The Dunwoody City Council has decided to revamp the organization Create Dunwoody in order to beef up the city’s experience-making efforts.
The council approved the creation of the “Create Dunwoody Alliance” at its Monday meeting, an effort to revamp Create Dunwoody, a public art organization that was created along with the city’s Arts and Culture Master Plan in 2018.
Support and funding for the organization would come from a partnership between the city, the Dunwoody Development Authority, and Discover Dunwoody, the city’s tourism organization. The city would offer the alliance annual funding in the amount of $35,000 with a five-year commitment, according to city documents. In the past, Create Dunwoody has been a volunteer organization.
“We propose partnering with the city, Discover Dunwoody, and the Development Authority to fund a staff person or staff people for that organization to give them the ability to then go out and put programming on and get sponsorships,” said Economic Development Director Michael Starling.
A memo about the alliance states that the group would be responsible for coordinating experience-making events, like festivals and concerts, throughout the city. Starling previously discussed the initiative with the Dunwoody Development Authority at a Nov. 18, 2021 meeting, where the authority voted to approve a five-year $175,000 investment, contingent upon participation from the city and Discover Dunwoody.
Starling said the specifics of how the group will function are still unknown and dependent on meetings between the city, the Development Authority, and Discover Dunwoody. Two Development Authority members, Terry Polk and Susan Mitchell, were present at the meeting and have been working with Starling on the initiative. Starling said along with the annual $35,000 budget, they would also be asking for two board members of Discover Dunwoody and two council members to sit down with the Development Authority members and work out the details of the plan.
Councilmembers Catherine Lautenbacher and Joe Seconder volunteered to serve as the two representatives of the city. A representative for Discover Dunwoody said their representatives have not yet been chosen.
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