Community News

Atlanta

Burgess-Peterson wins $2,500 in contest

Discounter Big Lots on Tuesday awarded Atlanta’s Burgess-Peterson Academy $2,500 for winning second place in a video contest. School officials will be presented a check Friday at a local store.

The company this summer asked entrants for a short video and brief essay explaining why their school needed financial support. The public then had a chance to vote for their favorite video.

More than 300,000 votes were cast to determine 26 winners. A middle school in South Carolina won the contest’s $10,000 grand prize. KRISTINA TORRES

Committee queries city officials on lease plan

The Atlanta City Council’s Finance/Executive committee asked city officials Wednesday several questions about a plan to enter into a 10-year agreement to lease space in an office building on Peachtree Street for its Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department.

Council members wanted to know if the city had looked at other buildings. City officials said they looked at more than 30. The council members also said they had concerns about the length of the lease, saying they think five years is more appropriate.

The city is looking at leasing about 32,000 square feet in the Harris Tower of Peachtree Center. Council members asked city officials to continue to look at other opportunities.

The city is selling City Hall East, where its Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs currently works. City officials hope to reach a deal by September. ERIC STIRGUS

Session today to explain position requirements

A session is planned at City Hall today to explain the requirements for people interested in running for mayor, City Council president, City Council, the Board of Education and municipal judge.

Officials will discuss qualifying fees, disclosure reports, the city’s election Web site, ethics requirements and other information pertaining to Election Day, scheduled for Nov. 3.

The session is planned from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the City Council Chamber, 55 Trinity Ave. S.W. For more information, call 404-330-6032. ERIC STIRGUS

Cobb

Acworth * Austell * Kennesaw * Mableton * Marietta * Powder Springs * Smyrna * Vinings

Child-sized safety village open house is Saturday

The 27,000-square-foot Cobb Safety Village —- a child-sized town in which safety measures can be demonstrated and taught —- will officially open at 10 a.m. Friday with a ribbon-cutting by the county commissioners.

The public is invited to an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the safety village at 1220 Al Bishop Drive in Marietta. The village will teach lessons about topics such as drug and alcohol awareness, disaster preparedness and fire, pedestrian and workplace safety.

The open house will feature food, fun learning opportunities, safety education programs and tours of the village.

For information, call 770-852-3270 or visit www.cobbcountyga.gov/safety village. RALPH ELLIS

DeKalb

Avondale Estates * Chamblee * Clarkston * Decatur * Doraville * Dunwoody * Lithonia * Pine Lake * Stone Mountain * Tucker

Decatur officials sign deal for warning sirens

Decatur has signed a deal to buy and install a warning siren system to alert residents of potential tornadoes.

The city received a $109,000 federal grant to buy the four sirens and will chip in about $16,000 of city money for the project. McCord Communications is slated to install the sirens later this year.

The city also is working with Agnes Scott College, which has its own siren network, on an agreement for when the systems will be activated. The city plans to use its sirens only for tornadoes, though the college uses its system for other weather events.

APRIL HUNT

DeKalb commissioner elected to state post

DeKalb County Commissioner Kathie Gannon has been elected to help govern the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.

She was elected to the organization’s Board of Managers to represent DeKalb and nine other metro Atlanta counties. In DeKalb, Gannon represents the super district that covers the western half of the county.

The Association County Commissioners association was founded nearly a century ago as a forum and training ground for commissioners across the state.

TY TAGAMI

Renfroe Middle School appeals AYP status

Decatur City Schools officials have appealed to the state on behalf of Renfroe Middle School, the only school in the small system that did not make the required AYP, or adequate yearly progress, required by federal law.

Principal Bruce Roaden, in an e-mail to parents Friday, said that “while the academic successes of Renfroe Middle School merit a status of meeting AYP, an error in reporting attendance rate to the state” caused it to be downgraded. The state announced initial results earlier this month. A final AYP report is slated for release this fall and will include results from school appeals. KRISTINA TORRES

Fulton

Alpharetta * Chattahoochee Hills * College Park * East Point * Fairburn * Hapeville * Johns Creek * Milton * Palmetto * Roswell * Sandy Springs * Union City

Sandy Springs official takes Union City job

The assistant city manager for Sandy Springs has resigned to become the top administrator for Union City.

