Byrnwyck Beacon

September 2011

 

Published by the Byrnwyck Community Association
Dear neighbors,

 

It's hard to imagine that summer has come and gone and most of us are back in our normal routines.  The kids are back in school and sports are in full swing.  In a spirit of less is more, I'd just like to mention three major items our volunteer neighbors will be working on this fall.

 

1.  The membership committee led by Barbara Halaburt will be publishing a new paper neighborhood directory.

 

2.  Michael Strang, our Treasurer, is working on a 5-year budget so that we can anticipate and budget for those lumpy 1-time costs.

 

3.  The renovation committee led by Tamara Schwartz will be reviewing their findings with the Board on September 18. The Board plans to combine information from the committee with input provided by other BCA members to create another survey.  The survey will be used to obtain inside member feedback on various options for enhancing our swim/tennis campus area.  If the survey results show clear member preference(s), we would then schedule a full BCA meeting to vote on those preferred options.  Conversely, we do not anticipate scheduling a vote if only a slim majority supports an option.  We all have a vested interest in maintaining our neighborhood and will see where this process leads us. 

 

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any ideas that you have. 

 

Tom Stockmeyer
BCA President
Two Byrnwyck Boys Deployed
Robert Kazmarek & son Andrew

As we remember the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we also say "thank you" to  the men and women on the front lines in Iraq and Afganistan.  Two of them call Byrnwyck home. 

   Matt Alexander, son of Lisa and Jack Alexander, and a Marist graduate, is deployed to Iraq until February 2012. He is flying Blackhawk helicopters with a Medivac Unit stationed at Ali Air Base. Lisa tells us the family is  thrilled that he will be home for a short leave beginning September 22.

 

Skip and Wendy Kazmarek give us this update on their son Robert:  "You've probably seen the yard sign and yellow ribbon at the Kazmarek home as you enter the Byrnwyck subdivision, so you'll be interested to know that our son, Robert Kazmarek, will soon be returning home. A 2004 graduate of West Point, Robert is completing his third deployment, this time as the commanding officer of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. Robert, a helicopter pilot himself, has been racking up hours in the air, while at the same time commanding a Blackhawk helicopter aviation company at FOB Salerno, near Khost, Afghanistan. He previously served as company commander of the aviation maintenance company at FOB Salerno, and prior to that as a Battle Captain (in Kandahar) and a helicopter pilot (in Iraq), both with the 101st Airborne Division. This deployment, though, has been special: through the Army's help in doing some creative juggling of Robert's deployment timing, he was able to stay stateside for a couple extra weeks for the birth of his son, Andrew. Robert's wife, Laura, and Andrew (now 10 months old) are anxiously awaiting his return to Fort Drum, New York. If things work out the whole family will be visiting here in Atlanta for Thanksgiving."

Tennis News by Deb White

The Fall tennis season began on September 8. We have a ladies Thursday team, 10U boys, 12U girls and 14U girls playing out of Byrnwyck for the Fall ALTA season. Good luck to all the teams. A recycling can has been added to the tennis gazebo area. Please use this for plastic, glass and cans only. The general and team rules for tennis have been updated on the website. If you have any questions, or comments, please contact Deb White ([email protected]).

Community News By Rebecca Williams

A non-profit group, Citizens for North DeKalb (C4ND) has been formed to study the feasibiity of annexation of our part of unincorporated DeKalb into Dunwoody or Chamblee or even forming a separate city of Brookhaven.  The group has commissioned a feasibility study to be conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of the University of Georgia to see what option, if any makes sense for our area. The BCA board voted to contribute $300 to help in this effort to collect the data so an informed choice can be made. Hampton Hall, Cambridge Park Associations as well as many Byrnwyck residents have also contributed to this fact-gathering effort. More information about the group and its mission can be found at www.citizensfornorthdekalb.org.

 

    Five million dollars in improvements for Ashford Dunwoody Road was recently included in the Transportation Improvement Act, to be funded by a one-cent sales tax, and to be voted on this fall.  One meeting to get community input has already been held in which there was a consensus to redesign the Ashford-Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry Intersection as well as get the traffic lights better synchronized.  Another meeting will be held Sept. 20 At Montgomery Elementary at 7pm, if you want to add your ideas or support for improvements like sidewalks, bike lanes, left turn lanes etc.  

   As reported in The Crier, the zoning application for the Concorde Fire soccer fields has been withdrawn in hopes that the soccer club can work out an arrangement with the county to add and improve fields in county parks that Concorde Fire could help support and use.   

Directory Update from Barb Halaburt


Neighborhood Directory

I hate to sound like a broken record...but the directory IS in the works and should be ready to distribute by mid October!

Inside Members

If you have not yet been contacted by a directory "block captain" seeking updated info (phone, email, etc), please contact Barb at [email protected]

Outside members

There is still time to be included in the directory! I received info from several outside members this spring. If you would like to be in the directory, but have not yet filled out the info form, please download the "Outside Member Directory Info" form from the website and mail to: Barb Halaburt 1174 Byrnwyck Court, ATL GA 30319 

Sponsorships

We have a few quarter page sponsorship spots available for the directory. This is a great opportunity to get your company name on over 150 neighbor's desks for the next 2-3 years! Contact Barb at [email protected] if you are interested. 

Volunteer Needed

Volunteer help is needed to update the neighborhood map to be placed in the back of the directory. This will require just a few hours of volunteer time. Please contact Barb at [email protected] if you can help.

New Neighbors

Welcome New Neighbors

Please welcome our newest neighbors, Catherine and Justin Arpey who recently moved into 1075 Byrnwyck Road. (The Ryberg's old home). We are sad to see long-time neighbors John and A.J. Ryberg move, as they were among the "founding families" of Byrnwyck.  We know they will enjoy being closer to their daughter in Virginia, but we will miss them. 

Welcome Wagon

We are seeking 3-4 neighbors to form a "Welcome Wagon" committee. This committee will keep an eye out for new neighbors moving into their section of the neighborhood and greet them with a small "welcome basket". This is a great way to make new friends and help create a warm, welcoming atmosphere for our neighborhood. There will be no boring, tedious committee meetings, but the group may meet on occasion to share some adult beverages and socialize...as deemed necessary by the group! Join us! Contact Barb at [email protected] to join the fun.

And finally....We love to hear about your neighborhood news.  Let us know about special occasions, accomplishments, interesting adventures or news your neighbors need to know.  Look for upcoming features on Dr. Pat Hudgin's trip to Africa and a comparative analysis of the most most recent tax bills.  I'm waiting for some answers from our tax commissioner.  Send your news, pictures, questions or ideas to [email protected]

 

Rebecca Williams
Byrnwyck Community Association
Featured Article
Byrnwyck Dolphins
Byrnwyck Dolphins
Enjoy the final days of the pool as we move to shortened hours:
 Fri.: 4-9, Sat.: 11-9, and Sun.: 12-9  until the pool closes September 25th. 
Hope you enjoyed the free wi-fi at the pool.  Thanks to a great guard and for all the volunteers that made for a winning swim season!
What great weather for tennis!
Stay tuned for information on the Halloween Carnival.