Dunwoody Crier - July 30, 2026 by Appen Media Group

DeKalb to replace water lines on Winters Chapel Road ► PAGE 3

July 30, 2026 | AppenMedia.com

by the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta.

Young actors star in summer musical camp production

By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Around 25 young actors took to the stage July 18 at the Stage Door Theatre to perform a collection of songs, dances and scenes from the musical “Wicked,” closing the curtain on five weeks of Saturday morning rehearsals.

The group, ages 10 to 22, were participating in the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta’s musical theatre summer camp. The

organization partnered with the Stage Door Theatre, and volunteers from the Dunwoody Woman’s Club helped produce the show.

“These individuals in our community love being on stage and performing,” Denise Arribas, engagement director for the camp, said. “With encouragement and support, the sky is the limit for individuals with Down syndrome. It has been a true joy and pleasure working with these students.”

Dunwoody council hears Georgetown small area draft plan

By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council heard a presentation July 27 on the Georgetown Small Area Draft Plan, which outlines a framework to improve mobility and strengthen the identity of one of the city’s key commercial areas. The Dunwoody Community Development Department worked with planning firm TSW and engineering firm

Kimley-Horn for six months to create the draft plan following a community open house in January. It outlines redevelopment visions for four sites based on zoning regulations and land uses supported by Direction Dunwoody, the city’s 2045 comprehensive plan, and online input from about 400 residents.

Dunwoody Park

Staff identified Dunwoody Park — 15.5

acres of commercial office space along Cotillion Drive — as the most impactful area for potential redevelopment. The plan proposes a mix of housing types, including small-lot single-family houses and cottages, townhomes and housescale complexes, which are multi-family buildings designed to look like a singlefamily home.

Housing would be organized around an interconnected system of green common spaces, courtyards and passages,

including three new streets cutting through and around the site.

An alternative version of the plan adds retail at the intersection of Dunwoody Park and Dunwoody Park South, which would require additional parking. A building on the property’s southern quarter, bordering Cotillion Drive and Interstate 285, could be turned into a mixed-use building with a small grocery store.

NICOLE ELIASON/PROVIDED

A group of performers sing along to songs from the musical “Wicked” during their final performance July 18 at the Stage Door Theatre after a five-week-long musical summer camp hosted

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Grandmother charged in toddler’s Roswell pool drowning

By ATLANTA NEWS FIRST

ATLANTA — The grandmother of a 2-year-old boy who drowned at a Roswell apartment complex in June has been charged in his death, according to arrest warrants.

Emelisa Paz-Santos was booked July 15 in the Fulton County Jail on felony second-degree cruelty to children and misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of her grandson Axel Delgado.

She also has a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold, jail records show.

On the night of June 21, Roswell police responded to The Lake House at Martin’s Landing after reports of a young child drowning at the clubhouse pool.

There, first responders provided aid to the child, who died the next day at a hospital.

Investigators determined Paz-Santos was in charge of supervising Delgado at the pool, but she “failed to provide adequate supervision” for “an extended period of time,” according to the arrest warrants.

Appen Media partner Atlanta News First provided this story.

GBI charges DeKalb officer who fatally shot robbery suspect

By DAN WHISENHUNT dan@appenmedia.com

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County police officer is facing charges after he fatally shot a robbery suspect during an arrest.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced July 8 that Derrick Harris Jr., 37, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct in connection with the shooting of Seth Jayden Eccles, 19.

DeKalb County announced that the officer has been fired. The shooting occurred July 7 in the 3300 block of Rammel Way, near Rockbridge Road.

According to a GBI news release, on the afternoon of July 7, the DeKalb County Police Department was investigating an armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier. Postal Service agents at the scene spoke with Eccles, whom they considered a person of interest. After that conversation, officers allowed Eccles to walk away.

Officers later learned he had an active arrest warrant. Postal Service agents and DeKalb officers found Eccles, who ran and hid in the nearby woods. Officers began searching for him.

"At about 7 p.m., DeKalb County 911 began receiving calls regarding a suspicious person moving through the backyards of homes on Rammel Way in Avondale Estates, GA," the GBI news release said. "At about 7:45 p.m., Officer Harris located Eccles in the backyard of a home and gave Eccles verbal commands at gunpoint. Eccles complied with Officer Harris' commands. Officer Harris then took Eccles into custody."

