tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post1609994700524783338..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: Developer asks for huge tax breakCerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-45280213855107667492009-05-28T20:56:31.105-04:002009-05-28T20:56:31.105-04:00@Annon and Ella
You can log on to their website
...@Annon and Ella<br /><br />You can log on to their website<br /><br /> www.standupdekalb.org<br /><br />or email info@standupdekalb.org<br /><br />to get a sign and/or t-shirtDekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-36988262133464198422009-05-28T19:12:25.200-04:002009-05-28T19:12:25.200-04:00I also want a yard sign.I also want a yard sign.Ella Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004885232852482737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-833957388456188802009-05-28T10:47:34.832-04:002009-05-28T10:47:34.832-04:00I will be out of town... If you could let me know ...I will be out of town... If you could let me know where I could pick one up in the meantime that would be awesome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-15319392201564374412009-05-28T10:42:31.781-04:002009-05-28T10:42:31.781-04:00StandUp DeKalb (remember them from Sembler/Briarcl...StandUp DeKalb (remember them from Sembler/Briarcliff?) is still very much alive and kicking, it appears. They will be at the meeting at Chamblee United Methodist on June 8, and they will have an ample supply of yard signs, so stop by and pick one up.Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-65887210818859171582009-05-27T15:13:18.760-04:002009-05-27T15:13:18.760-04:00The Biggest Bailout Sembler Can Buy
The propose...<I>The Biggest Bailout Sembler Can Buy <br /> <br />The proposed Sembler tax abatement for its "Town Brookhaven" project needs to be stopped.<br /> <br />One thing you can do to stand in its way is to attend an upcoming community meeting to be held on Monday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Chamblee United Methodist Church, 4147 Chamblee Dunwoody Road.<br /> <br />Attendance at this meeting should not be limited to those who live in the immediate vicinity of the Town Brookhaven project. Citizens across DeKalb County should be concerned about the proposal. Here's why:<br /> <br />The deal Sembler is seeking is known as a PILOT bond deal. PILOT is short for "payments in lieu of taxes." In this deal, Sembler will convey to the Dev. Authority ownership of large portions of its mixed-use Town Brookhaven project. The Authority will float bonds to finish construction of the project. They also will lease the project back to Sembler, who will make rent payments to the Authority sufficient to repay the principal and interest on the bonds. Bond funds also could be used to refinance Sembler's existing loans for the project at a more favorable interest rate.<br /> <br />Dev. Authority bond deals must be confirmed in DK Superior Court. Sembler and the Dev. Authority already have obtained Court approval for a smaller PILOT bond deal. That deal was rushed through the Court between Christmas and New Year's. Sembler now wants a bigger tax abatement and is seeking to abandon its earlier, less lucrative deal. <br /> <br />This PILOT bond deal results in a property tax abatement because the Dev. Authority, a government entity, will own the property and therefore the property cannot be taxed. The value of this tax abatement is estimated to be $51 million over 20 years.<br /> <br />The direct costs of educating the children who will live in Town Brookhaven and providing county services to the project will be borne by families and small businesses across DeKalb, the same families and small businesses who are struggling to make ends meet in this tough economy.<br /> <br />By contrast, Sembler may no longer be subject to the risks of doing business in a tough economy. As a result of Sembler's proposed PILOT deal with the Dev. Authority, those risks could be transferred to the public.<br /> <br />The Town Brookhaven project isn't owned by Sembler Co. It's actually owned by a "bankruptcy-remote" entity known as Sembler Bell Brookhaven, LLC. The sole purpose of which is to develop and operate Town Brookhaven. It doesn't own any other property.<br /> <br />If the commercial real estate market remains bad and Town Brookhaven flops, Sembler Bell Brookhaven, LLC could file for bankruptcy, which would leave the Dev. Authority the owner of a failed project.<br /><br />There’s also the ethical dilemma of Dr. Eugene Walker, who serves in dual roles as the Chair of the Dev. Authority and a member of the DeKalb Co Board of Education. He was elected to the Board in Dec, 2008 with the help of $18,000 in campaign contributions from Sembler executives, employees, and their spouses. <br /> <br />In a recent Crier article, Dr. Walker credited his "platform of economic development" for carrying him to victory in his BOE campaign. In the same vein, I suppose he might explain the $18,000 as Florida-based Sembler's way of showing special concern for the children of DeKalb County.<br /> <br />Unlike the other members of the Dev. Authority, who get to vote to sock the taxpayers with Sembler's $51 million tax bill without having been elected to anything, Dr. Walker is now an elected member of the BOE who should hear directly from DeKalb voters.<br /> <br />Other developers are waiting in line behind Sembler to secure their own tax abatements from the Development Authority. If Sembler succeeds, the floodgates will be open.<br /> <br />Somebody will have to pay for the services consumed by the new projects. You and I are those somebodies.<br /> <br />I hope to see you on June 8th.<br /><br />Rep. Mike Jacobs </I>.<br /><br /><A>http://www.thecrier.net/articles/2009/05/26/front/teasers/02tease.txt</A>Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-17352815634543470192009-05-21T21:50:48.740-04:002009-05-21T21:50:48.740-04:00son of awcomeonnow posting.
