetarian selections, because there is a wide variety of food types.
However, just because they may show options on the menu doesn’t mean they’ll actually have them once I arrive.
One of my favorite local restaurants had a delicious black bean burger that I would order every time I went. A few months ago, they took it off the menu due to lack of interest.
I won’t get on my vegetarian soap box, but eating less meat does have its health benefits.
In an article published by the Mayo Clinic in August 2014, they cited a National Cancer Institute study of 500,000 people. The results concluded that those who ate the most red meat daily were 30 percent more likely to die of any cause during a 10-year period than were those who ate the least amount of red meat.
With Forsyth County named as the state’s healthi-est county in 2014, it’s disap-pointing that there aren’t more vegetarian options.
Next time you go out to eat, take an extra look toward the meat-free options, if not to keep these choices on the menu for vegetarians, but for your own health.
KATHLEEN STURGEONForsyth Herald Reporterkathleen@appen mediagroup.com
This new Johns Creek City Council has just flubbed one of its first big tests in leader-ship. Instead of calling for a special election to replace not one but two vacant seats on the City Council, it has chosen to “spare the tired electorate” and leave those seats vacant for a year.
It didn’t have to happen. The council could have done the right thing straight out of the block and no one would have said a word. They only had to do what was expected. But they didn’t.
It was disconcerting when the two most experienced members resigned immediately after council elections to go fish in a bigger pond. Actually, they were the only experienced members on council.
Put aside the fact these two who created the situation put their own political ambitions above their duty to the citizens who elected them to the coun-cil. There is the issue of what council should do now?
What was expected of the remaining councilmembers was to immediately call a spe-
cial election in early Novem-ber. That would have given prospective candidates almost five months to decide if they wanted to make a run at one of the two open seats.
The kindest thing that can be said is they dithered. Of course the mayor muddied the waters by bringing in the is-sue of the expense right away. That was never an issue with previous vacancies. Was that a smoke screen? Well, I am not a mind reader. Yes, $200,000 is a lot of money. But good gov-ernment costs money.
That does not mean the city should be extravagant. But it should do what is necessary to be effective.
Full City Council needed now more than ever
HATCHER HURDExecutive [email protected]
See COUNCIL, Page 24
forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 9NEWS
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ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced that metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for November was 6.5 percent, down five-tenths of a percentage point from 7.0 percent in October. The rate in November of last year was also 7.0 percent.
The state rate is 7.2 percent.The rate fell as new jobs were added
and new layoffs, as measured by initial unemployment insurance claims, dropped.
Metro Atlanta added 17,800 new jobs in November, pushing the total to 2,506,400, up 0.7 percent, from 2,488,600 in October. Most of the growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing, which gained 13,800 jobs, primarily because of holiday hir-ing. Other increases came in education and health services and government, 1,300 each; financial services, 1,200;
manufacturing, 600; and information services.
There was an over-the-year gain of 59,600 jobs, or 2.4 percent, from 2,446,800 in November 2013. This was the largest November-to-November growth since 2006, when there were 66,200 jobs created. Most of the job growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing, 24,200; professional and business services, 13,300; lei-sure and hospitality, 7,100; financial services, 5,700; manufacturing, 3,300; construction, 2,900; education and health services, 2,300; local govern-ment, 1,500; and information services, 700.
Georgia ranks fifth among states in job creation.
The national unemployment rate is 5.8 percent for November.
—Jonathan Copsey
Unemployment rate falls to 6.5 percent in Nov.
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – The United Way of Forsyth County and the AARP Tax Aide Program will be providing free tax preparation to assist low to moderate income families and residents 60 years of age and older. The service will be avail-able from early February through April 15.
Sites providing the service are located at Central Park, 2300 Keith Bridge Road, on Tuesdays and Saturdays and the United Way of Forsyth County Office located at 240 Elm St. An appointment is necessary. To make an appointment or for more informa-tion, contact the United Way at 770-781-4110 or [email protected].
–Joe Parker
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10 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com COMMUNITY
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Items needed for new courthouse time capsuleFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit is seeking the assistance of the public in gathering items to be included in a time capsule to be placed in the new Forsyth County Courthouse. The time capsule will be placed in the cornerstone of the new building and will feature items that are representative of present-day Forsyth County as well as historical documents and items.
Items being sought include:• Letters from Forsyth County citi-
zens who were residents at the time of the dedication of the current courthouse in 1976.
• Citizen accounts of trials and/or jury service in the 1905 courthouse.
• Printed photographs of present-day Forsyth County, including such things as the courthouse, City Hall, downtown Cumming, historical sites, schools, thoroughfares, parks, the Big Creek Greenway, shopping areas and churches (photographs should be labeled and dated).
• Forsyth County high school sports
programs.• Publications, lapel pins and the
like from service organizations in Forsyth County.Those interested in submitting
items to be considered for inclusion can bring the items on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the Court Ad-ministration Office, 100 Courthouse Square, Suite 020.
Contact Robin Rooks, circuit court administrator, at [email protected] or 678-965-7153 for more infor-mation.
—Kathleen Sturgeon
If you goWhere: Forsyth County Court Administration Office, 100 Courthouse Square, Suite 020When: Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.Contact: Robin Rooks, circuit court administrator, [email protected] or 678-965-7153
Food Allergy Kids of Atlanta launches six regional chaptersATLANTA — Food Allergy Kids of Atlanta (FAKA) recently launched six regional chapters in Georgia to offer all Georgians access to FAKA’s resources and support and to establish a per-sonal connection with other members in their area.
In addition to its regional area chapters, support is also available through FAKA’s new online regional Facebook support groups. FAKA mem-bership is free.
Food Allergy Kids of Atlanta will continue to run as the main group pro-viding support for the entire metro area of Atlanta and state of Georgia. Local FAKA groups have formed in Gwinnett, Forsyth, Oconee, Paulding, Cherokee, Cobb and Bibb counties, with addition-al groups being added in the coming months. Local area leaders in select counties coordinate allergy-friendly events, educational programs and host
support group meetings annually.FAKA supports families who man-
age food allergies, educates those who care for children and helps to create a safe environment in the local area for food allergic individuals.
For more information, visit www.foodallergykidsatl.org or call 404-512-7983.
Upcoming Food Allergy Kids of Atlanta events•FAKA allergy friendly Easter egg
hunt and bonnet parade – April •Concert featuring Kyle Dine –
May 3 at Perimeter Mall•FAKA Halloween event – Octo-
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tions: February – December
Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 11Submit your news & photos to [email protected] COMMUNITY
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County received the Community Improvement and Greening Award during the 36th annual Keep Georgia Beautiful Awards Luncheon on Dec. 12, 2014. More than 200 Georgians attended the annual ceremony created to honor individuals and organizations working to improve Georgia’s environment.
The annual awards cer-emony recognizes outstanding efforts in the areas of litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling and community improvement.
“Today’s program cel-ebrates and recognizes 36 years of collaboration by indi-viduals, schools, corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to keep Georgia’s environment beauti-ful,” said Keep Georgia Beauti-ful Foundation President Kevin Perry.
The Community Improve-ment and Greening Award presented to Forsyth County recognizes efforts to preserve and improve the beauty of a community.
These efforts include out-door environmental education,
enhancement of public areas, community gardens, bike paths and pedestrian walk-ways and working with the public and with community organizations.
“We are so proud of the outstanding efforts made by the entire community to make this award possible,” Envi-ronmental Program Manager Tammy Wright said. “Forsyth County was recognized in part for the ongoing preservation of green space made possible by the voter-approved Parks, Rec-reation and Green Space Bond as well as the ongoing efforts in environmental education and instructing on the impor-tance of ensuring future gen-erations are able to enjoy the county’s natural resources.”
The Keep Georgia Beautiful Awards program also honors Georgia’s Keep America Beau-tiful affiliates for their compre-hensive environmental impact on the local community.
Since its inception in 1978, Georgia’s affiliate network has grown to be the nation’s larg-est with 77 local affiliates serv-ing 76 percent of the state’s population.
—Kathleen Sturgeon
County honored with community improvement and greening award
The community improvement award was presented to the Forsyth County Board of Commission-ers at their Jan. 8 meeting. Pictured, from left, are Keep Forsyth County Beautiful Environmental Program Manager Tammy Wright, Keep Forsyth County Beautiful Board member Julie Tressler, Commission Chairman R.J. (Pete) Amos, District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills, District 5 Commissioner Jim Boff, District 2 Commissioner Brian R. Tam, District 3 Commissioner Todd Levent and Keep Forsyth County Beautiful Community Outreach Specialist Kevin Smith.
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Lambert performs in New Year’s Day parade in LondonBy KATHLEEN [email protected]
LONDON — Including the Lambert High School march-ing band, wind ensemble, orchestra and members of the chorus, 324 students, chap-erones, family members and staff traveled “across the pond” to ring in 2015 while perform-ing in the 29th London New Year Day’s Parade and Festival (LNYDP).
It wasn’t easy preparing and fundraising for an over-seas trip, so preparation ini-tially started in March 2013.
“Former Lord Mayor of Westminster, who’s patron of the parade and the great grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, and Duncan Sandys visited the school along with the CEO of the LNYDP Bob Bone and Director of Interna-tional Talent Jonathan Whaley to issue the invitation,” said one of Lambert’s band direc-tors, Scott McCloy.
Lambert is the second school in Forsyth County to participate in this event, with Forsyth Central High School’s marching band as the first.
Annually, 15 or so march-ing bands from the United States are invited to participate in the event to the delight of
British onlookers. “The United Kingdom does
not have marching band pro-
grams or even school music programs in the same way that we do here in the U.S.,” said
McCloy. “Most marching music units are associated with the military or community groups,
so the U.S. marching bands are a highlight of the event.”
Lambert was selected to perform by a previous partici-pant in the parade who recom-mended the band. The LNYDP scouted LHS by looking at previous performances, attend-ing performances and doing other similar tasks to evaluate the band.
Lambert was not only selected to perform, but was asked to be the anchor, or last group, of the parade.
“This was an honor as we were the center band in the grand finale to the parade,” said McCloy. “Each year, the LNYDP brings out several of the bands who marched to as-semble ‘en masse’ and perform three to four pieces as a large group to end the event. Our band got to remain in the TV area following our televised street performance, and our drumline played, or ‘cadenced,’ the other groups back into the area prior to the finale.”
Lambert marched on for 2.2 miles in the parade while getting to see some London landmarks starting at the Ritz Hotel, down to Piccadilly Cir-cus, then to Trafalgar Square. They passed the Royal Horse-
Confetti rained down on Lambert High School’s marching band in the TV area after their street performance.
See LAMBERT, Page 13
forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 13Submit your news & photos to [email protected] SCHOOLS
guards and finished in front of the Houses of Parliament.
“Getting the opportunity to march past those iconic build-ings and areas of London was a great thrill,” said McCloy.
This year’s theme was “London on the move,” and the parade was sponsored by the Transportation Commission.
