1. LOCAL Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2016 • Page 9A
See Stephenson on Page 10A
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Tucker continues to
steadily build its own
government with the
creation of community
committees and boards.
The city announced
Oct. 19 that five residents
have been selected
to serve on the city’s
inaugural zoning board of
appeals. The five members
appointed were Charles
Abbott, Keith Easterling,
Chris Hartley, Pat Soltys
and Neal Stubblefield.
The board will consider
requests for alterations
from the zoning ordinance
and hear appeals regarding
analysis made by the
community development
director.
“We are thankful
these residents are willing
to share their wealth of
knowledge and experience
with the city of Tucker,”
Mayor Frank Auman said
in a released statement.
“They make an outstanding
team and will serve us
well.”
Abbott is a civil
engineer and the owner of
Tucker-based engineering
firm, Abbott Concepts and
Design, Inc. A graduate of
Southern Polytechnic State
University, he has 18 years
of experience in civil site
design in metro Atlanta.
Easterling, a senior
lecturer at Emory
University, has worked in
community organizations
as president of an Atlanta
neighborhood association
and as a member of
an Atlanta task force
designed to revitalize
Cheshire Bridge Road
through zoning changes.
He also has served on
Emory’s Clifton Corridor
Transportation Advisory
Board and its committee on
the environment.
Hartley has a bachelor
degree in communication
arts from Georgia Southern
University and works as
a project manager for
a custom home builder,
which projects are primarily
located in Decatur.
Soltys is the lead listing
agent for the Smoke Rise
Agents Team of Realty
Associates of Atlanta, LLC.
She also has worked as a
real estate consultant.
Stubblefield has been
a consultant for more than
37 years in public water
infrastructure. He currently
works at Barge, Waggoner,
Sumner & Cannon and
was previously the vice
president at Jordan, Jones
& Goulding and national
practice leader for Jacobs
Engineering. He has
worked for municipal clients
throughout the southeast
including Atlanta, DeKalb,
Fulton and Gwinnett
counties. He has served
as past board chair at
Georgia AGAPE, present
advisor to Tucker-based
EIRO, and is an active
member of the Council for
Quality Growth.
Tucker is moving into
its comprehensive plan
development with a zoning
board of appeals in place
and a planning commission
currently hearing requests.
The board will hold its first
meet Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at
Discover DeKalb.
Tucker announces inaugural zoning board of appeals
Coming to Dekalb
County in November!
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Nov. 7, Living Grace Lutheran Church-TUCKER
Nov. 9, Lions of Juda Event Center-STONE MOUNTAIN
Nov. 15, Fairfield Baptist Church-LITHONIA
Pre-registration is required call 1-888-653-6450 to receive a $10 discount
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
S
tephenson High School
senior Brenda Rolle-Davis
will be honored on Nov. 3
with 19 other young adults
from the metro-Atlanta region.
Rolle-Davis was chosen by the
East DeKalb Boys & Girls Club as
its 2016 Youth of the Year for her
exemplary behavior and leadership
at the club, her community and
Stephenson High School.
“I’ve always been a positive
person,” Rolle-Davis said. “My
mom, my friends, my teachers—
everything in life keeps me
motivated. I’m never a negative
person. There’s enough negative
stuff out there right now, so I want
to be a light to the world.”
Being chosen means Rolles-
Davis will go to the annual Youth
of the Year dinner and award
ceremony at the Intercontinental
Buckhead Atlanta Hotel on Nov.
3. Rolles-Davis will then compete
with 19 other young adults to earn
the Metro Atlanta Youth of the Year
award.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate these
teens and their accomplishments,”
said Missy Dugan, president of
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.
“Each day in our clubs, we work
to show kids the power of positive
choices and the impact of giving
back. This year’s nominees are
not only driving change among
their peers and at their clubs, they
are making real change in their
communities.”
Rolle-Davis earned the honor
by touring local companies
such as Coca-Cola, answering
questions about her character
and showcasing her academic
success, her commitment to a
healthy lifestyle and her vision for
America’s youth, she said. Rolles-
Davis expressed her views in essay
to qualify for the contest.
In addition to being an honor-
roll student at Stephenson High,
Rolles-Davis is president of East
DeKalb Boys & Girls Club’s college
readiness program, College Bound.
Rolles-Davis said her
experience as a premature baby
has led to her advocacy for healthy
lifestyles in young people.
“I was born one pound, four
ounces,” Rolles-Davis said. “I feel
that everyone should take care of
their body.”
Rolles-Davis said America’s
youth needs leaders inside friend
groups as well as mentors outside
such friend groups. She said she
has acted as such in her community
and made a difference in the lives
of her peers.
“Everyone needs a leader and
a lot of kids out there don’t have
one,” Rolles-Davis said. “People
can always come to me and look
up to teenagers and other people
that are at the Boys & Girls Club
every day—parents, grandparents,
uncles, anybody.”
Last year, Rolles-Davis played
a role in food drives, fundraisers for
animal shelters and Hosea Helps
to aid people and pets in need. She
said her involvement has helped
both her and the club she happily
represents.
“We write three essays about
those topics and send letters,”
Rolle-Davis said. “It’s to let
everyone know what Boys & Girls
Club is all about, what we think
about our youth, what we want our
youth to know—anything to get
them involved.”
