Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County’s Public Safety Director Joseph “Jack” H. Lumpkin will serve as  interim police chief until a replacement is hired, DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond announced. Lumpkin will temporarily take over the duties of James Conroy, who retired on April 30. Thurmond said the interview process is underway for the position. Appointed in January 2018 by Thurmond, Lumpkin oversees police, fire rescue, animal control, emergency management, 911 and medical examiner services. Lumpkin has more than 40 years of experience in Georgia law enforcement including police chief positions in Savannah-Chatham County, Athens-Clark County, Albany and Toccoa. He most recently served as the…

DeKalb County Public Library will open its new County Line-Ellenwood Branch on Monday, May 6, at 11 a.m. The new library is located at 4331 River Road, Ellenwood. Patrons, Friends of the Library and county officials will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting event. “We are pleased to open another library branch in DeKalb County that will embrace the county’s diversity through public programming,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. Designed by R.L. Brown & Associates and built by Hogan Construction Group, the 12,000-square-foot library has meeting space, Wi-Fi, public computers, study rooms, cozy reading areas and a collection of…

Sinkhole repairs on Rowland Road expected to take six to eight weeks A portion of Rowland Road in the city of Conyers collapsed after heavy rains in April. Now, city officials say it will take six to eight weeks to repair. The city of Conyers has awarded the bid for repairs to Peach State Construction in the amount of $484,000. Pittman Construction submitted a bid of $511,000. Officials said heavy rainfall in a short period of time on April 19 resulted in a sinkhole on Rowland Road, between East View Road and Pine Log Road. The road was closed…

Rockdale Water Resources (RWR) is proposing changes to its customer deposit policy. The changes will be presented to the Board of Commissioners at the May 7 Work Session. The board will vote on the measure at its May 14 meeting. The changes will affect both residential and commercial customers. The proposed revised policy for residential customers is as follows: Deposits for residential customers would be determined by a soft inquiry, which doesn’t negatively impact the customer’s credit. Depending on the inquiry, either no deposit would be required or the current standard deposit. If a deposit is applicable, it would be…

The DeKalb County Department of Youth Services will host a bike safety rodeo on Saturday, May 11, 9 a.m. to noon at the Wade Walker Park YMCA, 5605 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain. DeKalb students are encouraged to bring their bikes for a bike safety check provided by the DeKalb County Police Department. Helmets also will be provided to participants by the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department. Registration is not required and open to DeKalb County youths ages 6 to 12 years old. For more information, contact Jashawn Williams, youth services coordinator, at  404-687-7195 or  jrwilliams@dekalbcountyga.gov.

The Stonecrest Library Friends, 3123 Klondike Road, will host its “Super Book Sale” on May 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the branch. A variety of books will be available including fiction/non-fiction, crafts, textbooks, romance, magazines, encyclopedias, books on tape/CD, DVDs and VHS. All funds received benefit the Stonecrest library programs for children and adults. For more information, call 404-482-3828.

The Lithonia-Davidson Library will present“Watercolors from Apples to Zebras,” a Just My Imagination workshop sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art, on June 22, 10 a.m. to noon. The free, two-hour workshop introduces children ages 6 to 14 to the world of watercolors. Participants learn to sketch, complete a contour drawing, and paint a still life. Athens artist and teacher Jackie Slayton Methe will begin the workshop with a discussion about watercolors followed by a demonstration of brushstrokes and various techniques of layering paints. Just My Imaginationworkshops are organized and sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art Board of Advisors…

Rockdale County Chairman, Oz Nesbitt, Sr., will host the second Shop Talk forum of 2019 on Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., at Major League Barbershop, 1427 Highway 138 SE, Conyers. The second event in this year’s series will feature the following speakers to answer questions and concerns from attendees: Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett Rockdale County Tax Commissioner Tisa Smart-Washington RCPS Superintendent Terry Oatts   Rockdale Clerk of Courts Ruth Wilson

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners is seeking the public’s input on ways to improve the quality of life in the county. Recently, the board appointed members to the Rockdale County Strategic Plan Taskforce, a team charged with collecting citizen input through a survey to improve the Rockdale community. The survey went live on the county’s website (rockdalecountyga.gov) on May 1 and will be available through June 20. The survey asks citizens and stakeholders to give feedback in the following subject areas: Public Safety, Economic Development, Quality of Life, Transportation/ Infrastructure, Education/ Workforce Development, and Transparency. “We…

Piedmont Healthcare’s initiative, “Walk with a Doc,” is now being offered in Conyers. Walk with a Doc helps the community get active and have better access to physicians. The monthly walks will be held at Wheeler Park, 1350 Parker Road, Conyers.  All members of the community are invited to attend and have one-on-one time with a Piedmont physician. Tamica White, M.D., will host the next walk on Tuesday, May 14. Dr. White is a general surgeon with Piedmont Physicians Surgical Specialists Conyers and has over 10 years of experience providing a wide range of surgical services. She has advanced training…