“We used the 1970s pop song ‘Vehicle’ as our parade tune, ‘Ticket to Ride’ by the Beatles as our street perfor-mance tune, then the grand fi-nale consisted of an ‘American Patriotic Medley,’ the Queen hit ‘Bicycle Race,’ the Beatle’s ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘Rule Bri-tannia,’” said McCloy.
McCloy said an estimated 60,000 people lined the streets and viewing areas to watch the parade and there were several thousand spectators in the warm-up area watching the groups prepare for the parade.
The marching band wasn’t the only group getting in on the fun. The Lambert wind en-semble was invited to perform as part of the LNYDP Concert Series at Cadogan Hall, the home of the Royal Philharmon-ic Orchestra. Members of the Lambert chorus also partici-pated in the London Interna-tional Chorus Festival with a performance in Westminster
Central Hall on Jan. 2, and members of the Lambert or-chestra performed for the Lord Mayor’s Brunch that preceded the parade on Jan. 1.
The trip cost around $3,000 per person and was inclusive of hotel, food, transportation, admissions and airfare.
“We participated in several
fundraisers and had many corporate sponsors who helped defray some of the cost of the trip for the participants and chaperones,” said McCloy.
Because of their performance for this event, Lambert has al-ready received offers to partici-pate in future parades in Rome, Madrid and the LNYDP again.
Continued from Page 12
Lambert:
Lambert High School performed during the parade.
14 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald Submit your news to [email protected] WOMAN
North Fulton resident ‘gratified’ to help stem Ebola outbreak
By CANDY [email protected]
NORTH FULTON, Ga. – While most of the world watched from afar as the Ebola virus took hold in western Africa, North Fulton resident Susan McBreairty packed her bags and headed directly into the eye of the storm.
The communications staffer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta spent a month in Liberia, returning in mid-No-vember and then spending the following three weeks monitor-ing for any symptoms of Ebola. Although many with the CDC were sent to West Africa to help monitor and control the Ebola outbreak, McBreairty volun-teered her service and was thrilled when she was selected.
“I was totally excited and felt so fortunate to be able to go. I also felt very confident in that I was a part of something very large and historic. I think my exterior looked calm but inside I was dancing around with glee and happiness [when I learned I was heading to Libe-ria,]” said McBreairty, who has
been with the CDC since 2006.After a three-month approv-
al process, McBreairty left At-lanta on Oct. 14 for the nearly 20-hour flight that would take her through Paris, Casablanca and finally to Liberia. In Mon-rovia, the capital, McBreairty would spend the next month serving on the Liberia Minis-try of Health and Social Work (MOHSW) subcommittee.
“I was a member of the health promotion team pro-viding technical assistance in health communication and promotion, [and] worked on a variety of projects,” said Mc-Breairty.
In Liberia, McBreairty’s du-ties included training staff at the Liberia National Ebola Call Center in data entry and infor-mation management, updating messaging on infection pre-vention measures, addressing misconceptions and encourag-ing acceptance and support for Ebola survivors.
McBreairty also compiled reports from the counties hardest hit by Ebola, distribut-ing them to other CDC staff in the country and forwarding them to the headquarters in
Atlanta for situation reports.McBreairty was well aware
of the Ebola risks in Liberia, and underwent a series of training sessions in safety and security prior to her depar-ture. Several staffers who had returned from the country provided insight into what to expect, and what to bring. (“The one thing I didn’t pack and sorely missed were my flip-flops!” she said, laughing.)
Still, what waited for her
in Liberia was daunting. Since Ebola broke out in West Africa over the past 12 months, Li-beria has been the hardest hit of the three countries where the viral disease has reached epidemic proportions. As of mid-December, nearly 8,000 Liberians have contracted Ebola, with a death rate top-ping 3,300.
But McBreairty never feared for her own safety, tak-ing all necessary precautions
to keep herself safe. She noted she was in a safe area, and took all prevention measures.
“I never came in contact with Ebola patients or anyone with Ebola symptoms,” said McBreairty. “Our pre-depar-ture training did suggest we keep in mind that everyone we met potentially was carry-ing the virus. Therefore, there was no hand-shaking and no
Susan McBreairty spends 30 daysas part of CDC team in Liberia
See EBOLA, Page 15
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Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 15Submit your news to [email protected] NORTHSIDE WOMAN
friendly hugs at greeting. There was, however, lots and lots of hand washing and using hand sanitizers.”
McBreairty is no stranger to world travel. She lived for a time in Sweden, and worked for the Peace Corps for two years before coming to the CDC, spending time in Ro-mania, Antigua, Guatemala and South Africa. She said her exposure to other cultures helped her during her time in Liberia.
“Because of my Peace Corps experience and having been exposed to other cul-tures, I was mentally prepared to be respectful of Liberians and their efforts to stop the spread of Ebola, as well as supporting and being a part of CDC’s mission there,” she said.
Her two grown children were surprised, but supportive, of her plans to go to Liberia, while response from friends and other family members var-ied from “extreme alarm” to ac-ceptance. McBreairty was able to keep in contact with loved ones throughout her stay, which helped tremendously.
“I sent weekly updates and gave them details of where I was and what I was doing. I think everyone rested easier
while I was away because they had ‘word pictures’ and thought it was pretty cool. Plus, they were all praying for me,” said McBreairty, whose daughter lives and works in At-lanta, while her son lives and works in South Korea.
Once home, McBreairty self-monitored for 21 days for
any symptoms of Ebola, but was not isolated since she was considered low risk.
“Other than going to work, I limited my comings and go-ings considerably for the first 10 days,” said McBreairty. “I self-quarantined myself from my grandchildren because I didn’t want to cause them any problems at school. I didn’t return to church or Bible study until the full 21 days were over because I didn’t want to worry anyone.”
Ironically, she hails from the same hometown as the nurse from Maine who was the center of recent controversy when she refused to quaran-tine herself after returning from West Africa. Kaci Hickox
successfully challenged the quarantine order – a decision McBreairty supports.
“I think the publicity gen-erated by [Hickox] helped to shape guidance for asymptom-atic returnees such as myself. She took a strong stand that has benefited other people; particularly those who are con-sidering going to West Africa to help,” said McBreairty. “Quar-antine/isolation of asymp-tomatic people is simply not necessary.”
Although the CDC will likely be a presence in West Af-rica for months, if not years, to come, McBreairty has no cur-rent plans to return…although she is leaving the door open to that possibility.
“I would be willing to go again…depending on my work load here,” said McBreairty. “The Liberian nationals I worked with and my CDC colleagues continue to inspire me. I remain gratified that I was able to serve and to travel there and back safely.”
Continued from Page 14
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16 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com
The foreclosures are over. We have licked our wounds, missed numerous opportunities in the interim, but it’s time – no, over time – to move forward.
Sponsored by
By PATRICK [email protected]
GAINESVILLE, Ga. – With all signs pointing to a full-scale recovery in the real estate market, now is not the time to coast into prosperity, said Frank Norton Jr., chief ex-ecutive officer of The Norton Agency, headquartered in Gainesville.
In his 28th annual Norton Native Intelligence Forecast, presented to a crowd of about 300 people at the Gainesville Civic Center last week, Norton said all of north Georgia must realize the potential it has to provide an ideal environment to a growing market.
“The foreclosures are over,” Norton said. “We have licked our wounds, missed numerous opportunities in the interim, but it’s time – no, over time – to move forward.”
The Norton Agency is one of north Georgia’s leading real es-tate and insurance firms with offices blanketing a tier of nine counties just north of Atlanta, including Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb. The company is an institution for market informa-tion gathering and charting trends.
Data shows that not only are property foreclosures down, Norton said, but so are home inventories. From 2006-2009, developers overbuilt the marketplace, but the inventory has stabilized.
In December 2006, home supply was 8.9 months of sup-ply, compared to the current 4.8 months.
At the same time, more building is going on. Since 2012, the number of new house building permits has doubled in the 22-county region of metro Atlanta, Norton said. Figures show just over 8,000 permits issued in 2012. Last year, the number grew to over 16,000. And Norton said he expects that number to climb to 20,000 this year.
The best way for north Georgia to tap into this grow-ing trend, he said, is to unify as an ideal environment for second homes.
“We’re not just talking about the occasional second home purchase or moun-tain cabin construction,” he said. “We’re talking about an ‘all out/all in’ second home marketing promotion mindset mecca. Our geography is too compelling for us not to better capitalize on our geographic position.”
As small industry moves into the region, so will the need for more housing, Norton said. But, on top of that, north Geor-gia will also attract the growing Baby Boom population as well as the young people who are flooding into the region.
“A million people in north-east Georgia are younger than us Baby Boomers,” he said. “That’s the market, and that’s the opportunity.”
To act on the opportunity, he said, governments – cit-ies and counties – will have to learn to consolidate and cooperate in service delivery. Communities – all residents and businesses – must pursue
smart ways to preserve the country charm that makes northeast Georgia so unique, he said.
“North Georgia, with its rolling mountains, forested ridges and settled valleys, sits directly on top of 6 million people, projected to grow to 12 million people by the year 2050,” he said.
Add to that, the area is within 90 minutes of the larg-est potential home-buying demographic in the South, he said.
Norton’s talk drew several rounds of applause from the
audience, com-posed chiefly of real estate agents and mortgage lenders.
“Frank is spot-on with his predictions,” said Wharton Smith, vice president of South-east Mortgage in Lawrenceville. “For years, his research has been spot on. You just have to figure out how to apply that to your business model.”
Kimberly Bradley, branch manager for America’s Choice Home Loans in Dawsonville, said she was energized by the talk.
“It got me emotionally involved to the thought that
we need to pull together,” she said. “We can start in our own subdivisions, joining with our neighbors.”
Editor’s note: Beginning next week, Appen Newspapers will run serialized excerpts from Frank Norton Jr.’s “Norton Native Intelligence Report for 2015.”
The report is replete with facts, figures, charts and com-mentary from one of the state’s premier market experts focusing on the north Georgia economy and real estate.
North Ga. housing market ripe for growthFRANK NORTON JR. »
Frank Norton Jr., far right, speaks with several of the nearly 300 attendees following his Nor-ton Native Intelligence report at the Gainesville Civic Center Wednesday evening.
Frank Norton Jr. presents his Norton Native Intelligence report to a crowd of close to 300 people Wednesday evening in Gainesville.
Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 17Submit your business news & photos to [email protected] NewBusinessSpotlight
BRING IT ON!There has never been a better time to become a member of the Alpharetta Chamber of Commerce.
www.AlpharettaChamber.com
BUSINESSACADEMY
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Start the new year right by considering a membership to the Alpharetta Chamber of Commerce. It is a great way to network, learn, and grow your business. For more information, visit alpharettachamber.com or contact Ciara Rubin [email protected] or 404-277-4930.
BusinessPost
When you meet with poten-tial customers to present your product or service, are you hearing objections from them? Are they raising questions about the value or price of what you are offering? Do they “push back” on your proposal, using excuses that they don’t have resources to implement what you have? If you are not prepared to respond to these objections, good luck winning
their business. If you can over-come objections, however, you can win more business.
There are many differ-ent types of objections you may hear during a customer meeting. While price is typi-cally at the top of any buyer’s list, there are a number of other reasons a customer may object. Some of the top rea-sons are complacency, fear of change, their trust of you and your business, personal rea-sons or the timing of making a decision. You’ve got to identify
what the reasons are, then ad-dress them.