During the arrest, Harris allegedly fired his gun, hitting Eccles. According to an arrest warrant obtained by Decaturish media partner Atlanta News First, he had the handcuffs in one hand and the gun in another. He accidentally shot Eccles, who was on the ground with his hands behind his back, while he was trying to cuff him, the warrant says.

Officers and first responders tried to save his life. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"Eccles will be taken to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy," the news release said. "Once Harris is in custody, he will be booked into the DeKalb County Jail."

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson called Eccles' death a "tragedy."

"My heartfelt condolences are with his family and loved ones as they navigate an unimaginable loss," she said. "Today's criminal charges and the termination

of our officer reflect our commitment to accountability. We understand no one is above the law and that accountability is essential to maintaining public trust."

She said the county is "committed to transparency, integrity" and ensuring police officers uphold the highest standards of professionalism.

DeKalb County Police Chief Greg Padrick said, "This incident has had a profound impact on everyone involved."

"My thoughts and prayers remain with the family of Seth Jayden Eccles as they continue to grieve this tragic loss," he said. "This has also been a difficult time for the members of our department. The men and women of the DeKalb County Police Department remain committed to serving our community with professionalism, integrity, and compassion, and they will continue to serve the people of DeKalb County with honor, service, and partnership each and every day."

ATLANTA NEWS FIRST/PROVIDED

Roswell police responded to The Lake House at Martin’s Landing June 21 after reports of a child drowning at the clubhouse pool.

DEAN HESSE/APPEN MEDIA

A DeKalb County Police vehicle.

DEKALB COUNTY/PROVIDED

The map shows roads that will be impacted when DeKalb County crews begin the Winters Chapel water main replacement project Aug. 10. The project is expected to last four months.

Winters Chapel Road water line replacement starts Aug. 10

By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — DeKalb County

Watershed Management crews will begin replacing water main lines along Winters Chapel Road in north Dunwoody on Aug. 10.

The project involves replacing 3,100 linear feet — about a half-mile — of aging water pipelines. The project is expected to take four months and finish in November.

Normal construction hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding any major holidays during those four months. An

increase in construction-related noise and traffic during work hours should be expected. Roads along Winters Chapel Road that will be impacted by construction include Peeler and Jones Mill roads, Sumac Drive and Ridgelock Court.

Residents can learn more about the project by calling the DWM Project Information Line at 1-800-986-1108 or emailing projectinfo@dekalbcountyga. gov.

County crews are also working on the second phase of the Dunwoody Knoll water main replacement project more than 5 miles east of the Winters Chapel Road project.

Sandy Springs teen assists at coin toss of FIFA World Cup

By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — Riverwood High student Nicholas Nackley got an experience of a lifetime. He served as a cointoss assistant on June 18 for the South Africa versus Czechia World Cup match.

Nackley’s mom, Janey Riley, watching at home, received a flurry of messages from friends and one of her son’s teachers, who were in the stadium for the match and saw him on the Jumbotron.

Coca-Cola sponsored Special Olympics to send one athlete to be a coin-toss assistant at Atlanta Stadium, more commonly known as Mercedes-Benz. Nackley’s adaptive physical education teacher, Jason Russo, accompanied him to the game.

Russo, who has been with Fulton County Schools for eight years, also teaches at Lake Forest and Heards Ferry Elementary Schools and serves as an assistant baseball coach for Riverwood.

In Russo’s class, students participate in different games and exercises to stay active. Among the most popular are bowling and track and field. Students also play tennis, Unified Basketball and Wiffle ball.

Russo has worked with Nackley over the years both in school and as a coordinator for Special Olympics. Russo brings a team of students from Fulton County to the yearly Special Olympics Georgia games at Emory University to compete in track and field.

Nackley was selected for the coin-toss ceremony because, as Russo put it, “fear is not in his vocabulary.” Even in front of tens of thousands of

DRIVEWAYS & CONCRETE

RIVERWOOD ATHLETICS/PROVIDED

From left, Fulton County Schools adaptive physical education teacher Jason Russo and his student from Riverwood High School, Nicholas Nackley, prepare for their coin toss duties to begin at Atlanta Stadium June 18.

fans, Nackley relied on his experience acting in school plays at Riverwood to channel an inner calm.

