During the Sandy Springs City Council’s Dec. 3 meeting, council members voted to approve funding for several local nonprofits.

City Councilman Gabriel Sterling voted against it because he doesn’t support giving taxpayer money to nonprofits.

The money went to the following organizations:

Sandy Springs Education Force  – $15,000

Child Development Association – $9,990

Heritage Sandy Springs – $2,862

Senior Services North Fulton – $2,500

Art Sandy Springs – $6,000

Act3 Productions – $10,000

National Council of Jewish Women – $3,000

Total Grant Awards: $49,352.00

Also, Fulton County has approved the sale of a piece of property City Council voted to purchase. City Council on Dec. 3 approved purchasing  21.74 acres along Old Riverside Drive from Fulton County for $1.5 million.

The city intends to turn the property, located across from the Marsh Creek Pumping Station, into a park. As part of the agreement, Fulton County would have a perpetual access easement across the property to allow the county to access the pump station. The city has been considering the purchase since 2011.

City Councilman Chip Collins said news of the planned park caught some constituents by surprise. He said there have been numerous meetings about it and most of the park’s neighbors are supportive of the idea.

“At the end of the day I’d say 90 percent of those in the surrounding neighborhoods were in favor of this,” Collins said.

On Dec. 4, the Fulton County Commission approved the property sale at its meeting.

According to a statement from Fulton County, “The sale includes restrictions that will ensure that the land is used for passive greenspace and parkland, and cannot be developed at a future date.”

“This is a beautiful piece of land and I’m glad to know that the citizens of Fulton County and Sandy Springs will be able to enjoy it in perpetuity,” District 4 Commissioner Tom Lowe said in a press release.

Dan Whisenhunt wrote for Reporter Newspapers from 2011 - 2014. He is the founder and editor of Decaturish.com