Greg Worthy is an...son of awcomeonnow posting.<br /> Greg Worthy is another left over Vernon acolyte. He's also on the Dekalb Housing Authority. So's <br />Judy Turner. Ah, Decatur!!!! The town where everybody's somebody- as long as their on a bond issuing authority. (Sorry for borrowing your motto, Snellville).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-2054580145030913872009-05-21T19:31:06.003-04:002009-05-21T19:31:06.003-04:00The commissioners need to all be emailed.The commissioners need to all be emailed.Ella Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004885232852482737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-65457869560719584522009-05-21T17:26:51.938-04:002009-05-21T17:26:51.938-04:00Well I have had a frustrating experience trying to...Well I have had a frustrating experience trying to contact the members of the Development Authority to tell them that this taxpayer is not interested in bailing out Sembler. <br /><br />It seems that the ONLY email contact on their webpage is disconnected!<br />info@decidedekalb.com<br /><br />So I spent some time looking up our public servants. Here is what I found:<br /><br />Chairman Walker, well we know his history and financial connections to Sembler.<br /><br />Judy Turner, CEO of Decatur First Bank<br /><br />Ed McBrayer, Exec. Director of PATH (i.e. of trail building fame)<br /><br />Dr. Delores Aldridge, Emory prof<br /><br />Michael D. Williams, was with Countrywide mortgage which tanked and is now owned by Bank of America<br /><br />Vaughn D. Irons, was Director of Expanding Markets for Freddie Mac (that hasn't gone so well)<br /><br />Dr. William Flippen, pastor of The Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church<br /><br />The attorney for the authority is Greg Worthy with Powell Goldstein.<br /><br />The only email addresses I could dig up are:<br /><br />edwin@pathfoundation.org<br />daldri2@emory.org<br />eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us<br />gworthy@pogolaw.com<br /><br />If anyone knows how to get in touch with this shadowy group, please post it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-58291586445346702132009-05-21T00:16:53.586-04:002009-05-21T00:16:53.586-04:00BOC Presiding Chair Larry Johnson likes getting Se...BOC Presiding Chair Larry Johnson likes getting Sembler donations. He also likes double-dipping on the taxpayer dime:<br /><br />http://www.wsbtv.com/video/19507757/index.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-22129658122657632602009-05-20T22:10:05.033-04:002009-05-20T22:10:05.033-04:00Thank you everyone for all the great information. ...Thank you everyone for all the great information. I agree Sembler should not get a dime.<br />Kim is right about families looking to OLA, St Martin, IHM, etc. I was one of them.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07062644868216512680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-37507990371771039482009-05-20T18:38:37.397-04:002009-05-20T18:38:37.397-04:00A community meeting in opposition to the proposed ...A community meeting in opposition to the proposed Sembler tax abatement is set for <br /><br />Monday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m. <br />in the Fellowship Hall of <br />Chamblee United Methodist Church <br />on Chamblee Dunwoody Road. <br /><br />We will explain the mechanics of the abatement to the community and discuss ways to fight it.<br /><br />John Woodham, the lawyer who represents the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation and brought the lawsuit challenging similar tax abatements in Fulton County, has agreed to speak. He is not available on June 1, (the original meeting date).<br /><br />Mike<br /><br /> <br /><br />Mike Jacobs<br /><br />State Representative<br /><br />District 80, DeKalb County<br /><br />3823 Granger Drive<br /><br />Atlanta, GA 30341<br /><br />(404) 441-0583<br /><br />repjacobs@comcast.net<br /><br />www.RepJacobs.comCerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-36764772319071975812009-05-20T14:42:15.332-04:002009-05-20T14:42:15.332-04:00That was a great post, jodynroy.That was a great post, jodynroy.Open+Transparentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-6983405618214127922009-05-20T13:30:04.570-04:002009-05-20T13:30:04.570-04:00jodynroy posting
