More than three weeks since severe storms and tornadoes ripped through downtown Atlanta, local, state and federal officials are still working to get affected residents back on their feet.
The City of Atlanta would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to government, community and non-profit partners - as well as residents - for their continued assistance.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) has launched a $25 million construction project to expand the number of security checkpoints to shorten security wait times and increase capacity and efficiency at the world’s busiest airport.
The project will increase the total of security screening lanes from 28 to 32. Project components include adding three lanes at the Terminal North checkpoint (T Gates), removing outdated lanes and screening equipment and adding four new lanes to Terminal South.
“This is just another step in our never-ending quest to exceed our customers’ expectations,” said Ben DeCosta, HJAIA General Manager. “We are partnering with the Transportation Security Administration to have these new security lanes fully staffed. We are confident that through this partnership we will increase the amount of passengers screened per hour which will decrease wait times while also maintaining a high level of security.”
Construction of the new lanes is scheduled to be completed before the end of the 2008 summer travel season. HJAIA is the world’s busiest airport serving more than 89 million passengers annually housing 34 passenger and 16 cargo airlines. For more information on the airport and its $6 billion-plus capitol improvement project, please visit www.atlanta-airport.com.
Mayor’s Youth Program Profile: Jasmine Freeman
Westlake High School senior Jasmine Freeman is cutting a path to excellence thanks to her ambition and support from the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Youth Program.
The Mayor’s Youth Program assists Atlanta Public Schools (APS) students, and children of the Atlanta City Government workforce, with their plans post-graduation. To date, hundreds of students have received assistance with tuition, certifications, SAT/ACT preparation, summer internships, resume and career-building workshops and employment.
Last week, Mayor Shirley Franklin met with dozens of students – including Jasmine, who is the daughter of a City of Atlanta firefighter – who were interested in summer internships through the Mayor’s Youth Program. Mayor Franklin also spoke with each student one-on-one to discuss their plans post-high school.
A recipient of the Cooperative Development Energy Program (CDEP) Scholarship, Jasmine will receive full tuition for a joint mathematics-chemical engineering major. She will study for three years at Fort Valley State University for math, then complete two years at Georgia Tech for chemical engineering.
However, Jasmine still had unmet financial needs. Through the Mayor’s Youth Program, Jasmine qualified to receive a scholarship for her book fees, a transportation stipend and a laptop. “This is an excellent program – to know that the mayor is here for you when you don’t have the money it takes to go to college,” said Jasmine.
Jasmine is also working with program coordinators to find a summer internship that will allow her to attend summer school and fits with her skills and experience. She recently had the “life-changing” opportunity to travel to Arusha, Tanzania, Africa where she helped to build a solar cooker for a small village and donated pencils and notebooks to local schools and an orphanage.
“The Mayor’s Youth Program develops a plan of action around each student’s specific need so that everyone receives the right amount of assistance. Jasmine was able to gain a full tuition scholarship but there were a few other things she needed to get her there. The Mayor’s Youth Program works hard to bring together the resources that get kids to college and enable them to excel,” said Deborah Lum, executive director, Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA).
Jasmine Freeman is a senior at Westlake High School and a participant in the Mayor’s Youth Program. The Mayor’s Youth Program is open to all APS seniors as well as children of the Atlanta City Government workforce. For more information, visit www.mayorsyouthprogram.org. |
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Atlanta’s Award-Winning Water Treatment Plants
The Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) has given Atlanta water treatment plants the “gold award” for exceptional performance in the delivery of safe, portable water.
The annual GAWP awards recognize facilities that met or exceeded the permit requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2007. The City of Atlanta currently is spending $1 billion to overhaul its drinking water system by replacing meters, repairing leaks, building new transmission and distribution mains and upgrading its plants.
The City of Atlanta Chattahoochee and Hemphill water treatment plants received the Gold Award for permit compliance. The Atlanta-Fulton County Treatment Plant, which is jointly owned by the City and Fulton County, also received a Gold Award. The plants had no permit violations in 2007. The Chattahoochee plant treats 64.9 million gallons of water per day; Hemphill treats 136.5 million gallons; and the City’s share of the Atlanta-Fulton County Treatment is 45 million gallons.
“We are grateful to GAWP for recognizing our ongoing efforts to provide clean, safe drinking water to customers,” said Rob Hunter, commissioner, Department of Watershed Management (DWM).
GAWP represents more than 5,000 operators, owners, contractors, manufactures’ representatives, engineers, elected officials, industry representatives and others concerned with Georgia’s water resources.
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"City Lights, Southern Nights" showcases Atlanta as an ideal destination for weekend getaways as well as conventions. Since it launched in 2005, the Brand Atlanta campaign has successfully achieved a 10.7 percent increase in overnight leisure visitors for 2006 over the previous year. (Data for 2007 is still being calculated). That’s 13-million more visitors and $792-million in additional economic impact. Visit our Video on Demand page to watch new videos that highlight the best of Atlanta dining, entertainment, shopping and more.
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Rave Reviews!
- Mayor Shirley Franklin joined Atlanta business, community and civil rights leaders to honor the life’s work of former Mayor Andrew Young with a public art monument in his likeness. The new monument can be viewed at Andrew Young Plaza and shows Young’s distinguished career as an international ambassador for civil and human rights with engraved medallions and personal quotes.
Public art monument of former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.
Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young takes in his likeness while at a ceremony dedicating the new public art monument.
Former Mayor Andrew Young addresses a crowd gathered to honor his life’s work with a public art monument in downtown Atlanta. |
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- On Thursday April 17 from 11 am – 2 pm, the City of Atlanta will host an Earth Day Fair in the City Hall Atrium, 55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, 30303. This event is co-sponsored by Sustainable Atlanta and the Atlanta Department of Human Resources (DHR) to educate, engage and excite Atlanta residents, workforce, and stakeholders about great opportunities to “go green” at work, in the community and at home. Earth Day Fair presenters will include the Atlanta Regional Commission, Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, Atlanta Recycles, BeltLine Partnership, Clean Air Campaign, Cox Conserves, Department of Watershed Management (DWM), Georgia Organics, Georgia Power, P2AD, Park Pride, Southface Institute and Trees Atlanta. For more information, contact Mandy Schmitt, Director of Sustainability, at mschmitt@atlantaga.gov or 404.865.8956 or 404.394.5151.
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Job Announcements
With the City of Atlanta’s online application system, you are able to create an account and select a Username and Password and then log in to your account.
After your account has been established, you can create an application by clicking on the “Build Job Application” link. Once your application is completed, it will be stored in the system and can be used to apply for future job openings. To get started by viewing current open positions, click here.
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Weekly Features
us at citynewsbytes@atlantaga.gov to provide your feedback about this newsletter or to nominate someone you know for Stakeholder Spotlight.