The mental palate cleanser
Jan. 14 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. If you are a regular reader, you may have noticed my ongoing obsession with animal stories.
🙀 Science has long proven that owning a pet offers a significant boost to one’s mental health – however, there are also studies suggesting that reading or watching stories about animals can foster empathy, reduce stress, build confidence, and improve social skills.
Ergo, the hours we spend watching videos like “Orange and Jobless,” Petey, the seeing eye donkey, and medical updates on Aloka, the Walk for Peace dog are not a total waste of the precious time we have left on earth. More on that below, but first a few newsy items.
🀥 A fundraiser for a family with Dunwoody ties that experienced a terrible medical emergency will be held on Jan. 26 in Brookhaven.
❓Interested in the upcoming Georgia legislature session? The DeKalb House Legislative Delegation will be at Dunwoody City Hall tonight, Jan. 14 for a presentation about what’s on tap. There’s a meet-and-greet at 6:30 p.m. followed by a presentation at 7 p.m.
🇮🇹 The long-awaited opening of High Street’s Rosetta Bakery will take place on Monday, Jan. 19, with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. Mayor Lynn will be there on the 24th to cut the ribbon at 3:15 p.m.
🗞️ And now onto this week’s recap. Thanks for reading,
Cathy
🏀 Hey, Atlanta! Come out and celebrate the legacy and influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the Atlanta Hawks for their MLK Game vs the Bucks on January 19. Get tickets today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Be very afraid
⚽️ Attendees at the Jan. 8 Leadership Perimeter Summit meeting were given an insider look at the upcoming FIFA World Cup matches in Atlanta and heard advice on how to effectively leverage the event for maximum results.
A panel moderated by Discover Dunwoody Chief Marketing and Operating Officer Mark Galvin, included Dan Corso, the executive director of the Atlanta Sports Council, David Abes of Dash Hospitality, and Sherry Jackman, the executive director of Visit Decatur.
The trio, at a meeting held at Dunwoody Baptist Church, shared global and local insights into how businesses can leverage the notoriety around the World Cup festivities into local revenue.
My takeaway from the meeting: FIFA is vigilant about any misuse of its NIL. In contrast, when it comes to its fans misusing each other, apparently, anything goes.
🤕 Read about the meeting here.
Stop renting and start owning!
SPONSORED BY DEKALB COUNTY OFFICE OF THE CEO
🏠 DeKalb County, in partnership with Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), invites residents to take the first step toward homeownership with a FREE 4-Day Event. Participants can get NACA-qualified in as little as one day and learn how to access the nation’s most affordable mortgage.
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Don’t miss this opportunity! Join us Thursday, Jan. 22 though Sunday, Jan. 25, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Gallery at South DeKalb (formerly JCPenney).
➞ Register today. Walk-ins welcome.
84 PCE saga drags on
🏡 A somewhat exasperated Dunwoody City Council again deferred, by a 6-1 vote, discussing a zoning change and Special Land Permit Use request for a property on Ashford Dunwoody Road that has been in flux for more than 15 years.
The property, located at 84 Perimeter Center East, has been a chameleon for more than a decade, first proposed as a hotel, followed by age-restricted apartments, owner-occupied condominiums, and then a mixed-use development with the return of age-restricted apartments.
The latest deferral came at the Jan. 12 meeting, when owner representative Den Webb told the council that the company, JSJ Perimeter LLC, has received an offer to buy the property. The council reluctantly agreed on the deferral, but the message was clear: Get your act together before the Feb. 23 meeting.
🏀 Hey, Atlanta! Come out and celebrate the legacy and influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the Atlanta Hawks for their MLK Game vs the Bucks on January 19. Get tickets today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
What’s it Worth?
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360,000 reasons to obey the law
📸 The DeKalb Perimeter Community Improvement District on Jan. 13 announced a $360,000 investment to enhance real-time response technology as part of its longstanding partnership with the City of Dunwoody.
The $360,000 will fund two drones at $100,000 year and then $80,000 a year to continue to fund nine Automated License Plate Recognition devices – which use cameras and software to automatically capture, read, and store license plate numbers – and five FLOCK cameras, according to police officials.
According to a joint statement by the PCID and the Dunwoody Police Department, the two-year funding, covering 2026 and 2027, “will sustain real-time response technologies already in use across the DeKalb Perimeter CID area while adding new aerial support capabilities to further enhance public safety efforts.”
🐑 Our story has more details about these enhancements.
Picture this: Kingsley Lake eagles
🦅 Dunwoody resident Travis Reid took some fantastic pictures of a pair of bald eagles that made an appearance at Kingsley Lake in the heart of Dunwoody for the first time in several years.
“It was a busy day on the lake,” Reid said. “Lots of cormorants, a couple of herons, and then two bald eagles showed up. It was very cool!”
My brush with nature isn’t as dramatic – a young buck looking to score with a doe often strolls through my backyard. There’s also an unattractive elderly opossum who stops by on the regular – the opposite of cool.
🙏🏼 I would love for you to send me pictures of your brushes with nature.