After working together every day for the last four years, Russo and Nackley have developed a bond.

“He’s just a great kid,” Russo said. “He puts a smile on your face, always willing to give you a hug. Every day, he asks me how I’m doing and how my wife is doing; he truly cares about others.”

After initially being overwhelmed after arriving at the stadium and greeting a multitude of new faces, Russo said Nackley got into his comfort zone quickly and became his normal bubbly self.

Russo said it’s a moment they will both remember for the rest of their lives.

Nackley is just one of many Special Olympics athletes who had an experience of a lifetime on the pitch this summer.

Kym Jordan, vice president of global corporate engagement at Special Olympics International, said their organization sent athletes to 18 2026 FIFA World Cup matches across the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s just really special to incorporate people with intellectual disabilities at this level of sport,” Jordan said. “Making sure that sport really encompasses everyone and is really leveling the playing field… that’s really our mission as well.”

Special Olympics has partnered with Coca-Cola for more than 50 years. Bringing athletes to the World Cup is just the latest installment of a long-standing series of collaborations.

Megan Gausemel, vice president of marketing communications at Special Olympics International, spoke to the organization’s mission.

“Sport is for all, and we at Special Olympics drive that home,” Gausemel said. “We at Special Olympics say ‘Special Olympics is for everyone,’ because anyone can be a part of Special Olympics, whether it’s a volunteer, coach, referee or an athlete.”

Their staff has numerous future events in the works, including the women’s World Cup next year and future Olympic Games. At Special Olympics, the work never stops.

“Every single day throughout the year and all over the world, we offer sports for everyone and an equal playing field,” Gausemel said.

DRIVEWAYS

Each line in the puzzle below has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, with each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!

SPORTING IMPLEMENTS

1. Uniform material. Hockey necessity. Like Krypton.

2. Latin dance. Bawl out. Pub game piece.

3. Archery item. On one’s guard. Give up.

4. Moonfish. Soccer necessity. Brouhaha.

5. Curling playthings. Speaker’s platform. Auction shout.

6. Soup scoop. Winter warmer. Fencing item.

7. Golf item. Repair. Like hen’s teeth.

1 Uniform material. Hockey necessity. Like krypton

2. Latin dance. Bawl out. Pub game piece

How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, which each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!

3. Archery item. On one’s guard. Give up

4. Moonfish. Soccer necessity. Brouhaha

5. Curling playthings. Speaker’s platform. Auction shout.

Kingsley Lake and revisiting childhood lessons

When I was growing up in Winnfield, Louisiana, life was simple. We did not have many rules written in books because most of the important ones were taught at home. Those lessons shaped the way we treated one another, and many of them have stayed with me throughout my life.

One lesson in particular has been on my mind during the past year. If you wanted to use something that belonged to someone else, you asked permission. If you borrowed it, you took care of it. And if your use caused damage, you did not begin by looking for excuses. You began by asking how to make it right. Those were not legal principles. They were simply the way honorable people lived.

That lesson has caused me to think differently about a question facing our community today.

Over the past year, residents of Kingsley Lake have been trying to understand how our lake became such an important part of Dunwoody’s stormwater system. Every significant rainfall sends public stormwater into Kingsley Lake through six public stormwater outfalls and numerous connecting drainage pipes. After crossing the lake, that water leaves through the outlet structure, enters the downstream creek that is part of Dunwoody’s stormwater system and eventually reaches the Chattahoochee River.

The lake did not always function this way. The natural springs that

TALK BACK TO THE CRIER

originally fed Kingsley Lake did not change. Rain still falls much as it always has. What changed was everything around the lake. As development increased, more roads, parking lots, rooftops, sidewalks, churches, parks, schools and businesses became connected to the municipal stormwater system, and at least one culvert entering the lake was enlarged to carry greater volumes of runoff.

Nature did not redesign Kingsley Lake. We redesigned the watershed around it. When we changed the watershed, we also inherited a responsibility to steward the consequences of those changes. Those consequences are now visible.