According to Rolle-Davis, Boys
Brenda Rolles-Davis, East DeKalb Boys & Girls Club’s Youth of the Year nominee,
recently toured Georgia Senator Janice Van Ness around the Lithonia facility with
director Brandon Riley. Photo by R. Scott Belzer
Stephenson senior honored by Boys & Girls Club

2. LOCAL Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2016 • Page 10A
STEPHENSON Continued From Page 9A
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE
ELIMINATION SYSTEM PERMIT TO DISCHARGE TREATED
WASTEWATER INTO THE WATERS OF THE
STATE OF GEORGIA.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is considering the issuance
of an NPDES permit for the following applicant, subject to specific pollutant limitations
and special conditions:
Dekalb County Department of Watershed Management, 1580 Roadhaven Drive,
Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083, NPDES Permit No. GA0024147, for the Snapfinger
Creek Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility located at 4124 Flakes Mill Road,
Decatur, GA 30034. Up to 44 MGD oftreated wastewater is being discharged to the
South River in the Ocmulgee River Basin.
Persons wishing to comment upon or object to the proposed determinations
are invited to submit same in writing to the EPD address below, or via e-mail at
EPDcomments@dnr.ga.gov, no later than thirty (30) days after this notification. If
you choose to e-mail your comments, please be sure to include the words “NPDES
permit issuance -Snapfinger Creek WWTF (GA0024147) (Dekalb County)” in the
subject line to ensure that your comments will be forwarded to the correct staff. All
comments received prior to or on that date will be considered in the formulation of final
determinations for these permits. A public hearing may be held where the EPD Director
finds a significant degree of public interest in a proposed permit or group of permits.
Additional information regarding public hearing procedures is available by writing the
Environmental Protection Division.
A fact sheet or copy of the draft permit is available by writing the Environmental
Protection Division. The permit application, draft permit, and other information are
available for review at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 1152 East, Atlanta, Georgia,
30334 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For
additional information contact: Gigi Steele, Wastewater Regulatory Program at (404)
463-1511.
Please bring this to the attention of persons who you know will be interested in
this matter.
& Girls Club plays a vital and positive role
in shaping future adults.
“People think it’s like a little daycare,”
Rolle-Davis said. “It’s anything but a
daycare. We have plenty to offer; children
are going to be at their best here.”
East DeKalb Boys & Girls Club
director Brandon Riley said Rolle-Davis’s
speech will set her apart from November’s
competition and embody the club’s spirit.
“I believe in Brenda 100 percent,” Riley
said. “She’s loyal—she’s been with the club
through the ups and the downs. She’s seen
the club mature and transition from where
we started to where we are now. At the end
of the day, she’s always been there.”
Riley called Rolles-Davis a leader within
the club as well a leader of her community.
“She’s a great overall person,” Riley
said. “Our motto is ‘East DeKalb tough.’
When she is out at different places and
clubs, she sets the tone to know that it’s
not about what you have, it’s about getting
through a situation with more knowledge.
That’s what she’s all about.”
Rolles-Davis said she plans on
attending Fort Valley State University and
majoring in communications and media.
She said she would like to pursue a career
in journalism, media, sports marketing or
film.
For more information on the East
DeKalb Boys & Girls Club, visit www.
bgcma.org/club/eastdekalb/.
On Nov. 3, Brenda Rolles-Davis will compete with 19 other young adults from the metro Atlanta area
as part of the organization’s 2016 Youth of the Year celebration. Rolles-Davis will represent East
DeKalb County. Photo by R. Scott Belzer
by Horace Holloman
horace@dekalbchamp.com
Fifty-three counties,
including DeKalb County,
are experiencing level 1
drought conditions. Due
to the drought, a rebate
program offered by the
county could help with
conservation efforts if
homeowners buy in.
The Toilet Retrofit
Rebate program, offered
by the DeKalb County
Department of Watershed
Management, gives DeKalb
County homeowners a
one-time rebate check by
switching to a low-flow
toilet.
Homeowners with
individually metered homes
built prior to 1993 are
eligible for a rebate after
replacing old toilets with
high-efficiency toilets.
“Older toilets can use
anywhere between 3.5 to 7
gallons each time you pull
the handle,” said watershed
management director Scott
Towler in a statement. “By
using low-flow toilets, you
can cut your consumption
dramatically as soon as it’s
installed, and that will save
money on the water and
sewer bills every time. Plus,
we’ll rebate some of the
cost to do it.”
Toilets that have a
flush capacity of up to
1.28 gallons are eligible
for a rebate of up to $100.
Toilets with a flush capacity
of 1.6 gallons are eligible
for a rebate of up to $50,
according to department
officials. The offer is
limited to three toilets per
household.
“The entire [Metro-
Atlanta] area is a growing
area, and we have limited
resources. [DeKalb
County] draws from the
Chattahoochee River and
the strain on it is well known
and has been going on
for years,” said watershed
spokesperson Burke
Brennan. “We all have a
responsibility to use what
we need and leave for
others.”
In September of this
year, DeKalb Watershed
issued $138,000 in rebates,
according to Towler.
“The fact that it
represents more than 1,400
conservation-friendly toilets
is even better,” said Towler.
Brennan said the
program has had a “great
deal of success” since it
was initiated in 2008. The
county has also worked on
education campaigns to
make residents aware of
potential savings, he said.
“As the world becomes
more populous, we become
more aware,” Brennan said.
“Frankly, the drought is the
perfect time to talk about
water conservation. [This
program] helps us conserve
valuable resources. ”
Since the program was
initiated, more than 29,000
toilets in DeKalb County
have been upgraded.
Rebate program helping
water conservation
efforts in DeKalb County