Author: On Common Ground News

Jordan Dillard is home for Easter break, spending time with family before graduating this May from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She will be headed to Africa in the fall where she will start her one-year fellowship with the Boston-based Shooting Touch Foundation. Through the foundation’s Basketball Health Corps program, fellows endeavor to use basketball as a tool to educate and empower at-risk youths and the communities in which they live. Dillard will be part of a team based in Rwanda where they will construct basketball courts, build teams and train coaches to run Rwanda’s first and only free youth league…

By Valerie J. Morgan Rockdale County’s Planning and Development Department is preparing a comprehensive plan to guide development over the next 20 years and is seeking the public’s opinions. During an open house on April 13 at the JP Carr Community Center in Conyers, community stakeholder shared their input on services and goals they would like the county to implement by 2037. Rockdale Commissioner Doreen Williams, who spearheaded a survey last year to improve county services, praised Kirsten Cook, an engineer in the Planning and Development Department, for organizing the open house, the first in a series planned for…

“Atlanta Streets Alive” to feature family events Walk, run, or bike down the middle of the road when Atlanta Streets Alive comes to the Southside on Sunday, April 23, on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW and Georgia Avenue SE in Atlanta. The event kicks off at 2 p.m. with a bicycle parade and continues until 6 p.m. Enjoy biking, skating, walking and rolling down the streets while taking part in this fun, free, family-friendly event packed with free entertainment and fun activities. For more information, visit www.atlantastreetsalive.com. ATLANTA 46th Inman Park Spring Festival, Tour Of Homes set The…

State Representatives Karen Bennett (House District 94) is hosting a town hall with State Representatives Doreen Carter (District 92) and Dar’shun Kendrick (District 93) on Monday, April 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Fairfield Baptist Church, 6133 Redan Road, Lithonia. The lawmakers will discuss legislation impacting healthcare, education, immigration, and gun laws. The community is urged to attend. For more information, call Rep. Bennett’s office at 404-656-0202; Rep. Carter’s office at 404-656-0220 or Rep. Kendrick’s office at 404-656-0116.

Lithonia Industrial Boulevard, between Rock Chapel Road and South Stone Mountain Lithonia Road, will be closed to through traffic on Wednesday, April 19, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., to facilitate television production filming. Road closure signs will be posted advising motorists of construction work in the area and of local traffic restrictions. Any questions regarding the road closure should be addressed to Kyle Hinshaw, location manager for Twentieth Century Fox, at 404-788-9412.

Rockdale County’s Sims Elementary School has been removed from the Georgia Department of Education’s “focus” list. The department released the list of schools across the state that have met the Priority and Focus exit criteria and Sims Elementary School is among those demonstrating progress including raising its College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) score. “We are extremely pleased to see that Sims Elementary has met the criteria to be removed from the Focus list,” said Rockdale County Schools’ Superintendent Richard Autry. “I am proud of the hard work of the faculty and staff to ensure all students are on…

Gwinnett County Commissioners have awarded a $1.5 million contract for sidewalk construction along Rockbridge Road near Stone Mountain. “The sidewalk will be built between Five Forks Trickum Road and East Park Place Boulevard, which is a high-traffic area for pedestrians,” said District 2 Commissioner Lynette Howard. “The sidewalk will connect residential areas along Rockbridge to retail establishments in the East Park Place and U.S. 78 area.” CMES, Inc. had the lowest of three bids at $1,486,449. The project stretches about 1.2 miles and includes the installation of sidewalks, curb and gutter and drainage improvements along the west side of Rockbridge…

The Clarkston Culture Fest will be held on Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Market Street in Clarkston. The cultural celebration will kick off with the Refuge Coffee Run at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. registration) and family and children’s free fun run at 10 a.m.  Live performances will be held on the main stage featuring a variety of multi-cultural music and dance performers. A Kids’ Zone will provide face and nail painting, hair braiding, inflatable bouncy castles, photo ops, carnival games and more. Local vendors will be on site selling foods and goods. Visit…

Rockdale County Animal Control and the county’s Parks and Recreation Department will team up on April 29 to host Rockdale’s first Dash for Dogs 5K fundraiser at the Government Annex building, 1400 Parker Road, Conyers.  Top male and female finishers in each overall age group will receive medals. Participants can pre-register for the event at Johnson Park, 1781 Ebenezer Road, Conyers. Registration also is available on the day of the race or online at the county’s website (in the special events section) on the Recreation and Maintenance page. Money raised will be used to purchase fencing for the outside dog…

Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB) is accepting registrants for the Great American Cleanup (GAC), which will be held on Saturday, April 29, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at Pine Log Park Pavilion, 1500 Georgia Highway 138, Conyers. The event, hosted in partnership with the City of Conyers and Rockdale County, encourages citizens to pick up litter and other debris around the community, and teaches youths about the importance of litter prevention and recycling. KCRB invites civic and neighborhood groups, businesses, Scout troops, churches, youth groups, individuals, and families to participate in the cleanup. Volunteers are asked to send one representative from…