A few comments on the posts I've...jodynroy posting <br />A few comments on the posts I've read:<br />1) The Development Authority meets on Tuesday mornings at 7:30 a.m. - they "discussed" this at last week's meeting (may 12) but I couldn't make it and don't know what was said. I know Mike Jacobs - who is really railing on this - was hoping to attend<br />2) for more history and info on this, I suggest asking Mike Jacobs what we need to do. I'm pretty sure that currently, the Development Authority can vote for this without any other level of approval. Mike is suing them, as a citizen, on another similar issue and he floated legislation to stop this type of abuse of power in the future, but I don't think this particular decision can be stopped, if the DA votes for it.<br />3) From AJC: "At Town Brookhaven, Fuqua is asking for a 100 percent property tax abatement for 20 years on about half the site. It’s an unusual request in DeKalb. Partial 10-year abatements, like the deal Sembler already has on the site, are more common. Under the existing agreement, which Sembler hopes to replace with this new proposal, the company would pay an increasing percentage of its tax until the abatement expired"<br />What I do not know yet is - is the $52 million in ADDITION to the already granted abatements?<br />4) Mike Jacobs raised this issue (and Dan Weber concurred with his outrage) at their Town Hall meeting at Oglethorpe in late April. Kim was there and was more familiar with issue, so maybe he understands more what we can do as individuals to stop it.<br />5)At the meeting, Mike and the editors of Dunwoody Crier had some sort of exchange. Apparently, the Crier is tracking this carefully, tried to get some of the documents through the freedom of information act and there is VERY LITTLE documentation on the issue - all the discussions are going on "quietly"<br />6) at least a dozen developers are hoping this deal will go through b/c they're standing in line behind Sembler, hats in hand<br />7) Sembler has been VERY successful at what they do. In spite of a down economy, the company is not down. It's privately held, but if you go to their website, they talk about themselves as good decision makers, with success at all their projects.<br />Even if Town Brookhaven did go bust, it won't break them. What's going bust is the environment around that mud-project. They need to be made to take care of the current situation right away.<br />Instead of screaming htey cannot complete it, they need to do what every other business does when they don't have a chance for handouts: Scale back the project, finish what you can, set the rest of the area aside for future development. 10 or even 5 years from now, Sembler will be it's same old successful self, with added bonus of increased income from this project b/c they won't have to do what every business should and pay their taxes. It's abhorrent. <br />AJC said clearly that the tax revenues Sembler probably overstated the amount of revenues the county will get when the project is finished - once again, proving that they are less than ethical to do whatever will benefit them. <br />I hope everyone who shares my outrage will go after the Development Authority and stay on top of them NOT to let this go through. At the minimum, we need to make sure that - if they do this - that the amoung gets reduced.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-20462446731192548702009-05-20T13:28:44.530-04:002009-05-20T13:28:44.530-04:00"The new board has finally seen the error of their..."The new board has finally seen the error of their ways and have decided to renovate and enlarge Lakeside rather than just the planned auditorium/career-tech addition."<br /><br />I'm pretty sure the Lakeside money was solely for an addition, not any renovation to the existing facility. It would be big money to renovate the existing behemoth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-45254062259668251072009-05-20T10:37:15.705-04:002009-05-20T10:37:15.705-04:00Son of awcomeonnow posting.
