J a n u a r y 1 2 , 2 0 2 3 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 4 1 , N o . 2
Legion Post 201 marks 75th anniversary Members share links to local organization
Alpharetta approves $2.2 million in repairs to Greenway section
By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — American Legion Post 201 member Mike Roman recounted when a civilian couple walked in and asked if the guys at the Legion liked each other because of the nature of their interaction. The guys like to playfully criticize one another, he said. “I said, ‘You oughta hear us when we hate somebody,’” Roman said. Growing up, Roman and his family went to the Legion or a Veterans of Foreign Wars post on the weekends. His grandmother headed the Legion Auxiliary, a separate entity exclusive to women who are affiliated with and who support the American Legion. Roman is a veteran of the Vietnam War. “There is a sense of community here that is nowhere else,” Roman said. Roman and three other veterans and Post 201 members — Ralph Jordan, Roger Wise and Harry Hollingsworth — sat at an old poker table in the low light of the Legion’s bar area, each sharing their connection to the organization. Accompanying the conversation Jan. 5 were Styrofoam cups filled with “veterans’ coffee,” or a brew made earlier that morning.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Failing sections of the Big Creek Greenway in Alpharetta will get a much-needed upgrade, thanks to a $2.2 million construction project recently approved by city officials. The Alpharetta City Council approved the project at a Jan. 3 special called meeting, after hearing from Alpharetta Public Works Director Pete Sewczwicz that the plan will replace approximately 1,200 feet of rotting wood boardwalk off Mansell Road with a trail made of concrete and steel. “This is the trail that takes you from the Beaver Creek Road area, underneath Mansell Road and ties into our boardwalk greenway at the other side,” Sewczwicz said. According to Sewczwicz, this section of greenway boardwalk, which was built in 2008, has been particularly problematic because it is below flood elevation and is regularly under water. The new trail will still be four feet below flood elevation, he said, but the concrete and steel will be much more resistant to damage from flood water. “When it floods, it’s going to get wet,” he said. “We cannot go higher, because then we run into lack of headspace underneath the Mansell Road bridge. Sewczwicz said the project will take about 12 months due to the
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Roger Wise, veteran and member of American Legion Post 201, walks towards an informational plaque for a UG-1 Huey helicopter, flown during the 1968 Tet Offensive in the Republic of Vietnam. The helicopter is part of the Legion’s Walk of Memories exhibit.
Beginnings In front of Wise, there was a folder of signed commendations from several north
Fulton mayors, including those from Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek and Milton, as well as a commendation from Gov. Brian Kemp regarding Post 201’s 75th anniversary. The celebration was postponed from its Nov. 26 anniversary date last year. The official date for the celebration has not been set, but Wise said the gathering will happen within the next couple of weeks. Constituted in 1947, the American
Legion Post 201 stands as a place of community for more than 700 veterans and their family members across the Northern Arc. It’s one of the largest in the country, Wise said. According to a historical record written by Melvin B. Coalson, Post 201 began when Abijah B. Adams, a World War I veteran and longtime Alpharetta resident,
Rotarians mount effort against human trafficking
Windward volunteers present service award
Cinema & Taproom fosters community
► PAGE 4
► PAGE 7
See LEGION, Page 6
► PAGE 12
See GREENWAY, Page 3