Meeting: April 2026 Monthly Meeting Format: Hybrid (in-person and virtual) Presiding: Chris Spruell, President
Committee Meeting Minutes
Minutes of committees are available in this document as meetings are held and committees have minutes to report.
7:00 PM — Call to Order
Chris Spruell called the meeting to order and welcomed members and guests.
- Meeting recorded; recording posted after the meeting.
- Substantive votes are conducted online via https://bluewatchyouth.dpdns.org/vote; polls open after the recording is posted and close at 11:59 PM the following day.
- Members must have joined by the first of the month for their vote to count.
- Robert’s Rules of Order followed, superseded by the bylaws.
7:02 PM — Adoption of Agenda and Minutes
- Agenda and March 2026 minutes adopted by unanimous consent, no opposition.
7:05 PM — Guest Speakers
APD Zone 6 Update — Sergeant Smart
- Brought regards from Major Webster and Captain Davis, representing Lt. Brown of Zone 6 Evening Watch.
- YTD crime down 21%; 28-day crime down 18%.
- Slight uptick in larcenies from auto — clean car campaign continues.
- APD aware of McClendon harassment situation; working to identify the individual and increasing area presence.
- No questions from membership.
Candler Park FIFA World Cup Watch Party — Tiffani Bryant
Tiffani Bryant, Assistant Director with the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation (Office of Recreation), presented a proposed watch party for Sunday, July 5, 2026.
- One of five citywide watch party locations designated by the mayor’s cabinet; free to attendees.
- Located on the second field below the pool, adjacent to the small soccer pitch.
- 2.5-hour event, plus one hour load-in and one hour load-out.
- Setup: 8×12 LED screen showing the Round of 16 match, two food trucks on the main driveway, DPR Playmobil, and two DPR tents for shade.
- Additional garbage/recycling support and additional security out for bid; Park Rangers also on site.
- Promotion primarily at the neighborhood level (yard signs similar to Movies in the Park).
- No questions from membership.
State House Seat 90 Update — Bentley Hudgens
Bentley Hudgens introduced himself as a candidate for State House Seat 90 and shared updates.
- Open primary; three of the original five candidates have dropped out (Howard Mosby, Nicole Horn, Matt Nursey — Nursey has endorsed Hudgens).
- If elected, plans to create a neighborhood council connecting Druid Hills, Candler Park, Cedar Grove, Conley, and others to share resources.
- Chris noted CPNO is coordinating with the Druid Hills chair on a joint candidate forum before the primary; a special email will follow with details.
City Council Update — Jacob (Staff, Council Member Liliana Bakhtiari)
- Happy Hour ordinance expected to pass that evening, legalizing happy hours with certain limits (no all-you-can-drink; discounts capped at two-for-one).
- Residents should use ATL 311 for non-emergencies (enables tracking and follow-up) and 911 for emergencies or illicit activity; always include the address.
- Candler Park sinkhole has been filled; Finley Plaza opened the prior Friday.
- Euclid Avenue project is in District 2 — direct questions to Council Member Kelsey Bond.
- CORE Grants program rolling out for District 5 neighborhoods in the coming months pending legislative approval; more info to follow.
7:15 PM — Announcements
Safety Reminders — 311 and 911
- Use ATL 311 for non-emergencies; use 911 (call or text) for emergencies.
- Safety Officer often receives issue reports from residents who have not yet filed a 311 report — start with 311.
- Matt Johnson (Safety Chair) clarified that the CPLC safety patrol phone number listed online is a voicemail for patrol business operations only — do not use it to report crimes or request police service (response time 3–5 business days). Always call 911.
- Matt monitors Nextdoor and the Lake Claire–Candler Park Facebook group and forwards relevant incidents to the patrol and Major Webster; McClendon harassment reports have been forwarded, and officers will increase late-afternoon presence.
president@candlerpark.org Email Compromise
Chris reported that the president@candlerpark.org account was compromised and a phishing email was sent from it before the account was shut down.
