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EDITOR'S NOTE
CATHY COBBS
I remember the first time I heard, in a roundabout way, about the clothing sustainability movement in Atlanta. I complimented someone on a really stunning jacket, and she told me about The Drake Closet, a retail boutique that finances the work of The Drake House, a nonprofit that helps homeless women and children with housing, job training, and a path out of poverty and domestic abuse.
According to its website, TDH started in 2004 as a Leadership North Fulton class project to address the growing number of homeless women and children in the area. The doors to the facility opened in June 2006, and the center was named The Drake House in honor of Roswell native Mary Drake, a founder of North Fulton Community Charities who advocated for those in need.
The three retail stores in Sandy Springs, Roswell, and Alpharetta serve a variety of missions, first to raise money to
combat the increasing amount of textiles produced around the world.
Fun fact: Any clothing that doesn’t sell at The Drake Closet is sent to Value Village’s thrift store.
Logan C. Ritchie’s story on sustainability in this month’s issue reveals more about clothing sustainability than I ever realized as I was touting all the designer clothing I was purchasing at bargain prices.
The details about upcycler Sarah Lyons also evoked a “didn’t-knowthat” reaction, regarding her rebellion against overproduction, waste and overconsumption by making beautiful clothing from thrifted fabrics.
Even the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials gets into the act – it collected 210,000 pounds of textiles in 149 days in 2025 for donation to a variety of venues that ensure that their final resting place isn’t a landfill.
It’s a great story and I encourage everyone to give it a read, along with lots of other pieces about local government, dining news, and important looming changes in our schools.
In Sandy Springs, the council is considering a referendum that, if approved by voters, would allow it to raise funds to enhance longneglected areas of the city. Brookhaven is stepping up its affordable housing game through a variety of initiatives, while Tucker and its new mayor Anne Lerner, are discussing the city’s 10th anniversary and what it wants to accomplish in the next decade.
support their programs, offer shoppers an opportunity to find pristine fashionable clothing, shoes and accessories at affordable prices, and provide an outlet to
A story that should be top-ofmind is the DeKalb County School District’s pending plan to consolidate and repurpose underutilized schools that could have an economic impact on property values.
The force behind the effort, HPM, has a long history of poor financial outcomes in school districts around the county.
As always, thank you for reading our print editions, visiting our website, and subscribing to our myriad of newsletters.
By Logan C. Ritchie
When my oldest child was a baby, kids’ consignment sales were all the rage. The Glenn Sale was held in an annex building across from the stately Methodist church in Emory Village every spring and fall. On the opening day, parents and grandparents wrapped a long line around the building –ready to fill bags and baskets with clothing, toys, and baby gear.
I vividly remember scoring a tiny pair of embroidered denim overalls, rain boots for puddle stomping, and two matching monkey costumes for my twins.
After surviving three kids, the clothes and books were deteriorated, stained, and ripped. I’d try to reuse them as rags or for art projects, but the majority went straight to the trash with a hefty dose of guilt. Upcycling, downcycling, and repurposing were foreign to me.
Keeping score
Studies show that the average American generates approximately 81 to 82 pounds of textile waste per year including clothing, shoes, and linens. Roughly 85% of all textiles thrown away are either sent to landfills or burned, according to Earth.org.
Let this sink in: That totals approximately 11.3 million to 17 million tons of textile waste generated in the U.S. annually. Because fast fashion items are made quickly and inexpensively, they are thrown away more often than they are repurposed. Fast fashion comes from trendy retailers like Shein, Temu and H&M.
A study out of Yale University claims that “over the past 20 years, fast fashion has nearly doubled global garment production and driven an estimated
400% increase in clothing consumption, generating massive amounts of waste.”
Rather than throwing textiles into the trash, consider these options: donate to a thrift store, sell at a consignment shop, or upcycle materials to become a new product.
Thrift stores are no longer endless racks of old Peachtree Road Race tee-shirts on hangers at Goodwill. Entering its 20th year, The Drake House is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that uses its three boutique locations to fund programming for women and children who are experiencing homelessness.
The Drake House’s first store in Roswell got started because the organization had more clothing than they could use to provide for residents, Drake House Director of Development Kimberly
Jackson said.
“A store was opened as a place where people could bring their donations, and in the process become a revenue stream for The Drake House. The stores started doing really well, and as more and more people found out about The Drake House and The Drake Closet in Roswell, donations kept coming,” Jackson said.
“People love the idea of supporting our mission by providing gently worn clothing whether they downsized and needed to clean out closets or they retired and no longer needed business apparel,” Jackson said.
Now with locations in Roswell, Alpharetta, and Sandy Springs, The Drake Closet sells new and gently-used, donated ladies’ clothing, shoes, and accessories; many items are priced under $25. After their biannual sale to clear out for the next season, The Drake Closet donates items to GreenDrop, a for-profit company that distributes clothing to Value Village thrift store.
Unlike thrift and second-hand stores that receive donated items, consignment stores enter into a contract with a seller who earns a percentage of the sales. The store prices, displays, and sells gently used items.
Consignment stores offer upscale clothing and accessories at a higher price point. Metro Atlanta has a range of options from Labels Resale Boutique in Buckhead and Vinings that carry Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton handbags and shoes to Consigning Women in Dunwoody and Finders Keepers in Druid Hills that carry Anthropologie, Eileen Fisher, and Free People. Don’t throw it away!
When an item is too worn for either
thrift or consignment, metro Atlantans can visit the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM). The drop-off recycling center takes much more than textiles. CHaRM is known as a reliable processor of chemicals, glass, styrofoam, cardboard, electronics, and different types of plastic.
Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe is the founder and executive director of Live Thrive, the environmental non-profit that created CHaRM. She said CHaRM collected 210,000 pounds of textiles in 149 days in 2025 – and the numbers are only rising.
Usable clothing and shoes collected at CHaRM are distributed through Green Zone to families in need, according to the website.
Upcyclers like Sarah Lyons of Revive Threads are bucking the fast fashion trends, creating a rebellion against overproduction, waste and overconsumption. Lyons uses nearly 100% recycled materials to handmake sporty shirts made from old tablecloths and team or city logos worn by men and women. She hunts for fabric at thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales and open markets.
“I’m not a tee-shirt or a jersey person, and it was a nice way to make something that I would actually wear to the game. And I really love the idea of getting men to willingly wear flowers,” Lyons laughed.
With 20 years of experience in sewing and clothing design, Lyons has slowly expanded her Atlanta-based business with a seamstress and studio assistant in a Castleberry Hill workshop.
“Everybody’s so big on growth mindset … I’ve never really understood it. I enjoy being an artist, and I am so blessed to be able to do my craft for a living,” Lyons said. “I like the smallness of it. I like the ability to make things that are one-of-akind.”
“I just love when anybody expresses themselves with clothing. It’s one of my favorite things about dressing or having clothes or having a personal style,” she added.
■ Wash everything first.
■ Only donate items in gently used condition: no rips, tears, missing buttons or bronze zipper. However, if it has holes, rips, or stains, bring it to CHaRM or Ridwell, a subscription recycling company that is known for “taking things others won’t.”
By Cathy Cobbs
Members of the Brookhaven City Council at its March 27 advance meeting heard an update on the city’s progress in establishing affordable housing projects that will provide options for people earning 60% and 80% of the area median income.
Aronda Smith, the community development assistant for the city’s planning and zoning department, walked the group through a brief history of the city’s current workforce housing zoning regulations that were adopted by the council as part of a 2018 zoning ordinance rewrite.
It mandated that multi-family residential development approved by rezoning and/or special land use permits set aside 10% of units for households at or below 80% AMI.
Smith reviewed the status of five approved developments. AMLIBrookhaven, with 630 total units, has 63 set aside for workforce housing units, with 57 currently occupied.
Bellamy Executive Park, with 345 units, has 35 set aside for workforce housing units, of which 25 units are currently occupied. Manor Druid Hills, a project pending issuance of building permits, will have 38 units set aside of its 382 proposed units.