The outlet structure has suffered significant damage. In order to protect it from further deterioration, the owners of Kingsley Lake have lowered the lake by more than 2 feet. Boats now rest in shallow water. Irrigation systems that once drew water from the lake sit on exposed silt. Areas that were once covered by water have become exposed shoreline. Recreational opportunities have been significantly diminished, and the character of an entire neighborhood has changed.

A lake is more than water. It is part of the beauty, identity and value of every home that surrounds it. Families invested in lakefront property because they expected to enjoy a lake. Today, at least one lakefront home has been placed on

TALK BACK TO THE CRIER: You talk, we listen. The Crier is parking the Talk Back section at the front of the paper for the foreseeable future. Send your letters to newsroom@ appenmedia.com by Sunday night and they’ll end up here that week.

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the market while the lake remains in its lowered condition, highlighting the understandable concern that the loss of the lake’s recreational and aesthetic value may also affect the value of homes throughout the neighborhood. Homeowners should not have to watch the defining feature of their community disappear without even being invited into a meaningful conversation about possible solutions.

As I tried to understand how this happened, one question continued to come to mind. Was permission ever requested to use Kingsley Lake as part of the public stormwater system?

To answer that question, I filed open records requests with both DeKalb County and the city of Dunwoody. I searched for agreements, easements, permits or any other public records

that might document such permission. To date, I have found none. That does not answer every legal question, but it certainly raises an ethical one.

Throughout this process, the Kingsley community has repeatedly asked for dialogue. We have not asked the city to admit liability. We have not asked anyone to concede legal responsibility. We have simply asked to sit down together, review the engineering, understand the watershed and discuss possible solutions. Unfortunately, those requests have largely been met with legal arguments and silence. That is the part I find most difficult to understand.

I believe this discussion is larger than Kingsley Lake. Every time it rains, public stormwater continues to flow into our lake from a watershed that extends far beyond our neighborhood. The use continues. The damage remains. Our requests for dialogue continue. Whether lawyers ultimately conclude there is a legal obligation is for them to decide. The question I believe every citizen can answer is whether there is an ethical obligation. If public stormwater has come to depend upon private property to perform an important public function, shouldn’t stewardship accompany that use? Shouldn’t the first response be to sit down together, understand the facts and work toward a solution?

See ROSS, Page 7

Kingsley Lake fix should come with public ownership

How much do you fill your bathtub? Not to the brim, I’d hope. Even if you did, the overflow drain would catch it before it spilled onto the floor. An overflow drain is a backup not meant to be used every time you run the water. That’s what a spillway is.

According to locals familiar with the situation, for decades, Kingsley Lake’s water level was kept high because homeowners liked how it made their docks look. Extending a dock costs money, so the level stayed high and the problem got kicked to the next generation. Every time it rained, the lake overflowed into the spillway instead of the spillway doing its job in an emergency. Over the years, that wore it down until it collapsed.

I understand the city has poured

more water into this tub over the years through storm drains added as Dunwoody grew. But that doesn’t excuse the owner of the tub from managing the drain. The responsibility to maintain the water level has never left the homeowners.

Earlier this year, the Kingsley Racquet & Swim Club sent a notice to sue the city for $2 million, likely to come out of the city of Dunwoody’s stormwater fund. $2 million is a lot of money and is nearly the entirety of our stormwater fund. To pay out the $2 million to the club would leave the rest of Dunwoody’s people underwater — either in increased stormwater fees or houses flooded due to budget cuts with no real benefits.

If we just gave the club $2 million, what guarantees are there that the water

level won’t be kept arbitrarily high again, causing another broken spillway in another 15 years?

As a community, we should support our neighbors by fixing the spillway. The eroded spillway and land endanger the public’s safety. The city technically doesn’t have to fix the spillway — Kingsley Lake is private property and the lawsuit, from what I know, is no longer being pursued — but we should still be there for our neighbors.

However, we should also work to prevent this issue from happening again. Both of these issues are resolved if Kingsley Lake becomes a public lake.

If Dunwoody’s people as a whole pay to fix Kingsley Lake, then Dunwoody’s people as a whole should own it. And if we the people own the lake, we

the people can keep the water at an appropriate level, preventing future crises.

Picture a public lake in Dunwoody — families fishing on a Saturday, kids learning to paddle a canoe. By working together, we can give a gift to the new generation of Dunwoody’s people instead of asking them to pay for an issue they didn’t cause.