First and foremost in this process is to identify and better understand the objection. This requires you to ask good ques-tions and be a good listener. Confirm with your customer that you understand their ob-jection. Once you understand what is keeping your customer from making a decision to buy from you, you need to address
the objection. Referencing oth-er customers who had similar objections, and what was done to address it, will help convince your customer.
Overcoming objections isn’t easy, because customers can come up with all sorts of reasons for not doing business with you. However, if you’re good at overcoming objections, you most certainly will win more business.
DICKJONESFounder & PresidentJones Simply Sales
Overcoming objections can win you more business
New pediatric dentistry practice opens in RoswellBusiness: Wonderland Pediat-ric Dentistry Opened: Fall 2014Owner: Dr. Karina Bogdasa-rova (DDS MS)What: Wonderland Pediatric Dentistry specializes in treat-
ment from birth to 18 years of age, including special needs patients. Dr. Bogdasarova is affiliated with the Surgical Center of Children’s Health-care of Atlanta. Location: 1570 Old Alabama
Road, Suites 103-104, Roswell Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. SaturdayPhone: 678-878-3711 Website: wonderlandpediatric-dentistry.com
New Mexican restaurant, El Don, features live musicBusiness: El Don Barand GrillOpened: Fall 2014Owner: Edgar ColinWhat: El Don is a modern, Mexican restaurant with live music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Where: 6320 Alpharetta Highway, Suite 1, Alpharetta 30004Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through SundayCall: 678-404-5473Web: www.eldonalpharetta.com
Mount Pisgah cuts ribbon on Geier HallFacility: Mount Pisgah Christian School’s Geier Hall Upper SchoolOpened: January 2015What: Officials celebrated the opening of the new 49,000-square-foot build-ing that features 18 new classrooms, three science labs, a common area and collaborative spaces, a drama and classroom stage.Location: 9875 Nesbit Ferry Road, Johns CreekPhone: 678-336-3443Website: experiencepisgah.org
18 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald Submit your business news & photos to [email protected]
AWARDS »
Salon 1580 named‘Best of 2014’ by Kudzu.comROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell’s Salon 1580 was named a Best of 2014 winner for Atlanta beauty salons and hair care on Kudzu.com, a leading source for local business information and consumer reviews.
“We are very appreciative that our customers and the community voted us as one of the best beauty salons and hair care businesses in the metro Atlanta area,” said Pat Alessi, owner and operator of Salon 1580. “It is such an honor to have received this honor two years in a row.”
Please visit www.kudzu.com for more informa-tion.
Oriental Rug Shop getsBest of Atlanta awardATLANTA, Ga. — Oriental Rug Shop, has been selected for the 2014 Best of Atlanta Award in the carpet and rug dealers category by the Atlanta Award Program. The award recognizes companies that have shown the ability to use their best prac-tices and who have implemented programs to gener-ate competitive advantages and long-term value. Owner and general manager Alex Baghshahi brings generations of experience to the home décor field. Baghshahi is also a respected appraiser and inspec-tor for oriental rugs. The Oriental Rug Shop is at 5548 Peachtree Blvd., Atlanta. Information: 404-995-8400/770-452-0430, [email protected]; www.PersianRugParadise.net.
EVENTS »
SarahCare to sponsorfree events for seniorsCUMMING, Ga. — Dinner will be on SarahCare at Johns Creek and Marietta for seniors or family members who attend informational seminars over the next two months.
Kristy Lott, a CPA from Dime Accounting, will provide families and seniors with information on senior-related taxes and retirement strategies in free dinner consultations at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 22 at
Abbotts Grill, 10900 Medlock Bridge Road, in Johns Creek and 5:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at Norman’s Landing Restaurant, 365 Peachtree Parkway, in Cumming.
Brannon and Black, an elder law firm, will offer consultations on how to avoid senior scams and the pitfalls of not planning properly for the elder years. The free dinner consultations are at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Abbotts Grill and at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at Nor-man’s Landing Restaurant.
JC Chamber holdsannual awards galaJOHNS CREEK, Ga. – More than 300 business and community leaders are expected to attend this year’s Johns Creek Chamber Gala Jan. 23 at the Atlanta Athletic Club, 1930 Bobby Jones Drive.
The gala celebrates the chamber’s membership and accomplishments by recognizing people who have shown leadership and enthusiasm for the community. The evening includes dining, entertain-ment by the Infinity Show Band and an awards ceremony. Individual tickets are $150, with spon-sorships ranging from $1,500 – $4,000.
NEW BUSINESS »
Stan and Sharon Kurnett.jpg
Sid’s Pizza and Grill announces nationwide franchiseALPHARETTA, Ga. — Stan Kurnett, owner of Sid’s Pizza and Grill and an Alpharetta resident, an-nounced today the company is launching a national franchise program. Sid’s Pizza offers authentic Sicil-ian pizza in a vintage California surfer atmosphere, and has earned accolades including Best Pizza on the Northside by Atlanta Journal Constitution read-ers, Editor’s Choice for Best Pizza on the Northside by Points North Magazine and Atlanta’s Best Kept Secret by radio station DaveFM.
“I’m truly not interested in being the biggest – just the best. I’m looking for people who share our passion for serving better food,” Kurnett said.
Sid’s Pizza is located at 2631 Peachtree Park-way in Suwanee. For more information, visit www.SidsPizza.com.
McCalla Raymer addsJohns Creek officeJOHNS CREEK, Ga. — McCalla Raymer, a national leader in the residential mortgage default industry, has announced the expansion of its residential clos-ing department with the opening of four new offices, including one in Johns Creek. The Johns Creek office is located at 11340 Lakefield Drive, Suite 100. In addition to the new offices, McCalla Raymer an-nounced that Pilar Gigante, Heather Ison and Deb Kalish have joined the firm as partners.
HEALTH »
Emory names new CEOsJOHNS CREEK, Ga. — After an extensive search
and interview process, Emory Healthcare has appointed new chief executive officers to oversee two of its top hospitals. Marilyn Margolis has been named CEO of Emory Johns Creek Hospital, and Daniel Owens has been appointed CEO of Emory University Hospital Midtown.
Margolis began her career at Emory Healthcare as a nurse more than 30 years ago. In 2011, Margolis was named CNO of Emory Johns Creek Hospital and in 2013, she was promoted to CNO and vice president of operations at the hospital. Most recently, she was named interim CEO in September 2014.
Margolis is the recipient of Georgia Hospital Association’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award. Owens began his tenure at Emory in 1994 and was named interim CEO of Emory Uni-versity Hospital Midtown in September 2014.
Margolis and Owens assumed their new posts on Jan. 4. They will begin the search for replacements of their former positions in the coming weeks.
Cartiva announcesclearance for ProxiFuseALPHARETTA, Ga. — Cartiva has announced that it has received clearance for its ProxiFuse Ham-mertoe Correction System. The ProxiFuse system, specifically developed for hammertoe fusion, is used in procedures that fix bone deformities and recon-struct lesser toes following correction procedures for hammertoe, claw toe and mallet toe.
Cartiva is a solutions developer for the treat-ment of cartilage damage, osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions. For information, visit www.cartiva.net.
PUBLISHING »
Johns Creek author releases new children’s bookJOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Author Kelly Korneski an-nounces the nationwide release of her new book, “Compassionate Chipmunk,” in which she shares kindness and friendship with young readers.
In “Compassionate Chipmunk,” Chipmunk real-ly wants to play, instead of helping a turtle in need. However, he reluctantly does the right thing and shows compassion. What happens next changes his life forever.
Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, the book is available through bookstores nation-wide, by visiting the Barnes and Noble and Amazon websites and from the publisher at www.tatepub-lishing.com/bookstore.
Roswell author shares relationship adviceROSWELL, Ga. — Author Audrey Blake hopes to inspire love and self-worth to women of all ages with the nationwide release of her new book, “Falling in Love with Me.”
“Falling in Love with Me” is for women who want to have more fulfilling relationships, learn how to really love and value who they are and figure out how to select the right man for them. Blake holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in public health.
She is the CEO of Fostering Leadership in You and is also a motivational speaker and a certified professional life coach. Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, the book is available through bookstores nationwide, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and from the publisher at www.tatepublishing.com.
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Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 19CALENDARSubmit your event online at forsythherald.com
EVENTS:
“ART AND SOUL” PRESENTED BY THE BRAND BANKWhat: Guests will have the opportunity to meet with local artists as they walk through the ballroom lined with an array of paintings, jewelry, sculptures, and unique pieces of art. Where: Country Club of Roswell, 2500 Club Spring Drive in RoswellWhen: Saturday, Jan. 24Hours: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.Cost: $100Online: gatransplant.orgContact: 678-514-1173
BRAVES COUNTRY CARAVAN AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGWhat: The Braves Country Caravan gives fans the opportunity to interact with Braves players, coaches and broadcasters before the new season kicks off in April.Where: Academy Sports + Outdoors, 320 Peachtree Parkway in CummingWhen: Friday, Jan. 23Hours: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
SALUD! VIETNAMESE FAVORITESWhat: Cooking class offering Vietnamese recipes.Where: Whole Foods Market Avalon, 2800 Old Milton Pkwy in AlpharettaWhen: Thursday, Jan. 22Hours: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Cost: $39Online: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/service/salud-cooking-school-4Info: MENU: Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup); Fresh Summer Rolls; Bahn Mi with Viet Fries (Traditional sandwiches); Fish in Caramel Sauce with Jasmine Rice; Vietnamese Coffee; and Bonus Recipe (Coconut Yucca Cake).
MEAL & MEMORIES WITH MOMWhat: It’s time for a girls’ day out—just you and your daughter! You’ll enjoy a delicious meal, giggle over fun dice games that you can play over and over—like Story Switch-off, Roll-of-the-Dice Charades, and more—and make a colorful keepsake picture frame craft together.Where: American Girl at North Point Mall, 1202 North Point Circle in AlpharettaWhen: Bistro hoursCost: $38Contact: 877-247-5223 for reservationsInfo: For girls ages 8 and up.