Pandora Apartments, which is in the land disturbance permit process, will have 21 units available for workforce housing of its 205 proposed units. Corporate Square, which is also awaiting land disturbance permits, will have 10% of its 1,702 proposed units designated for workforce housing.
Smith also defined the type of workers whose incomes fall into each category of area median income: 30% AMI are fast food cooks or retail workers, 40% AMI includes waiters, retail salespeople, restaurant cooks, 50% AMI are highway maintenance workers and construction workers, 60% AMI could include dental assistants and MARTA bus drivers, and 80% are elementary and middle school teachers.
Smith and Patrice Ruffin Dowdell, Brookhaven’s assistant city manager, recommended several changes to the existing mandates, including increasing mandatory minimum set-asides to more than 10% of the total housing units, and adjusting income levels to include households between 60% and 80% AMI.
“We need to include the target area of 60% AMI, and so staff came up with the recommendation to allow 5% of the units to be set aside at 60% and 5% to be assigned at the 80%,” Smith said.
Smith also reviewed recommended
changes to existing small-scale housing, including duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes, including amending nonconforming use regulations to allow alterations and building expansions for grandfathered duplexes without losing their nonconforming status.
In addition, Smith discussed a partnership with MicroLife Institute on a city-owned piece of land at 3826 Clairmont Road. The concept design for the three-quadrant parcel would consist of retail and single-family cottages with small commercial uses.
Finally, Smith discussed a future affordable housing unit called Buford Pointe, on two city-owned parcels at 2677 and 2687 Buford Hwy. totaling almost two acres. The proposed affordable housing development would consist of 120 units on five stories, with 180 parking spaces.
“This is a partnership with the Housing Authority and will target the affordable housing community,” Smith said. “It’s important that the city continue to expand and take various approaches to find the tools that will allow us to provide affordable housing in our community.”
The council encouraged staff to advance changes through revising regulations and introducing amendments to city ordinances.
By Cathy Cobbs
The Brookhaven City Council at its March 24 work session meeting heard good news about the city’s year-over-year crime statistics, despite several highly publicized incidents occurring over the past weekend.
Police Chief Brandon Gurley, in the department’s first-quarter report, said that although the city’s population has increased 4.5 percent since the 2020 census, crime has actually dropped in nearly every category.
Several of the department’s senior police officials reported on specifics regarding the positive statistics.
Deputy Police Chief Jerry Lewis said total crimes within Brookhaven decreased 12% year over year. Index crimes, a composite of eight serious crimes, have experienced a 20% reduction.
Lewis said he feels two factors have contributed to these positive numbers –the use of technology and staff retention.
“Retention has gone up significantly since 2022,” Lewis said.
Capt. Abrem Ayana, in charge of innovation, technology, and special projects, discussed the use of technology within the department – Flock cameras, License Plate Readers, and drones as first responders.
Police officials said clearance rates have also increased in almost every index crime category, except burglary and larceny. The caseload for detectives has also decreased, because using technology allows uniform officers to quickly assess real-time situations and make more timely arrests.
Major Jeffrey Gant said the department’s goal, to respond to 911 calls within six minutes or less, was reached during several quarters in 2025.
During the city’s work session, Gurley said this past weekend “was an eventful one for us,” with a parking garage collapse caused by a car fire, and two shootings in the city, unrelated to each other.
“The investments that Brookhaven has made [in technology], as well as our private partners, have generated strong leads that we feel will lead to some arrests in the near future,” Gurley said.
Mark your calendars! The Taste of Alpharetta boasts an unforgettable night of culinary magic throughout the city’s charming downtown. This annual event celebrates the vibrant food community of Alpharetta featuring OVER 60 RESTAURANTS through dining events, cooking demos, culinary collaborations, and tasting tents galore.
MAY 23-24 | 10AM-5:00PM THE GROVE AT WILLS PARK
Kick off the start of Summer at Alpharetta Arts Fest. Circling the tree-lined green in The Grove (located at Wills Park), this two-day festival showcases a whimsical artist market that shoppers look forward to attending over the holiday weekend. Artisans from around the country exhibit their unique creations, welcoming neighbors and visitors.
SCAN HERE for details on these, and all of Alpharetta’s upcoming events.
By Collin Kelley
April is a big month for MARTA as the transit agency rolls out a series of upgrades and new services ahead of the FIFA World Cup matches.
MARTA’s NextGen Bus Network will officially launch Saturday, April 18, marking the most significant redesign of the bus system since the 1970s.
According to MARTA, the new network is designed to connect riders to more destinations with faster service and fewer transfers.
The new system will offer 15-minute service frequency across 17 corridors, with simpler routes that will reduce the need for transfers. The redesign for the entire network means buses arriving every 30 minutes or sooner, MARTA said.
that works best for them.
During the customer transition, riders can still use their old Breeze cards and the Breeze Mobile 2.0 app at any existing old fare equipment, but old ticket vending machines will be turned off, and no fare may be added to old fare media.
New Signage has been installed at all bus stops, and transit ambassadors will be available at rail station bus loops and high traffic stops throughout April to help customers navigate their new routes.
Atlanta’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) line will also launch on April 18. The Rapid A-Line will connect Downtown Atlanta to Capitol Gateway, Summerhill, Peoplestown, and the Beltline’s Southside Trail. It also offers connections to MARTA’s heavy rail system at Five Points, Georgia State, and Garnett Stations.
The first phase will feature service hours from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. and buses will operate in dedicated lanes with transit signal priority in areas where construction has been completed. In areas still under construction, temporary bus stops located near the stations will be used.
The new Breeze fare payment system went live on March 28, offering tap-to-pay options, upgraded faregates, and updated touch-screen ticket vending machines.
From March 28 to May 2, both the old and new Breeze systems will be active to allow customers time to learn the new system and switch to the payment option
Customers unable to spend down their current stored fare before switching to the better Breeze system may transfer their balance to a new, registered Breeze account from May 2 to Oct. 30.
MARTA Reach, an on-demand transit service in 12 zones across Atlanta, began operations on March 7.
Part of MARTA’s NextGen Bus Network, MARTA Reach brings transit service directly to the rider’s location for transport to rail and bus stations.
Residents can request a ride through the MARTA Reach app or reservation line, which provides a pickup window of 30 minutes or less. The service operates 18 hours a day, seven days a week.
MARTA Reach is available in 12 zones: West Atlanta, Kirkwood/Candler Park, County Line, Lakewood, Oakley Industrial, Fulton Industrial, East Point, Hillandale, Candler-McAfee/Belvedere Park, Cedar Grove, Gresham Park, and North Fulton.
The fare for the service is $2.50, and includes four free transfers for customers using the Breeze system.
To begin using the service, customers are encouraged to download MARTA Reach in the Apple Store or the Google Play Store. Customers may also call the reservation line at (404) 848-6622 seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
By Rachel Spooner
Georgia’s oldest no-kill shelter, PAWS Atlanta, is marking 60 years of aiding animals in 2026.
In honor of the occasion, PAWS launched a $1 million fundraising campaign as well as created a new five-year strategic plan for the shelter, including renewed mission and vision statements.
“PAWS Atlanta stands at a pivotal moment in its history,” according to a statement in the 2026-2030 strategic plan.
With rising housing, pet supply, and veterinary care costs, the organization has seen yearly increases in the number of surrendered and abandoned pets. Three key strategies – long-term financial sustainability, leadership and innovation in animal welfare, and emphasizing community partnerships – will be enacted to better help pets now and in the future.
“We have been partnering with some of our local government organizations on ways that they can better support PAWS Atlanta and, by extension, support the local community as well,” Crystal Bowman, executive director of PAWS Atlanta said.
In the past, the organization was funded almost exclusively by community individuals and local foundations.
“Our focus is really on becoming a financially sustainable organization so we can expand and offer more and more services as we grow to really be a leader in animal welfare,” Bowman said.