Steve Rapson will start work Aug. 10 as city manager in Union City. Rapson lives in nearby Peachtree City and once served on Peachtree City’s City Council.

Rapson previously worked for Fulton County as budget director and chief of staff for Karen Handel, who was then County Commission chairwoman.

In 2005 he resigned to join CH2M Hill, the private firm that handles day-to-day operations for Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Milton in north Fulton County.

He recently applied to become Dunwoody’s first city manager but was beaten by Warren Hutmacher. Rapson could not be reached for comment Wednesday. RALPH ELLIS

After School Program accepting applications

The Fulton County Department of Parks and Recreation has begun taking applications for its popular After School Program. The program, for children ages 5-13, is conducted from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on school days. The After School Program will be held at the following parks beginning on Aug. 10: Burdett Park, Cliftondale Park, Sandtown Park and Welcome All Park.

There is a $15 registration fee per family for Fulton County residents. Nonresidents pay $30 per family. Program fees are: $30 for one child per week; $55 for two children per week; $75 for three children per week; $20 for each additional child.

Registration is held at the parks listed above. For more information, call the Fulton County Parks and Recreation Department main number at 770-306-3010, or check at www.fultonparks.org. D.L. BENNETT

Sandy Springs names transportation group

Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos has named six residents and city staffers to a committee looking at traffic and transportation in north Fulton County.

The Atlanta Regional Commission is managing the member committee, which also includes members from Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell and Mountain Park as well as two local Community Improvement Districts, MARTA and state offices. The group is charged with creating a framework for comprehensive planning in transportation in the area. Sandy Springs’ members include staff members Tom Black and Chris Miller, along with residents Sandy Abrams, J. Scott Leonard, Gabriel Sterling and Marguerite Wilson. APRIL HUNT

Roswell police investigate fatal wreck

A 50-year-old Marietta woman was killed Tuesday morning when the motorcycle she was riding collided with a Ford Taurus near 1220 Alpharetta St.

Police said the driver of the Taurus turned left onto the southbound lanes of Alpharetta Street in front of the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist, Rebecca Champion, 50, was pronounced dead after being transported to North Fulton Regional Medical Center.

The driver of the Taurus, Sandra Perez-Andres, 32, of Woodstock and two young children who were in the vehicle were not injured. Roswell police spokesman Lt. James McGee said the investigation is ongoing and charges are pending against Perez-Andres. ANDRIA SIMMONS

Gwinnett

Berkeley Lake * Buford * Dacula * Duluth * Grayson * Lawrenceville * Lilburn * Norcross * Snellville * Sugar Hill * Suwanee

Dedication for park will be delayed until 2010

Norcross city leaders have delayed the formal dedication ceremony for Lillian Webb Park until spring 2010.

Officials made the decision after discovering soil issues that could delay construction of Phase 2 of the project, which includes a restroom pavilion.

Leaders inaugurated the 4-acre, $4.5 million park in downtown Norcross with a fireworks display July 3. Under construction since June 2008, the former baseball field has been transformed into a town center with a grand staircase, cascading fountains, walking trails and gazebo. SHANE BLATT

Suwanee receives grant to inventory trees

Suwanee has received a $7,500 matching grant from the Georgia Forestry Commission to help conduct an inventory of trees on public property citywide.

Suwanee, a National Arbor Day Foundation Tree City USA for 19 years, will begin work with an arborist later this year to assess the species, size, health and maintenance needs of trees along street rights of way, parks and other public locations.

“We’ve never had a comprehensive inventory of our trees,” said Wes Rogers, senior environmental planner. “This survey will allow us to catalog information about the trees, provide better care and develop a management plan for our urban forest.” SHANE BLATT

Greater Atlanta

Cherokee * Clayton * Coweta * Douglas * Fayette * Forsyth * Henry * Paulding * Rockdale

Teachers’ home catches fire on first day of school

The first day of school for Cherokee County teachers Gary and Laura Gunter was interrupted when they learned their Woodstock home was on fire.

