Letters to the Editor

Briarlake Parents to Ellis: Stop Cell Phone Towers or Lose Our Votes

No Briarlake Tower, a group of parents opposing the construction of a cell phone tower at their school, has a warning for county CEO Burrell Ellis.

On Wednesday, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners delivered a letter to county CEO Burrell Ellis recommending that he instruct the Office of Planning and Sustainability to deny building permits for cell towers proposed on county school campuses. No Briarlake Tower, a group formed by parents, PTA members and neighbors of Briarlake Elementary School, would like to express its appreciation to the board of commissioners for responding to the concerns of its constituents. In contrast to the ill-considered obstinacy of the board of education, the commissioners' clear commitment to existing zoning policies and its focus on restricting the school board's actions to educational purposes reflect an admirable commitment to good government. We …

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Cheryl Miller

3:10 am on Friday, April 6, 2012

Diane, what meeting are you referring to? When was the first T-mobile and school board folks meeting you are talking about? I'm from the Brockett area, not Briarlake. We also fought and won. First I heard anything was in May when the flyers came home. MLK folks said their PTA knew back in October 2010, same time Briarlake Foundation was set up to receive funds. Could that be the reason they …   more ›

County Commissioners Seek to Kill School Cell Towers

The board asked the county Thursday to deny permits to T-Mobile, which, under an agreement with the school system, plans to build nine cell phone towers on school properties countywide, including Briarlake Elementary and Lakeside High schools.

The DeKalb County Board of Education's plans to build cell phone towers at nine schools countywide, including Briarlake Elementary and Lakeside High, violates a county ordinance, and building permits for those projects should be denied, county commissioners said Thursday. In a letter to county CEO Burrell Ellis, signed by all seven commissioners, the board said the school system and T-Mobile are illegally trying to circumvent county zoning regulations through a state law that says government property is exempt from local zoning ordiances if the property is being used for a governmental purpose. The letter represents the first public pushback from county officials on an issue that has enflamed some vocal residents of communities across the …

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Rader: Smoking Vote a Disappointment

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners' Sept. 13 decision to vote down a proposal to ban smoking in all public places, including parks and all businesses, was disheartening.

The primary mission of government is to protect the “health, safety and welfare” of its constituents, so the good health of DeKalb County’s citizens should be one of the Board of Commissioners’ (BOC) highest priorities. That’s what makes the BOC’s Sept. 13 decision to vote down a proposal to ban smoking in all public places, including parks and all businesses, disheartening. DeKalb has long been a leader in smoking cessation. The county’s existing ordinance bans smoking in all enclosed workplaces (including most businesses), but it exempts bars and adult entertainment establishments—basically any business that anyone 17 or under cannot enter. The exemption is what the DeKalb County Board of Health, Commissioner Gannon and I sought to …

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Jonathan Cribbs

9:20 pm on Monday, October 10, 2011

I don't have a position on the matter, but isn't second-hand smoke a concern? It's not just about telling adults they can't do something, right?   more ›

DeKalb Commissioners Get Immunized

Brookhaven commissioners get their flu shots during Tuesday's meeting.

Flu season has arrived, and to stress the importance of immunization, the DeKalb County Board of Health delivered flu shots to every member of the board of commissioners during Tuesday's meeting, including District 6 Commissioner Kathie Gannon, and Jeff Rader of District 2. Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, director of the department, also gave a short address on taking proper precautions during flu season.

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Officials: Commissioners Districts 3, 5 Could See Big Changes

Commissioners Jeff Rader and Kathie Gannon said Thursday night that recent population shifts could lead to major reapportionment in south DeKalb.

Population growth patterns reflected in the 2010 Census could mean significant changes to DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Districts 3 and 5, county officials said Thursday night. DeKalb County Commissioners Jeff Rader (District 2) and Kathie Gannon (Super District 6) hosted the gathering at the One DeKalb Resource Center in Northlake Mall to discuss the impact of recent population shifts on the county’s political borders.   Although the Atlanta area has experienced drastic growth, Dekalb grew at a slower pace than bordering counties, said Mike Alexander, research division chief at the Atlanta Regional Commission. “Metro Atlanta was the growth engine for the state,” he said. “DeKalb really didn’t grow that fast.”   The county’s 3.9 …

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Is It Time to Slow Down on Knob Hill Drive?

