A Year In Review
Huntley Hills – 2010

2010 has been a very busy and important year for Huntley Hills! Below is my attempt at summarizing some of the highlights. I know this is crazy long, but there is a lot to cover…

The year started with us having a 1-month extension to the traffic calming signature deadline. In December of 2009 we turned in more than the required number of signatures; however, many were not accepted because we did not have the correct names, according to the tax records. So we had to go back and get women to resign with their pre-married names, track down death certificates, mail petitions to out-of-state owners, etc. But we got it done! The final totals ended up being 80% supportive, 10% not supportive and 10% unable to be reached. In February of 2010 the Board of Commissioners approved our project. Then we waited…

While we were waiting, we found out that Montessori at Huntley Hills Elementary School was included in the proposed budget cuts planned by the DeKalb County School System. The parents at our school quickly organized and fought back – they dominated the school board discussions for many months and were often quoted in the media. The drama continued until June – when we found out definitively that Montessori would remain in DeKalb County schools.

In the mean time, a few of our neighbors were busy making sure our City of Chamblee Annexation legislation successfully passed through the Georgia State House and then the Senate. This effort was over 10 years in the works (as was traffic calming) and in February the State bill was signed, giving us an opportunity to vote on the issue in November.

Also in February, tragedy stuck our neighborhood and one of our long-time neighborhood families, when 11-year old Nick Sheffey suffered a senseless death. The Chamblee, Doraville and DeKalb County police worked together, round-the-clock and within days, all the suspects were arrested and have since been convicted – they will be in jail for a very, very long time. I’m proud of how our community responded and of the help and support we were able to provide to the family. Please continue to keep the entire Sheffey family in your thoughts and prayers, especially Nick’s younger brother Michael.

In March, another group of neighbors were working hard to start the first ever Chamblee Farmer’s Market. After many months of planning, the market opened in June. It has been a big success and a wonderful addition to the City of Chamblee!

The Huntley Hills Swim and Tennis Club (HHSTC) also had a very busy summer and one of the best seasons ever. Membership is at an all time high and the improvements to the club in the last 3 years are too many to list – if you haven’t been by in awhile, check it out. The influx of new members (and new Board members) has created a tremendous sense of ownership and pride in the club, which speaks volumes for the future of our neighborhood and community.

In early summer, our speed tables were installed and we all took great pleasure in watching the MARTA busses (and others) actually start to drive close to the 25 MPH speed limit.

Throughout the summer, Chamblee First United Methodist (behind Commodore Drive) underwent some major renovations and upgrades. The church and their preschool have been a tremendous asset to our neighborhood over many decades. Aside from attending services and school there, many of our residents and children also attend their community events, play on their playgrounds and use their Frisbee golf course. Their new facilities are terrific and we are all very happy to see their growth and success continue.

In late summer, our Neighborhood Watch Program got a jump-start when we got a new volunteer Coordinator and hosted a community meeting with DeKalb and Chamblee Police. Since then, the program has been completely revitalized and we now have 45 block captains, covering 81% of the neighborhood. Many thanks to all who are participating!

The Huntley Hills Neighborhood Association (HHNA) also got a necessary jolt of new blood and in July we elected 4 new members to the Board and resumed monthly meetings. The Board quickly published a long overdue newsletter and organized the 4th annual Neighborhood Night Out Party in August – where over 300 neighbors attended. The event was a big success and generated new memberships and interest in the Association. We are also now on Facebook! The future of HHNA is looking good – please let us know if you are interested in serving on next year’s Board.

In September, our neighborhood started gearing up for the City of Chamblee’s Annexation vote in November. Most of us assumed it to be a done deal, a no-brainer, so to speak. But then lots of misinformation was distributed and a small, but very vocal, group of businesses and citizens made it clear they did not want to be part of Chamblee. After an extensive Get Out the Vote effort by our neighbors and others, Annexation passed by 58%. Regardless of how you voted, I think everyone will be happy to see the Chamblee police patrolling our neighborhood come January 1st and the sanitation department sucking our leaves up from the curb in the not too distant future.

Halloween brought us the 3rd annual Huntley Hills Halloween party, sponsored by the Swim & Tennis Club. Attendance was the highest ever and afterwards a parade of kids descended upon our streets. Many thanks to everyone who decorated their homes and handed out candy – and a special thanks to those who went over the top with their awesome haunted houses!

Right before the November election we were informed that DeKalb County had an opportunity to replace our aging Chamblee high school with a brand new building, using a federal stimulus bond. Hundreds of people, including residents from Huntley Hills, emailed and called the DeKalb County School Board members and advocated for Chamblee. All of the efforts paid off – construction begins in 2011!