Their split-level home on West Putnam Ferry Road had heavy fire and smoke damage. Neighbors reported the fire about 1 p.m., and investigators were working late in the day to try to determine the cause, said Tim M. Cavender, spokesman for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services.

One firefighter sustained first- and second-degree burns to his neck, Cavender said. Boston Elementary School, where Gunter has been a computer lab teacher for the past six years, is collecting donations for the family. Gunter’s wife teaches special education at nearby Little River Elementary School.

The couple’s two 9- and 11-year-old daughters were not at home at the time of the fire.

LAURA BERRIOS, FOR THE AJC

Ceremonies celebrate opening of new schools

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held this week in Paulding County for three new schools, providing 187 classrooms. They are:

Hal Hutchens Elementary School, 586 Clonts Road, Douglasville in southeast Paulding

Sara M. Ragsdale Elementary School, 528 Holly Springs Road, Rockmart

Carl J. Scoggins Sr. Middle School, 1663 Mulberry Rock Road, Dallas

Also this school year, a two-story addition to East Paulding High School in Dallas will provide 44 new classrooms, according to the district’s Chief Communications Officer Sharon Roper. Beyond these 231 new classrooms at the four schools, she stated 109 new classrooms have been added. All of these projects have been financed with about $55 million of the $127 million bond approved by Paulding voters in March 2007.

CAROLYN CUNNINGHAM, FOR THE AJC

Staples to host Teacher Appreciation Day

Staples will host its annual Teacher Appreciation Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at area stores. The first 100 teachers will receive an EcoEasy bag of supplies such as note pads and writing tools.

According to a recent market research study, teachers reported spending a total of $395 of their own money in the 2007-2008 school year with first-year teachers spending an average of $770 of their own money on classroom products.

In addition to free items, teachers will have the opportunity to preview new products and services at the office supply store. Teachers also may take advantage of a special Copy & Print promotion throughout the back-to-school season of 5-cent black and white copies of classroom materials. For more information or a list of participating stores, log on to www.staples.com /teacherday. GRACIE BONDS STAPLES

Woodstock council OKs $4.1 million loan for land

The Woodstock City Council voted 5-1 Monday night to authorize city staff to move ahead with a $4.1 million dollar short-term loan for purchase of the roughly four-acre Woodstock Community Church property on Main Street, and for land for a nearby city parking lot.

City operations recently relocated to an annex facility on Ga. 92 near the city’s southern edge, after structural and space limitation issues at the former city complex at 103 Arnold Mill Road.

Councilman Steve Faris opposed the short-term arrangement, saying that structural problems affected only one portion of the old building, and that City Council and another administration issues could be relocated to the Arnold Mill facility without needing to buy the church property.

A vote on short-term financing arrangement for the City Hall project is set for Aug. 17.

The council also voted to request $5 million from Cherokee County’s park bond issue OK’d by the voters in November of 2008.

The money is being sought for completion of several segments of the city’s Greenprints hike-and-bike trail system. MARK WOOLSEY, FOR THE AJC

State

Agribusiness center taps farmer as exec director

Donnie Smith, owner of Smith Farms in Coffee and Atkinson counties in South Georgia, has been named executive director of the Center of Innovation for Agribusiness, headquartered in Tifton.

Smith has served for six years as Gov. Sonny Perdue’s liaison for agriculture and manages the governor’s Agricultural Advisory Commission. A fifth-generation farmer, he has more than 40 years of experience in agribusiness. LEON STAFFORD

State gets $54.5 million in fed money for housing

Georgia will get $54.5 million in federal stimulus money to help finance affordable-housing projects that have been stalled because of the economic recession, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shawn Donovan said Wednesday.

The money is coming in the form of a new tax credit that will help resume construction of the housing projects, which have been stalled because of tight credit markets, Donovan said.

HUD is spending a total $2.25 billion in the form of credits to help finance the projects —- 150,000 housing units —- hat have been stalled because of the recession and the inability for investors and developers to get loans. KRISTI E. SWARTZ