Jennifer Harper

The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts have hired an engineer to serve as the agency’s program manager, the PCIDs announced June 2.

 

Jennifer Harper has 18 years experience as a transportation design engineer, project manager and civil engineering inspector and most recently worked in the roadway design group at URS, an engineering firm, the PCIDs reported in a press release.

 

“We are pleased and excited to have someone with Jennifer’s knowledge, professionalism and understanding of the dynamics and importance of transportation issues to assist us as we move the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts to the next level,” said PCIDs President and CEO Yvonne Williams.

Changing the contractors providing city services in Sandy Springs doesn’t necessarily mean wholesale change in the people working for the city, city officials say.

The three new city contractors who will take over as providers of city services on July 1 may choose to retain the city staffers who had worked for CH2M HILL, the former contractor.

“They’re going through the process now. The companies will be interviewing the employees,” said City Councilwoman Dianne Fries. “I would imagine there will be offer letters going out to any they want to retain.”

The council voted May 17 to contract three companies – URS Corp., the Collaborative and Jacobs Engineering Group – to provide city services. From shortly after the city’s start in 2005, those services had been provided by a single contractor, CH2M HILL. City officials said the change would save the city about $7 million a year.

URS Corp. contracted to operate the city’s public works department and Jacobs Engineering Group contracted to run the municipal court and recreation and parks department.

Nicole Buxton, vice president of communications and marketing for the Collaborative, which won bids to run Sandy Springs’ communications and community development departments, says the company does contract work for the federal government and is accustomed to taking over management contracts from other firms.

She said representatives of the Collaborative, which has offices in Boston and California, would conduct interviews with Sandy Springs staff members in early June.

“We expect a majority of those folks will be hired on,” she said. “I would say the majority of folks would remain in the current jobs.”

Ed Shoucair, senior vice president and partner in the Collaborative, said his firm would interview all current city employees who wish to stay on. “It seems like to us there are a lot of talented and hard-working people working for CH,” he said. “The city’s been well-served.”

He said his company will not necessarily employ fewer employees at Sandy Springs than CH2M HILL employed. Reductions in the contract costs, he said, can come from better management and “a more competitive economy than five years ago.”

City officials say that although they aren’t involved in the staffing process, but hope that in the end a sizeable portion of current employees will remain with the city, employed by the new contractors.

“I think we’ll see a lot of the incumbent staff remain,” City Councilman Gabe Sterling said. “I’m hopeful you’ll see a majority of them remain.”

Fries said the reason was the change in contractors was to save money, not because city officials questioned the work done by employees.

“Personally, I hope they’ll all stay on,” she said. “The quality of our work force, of the employees, has been stellar.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quick look at three contractors

Three companies won the bids on five contracts for Sandy Springs city government services that were previously handled by contractor CH2M HILL.

The new contractors are:

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., a publicly traded company based in Pasadena, Calif., has contracted to operate Sandy Springs’ municipal court and recreation and parks department. Jacobs says it had revenues of nearly $10 billion last year and is “one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional and construction services.” Jacobs boasts it has been in business for more than 60 years and operates more than 160 offices in 20-plus countries.

the Collaborative, a private company with offices in Boston and California, has contracted to operate Sandy Springs’ communications and community development departments. The Collaborative was founded in 1991 and offers transportation planning, design and communications services. The company has 20 to 25 employees.

URS Corp., a publicly traded company headquartered in San Francisco, has contracted to operate Sandy Springs’ public works department. The company was established in 1951, but says its “oldest predecessor company” was founded in 1904. URS says it employs about 46,000 in more than 40 countries and took in $9.18 billion in revenues in 2010. The company says it offers a full range of program management; planning, design and engineering; systems engineering and technical assistance; construction and construction management; operations and maintenance; and decommissioning services.

 

The Dunwoody City Council agreed to postpone approving a city parks master plan at its May 23 meeting, citing a need to smooth out several details.

The decision followed public comments and lengthy discussion of 13 questions about the parks plan prepared by City Manager Warren Hutmacher.

“We’re close, but we need to punt that ball once more,” said Mayor Ken Wright.

The council was able to reach agreement not to build baseball fields at Brook Run Park.

At a previous council meeting, residents spoke out against the plan, pointing out the many old trees that would have to be cut down to build three baseball fields in the park. The issue also divided the council, with several members opposed to the plan.

“We decided among ourselves we could take the ball fields out and put in big, open playable fields,” said City Councilman John Heneghan.

Among other topics discussed by the council was whether Brook Run Park should be designated as a passive park.

Council members disagreed on defining the uses of the park.

