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Brookhaven Reporter
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Bennett takes District 80 seat COMMUNITY 5
Going old school
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Two coaches talk tradition HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 16
AUG. 21 — SEPT. 3, 2015 • VOL. 7 — NO. 17
Where are the marshmallows?
PAGES 7-11
Brookhaven mayor protests Sandy Springs apartments BY JOHN RUCH
johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
From left, Randy Glazer, Fikree Jordan, 1, Skyler Glazer, 5, Faith Brown, 12, and back, Farah Jordan, 3, pack a tent at Lynwood Park and Recreation Center’s “Back to School Campout and Supply Drive” on Aug. 8. The activity featured roasted marshmallows, hot dogs, games, activities and a drop-off for adults to donate school supplies.
PHIL MOSIER
An apartment development proposed for Old Johnson Ferry Road is sparking a Brookhaven-Sandy Springs border clash. Brookhaven Mayor Rebecca Chase Williams planned to appear at a Sandy Springs Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 20 to ask for a delay to allow Brookhaven to weigh in on the project. “As mayor, I intend to let Sandy Springs know that we, the next-door neighbors, are very concerned about the additional traffic, density and design of the development,” Williams wrote in an email blast to constituents earlier this week. Williams and Brookhaven City Councilwoman Linley Jones met with Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul about the plan on Aug. 17. Williams said Paul listened to their concerns in a “great meeting.” “He understood the problem with the traffic,” Williams said in an interview. “He wasn’t fully versed in all aspects of the project. The report hadn’t come to him yet, frankly.” Williams emphasized that the two cities continue to have a good working relationship “because we understand there’s no wall at any of our borders…It was in that spirit that we spoke.” Asked about the get-together with Williams and Jones, Paul said only, “We had a very good meeting.” SEE BROOKHAVEN, PAGE 19
Death of ‘Mother Goose’ highlights speeding worries BY JOHN RUCH
johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
“Mother Goose,” a beloved white waterfowl in Murphey Candler Park, was killed by a car last month, triggering action over speeding on West Nancy Creek Drive. Rudy Fernandez, a board member of the Murphey Candler Park Conservancy and the local community association, said the goose had become a part of the neighborhood. “My kids grew up with that goose,” Fernandez said. “It’s sort of the park mascot.” In fact, the park’s annual fall fundraiser race is called the “Duck Duck Goose 5K” and uses a white goose or duck as a logo. Fernandez said the goose had been since around the park
since at least 1997. “We called her ‘Mother Goose’ because she would stand and protect the other geese,” Fernandez said. Brookhaven City Councilwoman Linley Jones, who held an Aug. 15 community meeting about wildlife protection and traffic in the park, said that the bird’s demise is inspiring the city to add traffic-calming devices on a road heavily used by parkgoers, including many children in youth sports leagues. “The recent death of the goose affectionately known by local residents as ‘Mother Goose,’ as well as other waterfowl and turtles, is a serious concern for all of us who care about preservation of urban wildlife,” Jones said in an email. “The fact that the SEE DEATH, PAGE 2
JOHN RUCH
An individual or group posted signs on West Nancy Creek Drive advising motorists to slow down and watch for crossing geese.