400 Club: The Kick-Off Event of the Year!

• Presentation by Barb Giamanco of Talent Builders, Inc.
• Complimentary beer and wine
• Gourmet Hors d’oeuvres

Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Location: Ashford Club
5565 Glenridge Connector # 100
Atlanta, GA 30342
(404) 459-2500
located at 400 & Glenridge Connector

Admission: $10 • Cash only
Dress: Business/Business Causal, no Jeans

Please RSVP to Amy Fernandez 400clubrsvp@gmail.com

The 400 Club for Young Professionals

What is the 400 Club?
The 400 Club, an initiative of the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber, is a group of diverse young professionals working together to develop and maintain a strong community of quality young professionals and provide them with a forum for socializing, learning and moving into future leadership positions in our community. The name – “400 Club” is a reference to the location of Sandy Springs and the Perimeter Area surrounding GA 400. The tagline “Movin’ on up” is an allusion to upward mobility within the business community.

Why attract young professionals?
Young professionals are the future lifeblood and potential leadership that will fuel the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber. With the right programs and events young professionals will be attracted to an organization that cultivates business skills, provides a forum for socializing and networking, affords mentoring and fosters growth. 400 Club members will yield future board members for the SS/PC. The 400 Club will be the seeds for tomorrow’s leadership.

What kinds of programs and events will there be?
The 400 Club will host programs and events that appeal to young professionals, demonstrating that the Sandy Springs/Perimeter area is a great place to live, work and play, including:

• Monthly Networking & Educational Programs at the Ashford Club
• Monthly Game Nights
• Special Events
• Wind-Down Wednesdays Concerts at Heritage Green
• Community Outreach Volunteer Activities
• Mentoring by SS/PC board of directors

How will the 400 Club be funded?
The 400 Club will be a self-sustaining organization, generating funding from some of the activities identified above. Sponsors for programs, events and general organization support will be aimed at businesses who want to reach and support the 400 Club demographic and lifestyle group.

Who gets to be a member of the 400 Club?
Membership will be offered to young professionals between the ages of 24 to 39. Although membership in the SS/PC will be encouraged it will not be a requirement. Beginning in 2010 a membership fee will be required. All SS/PC membership levels automatically enjoy 400 Club membership if they meet the age criteria.

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Erawan Thai – Organic Thai Restaurant

Details that make the Erawan experience effective. The waitress’ concern, the menu’s clear definition of spice and the kitchen’s organic ingredients give the restaurant a bit of an edge.

ORGANIC STYLE

For the past 10 years, diners have been shoveling Erawan’s Thai fare. But when Vara Chieosamut took over the reins six months ago, he transformed the menu to organic. His goal is to have a 100 percent organic menu, although out-of-season veggies are often hard to find. Currently, about 80 percent is organic, including all of the salads, pastas and most of the vegetables. Even brands of organic wine and beer rest behind the bar, like Scotland’s Kelpie Seaweed Ale. Chieosamut says although organic ingredients demand higher prices, he tries to keep the menu priced reasonably. Some longtime customers, he says, have passed on Erawan’s slightly higher organic rates, but some in-town diners make the trek for his culinary niche.

The meal begins with a plateload of deep-fried tofu triangles and a side of sweet and sour sauce with tiny peanut bits floating inside. As personal dining guilt goes, the healthiness of tofu cancels out the fried aspect, which is light to begin with. And the pleasant, homey flavor further negates any concern. But the tempura-battered fried coconut shrimp proves heavier. The coconut flavor comes off as slightly muted, but the crunchy treats are fun to grab by hand. The tart touch of lime accentuates the chicken larb salad. Cooks scramble the minced meat with scallions, roasted rice powder and hot chili. A nearly stark white cabbage wedge buddies next door.

A dessert of mango slices and sweet sticky rice in coconut cream brings an additional chill to the mild combustion the entree left behind. With a full gullet and machismo intact, it’s easy to admire Chieosamut’s mission and Erawan’s charming results.

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Sandy Springs HOA/Neighborhood Presidents Meeting

February 26, 2009
5:30 pm	to	9:00 pm

The City of Sandy Springs will be holding a meeting to educate homeowner association and neighborhood group presidents about city government and help foster communication between the City and homeowner/neighborhood associations. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to network and build relationships with other neighborhood leaders.

The meeting is open to all City of Sandy Springs homeowner association and neighborhood group presidents. If the president is unable to attend, you may register an alternate board member.

RSVPs are required. To RSVP, please complete the online registration form. For more information, please contact Dan Coffer, Community Services Coordinator.

This meeting will be held on Thursday, February 26, 2009, 6:00-9:00 p.m. at  Sandy Springs City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500, Sandy Springs, GA 30350.

Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.