“I’m scared it will be used to play politics at a later date,” said Councilman Doug Thompson.

Council members went back and forth on what defines a “passive park.”

Councilwoman Adrian Bonser defined a passive park as a facility that is not used for organized sporting events. “Piedmont Park is considered a passive park,” she said. “That doesn’t mean you can’t move and be active, that all you can do is sit and eat a picnic.”

Some council members felt that defining Brook Run as a passive park would be too limiting.

“Brook Run is supposed to be a community park,” Heneghan said. “I’m not sure we shouldn’t have some kids’ soccer leagues. We’re locking ourselves out of opportunities for recreation.”

Councilman Danny Ross said it’s important to define what type of park Brook Run should be for future generations.

“What I don’t want is for this thing to morph into something where because we’ve got green space out there … we transform it into Murphey Candler Park. That’s not what it was meant to be. This is not a rec center, folks,” Ross said.

Councilman Denis Shortal recommended breaking the park down into a mix of active and passive uses.

“Let’s put a percentage on it so we’ve got general guidelines,” he said.

The council also discussed the merits of retaining the dormitory building at Brook Run Park. Some council members argued that while the building had potential uses, it took up valuable space that is needed for tennis, volleyball and basketball courts.

“If there a valid park use for it, I’d be all for keeping it,” Thompson said. “I’m not sure there’s a demonstrated need for, ‘Well, we might need it later on.’”

Ross said the dormitory building would be a good space for a business incubator that could be run in conjunction with Georgia Perimeter College.

Shortal said he didn’t think it would be wise to remove any viable building from the city’s portfolio.

“We’re talking about destroying a $6 million building, folks,” Shortal said. “Don’t be in such a hurry to ball and chain it.”

Although the removal of some trees was approved at 680 Mountain Way, city officials say too many trees were cut.

A Buckhead man has been charged more than $52,000 by the city of Atlanta for trees destroyed on his property that he says he didn’t even cut down.

Evan Hardin, of 680 Mountain Way, said his neighbor removed the trees from his property line while building a house on land adjacent to his property.

Together, the two property owners, Hardin and Jayu Momaya, were hit with a combined $93,960 in penalties from the city of Atlanta for removing trees illegally.

Momaya, who owns the land at 688 Mountain Way, was charged $41,190. On April 27, the Tree Conservation Commission denied Momaya’s appeal of the fine.

Attempts to reach Momaya for comment for this article were not successful.

Hardin has appealed his penalty of $52,770. The Tree Conservation Committee will hear his appeal June 15, said Kathy Evans, administrative analyst for the Tree Conservation Commission.

“[Momaya] came in and overdeveloped the property,” Hardin said. “The [city] inspector is supposed to have boundaries clearly identified so the contractor can respect those boundaries. In this case, they were ignored. In this case, both the contractor and the city inspector missed that.”

Hardin said the arborist fined him because the trees that were destroyed happened to be on his property.

“When they walked the property and evaluated everything, they started giving fines,” Hardin said. “Even though trespassing was clear and who did it was clear.”

Hardin said he will take legal action against Momaya and the city of Atlanta if his appeal is unsuccessful.

Evans said city officials believed initially that the trees were removed from one parcel.

“I think originally it was levied at a higher amount and then they realized it crossed property boundaries,” Evans said. “It was broken up into the separate owners of each property. It seemed to be one site when the arborist went out.”

The city did grant Momaya a permit to remove some trees on the property.

“There were some trees approved for removal for construction purposes. A large number were also removed in excess,” Evans said.

Evans said there is a fee for cutting down trees, even if it is approved by the arborist.

“There’s a recompense fee that applies to tree removal. … If they’re removed illegally, it’s $500 for the first tree and $1,000 per tree thereafter,” Evans said.

The penalties levied on the Mountain Way property owners are not typical, Evans said.

“I don’t think we very commonly see this many removed that were not approved,” Evans said. “Builders and people in the construction industry are aware. They are typically able to build in those costs of recompense or replacement upfront and try to stay within that plan. If they find conditions change they can always come in and revise the plans.”

Evans said people are encouraged to plant trees when they receive a permit for tree removal. But if they are unable to plant enough trees to offset the number that were destroyed, they pay a recompense fee to the city.

“All of the fines and fees go into a tree trust fund which is used for planting and maintaining trees in the city of Atlanta,” Evans said.

The fines can be issued to either the contractor or the owner of the property when trees are removed, Evans said.

“Certainly if the property owner has an explanation that’s different, they have an opportunity to make that known at the Tree Conservation Committee hearing,” Evans said.

Hardin said he feels as though he has to prove his innocence rather than guilt when it comes to removing the fine.