A traffic calming resolution aimed at Knob Hill Drive passed at the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday. This begins the start of a 90-day petition process for the neighborhood.

Speedsters beware! The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a traffic calming petition Tuesday for Knob Hill Drive off of North Druid Hills Road. The petition would seek to start a process to prevent speeding along Knob Hill Drive by measures yet to be determined. An engineer has been retained but specifics have not been finalized. The resolution was deferred from last week’s meeting after a recommendation was made to notify neighbors of the area with fliers. The initiators of the resolution will now have 90 days to acquire 65 percent approval signatures from neighbors affected by the proposal. Members of the public were not available to speak in favor or against the item, but Transportation Coordinating Committee Member David …

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Jonathan Cribbs

12:06 pm on Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Here's a link to the county's step-by-step petition process: http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/publicwrks/transportation/tr_planningEngineering.html   more ›

County Looking at Another Land Purchase in Oak Grove?

After the county agreed to buy about 6 acres in the community earlier this month, Commissioner Jeff Rader said he's also interested in 17 acres nearby.

Could Oak Grove soon see a second land purchase for a future park two weeks after DeKalb County agreed to buy about 6 acres on Lavista Road? District 2 Commissioner Jeff Rader wants the county to review a 17-acre tract owned by Ed Nelms Jr. about a mile east off Lavista Road, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Nelms is asking for $6 million for the land, below the $7.5 million price tag he said he was offering residential developers. The land–as well as the 6 acres the county purchased July 12–is part of the Mount Zion community, a black farming community that emerged after Emancipation. Rader has said he's actively seeking to purchase land in his district because it's one of the most well-developed areas in the county, but it wasn…

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Jonathan Cribbs

3:30 am on Sunday, July 24, 2011

Nope, Tom. You were right. It's District 2. I was moving too fast that morning. You write something correctly for years, and then when you're not paying attention... Regardless, I've added the correction. Thanks for the note.   more ›

County Buys Lavista Land for $1.78M

The sale price for the 6.2 acres is nearly $200,000 less than the price that caused controversy over the last month. The county plans to use the land to create a park.

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted today to purchase 6.2 acres on Lavista Road for $1.78 million – nearly $200,000 less than the initial negotiated sales price. The board deferred the land purchase over the last month after the land's $1.96 million price bristled some commissioners and residents who said they believed or worried the county was paying far too much for the land considering its county-assessed value is $393,000. The county must still close on the land, and then it will organize meetings with the community to determine how the park will be developed, said District 2 Commissioner Jeff Rader. The land is good for a park, he said, because it sits on a major artery (Lavista Road) in an activity center (the Oak Grove …

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Boyer Lashes Out at County CEO Over Public Safety Tax

The District 1 commissioner said she is upset with Burrell Ellis because his office has not separated the county's police budget from the rest of the county budget, making it more politically vulnerable.

The following letter from DeKalb County's District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer was sent to county CEO Burrell Ellis today. There aren't enough words for me to express my disappointment and astonishment at your mid-year budget proposal for DeKalb County. There are many reasons ranging from estimated revenue to expenditures. But what I would specifically like to address in this letter today zeroes in on the most critical role in county government – public safety. You have utterly failed to abide by legislation adopted by the General Assembly this year to separate out the levy for DeKalb Police Services in a Special Tax District – a fund designated to protect the most vital service this county provides its citizens. In all its wisdom, the …

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PatchCast: The Week In Review

The week's top headlines for June 27-July 1, 2011

Meet APS Candidates for Superintendent. Young Undocumented Immigrants Arrested at State Capitol. Smyrna State Rep Weighs in on Immigration Controversy. DeKalb Commission Hopes for Better Price on LaVista Property. Preschool Shooting Evidence: Fake Beard, Travel Receipts and Neighbor. Elena Parent: We Can Take Our Time With Cityhood Proposal. Druid Hills Golf Club Plays Host to 4th Dogwood Invitational. DAR Leader: Why the 4th of July is Important. Veteran, Pilot Shares His Thoughts on the 4th of July.

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