State of the city
Sept. 19 — Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and classmates of Benjamin Reiser, who lost his life in a motorcycle accident this week. We have the latest on the story below.
🏙️ Mayor Rusty Paul touted a new financial technology firm and bond ratings during his annual State of the City address.
🏋 Life Time Fitness has opened a new location in the Concourse at Landmark Center.
🍸 Atlanta News First has the latest on Baraonda Ristorante’s “pasta-tini” deal on Thursdays.
Thanks for reading,
The Rough Draft Team
🍷 Alpharetta Restaurant Week runs Oct. 11–18, with 45+ restaurants offering special menus. It’s the perfect chance to try something new or revisit a favorite spot. Don’t miss the area’s largest culinary event! Learn more here.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Remembering Benjamin Reiser
💔 Buckhead residents started a petition asking Atlanta City Council members Mary Norwood and Howard Shook to determine if safety improvements could be made at the intersection where a teenager died in a vehicular accident on Sept. 13.
The residents included the Atlanta Department of Transportation and MARTA in the request for the assessment.
Benjamin Reiser, 16, a junior at Mount Vernon School, died after his motorcycle collided with an SUV at the intersection of Roswell Road NE and Laurel Forest Circle NE. Read the full story here.
💛 A memorial service celebrating Reiser’s life will be held Sunday, Sept. 21.
Perimeter is partying on the Red Line!
SPONSORED BY PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS
🍨 Join us to celebrate Transit Month — stop by the Medical Center, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs MARTA stations next Tuesday through Thursday, Sept. 23-25, from 4 to 6 p.m. for free gelato, live musicians, and giveaways.
🎶 Make your ride sweeter with free Honeysuckle Gelato at Medical Center Station on Tuesday. Music lovers, mark your calendars for Alex Gordon’s jazz guitar at Dunwoody on Wednesday, and the Human DJ’s piano and trumpet performance at Sandy Springs on Thursday!
🎉 View the full event lineup here.
Economic benefits to trails
🌳 Perimeter Community Improvement District Executive Director Ann Hanlon said during the Sandy Springs Conservancy Thought Leaders Dinner on Sept. 17 that taxes commercial property owners pay fund trails which boost economic development and increase their property values.
The Perimeter CID has initiated public-private partnerships since its founding in 1999. Hanlon said it initially funded big infrastructure projects such as roads. Since COVID, the Perimeter CID board members have become interested in trail projects, investing millions of dollars in them.
🥾 Read more about the benefits of trail projects.
Pictured: Sandy Springs Conservancy Board Chairman Jack Misiura and Perimeter CID Executive Director Ann Hanlon
Sandy Springs mayoral candidates face North End voters
📢 The four Sandy Springs mayoral candidates traded blame on the city’s lack of redevelopment and disagreed on how to improve local schools during a forum hosted on Sept. 15 by two North End neighborhoods.
Gary Alexander introduced the four candidates – Dontaye Carter, Andy Bauman, Rusty Paul, and Jody Reichel – at the meet-and-greet forum hosted by the Grogan’s Bluff and Huntcliff communities held at Elevate Church off Morgan Falls Road.
Bauman, the District 6 council member, and Reichel, who is the District 4 council member, laid blame on incumbent mayor Paul for projects that haven’t been completed, like redevelopment on the North End. Bauman also promised to serve no more than two terms, saying Paul, who has been mayor since 2014, has been in office too long.
📍Read more about the forum and view the video here.
Northside Youth Organization seeks community financial support
⛹🏽♀️ As the Northside Youth Organization reaches 90 percent of its $28.7 million fundraising goal, it is shifting gears and now asking families and individual supporters of the nonprofit’s athletic programs to help it reach the finish line.
Josh Burr, the executive director of the Northside Youth Organization (NYO), told Rough Draft that the capital campaign will fund the addition of a second gym, meeting space, training space, a larger weight room, and renovations to an existing gym. The additional gym space will enable an expansion of girls’ basketball and help facilitate the addition of recreational volleyball to NYO’s programs.
The capital campaign began with a large contribution from former Southern Company CEOTom Fanning and his wife, Sarah, NYO’s first big donors. It funded a new turf field, the largest at Chastain Park. Fanning Field is now a year-round site for baseball and football.
👉🏼 Read more about the campaign.
Community Corner
🥫On Saturday, Sept. 13, Mount Vernon Woods held its annual food drive collecting 1190 pounds of food, toiletries, and diapers for the Community Assistance Center food pantry.
