Community News

ATLANTA

Solid waste runs up city’s OT expenses

Atlanta officials say a reorganization of garbage collection routes and workers handling more duties are responsible for the city paying more overtime to solid waste service workers.

Public Works officials, who manage the solid waste division, say about 15 percent of their personnel expenses is being spent on overtime. The department budgeted 5 percent of its budget to overtime.

City officials say solid waste workers are not abusing overtime pay and insist the division will remain within its total budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

—- Eric Stirgus

VoIP users could face fee to help 911 system

City leaders are considering charging residents and businesses who have Internet calling connections a $1.50 a month to help offset costs to operate Atlanta’s 911 system.

Councilwoman Anne Fauver proposed the idea for the charges to the connections, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol, during Monday’s City Council meeting. City officials estimate the fee will raise about $3 million a year. Atlanta charges similar fees on all land line and cellular telephone users who live in city limits.

Fauver said the proposal will likely be reviewed by the Atlanta City Council’s Finance Committee before it goes for a vote before the entire the City Council.

—- Eric Stirgus

CLAYTON COUNTY

Morrow moves ahead with walking path

Clayton County surrendered about a third of an acre of land under Ga. 54 to the city of Morrow to help build a bicycle and pedestrian path.

The property, which cannot be developed, will be used as part of an extensive trail system between Clayton State University, the National Archives and a parking lot for the future commuter rail, Morrow City Manager John Lampl said.

“We spent a year designing an underpass so pedestrians don’t have to cross 54,” Lampl said.

The property was required for $2.7 million in grant funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation, Morrow Mayor Jim Millirons told the Clayton County Commission.

On Tuesday, the commission voted 3-2 to grant Morrow a permanent easement. Commissioners Sonna Singleton and Wole Ralph voted against the donation, arguing that it is part of a larger plan for Morrow to annex more land from the county.

Morrow officials said they hope to start construction in the spring and have the trail completed in 2010.

—- Megan Matteucci

Graduates honored for arts involvement

Clayton County students enrolled in four years of band or chorus will still receive a fine arts seal on their diplomas.

Students and parents began campaigning for the seals after several high school officials told them the graduation distinction would be cancelled for the Class of 2009.

On Wednesday, district spokesman Charles White said the school system will continue the fine art seals for this year’s graduating class.

Any Clayton student who received a passing grade in the same fine arts subject for four years is eligible for a fine arts seal on their diploma.

—- Megan Matteucci

River cleanup moves to creek at Rex Park

The Clayton County Water Authority is moving its annual cleanup to Tar Creek in Rex Park.

For years, the water authority and Keep Clayton County Beautiful have helped clean the Flint River as part of the statewide River’s Alive stream cleanup program.

From 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 18, volunteers will remove trash and debris from Tar Creek in Rex Park, 3499 Rex Road.

To volunteer, contact Suzanne Brown at 770-960-6972.

Volunteers should wear outdoor clothing, waterproof boots and gloves.

—- Megan Matteucci

COBB COUNTY

Candidate forum at Osborne High School

The Osborne Community Coalition is sponsoring a political forum at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at Osborne High School at 2451 Favor Road in Marietta.

The event is an opportunity to meet the area’s candidates for school board, Cobb County Commission, sheriff and state legislative seats.

The coalition is a nonprofit advocacy group that conducts after-school programs, family and parenting classes, mentor programs and community collaborations.

For more information: Osborne Coalition at 770-423-8810.

—- Tucker McQueen

Brothers charged in apartment slaying

Cobb County police arrested two brothers Wednesday in the Saturday shooting death of a man at an Austell Road apartment complex.

Eduardo Sifuentes, 17, and Gerardo Sifuentes, 22, have been charged with homicide and aggravated assault in the death of Eduardo Delgadillo. According to the arrest warrant, Delgadillo was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun at Ivy Commons apartment complex on Austell Road.

The men were also charged with criminal street gang activity and child cruelty for committing a felony in the presence of a minor.

—- Derrick Mahone

DEKALB COUNTY

Home sales rise vs. a year ago

Despite the struggling economy, home sales in DeKalb County rose slightly over the last year though prices continue to fall, according to the DeKalb Association of Realtors.

Home sales increased by 5 percent, from 610 units in September 2007 to 642 units last month, according to the report.

The average single family home sale price in the county dropped over the past year by about 8 percent —- from $207,970 to $199,880.

The group reports that pending sales of single family homes increased by 56 percent, from 409 in September 2007 to 637 last month.

—- Donna Williams Lewis

Volunteers needed for new medical center

A Lithonia medical center that offers care to the needy and uninsured is just a month away from opening in a newly renovated and much larger space —- but it needs help to do it.

The South DeKalb Center for Healthy Living managed to provide care for 1,500 patients in its first year in 2007, all from a cramped granite cottage behind a funeral home. After an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this year, the clinic raised more than $100,000 to renovate a nearby home that will allow it to double its patient load.

On Oct. 18, the clinic needs volunteers to clean and move items from the current site on Main Street to the new center on Klondike Road. Lunch will be provided for those who help.

The new center is scheduled to open Nov. 15.