By Cathy Cobbs
A group of Vanderlyn Elementary School parents are conducting a survey about DeKalb County School District’s proposal to shutter the school as part of a sweeping consolidation throughout the county – and the results are telling.
In mid-February, DCSD officials revealed a list of 26 elementary schools that could be closed or repurposed based on a recommendation in the Student Assignment Project (SAP) as part of an effort to address the district’s ongoing
declining enrollment. It also includes five middle schools and three high schools. Among the elementary schools in the Dunwoody cluster under consideration for closure is Vanderlyn, a high-achieving school ranked #4 in the county, and #39 in the state by U.S. News and World Report. Kingsley Elementary is also on the closure list. Chesnut Elementary on North Peachtree Road, would be expanded and absorb some students from Kingsley and Vanderlyn, according to the SAP scenarios.
In the second round of scenarios published on March 20, Vanderlyn was
proposed to be converted into an annex for Dunwoody High School, possibly as a ninth grade academy.
Kindergarten parent David Lubin, along with David Ziskind and Denice Dudley, devised a five-question survey that more than 157 people associated with Vanderlyn answered.
“This brief survey seeks to understand how Vanderlyn families may respond to potential school closure scenarios currently being discussed as part of the DCSD Student Assignment Project (SAP),” the survey said. “Responses will help us illustrate to the county how these scenarios could affect families across the district.”
This survey said it is being organized by Vanderlyn parents and is not affiliated with the Vanderlyn PTO or DeKalb County School District.
Parents will opt out
The survey results paint a dim picture of the future if the school is closed.
“One of the most important findings is that 53 families selected only options outside of DCSD (private school, another district, or charter) if Vanderlyn is no longer an option,” Lubin said in a letter to the DCSD board sent on March 19. “Of the 50 families who said they would move to another public school district, approximately 38% have two or more children at Vanderlyn, meaning entire families – not just individual students –would likely leave.”
Lubin said parents feel that school system officials are using flawed logic in determining which schools will close.
“They are just looking at ‘seats’ and ‘chairs’ instead of taking into account the communities,” he said. “There is no vision, just destruction, and that is terrifying to us.”
The ad-hoc group believes that testing scores must be taken into account when determining whether or not a school should be considered for closure.
However, during a series of community meetings held in late February, DCSD officials emphasized that test scores would have no bearing on the schools targeted for closure.
“At the end of the day, testing scores should be a factor in the decisions that are made,” Lubin said. “I don’t want any schools to close, but moving children from a lower-performing school to one that is
high performing makes more sense.” Lubin said comments made by respondents show that families purchased homes specifically so their children could attend Vanderlyn, and that closing it would spur them to move or choose a private school.
“Closing the school would drastically alter our decision to remain in the district,” one person said, while another wrote, “We specifically purchased our home to be in the Vanderlyn school district,” a phrase that was repeated by many respondents.
Parents said they were initially concerned when District 1 Board Member Andrew Ziffer mentioned at a Dunwoody Homeowners Association meeting last July that Vanderlyn could be among schools targeted for closure to address declining enrollment and aging schools.
Announcement surprised many
Lubin said he was reassured at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year that Vanderlyn would not be a candidate for closure because of its superior test results.
“I heard, ‘This school is safe,’ and, ‘There’s no way they can shut us down because we have amazing scores,’” he said. “Nobody thought this would come to fruition.”
Rough Draft contacted Ziffer for comment regarding the survey.
“My job is to ensure that DeKalb County Schools are not just a first choice for our families, but a continued choice – one we earn every single day through strong schools, strong leadership, and real results for students,” Ziffer said in response to the inquiry.
He wrote in an opinion piece published in mid-February that he was surprised by the inclusion of both Vanderlyn and Kingsley on the closure list.
By Hayden Sumlin
Jonathan and Kristen Corley have spent the past year organizing the inaugural Norcross Porchfest, a free, community-driven music festival throughout the historic downtown district on May 2.
The Corleys told attendees at 45 Cafe South that the performance lineup is set and all major sponsorships are secured.
At Norcross Porchfest, bands will perform on front yards and at homes across the historic downtown from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine.
Kristen Corley, the content creator behind the Young Norcross, said taking over the newsletter from Callie Murray in 2022 helped her form the connections needed to make the inaugural porchfest happen. Despite the newsletter’s name, it’s read by residents of all ages.
“It wasn’t a matter of creating a community, it was kind of putting a spotlight on it so that people can find it,” Corley said. “It’s hard to know how to even get involved in the community that you’re in.”
Creator of Norcross Porchfest
North Peachtree Street.
Corley said about 35 performers are scheduled to play 45-minute sets across 12 or 13 front porches during the sixhour festival. A jury of Norcross residents selected the inaugural performers from nearly 50 applications.
“One of my biggest priorities going into this was making sure that we have variety,” Corley said. “I don’t want it to all just be the same music, so we have singersongwriter, acoustic, rock, alternative, jazz, and a cappella.”
City assistance invaluable
For the inaugural Norcross Porchfest, organizers worked with the city to secure needed permits and close some public streets to traffic.
“I’m really grateful to the city for the guidance that they have been able to give us along the way,” Corley said.
Porchfests are annual music festivals that place bands and performers on front porches across a neighborhood. The free, community-driven events have spread across metro Atlanta communities, including Brookhaven, Oakhurst, and Virginia-Highland.
Corley said her team is still looking for resident sponsors and festival volunteers.
On April 11, “porch hosts” will meet at 1 p.m. and volunteers at 2:30 p.m.
“I feel really good about where we’re at with the money that we’ve raised,” Corley said. “We really could use some more resident sponsors to help fill in the gaps in the last-minute needs that we have.”
Local sponsors of the inaugural Norcross Porchfest include Southwest Gwinnett Magazine, the Norcross Downtown Development Authority, BIA Charter School, and several other downtown businesses.
Norcross Porchfest isn’t only about music. The six-hour festival will have food trucks, drink vendors, public restrooms, and a home base at the historic library on
“While they’re not formally a sponsor or promoting this as a ‘city event,’ they’ve been very kind to us.”
With about five weeks until Norcross Porchfest, preparations will ramp up in April.
“We’re going to have T-shirts up on the website for pre-order next week,” Corley said. “We’re also going to be adding a porch decorating contest … the important part is that it’s within walking distance of the festival.”
Corley reminded the crowd that musicians are performing for free, encouraging residents to support them on social media and leave a tip.
Norcross resident Ella Beth, who is performing with her band the Soulsters at 12:15 p.m. at 98 Buchanan Street, said she’s thrilled to share her music with her neighbors.
“I’m not from around here, but I love living here,” Beth said. “I’m really hoping to build more of a local fan base, like a community.”
By Hayden Sumlin
The Norcross City Council discussed financing the construction of the new, $26.9 million public safety building at Buford Highway and Stephens Road during its March 16 policy work session.
In early March, elected officials approved the transfer of $5 million from an electric authority (MEAG) trust fund to provide cash flow for the project and drive down borrowing costs.
While no action was taken at the work session, elected officials seemed to agree that the best course of action was to commit $20 million in existing funds to the project and borrow $6 million over a 20-year term.
Construction on the Norcross Public Safety Building is on schedule, city officials stated in a March 6 progress update. Completion is slated for mid-August, with about half of the project cost already expended.
In March, contractors began drywall installation inside the building, while exterior brickwork and window installation continued to move forward. The city says interior mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work are progressing steadily, with some paving already completed.
Paying for public safety building
Finance Director Jon Robinson said the city used several funding sources for the project, including revenues from RedSpeed school zone cameras, 2023 SPLOST dollars, and the city’s main operating fund.
“These funds were intentionally used to reduce the amount the city would need to borrow and to help minimize long-term financing,” Robinson said. “We’re now asking to secure some remaining funding necessary to ensure that the project continues to be on schedule or completed as planned. This approach, hopefully, will help us lower the cost.”
Ed Wall, the city’s financial adviser and managing director of government at Pipe Sandler, said the city’s estimated annual debt payment ranges from $455,000 to $515,000, depending on its final approval and closure.
