C I T Y   O F   F O R E S T   P A R K

 

TO:                       Mayor and Council

 

FROM:                  John Parker,  City Manager

 

DATE:                   May 10, 2006

 

SUBJECT:            INFORMATION BULLETIN  - APRIL  ‘06

 

The following is a department by department status report of priority activities, projects and initiatives for the month of APRIL,  2006.

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, BUILDING AND ZONING

BUILDING PLANS SUBMITTED

1.       United Way                    5163 Old Dixie Hwy. Ste. 150; Sprinkler system

2.       Breckenridge Apts.        5530 Old Dixie Hwy.; Rehab all Bldgs. Ext./Int.

3.       In The Cut Barber                   819-C Forest Pkwy.; Tenant finish

4.       Paleteria Nueria             4160 Jonesboro Rd.; Int. remodel; (Ice Cream

Shop)

 

BUILDING PERMITS ISSUED

1.       303 Kate Dr.         Repair/Rehab Int./Ext.; 1,200 sq. ft. Job cost $15,000

2.       4335 Gilbert Pl.    Repair carport; 240 sq. ft. Job cost $1,200

3.       1260 Rockcut Rd. Modular classroom; 768 sq. ft. Job cost $3,000 (Huie

Elem) 

4.       132 Forest Pkwy.  Demo fuel island canopy

5.       5452 Phillips Dr.  Public Safety Lab modifications; 1,500 sq. ft. Job cost $263,000 (Forest Park High School) 

6.       353 Fourth St.      New residential dwelling; 1,500 sq. ft. Job cost $92,000

7.       4573 Ernest Dr.   Demo building on rear of property; 180 sq. ft. Job cost $800

8.       Scott @ Puckett    Picnic Shed; 400 sq. ft. Job cost $3,000 (COFP)

9.       Second @ Jones   Picnic Shed; 400 sq. ft. Job cost $3,000 (COFP)

10.     4603 City View Dr.         Deck; 20 sq. ft. Job cost $480

11.     5163 East St.                 Demo residential dwelling; 625 sq. ft. Job cost $300

12.     741 Shellnut Dr.  Utility Bldg.; 378 sq. ft. Job cost $3,000

13.     1215 Waverly Dr.  Fire repair; Job cost $36,575

14.     319 Kate Dr.                  Addition; 1,935 sq. ft. Job cost $20,000

15.     5237 Springdale Rd.      Roof repair; Job cost $2,750

 

 

 

CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCIES ISSUED

1.       4700 Jonesboro Rd. Ste. B      Crawfish King                04/04/06

2.       4645 Jonesboro Rd. Ste. A      Mae's Teriyaki Grill        04/04/06

3.       4059 Jonesboro Rd. Ste. A      American Wheel Dist.    04/05/06

4.       4442/4444 Jonesboro Rd.      El Shaddi Ministry         04/17/06

5.       112 Royal Dr.                          Spices USA Inc.              04/17/06

6.       4420 Jonesboro Rd.                El Latino Billiards/Rest.04/19/06

7.       4950 Governors Dr. Bldg. 1     Ashton Walk Apts.         04/20/06

8.       5290 Old Dixie Hwy. Ste. 200 Wilpak Manufacturing   04/27/06

 

 

AFFILIATE BOARD ACTIVITY

 

Planning and Zoning Board

The Planning and Zoning Board held a meeting at 7:30 p.m. on April 19th, 2006 in the courtroom located in the Agnes B. Bateman Community Development Bldg., 785 Forest Pkwy., Forest Park, Ga. 30297. At issue was Final Plat review for two (2) single family residential subdivision developments.

 

1. Village at the Grove, which is to be developed by David Pearson, Pearson

    Properties Residential. This is a (10) ten lot subdivision located on Phillips

    Dr. in the southeast quadrant of the City. This new development lies within         

    an R-80 Single Family Residential zoned district.

 

2. East St. and Mimosa Dr. Subdivision, which is to be developed by  

Terrence P. Anderson, Anderson Enterprises. This is a subdivision of one (1) lot into two (2) lots, located at the southwest intersection of East St. and Mimosa Dr. The reason for this subdivision is so the owner can develop (2) lots as R-80 Single Family Residential. The exterior finish on these (2) homes will be brick to match the exterior finishes of the surrounding existing homes within 1,000 ft. of the site. (Ref.: CFPCO Sect. 8-8-51 (b) (9)). 

 

The Planning and Zoning Board voted to unanimously approve both Final Plats and signed the documents. Subsequently, both of these Final Plats were on the agenda of the May 1st, 2006 Mayor and Council meeting. The Council voted 4 to 1 to approve the Village at the Grove Subdivision and voted unanimously to approve the East St. and Mimosa Dr., Anderson Subdivision.  The Final Plat documents can now be recorded in the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court; Clayton County, Ga. and building permits can now be issued.

