Duct Cleaning in Sandy Springs, GA

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — After the last farmers market of the season, Sandy Springs residents enjoyed a sentimental celebration Nov. 22 honoring the 20th anniversary of the city’s founding.

The Picnic in the Park is part of a series of events throughout this year held by local leadership to honor Sandy Springs’ history, development and additions to its infrastructure since becoming an official city.

Mayor Rusty Paul spoke to picnic attendees acknowledging founding Mayor Eva Galambos’ decades-long role in making Sandy Springs what it is today from when the vote for its incorporation was first cast in 2005.

“For almost 40 years before it became a city, she was at the helm and we would not be here today without her leadership and her engagement,” Paul said, also thanking City Councilman Tibby DeJulio for his contributions while serving as vice chair for the Committee for Sandy Springs.

“Much has changed over the last 20 years but one thing remains the same: our community's ability to build momentum, our ability to have a shared vision and a common goal about what we aspire it to be,” Paul said. “We're bringing neighbors together in the heart of the city and honoring two decades of growth, resilience and civic pride.”

The Sandy Springs Community Assistance Center and Solidarity Sandy Springs had volunteers collecting nonperishable food items for families experiencing food insecurity.

After a blessing of the food from Rev. Lyndsay Slocum of Kairos Presbyterian Church, organizers showed a heartwarming video composed of elementary schoolers in Sandy Springs asking older residents questions about the community.

Attendees had the choice to bring their own meal or to get a plate of food served by Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center Executive Chef Karl Elliott’s team.

Aldo Cardenas, Director of Food and Beverage, explained that the menu consisted of both breakfast and lunch items to make a nice brunch for the community, saying that the overall response was good.

“We’re always ready to do a great job,” he said.

The Performing Arts Center’s catering team also served food at last month’s OktoberFEAST.

Paul ceremoniously cut the first slice of the city’s 20th anniversary cake from Baker’s Man Inc.

“We have a phenomenal chef here in Sandy Springs and he and his team put the brunch together and everyone seemed to love it,” Paul said.

SANDY SPRINGS, GA. — Los Angeles-based Westwood Financial has purchased the retail component of Glenridge Square, a mixed-use development located at 5610 Glenridge Drive in Sandy Springs. The live-work-play property is situated adjacent to I-285 in Atlanta’s Central Perimeter submarket. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.

Glenridge Square features 20,001 square feet of ground-level retail space that was 91 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Qdoba, Firehouse Subs, Blue Moon Pizza, Sushi Nami, Taziki’s Mediterranean, DaVinci’s Donuts, Venus Nail Lounge and Beauty Enhanced. The property also includes 168 apartments and 80,000 square feet of office space leased to tenants including Go2Foods’ headquarters (roughly 800 employees) and Haverty’s (about 3,000 employees). The offices and apartments were not included in the sale.

CRYSTAL RIVER, FLA. — Affordable housing developers Housing Trust Group (HTG) and AM Affordable Housing have partnered to deliver The Fountains at Hidden Lake, an 81-unit affordable seniors housing community located at 10456 W. Ashburn Lane in Crystal River. The $24.5 million community was fully occupied at the grand opening to households age 62 and older who earn at or below 30, 40 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI).

Situated on 7 acres in west Florida, The Fountains at Hidden Lake includes 61 one-bedroom and 20 two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 645 to 952 square feet. Amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, horseshoe court, fitness center, dog park and a multipurpose community room. Programming for the senior residents will include regular wellness check-ins, light housekeeping, grocery and laundry assistance and a calendar of community events and activities.

Public and private funding sources for the project included $20.4 million in 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) allocated by the Florida Housing Finance Corp. and syndicated by City Real Estate Advisors; an $18.5 million construction loan and $4.15 million permanent loan from KeyBank Real Estate Capital; and a $340,000 loan from the City of Crystal River. The project team included general contractor BDI Construction, FK Architecture, Hamilton Engineering & Surveying, interior designer Builders Design and landscape architect Forward Planning & Design.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Rise48 Equity has acquired LYV Chapel Hill, a 144-unit, Class B apartment community in Chapel Hill. The investment firm has rebranded the property as Rise Chapel Hill. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. Built in 1984, Rise Chapel Hill is situated near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as multiple tech and research firms that have established a presence in North Carolina’s Research Triangle.

Rise48 plans to renovate all unit interiors with new washers and dryers, cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, countertops, flooring and lighting and plumbing fixtures. Exterior renovations will include paint, landscaping, signage and common area improvements.

MOBILE, ALA. — HDA has announced the completion of the new headquarters for Gulf Distributing in downtown Mobile. The project was an adaptive reuse of the vacant Press-Register Building, a 1950s-era printing press, into a 325,000-square-foot beverage distribution facility.

HDA’s design included renovating 225,290 square feet of existing space, an 85,040-square-foot warehouse expansion, a new 4,960-square-foot vehicle maintenance facility and a 9,166-square-foot covered cooperage for the production of barrels and tubs. Other members of the project team were not released.

Founded in 1973, Gulf Distributing is a beer distributor that operates across Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Mississippi. The family-owned company employs approximately 1,300 people and partners with more than 140 suppliers.

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — It’s Election Day and voters across Georgia have important decisions to make. There are 48 local mayoral elections and dozens of city council positions in north Georgia. What will impact everyone is the vote for the Public Service Commission.

Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach visited polling sites in Atlanta and Sandy Springs to speak with voters.

Before Election Day, less than 9% of all registered voters in Georgia had cast an early ballot. Turnout on Election Day is also expected to be low in an off-year.

Thomas Driscoll though says he never misses his chance to vote for city elections that have a more direct impact.

“They used to say all politics is local. Important to show out for these city elections, make a lot of policy. I’m a biker, so bike lanes and things like that are very important to me,” he told Gehlbach.

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Besides Atlanta, Sandy Springs voters are also choosing their mayor. The public heard from candidates during a forum at our WSB-TV studios with Rough Draft Atlanta last month.

Incumbent Rusty Paul is running for a fourth term against three challengers: Dontaye Carter, Andy Bauman and Jody Reichel.

One voter and parent says education is her main issue. Emily Facuett brought her three kids to the polls for a field trip and a civics lesson.

“We just hope the best for our community and just needed to come out and show our vote. Kids are learning how to be a citizen today,” she said.

So far, not many issues have been reported in north Georgia races. Remember, you must vote at your assigned precinct.

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