MUSIC:
THE VELVET NOTE: TYRONE JACKSONWhat: Mr. Jackson toured Italy and Austria with the UNO Jazz Band and Brazil with Michael Ward. He is a Jazz Composition Competition winner and a member of the Rialto Jazz Artist Foundation. His teaching
experience ranges from private piano instruction, jazz piano, jazz theory and improvisation. This show will feature a set of jazz standards with fresh, new arrangements composed by Jackson. Where: The Velvet Note, 4075 Old Milton Parkway in AlpharettaWhen: Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24Hours: 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.Cost: $22Online: thevelvetnote.com
JOHNS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRAWhat: JCHS Orchestra’s concert before they leave for the Georgia Music Educators Association conference in Savannah, Ga. Tim Anderson, Director of the Autrey Mill Middle School Orchestra, will be the guest conductor.Where: Johns Creek High School auditorium, 5575 State Bridge Road in Johns Creek.When: Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.Cost: Free admission
RACES & BENEFITS:RACE FOR THE GOAL 5K AND FUN RUNWhat: Inaugural run from the United Futbol Academy benefiting the UFA scholarship fund.Where: Polo Fields, 6050 Majors Road in CummingWhen: Sunday, Feb. 8, registration deadline Feb. 1 Hours: 2 p.m. Cost: $25 for 5k, $15 for 1k Fun RunOnline: www.unitedfa.org
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‘OUT OF THE RAIN’ AT AUTREY MILL UNPLUGGEDFirst concert of the “Autrey Mill Unplugged” series featuring folk duo Out of the Rain, Ron Hipp and Carol Statella at Warsaw Church, 9770 Autrey Mill Road in Johns Creek. Saturday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. gathering, 8 p.m. concert. Tickets are $20, $14 for Johns Creek residents and Autrey Mill members. Visit www.autreymill.org for more info
ICEFEST 2015Ice slides, food trucks, live music, bonfires and s’mores snow ball fight forts, and ice carving demonstrations. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road in Roswell. Saturday Jan. 24 and Sunday Jan. 25, Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10. Visit chattnaturecenter.org for more info.
CARDIO YOGAClass combining traditional yoga with cardio moves at Lift Yoga Studio, 501 South Main Street in Alpharetta. Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6:45 a.m. Cost is donation-based. Contact Leann, [email protected] for more info
RFAA HIGH SCHOOL JURIED ART SHOW28th Annual High School Juried Art Show opening reception featuring the best high school artists in the area at Roswell Visual Art Center at Roswell Park, 10495 Woodstock Road. Friday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; showing through Feb. Free. Visit www.rfaa.org for more info
SHANNON WEAVERCalendar Editorshannon@ appenmediagroup.com
Submit your event to northfulton.com or email with photo to [email protected]. For a more complete list of local events including support groups, volunteer opportunities and business meetings visit the calendar on northfulton.com.
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(NAPSI)—Small businesses create jobs, help sustain communities and are a driv-ing force behind the U.S. economy. What you may not know is that many take the leap to business ownership as an alternative to tradition-al retirement.
In fact, 62.2 percent of almost 1,000 small-business clients surveyed by Guidant Financial are 50 or older, with the highest percentage of new entrepreneurs between the ages of 51 and 58.
Why are many baby boomers leaving corporate America—or postponing retirement—and turning to business startups? According to the survey, approximately 10 percent of respondents cited not being ready to retire or coming out of retirement as their primary reason. For others, dissatisfaction with the corporate lifestyle or posi-
tion, or fulfilling a lifelong entrepreneurial dream, drove the change.
Many of these entrepre-neurs started their “encore” career with the help of a financing option called ROBS, or Rollovers as Business Startups. ROBS let prospec-tive business owners leverage existing retirement assets to finance a business or pur-chase a franchise free of tax penalties. ROBS can also be used with traditional funding options, such as SBA loans, for supplemental financing.
For many who have trouble securing necessary business financing, ROBS can help make the startup dream a reality, and can be especially attractive to those who have spent a number of years in a corporate setting acquiring the assets and ex-pertise to make their startup a success.
Boomers pursue business ownership over retirement
Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 23Submit your news & photos to [email protected] COMMUNITY
By JONATHAN [email protected]
ROSWELL, Ga. – While the housing business has picked up in recent years from the recession, there is one area for housing to beware – near cem-eteries. One in particular is in question after recent building took place on what may have been part of the burial grounds of Founder’s Cemetery.
There may be several, if not dozens of graves beneath the houses and streets of King’s Mill Court, in Roswell’s old town.
The problem with the cemetery, beyond being simply unused, is that so many of the graves were poorly marked and time has covered them up. The boundaries of the cemetery are known to extend beyond the formally recognized area, but how far beyond is unknown.
A 2008 report drawn up at the city’s request points out that Founder’s Cemetery may at one point have been signifi-cantly larger than the currently recognized 2.5 acres.
“The extent of the cemetery may have been much larger than its current boundary,” the report says.
Construction of a home in the area in the 1940s dug up a human skeleton, it claims, as did one in 1994.
The city currently takes care of the cemetery, which is city property.
The most recent home to be built in the area abuts the northern boundary of the city-owned land that makes up the current Founder’s Cemetery. A police report filed in December claims graves are known to be on the property. According to Brad Townsend, the city’s planning department director, the home was not simply al-lowed to build where there may be graves.
“We looked into it,” Townsend said. “There was a vacant lot on that property. We had an analysis done that there were supposedly un-marked graves on a particular spot on this property.”
The owner and builder were told to do their own survey as well to determine if there were any unmarked graves on the site. None were found, and a building permit was issued.
“There are certain regula-tions related to archaeological sites,” Townsend said. “This was not an archaeological site.”
Rachel Black, deputy state archaeologist – terrestrial for the Georgia Department of Nat-ural Resources, historic pres-ervation division, said state law forbids building where graves are known.
“You cannot knowingly go into a cemetery and develop on it and change its use without first obtaining a permit from the governing authority,” Black said.
That governing authority is in this case the city of Roswell, which both issued the building permit and ordered the builder to do their own survey without finding any more graves.
While abandoned cemeter-ies are noted under the law as being rundown or overgrown or whose boundaries have broken down, Black says the code is still in effect because it still deals with human remains, and no one is allowed to know-ingly build or disturb burial grounds without facing fines and penalties.
“The care accorded the remains of deceased persons reflects respect and regard for human dignity as well as cultural, spiritual and religious values,” declares the state code referring to cemeteries.
If no bodies are found, building goes ahead as normal. The Roswell Research Library and Archives contains many records of the cemetery.
The cemetery that is now known as Founder’s Cemetery was begun in the 1840s, and early maps show the cemetery taking up the entire hill behind the Roswell Manufactur-ing Company’s mill. In it are buried the remains of Roswell King, Maj. Thomas Bulloch and many more of the original founders of Roswell.
In 1844, there was an in-flux of the departed after scar-let fever took many children in the town. The cemetery was the primary resting place for mill workers and slaves. Those who did not have the income for large gravestones instead used bricks or flagstones as markers.
J.C. Smith, born in 1924, wrote in 1994 that he re-members the cemetery hav-ing between 100-150 graves stretching halfway down the hill toward Vickery Creek.
By the 1900s, Founder’s Cemetery had long since stopped regular use and in the early 1920s, it was noted to have fallen into disrepair. In 1923, Atlanta’s famed jour-nalist and author, Margaret “Peggy” Mitchell, wrote about the cemetery being fully over-grown. By 1940, another writer decried its “serious neglect.”
Since 1940, periodic at-tempts were made to clean up the site. The Roswell Woman’s Club had a large hand in this
duty for many years.Progressive maps of the site
show it growing significantly smaller than its original scope, eventually to a lot barely an acre in size, surrounding just the large, ornate graves.
During this time, homes began to be built on the hill, as it was a scenic overlook of Vickery Creek.
In 1983, Roswell Council-member Harold Smith took up the charge to preserve and clean up the site. Under his direction, the city purchased lots on either side of the known cemetery at the time, as buf-fers against future building, which had already disturbed the area. His commission cre-ated a master plan for the site, noting, “it should be consid-ered a significant historic site, essential to the interpretation of Roswell’s history.”
At this point, there were 28 known graves. Subse-quent surveys using ground-penetrating radar in the area turned up a further 67 new, unmarked graves, some on the surrounding residential properties.
Ten years later, in 1994, the cemetery was again in the public eye when construc-tion of a home next to the site turned up a human bone. Work crews were bulldozing the property when a city work-er spotted what looked like a bone. A coroner confirmed the bone as a human femur and a stop-work order was enacted.
A day later, work contin-ued. The city attorney at the time, Mike Sullivan, is quoted in the local paper – the North Fulton Herald – as saying the city did not own the land and that if the city interfered it would create title problems for the roughly 24 other homes nearby, which could have a “chilling effect” on develop-ment.
An Atlanta Constitution article from the time takes this further to say the city will not find out the boundaries of the cemetery, and that “buyers beware.”
A subsequent survey of the city-owned land found nine previously unknown graves near the property under con-struction.
Roswell homes possibly built over gravesFounder’s Cemetery has unknown boundaries
JONATHAN COPSEY/STAFF
Roswell’s Founder’s Cemetery is one of the oldest in the city, and may have extended far beyond its current borders, beneath what are now homes and streets.
Many of Roswell’s founding families are buried in Founder’s Cemetery.
You cannot knowingly go into a cemetery and develop on it and change its use without first obtaining a permit from the governing authority.”RACHEL BLACKDeputy state archaeologist
24 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
Instead, we have a shaky quorum of just five members on the council. Yes, they have all pledged to do the right thing and get perfect attendance certificates at council meet-ings. But who knows what the future holds? A bad traffic accident, a medical emergency, a stubbed toe and raising a quorum could easily become a tenuous business indeed.
If two miss a meeting, no business can be done – no zonings decided, no budgets passed. It’s why a special elec-tions clause is in every city charter.
The councilmembers are gambling with the house’s money. If, God forbid, the mayor goes down, then we have zero experience for the arcane and tricky business of running a city. Just look what happened with the last lot who sat in those seats.
Council made the right noises. It is only for a few more months – well a year – and the situation will right itself in November. And yes, there may well be “voter fatigue” for another special election.
But then that would be the voters’ decision. Now they don’t have that decision. It has been taken from them.
That was wrong.The council has also de-
prived the two future council-members of needed months to acquire the knowledge and ex-pertise to learn their new jobs. Instead of seating them sooner, they will be further behind the experience curve than their colleagues.
Crafting budgets, weighing important zoning decisions, getting their hands around creating a new and vibrant city center and a myriad of other decisions takes more than just a good head on one’s shoulders and good business sense.
Political decision-making – contrary to popular myth – is not the same as running a business. By definition, political decisions are entirely different from business ones. They may often intersect, but not always, and maybe only seldom.
The job is mostly about the willingness to make the un-popular decision. It is easy to vote for parks and roads. But along with the dessert, elected officials have to make the pub-lic eat their vegetables too.
For example, there is the issue of the public safety radio tower. It may well require a tower in the Shakerag com-
munity. Currently, the last best alternative site is being explored. But if that fails to answer, Shakerag will have the tower. Somebody is going to have to summon the political courage to tell a lot of constitu-ents something they don’t want to hear. Because it is the right thing to do.
Look at the billboard situ-ation. There, the City Council had that courage – and the good sense – to accept the best decision they could make in a bad situation. They could have pursued a quixotic lawsuit, but in the end, they would have lost.
In the billboard case, they did the right thing. A legal fight at that point would have been useless and cost far more than any special election.
This time it was differ-ent. Clinging to that frivolous online “poll” of whether to have an election or save the cost by postponing elections was just a device to provide some cover. If the important questions of the city are going to be left up to the 700 or so people who bothered to answer, why do we need a council at all? The question was crudely designed to elicit the desired response. It did nothing to balance the need for the election but touted only the monetary cost of the election.
The cynic would say they got exactly the response they wanted.
It gets worse. Arguments were also made that a delay would save prospective can-didates more time to prepare the expense of running two campaigns, one in March and another in November.