“You’re sitting at your house and they say, ‘Here’s a $52,000 fine for you,’” Hardin said. “They don’t even show you a document. They’ve never conducted a survey. It has nothing to do with my property. If you’re going to throw a fine like that around, you need to be a little more cautious.”

 

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Rep. Mike Jacobs meets residents during a community gathering at Oglethorpe University to discuss the rationale behind a proposed study of creating a city of Brookhaven.

A proposed study of whether a city of Brookhaven is economically feasible could be completed by October, the man likely to conduct the study told a gathering of north DeKalb County residents.

Ted Baggett of the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia told scores of residents gathered at Oglethorpe University on May 24 the study would examine potential revenues and the cost of services for a new city in the area.

“We’re not going to take a side,” Baggett said. “We think doing this kind of research is an impartial way to add to the public discussion.”

The study will be released to the public when completed, officials said. It will look at likely borders for a new city and would examine the range of services, such as parks or police, the new entity might provide, as well as potential revenues, Baggett said. He described it as a “snapshot” of a possible city.

Rep. Mike Jacobs, who has proposed legislation creating a new city in the area, said the study probably will examine several possible outcomes. Jacobs has said his legislation is a way to spark public debate over the creation of a new city and requires the Vinson Institute study. He has said he introduced the legislation this year so it could be considered in the 2012 Legislature.

The study could be financed by a nonprofit citizens group created to raise money for the project. Jacobs said he may also be able to find a source of state money to help pay for the study.

“Ultimately, this is going to be a conversation with the community about if you would have a city and what that city would be,” Jacobs said. “There are a lot of different ways this could be done. We can discuss all this as a community.”

Jacobs said he intended for the Vinson Institute to examine three areas. One would be bounded by Chamblee and Dunwoody and extend to include the neighborhoods of Historic Brookhaven and Lenox Park, he said. Another study area would add Ashford Park.

The third study area would include only neighborhoods in the Murphey Candler area and around Silver Lake, an area he said shows “a high level of support… for some kind of municipal option.” If creating a new city wouldn’t work, those areas might want to seek annexation into Chamblee or Dunwoody, he said.

“We’re going study different scenarios,” Jacobs said.

The meeting, called and moderated by Jacobs, drew about 200 residents. Sen. Fran Millar of Dunwoody, Reps. Tom Taylor of Dunwoody and Elena Parent of DeKalb County and Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson attended. At times, discussion grew contentious as some residents questioned the need for a new city or wondered what effect creating another city would have on the county at large.

“I’m kind of offended,” Ashford Park Civic Association president Ronnie Mayer told Jacobs. “I’m sitting here and you’re bashing our elected officials and bashing our police department and you’re talking about using state money to fund this. It should all be private money.”

Other residents said they had no complaints with the services they now receive from DeKalb County.

“The question is whether the local citizens want to have another layer of government,” said resident Jim Johnson. “Do we want to have our own city hall, our own jail, have our own police writing tickets?”

But Millar, Jacobs and others at the meeting said the new city could provide residents more efficient delivery of services than DeKalb.

“DeKalb County is a mess,” Millar said.

And Millar, Jacobs and other legislators at the meeting said that if the community does not support the creation of a new city, the effort will fail.

“This is just options here,” Millar said. “There is not a hidden agenda here to create a city next week. Nothing is going to happen until next January.”

Surveillance video feeds from cameras installed along major roads in Sandy Springs will assist officers in combating crime.

Sandy Springs police officers soon will be able to see what’s happening all over town via their patrol car laptops.

The city is improving its camera surveillance capability with Iron Sky, a system that will integrate video and photo feeds from existing traffic and public security cameras and send them to a central “intelligence center.”

Authorized users will be able to access the images from home computers or laptops, said Lt. David Roskind, commander of the police crime analysis unit. Eventually, officers may be able to look at the video feed through smart phones, he said.

Roskind said the system will deter crime and help officers figure out how to respond when a crime is observed on video. The system should go live at the end of June.

Iron Sky, a Houston-based company, has already contracted with several metro-Atlanta cities such as Duluth, Decatur and Norcross, as well as Midtown Atlanta.

One feature of the system will scan license tags and automatically identify stolen cars or other suspicious vehicles, Roskind said. For instance, if a car registered to a sex criminal were spotted at a city park, officers would be alerted.

“We’re letting technology work for us,” Roskind said.

Sandy Springs doesn’t plan to buy any new cameras at first. Traffic and Sandy Springs City Hall cameras will supply most of the video. Patrol car videos will be part of the feed once the current car cameras are replaced.