- Unauthorized login occurred Monday, April 13 (from a Windows computer — Chris does not use Windows); likely entry vector was a phishing email Chris deleted earlier that day without opening.
- Malicious email sent around 5:00 PM on April 15; account shut down by about 7:00 PM — window from discovery to remediation just over an hour.
- Account was offline for about a day and a half for forensics and is now back in service.
- Members who flagged the spam message may need to retrieve legitimate president@ messages from spam folders; most communications over the next week will come from communications@.
- Remediation guidance (rotate passwords, etc.) will be included in the follow-up email.
7:25 PM — Items for Vote
Zoning — Alexis von Dickmann, Zoning Chair
V-26-036: 612 Clifton Road NE — Application for special exception to allow active recreation in a yard adjacent to the street, for installation of a pool extending to the side of the footprint of the house.
- Pool extends about nine feet from the side of the house; within all building setbacks.
- Cannot fit fully behind the footprint due to existing deck and accessory structure.
- Not visible from the street due to elevation change and existing vegetation.
- Three small trees to be removed (≈7″ magnolia, 6″ holly, 6″ crepe myrtle); large front oak will not be disturbed.
- Extensive neighbor outreach documented on the vicinity map.
- Motion made and seconded to support the special exception at 612 Clifton Rd NE; Zoning Committee voted all in favor, none opposed, none abstained. Going to online ballot.
26-O-1122 / Z-26-20: Self-Storage in the BeltLine Overlay — Amendment to November 2017 legislation.
- Original ordinance prohibited self-storage only in certain zoning districts within the BeltLine Overlay.
- Amendment expands the prohibition to every zoning district within the BeltLine Overlay.
- Prompted in part by neighborhood experience near Ansley and Amsterdam Walk; all council members joined the request.
- Motion made and seconded to support the amendment to prior legislation to prohibit self-storage in the BeltLine Overlay; Zoning Committee voted all in favor, none opposed, none abstained. Going to online ballot.
Candler Park FIFA World Cup Watch Party — 7/5/2026
- Motion to support the watch party as proposed by Tiffani Bryant. Going to online ballot with a link to the proposal.
2026 Fall Fest Budget
- Per bylaws review following last month, the Fall Fest budget exceeds $500 and therefore requires membership vote.
- Motion to support the 2026 Fall Fest budget. Going to online ballot with a link to the budget.
- In response to a question from the floor, Chris clarified that members vote the budget up or down as proposed but may submit questions in the meantime.
McClendon Activation — Special Committee Announcement (Eric Dusenbury)
Eric Dusenbury (340 Candler Park Drive, resident since 1992) announced the formation of a board-approved special committee to explore activating McClendon Avenue between Little Five Points and the Clifton/McClendon district with art installations or other creative elements.
- Committee currently consists of Eric alone; seeking volunteers.
- First tasks: establish ground rules in coordination with the City, set durability/safety standards, then develop an RFP process.
- Shortlisted proposals will be brought before CPNO for membership feedback.
- Time commitment: a few hours per month, ramping to 5–6 hours during proposal evaluation.
- Contact: ericdusenbury@gmail.com. More info in an upcoming Messenger article.
7:40 PM — Treasurer Report — Michelle Moulton
- Nothing out of the ordinary this month.
- First Fall Fest sponsorship received; music licensing fees paid.
- Expenditures will ramp up as Fall Fest preparation continues.
- Questions: treasurer@candlerpark.org.
7:45 PM — Adjournment
- Meeting adjourned with no further business, approximately 35 minutes ahead of the scheduled close.
Items Going to Online Vote
- V-26-036: 612 Clifton Road NE — special exception.
- 26-O-1122 / Z-26-20 — amendment prohibiting self-storage in the BeltLine Overlay.
- Candler Park FIFA World Cup Watch Party, 7/5/2026.
- 2026 Fall Fest Budget.
Polls open once the recording is posted and close at 11:59 PM the following day.