The city of Dunwoody has had its share of significant events from an ethics complaint, to notable road projects. The year 2012 has been a busy one for the city, and below are a few of the highlights.

On the Hot Seat
After an audit showed the DeKalb County School District with issues of in fighting among board members, being top-heavy and mismanagement of funds, the district made strides to improve their standing. However, in October AdvancEd — parent organization of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools — sent a team to visit the school system to conduct an analysis. That visit resulted in the system being placed on accredited-probation until Dec. 31, 2013. In a statement, the school district said it would work collaboratively to review the findings and begin to address the required actions.

Ethics
After a couple of months of ethics complaints being filed by Mayor Mike Davis and Councilwoman Adrian Bonser, both parties were able to resolve the issue through mediation. The issue began with a complaint filed against Bonser for allegedly leaking information discussed in a February executive session meeting about Project Renaissance. Bonser then filed a counter complaint against Davis for harassment and seeking her resignation from city council. As part of the settlement, the mayor and council agreed to conduct a review on the city’s ethics ordinance and arrange for education and training on the Georgia Open Meetings Act and executive session provisions.

Can you DDI?
In June, the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, along with the Georgia Department of Transportation and Moreland Altobelli Associates Inc., constructed an innovative project never before seen or done in the state of Georgia. The Diverging Diamond Interchange, which encompasses the off and on ramps of I-285 at Ashford Dunwoody Road, originated in France and was first seen in Springfield, Mo. It consists of a design that shifts the flow of traffic to the opposite side of the road to reduce and improve traffic flow.

Infrastructure
With many objections from residents about the city council’s plans for a roundabout at Vermack/Womack roads, council decided to drop those plans and pulled those funds from the budget. Residents were outspoken about the project saying they did not think this was the best option for pedestrians. Citizens were also vocal about proposed plans for Dunwoody Village Parkway, which included reducing it to two lanes and removing the median full of trees and adding sidewalks. Bill Grant, vice-chair of the design review advisory committee proposed an alternative design. Those plans were to be presented to city council and staff for evaluation and input.