The city plans to spend about $447,500 for 62 patrol car video systems this year and $112,000 for 18 extra units next fiscal year. The city will also pay about $182,000 to equip the intelligence center — where officers will study the myriad video feeds — and $179,000 for an emergency operations center.

Much of the money will come from drug forfeiture funds. General funds will pay for some of the emergency operations center, Roskind said.

In the first phase, the city will integrate traffic and public camera feeds into the computer-assisted display units. Next, the city will connect the new car camera systems. Finally, the city will seek schools and private companies that want to link up.

College Park has contracted with Iron Sky for about three years, said Ernie Rochester, the College Park police training officer. He said the camera helped the city in prostitution stings as well as code enforcement cases. When people put up illegal signs on street corners, the city can identify and prosecute them. “The cameras are paying off,” he said.

Roskind said officers watching the camera feeds will not be looking out of curiosity. They will be guided by “triggers,” such as 911 calls or suspicious activity. Complaints about being watched could be checked out because the videos will record dispatchers’ activity, he said.

 

Tom Cunningham

School systems and local governments now facing budget crises due to falling property taxes may find the worst is yet to come, according to an official from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

 

Tom Cunningham, vice president and associate director of research for the bank, said declines in property tax revenues usually follow drops in housing prices by several years.

“That bottom hasn’t been reached yet,” he told members of the Buckhead Business Association at their meeting May 26. “It won’t be reached for three years yet. There’s going to be a real problem.”

Officials with city and county governments and school systems in metro Atlanta have watched their property tax digests, the total value of all taxable properties, plummet over the past few years.DeKalb officials expect the county’s tax digest to fall by as much as 13 percent this year. Fulton County’s tax digest is projected to fall by 8 percent, the county’s chief appraiser has said.

“Those governmental units dependent on property taxes are going to have a problem,” he said, “and it hasn’t hit yet.”

Cunningham said despite the government’s tax problem, the economy is coming out of the recession.

“The recession has ended,” he said. “We’re not in an expansion phase. We’re in a recovery phase. It would be nice if things were going faster.”

The recovery has been slow, he said, because people aren’t buying things as they have in similar situations in the past. Cunningham said recovery will require a long process.

“You’re looking at two years to repair balance sheets, then you’ve got a decade [where borrowers and businesses] don’t want to take on risk. … That decreased appetite for risk is a real impediment. It’s not a lot of fun, but it’s where we are. Right now it’s a slog.”

DeKalb County School Board member Nancy Jester is tackling her first school budget as a member of the board. Jester talked with reporter Maggie Lee about her priorities, both on spending and raising more revenue. She and other board members are considering a 2012 budget of about $1.2 billion that authorizes spending $40 million more than last year to avoid teacher furloughs.

DeKalb County School Board member Nancy Jester

Q. What are or were the concerns you have on the budget?

A. The overall concern is: Are we going into reserves too deeply and then not having a plan to replenish reserves? The problem is with all the budget improvements that we’re doing, are we getting ourselves then set up for the next fiscal year to maintain that, or having either to have big cuts the following fiscal year or a revenue increase via tax increase. I will not support a tax increase; I’ll say that unequivocally.

Many of us are concerned that with the budget as it is now, and drawing down the reserve as precipitously as this budget is calling for — while we can do that this year, we’re setting ourselves up for problems the following year. … We’re continuing to see updates of the tax digest [projected sum of property taxes] that continue to say there’s a decline in the digest … and cuts from the state are absolutely on the table, cuts might happen.

Q. Can DeKalb schools sustainably operate without having to have furlough days?

A. Yes. There is a way, things you can fix, things you can cut out, that’s absolutely the case. But your largest line item is going to be personnel for your schools.

The other school systems did two things we didn’t do. Last year when they got some federal dollars in, they put them away to offset some of the problems this year. I wasn’t on the board at the time, but the board at the time voted to use them in the current year that they got them [in 2010]. That doesn’t put us in a positive position relative to those districts that put those on hold for this fiscal year.

Number two, other school districts are not giving back one hundred percent of the furlough days. But it’s an improvement they’re making with the furlough days, not as many … I think teachers nationally are underpaid. I would love to elevate their compensation and prestige across the board. But where I am with my responsibility to the budget is I want to give them back some days but if we give 100 percent of them, I’m not sure that’s the fiscally responsible thing to do. So we’re trying to look at that more closely right now and determine where that stands … [and] I would like to see it differentiated between the teachers and the 12-month staff because I would like to give as much furlough relief to the teachers as possible.