 

 

 

Architectural Design Review Board

The ADRB held a meeting at 7:30 p.m. on April 18th, 2006 in the conference room located in the Agnes B. Bateman Community Development Bldg., 785 Forest Pkwy., Forest Park, Ga. 30297. At issue was the review of civil site plans and exterior design and materials for the redevelopment of a residential structure being converted to a commercial bldg. Jose Martinez, J & J Martinez and Assoc. plans to establish a tax preparation office at 680 Main St., Forest Park, Ga. 30297. The Board unanimously approved the plans as submitted.  Also, Mr. Deverick Williams and Charles Toombs were welcomed as new members of the ADRB.

 

 

 

                                                          Steve Pearson, Director

                                                          (404) 608-2300

 

 

 

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND LEISURE SERVICES

WHAT’S HAPPENING

 

·        Youth Soccer – The soccer season started in April 2006. Games are played on Saturday starting at 10am. We have 18 teams ages 4-12 years old.

 

·        T-Ball – The T-Ball program started practicing in April with games starting on April 29, 2006. Games are played on Saturdays at the T-Ball field starting at 10am.  We have a total of 6 teams.

 

·        Girls Softball – We have 3 girls softball teams and 8/under, 10/under and 12/under. Home games are played at Stanford and Burk Fields.  Games are played through the week and on Saturdays.  

 

·        Middle School Swimming – The Middle School swimming program continues its competitive swim program in the indoor pool.  There are 13 Middle Schools.  Meets are held on Friday nights (tri-meets starting at 5:30pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm).  We had three meet dates in April 2006.    

 

·        Men’s Basketball Spring League – The league started April 12, 2006. Games are played on Wednesday nights at the Recreation Center. There are six teams. 

 

·        Adult Softball – Games started on April 12, 2006. Games are played on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night at Baker Field.  We have a total of 24 teams. Ladies league, Men’s league, and a Coed league.  Games start at 6:30pm. 

 

·        American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Class – We held a class for participants interested in becoming certified to teach swim lessons. This class met on Tuesday and Thursday 5pm-9:30pm.  We had 9 participating in this year’s class.

 

·        Swing Into Spring Festival – This year’s festival was held on Saturday, April 22, 2006 10am-6pm.  At this year’s festival we honored our own Hines Ward (MVP of Super Bowl XL). We had a parade that started at 9:30am and went around Starr Park and down Hines Ward Pass (renamed after Hines Ward – Bridge Avenue).  Ceremonies started at 10am.  Hines Ward was honored by the City, Forest Park High School (which retired his jersey), Former Coaches and Teachers, the Forest Park Recreation Department, and the Tuskegee Airmen.  The turnout was low, probably because of the rain.  The people who did come out to see and support him were treated to a special ceremony honoring Hines. Bill Hartman from Channel 2 Sports was the emcee for the ceremonies.  We are grateful to Hines Ward and what he has meant to our community.  He is a special individual and such a great role model. The festival had 60 vendors.  We had to close at 2 pm because of the weather.  We allowed the vendors to participate in the Yard Sale that was held on Saturday, April 29, 2006. 

 

·        Yard Sale – As you can tell we have had a lot of rain on the weekends in April.  After 2 rainouts, the Community Yard Sale was held on Saturday April 29, 2006.   There was a good turnout, with 82 spaces being sold. The vendors were very complimentary and looking forward to the Fall Yard Sale.

 

·        Easter Egg Hunt/Safety Fest – The Easter Egg Hunt/Safety Fest was a success. Forest Park Fire/EMS and the Smoke House were in attendance. Forest Park Police was in attendance giving away door prizes. There were approximately 264 kids in attendance. We utilized Baker Field and concession, Stanford, Burke and Johnson Fields. Prizes in each age group were given out. 

 

·        Aquatic Facilities Operator Re-certification – Test was held on April 11, 2006 at Cobb County Mountain View Aquatic Center. Sharon Smith attended and successfully passed the re-certification test. The course is sanctioned through the National Recreation and Parks Association.  The AFO Certification is valid for 3 years. The AFO program is an advanced state of the art educational training program for those persons managing and operating aquatic facilities.

