Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current, January 02, 2020, Image 1

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Sandy Springs reporter., January 02, 2020, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextJANUARY 2020. VOL. 14 — NO. 1 Section Two In our annual 20 Under 20 meet local students who are making a difference COMMENTARY Local newsmakers take a look at what’s ahead P10 ROBIN’S NEST Telltale signs you’re an optimist P13 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Writing fiction as part of a team: Q+A with author Karen White P20 Check out our podcasts Reporter at ReporterNewspapers.net Extra Springs Reporter is mail delivered to homes on selected carrier routes in ZIPs 3032 7,30328, 30342 and 30350 For information: delivery@reporternewspapers.net SI# uuxied VO ‘eojuoiAi aivd e6eisod sn SSMU03 aislysyd y3i/\ioisno ivisod City to pay $1.2M for temporary fire station site while building a new one SPECIAL A rendering of the new fire station to replace the one at 135 Johnson Ferry Road. North End brainstorming begins amid questions BY HANNAH GRECO hannah@reportemewspapers.net Two years after setting North End rede velopment as a priority, the city government is heading into 2020 with a $300,000 order for conceptual designs and talk of a “Revital ization Zone” whose purpose is unclear. It remains to be seen whether 2020 will be the year that the brainstorming plays out as a redevelopment plan - and whether the city will play a financial role, as officials have long said it likely will. Meanwhile, an advocacy group is keeping the pressure on for any redevelopment to preserve afford able housing. At a Dec. 3 meeting, the City Council awarded a $307,260 contract to architect firm TSW for the designs of four shopping centers in the North End to push for the re development of the area. At the meeting, Mayor Rusty Paul made it a point to clarify that the designs will not be set in stone and the four projected sites are not necessarily the ones to be developed. See NORTH on page 22 BY HANNAH GRECO hannah@reporternewspapers.net The city will pay $1.2 million for a va cant rental-car business on Roswell Road as a temporary site for a Johnson Ferry Road fire station that will be demolished and re placed. Fire Station Two at 135 Johnson Ferry is 50 years old and needs to be replaced, the city said. The temporary site, a former En terprise car rental lot at 6189 Roswell Road at the Mount Vernon Highway intersec tion, is riddled with complexities for get ting fire trucks in and out of traffic. The proposed solution depends on the outcome of a lawsuit regarding the city’s attempt to evict three billboards from a lot across the street. Some council members are also con cerned with the cost of the temporary sta tion. The city hopes to open the temporary station by March 2020 and to complete the replacement by spring 2021. The city has requested a demolition permit for the cur rent station, but first the temporary site and its issues have to be resolved. At a Dec. 17 meeting, the council agreed to purchase the 0.317 acre lot at 6189 Ro swell Road from Enterprise Leasing Com pany of Georgia, LLC., for $1.2 million. City Attorney Dan Lee said the city is not only buying the property for a temporary fire station, but also for a pending reconstruc tion of the Mount Vernon/Johnson Ferry intersection. That controversial road project is wait ing on the architect firm to deliver two designs, one with the controversial cut- through road that would need the taking of a home, and one without. It is unknown to the city when the property could become available and when the connector road could be built. In addition to the purchase price, it will See CITY on page 23 DON’T SETTLE FOR year ^ { ( SEE PAGE 8 )