The City of Sandy Springs and Georgia Department of Transportation are hosting a Public Open House meeting on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. regarding the Roswell Road Bridge/I-285 Operational and Safety Improvements project. There will be no formal presentation, but City of Sandy Springs and Georgia Department of Transportation representatives will be on hand with plans and displays, and will discuss the project and answer questions from the public.

The project will include widening on the northbound side of the existing bridge. This will allow for two, 11′ wide, northbound and southbound travel lanes as well as full, 11′ wide, dedicated left turn lanes onto entrance ramps for I-285. The westbound and eastbound “on” ramps for I-285 will be widened, and short sections of concrete raised median are also proposed at both ends of the bridge.

The Public Open House will be held at Sandy Springs City Hall Council Chambers, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500.

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Recycle that Tree! ….Bring One For The Chipper! on Saturday, January 7, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Recycle your Christmas tree at the Sandy Springs Recycling Center, The Home Depot in Sandy Springs, or the Home Depot in Johns Creek.

Make sure that your tree keeps on giving after the holidays by removing all ornaments and the base and deliver it to the event between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on January 7th.

You can bring your tree to either of two Home Depot stores, 5950 State Bridge in Duluth or 6400 Peachtree Dunwoody in Sandy Springs. As always, the Schmalz Recycling Center will be accepting trees. All three of the locations will be offering a seedling in exchange for your Christmas tree. The trees will be chipped into mulch and used for public beautification projects, and is available free to Sandy Springs and North Fulton residents.

As part of a statewide effort to reuse Christmas trees, Keep Georgia Beautiful and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs has joined with corporate sponsors The Home Depot, WXIA TV and The Davey Tree Expert Company to sponsor the annual ‘Bring One for the Chipper’ program.

Bring One for the Chipper is Georgia’s annual Christmas tree recycling program. Each year, Keep Georgia Beautiful works with private sponsors to organize the recycling event. In the past, these statewide sponsors have included The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company and WXIA-TV. Numerous local sponsors and volunteers also make contributions and provide in-kind services across the state.

The Chipper program involves hundreds of Georgia communities and thousands of volunteers. Since its inception, the program has recycled over 4.8 million Christmas trees. The mulch from these trees has been used for playgrounds, local government beautification projects, and individual yards. You can support the Chipper program by bringing your cut Christmas tree to a designated drop off site or volunteering with your local coordinator to collect trees.

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On December 5, 2011, the Georgia Department of Transportation will hold a public information open house concerning the proposed road improvements at SR 400/US 19 and CR 145/Northridge Road. The hearing will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at the City of Sandy Springs City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500, Sandy Springs, Ga 30350.

The proposed project NH000-0056-01(061) consists of 0.4 miles of widening along Northridge Road from Somerset Court to just west of Dunwoody Place. Northridge Road from Roberts Drive to Dunwoody Place will consist of six 11-foot travel lanes. The westbound lanes will consist of one free-flow right lane from the SR 400 northbound exit ramp to Dunwoody Place with a 2-foot separation from one shared through right turn lane, a dedicated through lane and a dedicated left turn lane. The eastbound lanes will consist of dual left turn lanes from Northridge Road to the SR 400 entrance ramp and a shared through right turn lane to Roberts Drive. Sidewalk will be on the south side of Northridge Road. The design speed is 35 mph to be consistent with the posted speed on the existing road. Widening of the bridge over SR 400 is proposed along the north side of the existing structure only. The bridge deck is proposed to be rehabilitated and a roundabout is being considered at the Northridge Road and Somerset Court intersection.

The purpose of this open house is to provide the public with an opportunity to view the proposed plans, ask questions, and to comment on the proposal.

The meeting will be informal and the public is invited to attend anytime during these hours. There will be no formal presentation.

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New preliminary flood maps, known as Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), have been released. The maps were developed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Federal Emergency Management Agency based on the latest digital mapping technology.

The new flood maps will show (on a property by property basis) the extent to which parcels are currently at risk for flooding, taking into account changes in topography, land use and drainage patterns. If the risk level for a property changes, flood insurance and building requirements change as well.

To learn more about the mapping process, how your flood risk may have changed, and the options available, you are encouraged to attend the Flood Risk Open House meetings hosted by the City of Sandy Springs. Representatives from the City of Sandy Springs, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and FEMA will be available at the meeting to help answer questions.

Meeting Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Meeting Location: Sandy Springs City Hall Council Chambers, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500

You may stay up-to-date and look up your property on the new map by visiting GeorgiaDFIRM.com. If you are unable to attend one of the meetings, City of Sandy Springs staff will be available to assist residents and business owners one-on-one to provide information. Please call 770-730-5600 and ask for Bennett White or Celia Klardie.

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Thanksgiving is only one week away and home-cooks everywhere are stressing about preparing a delicious meal. Well, this year you can put that pressure on your teens and spend the day watching football and parades. Simply send them to the Sandy Springs Library on Saturday, November 19 for the Teen Cooking Skills 101: Thanksgiving Edition class. Chef Lynn Ware will show your kids how to be a rockstar in the kitchen and make a Thanksgiving meal you will always remember, for good reasons. The recommended age is middle school and high school, and registration is required.

The class begins at 2:00 p.m. and lasts two hours. The class is open to the public and free to attend. Call 404-303-6130 to make your reservations. The Sandy Springs Library is located at 395 Mt Vernon Highway.

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Officials and dignitaries will commemorate our country’s veterans during the Second Annual City of Sandy Springs Veterans Day Tribute. The event will take place on November 11, 2011, at Morgan Falls Overlook Park. Everyone is invited as the City of Sandy Springs honors the brave men and women who have served in the United States Military.

