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LOCAL
March 24 - 30, 2016 • Page 4A
Theo Anderson said he loves
DeKalb County.
The Ellenwood resident grew up
in Decatur in a low-to-middle class
neighborhood behind South DeKalb
Mall. With the help of others and
his focus on academics, Anderson,
now 42 years old, grew into a
success story and returns to his old
community to be an inspiration to
children.
“I have an opportunity to
give back to an area that gave
so much to me,” he said. Having
the opportunity to see young kids
that look just like me, [who] came
from the same areas that I came
from and seeing them go on to
become doctors, lawyers, teachers,
successful legislators is very
important. The opportunity to give
back to the community, specifically
in the south DeKalb area, is very
dear to my heart.”
Anderson is a graduate of St.
Pius X Catholic High School and
Mercer University in Macon. He is
currently the president of Herzing
University in Atlanta.
Anderson is a member of the
100 Black Men of America-DeKalb
Chapter and Leadership DeKalb.
He is also a member of the board of
directors of Foreverfamily Inc. and
Positive Growth Inc.
He also visits various schools in
DeKalb to speak to students.
“My message to them is
utilizing education as a vehicle
to get to where you want to go
in life,” he said. “I hope to be a
role model for someone coming
from similar neighborhoods
[who could] go on and do great
things. I want to show them that
there are other opportunities out
of your circumstances beyond
just becoming an athlete or an
entertainer.”
Anderson is also a volunteer
coach in youth sports in DeKalb
and he volunteers at his church—
Greater Travelers Rest Baptist in
Decatur.
“There are a variety of different
things that I do to serve and give as
much as I can,” he said.
Theo Anderson
Dunwoody residents voice concerns, approval
'Our goal is to listen to
our residents and try to
respond to their needs.'
— Denis Shortal, Dunwoody mayor
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
M ore than 400 Dunwoody
residents’ opinions
regarding traffic, location
and overall quality of life
were offered publicly on March 14
through a community survey.
The city of Dunwoody released
the results of the 2015 Community
Survey, which reflects how
residents feel about raising children,
access to goods and services,
opportunities for the young and old,
road repairs, education, strengths
and weaknesses within the city’s
borders.
From August to December
in 2015, 5,000 residents had the
opportunity to answer questions
about Dunwoody online. A total
of 420 residents completed
the online survey (8.4 percent)
and demonstrated a 95 percent
confidence level. The results were
compared to an identical web-
based survey conducted in 2013.
“Our goal is to listen to our
residents and try to respond to
their needs,” said Dunwoody Mayor
Denis Shortal in a news release
about the survey. “By conducting
this survey, the city not only collects
important data and feedback but
also leverages the input received
in order to help address priorities,
pinpoint issues, and improve upon
what we are providing.”
The majority of respondents
were either short-timers in
Dunwoody (two to three year
residency at 24.3 percent) or
longtime residents (21 years or
longer at 22.9 percent). The survey
also showed most responses
came from 18- to 34-year-olds (32
percent) and who were White (69.7
percent).
For the most part, responding
residents seem to enjoy life in
Dunwoody. On a 1 to 5 scale,
residents did not answer below
a 3.5 on such issues as raising
children, feeling of safety, place to
work, future prospects and even a
place to retire.
The survey summary also
boasts “high levels of satisfaction”
with city services, including the
city police department (4.29),
Dunwoody Parks Department (3.81)
as well as Dunwoody Municipal
Court (3.72). Every measure of the
Dunwoody police, ranging from
overall performance to use of social
media, scored above a 4.0.
Across the board, however,
residents’ primary concerns
revolved around traffic growth and
education. When asked what was
the biggest issue facing Dunwoody
currently, 43 percent answered
traffic. This was up from 19 percent
in 2013. The next two answers
- growth and DeKalb County
education - both came in at more
than 10 percent.
Concerns involving education
seem to stem mostly from a public
request for a Dunwoody city school
system. Currently, five elementary
schools, one middle school and
one high school are located in
Dunwoody under DeKalb County
Schools. Mayor Shortal touched on
the subject at the 2016 Dunwoody
State of the City.
“We need to take control of
our schools,” Shortal said on Feb.
25. “We must continue to improve
our schools to enhance the public
education of our students. To me,
the best way to do that is to take
control of our local schools.”
Dunwoody residents said the
top three strengths of the city were
its overall location (86 percent),
community safety (67 percent), and
overall lifestyle (26 percent). The
lowest ranked answers concerned
traffic, transportation and elected
officials.
Approximately 64 percent of
Dunwoody residents said they used
the city’s available walking and
nature trails (up from 58 percent in
2013), but 11, 8 and 7 percent said
they still used the city’s available
tennis courts, skate park and
baseball fields, respectively.
When it came to arts, culture
and creative outlets, 47 percent of
responding residents said it was
important to have such amenities
in Dunwoody. This figure coincided
with 55 percent of residents
attending the Dunwoody Arts
Festival in 2015.