Compiled by Staff

ALPHARETTA FIRST UMC AND ST. JAMES UMC PLAN "GREAT" DAY OF SERVICE

Each April, the members of Alpharetta First United Methodist Church and St. James United Methodist Church combine efforts to serve the people of Alpharetta on their annual Great Day of Service. After having breakfast together, the 400+ men, women and children split out into the community to complete home repair and yard work for the homebound and elderly; to assist with repairs and light construction for various ministry organizations like HomeStretch and the Drake House, who both assist homeless families in transition; to sort clothes and donations at North Fulton Community Charities; and to make 800 sandwiches for delivery to the Trinity Soup Kitchen in downtown Atlanta. In 2009, Alpharetta Methodist and St. James UMC worked at 13 nonprofit organizations, 18 homes of local elderly, a nursing home, and a rural church.

This year Alpharetta First United Methodist Church will also provide a Shredding Truck from 8:00 am -- 12:00 pm, for individuals to shred unwanted copies of bills, checks, documents and mail, for just $.75 per pound. All proceeds go towards future service.

This year's Great Day of Service is Saturday, April 24 and all in the community are invited to participate. Details and registration is available at www.afumc.org/gdos.Breakfast will be served at 69 N. Main Street, Alpharetta at 7:30 am.

COMPOST PARTY

The City of Alpharetta, City of Roswell and North Fulton County are pleased to present a one-day-only backyard compost bin and rain barrel distribution event on May 1, 2010 at the City of Alpharetta Engineering/Public Works Department.  This exciting green initiative will feature Earth Machine Backyard Compost Bins.  Compost Bins and Rain Barrels will be available for $45.00 and $55.00, respectively (tax included).  These are available on a first-come-first-served basis!

ALPHARETTA AU NATURAL

The City of Alpharetta, in sponsorship with Scottsdale Farms, Pike Family Nursery, Autumn Hill Nursery, ITSaulNatural and Wakoola will present an opportunity to see Walter Reeves, well known garden guru, writer, speaker and host of WSB Radio.   You've heard of the Topsy Turvy upside-down tomato system. But what about the potato-in-a-tub system? Or the lettuce-in-a-wading-pool system? Walter will share details about all of these, plus MUCH more at the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers on Tuesday, May 4, 2010. 

DRIVE SAFE WHILE ROAD CREWS ARE WORKING

"Please be patient," Public Works Manager Roddy Motes cautions drivers.

Specifically, Motes warns drivers who encounter workers engaging the city's edge of pavement maintenance program. The crews use a large piece of machinery known as a "motor grader" to remove the layer of grass or debris above the edge of pavement preventing water from exiting the roadway.

The motor grader's operating speed is between four and 10 miles per hour with occasional stops and back-ups, which slows traffic considerably. Motes explained that impatient drivers have been taking unnecessary risks by pulling around the motor grader on narrow, hilly or winding roads where visibility is less than adequate to ensure safe passing.

Milton's network of two lane roads also means the motor grader doesn't have many opportunities to pull off and let traffic pass. But a driver waiting that few extra minutes could mean the difference between arriving safely and hitting another motorist head-on.

"The motor grader operator will pull over when he can and let traffic pass," Motes added.

Milton's edge of pavement maintenance program will be active citywide through April 16.

CLYDESDALES CLIMB TO FIRST IN FUNDRAISING --NEARLY $1,100 COMES IN FOR FIGHT FOR AIR CLIMB

Milton's Fire Department is now the top fundraiser for April 17's Fight for Air Climb 2010 thanks to a generous private donation and resident participation in a Chick-Fil-A charity night.

The Milton Clydesdales -- the team participating in the climb -- has raised nearly $2,600, exceeding their initial goal of $1,500.

That money partially came from a fundraising event April 6 at the Chick-Fil-A on Windward Parkway. As part of the festivities, firefighters showed off two fire trucks while Northpoint Student Ministry clowns painted faces. Chick-Fil-A, in addition to donating a portion of the night's proceeds, also held a game where children could spin for free food. 

The Clydesdales will be participating in the Fight For Air Climb 2010 at One Ninety One Peachtree in Atlanta April 17, which features hundreds of families and corporate and fire station teams from across the state. There the Clydesdales will ascend the 50 floors -- that's 1150 stairs -- in full turnout gear.

