Politics & Government

Resident Says City's Business License Practices Need to Improve

Barbara Malone asked Sandy Springs City Council members why Atlanta Country Day School was allowed to operate for seven years without a special use permit and a sprinkler system.

Sandy Springs resident Barbara Malone shined a light on the city’s business license practices, during this week’s City Council meeting.

After Council members approved a special use permit for Atlanta Country Day School, Malone asked why the private school was allowed to operate at that location without one, for seven years.

“One of the reasons they are issued is safety,” said Malone, during public comment. “To make sure that the building has a sprinkler system. To make sure that occupancy levels are enforced.”

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In fact, Atlanta Country Day School did not have a sprinkler system until recently. Inspection of the sprinkler system was completed on Wednesday, according to Jeff Scarbrough, Deputy Chief for Sandy Springs Fire Rescue.

“We didn’t know they were there until April, of this year,” Scarbough said. “Prior to that we were under the impression that they had administrative office there. That’s when we found out they actually had students and were running the school.”

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Malone, who appeared before City Council on behalf of the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods, discovered that the now closed private high school Pierian Springs operated in Sandy Springs without an appropriate business license. There was no special use permit and the business license indicated the school offered acting classes. 

The school was located in an upper level space at City Walk shopping center and has been closed since at least last fall, yet it still has an active website.

Acting Director of Community Development Nancy Leathers told Patch, “There are gong to be things that we don’t know about and when we learn about them, we will go back and correct them.”

[Leathers retired as head of Community Development last November.  A week ago, she returned, temporarily, to help with The Collaborative’s transition.]

Atlanta Country Day School, located in a small strip on Dunwoody Place, has been sort of a red flag. Mayor Eva Galambos has sent a message to city staff that she wants to step up efforts to make sure all businesses in Sandy Springs have proper permits and business licenses.

Malone has submitted inquires to the city about special use permits for Cumberland Academy on Mount Vernon Highway and Rivercliff Lutheran School on Roswell Road.

"The safety of children in these locations may have been compromised. How many other schools or even business don’t have business licenses," she asked.

Barbara Malone, closed her remarks to Council members saying, “When the city has tried to save money by changing vendors, recently, and save the city around $7 million, it makes me wonder how much money the city is losing. A few hundred, many thousands; I hate to guess.”

On the other hand, Sandy Springs has many businesses. Checking each one is doable but it will be costly, Leathers said.


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