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Sandy Springs Mortgage Minute

With a new year come new opportunities and if you’re thinking about buying a home this year in Sandy Springs, the opportunities will abound. We may very well look back on 2009 as the best year to buy real estate in the last 25 years. Home prices have come down and interest rates are phenomenal.

The year in review:

The 2008 mortgage -related headlines read as follows: Bank Failures; Subprime Meltdown; Financial Crisis; Government Assumes Control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; Treasury to Buy Mortgage-Backed Securities; and so on.

2008 was a good year for some people. It was a terrible year for many. It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you sit, we can all agree that it is now gone.

I’ve never seen more volatility in the financial markets than in 2008. 30 year fixed home loan rates varied between a high of around 6.50% to a low of just under 5.00%. Interest rates bounced all over the place and changed by nearly .50% in a single day on several occasions.

So, where do we go from here?

What to expect:

Home loan rates are going to start 2009 at historical lows. The markets are still a mess and the volatility should continue. The $10 million dollar question of course is: Are rates going to continue to drop and how low can they go?

The experts differ on the answer so I’ll offer some advice. We are at once in a lifetime levels right now. There is a chance for rates to move either direction from here. If you are considering buying a home, you don’t want to miss this opportunity.

Many feel we will see the bottom of the housing market this year. So, low rates coupled with low home prices should make for a nice combination in 2009.

Breg-ometer:

Next 7 days: Friday’s job report could help rates move lower
Next 30- 90 days: Chance for lower rates; Governmental interaction likely

Courtesy of:

Bob Bregitzer

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Sandy Springs Police Partner with CrimeReports.com

Sandy Springs Police and CrimeReports.com have announced a new On-line Crime Alerting and Mapping Service that provides easy to read incident crime maps and automated alerts to the residents of Sandy Springs.

The service, located at CrimeReports.com or from the City of Sandy Springs Web site, provides neighborhood crime data in near real-time and is available now.

The CrimeReports service is free to the public and allows residents to receive automatic daily, weekly or monthly e-mail alerts if/when crimes occur near their home, office, local school, etc.

Residents can also view reported crime activity on an easy to use map for any location within Sandy Springs Police boundaries.

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Baseball & Softball Registration Deadline

Registration for the 2009 spring season of Sandy Springs youth baseball and softball is available online at www.sandyspringsbaseball.com.

The registration deadline is this Saturday, January 10, 2009 to avoid late fees and to take advantage of the $25 sibling discount.

The spring season will begin the week of February 22nd at the Morgan Falls Sports Complex located 450 Morgan Falls Place.

Let’s play ball!

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Sandy Springs Open House

January 12, 2009
5:00 pm	to	7:00 pm

The City of Sandy Springs is continuing its series of Public Information Open House meetings on Monday, January 12, 2009, at City Hall 5-7 p.m.

The purpose of these meetings is to keep the public informed on the happenings in Sandy Springs. Please take advantage of this opportunity to meet and speak with City officials about the various topics presented.

City of Sandy Springs
City Hall
7840 Roswell Road, Building 500
Sandy Springs, GA 30350

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Bring One for the Chipper

January 3, 2009
9:00 am	to	4:00 pm

BRING ONE FOR THE CHIPPER
CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING EVENT

Keep North Fulton Beautiful is sponsoring a Christmas Tree Recycling Event on Saturday, January 3, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Trees can be brought to the following locations:

Keep North Fulton Beautiful Recycling Center
470 Morgan Falls Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30350

The Home Depot
6400 Peachtree Dunwoody Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

For more information, contact Keep North Fulton Beautiful at 770-551-7766.

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Hammond Park Master Plan Public Input Meeting

January 21, 2009
10:00 am	to	11:00 am
7:00 pm	to	8:00 pm

The City of Sandy Springs is currently working on a Master Plan for Hammond Park to make improvements to the park including the addition of an Aquatics Facility.

Sandy Springs will be holding a public input meeting on January 21st at 10 am and 7 pm to get further input from Sandy Springs residents.

The steering committee has decided to move forward with Concept A for the master plan of the park.

Additionally, the steering committee has sected Concept C for the Aquatics Center:

• Aquatic Center Concept C

At this time the plan includes a competition pool and a leisure pool. The competition pool will be a 25 yard by 25 meter pool and include (1) 3 meter and (2) 1 meter diving boards. The leisure pool area includes 3 lap lanes, a lazy river for resistance walking, hydrotherapy bench seating areas, a zero depth entry with a climbable play structure, spray features and a waterslide. The facility will allow for spectator seating for 960 people.

The Public Input meeting will be held at the Multi-Purpose Room at the Hammond Park Gym.

In order to allow more people to attend, there will be two sessions. The first session will be at 10 a.m. with a second at 7 p.m.

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