It's all to raise money for the American Lung Association in its mission to foster lung disease awareness, research, advocacy and education.

PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT APPROVED BY GRPA  

"The City of Milton has now joined the ranks of more than 200 agencies providing community recreation across Georgia," said Jimmy Gisi, executive director of GRPA. "We stand ready to offer assistance in any way to help support and develop this new agency."

The GRPA (Georgia Recreation and Park Association) was formed in 1945 as a private, non-profit institution to support and promote the recreation and parks industries within the state. It is the only state organization that serves as an advocate for quality recreation and parks areas, facilities, programs and services at the local level. GRPA enjoys a membership of more than 1,600 professionals.

Milton's Parks and Recreation Department received agency membership last week at the spring GRPA Board of Trustees meeting held in Hall County. The approval came after the city achieved the established requirements for agency membership.

The Milton Parks and Recreation Department is in the early stages of planning and implementing a number of varied projects. Currently it manages Bell Memorial and Birmingham parks and is evaluating three other park properties in need of renovation. It is also responsible for Milton's special events including annual affairs May 31 Memorial Day ceremonies, the Milton Roundup Oct. 23, and Christmas in Crabapple Dec. 4.

The department's Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Survey mailed to every household in the city will help to establish and prioritize a reserve of projects and funding options.

BETTER COMMUNICATIONS

During an ice storm earlier this year, Johns Creek City Officials observed that many Public Works employees were using cell phones to communicate with one another.

The need for a better avenue of communication was apparent. Therefore, Johns Creek installed a new radio system to enhance communications. The new system provides more reliable communication for City crews and emergency responders in the event of a catastrophe.

Cellular telephone systems could go down during major disasters. Should said occur, the radios will be distributed primarily to city administrators, department heads, and other workers as needed. The system is separate from the Public Safety communications network; but in an emergency, Police and Fire Department supervisors will be issued the new radios as well.

The estimated $20,000 purchase came out of the $17 million contract that the city pays to CH2M HILL, a private firm hired to provide most day-to-day municipal services.

The 6-foot antenna erected atop city hall -- the tallest building in the community -- is less susceptible to wind damage, but is powerful enough to cover virtually the entire city.

Currently, Public Works employees are using about 10 of the 52 radios

911 OPEN HOUSE

Residents and businesses in Johns Creek and Sandy Springs can get a behind-the-scenes look at ChatComm, the cities' joint 911 Emergency Communications Center – at a 911 Open House, April 14.

In recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 11-17) and National 911 Education Month, the 911 Open House is an opportunity to see first-hand how the 911 emergency communications process works at a state-of-the-art center.

ChatComm dispatches emergency calls for the police and fire departments of Johns Creek and Sandy Springs, Georgia, and also Rural Metro Ambulance for Sandy Springs.

"The emergency communications professionals at ChatComm are highly trained and dedicated, responding to the needs of our two cities in emergency and non-emergency situations.  They are the true 'first responders," said Johns Creek City Manager John Kachmar.

Since its launch last August, ChatComm has handled approximately 68,000 calls, an average of 600 calls each day. 

"These professionals have the most critical contact with the public in an emergency situation.  At the same time, their skills help insure the safety of our police officers and fire fighters," added Kachmar.  "We are very appreciative of what they do for us every day."

STREET RENAMING PUBLIC MEETINGS PLANNED

The City of Roswell is considering renaming a collection of City streets because of public safety concerns regarding timely emergency response due to some forty confusing and conflicting street names. A series of three public meetings have been scheduled to answer questions, hear comments and address concerns.

The meetings are scheduled as follows:

• Tuesday, April 20 at Hembree Park

• Thursday, April 22 at East Roswell Park

• Thursday, April 29 at Roswell City Hall in Council Chambers

All three meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Representatives from the Police, Fire, Community Development and Transportation Departments will be on hand to answer questions.

The primary goal of addressing the street naming issues is to insure Police and Fire Department responses to an emergency are handled as quickly as possible for the citizens of Roswell and Mountain Park. A number of the streets being considered are due to annexations, land acquisitions and the creation of new subdivisions.

For additional information and a complete list of potential streets, please visit www.roswellgov.com/streetnames or contact Officer Lisa Holland of the Roswell Police Department at 770.640.4155 or streetname@roswellgov.com.