None of this works without honesty. Our council has been obtuse, and the homeowners have told half the story. Once we’re honest about how we got here, the solution is simple: if taxpayers pay to fix Kingsley Lake, the lake should belong to the taxpayers.

Zachary Humphries Dunwoody

1971 fire ended era of Morgan Falls School

In the early hours of Jan.13, 1971, Morgan Falls Elementary School caught fire. The fire started in the part of the school that was built in 1932. Seven classrooms were destroyed. The 226 students were given the rest of the week off. The next week, they began attending Mimosa Elementary School in Roswell. The first Morgan Falls School opened in 1907 on the west side of Roswell Road along what is now Morgan Falls Road but was then known as Bull Sluice Road. A school was needed in the area as more people were working with Atlanta Water and Power Co. on the construction of Morgan Falls Dam. The first school was built with the assistance of that company, founded by Forrest Adair and Jack Spalding. In 1932, Atlanta attorney and chairman of the state board of regents Hughes Spalding donated land on the east side of Roswell Road for the

second Morgan Falls School to be built. Additions were made to the school in 1953.

“I think it had a lot of character like bats in the belfry. We had great lunches. The lunch ladies were super. The school was the most different school in the world.” Children were concerned about how their teachers and principal were going to handle the tragedy.

Some of the women from Morgan Falls PTA asked for permission to look through the charred rubble for pictures, clocks, teaching aids and flags. They placed the charred objects in two station wagons, hoping to clean them and put the items back in use.

A former student shared photos of the school’s destruction after the fire with me. These photos have been donated to the Fulton County School archives.

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The 1971 students of Morgan Falls were already scheduled to transfer to the new Woodland Elementary School on Spalding Drive at the beginning of the next school year. In the meantime, county school buses transported them to Mimosa Elementary School. Later that month, an Atlanta Journal article included the thoughts a few students had written regarding their old school. One student wrote, “I realize now that Morgan Falls had more personality than any new school ever could.” Another child shared,

Ross:

Continued from Page 6

Communities are built on trust, and trust begins with a willingness to listen before looking for reasons not to.

When Dunwoody became a city, we promised ourselves something better. We wanted a government that would be closer to its citizens, more responsive to their concerns and committed to solving problems through openness and dialogue. Those ideals are tested when issues are difficult. They are tested when engineering is complicated, emotions are high and reasonable people may disagree. Those are precisely the moments when leadership matters most.

I still believe in the vision that inspired the creation of our city. I believe our elected officials,

In 1973, Fulton County commissioners asked the county school board to donate the 4.5 acres that was home to Morgan Falls Elementary School for a “new satellite courthouse” in North Fulton. Today that is the North Fulton County Government Service Center on Roswell Road.

Sources for this article include 1907, 1971 and 1973 pieces published in The Atlanta Constitution and a 1971 piece published in The Atlanta Journal.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. Write her at pasttensega@gmail.com. Learn more at pasttensega.com.

professional staff, engineers and citizens are capable of finding common ground if they are willing to come to the same table. The first step is not another legal opinion. The first step is a conversation conducted in good faith, guided by sound engineering, mutual respect and a shared commitment to stewardship. Childhood lessons shaped my life, and I believe they can help guide our city today. They are not simply lessons for neighbors. They are lessons for all of us, including those entrusted with public service. Stewardship begins with respect, respect begins with dialogue and dialogue begins by recognizing that doing the right thing is often more important than proving who is right.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF

Columnist

PROVIDED

This January 1971 photo of Morgan Falls Elementary School following a devastating fire was captured by the family of a student. The photo was contributed to the Fulton County School Archives.

Danny Ross Founding member, Dunwoody City Council

MARTA logs 4.7M rail trips, no major crimes

By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — Across 35 days of World Cup matches, fan festivals, concerts and other associated events, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority provided around 4.7 million rail passenger trips.

“Team MARTA showed up and showed out during the World Cup tournament, providing frequent service, ensuring the system was secure and riders were safe,” Jonathan Hunt, MARTA interim general manager and CEO, said.

