Awards, Air Warnings, and a $70M Lawsuit: What Smyrna-Vinings Needs to Know

Three wins. One warning. And the chemical exposure story that’s finally hitting home.

Author

Ravi Patel
June 03, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Dear Stewards,

Some weeks, the news finds you. Other weeks, you have to dig for what matters.

This week? The stories came knocking.

Smyrna swept the state environmental awards (three of them), and residents near Olympic Industrial Drive discovered they've been breathing something they shouldn't have been.

You're reading what happens when people actually pay attention to their community.

Let's see what we found together.

— Your Voice for Local Prosperity

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In Today's Edition

  • 🏆 Local Legends: Three state awards, one community

  • 🚨 Stewards Watch: Industrial air quality concerns hit close to home

  • 💼 Job Board: Library seeks youth services associate 

  • 🎟️ Event Horizon: Food trucks, concerts, and craft kits

  • 📊 Public Pulse: Why people really visit downtown + your Georgia tax refund update

📍 Smyrna & Vinings, Now Just a Click Away: Explore the Stewardship Directories

Want to keep your dollars local and your errands simple? We’ve built two sleek little hubs to help you do just that.

Our Smyrna and Vinings Stewardship Directories are like your neighborhood’s cheat codes: packed with trusted small businesses, hidden gems, and community-powered picks.

From meaderies to music lessons, these sites are your go-to guides for living local (without the endless scrolling).

  • 🧭 Made for locals, by locals.

  • ✨ No ads. No noise. Just neighbors helping neighbors.

Take a peek, bookmark it, and support your city with every click:
🔗 Smyrna Directory | Vinings Directory

LOCAL LEGENDS
Smyrna Sweeps Statewide: How We Earned Georgia’s Greenest Honors

Most communities get one environmental award and call it a year.

Smyrna went to the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation ceremony at Brasstown Valley Resort and came home with three.

The Triple Crown

  • Clean Community Champion Award → Keep Smyrna Beautiful

  • Waste Reduction Warrior Award → City of Smyrna Recycling Center

  • Carolyn Crayton Volunteer of the Year → Eric Dennis (more on him in a minute)

Three awards. One community.

What This Actually Means

Sure, it's nice recognition. But here's what's really happening according to MetroAtlantaCEO:

Smyrna cracked the code on something most places struggle with: getting residents, city services, and volunteers to work together instead of around each other.

Julie Barwig, who runs Keep Smyrna Beautiful and serves as the city's Environmental Services Director, put it simply:

These awards “highlight our team's commitment to reducing litter through education and action."

Translation: When you align city resources with resident energy and give people like Eric Dennis room to make a difference, things actually get done.

The Eric Dennis Factor

Eric Dennis won the Carolyn Crayton Volunteer of the Year Award for his work on Smyrna's tree canopy.

Not because he planted a few trees, but because he embodies what Natalie Johnston-Russell from Keep Georgia Beautiful called

"the dedication and creativity it takes to build a cleaner, greener, more beautiful Georgia."

One person. Consistent effort. Statewide recognition.

That's not luck. That's what happens when communities create space for people who care.

Why This Matters Beyond Awards

Environmental stewardship isn't about being the greenest city in Georgia. It's about building systems that work long-term.

Clean neighborhoods attract thoughtful residents.

Effective recycling programs save money. Tree canopies reduce energy costs and increase property values.

Smyrna didn't win these awards by accident. The city invested in recycling infrastructure.

Keep Smyrna Beautiful educated residents instead of just scolding them.

Volunteers like Eric Dennis did the consistent work that compounds over time.

The result? Statewide recognition for doing the basics exceptionally well.

The Bigger Picture

When the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation looks at nearly 500 communities across the state and picks Smyrna for three separate awards, they're recognizing something specific.

A place where residents, institutions, and individual initiative actually align.

That's the stewardship model in action. Not perfect, but functional. Not flashy, but effective.

Congratulations to Julie, Eric, and everyone who made this possible. You proved that local engagement creates measurable results.

Now let's keep it up.

STEWARDS WATCH
When Industrial Air Becomes Personal Risk

Most neighborhoods worry about traffic or noise complaints.

Smyrna residents living near Olympic Industrial Drive have been breathing something far more concerning: ethylene oxide.

The Situation

For years, the Sterigenics facility at 2971 Olympic Industrial Drive SE has been releasing ethylene oxide (EtO) into the air during its medical equipment sterilization process.

The EPA classifies this colorless gas as a human carcinogen linked to lymphoma, breast cancer, leukemia, and multiple myeloma.

The problem? Many residents had no idea they were being exposed.

The Numbers

Over 700 Georgia residents have filed lawsuits against sterilization companies over EtO exposure.

In May 2025, a Covington jury awarded $70 million to Gary Walker, who developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after decades of exposure near the Bard plant.