“You can carry it for 20 years if you need to,” Wall said. “If things go great, and you do build up cash balances, you can pay it off early after five years from a prepayment bill. I’ll send the bids out to about 50 Georgia banks … It’ll take about two weeks.”
Initially, council members discussed financing more of the project or borrowing more money for construction, in order to keep more cash on hand amid a city revenue crunch. After Wall told them the annual payment would double to about $1 million, elected officials opted for the $6 million in bond financing over 20 years.
At the end of the discussion, elected officials said they would revisit it if future revenue projections change. The bond financing is set for a vote on April 6.
The Georgia General Assembly, scheduled to adjourn on April 2, is considering legislation that could reduce the city’s speed camera and property tax revenue, depending on which versions are signed into law.
A property tax reform bill has cleared the state House of Representatives and awaits approval in the Senate. House Bill 1116 would cap increases to property taxes at 3% annually for all property types, including residential and commercial.
The bill also includes protections against retroactive assessments and ways for local governments to increase sales tax revenue. It’s focused on restraining property tax growth and providing homeowner protections.
Wall said an earlier version of the bill, tied to a constitutional amendment, failed. It would have eliminated all local property taxes on primary residences, or homesteads, by 2032, with larger exemptions and a shift to sales tax revenue.
“All the homestead exemption stuff that took … money away from you without the ability to replace it, that’s gone because the constitutional amendment didn’t pass,” Wall said. “If you adopt a millage rate that’s more than 3% or inflation, whichever is higher … you have to submit that millage rate to your voters for a referendum … if we have a recession
or if your tax digest falls out, you don’t have the room, so you have to lay off police officers … or you’re going to have to put it to the voters.”
Wall said the current bill includes a “straw poll” on November ballots, gauging voters’ desire to eliminate all local property taxes for homestead properties.
City Manager Eric Johnson said he is concerned about legislative actions affecting the city budget during his report to the council. He said they will discuss how to balance the fiscal year 2027 budget during April’s policy work session.
“I’m trying to minimize how much you build into the next 20 years’ worth of budgets because the legislature is looking at opportunities to make balancing future year budgets more difficult,” Johnson said. “Half a million dollars is a heavy lift for us to absorb in the future, and with the cash flow we have, if RedSpeed [funding] lasts one more year, we will have the cash in the bank to help you make that $0.5 million debt payment for the next three years.”
Mayor Craig Newton said city officials have a duty to notify and educate residents if significant revenue impacts clear the legislature, which could jeopardize police funding and other city services.
“The Gwinnett Municipal Association is considering lobbying the state legislature,” Newton said, mentioning a meeting earlier that day. “We’re going to work hard to curtail this if we can.”
By Hayden Sumlin
The Sandy Springs City Council passed a resolution at its March 17 meeting that authorizes a citizen referendum this November on the city’s right to create redevelopment areas and tax allocation districts.
City Attorney Dan Lee said the Sandy Springs legislative delegation requested that city officials approve a resolution affirming their desire to change the city charter and pursue redevelopment powers through a referendum this fall.
“One of the tools we have not made use of is the Georgia Redevelopment
Powers law,” Lee said. “In that, tax [allocation] districts would be allowed, which is a wonderful tool used by many local governments to set aside tax growth in certain areas to be applied to infrastructure improvements and to incentivize private developers to provide certain amenities to a development.”
Redevelopment requires legislation
House Bill 1535, sponsored by all four state legislators in Sandy Springs, would put a citizen referendum on ballots this November if it clears both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly.
“The people of Sandy Springs would have to authorize this,” Lee said.
A city memo says if the referendum is approved by voters, the Sandy Springs City Council could designate redevelopment areas, establish tax allocation districts, and issue tax allocation bonds.
A TAD, or tax increment financing, does not impose a new tax on property owners in a certain district. Instead, it redirects an increment of a geographic area’s property taxes to fund new projects, like mixed-use developments.
Elected officials approved the resolution unanimously without discussion. Council Member Melody Kelley, who represents the west side of the city’s North End, celebrated its approval with a double fist pump.
North End commercial struggles
green space and parking spaces. The development authority’s approval of a tax abatement would not require a legislative change, referendum, or citizen approval.
In KB Advisory Group’s presentation analyzing tax digest trends, consultants said they found North End rents lagging behind the rest of the city’s commercial areas.
“Despite lower rents than the combined averages for the city as a whole, north Sandy Springs consistently has higher vacancies,” the presentation said. “For the past 15 years, vacancies in the area have grown in the office sector, remained stable in the multifamily sector, and decreased in retail.”
Sandy Springs officials have been discussing the redevelopment of the city’s North End along Roswell Road for several years without much movement from developers. At its annual retreat in early February, elected officials discussed the legislative process to create a TAD to support North End redevelopment.
The city council also discussed the next steps for the 2021 North End Revitalization Plan, which lost momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic amid high inflation and borrowing costs.
While no announcement has been made, city officials have encouraged the Sandy Springs Development Authority to pursue conversations with the North River shopping center at 8767-8911 Roswell Road.
Some options the city is evaluating include deals to secure city-owned
■ The council approved a $1.46 million contract with Rhodeside & Harwell, TSW Design, and KB Advisory for the creation of the 2027 Comprehensive Plan, set to be adopted next summer.
■ Elected officials, acting in their roles on the Sandy Springs Public Facilities Authority, approved a $1.45 million contract with Reeves and Young for pre-construction services related to the rebuilding of Fire Station 1 and 4.
■ Council members approved a lease agreement at 8615 Roswell Road for $15,000 a month while Fire Station 1 is being rebuilt. Another $300,000 of capital contingency is earmarked for the temporary station’s build-out.
■ The panel passed an ordinance that heightens regulations on massage parlors and spas through licensing and document requirements, time restrictions, and a mandatory human trafficking awareness program.
By Hayden Sumlin
The Sandy Springs Education Force, a city-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting students and programming at public schools, hosted its 16th annual STEAM Showcase on March 17 at North Springs Charter High School.
Sandy Springs Council Member Andrew Chinsky said the city is really blessed to have 10 amazing public schools with teachers and administrators who work together for students.
“As a parent of a first grader … who’s already learning computer science and engineering, the importance of STEAM to the future and to our kids … you don’t have to convince me,” Chinsky said at the showcase’s reception.
The Sandy Springs Education Force holds the annual showcase to promote curiosity and inspire innovations in STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
North Springs High Principal Scott Hanson gave a shout-out to Fulton School Board Members Katie Gregory and Michelle Morancie in the crowd and promoted the school’s work toward a state certification.
“North Springs has traditionally had a math, science, vision, and performing arts magnet that has supported all the work that goes behind STEAM,” Hanson said.
“A year ago, we embarked on a journey to become a comprehensive STEAM high school certified by the state of Georgia.”
Hanson said the certification process
encourages more collaboration between teachers of different programs, which benefits students during and after high school.
Fulton County Schools continues to construct the new North Springs High on its current campus. The school building is set to open before the 2027-28 school year. After the new $200 million building is complete, athletic fields, parking, and a new stadium will take about another year.
Hanson said it has been stressful, but he’s excited for students to be able to get in there.
Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney said community engagement inside of public schools directly correlates to their success.
“Thank you to the Sandy Springs Education Force for being here and continuing to support this transitioning, transforming vision of public education,” Looney said. “I loved what the new city councilman said about public education. It is literally the backbone of a community.”
During a reception before the two-hour showcase, the North Springs Advanced Orchestra played music. Also, two North Springs Theatre students, Maia Asman and Mason Smith, performed a scene from the school’s ongoing production of “Frozen: The Broadway Musical” and invited the crowd to attend weekend shows.
Mark Twain
By Katie Burkholder
The Tucker Civic Association met for its annual meeting at Northlake Church of Christ on March 26. The meeting covered the progress Tucker’s elected leaders have made toward their first quarter goals, honored the 2026 Citizen of the Year, and took care of administrative business for the non-profit organization.