On match days, MARTA experienced approximately 2 to 3.5 times its normal daily rail ridership, generating an average of nearly 130,000 additional rail passenger trips each day. Fan festival-only days generated an average of 37,000 additional rail passenger trips per day, resulting in daily rail ridership approximately 1 to 2 times the normal ridership.

Hundreds of MARTA transit

ambassadors worked alongside 100 multilingual FIFA volunteers throughout the tournament to help visitors navigate the public transportation system and downtown Atlanta.

MARTA police officers, along with law enforcement from other local jurisdictions and Denver transit, patrolled trains, buses and their stations, in addition to staffing response teams in case of emergencies. A press release from MARTA said these efforts resulted in no major crimes reported and the apprehension of three suspects wanted for previous violent incidents.

Hunt thanked law enforcement officers, frontline staff and transit ambassadors for their dedicated work and applauded MARTA passengers for their ridership.

“Whether you were headed to a match, fan festival, watch party or one of the many celebrations, concerts and events around our region or to work, to run errands, or to a holiday get together, thank you for trusting us and for riding with us during this historic summer,” Hunt said.

MARTA/PROVIDED

Riders scan to exit MARTA and walk to the FIFA Fan Festival and Mercedes-Benz (Atlanta) Stadium. From June 11 through July 15, MARTA provided around 4.7 million rail passenger trips.

Help welcome Kingswood Church pastor at fall celebration

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Kingswood Church invites the Dunwoody community to attend its fall kickoff celebration Sunday, Aug. 2, and help welcome its new senior pastor, the Rev. Thomas Hall.

Hall was appointed to the role in July.

The kickoff will follow the 11 a.m. service and feature a free lunch from The Varsity. During worship, there will be a special blessing for students and educators preparing to return to school. Over the summer, the Kingswood congregation packed more than 75 boxes of school supplies to donate to teachers at Kingsley and Chesnut elementary schools.

Hall brings to his new position more than two decades of experience in preaching, discipleship and community

engagement. Most recently, he served as pastor of Crossroads United Methodist Church in Conyers.

“Kingswood is a church with a warm spirit and a deep commitment to serving its neighbors,” Hall said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join this congregation, and I look forward to walking together in faith as we continue the mission God has entrusted to us.”

The church is located at 4896 N. Peachtree Road.

— Hannah Yahne

Sandy Springs to host inaugural paddleboarding competition

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The city of Sandy Springs is hosting its first standup paddleboarding showdown on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Morgan Falls Overlook Park.

Participants can expect a 7 a.m start. They will navigate a six-mile out-andback course along the Chattahoochee River and Bull Sluice Lake. It costs $75 to register; the registration deadline is Aug. 12. Prize money will be awarded to the top three overall male and female finishers.

The event is presented through a partnership between Murph’s Surf

and the city’s recreation and parks department. Catalyst Sports is providing support for adaptive kayak athletes.

City officials said the event aims to create a new tradition for paddle sports enthusiasts while introducing more residents and visitors to the city’s outdoor recreation opportunities along the Chattahoochee River.

For registration information and event details, visit www. SandySpringsGa.gov/events/sandysprings-sup-showdown.

— Elle Girard

PROVIDED

The Sandy Springs standup paddleboarding showdown will take place Aug. 15.

HALL

CITY OF DUNWOODY/PROVIDED

A map displays the vision context for Georgetown, one of the city’s top commercial areas that is subject for redevelopment, included in staff’s presentation of the small area draft plan.

Plan:

Continued from Page 1

Dunwoody Green

The Dunwoody Green buildout would complete a community of small-lot singlefamily homes and house-scale complexes along the Dunwoody Trailway.

Plans call for developing 2.35 vacant acres of currently passive green space owned by the Dunwoody Urban Redevelopment Authority at the corner of North Shallowford Road and Dunwoody Park. Conversations with community members supported a small-scale retail development on the corner and 15 new small lot single-family housing units.

City

annex

Dunwoody wants to make 5 acres on North Shallowford Road more usable, which would require substantial grading to level the land.

While this would come at a notable cost, staff said the valuable site could support a new direct roadway and pedestrian link to the future Dunwoody Park development.

The site currently holds a small civic building. Future plans call for another building to store SWAT equipment and to use part of the site for overflow police parking.

Dunwoody Road shopping center

At 4511 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, across from the Kroger shopping

center, staff want to rejuvenate an old shopping center built in 1968.