So who are we protecting here? What is more important, the campaign or the office?
Besides, even a short incumbency would be a huge advantage in November, possi-bly scaring off any competition in the fall, having beaten all comers in the spring.
Delaying the elections creates more of an experi-ence gap that could be closed more quickly than if they came aboard sooner.
Kudos go to Councilman Lenny Zaprowski for defend-ing the intent – if not the letter – of the city charter. He alone argued for special elections to fill the seats immediately. It took guts to stand alone to call for elections when he knew support would be hard to find on council.
Leadership is about doing the right thing, not the popular thing. And in this instance, it was to defend the charter – which calls for a council of seven.
Continued from Page 8
Council:Becky Brown named Five Star CPACUMMING, Ga. — North Georgia Accounting Consultants Inc. announced that President Becky Brown has been named a 2014 Five Star Certified Public Accountant.
This group represents less than 1 percent of the certified public accountants in the At-lanta area.
Award winners were featured in a special section of the October 2014 issue of Atlan-ta Magazine.
The Five Star Professional award program is the largest and most widely published award program in North America. Accountants are measured using a research methodology that incorporates input from clients, peers and business leaders.
“I am honored to be a part of this exclusive list of distinguished accountants. I have been
in this industry for 15 plus years and provid-ing quality service is my goal.” said Brown. “I am dedicated to helping my clients and this award reflects that.”
Brown’s expertise ranges from basic tax management and accounting services to more in-depth services such as financial statement preparation and financial planning.
She holds memberships with AICPA, GSCPA, Business Chamber and Rotary Foun-dation.
North Georgia Accounting Consultants, Inc. provides a wide range of services to individu-als and businesses in a variety of industries in North Georgia including Cumming, Alpharetta, Forsyth County and Dawson County.
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Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 25Submit your news & photos to [email protected] COMMUNITYRoswell to install electric vehicle charging stationsROSWELL, Ga. — The city of Roswell is installing four electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for public use at City Hall and two area parks.
Roswell was among a select group of public organizations chosen to receive support through Charge Georgia, an in-centive program designed by the Geor-gia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) to increase the number of EV charging stations throughout the state. The city will begin installing stations in February, which are expected to be ready for public use in March.
“The city of Roswell is thrilled to be one of the first cities in Georgia to offer public EV charging stations,” said Michael Fischer, deputy city adminis-trator. “We are always looking for ways to help our community reduce the size of our collective footprint. These public stations are a very direct, practical way to provide access to green resources for our residents and visitors.”
Roswell was awarded rebates total-ing more than $16,000 to help cover the costs of their four GE DuraStation double-pedestal electric vehicle charg-ing stations. The DuraStation offers Level-2 (240v/30amp) public stations with two charging connectors each – al-lowing two vehicles to charge at a time.
The city plans to install two charg-ing stations at City Hall, 38 Hill St., one charging station at Roswell Area Park, 10495 Woodstock Road, and one station at East Roswell Park, 9000 Fouts Road.
“Atlanta’s northern suburbs are one of the hotbeds of EV driving in the country, but the number of EV cars has far outpaced the availability of charg-ing stations, creating ‘range anxiety’ for drivers,” said Jeff Cohen, the founder of the Atlanta Electric Vehicle Develop-ment Coalition. “That’s why the city of Roswell’s public charging options, and those of the other Charge Georgia partners, are so important to create an infrastructure for this more sustainable mode of transportation.”
For more information, the city recommends following Facebook and Twitter, both CityofRoswellGA.
–Shannon Weaver
The city plans to install two charging stations at City Hall, 38 Hill St., one charging station at Roswell Area Park, 10495 Woodstock Road, and one station at East Roswell Park, 9000 Fouts Road.
26 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
Pinecrest kindergartners get hands-on engineering experienceCUMMING, Ga. – Kindergartners at Pinecrest Acad-emy were able to discover the engineering process during a recent science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) class. The curriculum tied
in classic fairy tales with engineering as students designed, built and tested a beanstalk that would support Jack and the golden egg and built houses for the Three Little Pigs that would hold up to the huffing
and puffing of the Big Bad Wolf. The class was a part of “Project Lead the Way,” a
provider of STEM curriculum. — Joe Parker
Student Catherine Kutter’s design. Beth Cooper works on her beanstalk.Christopher Metz, Micah Cordano, Alexandria Helm and Pablo Marroquin Acasuso work on their design.
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Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 27Submit your news & photos to [email protected] COMMUNITY
Please join North Fulton Hospital and don your most fabulous red attire as we celebrate National Wear Red Day with an informative and fun complimentary breakfast event featuring NFH cardiologist Dr. Ayushi Ahuja speaking on heart health.
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ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Puneet Singh, 14, earned the highest award the Boy Scouts of America of-fers to scouts, the Eagle Scout Award. He is the son of Kiran and Anju Singh of Alpharetta.
Singh received the award after earning 31 merit badges and building benches for Webb Bridge Middle School cafeteria for his Eagle Scout Service Project.
Additionally Singh has the National Outdoor Award, Mile Swim Award, National Aquatics
Achievement and the Den Chief Award.A member of Troop 69 chartered to Milton
District, Singh is one of approximately two percent of all Boys Scouts who ever achieve this rank.
He will be recognized in an Eagle Scout Court of Honor presentation on Feb. 8, 2015 at Alpharetta First United Methodist Church, in Alpharetta.
—Jonathan Copsey
Sing named Eagle Scout
28 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
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Georgia Getaways is a new column introducing Jemille Wil-liams highlighting the beauty and sights of Georgia that most of us just don’t know about – but would enjoy if we did.
You can find new adven-tures and see things you’ve never done before without crossing the state line. That is Georgia for you – if you know where to look.
Did you know that Georgia is the sixth most biologically diverse state in the country? We are so fortunate to be able to hit the balmy seashore or climb a mountain with the same climate as Maine.
We can ramble through a miniature Grand Canyon in the southwestern part of the state, and in the northwestern corner hike to a waterfall that is a dead ringer for the one in Fantasy Island. And all are within a few hours of metro Atlanta.
You can soak up the heal-ing atmosphere at Warm Springs that enabled Franklin Delano Roosevelt to be all he could be, or stroll the streets of one of America’s oldest colonial towns.
You can paddle through the murky shallows of the Oke-
fenokee Swamp with a thou-sand unseen eyes on you, or ferry out to become one of the few who have beheld equine survivors of Spanish galleons wrecked along our coastline centuries ago.
You are invited to look at Georgia as Hollywood does through its lens. We have become a serious rival to the West Coast film industry with our generally mild climate and panoply of locations that can stand in for any number of cinematic locales.
This biodiversity also makes Georgia a favorite of birders and naturalists throughout the country – and beyond.
The robber barons of the Golden Age once colonized Je-kyll Island for its remote beauty and serenity. They’ve moved on to tonier pastures, but millions of migratory birds find our bar-rier islands to be a sweet spot
on the Atlantic flyway.And their beaches play a
key role in sea turtle conserva-tion by providing safe havens for the turtle mothers to lum-ber ashore, deposit their eggs, then return to the sea.
I am an inveterate trav-eler (and penny pincher) who believes that every budget, no matter how tight, should include a little R&R.
Clark Howard is a notori-
ous skinflint, but he knows that it’s an integral part of life. It feeds the soul and broadens the mind.
The media tell us that the Great Recession is over. It may be over for the 1 percent, but the rest of us may find there’s still a little too much month left at the end of the money.
I’ve compiled some of the mini-breaks you can enjoy on less than a tank of gas. And
current prices make road trips more affordable than they have been in many years.
Some may be pining for the European or Caribbean trips they enjoyed when their ac-counts were more flush, but I know you can enjoy any num-ber of sights and thrills right here in the Peach State.
So check this space for great ideas for exotic getaways that won’t break a budget.
JEMILLE WILLIAMSSenior contributor on [email protected]
GEORGIA GETAWAYS:
See what Georgia has just a gas tank away
Providence Canyon State Park, thought to be a miniature Grand Canyon, is just south of Colum-bus, Ga.
Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 29Submit your news & photos to [email protected] COMMUNITY
By JONATHAN [email protected]
MILTON, Ga. – The Earth produces more than four pounds of food per person. That should be plenty to feed everyone and eliminate hunger worldwide. Unfortunately, it does not. More than 25,000 people die each day from star-vation.
The people of Stop Hunger Now hope to end that problem.
Joining with the Milton-Windward Rotary Club and students of Cambridge High School, the group held a meal packaging event Jan. 9 at the high school, drawing nearly 50 students and adults.
“How many of you have used the term ‘I’m starving?’” Karen Smaha of Stop Hunger Now asked the group of teens. “We get to use those words as an exaggeration. For 8 million people, it’s not an exaggera-tion.”
There is a cure for starva-tion, she said. It’s food.
“We know the cure for something, but it still claims the lives of 25,000 people a day,” she said. “Nobody needs to go hungry.”
The volunteers spent a few
hours in the school’s cafeteria in an assembly line. Groups would combine rice, dehydrat-ed vegetables, soy beans and a vitamin packet into a small plastic bag.
This bag is then weighed and sealed to be distributed to needy families. Each bag feeds six people by adding 1.5 liters of boiling water.
“It’s good served by itself, but the locals can add their own flavor,” Smaha said.
For instance, in the Philip-pines, the locals enjoy sweet things, so they like to add
sugar.In the short time the Cam-
bridge group worked, they cre-ated 10,000 meals.
This and events like it make Georgia one of the top produc-ers of the meals in the country, said Smaha.
“We did an event with [Stop Hunger Now] at the Rotary District Conference in Destin, Florida,” said Cindy Ringwall, president of the Milton-Wind-ward Rotary. “It involved team building and all ages. It’s fun and perfect to engage high schoolers.”
Ringwall said she hoped to make the event a signature one for her group.
For more information on the Milton-Windward Rotary
Club, visit them online at mil-tonwindwardrotary.org. For more on Stop Hunger Now, visit them at www.stophunger-now.org.
JONATHAN COPSEY/STAFF
Cambridge High students and staff joined with Milton officials, staff and members of the Milton-Windward Rotary Club to make meals for the needy. They made 10,000 meals Jan. 9.
Rotary, students helping end hungerMilton-Windward makes meals with Stop Hunger Now
Dr. Ed Spurka helps make meals for the needy.
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30 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
By JONATHAN [email protected]
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Life can be difficult for families with members who have special needs. Constant attention or care are necessities and can leave little room for the caretaker, often a fam-ily member, to have time to themselves.
Alpharetta First Baptist Church offers its Shine Min-istry Respite for special needs families in order to bring them into the congregation and com-munity.
On Jan. 31, from 1-4 p.m., the church will host a special needs respite for special needs families, where the church will care for indi-viduals for the afternoon.
“The respite is an opportu-nity for families to come and bring their loved ones there and be cared for,” said Jennifer Burton, co-director of the Shine Ministry. “The caretakers and guardians who are under stress can get a break.”
The ministry holds such events throughout the year.
Burton said she became involved in the ministry when she and her daughter, who has special needs, began attending the church.