Mayor Anne Lerner was the featured speaker for the evening. After only 10 weeks in office, she shared the progress her and members of the city council have made toward the priorities outlined for Rough Draft on Jan. 1.
Lerner emphasized the importance of collaboration between her and members of the city council in the wake of Pine Lake Mayor Brandy Hall’s resignation.
In an effort to encourage collaboration, the city council now meets for a monthly work session instead of a second voting meeting, and members of the council unanimously approved a resolution in January to become a certified “City of Civility” as recognized by the Georgia Municipal Association.
To achieve the goal of increased accessibility and transparency in government, closed captioning has been added to meeting videos and public comment is allowed at work sessions as well as regular city council meetings. Members of the city council are also
Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at Tucker City Hall, 1975 Lakeside Pkwy., Ste. 350B, Tucker, GA 30084
• APRIL 6, 4:30 PM Downtown Development Authority
• APRIL 7, 7 PM Zoning Board of Appeals
• APRIL 8, 12 PM
Hike Henderson 2 Meet at tennis courts
• APRIL 13, 7 PM City Council Meeting
• APRIL 15, 10 AM-4 PM ARTucker Festival
Tucker Town Green
• APRIL 16, 7 PM Planning Commission
• APRIL 18, 3-5 PM Sip-N-Stroll Tucker Nature Preserve
• APRIL 18, 4 PM
Hike Henderson 3 Meet at Community Garden Playground
• APRIL 27, 7 PM City Council Meeting
• MAY 1, 7 PM First Friday Concert Trina Meade and Co. Tucker Town Green
• MAY 2, 9 AM-4 PM Tucker Day Main Street
pursuing a “City of Ethics” certification with the Georgia Municipal Association.
Lerner said the council will also establish a vision, mission, and values to inform project priorities and develop a comprehensive participation plan for all city departments to encourage civic engagement.
Looking forward, Lerner said the city leadership plans to add more parking downtown, develop more public art, and explore the addition of pickleball with the Henderson Park master plan.
During the meeting, the Tucker Civic Association also recognized the Citizen of the Year. The honor went to the team behind Tucker First United Methodist Church’s Cold Weather Refuge. During cold nights, the church opens its doors to provide a hot meal, shower, laundry services, and a clean bed to Tucker residents experiencing homelessness. Since November 2025, the church has been open 29 nights and served 76 people.
“We know our neighbors really well,” Don Andersen, the leader of the initiative, said while receiving the award. “We see them on each cold night. We see them on Sundays for lunch. We see them occasionally on Wednesday night dinners at the church. They’re truly our friends and neighbors.”
The Tucker Civic Association closed the meeting by approving the 2026 budget and electing new leadership.
By Laura Scholz
For 21 years, Baraonda Ristorante & Bar was a fixture at the corner of Peachtree and 3rd in Midtown. The lively vibe and blistered wood-fired pizzas made the Italian restaurant a favorite among Fox Theatre patrons and local residents, including Atlantan and film executive Courtney Bennett. In 2021, Baraonda closed in Midtown after 21 years. Owners Costanzo Astarita and Mario Maccarrone wanted to
downsize their Italian restaurant, opting to relocate it to a smaller space at the Adley City Springs apartment complex in Sandy Springs. Baraonda reopened a year later, and Bennett was among the restaurant’s longtime regulars who traveled from the city to embrace the new Sandy Springs location.
When Baraonda was in Midtown, Bennett would walk to the restaurant from his former home in Brookwood Hills to meet up with his twin brother who lived in the neighborhood. Sometimes he’d grab a late dinner at Baraonda after a show at the Fox.
“People like me were kind of shocked when Baraonda left Midtown,” said Bennett. “I thought the restaurant had permanently closed, but a friend told me it moved over to Sandy Springs, so I came to try it out.”
Bennett now lives in Vinings, part of a broader trend that saw many intown residents moving to the suburbs following the COVID-19 pandemic. Astarita said with sluggish post-pandemic dining traffic and regulars moving away from the city in favor of the suburbs, it made sense to relocate Baraonda to Sandy Springs. He’s happy loyal customers like Bennett continued to dine at the restaurant after the move.
Consistent food and service and a communal atmosphere at Baraonda make Bennett a Wednesday night regular. He prefers to sit at the bar and share a bottle of half-priced wine with friends, while enjoying pasta like creamy penne norcina with Italian sausage, a dish inspired by Astarita’s Italian heritage.
Moving Baraonda to Sandy Springs,
however, did mean losing the wood-fired pizza oven and nixing pizza from the menu. There just wasn’t enough space to accommodate the oven at the new location. Instead, the restaurant serves Roman pinsas (flatbread) topped with cheeses and ingredients like prosciutto or a trio of Calabrese salami, Italian sausage, and ‘nduja spiked with Calabrese peppers.
Other dishes like lasagna and spaghetti bolognese—both with a hearty beef, veal, and pork ragu—riff on family recipes from Astarita’s childhood growing up on the island of Capri.
Two of Bennett’s favorite dishes at Baraonda include the veal parmesan and a dry-aged ribeye served with roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled broccolini.
“I really appreciate how they’ve grown the menu [in Sandy Springs]. It’s a nice, approachable Italian restaurant, where everyone can get something they like,” said Bennett.
Despite the relocation and changes to the menu, Baraonda keeps attracting a core group of regulars, from families with young children gathering for pasta dinners to people meeting up for a post-work happy hour over espresso martinis at the bar.
And, without even knowing it, Bennett became a regular at Bonu Taverna Italiana in St. Petersburg, a restaurant he dines at when visiting friends in Florida that just so happens to be owned by Maccarrone and his wife.
“As a restaurant owner, there’s nothing better than having regulars and knowing they’re following you for good food, good service, and a comfortable ambiance,” Astarita said.
Conveniently located halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, Lake Oconee offers an unforgettable experience during Masters week. From luxurious lodging to savoring a delectable meal, there are plenty of ways to indulge during your stay. For golf lovers, the area’s six stunning courses provide the perfect opportunity to test your skills while soaking in the beauty of Greene County. Lake Oconee is the ideal.destination to make the most of Masters week.
Celebrate one of the biggest sporting events in the world by letting The Ritz-Carlton be your premier destination. Culinary experiences, championship golf courses, and a newly transformed spa welcome you back after a visit to Augusta National.
A stylish Lake Oconee restaurant featuring a delightful menu. Guests can enjoy generous cuts of meat, seafood, and family sides, all with the perfect wine pairing.
Oconee Cove
Hidden behind a wall of tales is Lake Oconee’s only speakeasy. Oconee Cove beckons you to indulge in an unparalleled collection of rare spirits and small plates.
Indulge in the ultimate Italian experience. Savor homemade pizza and pasta inspired by authentic recipes. Enjoy fine wine and al fresco dining.
Gaby’s
You can watch The Masters at the bar while enjoying Master inspired cocktails and beer. They also offer the perfect golf snacks like BBQ pork nachos.
Immerse in the opulence of the spa, boasting redesigned spaces and innovative treatments. Choose from body treatments, specialized massages, custom-tailored facials, and four signature wellness treatments.
There’s no better time to explore golfing in Greensboro to elevate your experience! The courses at Lake Oconee are a must-add to your Masters checklist. Designed by legendary architects, these courses offer an unforgettable blend of challenge and beauty.
Named one of the top three places to play in the state of Georgia by Golfweek, Harbor Club is the only public course in Greene County and a must do on your golf checklist!
If you’re staying at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, or one of the cottages or condos through Reynolds Lake Oconee Vacation Rentals, you’ll have access to the incredible Reynolds’ courses: Great Waters, Landing, Preserve, National, and Oconee.
Offering an integration of superior equipment technology with golf instruction, The Kingdom at Reynolds Lake Oconee is one of only two such facilities in the country, providing guests with an exclusive retreat for full-game improvement.
