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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• Second Annual City of Sandy Springs Veterans Day Tribute

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 City of Sandy Springs will hold a Public Information Meeting on the Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancements to SR 9 over the Chattahoochee River from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 11, in the Council Chambers at Sandy Springs City Hall, located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500. The public is invited to attend.

The meeting will focus on a joint project between the Cities of Roswell and Sandy Springs, connecting the cities via a Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge over the Chattahoochee River. The project consists of the construction of a shared pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Chattahoochee River along SR 9 connecting the bridge to the SR 9/Azalea Drive/Riverside Road intersection on the north side of the river. The proposal also includes connecting the existing sidewalk along the east side of SR 9.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public with an opportunity to view project information, ask questions and make comments. The meeting will be informal with a brief presentation at 7:00 p.m. Persons not able to attend the meeting may send in their comments. Written statements will be accepted until November 8, 2011, and statements should be submitted to Kristen Wescott, AICP, Transportation Planning – Public Works Division, City of Sandy Springs, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500, Sandy Springs, GA 30350 or via email to kwescott@sandyspringsga.gov.

For more information, please visit us online at www.sandyspringsga.gov, or call the Citizen Response Center at 770-730-5600. Follow breaking news and traffic alerts at twitter.com/sandyspringsga, and “like us” at facebook.com/CoSSGA for community information.

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Sandy Springs Councilmember Chip Collins will host a town hall meeting to update the public on the Johnson Ferry/Abernathy Road widening project and the Abernathy Greenway Linear Park. The meeting will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., October 12, in the Council Chambers at Sandy Springs City Hall, located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500. The public is invited to attend.

Representatives from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the City of Sandy Springs Public Works Department will provide an update on the status and projected schedule for the road construction project and will also address specific traffic issues and concerns associated with the project. The City of Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks staff, along with representatives of the citizen committee for the park, will present information on the Abernathy Greenway master plan, the status and projected schedule for park construction, and security issues and other concerns relating to the park. In addition to the presentations, the public will be given time to ask questions and provide comments about the meeting topics.

For more information, please visit us online at www.sandyspringsga.gov, or call the Citizen Response Center at 770-730-5600.

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The City of Sandy Springs and The Collaborative, the City’s Communications services provider, are pleased to announce the hiring of Sharon Kraun, effective August 30th, as the new Director of Communications. Ms. Kraun will direct the full range of the City’s external and internal communications activities involving City departments, residents, businesses and others involved in the life of the City.

Ms. Kraun comes to the City with more than 25 years of experience as a communications professional. Her background includes eight years in the news media, including metro Atlanta outlets WGST Radio, WXIA TV and WSB TV. She spent 10 years as Marketing & Promotions Director for Eason Publications, publisher of Creative Loafing newspapers, before entering the public relations agency environment. In that setting, Ms. Kraun fulfilled the communications objectives of a number of brands, including Starbucks, Macy’s, Radiant Systems, and Jekyll Island.

Ms. Kraun holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Alabama. She is a native of Atlanta, and currently resides in Sandy Springs.

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Since Spalding Drive is a major east-west thoroughfare through the “panhandle” area of Sandy Springs, the City determined that it was appropriate to enter into an abbreviated contracting process to repair and reopen Spalding Drive as quickly as possible. Focusing on a firm’s experience with bridge repair or construction, availability for an immediate start and price, the City sought bids from four companies and awarded a contract to Engineered Restorations, with a not to exceed bid price of $83,000, $7,000 less than the next lowest bidder. Engineered Restorations began work on Friday, August 19 and estimates that the repairs will be completed no later than September 16, weather permitting.

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Speeders Beware! The City of Sandy Springs is cracking down on violators in school zones, and is doing so in an eco-friendly manner. They have begun installing solar powered speed radar signs in school zones and other locations identified as critical to the safety of residents and students. The scope of work includes installing 21 solar powered speed radar signs, to be completed by mid-August.

Improving safety and pedestrian access to local schools is an ongoing priority for the City of Sandy Springs. Since incorporation, the City has constructed over five miles of sidewalks within a half mile radius of local public schools. Sandy Springs has also installed solar flashers at school crossing zones.

A National Safe Kids study of 27 cities found that of the vehicle speeds recorded during the 30 minutes before and after school, 65 percent of drivers exceeded the posted speed limit with 23 percent of these drivers traveling at least 10 mph above the speed limit and 33 percent traveling 30 mph or more beyond the limit.

The solar powered speed radar signs were purchased and installed using funds from the City’s award under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. EECBG is intended to assist qualified recipients to develop, promote, implement and manage energy efficiency and conservation projects and programs that will reduce carbon emissions and create and retain jobs.

For more information on the City of Sandy Springs, please visit www.sandyspringsga.gov or call the Citizen Response Center at 770-730-5600.

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City of Sandy Springs first responders and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members will be cooler thanks to a donation from global consumer product company Newell Rubbermaid, marketer of widely recognized brands including Rubbermaid®, Sharpie®, Graco®, Calphalon®, Paper Mate® and Irwin®, The Fortune 500 corporation headquartered in Sandy Springs is donating a Porter Cooler fan that will help keep first responders and CERT members cool during an emergency. The value of the donation is $3,000.

“Newell Rubbermaid and our employees are proud to support the City through the donation of much needed equipment and supplies, as well as our time,” said Calvin Lower, Senior Manager, Property & Construction at Newell Rubbermaid. “Understanding the importance of being engaged and active in our community, eight employees from our Facilities team recently completed the CERT training program to ensure we are prepared to assist in the event of an emergency in our area.”

The CERT program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may have an impact on their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders have yet to arrive on the scene. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

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The City of Sandy Springs and Target have teamed up for the 28th Annual National Night Out (NNO) in an effort to create a safer and healthier community. A children’s (ages 14 and younger) celebration will be held on Tuesday, August 2, 2011, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Hammond Park at 6005 Hammond Drive. The free event will include food and refreshments; car safety seat checks; information on how to sign up for or start a Neighborhood Watch program; the Fire Safety House, which provides a hands-on learning environment; fire trucks and police cars; meeting police officers and firefighters; and information on how to be safe in an emergency.

“The goal of National Night Out is to create a safe and healthy community, so we involve residents and public safety personnel. We do this while also creating a unique crime and drug prevention event that takes place right in our neighborhood,” said Police Chief Terry Sult. “The partnership between Target and the Sandy Springs Police Department further strengthens and supports local anticrime programs.”

Nationwide, last year’s event involved residents, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 15,000 communities in all 50 states. In all, more than 37 million people participated in NNO. Target gives away 5 percent of its income to communities every week, which is more than $3 million per week. This year’s local sponsors include: Publix, FastSigns, Pig-n-Chick and Kroger.

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Have you ever wanted to help in an emergency?

If your answer is yes, we need you to be a part of CERT!

The Sandy Springs Fire Department is offering CERT training to our community. The goal is for SSFD to provide training on basic response skills to members of neighborhoods, community organizations, communities of faith and businesses. CERT members are then integrated into the emergency response in their area in times of need.

Each CERT member will learn basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following and event when professional responders have not yet arrived on the scene.

CERT training is divided into four classes, and to become a CERT member you must attend all four classes. The classes are offered on Saturday mornings throughout August, with the first class on the first Saturday in August and the fourth class on the fourth Saturday.

If you have any questions, please contact Logistics/CERT Coordinator James Laudermilk at 404-368-6490 or by email at james.laudermilk@sandyspringsga.org.

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