👏🏼 The neighborhood has collected more than 4.5 tons of food since starting its drive in 2015, thanks to involvement of its residents and support from the Trader Joe’s at 6277 Roswell Rd. who provides the paper bags each year.
Pictured: Mount Vernon Woods residents (left to right) Don Florence, Holly Duncan, and Kendra Kirz dropping off donations at the Community Assistance Center food pantry.
📧 Send us a note if your neighborhood is doing something we should know about.
🎉 Explore, Experience, & Enjoy family fun at Destination Cherokee, GA! From Cagle’s Farm and Paranoia Haunted House to the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta, Gibbs Gardens, wineries & breweries, Cherokee County’s five cities have it all. See what’s waiting for you this season! SPONSOR MESSAGE
🏓 Sept. 20: Pickleball for Prostate Tournament
🍝 Sept. 20: Back to Basics Pasta Class at il Giallo
🦌 Sept. 23: Falling for Georgia Wildlife at Lost Corner Preserve
🛶 Sept. 25: Adaptive Kayaking at Morgan Falls Overlook Park
🎸 Sept. 26 and 27: Blue Stone Arts & Music Festival
🍷 Oct 5: Sandy Springs Wine Festival
ALSO
Our Dunwoody neighbors are planning some family-friendly events you may want to check out.
🧶 St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church will hold its second annual Dunwoody Oktoberfest on Sept. 27.
🎃 All Saints Church hosts its Knights of Columbus Pumpkin Patch Sept. 28 through Oct. 31.
SAVE THE DATE
🐾 Oct. 18: Pontoon Brewing hosts Pug-O-Ween benefitting the Georgia Peach Pug Rescue.
🗓️ Add your event to our free, online event calendar.
The Sports Section
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCORE ATLANTA
🏈 FOOTBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (3-1): Friday vs. Therrell (1-3)
- Lovett (3-1): Friday vs. KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (4-1)
- Mt. Vernon (1-3): Friday vs. Mt. Pisgah Christian (1-3)
- North Springs (0-4): Friday vs. Clarkston (0-4)
- Pace Academy (1-3): Friday vs. M.L. King (4-0)
- Riverwood (1-4): Friday @ Sprayberry (4-1)
- Westminster (2-3): Friday vs. Benedictine (1-2)
🥎 SOFTBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (7-6): Sept. 29 @ Coretta Scott King (3-4)
- Lovett (5-6): Wednesday @ Whitefield Academy (8-5)
- Mt. Vernon (15-0): Tuesday vs. St. Pius X (11-9)
- North Springs (6-10): Thursday vs. Southwest DeKalb (10-4)
- Pace Academy (8-4): Wednesday @ Jackson (1-11)
- Riverwood (9-8): Thursday @ North Atlanta (5-15)
- Westminster (9-9): Tuesday vs. Kell (16-1)
🏐 VOLLEYBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (12-10): Saturday vs. Woodward Academy (22-4), 9 a.m.; Saturday vs. Columbus (14-14), 10 a.m.
- Lovett (18-1): Saturday vs. St. Vincent’s (18-4), 10 a.m.; Saturday vs. Daniel, SC. (10-2), 11 a.m.
- Mt. Vernon (14-15): Saturday vs. Prattville Christian Academy (15-6)
- North Springs (3-17): Monday @ Galloway (7-11)
- Pace Academy (18-5): Thursday @ Midtown (22-6), 5:30 p.m.; Thursday vs. Mays (5-5), 6:30 p.m.
- Riverwood (15-13): Thursday vs. Westlake (23-5), 6 p.m.; Thursday @ Roswell (6-17), 7 p.m.
- Westminster (25-9): Thursday vs. Cambridge (9-15)
🏈 Score Atlanta Game of the Week: This Friday’s matchup between Class A-3A Private second-ranked Hebron Christian (2-1) at Class 4A fourth-ranked Blessed Trinity (3-1) will be televised live at 8 p.m. on Atlanta News First (channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network (cable and YouTube TV), and streamed digitally on the Atlanta News First (ANF) website/app and the NFHS Network.
Tune in at 7:30 for the Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff for pregame festivities and our guest picker. Stay tuned after the game for the Georgia High School Postgame Show, televised live from the Score Atlanta Studios with game highlights and scoring results from games around the state!
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