No visit to Greensboro is complete without savoring the flavors of our unique local cuisine, with a variety of charming restaurants and hidden gems, there’s something to delight every palate.
Nestled in the heart of historic downtown Greensboro, The Yesterday Café is a beloved
Southern eatery known for its warm hospitality, charming atmosphere, and signature Buttermilk Pie—a dessert so famous it has been featured in Southern Living.
Grab a breakfast sammie and a cup of coffee on your way out to Augusta. This cute café serves breakfast, lunch, and pastries Monday thru Saturday.
Table at the Lake is an upscale restaurant located in Greensboro. They focus on thoughtfully sourced ingredients and seasonal menus. Open for dinner or Sunday brunch. The Spanish octopus is a must try!
After soaking up all the action at the Masters Tournament, treat yourself to a memorable dinner at The Silver Moon — a beloved local favorite. Insider tip: when you arrive there is no hostess, just write your name on the chalkboard by the door.
If you’re planning to make Lake Oconee your base while attending the Masters Tournament - you’ll want reliable transportation for the roughly hour and a half drive to Augusta. While renting a car is one option, two local professional services stand out for comfort, convenience, and a stress-free travel experience.
For visitors who want a professional, comfortable ride without the hassles of driving, RTSO offers premium ground transportation services tailored to events like the Masters. Their fleet includes luxury sedans, SUVs, and larger vehicles.
If you’re looking for a more upscale or group-friendly option, Lake Oconee Limo provides luxury transportation to Augusta, nearby airports, and surrounding cities. With a fleet that includes premium sedans, SUVs, and limo sprinter vans.
Find your reason to stay a little longer
By Sammie Purcell
Over the past year, I’ve spoken to numerous filmmakers, locally and nationally, who have started to take distribution of their films into their own hands.
You have the creative team behind the restaurant industry horror film “We’re So Dead” encouraging people to rent the film through their website. Izzy Roland’s film “D(e)ad” had a non-traditional theatrical run without help from film festivals or a traditional distributor. On a slightly larger scale, YouTuber Mark Fischbach (better known by his username, Markiplier) self-financed his adaptation of the video game “Iron Lung” and then encouraged his fanbase to request that the film screen at their local theater.
Independent cinema has always skirted the norm. But rejection of the traditional distribution model – where film distributors buy movies out of film festivals or elsewhere and release them via streaming or theatrical – has become a prevalent option for smaller filmmakers looking to get their work seen. And, in local filmmaker Aaron Strand’s case, to prove there is a market for these types of movies.
Strand’s film “Withdrawal,” about two
lovers trying to make it through a night of heroine withdrawal so they can start their lives fresh in the morning, premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival last year and continued on a successful festival run throughout 2025. Then, earlier this year, Strand announced that “Withdrawal” would play for a week-long run at the Plaza Theatre on Jan. 30, followed by another week-long stint at Ciné Athens (in the city where Strand grew up and where the film takes place) beginning on Feb. 6. The screenings were co-hosted by community partners, and included things like Q&As and short films from local filmmakers in addition to the main event.
Strand wanted to do a week-long run for a few reasons. One, it would allow the film to track on Comscore, which tracks movie theater data nationally. But, the idea also came out of recognizing the limitations of a festival run for a film like “Withdrawal.”
“I think we are in many ways a perfect microcosm of the benefits, but also the structural problems of film festivals in general,” Strand said.
“Withdrawal” has played at many festivals, from the Rome International Film Festival just up the road to the Kanazawa Film Festival in Japan. But, while Strand was happy with the festivals the film was
getting into, it wasn’t making its way into some of the more prestigious, name brand events. What’s more, Strand kept receiving notes from festival programmers telling him how much they liked the film, while still ultimately not deciding to program it.
For Strand, this pattern illuminated greater structural issues in the film festival ecosystem.
“All of this is taking place in a context where there are way more films than there are slots in festivals,” he said. “The core problem is over-supply, under-demand. Everything waterfalls down from that.”
The number of films at film festivals vary by size. By my count, the Atlanta Film Festival programmed just under 50 features last year – and that included repertory screenings like “Taxi Driver” and some “Star Wars” films. This year’s Sundance Film Festival programmed 90 features – but, as the saying goes, Sundance has a lower acceptance rate than Harvard.
Many film festivals put an emphasis on having premiere screenings at their festivals (Atlanta had 24 world premieres last year out of 132 total works, including shorts). Festivals also like to program films that have done very well at some of the bigger festivals, as well as films from local
filmmakers to drive ticket sales (in 2024, more than 24 percent of the films at the Atlanta Film Festival had ties to Georgia filmmakers).
So, outside of Georgia in particular, finding space for a movie like “Withdrawal” can be tricky.
“There’s not a lot of room for a film like ours – that was made for a very low budget, that has no recognizable celebrities, did not get the yes on one of the top five film festivals in the country,” Strand said.
But, despite those rejections, “Withdrawal” seemed to be resonating with audiences, in person and on Letterboxd (as of the writing of this article, the film has an average of 3.7 out of 5 stars from 189 reviews). The film won numerous major awards, including best narrative feature at the Art of BKLYN Film Festival, the Athens Film Festival, and the Macon Film Festival. But a generally positive audience response from a relatively small sample size doesn’t necessarily sell the film when it comes to distribution.
“We did not have the sort of festival credibility that set us up to get any sort of distribution deal,” Strand said. “Or, even if we went the route of using an aggregator to put our film on streaming ourselves, we did not have the clout and the reputation to really reach a broad audience.”
So, how does a small film like this prove its merit? How does an indie filmmaker prove that there is a market for a film like this outside of its festival run? Strand decided to prove it by putting the film in theaters on his own terms.
He had a bit of a head start – he regularly hosts screenings at the Plaza through his podcast, “Behind the Slate,” so the connection was there. But getting people to come out and see a screening of Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low” or Walter Hill’s “The Warriors” is a little different than convincing them to see a movie they haven’t heard of.
“You’re trying to teach people to come out and take a risk on something that they have no context for, that has no star actor that they could put their trust in,” Strand said. “That’s a very different type of storytelling, of why people should trade their hard-earned money, but more importantly their time, to come take a risk on something that is really an unknown quantity for them.”
At first, the film struggled with circumstances beyond its control. Its
Continued on page 24
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opening night coincided with “ICE Out Everywhere” protests, with a general blackout on shopping, school, and work called for on Jan. 30. Many small businesses, including the Plaza, opted to stay open and help the movement in other ways (“Withdrawal” donated all of the money from their ticket sales that evening to the Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition). The next day, a snowstorm hit, limiting attendance even further.
“We kind of stumbled out of the gate,” Strand said. “However, the goal of running for seven days, not only will more people have a chance to come see the film, but word of mouth will grow.”
And grow it did. According to Strand, the last four Atlanta screenings were completely sold out. According to data provided by Plaza Theatre owner Chris Escobar, “Withdrawal” had the highest perscreening average for ticket sales of any new release that played at the Plaza that week. The film saw similar success in Athens, and Strand said he is in talks to continue this type of week-long engagement at other independent cinemas across the region, using the data from these first two runs to prove that this is a model that can work.
Strand has other projects in the works, including a new feature script he has co-written with artist and activist Jessica
Blinkhorn. As for “Withdrawal,” Strand said the lessons from this experience haven’t quite coalesced yet, but he does have a few take-aways. While he believes in the power of a festival run, he won’t ever play “festival roulette” again and plans to be more intentional about which ones he submits to. Also, the experience has made him think more critically about how to really sell a movie.
“That sounds kind of dirty – it sounds like an adulteration of art. But I don’t feel that way,” he said. “I think that the magic of having an idea, having something that convinces somebody to sacrifice their time and pay money to come see a movie in a theater, is a beautiful thing.”
He’s also leaving behind the idea that you always need to have your film seen on the biggest, most prestigious screen possible. One good thing about the increased globalization of our world is that you don’t have to be in those bigger cities to participate in film culture, and throughout the “Withdrawal” run, he’s seen firsthand how hungry audiences in smaller areas outside of New York and L.A. are for independent cinema.