 

·        Wellness Programs

Water Aerobics – Monday evenings 7:30pm-8:30pm

Aerobics – Tuesday & Thursday 6pm-7pm

Water Exercise – Monday & Wednesday 1pm-2pm

Swim For Fun – Tuesday & Thursday 1:30pm-2:30pm (seniors)

Yoga – Wednesday evenings 6:30pm-8pm

Ladies Fitness – Monday evenings 8pm

Teen Weight Lifting – Tuesday & Thursday 5pm-6pm

Exercise/Weight Room – Monday-Friday 9am-8pm

                                      & Saturday 10am-4pm

 

SENIOR ACTIVITIES

 

·        April was a busy month for the Seniors.  The month began with the Yard Sale being rained out, but was rescheduled for April 29th.   

 

·        The Red Hatters enjoyed the day at the Botanical Garden and lunch on the terrace.  It was a great trip and the flowers were beautiful.  We need to go more often.

 

·        Our 55 Alive and Medicine Safety class saw 20 seniors learn about defensive driving and the safety of driving, they also learned about the medicines they take and how to care for themselves.  They were both great classes for all of us.

 

·        Bingo with lunch and breakfast is fun for the eaters.  It seems we always serve the right thing for them.  It doesn’t matter what we cook, it ends up good.

 

·        Our trips this month were for a great dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and then a short trip to the Strawberry Patch where the pickings were great.  Between the 2 trips we took 53 seniors.

 

·        Easter Dinner was a fun time for us all to give thanks and enjoy the fellowship.  Everyone brought their favorite dish to share in the season.

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

·        May 4, 2006 – Summer Special Sign-up – 6pm-8pm in the Gym

·        May 8, 9, 10, 2006 – Middle School Swim Preliminaries & Finals @ Indoor Pool

·        May 10, 11, 12, 2006 – 4th District Golden Olympics @ Starr Park & Gym  

·        May 31, 2006 – Starr Park Outdoor Pool Opens

 

 

 

Sharon Smith, Deputy Director

404-363-2908

 

 

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF FIRE/EMS

 

  • The Fire Department assisted other agencies throughout the metro area with a fire safety blitz in the City of Atlanta on April 12th. Major Halcome and FF Grantham used our fire safety trailer to teach 307 children at an elementary school on the west side of Atlanta. Other departments were staged at 4 other schools throughout the Atlanta area for this event. This event was hosted through the State Insurance Commissioners Office.

 

  • A-Shift and the Fire Marshal’s Office attended the City Egg Hunt/Safety Fest on April 8th. We taught 130 children fire safety by utilizing the fire safety trailer.

 

  • On April 22nd B-Shift and the Fire Marshal’s office attended the City Swing into Spring Festival. The fire safety trailer was used and fire apparatus were displayed and questions were answered concerning our carrier.

 

The Fire Department, along with the Police and Mayor’s Office, has been involved in the Cities Ready Initiative (CRI) in conjunction with the Clayton County Office of Domestic Preparedness. This initiative is designed to pre-plan the local community response to effects of natural or man-made.

 

 

 

                                                          Chief Eddie Buckholts

                                                          (404) 608-2382

DEPARTMENT OF POLICE SERVICES

Uniform Patrol

Three new officers were hired on April 19th. Stephen Geeslin, Marc Hoffman, and Shoshawnee White began training at the Clayton Regional Law Enforcement Academy on April 24th.

 

Officer Krystal Turnage has received state certification as a Field Training Officer. Sergeant Orlando Kinchloe received Intermediate Certification. Sidney Jackson received Master Police Officer rating.

 

Officer Todd Gladden received a letter of commendation from his watch commander for his actions in apprehending a suspect following a burglary at a local restaurant. Officer Gladden located the suspect while conducting a routine security check of businesses. His actions also resulted in the arrest of another individual involved in the burglary.

 

Officer James Fraser received a letter of commendation from his watch commander for his efforts in arresting a burglar. Officer Fraser observed a suspicious acting person behind a building on Main Street and stopped to question him. The suspect had a bag with a box with cash and a hammer. Other officers checked nearby businesses and located a smashed rear door at one. The business owner was contacted and identified the box as having come from her business. Officer’s Fraser’s actions resulted in the arrest of this individual for burglary.

 

On 4/26/2006 members of Delta Team responded to a hold-up alarm at the Wachovia Bank. Officer Bill Kelly responded to the area and came into contact with an individual who matched the suspect’s physical description but not the clothing description. Further investigation determined that the individual was indeed the person responsible for this crime. Using the information obtained by Officer Kelly detectives were able to arrest this suspect.

 

TRIAD

The annual TRIAD barbecue was held on Friday, April 21st at the Forest Park Senior Center. Around five hundred-fifty lunch plates were served and $2,300 was raised thanks to the work of the TRIAD members, the law enforcement sponsors, and community volunteers. Proceeds from this event are used for various safety products for the senior citizen members.