“There was such a strong
support for the family,” Burton said. “We want other families to know they can have the same thing.”
Families with special needs members are under constant strain – financial, physical and emotional stress can tear apart such families.
“We wanted to let the spe-cial needs community know we
do care about them,” Burton said. “Families often do not feel there is a place for them. But there is a place to you and the doors are open to you.”
Shine Minis-try is an ongo-ing program on Sunday morn-ings to allow the families to worship.
The respite is Jan. 31 from 1-4 p.m. at the church, 44
Academy St., Alpharetta.All ages are accepted and
a registered nurse will be on site. While the event is free, registration is required. For information and registration, visit www.fbca.com/shine-programs.
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Shine Ministry offers community for special needs familiesWill hold ‘respite’ event Jan. 31
If you goWhat: Shine Ministry RespiteWhen: Jan. 31, from 1-4 p.m.Where: Alpharetta First Baptist Church, 44 Acad-emy Street, AlpharettaCost: FreeMore Info: www.fbca.com/shine-programs
Carli Walters (left) and Kathleen Burton have a great time together at the respite event. The First Baptist Church will host a special needs respite Jan. 31 for families.
The respite is an opportunity for families to come and bring their loved ones there and be cared for.” JENNIFER BURTONCo-director of the Shine Ministry
forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 31Submit your news & photos to [email protected] SPORTS
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Pinecrest student chosen for Football UniversityCUMMING, Ga. — Parker Hannon, a seventh-grader at Pinecrest Academy, was se-lected to be kicker and punter for the eighth-grade Football University (FBU) Gwinnett Football League team.
The team is comprised of all-star players from North Georgia and is one of 64 teams around the country that play for a national championship, much like college teams.
Hannon’s undefeated team played in a two-game tourna-ment on Saturday, Dec. 13, to determine who would continue on to the national champion-ship in Naples, Florida, an NBC-televised event on Sun-
day, Dec. 21. While Hannon’s team was
eliminated in a highly contest-ed loss Dec. 13, he represented Pinecrest, sporting a Pinecrest varsity helmet decal given to him by coach Todd Winter. Hannon has also been selected to play on the NFL-affiliated Team USA Football 15U team the last week in January. He was selected from a regional combine in spring 2014 in Atlanta and then attended a national combine in Canton, Ohio, for 10 days of evalu-ations. His team will travel to Arlington, Texas, to play against Team Canada in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
Parker Hannon and Quentin Skinner in Canton, Ohio last July for Team USA.
flu. Anything a person touches could carry the virus. Smith said the average adult touches their face 18 times an hour. A
child touches their face over 80 times.
The CDC reports the week of Jan. 3 saw a slight reduc-tion in the overall numbers of people seeking treatment for flu symptoms. The overall number of people ill is still far above the baseline amount.
Continued from Page 4
Flu:
How long should you stay home if you’re sick?The CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or other necessities. Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol. You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, so-cial events and public gatherings.
32 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
By MIKE BLUM [email protected]
NORTH FULTON, Ga. – With less than a month remaining in the regular season, region basketball standings are tak-ing shape and local teams are competing for favorable seeds in region tournaments, which begin the week of Feb. 9.
The Alpharetta boys remain unbeaten in 6-AAAAAA after a second straight Saturday overtime victory. The latest one came last week at Johns Creek. The Raiders (13-3 overall) defeated the Gladiators 78-72 to improve to 10-0 in the region. The previous Saturday, Alpharetta needed an extra period to defeat Centennial 62-56.
Johns Creek (9-8) is third in the region at 7-3 after losses last week to Alpharetta and Lam-bert, which is second at 8-2. Centennial (9-7) went 3-0 in the region last week and is fourth at 6-4. Chattahoochee (9-6) is tied for fifth at 4-5, and Northview (2-15) is 2-8 in the region.
In 6-AAAAAA girls, Centen-nial and Chattahoochee are fourth and fifth and are on pace for a showdown in the region tournament. The winner will advance to state.
Coming into Tuesday’s game at Chattahoochee, Centennial (10-7) was fourth in the region at 6-4, just ahead of the Lady Cougars (10-5) at 5-4. South Forsyth (9-0), North Forsyth (9-1) and West Forsyth (8-2) are 1-2-3 in the region standings.
Johns Creek (8-9) is tied for sixth at 3-7, with Northview (6-11) scoring its first two region wins of the season last week, including a victory Saturday at Centennial. The Lady Titans trailed 18-5 after one period,
but outscored Centennial 22-4 in the third quarter and held on for a 43-38 victory. Al-pharetta (4-12) is 1-9 in region play.
The Milton boys moved into a tie for second in 5-AAAAAA with wins last week over Ro-swell and Walton. The Eagles defeated Roswell 57-48 with Alex O’Connell and Chris Lewis scoring 14 points each and Jordan Burrows and Quarte Sapp scoring 12. Lewis had 20 points and Sapp scored on a late tie-breaking tip-in as the Eagles edged Walton 54-52 last Friday.
Milton (9-7) is 7-2 in the region and tied with Pope behind state No. 1 Wheeler. The Eagles moved into a tie for second when Roswell (7-10) defeated Pope 54-51 Friday. The Hornets are seventh in the region at 3-5. Milton hosts Pope Friday night.
The Milton girls (3-11) are sixth in the region at 3-6, with Roswell (3-14) seventh at 2-6. Roswell won 36-35 last week at Milton.
The Cambridge boys (7-10) defeated North Springs and Forsyth Central last week to tie Riverwood for first in 7-AAAAA South at 4-1. Jordan Sloter scored 19 points in a 60-53 victory Friday over Forsyth Central, and Emerson Mc-Clung contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Sloter had 17 points in a 76-46 victory over North Springs, with the Bears out-scoring the Spartans 25-4 in the second quarter.
The Cambridge girls (6-11) are in the middle of the pack in the region at 2-3.
The Blessed Trinity boys went 3-0 last week, includ-ing a key 50-35 win Friday at Westminster, and lead their
4-AAA sub-region at 5-0.The Titans (14-2) have a big non-region game at home Saturday
against St. Pius. The BT girls
Raiders remain unbeaten in regionEagles move into tie for second place
Basketball Scoreboard BoysTuesday, Jan. 13•Milton 57, Roswell 48 •Alpharetta 89,
Northview 52 •Chattahoochee 58,
West Forsyth 53 •Centennial 54,
Habersham Central 50 •Lambert 81,
Johns Creek 70 •Cambridge 76,
North Springs 46 •Blessed Trinity 54,
Therrell 39 •St. Francis 76,
King’s Ridge 36 •Walker 38, Fellowship 32 •White County 64,
Mount Pisgah 48 Friday, Jan. 16 •Milton 54, Walton 52 •Roswell 54, Pope 51 •Alpharetta 76,
West Forsyth 42 •Centennial 78,
Northview 45 •Johns Creek 72,
Habersham Central 67 •North Forsyth 75,
Chattahoochee 64 •Cambridge 60,
Forsyth Central 53 •Blessed Trinity 50,
Westminster 35 •King’s Ridge 54,
Walker 40 •Whitefield 72,
Mount Pisgah 57 •South Gwinnett 60,
Fellowship 42 Saturday, Jan. 17 •Centennial 44, Roswell 37 •Alpharetta 78,
Johns Creek 72, OT •Cedar Shoals 62,
Cambridge 51 •Blessed Trinity 53,
Douglass 44 •Mount Pisgah 56, Paideia
53
Girls Tuesday, Jan. 13•Roswell 36, Milton 35 •Northview 47,
Alpharetta 44 •Centennial 59,
Habersham Central 29 •West Forsyth 55,
Chattahoochee 33 •Lambert 54,
Johns Creek 31 •Cambridge 34,
North Springs 31 •Therrell 48,
Blessed Trinity 46 •St. Francis 99,
King’s Ridge 17 •Fellowship 40, Walker 24 •White County 40,
Mount Pisgah 32 Friday, Jan. 16 •Northview 43,
Centennial 38 •Habersham Central 55,
Johns Creek 45 •North Forsyth 53,
Chattahoochee 36 •West Forsyth 52,
Alpharetta 20 •Walton 36, Milton 20 •Pope 62, Roswell 33 •Forsyth Central 46,
Cambridge 33 •Westminster 58,
Blessed Trinity 52 •Whitefield 39,
Mount Pisgah 35 •Walker 57,
King’s Ridge 28 Saturday, Jan. 17 •Centennial 48, Roswell 23 •Cedar Shoals 48,
Cambridge 44 •Douglass 69,
Blessed Trinity 67 •St. Francis 51,
SW Atlanta Christian 42 •Mount Pisgah 43,
Paideia 40 •Mount Paran 40,
Fellowship Christian 32
Senior Jordan Sloter scored his 1,000th career point for Cambridge in the Bears’ victory over Forsyth Central last week. Athletic Director Matt Lawless and head coach Chip Flemmer honored Sloter at the next home game, calling a timeout and making a presentation after his first made basket. As a tribute to his accomplishment, Sloter was presented the game ball from the Forsyth Central game. Sloter averaged 14.5 points per game his sophomore year, 16.5 points per game his junior year and is averaging 17.4 per game this year.
See RAIDERS, Page 37
Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 33Submit your news & photos to [email protected] COMMUNITY
a letter from Sexton’s attorney, which said Sexton rejected the process and would not be at the hearing. When asked, Sexton said the hearing was unconstitutional.
Cumming Human Resourc-es Director Phil Higgins said he provided the document to Sexton at his request in July 2014.
“In and around that time period, we had been discuss-ing insurance and the annual renew rate we get from Georgia Municipal Association,” said Higgins. “I felt it was OK to give him this information.”
Months went by after the exchange, and Higgins didn’t hear anything about his document until Dec. 16, 2014, when his wife told him it had been released on Facebook.
“The minute I saw it, I said to my wife, my exact words were, ‘Oh my God, that’s my spreadsheet,’” said Higgins. “Needless to say, I was ex-tremely concerned how my spreadsheet had gotten onto this social media site. I had not shared it with anyone else.”
Resident David Milum was asked to attend the hear-ing because he was the person who supposedly posted the document on Facebook. He did not attend , but told media he did not know who sent him the email.
Sexton said that he believes the document is an open record and therefore he did nothing wrong.
Sexton has also denied re-leasing the information.
At the hearing Miles said the issue came up about a week after Sexton first brought up insurance coverage of spouses at Dec. 16, 2014 ex-ecutive session.
At that meeting Sexton proposed to go into executive session to discuss employee benefits, said Miles.
At that executive session, Councilman Sexton requested a proposal to put councilmem-bers’ wives on the county em-ployee rolls with no designated job duties, but for the purpose of getting paid city health ben-
efits’ Miles said. “That was not a proper
purpose for an executive ses-sion, and the executive session was immediately adjourned,” he said
Sexton did not seek to add this proposal to the regular meeting agenda, Miles said.
“Instead, Sexton remarked twice that he was now going to ‘do what he had to do,’” said Miles. “In that same evening, an Excel spreadsheet containing the financial and health insurance informa-tion on the city’s 139 employees was posted on social media.”