“Each of these towns have this little cohort of cinema nerds that are super stoked. And because of the internet, they know all the same sh*t as any of these effete artistic insiders in New York and L.A.,” Strand said. “They’re on Letterboxd. They read the trades. They read the film news. They’re on it!”
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By Cathy Cobbs
Parents in the DeKalb County Lakeside attendance cluster have done a decades-deep probe into HPM and its vice president, Tracy Richter, finding that facility planning campaigns he has led for more than two decades have a history of mixed and financially disastrous results.
HPM is the consulting company hired by the DeKalb County School District and its disgraced former superintendent, Devon Q. Horton, to identify underutilized schools as part of a sweeping Student Assignment Project that could cost the district an estimated $1.5 to $2 billion to implement.
It calls for the closure of several highperforming schools, including Vanderlyn, Ashford Park, and Oak Grove elementary schools.
According to HPM’s website, its work with the DCSD will provide “full-service planning and program management for the school district, which plans to implement a number of renovations and new construction projects to accommodate evolving enrollment and modernize aging facilities.”
The group has researched Richter and his past affiliations with other companies doing similar work to HPM,
and found that of the 22 documented engagements with school systems around the country, seven were assessed as having negative results.
The 12-part analysis, produced by Oak Grove parent Thomas Brown, who is a director of a large impact investing firm, found that six of the engagements where closures that were recommended had been rejected or abandoned.
Of the remaining engagements, five were designated as having mixed results, eight were rated as having a neutral or pending impact, and only one, which didn’t involve any school closures, was assessed as having a positive result.
The analysis is accompanied by a 22-page list of its sources, which references school district documents, news stories, audit reports, master plans, bid documents, and other material to support its conclusions.
One of the documents, entitled “The Full Track Record,” traced Richter’s employment at several companies, including DeJong-Richter, Cooperative Strategies, and HPM. It categorized the outcomes of 22 engagements, which it analyzed as:
■ Positive: Plan worked as intended, no major issues
■ Mixed: Partial success, community pushback modified plan
■ Negative: Documented harm, plan rejected, or significant problems
■ Neutral/Pending: No closure component, or too early to assess
Here are the details from Brown’s report that Rough Draft researched.
In Philadelphia, DeJong-Richter, working with URS Corp., implemented a $2.8 billion plan to close 30 schools and consolidate five others, displacing 10,000 to 15,000 students. About 80% of the displaced students were Black or lowincome.
A report generated by the City of Philadelphia controller in 2013, however, called the district’s cost-savings projections “misleading” and estimated that the value loss of the blighted property would approach $86 million. It also questioned the reasoning behind closing highperforming schools.
“… we question whether the closure plan is adequately linked to the District’s stated commitment to ‘improving academic outcomes,’” the report said. “In approximately one-third of the proposed closures and relocations, students will be leaving a better-performing school for a worse-performing school, according to the District’s own indices.”
“Research on closures and relocations suggests that student outcomes only improve if students transfer to higherperforming schools than those they leave. In addition, thousands of families may face significant obstacles created by the
Continued on page 28
Continued from page 26
school transfers, some of which will mean that students will be forced to travel into unfamiliar neighborhoods to attend new schools,” the controller’s report continued.
An article in the February Philly Voice regarding another round of proposed school closures recalled that when the system closed two dozen schools as a cost-cutting measure in 2013, “it resulted in thousands of students being displaced, academic performance worsening around the city, and buildings being left vacant for over a decade.”
“Last month, the city proposed shuttering another 20 schools starting in 2027-2028, leaving some teachers, elected officials, and community members fearful that another wave of closures will have similar ramifications,” the article said.
Austin, TX
DeJong-Richter and several subcontractors were paid $893,796 and recommended closing a dozen or more high-achieving schools, according to media reports.
The community backlash led to the formation of a group called “Save Austin Schools,” which argued that the data assumptions within the report were “out-of-date, misinterpreted, or just flat out wrong,” according to a report in The Austin Chronicle.
After the protest, several schools were removed from the final closure plan.
The Austin school district, again facing financial trouble, in 2025 voted to close 10 schools before the 2026-2027 school year, reassigning 3,796 students and eliminating 6,319 seats. In this round of closures, however, seven of the 10 had received three consecutive F ratings under the state accountability system.
From 2015 to 2022, Cooperative Strategies worked with the school district to create a Master Facilities Plan, according to a report on the Worthington City Schools website.
The plan was phased in with financing
from an $89 million bond in 2018, followed by a $234 million bond in the second phase, for a total of $323 million.
“This plan provided capacity for our elementary schools by moving 6th grade to the middle school buildings in the fall of 2021. It addressed our aging buildings by rebuilding Worthingway and Perry Middle School while adding on to McCord and Kilbourne Middle Schools,” the report said.
Brown’s report indicated that Worthington schools have maintained their high academic ratings and assessed the project outcome as positive in its Full Track Record report.
DCSD, SAP sent analysis
Brown told Rough Draft that he sent the analysis package on March 17 to DCSD board members, Interim Superintendent Dr. Norman Sauce, and the email contact address for SAP representatives.
In the email, he said the utilization problem is “an isolated, addressable
challenge” that could be solved primarily by investing in South DeKalb schools.
“Attached is the full track record of HPM. Their projects consistently overpromise and underdeliver. When this is over, HPM moves on. You do not. Your constituents do not. The children of this community do not,” Brown’s email said. “The problem today is isolated. Please review the attachments before committing to a plan that spreads it everywhere.”
After sending the data, Brown said he received acknowledgement from several school board members and Sauce, thanking him for the input and encouraging him to attend the second round of engagement meetings scheduled for March 23-27.
Rough Draft contacted DCSD representative Carla Parker for comment regarding Brown’s analysis package.
“The District is currently in the round 2 scenario engagement phase and will take all feedback submitted, including this, into consideration,” she said in an email sent March 25.
By Dr. Ken Stein
The author is the founding president and chief content officer of the Atlanta-based Center for Israel Education.
Iran in March 2026 announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. For Tehran, it is the easiest and potentially most consequential response to the military pummeling it is receiving daily from the United States and Israel.
As other countries along major waterways in the Middle East have done in the past hundred years, Iran is using its geographic contiguity and control over a critical transit point as a political weapon. Egypt and Turkey control the Suez Canal and the Bosporus, respectively, and have shut them down in the past to achieve political outcomes against enemies. Unlike the Strait of Hormuz, where only one shore is Iranian, the Suez Canal and Bosporus are controlled on both sides by one sovereign state.
The Iranian Islamic Republic seeks to maintain exclusive control over the Strait of Hormuz for an indefinite period. Closure will shock the world economy over the short, intermediate and long terms, forcing the U.S. military and willing allies to physically open the strait and keep it open. But that effort would tie up forces in the strait for a prolonged period and generate economic hardship and political wrangling that would harm Iran’s bitterest of enemies. And it notably would elevate Iran as a world-class player in determining global consumption of oil, gas, other fuels,
distillates, sulfur, lubricants, synthetics, plastics, medicines, fertilizers and so much more.
Controlling the strait exclusively adds massive Iranian influence over the world’s economies for decades to come. For a regime that seeks to undermine individual freedoms, liberty and democracy and to promote anti-Western and antisemitic beliefs, any Iranian success could reshape power alliances.
The Strait of Hormuz is a 104-milelong waterway that connects the Persian Gulf in the north with the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean in the south. While the strait is 21 miles wide, only 6 to 10 miles are employed for ships to pass each other in opposite directions. Before the war more than 20% of the world’s oil and gas passed through the strait.
Iran’s present and future depend on oil production and sales, which are tied to access through the strait. According to open sources, 20% to 25% of the country’s GDP in 2025-2026 comes from the oil and gas sector, as do 80% of Iran’s export revenues. And oil and gas pay for almost 50% of the military and security budget. Stop the oil revenue flowing to the regime, and the regime is slowly undermined. But it will not immediately disappear, and it is not easily overthrown because officials reportedly have stashed billions of dollars in foreign accounts.
