Newly elected Tucker City Councilman and attorney Roger Orlando is always looking for ways to give back to the community and expand his personal horizons, but he never saw himself as a “politician.” After speaking with then-Councilwoman Pat Soltys about her not seeking reelection following her four-year term to the District 1, Post 1 seat, he began to strongly consider what he could do for the city he loved and community he has resided in for more than 20 years.

Councilman Orlando got a crash course in CIDs through his relationships with TSCID president Emory Morsberger and Tucker-Northlake CID executive director Matthew Lee. He admires the dedication and work the CIDs have put in to make the City’s business corridors well-maintained and safe.

Orlando’s top priority for his new position is public safety, believing it is the “sine qua non,” meaning that which must be done or achieved before anything else is done or achieved, for prosperous economic development. Either through a dedicated Tucker Police Department, enhanced DeKalb County police presence or increased electronic surveillance, businesses can only open and prosper when people feel safe to patronize them.

With the gracious help and awesome guidance from the City of Tucker staff, Orlando looks forward to learning his new office and meeting his fellow business owners in the district to better serve their needs and wants. His goal is to bring together Tucker’s communities and districts so that it continues to feel like home for future generations to want to stay.

“Industry was hungry for manufacturing space in the South,” said Pat Pattillo in a speech to the Stone Mountain Park Industrial Park Association in 2000. “Stone Mountain Industrial Park became the example to industrial developers. It is still at the forefront of construction, alterations, maintenance, landscaping and steady improvements.” Read the full speech on our website here.

Pattillo Construction is now led by, CEO Bree M. Patillo, a fourth-generation owner. With more than 72 years of construction experience, the company continues to grow and is developing projects like the Oakmont Industrial Group on Rock Mountain, Sports Warehouse Properties in Alpharetta, Fox Hill Business Park in Fountain Inn, South Carolina and more.

Tucker Summit CID is proud to sponsor the Friends of Disabled Adults & Children’s Veterans Home Medical Equipment Repair Clinic on March 4.

The repair Clinic, located at 4900 Lewis Road Tucker, Georgia 30083, will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. FODAC will waive the cost for registration and repair fees for veterans for manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, rollators and more. Repairs include tires, wheels, footrests, upholstery, armrests, seating, joysticks, chargers and other electrical parts, and FODAC will provide batteries if available.

Walk-ins are welcome, but they encourage appointments. Call 770-491-9014 ext. 115 to schedule an appointment.

The TSCID is under contract with Wi-Skies to begin upgrades to street lighting of various streets throughout the CID for enhanced safety. In partnership with Georgia Power, the City of Tucker and DeKalb County, the CID will be developing lighting layouts on all CID streets over the next 12-15 months. These layouts will include cost estimates for new or upgraded light fixtures and new poles where the photometric design work indicates lighting is necessary. The CID will be reaching out to owners on each street to discuss the project details, cost-sharing options and schedule for implementation.

Adequate lighting levels on many of the streets in the CID boundaries has been a topic of discussion with property owners concerned about safety over the years. After several years of budgeting for this project, the Board and its President is now prepared to move forward with the project in phases. Although the design and the number of fixtures, luminaries and poles, including the cost estimate for the work will be completed in early 2023, the CID Board will begin to discuss an implementation schedule that will ultimately take several years to complete due to the magnitude of the project.