Sexton defended himself saying he had previously emailed the document to May-or H. Ford Gravitt, Councilman Lewis Ledbetter and Council-man Ralph Perry.
All three admitted having received the insurance lists before the executive session.
Ledbetter said Sexton brought a copy of the insur-ance document to his office.
“I was so interested in it I didn’t even look at it,” said Ledbetter.
Perry said that Sexton came to his house with a copy, but he never understood what Sex-
ton was trying to do with it.Both councilmen, along
with Gravitt, said they do not use computers or Face-book and the copies of the documents they were given by Sexton are still in the original places they were received.
Gravitt said that Sexton wanted to get councilmen’s spouses on city-paid health and retirement pension policy for lifetime, and that’s why Sexton brought it up in the ex-ecutive session Dec. 16, 2014.
“All this is about is insur-ance,” said Gravitt. “I’d like to clarify one thing. Council-man Sexton has insurance on his spouse, so it’s no different from any other city employee or elected official. He has the same insurance as everybody else does. Nobody has [life-time insurance.] Nobody has questioned about that until Mr.
Sexton brought it up.”Sexton said that Gravitt’s
statement was not correct and was way off base.
“They do have lifetime in-surance, all employees do. You have to serve a minimum of 10 years,” said Sexton. “I offered [another] option to the council and that’s where everything went haywire.”
Sexton referenced the policy which states, “the city of Cumming will pay 100 percent of the cost of the retiree’s Medi-care Supplement Policy for the retiree’s lifetime unless earlier terminated by the retiree.”
Higgins said he had done some math about the proposal that Sexton requested.
“This amendment to the retirement policy would have cost the city about $1.8 million to fund that,” said Higgins. “$1.5 million of that
would have been used solely to fund Councilman Sexton’s wife.”
Higgins said the reason for the disparity was that Sexton’s wife was much younger than the other councilmen’s wives.
Sexton said it won’t cost that much and that Higgins was untruthful when he made that statement.
The panel at the hearing voted to bring a report to the City Council Jan. 20 to deter-mine the next step.
If Sexton is impeached, the city charter states “the mayor and council shall appoint a qualified person to fill such vacancy until a special election is held.”
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Continued from Page 1
Leaked: Councilman Sexton faces impeachment
KATHLEEN STURGEON/STAFF
The investigatory panel is comprised of City Attorney Dana Miles, former Forsyth County Commis-sioner Patrick Bell and Steve Page, a local businessman.
Timeline of events•Dec. 16, 2014: Council-
men have City Council meeting, discuss insur-ance policies. Later on that night, city employ-ees’ health insurance document is leaked on social media.
•Dec. 23, 2014: City holds special called meeting regarding leaked document and possible impeachment of Councilman Rupert Sexton. Votes to create investigatory panel.
•Jan. 13: Investigatory panel interviews Mayor H. Ford Gravitt, Council-man Lewis Ledbetter, Councilman Ralph Perry and Human Resources Director Phil Higgins. The panel decides to bring findings to City Council Jan. 20.
The minute I saw it, I said to my wife, my exact words were, ‘Oh my God, that’s my spreadsheet.’” Needless to say, I was extremely concerned how my spreadsheet had gotten onto this social media site. I had not shared it with anyone else.”
PHIL HIGGINSCumming Human Resources Director
34 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
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Mount Pisgah School dedicates $20M buildingBy HATCHER [email protected]
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – The families that are the backbone of Mount Pisgah Christian School gathered Jan. 11 to celebrate the dedication of the spanking new Geier Hall, a 48,000-square-foot mul-tipurpose building that will house the upper school (ninth through 12th grades).
The original campaign was to raise $15 million over three years. Once it got started, school parents raised $20 million in something like 20 months, said fundraising co-chairman Larry Payne. The student population is now at 1,050, but the goal is to have 1,200 students in K-12 grades.
Head of School John D. Marshall welcomed parents and supporters and thanked them for making this latest ad-dition possible.
“It has been an almost un-believable journey. This follows a three-year, $11 million sports complex campaign. So this is just tremendous,” Marshall said.
There are still four more buildings on Pisgah School’s strategic master plan, which includes expanding the lower school class space. But for now, the school is basking in
its latest accomplishment.A future building campaign
will expand the lower school.
The school also plans a second gymnasium and a fine arts building to expand current
music and choral programs. It will also contain a black box theater for the drama program.
The Geier (pronounced GUY-yer) Hall expansion will allow the Pisgah middle school to occupy the former upper school space and will give up-per school students 20 percent more space.
Geier Hall will fea-ture 48,000 square feet of aca-demic space with more than 10,000 square feet of common area and collaborative spaces. A full dining room seating more than 400 and the Patriot Café will serve the students as well.
The student commons has 5,200 square feet of multi-functional space including a 16-foot wall of glass. The space is easily transformed into assembly seating for 400 or a performance stage of 800 square feet.
“We may not have made it to the Promised Land,” Mar-shall told parents at the dedi-cation. “But to quote George Jefferson, we are movin’ on up.”
School Board Chairman Doug Williams called it a “glori-ous day,” that many wondered whether it would ever come.
“But it is a tremendous day for this school and its journey,” Williams said.
If it was any one family’s
HATCHER HURD/STAFF
In front, from left, are Mount Pisgah Christian School Project Manager Sonya Tablada, City Coun-cilwoman Cori Davenport, Mayor Mike Bodker, MPCS Trustee Larry Payne, MPCS Head of School John Marshall, MPCS Board Chairman Doug Williams, City Councilman Bob Gray, City Council-man Steve Broadbent and Alpharetta City Councilman Jim Gilvin. In the second row are City Councilman Lenny Zaprowski, MPCS benefactor Diane Geier, MPCS benefactor Jay Geier, MPCS Trustee Jim Brady, MPCS Upper School Head Mary Ann Morris and MPCS benefactor Lori Payne. In the third row are Mount Pisgah UMC senior pastor Steve Wood and MPCS benefactor Dianne Williams.
See DEDICATION, Page 35
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Geier Hall by the numbersGeier Hall has state-of-the-art technology capabilities and spaces where faculty, students and technology can come together. The expansion will also include:•Flexible spaces where
small groups can collabo-rate on projects.
•A chapel for the upper and middle school stu-dents where they will be groomed to be the next generation of Christian leaders.
•A 5,000-square-foot din-ing hall with expanded space, natural light and multiple food options.
•An 800-square-foot per-formance stage for music and theater.
•An outdoor patio for eat-ing and green space for socializing and study.
•A media/learning center of 3,500 square feet.
•15 classrooms•3 science labs•Total cost: $20 million in
funds raised, plus $2 mil-lion in foundation grants.
day, it was that of Jay and Diane Geier.
It was Jay Geier’s energy and drive that started the process in motion to get the drawing, then the architectural plans and the zoning.
Through each step, the Geiers also wrote the checks, totaling $1 million.
But Jay Geier said he and his wife were hesitant to let their name go on the building.
“It took a lot of giving from a lot of people to make this all happen. But someone came to me several years ago, and told me I needed to give $1 million for this school,” Geier said.
He said he was taken aback.
Not the least of these reasons was he didn’t have $1 million. But a seed was planted. As time went on and the project seemed to stall, Geier stepped up to get the next phase going.
“So someone else out there will come forward with a $1 million gift to the school. They don’t know it yet, but they will. And our name on this build-ing could inspire them to come forward to have their name on the next one,” he said.
The Geiers will have had children in the school for 18 years when their time is done.
“That’s 48 tuition payments in parent years,” he said. “But it has been the best money we have ever spent.”
Pisgah School senior Caroline Norman spoke at the ceremony to say what the school has meant to her. In the eighth grade, she applied to another private school but was not accepted.
“I thought then that big-ger was better,” Norman said. “So I stayed at Mount Pisgah. And then I learned that this is where I belonged and to take the opportunities here at Pisgah.
“I saw it was God’s place for me, and that every student here has a place. That’s why I love it here.”
Continued from Page 34Dedication:
HATCHER HURD/STAFF
PISGAH JUST GETTING STARTED: Less than a year ago, Geier Hall was just coming out of the ground, now it’s completed.
HATCHER HURD/STAFF
The breakfast nook.
HATCHER HURD/STAFF
The Geier family talks with a friend before the ceremonies.
HATCHER HURD/STAFF
Everyone likes the modular desks that can be rearranged for single or group study.
Phoebe Leigh Appen was born at 10:36 p.m. Jan. 8, 2015 at North Fulton Hospital to parents Hans and Kristina Appen of Alpharetta. She weighed 6 lbs 15 oz. Grand-parents are Ray and Christina Appen of Alpharetta, GA and Mike and Rita Brown of Alpharetta, GA. Both baby and mother are doing well.
Phoebe Leigh Appen
36 | January 21, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
University of North GeorgiaDAHLONEGA, Ga. – Lisa Scott of Suwanee was re-cently inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Scott current attends the University of North Georgia pursuing a degree in history.
Georgia CollegeMILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Nata-lie Mau of Alpharetta was named a finalist for the Mar-garet Harvin Wilson Writing Award at Georgia College and State University. Mau read an excerpt from her work “The Garden” on Nov. 11 at the award ceremony. This award is granted annually to under-graduate students at Georgia College.
Hofstra UniversityHEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The fol-lowing students graduated from Hofstra University in the class of 2014. Ohad Amram of Alpharetta graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film studies and production. Paul Bruckner of Alpharetta gradu-ated with a bachelor’s of busi-ness administration degree in management.
Georgia Southern UniversitySTATESBORO, Ga. – Renee Nance of Alpharetta was named to the Sun Belt Confer-ence All-Tournament Team. Nance is a junior at Georgia Southern University.
Birmingham-Southern CollegeBIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mattie Gereben of Alpharetta has made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Birmingham South-ern College. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must
earn a grade point average of 3.5 average on a 4.0 scale.
Valdosta State UniversityVALDOSTA, Ga. – Natalie Ajamian of Roswell and Cait-lyn Brown of Alpharetta both returned from the Czech Re-public and Central Europe as part of Valdosta State Univer-sity’s Summer Study Abroad Program. The trip included three weeks of seminars and lectures at the host institution Palacky University. Students earned up to nine hours of credit in psychology.
Northfield Mount HermonMOUNT HERMON, Mass. – Nicholas Massoudi of Alpharetta graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon as a member of the 2014 graduat-ing class.
American Hebrew AcademyGREENSBORO, N.C. – Roland Rosenberg of Cumming was named to the American Hebrew Academy Dean’s Honor Roll for the 2014 fall trimester. Rosen-berg maintained an average of 90 or higher and was one of 39 students to qualify for this achievement.
Messiah CollegeMECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Meghan Boyle of Alpharetta has graduated from Messiah College with a degree in math-ematics. Boyle was a member of the College Honors Program.
DeSales UniversityCENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Rebec-ca J. Ni of Duluth has made the Dean’s List at DeSales Uni-versity. Ni is currently major-ing in medical studies.
Harding UniversitySEARCY, Ark. – The following local students recently gradu-
ated from Harding Univer-sity. Brooke Tabor of Duluth received a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Victoria Sams of Suwanee received a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyTERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Milton Park Jr. of Alpharetta made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Park is currently studying civil engineering.