Given its location near the I-285 interchange, the plan calls for mixeduse development and multi-family housing units, with less intense retail uses toward the south end of the property. Two new streets proposed to run through the site would make it easier to travel by foot and bike.

Intersection improvements

The plan’s transportation framework includes upgrades to two intersections to ease congestion during peak travel times.

The intersection of Chamblee Dunwoody Road/Peeler Road and

North Shallowford Road, which backs up during peak travel times because of its skewed geometry, would get improved traffic operations along with better pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and crossings.

At Dunwoody Park and Dunwoody Park South, staff hope to convert the curved intersection into a traditional right-angle intersection, allowing more efficient roadway use, especially as Dunwoody Park is redeveloped.

A timeline for approval of the Georgetown Small Area Plan has not been disclosed. Staff will continue to work with contracted firms to tailor the plan using council recommendations and further community input.

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THE FUTURE OF LOCAL NEWS

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Continued innovation in digital media has changed the ways in which people buy, sell and interact with products and services. It has caused businesses to reassess the ways in which it communicates with potential customers and advertises its products. It has been well documented that these changes have had a destructive impact on local newspapers, which continues to be a primary source for local news, but is no longer a primary source for local advertising dollars – historically the lifeblood for reporters and their coverage. At Appen Media Group we want to address this conflict head on, and build new and innovative approaches to monetizing local news and creating a sustainable future for local journalism in metro Atlanta.

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THE APPEN PRESS CLUB

One solution is the creation of a membership driven organization called the Appen Press Club that is dedicated to recruiting people and companies to join as members. Members pay recurring monthly or annual dues that are 100% dedicated to sustainable journalism. By providing predictable revenue, Appen Press Club members and partners help fund the salaries and expenses of local reporters who will no longer be subject to the whims of marketing budgets and an ever changing advertising world. In turn, those reporters will provide the readers they serve with highly researched and qualified journalism focused on subjects that directly affect their quality of life.

To join go to appenmedia.com/join and follow the prompts to select your membership level and select your t-shirt size! Questions? Email Hans Appen at hans@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278.

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Food Pantry Manager

NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the full-time Food Pantry Manager position. Under the direction of the Food Pantry Director, the Food Pantry Manager leads back of house food pantry operations including inventory control, receiving products, client orders, managing volunteers, entering data and creating reports.

This role is perfect for someone who enjoys managing people and process! Volunteer and inventory management, operations and data entry are primary responsibilities of this role.

The applicant should have a desire to join the team of a mission-driven non-profit where we work to ease hardship and build financial stability throughout our community. We offer one of the most competitive total rewards packages among Atlanta’s nonprofit organizations, making this role both meaningful and rewarding.

Please send resumes to jobs@nfcchelp.org

DEATH NOTICES

Rose Barbarino, age 85, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 14, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Katie Brandon, age 91, of Milton, GA passed away on July 14, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Construction Services Manager (Norcross, GA)

- F/T. Plan, direct, or coord activities concerned w/ the construction of structures. Plan, coord, & supv oper’ns for concrete & masonry projects incl foundations, slabs, block work, brickwork, retaining walls, & structural repairs. Manage project schedules, labor, materials, eqpmt, & subcontractors to ensure timely & cost-effective completion. $80,000.00/ yr. Bachelor’s deg in Construction Mgmt, or Civil Engg or closely rltd, + 24 mos of exp in job offd or as Construction Area Mgr, Construction Mgmt Supervisor, Construction Inspector or closely rltd. Reqs approximately 75% national travel to various unanticipated project sites. Email resume to: Cronos Contractors, LLC, Mauricio Guzman, President at: mauricio@cronoscontractors.com

YOUTH DIRECTOR (Part-Time) Alpharetta Presbyterian Church — Alpharetta, GA

APC seeks a vibrant, relational leader to serve as Youth Director for middle and high school students. 20–25 hrs/week | Up to $25/hr. Ideal candidates have a passion for youth mentorship and a background in education, coaching, or youth leadership. Retired teachers and ministryminded professionals encouraged to apply. Strong volunteer team and pastoral support in place.

To apply: Submit a brief introduction and resume to jobs@alpharettapres.com.