Aimee Haber, president of the Brookhaven Fields Civic Association, kicked off the annual meeting by inviting each of the board members to introduce themselves. Aimee noted that a number of board members, including herself, had reached the limit of their terms and that there would be several openings on the board.
Aimee then introduced Jennifer Owens, the City of Brookhaven’s newly appointed District 2 Councilmember. Councilmember Owens shared that while she is new to the role, she is not new to Brookhaven, having formerly served on Brookhaven’s Affordable Housing Task Force, as well as Brookhaven’s Charter and Zoning commissions. Councilmember Owens then recognized Kelly Combs, who was in attendance, for her service as a former board member for her nonprofit organization, HealthMPowers.
Councilmember Owens highlighted the recent improvements to neighborhood sidewalks and traffic safety, and shared that the city was petitioning the State Department of Public Health to establish a municipality-run ambulance service to address recent concerns over extended wait times. Councilmember Owens then shared details about the city’s multimodal study (https://www.brookhavenga.gov/publicworks/page/multimodal-study) would be finished this summer, and that she was working with the city traffic coordinators and the principal of Ashford Park Elementary School to come up with a new plan to alleviate traffic conditions around the school due to DeKalb County’s bus driver shortage. Councilmember Owens also noted that she was working to improve the safety of the Caldwell Road/Redding Road intersection, and highlighted that phase two of the city’s stormwater plan and the development of Briarwood Park were both underway, on budget, and on track. Lastly, Councilmember Owens shared that the city’s draft comprehensive plan was complete and would be moving forward in the coming summer.
Aimee then addressed the recent increase in membership dues from $30 per year to $35 per year, and noted that some members had overpaid due to subscribing twice. Duplicate subscriptions have been proactively canceled to prevent members from being charged twice. Aimee invited any member who would like a refund to email the board. Aimee asked members to adjust their payment date to the first quarter of the year, so as to provide a better understanding of the budget at the beginning of the year. Aimee then introduced Cecilia Armstrong, treasurer of the BFCA, to provide details on the financial standing of the association. Cecilia provided the account balance and member count, noting that there was still a significant surplus due the pause in activities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aimee then invited Jolene Ringstrom of the social committee to present the upcoming events. Jolene highlighted that the Spring Fling, having taken place the day before, was a huge success this year, with 20 new members signing up to attend, and last year’s new social event at The Ashford was also a success. Jolene shared that the BFCA had started a new book club, and organized a new wine tasting event at Brookhaven Wines on Dresden Road. Jolene shared that, this year, Oktoberfest would be held at The Beer Growler on Dresden Road and reminded members that the Halloween parade always takes place on Halloween, regardless of which day it falls on.
Aimee thanked outgoing board members Robert Hutchinson, Barry Ringstrom, and Brian Marczak for their service to the community, and made a heartfelt appeal for new volunteers, highlighting the opportunity to make a positive and lasting impact on the community. Kelly Combs, Michelle Michelman, Roshni Sondhi, and Kelly Wilkinson each volunteered to join the board. Jennifer Bailey volunteered for the position of secretary. Karen Grant volunteered for the position of vice president. And Julie Kamenetzky volunteered for the position of president.
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