Emory nixes Clairmont site to relocate hospital

Emory University won't be relocating its hospital, outpatient clinic and research facilities to the school's satellite campus on Clairmont Road, but a move still may be in the works.

Emory officials have been studying a possible move in order to modernize the medical facilities, make them more accessible to patients, and better integrate medical and research departments.

Options still being considered include Emory's initial plan to consolidate hospital, outpatient and research facilities across from the existing hospital on Clifton Road, and expanding Emory's Crawford Long medical campus in Midtown. A decision could come in early June.

In a brief news release, Emory said that a detailed analysis determined the Clairmont campus is not a "viable" relocation site. No reasons were given, and Emory officials declined to elaborate.

But moving to the Clairmont campus could have been expensive, possibly requiring the relocation of student housing and athletic facilities built just five years ago at the Clairmont site.

Whatever option is chosen is sure to be costly. The school's original plan to consolidate medical facilities on Clifton Road carried a $2 billion price tag.

Emory had planned to start site work last fall on a new outpatient clinic on Clifton Road, but school officials delayed that project to study other options.

— Paul Donsky

Road workers memorialized

The Georgia Department of Transportation today plans a memorial service honoring its employees who have died in work zones.

With summer construction projects on nearly all major interstates, Georgia DOT is committed to educating workers on how to better protect themselves and to educating the public on the dangers of work zones, said the DOT announcement. That work is slated to include projects on the Downtown Connector, including repaving on I-75/I-85 that will place construction crews right beside weekend drivers at all hours of the day and night, going to and from entertainment venues downtown.

"I think the driving public needs to recognize that work zones are a dangerous place on the highways, dangerous first and foremost to the people that are working there," said Bob Dallas, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, who is scheduled to participate in the memorial service. Dallas said work zones also are dangerous to drivers because the road itself is torn up or changed, so when they see warning signs and lowered speed limits, they're there for a very good reason.

— Ariel Hart

Tornado recovery office opens

The Small Business Administration has opened an office at Atlanta's City Hall East to help those trying to recover from last month's tornado.

The federal agency is offering home, business, physical and economic business injury loans to applicants.

City Hall East is at 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. The office will be on the fifth floor. It will be open weekdays until further notice between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Disaster loans of up to $20,000 are available to replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Businesses can apply for loans for as much as $1.5 million. The interest rates on the loans are as low as 2.75 percent for homeowners and renters and 4 percent for businesses.

— Eric Stirgus

Home repair workshop set

Atlanta Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong and the Atlanta Preservation Network are planning a workshop Saturday to teach tornado victims and preservationists how to repair their homes.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Grant Park Zoo Auditorium, 800 Cherokee Ave.

To RSVP, contact Daryl Barksdale at 404-885-7807.

— Eric Stirgus

Church wins part of suit

A church in Marietta has won part of a federal lawsuit it filed to overturn Marietta's zoning code so the church could build a sanctuary and boarding school.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Cooper does not say whether the facilities can be built. That issue and others remain unresolved by Cooper's March 31 interim ruling. More legal proceedings are expected.

Covenant Christian Ministries Inc. filed a lawsuit against the city in 2006 under a federal religious freedom law. The federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act was passed in 2000 to provide greater protection to houses of worship and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning codes.

Covenant planned to build an 800-seat sanctuary, a dormitory for as many as 24 people, a gym and a playground on land zoned for residential use. The church facilities would be built on 8.3 acres the church owns a few miles south of the Marietta Square, at the intersection of Powder Springs Road and Chestnut Hill Road.

— David Pendered

HIS WEEK

THURSDAY: Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who launched the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, will be the keynote speaker at a forum co-hosted by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Atlanta Regional Commission on April 10 at 9 a.m. at the Blank Foundation's LEED-certified headquarters. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, who has made adoption of sustainable practices a priority for the city, will introduce Nickels. Seating is limited for "Going Green: Creating Sustainable Cities," but the event will be Webcast live, accessible at www.atlantafiftyforward.com.