Later in November, we voted in a local run-off election for our District 1 School Board Representative. Nancy Jester ended up beating the incumbent and winning the Chamblee area vote by over 80%. We look forward to seeing her represent us for the next 4 years.

In early December, some of our neighbors created a new blog where we can now easily find neighborhood referrals and recommendations for anything from automobile repair to yard work – there are more than 30 categories and dozens and dozens of comments – all from your neighbors. Be sure to check it out and add your comments.

Last, but definitely not least, I can’t possibly talk about 2010 without mentioning the Yahoo email group. Between the beaver, coyote, circus, Chamblee Plaza, IHOP, neighborhood watch, gorilla, handyman, traffic calming, AT&T, stray dog, security alert, plumber, annexation, burglary, community food bank, school board election, etc. emails – for better or worse, it has forever changed the way our neighborhood communicates.

It was originally started as a small playgroup email list and in the Fall of 2009, I changed it to a general neighborhood group. Then I started auto-adding 10 people a day from the HHNA list (all that is allowed under Yahoo’s spam rules). Slowly, it has grown – we now have 5 moderators, including myself, and over 550 neighbors are sending/receiving the emails. It sure has helped make 2010 one of the most interesting years we’ve had!

I can only wonder what 2011 will bring to Huntley Hills. I expect the year will start on a good note, with the Chamblee police patrolling our entire neighborhood, the remaining traffic calming measures installed and construction of our new high school starting. Beyond that…who knows?

Thanks EVERYONE for a GREAT year!

-Leslie Freymann
HHNA and HHSTC Board Member

PS. I intentionally did not mention any names because there are just too many to list and I’m certain I would leave some out. But to those of you who were a part of any of the above (or any other things I didn’t mention) – you know who you are – please be proud of your accomplishments and for helping to make Huntley Hills a terrific community! To those of you who haven’t yet been involved, maybe 2011 will be your year to make a difference in Huntley Hills… ?

Are you a paying member? Most people intend to pay and sometimes it just doesn’t happen. And sometimes they think they’ve paid but really, they paid 2-3 years ago and have lost track of time

We have now put our membership list online and it’s current as of December 15, 2010. Please check and see if your address is listed. click here . THANKS!!!

“Like” our page and you’ll get important neighborhood news when you login into Facebook.

Mark Your Calendar!

The Huntley Hills Neighborhood Association is organizing our fourth annual Neighborhood Night Out and Huntley Hills block party. Please join us behind the pool and tennis courts on September 24 from 4 – 9 PM. Meet some new neighbors, see your friends and join us!
With outreach to many of the local restaurants, we have many generous donations.

Some of the restaurants that have confirmed donations so far include:

Chick-Fil-A Chamblee
Pizza Hut
Mad Italian
Pig and Chick
Gallas Pizza
Arbys
Vintage Pizza
And more to come!

Additionally scheduled to appear: a Dekalb County fire truck, several members of the Chamblee police department, and a bouncy house for the young kids (or those young at heart!)

We will have raffle items, including a beach house weekend, gift cards (many!), free car wash tickets, duffel bag from SunTrust, coffee from Starbucks and more!

This event is sponsored by your Huntley Hills Neighborhood Association. If you have not registered yet for the 2011-12 year, Feel free to bring your HHNA dues ($20) to the event or pay online through out new PayPal account: Click on the ‘Association Info’ tab above then click ‘Membership – Pay Dues.’ Click the PalPal ‘Buy Now’ button to begin/renew. So easy!!

Look for information to come through this group or through the upcoming newsletter. This year’s block party will be better than ever!

Kevin Shannon
2011-2012 HHNA President

In addition to this list-which is sent to from the neighborhood association-we felt it would be helpful to have an email group where anyone in the group can send to the whole group.

We now have a new Yahoo email group for all of Huntley Hills!

This Yahoo group is where you can recommend a local roofer, post info about your lost pet, promote a fundraiser you are organizing, advertise your yard sale, etc. You can also use this email group to immediately report any suspicious vehicles in the neighborhood and/or share any other crime related information.

Here’s the link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HuntleyHills

Click on the Join button (you will need a Yahoo ID to join).

Title: Traffic Calming Meeting
Location: Chamblee United Methodist Church
Description: This is our last public meeting (of 8 total). You will be able to ask questions and comment on the proposed plan.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-09-15
End Time: 21:00

July 2009

Help Wanted

We are looking for volunteers to help out with the neighborhood association. Specifically-we want someone/s to take over production of the print and email newsletters. Please email us if you can help with this vital neighborhood communication tool or for more information.