Pre-event music featuring the 116th Army Band from the Georgia Army National Guard will precede the official program which begins at 10:00 a.m. The Presentation of Colors by the Marine Corps Color Guard will mark the start the program followed by opening remarks from Sandy Springs Mayor, the Honorable Eva Galambos, Ph.D.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Lieutenant General (Ret) P. “Ron” Helmly, Former Chief of Army Reserve. He will speak on behalf of those who have served our country, and share experiences from his Tours of Duty in Vietnam, Panama and Pakistan. The program also will honor Wounded Warriors, a program to aid and assist soldiers injured in the line of duty.

Among the event’s special guests will be classmates from the West Point U.S. Military Academy Classes of 1947-1948. In addition, Veteran’s service organization booths will be located inside the park, including the USO of Georgia and the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association. The ceremony will last approximately one and a half hours. Lunch will be offered for a small fee at its conclusion.

Parking and shuttle for the event will be provided at North Springs United Methodist Church on the corner of Roswell Road and Morgan Falls Road, so plan on arriving early to allow plenty of time to shuttle to Overlook Park. If you reach Overlook earlier than expected, then you will have a little extra time to enjoy the park and the event booths. Limited parking will be available in the Overlook Park parking lot for those who have a disability parking permit issued to them.

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The second annual Sandy Springs Police Benevolent Fund Black Tie Charity Ball is scheduled for November 5, 2011 from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at the Glenridge Hall Estate located at 600 Abernathy Road in Sandy Springs. The event will include gourmet food, cocktails, live entertainment, dancing, a charity auction, and more.

Tickets are $100 each. Payments may be made online or mailed to:

Sandy Springs Benevolent Fund, c/o Sandy Springs Police Department
7840 Roswell Road, Building 301
Sandy Springs, GA 30350

Contacts: Rhonda Sult, SSPBF Chair 980-721-4920 (cell) or Cathy Riehn, SSPBF Board Secretary 770-551-6910

All proceeds benefit the Sandy Springs Police Benevolent Fund: “There is not greater love than to lay down one’s life for others.”

Parking will be available at the parking garage at 20 Glenlake Parkway. Guests will be taken to and from Glenridge Hall by shuttle.

If you purchase tickets online, please bring the credit card you use to purchase the ticket to the event for verification purposes.

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Sandy Springs Police and members of the DEA are sponsoring the second annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, 2011, from 10:00 am until 2 pm. at Sandy Springs Police Headquarters located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 301, in the Morgan Falls Office Park, at the intersection of Roswell Road and Morgan Falls Road.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

The DEA in conjunction with state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States conducted National Prescription Drug Take Back Days on Saturday, September 25, 2010 and April 25, 2011. Nearly, 4,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation participated in these events, collecting more than 309 tons of pills.

Last year, over 80 pounds of prescription drugs were turned in at Sandy Springs Headquarters.

Four days after last fall’s Take-Back Day, Congress passed legislation amending the Controlled Substances Act to allow the DEA to develop a process for people to safely dispose of their prescription drugs. DEA immediately began developing this process after President Obama signed the Safe and Secure Drug Disposal Act of 2010 on October 12. Until that process is complete, however, DEA will continue to hold Take Back Days every six month

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You do not have to travel to North Georgia in order to experience a fun Fall/pumpkin patch kind of day. Instead, stay local and spend Saturday, October 15, 2011 at the Huntcliff Equestrian Center, enjoying their Pumpkin Patch.

Festivites begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Come for the day take a ride on a pony, bounce in the moon walk, get your face painted and get a treat from bake sale. The event is open to the public. The $5 admission includes all activities, and the proceeds benefit the Huntcliff equestrian team.

Huntcliff Equestrian Center, 9072 River Run, Sandy Springs, 30350. For more information call 770. 552.5583 or go to www.huntcliffequestriancenter.com.

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Each Monday in October from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Sandy Springs Historic Preservation Society will look at significant moments in the city’s history as part of a special lecture series. Led by Sandy Springs Historic Preservation Society President, Clarke Otten, the series is sponsored by the City of Sandy Springs with cooperation from Heritage Sandy Springs. The sessions will take place at the Sandy Springs City Hall Chambers located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500. The event is free for the public.

Monday, October 3 – Significant Moments From Founding Through the Start of the Battle of Atlanta; The series kicks off with opening remarks from Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos, then a look at settlement patterns and the role the area played in the invasion of Sherman’s armies on Atlanta during the Civil War. Participants also will gain insight into “Lost Corners,” the home site of one of Sandy Spring’s first settler families.

Monday, Oct 10 – From Prehistoric Native Americans, Mammoths and Buffalos to Settler Farmers; This session takes a brief, but close look at the years which predated the settler period, and the legacies they have left behind. Participants will examine how the area was eventually settled, with histories of many of our earliest settler families highlighted.

Monday, Oct 17 – Post Civil War Reconstruction to Bedroom Community; Reconstruction following the Civil War influenced the widely popular church camp meetings at the Sandy Springs Methodist Camp Ground, the Roswell Railroad which terminated in northern Sandy Springs, and overall growth in the area. In addition, the session looks at the first public sector jobs – prison camps – and the impact chain-gangs had, literally paving the way for the future.

Monday, Oct 24 – Remaining Extant Cultural Resources; The final session takes an armchair tour of the community’s remaining historic cultural resources. Focus will be on the histories of the Roberts house, the Woodall house, the Mitchell-Tiller house, Glenridge Hall, Brandon Hall, and the Coach Stop house. Participants also will take a look at the historic churches and cemeteries within the community.

Each session is expected to last approximately one and one-half hours with a ten minute intermission. Seating is limited, so please plan to arrive early. For more information, visit www.sshps.org.

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