The property in...Son of awcomeonnow posting.<br /> The property in question doesn't have to be left as a mound of dirt. There's county ordinances <br />to control soil erosion already on the books. They require property that's bare to be hydroseeded (for grass).<br /> Sometimes the county has to be leaned on to enforce their own ordinances, particularly if the property owner is well connected.<br /> South Tucker found this out a few years back when 45 acres next to Peachtree Creek was left bare for over a year, silting up the creek. The property owner was Robert Lanier, developer and former county comissioner.<br /> Eventually, the property was hydroseeded. Nearby residents were<br />much happier when they didn't have to look out their back window onto <br />a large field of bare dirt.<br /> These same ordinances need to be utilized at the Brookhaven development. Sembler shouldn't be allowed to hold an area's appearance hostage so that he can get an (undeserved) tax break.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-41337104201178161112009-05-20T09:40:28.985-04:002009-05-20T09:40:28.985-04:00Kim, you make such great points about Cross Keys. ...Kim, you make such great points about Cross Keys. I think CK may benefit from being completely re-fashioned into the kind of school I suggested above ( a new, innovative, interesting high school for students with high tech interests to gravitate to). <br /><br />With the flexibility in transfers due to the passage of HB 251, we should expand our thinking. Why would students travel cross-county to get to a school that is virtually the same as their home high school? But - what if we offered something very different, hands-on, career-oriented? It could serve the CK feeder area, but accept transfers countywide. (CK district students are also going to be able to transfer to any school of their choosing - with room.) The benefits we have near CK is its central location and access to Marta. It's very difficult to get to Arabia without a car - but a new CK would be accessible to all.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-90719472697653806952009-05-20T09:34:09.060-04:002009-05-20T09:34:09.060-04:00"A couple of buildings are up, but last week, [Sem..."A couple of buildings are up, but last week, [Sembler President Jeff] Fuqua said nothing else will rise on the site unless taxpayers subsidize the project. He showed officials an aerial photograph of the site. They saw two mid-rise residential towers surrounded by dirt."<br /><br />It's nowhere near 50% complete. I'd be surprised if it's 20% finished. (They don't say if the 2 buildings are completed on the interior.) If we float the $52 million, who's to say that Sembler will be able to finish it? Seems risky - like we could be investing in a sinking ship.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-27512940702965166302009-05-20T08:31:53.559-04:002009-05-20T08:31:53.559-04:00Just to clarify what Dr. Lewis means when he says ...Just to clarify what Dr. Lewis means when he says growth is expected in the north. Below is a quote from the McKibbon Demographic Research Co, hired by the district to predict enrollment.<br /><br /><I>High School Attendance Areas<br /><br />“By the early to mid part of the next decade the high school enrollment for the district is projected to be approximately 4,500 students above instructional capacity. To remedy this situation the district should strongly consider building new high school facilities and /or expanding several of the current high school buildings where land and logistics permit. The area with the greatest need for this expanded capacity is the east/east central section of the district and the north/ north east (Dunwoody-Tucker-Lakeside) region.”</I>.<br />.<br /><br />However, as I've pointed out before, our Board disregarded this data (choosing instead to react to the subdivision development they saw visually in South DK) and built high schools in South DeKalb. Arabia is the 4th high school built in that area in recent years. Now, as I reported here before, we have an ABUNDANCE of available high school seats (ironically, about 4,500) but they are all in South DK, with some at Cross Keys. <br /><br />The new board has finally seen the error of their ways and have decided to renovate and enlarge Lakeside rather than just the planned auditorium/career-tech addition. Of course, they have also rebuilt Tucker and done renovations to Druid Hills. I'm not sure what is planned for Cross Keys and Dunwoody, but they have approved budget for both. Sadly, we are far behind the 8 ball though, and students up here have had to endure over-crowding, while the lovely new Arabia will echo this fall due to severe under-enrollment.<br /><br />So - why on earth would Gene Walker, who has a sworn duty to support the schools - vote (in his other job) to move school taxes to a private developer? We have so much work to do - not only in construction, which uses SPLOST $ but academically, using school tax on property. We can't let any school tax whatsoever slip from our hands.<br /><br />Plus -- I will guarantee an uproar from South DeKalb when they learn we are basically subsidizing a development that is practically in Buckhead.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-27030101717795208072009-05-20T08:19:14.959-04:002009-05-20T08:19:14.959-04:00@themommy: "... I think revitilizing the schools i...@themommy: "<I>... I think revitilizing the schools in the CK district will further enhance the community and speed neighborhood improvements. That said, as old apartment buildings go down, even if replaced by new ones, the amount of children will decrease, maybe dramatically.