Atlanta Helps Katrina Survivors with Housing and Job Transitions
Mayor Shirley Franklin and the City of Atlanta continue to offer transitional support to Katrina survivors through the City’s affordable housing and job training programs.
The City of Atlanta’s Bureau of Housing recently identified 938 available affordable housing units for City residents and Katrina survivors. The units range in price from $800 to $1200 a month for one, two and three-bedroom apartments. To date, the City has received 184 calls on its housing hotline number. For more information on available units, call 404.330.6995 or visit www.atlantaga.gov.
To accommodate both City residents and survivors looking for work, the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA) offers weekly Tuesday job fairs at its downtown location. Employers are prepared to hire qualified candidates onsite. Since Katrina survivors began to arrive in Atlanta for refuge on August 30, AWDA’s weekly job fairs have generated over 800 attendees per week.
For job seekers who need professional interview attire, AWDA’s Clothes Closet will donate a complete outfit at no charge. AWDA’s job readiness programs help with both resume assistance and job training. Approximately 150 people sought these services from AWDA since August 30.
To visit AWDA, go to www.atlantaworkforce.org.
For detailed information about the City of Atlanta’s coordinated responses to support the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, please click here. |
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City to Build Downtown Public Safety Headquarters
Last week, the City of Atlanta’s Office of the Mayor presented a plan at a joint public safety-finance executive committee work session to construct a new public safety headquarters for police and firefighters.
The plan outlines a new headquarters for the Atlanta Police Department (APD) and Atlanta Fire Rescue (AFR) at a location close to City Hall. The new downtown headquarters will enable the City to maintain effective and efficient inter-departmental communications and create a best-in-class public safety headquarters.
The City of Atlanta plans to fund the new headquarters by selling City Hall East for $35 million to develop Ponce Park, LLC. The Atlanta City Council is scheduled to vote on the sale at the full council meeting on October 17. If approved, all departments in City Hall East will relocate to downtown Atlanta within 30 months of sale. Construction on the new public safety headquarters would begin at the end of 2006.
At Mayor Franklin’s insistence, the developer will maintain the City’s commitment to building a live-work-play complex that also serves as a development engine for jobs in the area. Approximately 20 percent of its housing will be set aside as affordable housing. The new development also includes proposed designs for access to the Beltline with plans for a public gateway to a 2.4 acre park.
To see Atlanta City Council Meetings, watch cable channel 26 or visit www.atlantaga.gov for live streaming.
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The City of Atlanta plans to sell City Hall East in midtown and construct a public safety headquarters for police and fire fighters near City Hall. The City Hall East building is being planned as a live-work-play community. The new mixed-use community will serve as a development engine for jobs in the
area.
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City Begins First Phase of Peachtree Sewer Improvements
The first phase of Clean Water Atlanta’s Peachtree Corridor Sewer Improvement Project began last week and is expected to be complete this Friday, September 30.
The sewers are being rehabilitated along Peachtree Road, between Maple Drive and Georgia 400. The two outer southbound lanes of Peachtree Road – from Georgia 400 to Maple Lane – will remain closed until Friday. Temporary lane closures near Maple Drive will re-open once the sewers have been lined.
Because most of the houses in that area rest along a different sewer line, the project will primarily affect businesses along the Peachtree Road Corridor. Construction will continue 24 hours a day, even in the event of rain, until complete.
The Peachtree Corridor Sewer Improvement Project is part of the City of Atlanta’s $3.2 billion Clean Water Atlanta program and will provide a strong city infrastructure for years to come.
For more information on upcoming Clean Water Atlanta projects, please visit www.cleanwateratlanta.org.
During the Peachtree Road sewer separations, City of Atlanta contractors slough off dirt using high pressure water, then remove it with a vacuum truck. This method significantly reduces the risks involved with excavating in an area like Peachtree Road where there are several different utility lines present. |
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Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Celebrates Milestone Year
On Thursday, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its terminal complex.