To help with the move or the clinic, call administrator Renee Ranson at 770-484-2777.

—- April Hunt

FULTON COUNTY

Publisher to help boost kids’ literacy

A publisher of books for children is working with the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce and the North Fulton Community Charities to try to improve reading skills among the young. Between now and noon Oct. 24, Usborne Books will donate half the proceeds of online sales toward book kits to be distributed by the charitable organization.

—- Doug Nurse

Also …

> Sculptor’s day: Art Sandy Springs (ArtSS) will hold an awards ceremony Saturday on the grounds of the city’s regional library to announce the winner of the ARTSS in the Open sculpture exhibition. Sculptures, created by regional artists, have been displayed since Spring on the library grounds, where library patrons have voted on favorites. Ten finalists will be displayed through April 2009 and the winning sculpture will be donated by the arts organization to the city for permanent display.

GWINNETT COUNTY

Hamilton Mill library contract gets OK

A $4.6 million contract to build the Hamilton Mill Branch Library got a go-ahead this week from the Gwinnett County commissioners. Garrard Construction Group Inc. of Lawrenceville is the contractor.

Located on a five-acre site at 3690 Braselton Highway adjacent to the new Duncan Creek Park, the 20,000-square-foot building will be the county’s 15th branch library.

The library, scheduled for completion in winter of 2010, will include an “Art in Architecture” feature consisting of specially designed window glass depicting themes of water, earth, sun and the use of language in our culture. It will offer up to 75,000 books and other items for checkout, including adult, teen and children’s collections.

“Our libraries are a great source of pride for our community and deservedly so,” Commission Chairman Charles Bannister said in a news release. “Gwinnett libraries currently lend about seven million items every year, making it the busiest library system in the state.”

Hamilton Mill is the second library funded by the 2005 SPLOST sales tax that will pay $5.4 million of the total $7.4 million cost. The rest is provided by a state grant.

A groundbreaking ceremony is set for 3 p.m. Oct. 21 at the site of the future library branch.

—- Larry Hicks

Curriculum review forms available

Gwinnett County Schools officials are seeking feedback about whether its curriculum does what it should to meet state requirements and community expectations for student learning.

Those wishing to make suggestions to improve the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum should fill out the AKS Review Form, available at www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us.

Suggestions must be submitted before Nov. 9 to receive consideration. The forms should be sent to: the Curriculum Development Office, Instructional Support Center, 437 Old Peachtree Road NW, Suwanee, GA 30024-2978. Suggestions also can be sent vial e-mail to: AKS_Review@gwinnett.k12.ga.us

A committee will review the suggestions and recommend changes to the curriculum for the Gwinnett superintendent and the Board of Education to consider.

—- D. Aileen Dodd

GREATER ATLANTA

Student inventors win $10,000 MIT grant

Five Whitewater High School students have won a prestigious $10,000 grant from Massachusetts Institute of Technology after coming up with a possible solution to the world’s shortage of clean drinking water.

Kavita Singh, Chris Sandwich, Jacob Cotton, Andrew Barth and Hendri deBeer made up the InvenTeam at Whitewater High. They were among the 16 teams chosen from the United States and Canada to receive a Lemelson-MIT grant for the 2008-2009 school year. InvenTeams are composed of high school students, teachers and mentors who collaboratively identify a problem, research it and then develop a prototype invention as an in-class or extracurricular project.

The Whitewater team decided to create a combination dehydrator and condenser that will preserve food while purifying the water that results from the dehydration process. InvenTeam is expected to release a final list of grant winners later this month, but so far only one other Georgia team has won a grant since the program began in 2003.

The selection of the finalist teams is based on the inventiveness and feasibility of the proposed idea. A panel of MIT professors, staff and alumni, inventors, researchers, entrepreneurs and high school educators assess the applications.

The team will use the grant money to purchase materials and supplies needed to develop a prototype of their invention. They have all school year to complete the prototype. The team will display and discuss its invention at the MIT EurekaFest this spring. Whitewater teachers working with the InvenTeam students are Carolyn Smith, engineering and technology, and Ted Wansley, science.

—- John Hollis

State approves plan for new hospital lab

Northside Hospital-Forsyth has been given the green light from the state Department of Community Health to establish an adult cardiac catheterization lab.

The lab is slated to open in the first quarter of 2009 at a cost of about $2 million.

Russ Davis, a spokesman for the Cumming hospital, said the lab “will greatly enhance our already existing, comprehensive cardiac diagnostic services.

“Forsyth County is currently the largest county in Georgia without a cardiac cath lab within its borders,” Davis said. “Each year, more than 1,125 Forsyth and Dawson County residents have had to travel more than 20 miles to access cardiac cath services.”

Hospital officials expect to perform more than 750 procedures at the lab in its first year of operation.

—- Nancy Badertscher

Also …

> Protect yourself: In partnership with Dae Han Martial Arts, the Woodstock Police Department will offer a self-defense class Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The class will be taught by Master Carolyn Boucher. Classes will be held in the courtroom of the Woodstock Police Department, 103 Arnold Mill Road.

—- Nancy Badertscher