</I>"<br /><br />That is why redevelopment must be accompanied by attendance line changes and redistricting. The circumstances that leave CK vulnerable were created by DCSS decisions or non-decisions during the past 20 years.<br /><br />"<I>Transistions take time and he his (rightly) I believe concerned about investing a ton of capital in a high school that could be significantly underenrolled in a few years.</I>"<br /><br />$20 million is not a ton of capital? We should be making investments today for what we will need in 5, 10, 20 years, not to appease current critics. As you say, Dr. Lewis said the biggest growth is in the "north." I believe he was referring to Dunwoody in that meeting, not Cross Keys.<br /><br /><B>Cross Keys is already under-enrolled before the imagined redevelopment of Buford Hwy! It's barely at 50-60%!</B> DCSS is 100% responsible for the depopulation of Cross Keys. During the past tens years, redistricting has accounted for at least 470 students being moved out of the feeder pattern. How is DCSS a victim in this scenario?<br /><br />DCSS has "planned" their way into a problem with Cross Keys and will never convince me that they are simply trying to react to realities they cannot affect.<br /><br />"<I>While there are lots of families likes yours, Kim, with young children waiting to see what happens with the public schools in the areas, there probably aren't more than a couple hundred homeowners with high school age children.</I>"<br /><br />That is because these families have either been a) Redistricted to Chamblee, or b) Have moved into Chamblee/Dunwoody feeder neighborhoods. Is it possible this is why these schools are growing or over capacity??!!<br /><br />During the past 2 years over 20 children have left my little neighborhood of 213 homes. There are lots of little ones coming up here still - where are they going to go to school if not Woodward/Sequoyah/CK???<br /><br />Have you driven by Our Lady of Assumption, Immaculate Heart, or St. Martin's at school time? These schools are expanding and investing in our area.<br /><br />This is a chicken and egg argument and if you trace it carefully, DCSS IS THE CHICKEN! Pun intended ...<br /><br />The private schools should send checks to DCSS for generating so much demand for their services in my area.<br /><br />There are many, many families with children in my area. But, many, if not most, are at Church schools in pre-K, and K, and the older children are transfers to Montgomery, Ashford Park or elsewhere or, they are at OLA or IMH or St. Martin's.<br /><br />The "data driven" DCSS needs to expand the data sets they look at and add wisdom to make good long-term decisions ... and please stop the hand-wringing!<br /><br />I am waiting to see with the plans for consolidations and attendance what we'll end up with - we'll see. I am cautiously pessimistic ...Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-5298530435896364592009-05-20T07:52:05.123-04:002009-05-20T07:52:05.123-04:00@themommy: "This was prime real estate ready for t...@themommy: "This was prime real estate ready for the creep of redevelopment up Peachtree/P'tree Industrial. Then the economy slowed. When it recovers, so will development. Sembler can wait -- we can wait."<br /><br />I think you have summed it up pretty well. I'll go farther - I think that stretch of Peachtree has very, very few parcels of any significant size for redevelopment besides the MARTA property. Remember, heavy rail and MARTA bound the south side of Peachtree all the way to Chamblee. The north side is heavily residential but for very narrow strips. It may be that residential is rolled up but it's hard to imagine communities like Historic Brookhaven, Oglethorpe, etc. being gobbled up in my lifetime.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-72825281532089435882009-05-20T06:22:33.711-04:002009-05-20T06:22:33.711-04:00First, a big fat NO to Sembler. This was not an a...First, a big fat NO to Sembler. This was not an area that needed tax abatements for redevelopment. This was prime real estate ready for the creep of redevelopment up Peachtree/P'tree Industrial. Then the economy slowed. When it recovers, so will development. Sembler can wait -- we can wait.<br /><br />We need to be careful that we don't let the current economic conditions lead us to poor decision making. Frankly, the same thing goes for TADs in places like Buford Highway. The area's proximity to Buckhead/midtown etc make it ripe for redevelopment. It will happen.<br /><br />Second, Dr. Lewis never said that he thought growth in N. DeKalb wasn't going to happen. In fact, he and his staff have repeatedly said recently that the high growth areas in DCSS are in N. DeKalb.<br /><br />What they did say,in fact, was that the changes that are proposed within the Cross Keys district could have a huge immediate impact on enrollment at CK high school, and its feeders. While there are lots of families likes yours, Kim, with young children waiting to see what happens with the public schools in the areas, there probably aren't more than a couple hundred homeowners with high school age children.<br /><br />The system's dilemma, and frankly mine, is what do you do about/for a community that is not quite in full transistion but may be soon. Transistions take time and he his (rightly) I believe concerned about investing a ton of capital in a high school that could be significantly underenrolled in a few years. They have no choice to proceed with the project because the condition of CK high school is so poor-- but what happens if in the next few years hundreds of children disappear?