Q. So, going forward, what do you think should be the biggest priorities in a budget?

A. We have to be competitive or we’re not going to get the best and brightest teachers. We already have, let’s be honest, we’ve had some perception issues in the community that work against us for attracting the best and brightest to want to teach in DeKalb. We want to make sure we’re attracting and keeping them. For me, that’s always a budget priority: attract and keep the best talent.

And I’m very concerned about the revenue side from the state. It’s of interest to me. I do not believe we are maximizing our state funding. I don’t believe that we are as attuned to using the formula that the state uses.

Q. What do you mean, the QBE formula [Quality Basic Education, the formula the state uses to divvy money among counties]?

A. Yes, for instance, there are 19 designations that we receive QBE funding for. [Student designations that require specialized attention, like gifted, special needs or English as a second language.]

One of the things you hear a lot on pupil funding is that money is tethered to the kid. I want people to think long and hard about that because it’s really not. It’s tied to the resources to teach that child. For instance if a kid is gifted and doesn’t receive gifted services from a gifted-certified instructor, you don’t count it. If their gifted teacher comes Monday and Friday and snapshot day [the one day the state grabs data for budgeting] is Tuesday and their teacher is at another school, it doesn’t count. Then you have a situation where all the gifted kids at that school don’t get counted for any gifted services…if you’re a gifted kid it doesn’t mean you get the gifted money.

We make money from those teachers that have that gifted endorsement on their certification. So you would want to incentivize those teachers to get that certification. And right now, I don’t think we provide them any funding or any incentive to do that; it’s really on their time and on their dime to get that certification. But then we make money for those segments once they get that endorsement. And it’s quite a bit. And that’s the case in 19 different categories … this is a thing every county does. And it’s pretty complicated.

Q. What are some other things our readers should know about the budget?

A. Right now, on this budget, we need to make sure we’re not setting ourselves up for something bad the next year. That’s just the responsible thing to do, that’s the conservative thing to do. We cannot go hat in hand to the taxpayer.

 

DeKalb Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis is slated to give the county Board of Commissioners a plan to plug a possible $40 million hole in the 2011 budget.

Commissioners say Ellis’s plan, expected to be presented June 7, is certain to include a hefty hike in the property tax millage imposed by the county. A few commissioners already are balking at the idea.

If Ellis proposes raising taxes, it would be the second time he has done so this year. In January, the CEO announced a proposed 2.32-mill increase to balance the 2011 budget.

But a month later, the commissioners rejected that tax hike and opted for a 9 percent budget cut for all county departments except police, fire services and the Sheriff’s office.

However, that was before county finance officials in May recalculated the county’s tax digest and found that property values had plummeted 13.4 percent since last year.

DeKalb commissioners say that without further budget cuts it would take a 4-mill increase to cover the shortfall.

Ellis isn’t saying how large a tax hike he might seek, but administration officials clearly are preparing the public for a possible increase in the millage. Administration officials said the CEO also is likely to propose budget cuts.

“It’s been no secret from the CEO. He has said from the very beginning we need a multi-faceted approach to recover our budget,” said DeKalb County spokesman Burke Brennan. “We need to make cuts and we need to raise revenue.”

A 4-mill increase would add roughly $154 to the tax bill on a $200,000 home in DeKalb County.

However, county officials say increasing the millage would likely have little effect on the taxes many property owners currently pay. That’s because tax bill amounts are based on the assessed value of properties. When property values fall, so do the taxes levied by DeKalb County’s government and school system.

Roughly two-thirds of the revenue collected from property tax bills goes to the school system. Most of what’s left funds county government operations.

“There are people who are going to say that we’re going to be paying more in taxes, although we will actually be paying a higher rate,” Brennan said. “On the whole, it’s pretty much a wash.” In some areas of the county, property owners could be paying less in taxes even with a millage increase, Brennan said. In unincorporated DeKalb County, property values have dropped a combined 18 percent in the past year.

DeKalb’s declining tax digest is the latest is a series of budget crises that have put the CEO and the commissioners at odds with each other.

Commissioner Kathie Gannon said the bickering between the board and the CEO must end if the county’s budget crisis is to be solved.

“It would be better if we were all sitting around the table doing this together, but there’s not that spirit of cooperation between the board and the CEO at this time,” Gannon said. “Until that changes we’ll just keep reacting to each other.”

Preliminary work has begun to widen the Roswell Road bridge across I-285, the city of Sandy Springs announced.

Georgia Power crews have started moving power lines, the city said. Once that work is done, Comcast and AT&T also will move utility lines.

Construction is expected to being in July, weather permitting, and the project is to be completed by Oct. 31, 2012, the city said in a May 25 statement.

The project will widen the bridge to allow two left turn lanes which will run the length of the bridge. The project also will widen entrance ramps onto I-285, the city said.