 

Citizen Police Academy

The Citizens Police Academy has been meeting on Tuesday nights. Graduation for the eighteenth session of the Academy will be held on May 16th, at 6:30 PM. Graduates of earlier sessions, and all interested individuals, are invited to attend.

 

The Hispanic Citizens Police Academy is holding its seventh session on Thursday nights. Graduation for this group is scheduled for June 15th.

 

For information on either of the citizens police academies contact the Police Department.

 

 

 

                                                          Chief Dwayne Hobbs

                                                          (404) 366-7280

 

 

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

 

Street Division:

          The clearing of Scott Boulevard Park area, removing 5 trees to make room for the new swing set was one of the major projects the street crew handled this month along with right-of-way clean-ups of debris in ditches, cutting bushes, and opening blocked storm drains.  Two stormwater catch basins were rebuilt on Forest Avenue and one catch basin was repaired on Ridgewood Drive. Crews also picked up leaves and limbs, using the chipper unit and the backhoe.

 

Building Maintenance:

          Major projects for the Maintenance crews have been placing the finishing touch on the renovation at City Hall along with the beautification of the park area by painting the stage area and sheds, repairing bricks around the bottom of the barn, repairing stadium wall with stucco and repainting, and painting of the front of Planning, Building and Zoning building.  Other projects completed by Building Maintenance crews included work orders for all buildings and departments.

 

 Parks Division:

          Parks crews were maintaining park areas and right-of ways along with their regular daily duties of Recreation and Leisure set-ups revolving around the recreation facilities and Senior Building activities.  Crews also helped Maintenance Division personnel with the preparation of Scott Boulevard Park and helped with leaf and limb pick-up.

 

 

 

                                                          Mike Gippert, Director

                                                          (404) 608-2310

 

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION / FINANCE

 

 

Expenditures (preliminary totals) for the General Fund for the month of April are $956,801 or 6.09% of the budget.  Year-to-date preliminary expenditures for the General Fund are $11,979,863 or 76.02% of the budget (fiscal year July 2005 – June 2006). For comparison purposes, the period of July through April represents 83.33% of the budget year. Total expenditures for the General Fund continue to be under budget year-to-date, and are considerably under budget for the month of April.

 

Local Option Sales Tax revenue received in April is $242,540, compared to $429,430 for April of the prior year. The cause of the decrease has not yet been disclosed. The fiscal year-to-date total received is $4,248,193 or 84.12% of the budget; the percentage of the budget year through April is 83.33% of the year. Revenue from Local Option Sales Tax remains slightly ahead of budget through April.

 

The budget process for the 2006-2007 fiscal year continues. Preparation of the Budget Document is in progress. Budget presentations by departments to the Mayor & Council will be conducted in May.

         

New business licenses issued during April:

 

                   Name                                                 Description

 

          Viet Thanh Store                               Bookstore; Video Rental

          El Lation                                           Restaurant / Billiards

          Mi Bodgeuita, Inc.                                      General Merchandise

          Mae’s Teriyaki Grill                           Restaurant

          Wilpak Manufacturing                      Contract Mfg. / Packaging

          Spices USA                                        Wholesale Spices / Seasoning

          J.L. Nails                                           Nails Salon

          Tienda De Regalos                            Jewelry and Gifts

          Ashton Walk Apartments                  Apartment Rental

          Jordan Sports                                   Soccer Uniforms and Equipment

          Crawfish Kings                                  Food Service

          Keen’s Family Pet                             Pet Sales

 

 

 

Mike Blandenburg, Director

(404) 366-4720

            

 

 

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER

 

Sidewalks to Schools, Phase III and Transit Oriented Pedestrian Improvements Projects

Pond & Company is proceeding with Preliminary Design.

 

Livable Centers Initiative (LCI)-Main Street Streetscape Project

The City is still waiting for GDOT to approve the Categorical Exclusion.  Upon receipt of the CE approval, the Environmental Validation (EV), which completes all environmental requirements for the project will be submitted.  The City is in receipt of the Right-of-way drawings and will submit the drawings to the City Attorney for approval and for a title search.  GDOT certified appraisers fee proposals are currently under review.

 

State Farmers Market Project

EDAW is making great progress on the project.  The traffic count analysis is 85% complete.  The existing conditions for the Market Analysis is 95% complete and the Site Analysis is 90% complete.

 

Fort Gillem Redevelopment Project

The LRA scheduled interviews for resumes received for the position of Executive Director.

 

 

 

 

                                                          John Parker, City Manager

                                                          Angela Redding, Management Analyst

                                                          (404) 366-4720