Leadership Sandy Springs Class Members Learn More About City

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Leadership Sandy Springs class of 2017 members were recently briefed by officials during their annual City of Sandy Springs program day, learning about the progression of the Next 10 Comprehensive Plan, the city’s vision for the future and providing feedback on the North Fulton Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

The class listened to important components of the plan from Fulton County representatives and broke into focus groups to discuss and rank which aspects of traffic, including transit, walkability, parks and public safety, are most important to the city and its residents.

Input from LSS and various community groups will be integrated and the revised plan will be provided to the public.

"This has been a long and intensive process, beginning more than a year ago with visioning sessions," Mayor Rusty Paul said of the Next 10 process. "We’ve hosted a large number of meetings and workshops in order to involve the community, include their input and make sure we carry forward a vision that is comprised of collective community thought.”

Additionally, the class got a behind-the-scenes look at city operations. Assistant City Manager Jim Tolbert presented an overview of the city’s government and how it operates, and discussed topics on which the city and council are currently working. Class members also toured the Traffic Center control room and received an insider’s view of traffic patterns and the technology used to mitigate congestion.

Contributing to the class’ education about the city, members embarked on a 36-mile guided bus tour of Sandy Springs, viewing and discussing schools, parks, business centers, MARTA stations, medical complexes, creeks and the Chattahoochee River. Also identified were city projects, civic and human service organizations, areas for planned housing and commercial projects along with aging apartment complexes.

The class learned some of the of intriguing history of the area, including little known historical facts such as the Crossroads Baptist Church on Mt. Vernon Road was the site for General William Sherman’s Civil War headquarters. Many class members were amazed at how much they learned about Sandy Springs, regardless of how long they’ve lived or worked in the city.

“As a Sandy Springs native, I thought I knew all the ins and outs of the city, but the guided tour showed me aspects of Sandy Springs that I was completely unaware of," said class member Temoh Nesbitt.

Fellow class member Ashley Garrison concurred.

“The LSS Program Day at City Hall with the bus tour was such a great way to see all that the city offers and to learn more about the Next Ten plan’s focus on improving walkability in the community," Garrison added.

Photo 1: Keith Zgonc and Ashley Garrison listen to Catrecia Bryan provide feedback while Kathryn Shapiro, David Rossman, Phillip Jones and Sammy Grant look on.
Photo 2: Temoh Nesbitt shares his thoughts with Barbara Pomerance and Chuck Gardner (also standing), while other breakout group class members listen.
Photo 3: Kristen Westcott of City of Sandy Springs Public Works facilitates interactive discussion and brainstorming of the North Fulton Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
Photo credits: Leadership Sandy Springs