The Georgia Department of Transportation recently awarded a $3.5 million construction contract to C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc. for the project.

Ari Feingold, 9, goggles in place, has no trouble with his underwater adventures as he plays in the Hammond Hills Swim & Tennis Club pool in Sandy Springs on May 30.

Click for Parents may call it summer, but the kids know it’s really pool season

Will Kosobud, 2, finds the hose just as much fun as the water as he plays in the shallow end of the Wynterhall Swim and Tennis Club pool in Dunwoody on May 30.

Click for Parents may call it summer, but the kids know it’s really pool season

Dennis Brown, sporting the blue “visitor” apron of Les Marmitons, tries his hand at making risotto.

Hank van Driel instantly showed distaste for the way this bit of chopped onion had been handled.

“I’ll show you how to dice an onion,” he said, producing his kitchen knife and going to work. “You cut it like this.”

Van Driel, who lives in Sandy Springs, is a retired chef. He worked for years in research and development for Nestle, he said, and he knows his way around a kitchen. As he demonstrated proper onion-dicing technique, several of the other men in the kitchen that night gathered around to watch as he produced a mound of finely sliced onion ready to join some diced garlic in a little hot oil in a deep-sided pan.

Soon, Dennis Brown and some of the others would be using those onions as they tried their hands at making risotto, just one piece of the four-course Caribbean meal being created this evening by members of the Sandy Springs chapter of Les Marmitons, a men’s cooking club. Others would poach eggs. Or julienne carrots or sear scallops or cook up a big pot of stewed chicken.

It was guys’ night out in the kitchen.

Les Marmitons, the club says, is French for “kitchen boys” or “chefs’ helpers.” Most members of the Sandy Springs club are far from boys. They’re retired, and come from all sorts of backgrounds. There’s a pilot, a former government official, a lawyer.

Brown said he worked much of his career in the real estate business in metro Atlanta. He says he and his wife learned to cook together when they were first married. Now she’s the creative cook, he said, and he sticks with a few familiar recipes. But he’s used to thinking creatively. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he said, he spent 10 years in Poland selling STP products. His big seller was an additive that could loosen up a diesel engine on a cold, cold morning.

He was a relative rookie as a Les Marmitons cook. It was only his fourth meeting and he still wore the blue apron of a visitor, rather than the white jacket and toque, the high cap associated with chefs, worn by members. He would be initiated into the club that night.

Now he was tackling risotto, a delicately flavored rice dish. It was a first for him.

Les Marmitons gathers monthly (except for the summer and Christmas holidays) in the teaching kitchen at the International Culinary School. The cooking club started in Canada and spread south. The Sandy Springs club was founded in 2001 by Bob Engstrom, who had joined another Atlanta club, but tired of the commute. At each meeting, the club invites a guest chef and club members prepare dinner based on the guest’s recipes. Once the food is cooked, they dine on their creations and discuss them. There’s also an emphasis on matching wine to the food.

“It’s definitely a good group of people,” Brown said, “and there’s always something you’re doing that’s challenging.”

Like making risotto?

He laughed out loud. “Like making risotto.”

Megan Ernst

Once I decided where I wanted to go to college, I felt so at peace. I didn’t have those keep-you-up-at-night worries that my future happiness and success would depend on the school I chose.

Then, I realized that part of the decision was the least of my worries.

The biggest, most daunting question was: Who I would choose to live with for my first year of college? It’s an overwhelming question. A roommate can define your social life, study habits and sanity. It’s the first time I had to choose someone to live with—up until now living anywhere but with my family wasn’t an option.

The task seemed daunting. Among 3,000 incoming freshman girls, I would have to find someone I wanted to live with, and I had to find her before someone else did.

I had two real options: room with someone I already knew or find someone new.

I thought I already had it figured out. My best friend and I have known each other since kindergarten and we’ve dreamed about going to college together for almost that long. We were both ecstatic to get into the college we had dreamed about attending and just assumed it’d be a great idea to room together.

But we got less and less excited as we heard best-friend-turned-roommate horror stories again and again.

We knew each other so well and got along so well that we realized if we roomed together, we would probably end up never making new friends. We could stay in our room all day talking and having fun, and when we left, we could end up just staying in that best friend bubble. That seemed perfect in kindergarten, but we decided that we could widen our group of friends if we chose to room with different people. We decided we would look for different roommates.

I was on the hunt again.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways to find people. Most colleges have an online roommate matching service. It’s a roommate e-Harmony of sorts. Students make profiles, answer questions and are matched with similar students.