According to open analyses and reporting, notably beginning in the last years of the Shah’s reign in the 1970s, when the price of a barrel of oil quadrupled after the 1973 Middle East war, his family siphoned off some $2 billion a year to
themselves and to a small, favored elite.
When the Islamic clerical regime took over, it transferred some of the Shah’s wealth into its own funding mechanisms, then for the next 45 years diverted an average of $10 billion to $20 billion a year in oil revenues to the regime’s maintenance, including billions of dollars to the coercive elites who keep it in power, including the Islamic Republican Guard Corps.
Exclusive control of the Strait of Hormuz has a direct impact on the regime’s access to the flow and pricing of petrowealth and affects its ability to pressure and
coerce its Arab Gulf neighbors, all of whom have multiple military and economic relationships with the United States, Iran’s most detested foe.
The controlled flow of oil enables Iran to support and finance ideological allies and proxies (Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, Iraqi Shia militias, possibly sleeper cells and others).
By Cathy Cobbs
Eighty-year-old CharleAnne Sher has been feeding 20 TNR (trap, neuter, return) cats at Estuary Apartments near Henderson Mill Road for 12 years as part of Lifeline Animal Project’s Community Cat Program.
That is, until apartment managers told her to stop, leaving the unadoptable cats in a real-life Catch 22.
“I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the heart,” Sher said. “These cats will die very
cruel deaths because of this situation.”
Sher said she has been diagnosed with severe depression, and her mission to care for the 20 Estuary cats has been “the joy of my life.”
The Estuary cats are in an untenable position, said Catharine Tipton of Kirk Cats, a volunteer group that was started in 2014 by neighbors concerned about the plight of free-roaming cats in the Kirkwood neighborhood. The group has grown to include 2,700 trappers in DeKalb County and beyond.
“Estuary Apartments have a long history of tenants moving out of the apartments and leaving their cats behind,” Tipton said. “We have trapped at least 20 cats there over the years as part of the program, but as community cats, many are not suitable for adoption.”
Community cats defined
Community cats, according to DeKalb Lifeline website, “are free-roaming cats who can be feral from lack of human interaction. Before LifeLine brought TNR to Atlanta, community cats were routinely picked up, taken to county shelters, and euthanized.”
Now, thanks to TNR, cats are trapped, neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped (to identify them as neutered), and returned back to their neighborhoods,” the narrative continued.
More than 55,000 cats have been funneled through the TNR program, which serves 35 counties in Georgia, according to DeKalb Lifeline’s website. It receives 700 requests a month through the program.
Feeder says she was ‘followed and harassed’
Sher, who uses her own money to feed and care for the cats, said she was “followed and harassed” by management during one of her routine trips to the complex in January.
“A person, who had no identification and didn’t give his name, was standing near my car,” Sher said. “He said, ‘You know you can’t feed these cats anymore.’”
On a subsequent feeding trip in February, Sher said two men in golf carts followed her, and again reiterated that she was not allowed to tend to the animals, whose feeding station is located in a remote area on the 55-acre property.
“I said I needed to speak to someone in management, and wrote down my name and number, and asked them to call me,” Sher said. “Nobody called me, and now, I’m afraid to go back.”
Kirk Cats representatives have pleaded with DeKalb County officials to no avail for help in negotiating the continuation of the Community Cats program at Estuary, which claims, on its website, is a petfriendly community.
Attempts at compromise rebuffed
“On January 27, Sonali Saindane, chair of the DeKalb County Animal Advisory Board, wrote to Animal Enforcement Services Director Natasha Wallen regarding a situation at the Estuary Apartments concerning a managed colony of approximately 20 cats and its dedicated caregiver of 12 years, who has recently been harassed by new management,” said the email to DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and the county’s board of commissioners. “Ms. Saindane requested assistance from AE [animal enforcement] so the caretaker could continue to provide food for the cats and monitor the colony.”
“Ms. Wallen responded by saying she called Estuary Apartments and that ‘management advised that there has been a noticeable increase in coyote activity in the area . . . ; the decision to restrict feeding on the property was made by apartment management in the interest of overall safety’ and that her phone conversation had ‘addressed the concern to the extent of our authority,’” the email continued.
By Sarra Sedghi
With the clock ticking until the FIFA World Cup matches begin in June, local media got an update on preparations from the city’s host committee.
The press conference included a peek at the newly installed turf – a temporary, highquality natural grass field, featuring a hybrid blue-rye mix with synthetic components for stability. The Colorado-grown sod meets FIFA standards for the eight matches and a semifinal.
There were also transportation and city readiness updates, a preview of the FIFA Fan Festival itinerary and attractions, and an art installation. The latter is part of the World Cup Mile, a public art installation guiding fans to the stadium.
Officials providing updates reaffirmed Atlanta’s preparedness as a World Cup host city. Panelists included Dan Corso, President of Atlanta Sports Council and the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee, Bev Carey, the FIFA Atlanta Host City Director, and Tim Zulawski, President of Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment.
Representatives from MARTA, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Atlanta airport, and the city also updated the media on the progress of everything
from signage and beautification efforts to increased staffing citywide ahead of the global soccer event.
MARTA and airport updates
MARTA continues to implement major improvements leading up to the World Cup, including a billiondollar renovation program at stations in downtown Atlanta, Decatur, and Dunwoody. New wayfinding and signage to aid nonEnglish speakers and multilingual advances in MARTA announcements are also underway, along with the installation of new tap-to-pay faregates and ticket vending machines.
Jonathan Hunt, interim General Manager and CEO of MARTA, outlined match day strategies, like increased rail service, shorter wait times between trains, and two dozen additional buses as backups. He then unveiled new white transit ambassador uniforms for World Cup game days and a limited-run MARTA World Cup breeze card.
Augustus Hudson, General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, said the airport continues to focus on concessions, wayfinding strategies, and security efforts. Hudson touted the airport featuring direct access to hundreds of national and international flights daily, along with its close proximity to Atlanta via car and public transportation.
Jobs update
Katie Kirkpatrick, President and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, assured the press that the World Cup would not impede the day-to-day operations of businesses, residents, and commuters, especially Downtown.
“I was here in 1996 [for the Olympics] and it was like a ghost town. I think everyone was really concerned about traffic impacts and that they were not going to be able to get to their offices. That is not the case with [the World Cup],” she said.
“We still need business to operate as normal during those time periods,” Kirkpatrick continued. “Business does not stop just because the World Cup is here. If anything, we’re enhancing the experience for employees.”
Kirkpatrick suggested ways Atlanta’s workforce can support local businesses while enjoying the festivities surrounding the World Cup. Examples include hosting inoffice watch parties catered by independent Atlanta restaurants and encouraging
employees to attend metro Atlanta World Cup fan events.
Representatives from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) announced the Last Mile, an art installation that SCAD Dean of Academic Services Honor Bowman said will ensure “smooth crowd movement [to the stadium], while delivering a world-class fan journey that celebrates Atlanta’s identity.”
SCAD representatives displayed a piece of the art installation during the March 12 update, a soccer ball selfie wall that lights up.
Georgia World Congress Center Authority CCO Joe Bocherer and Atilla Meis, producer of FIFA Fan Festival, shared a broad overview of the event’s itinerary throughout the World Cup.
Meis also unveiled FIFA Fan Festival’s theme, “Welcome Home.”
FIFA Fan Festival will feature a main stage for watching matches, a playground for families, a small community soccer pitch, and Georgia Street, laying out what the state has to offer beyond the World Cup. The festival is now accepting vendor applications for Georgia Street.
FIFA Fan Festival will operate on all Atlanta match days, and on a handful of nonmatch days. The free event at Centennial Olympic Park will run June 12-15, June 17-21, and June 24, 26, and 27, as well as on July 1, 7, 14, and 15.
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