HH Events

July 4th Parade

10am

The Huntley Hills Swim and Tennis Club is hosting our annual July 4th neighborhood parade. This is the time to show your American Pride! Decorate your bikes, trikes, wagons, big wheels, strollers and yourself with as much red, white and blue as you can. Prizes will be awarded.

The parade starts at 10am (line up is a 9:45am) at the pool. The parade will march from Plantation to Monford to Greenhill to Stark to Ensign and back to Plantation to the pool. If you live on the parade route and don’t want to march, please feel free to stand in your yard and cheer on your neighbors!

Texas Hold Em’-Adults Only Pool Party

Saturday, July 18th

8pm till midnight.

The Texas Hold Em’ buy-in price is only $5! Bring a dish to share and BYOB.
The party is open to all Huntley Hills residents.
Please email Velika Brown to rsvp for the poker.

Tennis

The HHSTC B-3 Ladies ALTA team is looking for players! We especially need strong players who are comfortable playing at the top of the line-up, but the team is open to all club members. We have a great group of ladies who have lots of fun while competing. Practices are on Tuesday nights at 7:30 and matches are on Sunday afternoons beginning at 1 PM. The season runs from September 13th through October 25th. If you are interested in joining the team or would like more information, please contact Susan Williams at susanvw@bellsouth.net or 404-683-1059. The deadline for fall rosters is July 8th, so act fast…you don’t want to get Ace’d out of this opportunity!

Art Show

See Huntley Hills resident and Chamblee Arts Alliance member Heni Sandoval as the Artist of the Month at Get Coffee for July. Prints of her paintings will be displayed in the front room from June 25th through July31st. Please stop by and take a look at her wonderful art.

Neighborhood Wide Night Out

September 19 – 4pm-9pm

Join us for the second annual neighborhood wide NNO-open to all residents. We are already planning this exciting day-please email us if you can volunteer to help with planning or on the day itself.

Community Events

Get Coffee – Open Mic Night

Tues, July 30th – 7pm-9pm

The Chamblee Arts Alliance is sponsoring an Open Mic Night at Get Coffee featuring local musicians. Get Coffee is a fun locally owned café located in what used to be an old gas station and is located on 5336 Peachtree Road in Old Chamblee. They offer sandwiches along with salads and fruit smoothies and of course coffee drinks and pastries. Get Coffee is a sponsor of the Huntley Hills Swim Team.

The Frosty Caboose

Is now open! Stop by for some delicious ice cream and a fun trip to a bright red caboose! Located in Chamblee accross from Vintage Pizza. Frosty Caboose, 5435 Peachtree Road.

Taste Of Chamblee

August 29th

Details to come

Title: Neighborhood Night Out Block Party
Location: Commander Drive between Ellwyn and Plantation
Description: Save the date for the Huntley Hills Neighborhood Association Annual NNO Block Party. More details to come!
Start Time: 04:00 pm
Date: 2009-09-19
End Time: 09:00 pm

Title: Rivers Alive 2009 Stream Cleanup
Location: Huntley Hills Park
Description: Volunteer to clean up your local creek! For more information contact Heather at hhd@mindspring.com.
Start Time: 09:00 am
Date: 2009-09-26
End Time: 12:00 pm

Friday, May 29th – 5pm – 10pm

Pool Open House

The Huntley Hills Swim and Tennis Club is having an open house which includes their usual Friday night cook out ($3/plate) plus a potluck dinner. Come check out the place, swim for free and avoid having to cook dinner!

Visit www.hhstc.com for lots of additional information, including photos, pool hours, membership information and a calendar of events.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!!

Saturday, May 30th

Chamblee Garden & Art Tour

10am-4pm

Tour the most loved and wonderful gardens in the neighborhood and see some wonderful art along the way. Tickets can be purchased for $10 at the Robson house at the corner of Longview and Admiral. See these local artists:

• 1. Jim Loser – 3674 Admiral Dr. Paintings.
• 2. Heni Sandoval – 4160 Longview Dr. Original acrylic paintings (including framed and matted prints).
• 3. Susan Strange, 4160 Longview Dr. – Garden inspired motifs on clay tiles, frames, vases.
• 4. Barbara Boyer – 1820 Colt Drive – Chinese watercolors.
• 5. Judy Carr – 1647 Harts Mill Rd. -experienced local painter who is also an art teacher.
• 6. Barbara Daniel – 3723 Greenhill Dr. – painted wood and gourd birdhouses

Also…

Saturday, May 30th

PDK Good Neighbors Day

12pm-5pm

Click Here for more info.

Coming Next Week

Saturday, June 6th – 8am – 11pm

Swim Team Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser Breakfast-Click Here for more info.