On these websites, you should be honest. Don’t say you get up at 8 a.m. and study for three hours a day if you really plan on skipping all classes before noon and thumbing through your books once a semester. The matching service is designed to find people similar to you based on your answers, so if you lie, it will match you with people you won’t be compatible with in reality.

Once I had a list of roommate possibilities, the real online dating began. I looked through my list of matches and found the girls I was interested in on Facebook. The great thing was, as soon as I made my profile on roommate e-Harmony, other girls had been doing the same thing to me. I had received friend requests from girls who lived all over Georgia.

I friend-requested the girls I thought would be a good match for me, and then I got really nervous. It was time to contact these girls. What should I say? Should I start with “Hey, are you looking for a roommate?” or just “Hey, I see you’re going to the same college as me!” I wanted these girls to like me, so I had to be sure I said it right. I started some conversations, but as we got around to asking more specific questions about next year, no one seemed exactly right.

Devon Griger

A friend of mine from Perry, in south Georgia, who is going to school with me next year told me over the phone one day that he had a friend named Devon Griger who would be there, too, and was looking for a roommate.

I messaged her on Facebook, and everything seemed great. I trusted our mutual friend when he said we’d get along great, and he was right. Although we hadn’t specifically said anything about rooming together yet — just asked lots of questions about what we wanted our freshman year of college to be like, and just getting to know each other — we were on the same page.

We decided to meet in person. She drove to Atlanta from Perry one Sunday afternoon and when she showed up at my house, I was surprised to see my friend with her. I hadn’t seen him since summer.It made my first encounter with my potential roommate less awkward.

We had a great day getting to know each other. The second she left, I took the leap and texted her to ask if she wanted to be my roommate. She accepted, and we added each other to our housing request forms.

Megan Ernst, a recent graduate of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Sandy Springs, is an intern at Reporter Newspapers. She is writing occasional pieces about her experiences as she heads to college.

Baseball buddy Christopher Weaver assists Darden Glass of the Buckhead Athletics during their game against the Sandy Springs Braves April 30 at Morgan Falls Park.

Buddy baseball gives special-needs children a chance to play and enjoy the all-American pastime.

 

With the assistance of one or more baseball “buddies,” children of all abilities — including ones with cerebral palsy, autism and Down syndrome — are “non-competing” in regular ball games. Organized teams play at Morgan Falls, Frankie Allen, Chastain, Murphey Candler and Ocee Parks.

With altered rules such as no outs, everyone bats, everyone scores and no one is benched, the players — each assigned one or more “buddies” to assist them — take the field. And with nearly 50 kids on the diamond at any one time, games can resemble what Coach Leo Rose of Northside Youth Organization (NYO) calls “organized chaos.”

“It’s about getting on the field and everyone having a good time,” said Rose, who has been managing NYO’s Christopher League at Chastain Park for the past 12 years.

Whether called “Challenger” or “Buddy Baseball,” these programs usually are promoted by word of mouth and are underwritten by area businesses and organizations so they are free to participants. For additional information, contact your local youth sports program.

The NYO’s assisted baseball program, formerly called the Challenger League, became the Christopher League in 2001 to honor long-time player Christopher Rosseau.

The program, which is typical for most area buddy programs, has about 30 players. According to Rose, there are about 200 kids on the buddy list. Prior to games, Rose sends out an e-blast. On game day, they usually get about 30 to 40 kids, mostly middle school boys from the regular baseball program, to show up to assist.

When Rose started with the program, he was looking for a way to give back to the community. His son got involved as a “buddy” player helping the special-needs players. He’s now a 23-year-old assistant coach.

Buckhead Buddy Baseball at Frankie Allen Park takes a slightly different approach to their buddy system, according to David Barron, commissioner of Buckhead Buddy Baseball.

They aim to encourage players and buddies to develop strong bonds on and off the field. Buddies are assigned at the beginning of the season and stick with their players each game.

“The beauty of the program is getting typical, normal kids to partner with these players. There is so much patience, compassion and enthusiasm,” Barron said. “It’s almost as much a thrill for the buddies as it is for our players.”

One recent afternoon, when the Sandy Springs Braves met the Buckhead Athletics at Morgan Falls Park, positive energy radiated on the field. The sound system cranked Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” during warm ups and each player’s personal theme music when the home team went to bat.

On this day, “game face” meant a smile.

Kathy Calderon’s twin sons Christian and Zachary, players in their first year with the team, are “having an excellent season,” she said.

“They love it and I love it,” said Calderon of Sandy Springs. “It’s great seeing kids interact with other kids.”

The family-friendly atmosphere encourages camaraderie and offers parent benefits as well. Calderon said she is building friendships with new parents that face similar challenges as her family.