Marquette UniversityMILWAUKEE, Wis. – Emily Butler of Alpharetta made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Marquette University.
Centre CollegeDANVILLE, Ky. – Jenny Con-nor, a graduate of King’s Ridge Christian School from Alpharetta, is a member of the Centre College graduating class of 2014.
Connor, who received a bachelor’s degree in psychol-ogy, is one of 325 students to graduate from Centre in 2014.
Mercer UniversityMACON, Ga. – Mercer Univer-sity recently celebrated over 1,900 new graduates including the following local students. Mohsina Hossain, Cumming, master’s degree in teach-ing; Emily Caton, Cumming, bachelor’s degree in nursing; Mary McCright, Alpharetta, bachelor’s degree in nursing; Alissa Gauger, Milton, bach-elor’s degree in nursing; Sarah Tuell, Alpharetta, master’s degree in business adminis-tration; Christina Robinson, Alpharetta, bachelor’s degree in applied science; Shannon Curtis, Alpharetta, bachelor’s degree in social sciences; Kait-lyn Schmitt, Roswell, master’s degree in business administra-tion; Dustin Bowen, Cum-ming, bachelor’s degree in
science; Alessia Jankowski, Roswell, bachelor’s degree in science; Alfred Kamczyc, Alpharetta, bachelor’s degree in engineering; Paige Sforzo, Cumming, bachelor’s degree in engineering; Matthew Bone, Roswell, bachelor’s degree in business administration; Maaz Sheikh, Duluth, bachelor’s degree in science; and Kevin Alexander, Johns Creek, bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Columbus State UniversityCOLUMBUS, Ga. – Christo-pher Barner and Daniela Volkovinsky, both of Alpharet-ta, graduated from Columbus State University after the 2014 spring semester.
Lincoln Memorial UniversityHARROGATE, Tenn. – Brit-tany Jenkins of Alpharetta received the C.W. and Gladys T. Bradley Memorial Scholar-ship. Jenkins was among 264 students recognized at the Lincoln Memorial University Student Awards and Recogni-tion Program.
Brenau UniversityGAINESVILLE, Ga. – Brian Pinion of Alpharetta displayed his graduate work at the High Museum in Atlanta for the Master in Interior Design Ex-hibition. Pinion has a master’s degree in interior design from Brenau University.
Berry CollegeMOUNT BERRY, Ga. – Berry College recently celebrated 60 new fall 2014 graduates, including the following local students: Kelsey Campbell, Roswell, bachelor’s degree in communication; Richie Keezer, Roswell, bachelor’s degree in psychology; Lindsay Luckett, Alpharetta, bache-lor’s degree in accounting; and Eve Israel, Roswell, education specialist degree in educational leadership.
Mercersburg AcademyMERCERSBURG, Pa. – Clare Liss of Alpharetta and Erin Pak of Duluth were named to the fall Honor Roll at Mercers-burg Academy.
They both were named a commended scholar for having all grades of 85 and above.
Ga. Southwestern State UniversityAMERICUS, Ga. – The follow-ing local students have re-cently graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University: Thomas Chapman, Suwanee, bachelor’s degree in business administration in manage-ment; Aniko Horne, Suwanee, bachelor’s degree in psychol-ogy; Crystal Neal, Suwanee, bachelor’s degree in dramatic arts; Deborah Obinwa, Su-wanee, bachelor’s degree in nursing; Amara Quddus, Suwanee, bachelor’s degree in accounting; and Cindy Ring, Suwanee, bachelor’s degree in accounting.
In addition, the following local students made the fall 2014 Dean’s List at Georgia Southwestern State: Rachel Creagan of Roswell, Lindsey Fetner of Duluth, Katherine Hollingsworth of Roswell, Erin Quinn of Roswell, Ame-lia Cornell of Cumming and Amara Quddus of Suwanee.
To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a grade point average of 3.5 or better and take a minimum 12 credit hours.
Troy UniversityTROY, Ala. – The following lo-cal students graduated from Troy University following the fall 2014 semester.
Tran Nguyen of Duluth graduated with a master’s of business administration de-gree in international business and Xi Wang of Alpharetta graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business adminis-tration.
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CUMMING, Ga. — Three Pinecrest Academy seniors were recognized at the 16th Annual Atlanta Regional Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards at Georgia Tech on Nov. 18 by The Hispanic Heritage Foundation.
Honored for their accomplishments in the classroom and in their commu-nity, Andres Rodriguez won the gold award in the business and entrepre-neurship category, Natalie Mata won
the silver and Viviana Munguia won the bronze, also in the business and entre-preneurship category.
A total of 21 Latino high school seniors from Atlanta were recognized at the annual event.
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit established in 1987 to inspire, prepare and connect minority leaders in the classroom, community and workforce.
Pinecrest seniors honored by Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The honored seniors are, pictured from left to right, Natalie Mata, Andres Rodri-guez and Viviana Munguia.
See VARSITY, Page 37
forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | January 21, 2015 | 37Recycled paper | Submit your news & photos to [email protected]
Maria Grazia Albo, 62, of Cumming, passed away January 10, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
William E. Anastasio,Sr. , 78, of Roswell, passed away January 9, 2015. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.
Irmgard Appel, 86, of Cumming, passed away January 13, 2015. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.
Evelyn Crawford Cochran, 91, of Cumming, passed away January 7, 2015. Arrangements by
James Tanner Conrad, 25, of Cumming, passed away January 7, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
Frank Lester Danchetz, 66, of Gainesville, passed away January 6, 2015. Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home.
Jacquelin Gary, 68, of Cumming, passed away January 7, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
Dennis Gibson, 64, of Cumming, passed away January 9, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
James Washburn Harrison, 78, of Cumming, passed away January 10, 2015. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.
Helen Haynes, 94, of Cumming, passed away January 13, 2015. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.
Charles Wesley Holbrook, 65, of Cumming, passed January 13, 2015. Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home.
Richard Hunt, 57, of Cumming, passed away January 5, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
Walter Glenn Kernel, 82, of Roswell, passed away January 12, 2015. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.
Betty Jane Moore, 88, of Cumming, passed away January 10, 2015. Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home.
Josephine Quin, 85, of Cumming, passed away January 8, 2015. Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home.
Ronald Sharer, 66, of Alpharetta, passed away January 12, 2015. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.
Dorothy Jean Smith, 70, of Cumming, passed away January 6, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
Dorothy Vallance, 71, of Alpharetta, passed away January 9, 2015. Arrangements
by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.
Carolyn Jo West, 79, of Roswell, passed away January 8, 2015. Arrangements by
Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.
Edna Grace McBrayer Wheeler, 91, of Cumming, passed away January 7, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
Frank Culpepper Wood, 76, of Atlanta, passed away January 7, 2015. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.
DEATH NOTICES
(3-12) are 1-5 in region play. Region play does not di-
rectly impact state qualifiers in Class A, with the tournament field determined by power rankings.
Both St. Francis teams are 4-0 in their 6-A sub-region with the boys 14-3 overall and the girls 12-1 after a 51-42 win Saturday at defending state champion Southwest Atlanta Christian. Both St. Francis
teams are ranked No. 1 in the state.
The King’s Ridge boys (8-10) are third in the sub-region at 3-3, and Mount Pisgah (7-7) is tied for fourth at 2-3. Fellow-ship Christian (4-12) is 0-4 in region play.
The Mount Pisgah girls (10-4) suffered their first sub-region loss last Friday at Whitefield Academy, and are second behind St. Francis at 4-1. Fellowship Christian’s girls’ team (9-5) is 2-2 in the sub-region and King’s Ridge is still looking for its first win in its first varsity season.
Continued from Page 32
Raiders:
Virginia Military InstituteLEXINGTON, Va. – The follow-ing Virginia Military Institute cadets were recently named to the Dean’s List for the second semester of academic year 2013-2014. Garrett B. Manarin, Alpharetta, major-ing in mechanical engineer-ing; Robert L. Danielson, Duluth, majored in econom-ics/business; and Matthew D. DeRito, Alpharetta, major-ing in history/international studies.
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa PhiBATON ROUGE, La. – The fol-lowing students were inducted into the Honor Society of Phi
Kappa Phi. Olivia La Selva of Cum-
ming was initiated at Valdosta State University. Chelsea Lupica of Milton was initiated at DePaul University. Kris-ten Kennedy of Roswell was initiated at Mississippi State University.
Shirley Middleton of Roswell was initiated at University of North Alabama. Melissa Morrison of Milton was initiated at University of South Alabama. Emily Ruggles of Alpharetta, Caro-line Garner of Cumming and Lauren Still of Roswell were initiated at Auburn Univer-sity.
Brenau UniversityGAINESVILLE, Ga. – Rachel Elizabeth Lange of Alpharet-ta and Allison Leigh Smyth of Alpharetta both made the fall 2014 Dean’s List at Brenau University. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students
must maintain a GPA of 3.6 or better and take a minimum 15 credit hours.
Also at Brenau, local students participated in the Gainesville Theatre Alliance production of “Oklahoma,” performed at the Hosch The-atre of the John S. Burd Cen-ter for the Performing Arts.
Students from North Fulton and Forsyth in-cluded Caitlin Cavanaugh of Suwanee, Katie Keel of Johns Creek, Deirdre Kunze of Johns Creek, Sydney Rohrbaugh of Suwanee, Re-becca Martell of Cumming, Meredith Martin of Cum-ming and Amanda Willett of Cumming.
Tufts UniversityMEDFORD, Mass. – Sahar Roodehchi of Cumming made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Tufts University. Dean’s List honors at Tufts University re-quire a GPA of 3.4 or greater.
Continued from Page 36
Varsity:
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CUMMING, Ga. — Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL) recently launched World Cin-ema, a free streaming service featuring foreign films and do-mestic films from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
To celebrate the launch and to share information with patrons about accessing the service, the Post Road Library hosted a special screening of a classic Alfred Hitchcock film on Nov. 8.
World Cinema is a new film collection provided by Infobase, a streaming video platform the library already uses to deliver non-fiction video clips, films and television. Because local library patrons are such strong users of Infobase materials, the company offered FCPL free trial service through June 2015.
FCPL will collect statistics on usage of the streaming service, as well as feedback on the service and collection of films from patrons, and then determine if an ongoing subscription to World Cinema
is warranted.“Many patrons have re-
quested films in other lan-guages, and there is definitely a local audience that enjoys foreign films, so we believe our patrons will like World Cin-ema,” said Linda Kelly, assis-tant director for materials.
Users will have access to German, French, Japanese, Eastern European, Asian, British, African, Indian, Ital-ian, Chinese, Latin American, Turkish and Middle Eastern films from such directors as Fritz Lang, Georges Melies, Jean Renoir, Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fell-ini, Roberto Rossellini, Yilmaz Guney and Satyajit Ray.
All foreign language films are accompanied by English subtitles.
Films may be streamed with unlimited access and are compatible with iPad, PC, Mac and Android devices.
For more information on World Cinema, please visit www.forsythpl.org.
—Kathleen Sturgeon
Library offers trial of foreign films service
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