Fire Department readies for kickoff
The Sandy Springs Fire Department is preparing for its inauguration ceremony, which will be held Dec. 19. The City will commission the new department at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Fire equipment will be on display. Attendees can pose for pictures with Dalmatians that will be on hand for the event.
The Fire Department is steadily acquiring the balance of its equipment and personnel for the December debut in Sandy Springs. The department will begin providing services on Dec. 29. Chief Jack McElfish inspected two newly manufactured pumper trucks in Appleton, Wisc., on Nov. 14 and 15. The City’s 16 Fire Academy recruits participated in their first live burning-building exercise in November. The department is hiring an average of one in four candidates under review, including battalion commanders, crew chiefs, fire techs I and II, and fire inspectors.
Nominations still open for MLK Award
Sandy Springs is reminding citizens that there is still time to nominate someone for the new Sandy Springs Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. The City will hold a Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 15, and will honor the award recipient during the celebration.
Nominees must be living Sandy Springs residents of at least three years’ standing, distinguished for humanitarian contributions in their business, profession, volunteerism or philanthropy. Current Sandy Springs staff and elected officials are excluded from consideration. The nomination deadline is Jan. 2, 2007.
For a nomination form, visit the Sandy Springs Web site home page at www.sandyspringsga.org or pick up a form at City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500.
Recreation and Parks names new director
New Recreation and Parks Director Brad K. Chambers, who will assume his post in mid-December, comes to Sandy Springs with a solid background that includes awards for excellence. A former intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, Chambers served as the director of parks and recreation for Grandview, Mo., a Kansas City suburb. He received a Fellow Award for his work as president of the Tennessee Recreation and Park Association. Chambers has also held director positions in Cookeville, Tenn., and Columbus, Ga. While at Cookeville, his team won the Governor’s Tennessee Quality Award for Excellence.
Read the complete release here.
City Council meetings
The Sandy Springs City Council will hold its regular meetings at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 and 19. A work session is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Dec. 12. All meetings will be in the Council Chambers at Sandy Springs City Hall.
For a complete calendar of government meetings, click here.
Tree Ordinance remains under review
Citizens will have more opportunities to comment on the City’s proposed Tree Ordinance in the coming months. There will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2007, at City Hall. The Advisory Committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11 and Jan. 22, 2007. A draft of the ordinance, which promotes conservation and protection of trees, is available for review on the City’s Web site at www.sandyspringsga.org. The City Council is expected to take action on the Tree Ordinance on Feb. 6, 2007.
Traffic signal timing job complete
Work is finished on a signal re-timing project designed to help ease traffic congestion in the Perimeter Business District. The City teamed up with the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts and DeKalb County to complete the project. The areas with signal improvements include the Abernathy/Perimeter Center West from Ashford Dunwoody to Glenridge Drive, Peachtree Dunwoody Road from Abernathy south to the Glenridge Connector and a half-mile stretch on Mt. Vernon Highway.
Read the complete release.
Police Department lands grant
The Sandy Springs Police received a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (H.E.A.T.) grant from the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety in Atlanta. The City’s H.E.A.T. Unit will work to reduce impaired-driving crashes and speeding, boost seatbelt use and educate the public on traffic safety. The grant will furnish the City with two marked vehicles and one officer, along with speed detection devices, road signage for safety checks, two laptops and other equipment.
Click here for the complete release.
Enrollment to begin for winter activities
Adults and children may begin enrolling for Recreation and Parks winter programs on Dec. 5. Included in the upcoming classes are Basketball Skills and Drills (ages 7-11) and “Artsy-Smartsy” classes (ages 3-10). Leagues are forming at Hammond Park for men’s and women’s basketball, karate, ballet and Zumba (a Latin-dance workout).
For more information or to register, visit the Recreation and Parks page or call 404-252-6310.
Mt. Vernon sidewalk project moves ahead
Street Smarts Inc. has received the go-ahead from the Public Works Department to prepare construction plans for the Mt. Vernon Parkway Sidewalk project. The project begins at the Mt. Vernon Highway and runs along Mt. Vernon Parkway to Crest Valley Road. The design consulting firm is half finished with preliminary plans, which are now under review. The project includes sidewalks, drainage improvements, curb replacements, gutters and paving.
Read the complete release here.
Meetings to focus on Ga. 400 traffic
The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts board will hold two public meetings on the proposed Hammond Interchange on Ga. 400. The project is designed to relieve the Abernathy Road/Ga. 400 interchange as the sole gateway from Ga. 400, as well as enhance the vehicle flow of traffic within the medical facilities area. Project information will be available, but there will be no formal presentation.
The first meeting is scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 at Sandy Springs Police Headquarters, 5595 Barfield Road. A second meeting is from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2630, Sandy Springs.
For information on the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, visit the Web site at perimetercid.org.
City seeks firms to help with projects
Sandy Springs is requesting engineering firms and landscape architecture firms that are pre-qualified with the Georgia Department of Transportation to submit a letter of interest and statement of qualifications reflecting their experience and capabilities in the execution of transportation projects. Sandy Springs will pre-qualify firms and/or teams of firms in engineering, environmental, planning, construction management, traffic engineering, landscape architecture, aerial photography/mapping, land surveying, land appraisal, row acquisition, transit and geo-tech.
A Statement of Qualifications form is available at www.sandyspringsga.org/purchasing.