“Parents of special needs kids don’t get a lot of time to sit and watch their children participate in sports,” said Barron, whose 1-year-old son is in the program. “This gives them a chance to relax and enjoy being a parent.”

 

Matthew Kennedy makes time for a burger straight from the grill at the Hammond Hills Swim & Tennis Club pool area in Sandy Springs on May 30.

In Atlanta’s suburbs, the neighborhood pool defines summer. Families spend hours by the water, socializing and escaping the heat. The pool becomes the community gathering place.

“In the summer, that pool is the place where all these children gather and develop friendships. It’s really an amazing thing to watch,” said Renee Arndt, president of the board of the Wynterhall Swim and Tennis Club in Dunwoody. “Though our neighborhoods are not all contiguous, that pool brings us together.”

On May 25, Brookhaven kicked off the swimming season with a swim meet between rival neighborhood teams called the Brittany Barracudas and the Hampton Hall Waves.

Kids in blue tie-dye swimsuits buzzed around the pool. Some wore goggles and swim caps and stood ready to dive into the water, while others were ready to pounce on the pizza and Skittles from the concession stand.

Ian Ballow, 4, takes cooling off into his own hands as he uses a hose for more water enjoyment at the Wynterhall Swim and Tennis Club pool in Dunwoody May 30.

Their arms were covered in notes written in permanent marker to denote which events they were swimming in. Backs often were covered in doodles and silly sayings like “eat my bubbles.”

Brittany Club swim team coordinator Joy Baljet said parents and kids were so excited for the start of the summer swim league.

“It marks the beginning of summer,” Baljet said. “The end of school and beginning of summer, and who doesn’t like to be in the pool?”

Many Atlanta area pools have already geared up for the summer.

A lot of pools take the off season to do repairs and upgrade their facilities. Jim King, chairman of the Chastain Park Athletic Club, said swimmers will notice several new things when they visit the Chastain Park pool this year.

Christin McDougall and her son, Ronan, 2, take in a swim during a family outing at the Garden Hills Pool and Rec Center in Buckhead on May 29.

“We’ve improved our snack shack and refurbished, to a certain extent, our grandstands for watching swim meets and added a quantity of new umbrellas to the pool,” King said. “We just generally improved the overall functionality and appearance of the complex.”

The Chastain pool has been open since May 14. Memberships are available to the public and it is also open on a pay-as-you-go basis.

“We’ve been open for two weekends and this past weekend was as busy as we’ve ever had it early in the season,” King said.

DeKalb County’s pools kicked off the summer season May 28. Al Sheppard, program manager for athletics and aquatics, said the Murphey Candler Pool in north DeKalb is one of the most popular pools in the county and he expects high attendance this summer.

“All the pools are the same, $2 for youth and $3 for adults,” Sheppard said. “We just ask them to come out to enjoy the pools, we’ll be there to receive them.”

Sheppard said the pools host swim teams, swim lessons and private parties.

Aside from public pools, there are some neighborhood pools that also open membership to those outside the neighborhood.

Meira Zibitt, 12, comes up for air during a lengthy swim at the Hammond Hills Swim & Tennis Club pool on May 30. The facility had opened for the season to all members three days earlier, on May 27.

Arndt, president of the board for the Wynterhall Swim and Tennis Club, said almost all of the members of the club are from the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the pool, although it’s not a requirement for membership.

“We have one family that’s outside that area,” Arndt said. “We have a membership of 215 spots and have probably five spots right now and are looking for members.”

The Wynterhall pool opened May 20. Arndt said a lot of work was done during the cold months to spruce up the facilities, including new landscaping and diving boards.

“It’s looking mighty fine over there,” Arndt said. “We want to be a fresh and active and fun place.”

Captain Brandon Jones, a 2001 graduate of The Westminster Schools in Buckhead, talks with Elizabeth Brougher on May 25. Jones presented an American flag, flown in Afghanistan, to the 5th grade class as a “thank you” for sending him cards while deployed.

Left to right, Olivia Meredith, Sam Blau, Virginia Grant, Samantha Jones, Mimi Lipson and Sekaya Whitworth.

Warren T. Jackson Elementary School in Buckhead held its annual International Baccalaureate May 20, showcasing students’ educational experiences.

Left to right, Jack Polhemus, Ryan Sheehy and Catherine Bratton.

Left to right, Kelley Killorin, Jaris Turner and Emily Williams celebrate the end of high school at The Westminster Schools’ commencement exercises in Buckhead May 14.

Sara Lynn LeSage, right, salutatorian at North Springs Charter High School in Sandy Springs, with her mother Sally after the school’s graduation ceremony May 27.