<br /><br />It may not always be underenrolled. In fact, I think revitilizing the schools in the CK district will further enhance the community and speed neighborhood improvements. That said, as old apartment buildings go down, even if replaced by new ones, the amount of children will decrease, maybe dramatically.<br /><br />Within my own school district, we have had two old, slum like, complexes torn down. Between them, at their peak, they had around 110 children attending one elementary school. When they were torn down, the families scattered and most left the area. This was the cheapest housing in the community so they had to move to find a similar price point. One complex was replaced with town homes and sends perhaps a handful of children, the other is currently a blue pipe field...<br /><br />It is a complex issue to plan for and DCSS isn't good at planning even in non complex situations. It is a challenge.themommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01829171693817032539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-47542789858705641872009-05-19T22:53:13.298-04:002009-05-19T22:53:13.298-04:00@Cerebration:
"IF we are going to float $52 millio...@Cerebration:<br />"IF we are going to float $52 million to this project - the least we should get in exchange is a plot of land to build a new, innovative, interesting high school for students with high tech interests to gravitate to"<br /><br />Yes, that is my point. If someone want to ask me for 52 big ones, I want it spent on a school that will rock the socks off of north DeKalb for decades to come - now that is an investment I know will pay returns.<br /><br />Sadly, I think the BoE is always planning by looking in the rear view mirror. They seemed convinced that they'll be no children in North DeKalb in a few years. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy in my opinion. Every day, parents I know in North DeKalb are deciding to move out of County to find public schools and parks for their kids. It's really irritating me to no end and I can't seem to get anyone to recognize that we are doing it to ourselves.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-40699175480875997152009-05-19T22:43:13.317-04:002009-05-19T22:43:13.317-04:00@Cerebration: "Just sharing what I find - would yo...@Cerebration: "Just sharing what I find - would you rather not know?"<br /><br />The information is fantastic to know and I appreciate your uncanny ability to put your fingers on data. I simply don't want to say that there is a quid pro quo for votes when businesses contribute.<br /><br />Looking at the list of contributors, it is dominated by businesses it seems. Surely businesses want to help elect politicians that they deem as "business friendly." This seems natural to me and does not raise alarms.<br /><br />Notwithstanding this thinking, I seriously question the argument about Town Brookhaven and "what is the in the best interest of DeKalb taxpayers."<br /><br />On the one hand, businesses like to do businesses where they get the most advantages - whether it is labor cost, transportation cost, etc. and yes, tax expenses. On the other hand, every municipality can't always compete for every project or business interest nor should they.<br /><br />The important questions for this project were answered some time ago - is DeKalb development friendly? Yes. Is DeKalb willing to incent Sembler to undertake large-scale mixed-use projects? Yes. Is Sembler willing to spread money around to raise its profile in the community and win over "friends?" Yes.<br /><br />Because of all of the above, we now have a 50% complete Town Brookhaven. The question today is whether it is in the best interest of DeKalb County and its citizens to "double-down" on the project to see it finished as constituted by Sembler.<br /><br />I have to say that instinctively I say "no." I don't believe it will have significant impact on long-term employment nor on the general economy of DeKalb if the "Town" stalls and becomes "Construction Site - Brookhaven" for a few years.<br /><br />However, I do not want to go so far as to say that Sembler has bought the Commission or the CEO. I would hope we would hear some very compelling arguments from anyone who intends to extend the taxpayers generosity farther into this project. Otherwise, I remain unconvinced.<br /><br />(gosh, i'm long-winded when I get going ...)Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-32122814781051172322009-05-19T19:39:31.341-04:002009-05-19T19:39:31.341-04:00I mean, this is a very interesting line of thinkin...I mean, this is a very interesting line of thinking - Kim you may have hit on something. IF we are going to float $52 million to this project - the least we should get in exchange is a plot of land to build a new, innovative, interesting high school for students with high tech interests to gravitate to. All we would need would be maybe 20 acres... unless - we built it as a 3-5 story school. <br /><br />This could be cutting edge!Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-74802800767083029832009-05-19T19:34:40.618-04:002009-05-19T19:34:40.618-04:00Tucker is supposedly Arabia North... it is suppose...Tucker is supposedly Arabia North... it is supposed to have almost the same plan, according to a post here a while ago by psc. But some kind of really interesting - really different -high school campus would be great in Brookhaven - especially since it is so accessible to Marta.<br /><br />How about a HS of Science and Technology? Or healthcare/public health -- I see that GA has been given millions for AIDS research.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.com