That's not just a legal headline. That's a neighbor who got sick from breathing air that should have been safe.

What This Means for Smyrna

The EPA has identified areas around the Sterigenics facility as having elevated lifetime cancer risks.

If you lived or worked full-time within 5 miles of the plant and have been diagnosed with breast cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma, legal experts say you may have grounds for compensation.

The Bigger Question

This isn't just about one facility or one lawsuit. It's about industrial transparency and community health.

When companies process hazardous materials in residential areas, neighbors deserve to know what's in the air they breathe.

Your Move

If you think you may have been affected:

  • Document where you lived or worked and when

  • Keep medical records of any cancer diagnoses

  • Consider consulting with legal counsel (multiple firms are investigating these cases)

The Stewardship Angle

Good stewardship means asking hard questions about what happens in our backyard.

It means demanding transparency from industrial neighbors. And it means supporting residents who may have paid a health price for living in their own community.

Air quality isn't political. It's personal.

Know something that affects our community's health or safety? Send it our way @[email protected]. Stewardship means staying informed about what matters most.

JOB BOARD 
📚 Now Hiring: PT Library Associate – Youth Services

Love working with kids? Smyrna Library is looking for a part-time Library Associate to support youth services: including helping with programs, book displays, and day-to-day patron support.

You’ll be on the front lines of creativity and curiosity, with up to 24 hours a week including evenings and weekends.

💼 Ideal for someone with a degree, strong communication skills, and a heart for helping families explore the world through books.


📍 Smyrna Library | 💵 $21.90 - $27.92/hr DOE (depends on experience) | 🕒 Up to 24 hrs/week | 🗓 Posted May 27 | 👶 Experience with children preferred | 🧾 Background & credit check required

EVENT HORIZON
Your Week in Smyrna-Vinings 

  • 🚚 Food Truck Tuesday: Savor gourmet bites, sweets, and music every Tuesday night. 📍 Taylor-Brawner Park | 🗓 Tuesday, June 03 | ⏰ 5–9 PM

  • 🎶 June Concert – Ray Howard Band: Enjoy a free night of classic soul, R&B, and Motown under the stars with the Ray Howard Band. 📍Village Green Park | 🗓 Saturday, June 7 | ⏰ 7–10 PM (FREE admission, but tables are available for purchase here)

  • 🛍️ Smyrna Market: Shop 60+ vendors with food, crafts, local goods, and fresh finds. 📍 City Hall, 2800 King Street | 🗓 Sunday, June 8 | ⏰ 10 AM–2 PM

  • 🎨 Make-it Mondays - Ducklings: Pick up a fun to-go craft kit for kids ages 3–7 that matches the weekly Storytime theme 📍 Smyrna Public Library, Youth Services Desk, 100 Village Green Circle SE | 🗓 Monday, June 9 | ⏰ 10 AM–7 PM (While supplies last. Glue and crayons not included.)

  • 🏃 Monday Night Run Club - Run Smyrna: Meet fellow runners for a relaxed 3–5 mile run📍Smyrna Beer Market (by Stout Brothers, SW of the fountain). 🗓 Monday, June 10 | ⏰ Meet at 6:30 PM, run starts shortly after (Run at your own pace, and your own risk.)

PUBLIC PULSE
📊 Why Do People Visit Downtown Smyrna (Besides Living or Working Here)?

A recent survey of ~2000 residents says we’re here for the food, but not just the food:

  • 🍽️ Restaurant/Dining – 86%

  • 🧘 Recreation – 66%

  • 🎶 Special Events/Festivals – 65%

  • 📚 Library – 42%

The message? Feed us, delight us, and we’ll keep showing up. View the full survey results here.

💰 Quick Financial Update: State Tax Surplus Refunds This Week

Georgia's issuing $1 billion in surplus tax refunds starting this week:

  • $250 for single filers

  • $375 for head of household

  • $500 for married filing jointly

Check your status: "Where's My Surplus Refund Tool" is live on the Georgia Department of Revenue website. You'll need your SSN and 2024 federal adjusted gross income.

Your Move, Smyrna-Vinings Residents!

💌 Share the intelligence: Forward this to someone who needs to know what's actually happening in their community

🧭 Support our local businesses! They're the ones sponsoring Pride festivals and hiring your neighbors in Smyrna & Vinings
📣 Got a local gem or listing? Send it our way
💬 Chat with your neighbors: CobbTalk Forum

❝

Let us be grateful to the people who make us laugh—they are the charming gardeners who make our souls bloom.

—Marcel Proust, French Novelist

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Democracy works better when people participate, and community works better when neighbors know each other.

Thank you for being a good steward of YOUR community.

Your presence matters more than you think. We’ll see you next week.
— The Stewardship Group

💊 P.S. Stewardship Challenge of the Week: Attend something. City Council meeting. Car show. Concert in the park. Pride proclamation. Doesn't matter what, just pick one community event this week and show up.