City of Atlanta officials will commemorate the event at a reception in the airport Atrium at 2 p.m. HJAIA General Manager Ben DeCosta and Deputy General Manager Mario Diaz will make remarks and read from a proclamation given by the City of Atlanta. Cake will be served in the Atrium to passengers on a first-come, first-served basis.
In 1980, the terminal complex at HJAIA was built for $500 million. Officials estimated then that the airport terminal could accommodate 55 million people annually. This year, HJAIA will serve more than 88 million passengers and forecasts accommodating more than 90 million in 2006.
HJAIA was named one of the most efficient airports in the world by the Airport Transportation Research Society (ATRS), a global aviation think-tank group. The airport has begun a 10-year development project that includes aesthetic upgrades to the facility and building an International Terminal. Construction of a fifth runway is on-budget and on-time and scheduled to be complete on May 27, 2006. The rest of the expansion projects are scheduled to be complete in late 2006.
For more info on HJAIA visit www.atlanta-airport.com.
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Rave Reviews!
- Congratulations to Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin for being selected as one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard! The issue of the weekly news magazine featuring Mayor Franklin will be on newsstands October 31, 2005.
- Last Friday, City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) Commissioner Dianne Harnell Cohen was presented the first ever “Award of Excellence in Playground Safety” from the Keenan’s Kids Foundation at their downtown location. The award is in acknowledgement of the great improvements made at City of Atlanta parks. Keenan’s Kids is an Atlanta-based advocacy organization for child safety and grades metro-area parks for overall safety for children.
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The City of Atlanta Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) Commissioner Dianne Harnell Cohen (holding plaque) receives the first-ever award for “Excellence in Playground Safety” from the Keenan Kids Foundation. Cohen is joined (from left) by Keenan’s Kids Foundation staffer, April Swanson; Keenan’s Kids Foundation board member, Shawn Huff and Keenan’s Kids Foundation project manager, Benjamin Wilcox.
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- Mayor Franklin spoke at the September 18 closing ceremonies for the 2005 Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer at the Wesleyan School in Norcross. Mayor Franklin – who participated in the 30-mile walk last year and its Survivor Fashion Show and Celebration - thanked all of the walkers and supporters for their hard work and commitment to bettering the lives of those battling with breast cancer and those working to find a cure.
Mayor Shirley Franklin congratulates walkers, survivors and organizers of the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer at its closing ceremonies. |
- Congratulations to the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Communications (MOC) for placing third among 29 entries in the Community Awareness category at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) 2005 Conference in Washington, D.C. The Office of Communications won for the “Atlanta Victim Witness Assistance Program” which aired on City Channel 26. For more info on Channel 26, please visit www.atlantaga.gov.
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- On October 5, from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., the City of Atlanta will host the first Developer’s Day at City Hall for builders, engineers, architects and others interested in learning about the on-line permitting process and other departmental improvements at City Hall. Representatives from the Bureau of Buildings, the Bureau of Planning, the Department of Watershed Management (DWM), the Bureau of Drinking Water, the Atlanta Fire Rescue (AFR) and the Atlanta Development Authority(ADA) will be on hand to answer questions. Informational booths will be set up throughout the City Hall Atrium, and will remain on display in the Atrium until October 6. To register for this event, call Cathy Brackett at 404.614.8295 or cbrackett@atlantada.com.
- The Bureau of Cultural Affairs (BCA) is once again collaborating with the National Arts Program Foundation to sponsor the City of Atlanta’s employee and family art exhibition. The exhibit will be on display from November 18, 2005 through January 6, 2006 at City Gallery East located at City Hall East. There are amateur, intermediate and professional categories for adults and two categories for children. Winners will receive cash awards, scholarships, memberships and tickets to events. The deadline for registration is October 14, 2005. For more information call 404.817.6815.
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Job Announcements
Each week, we will feature details of a position from the current City of Atlanta job vacancy list.
Featured Position: Aviation Public Affairs Director
Applicants for this position must have a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English, Public Administration, or Communications or a related field and eight years of experience in public relations or related experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for this job. Supervisory experience is required.
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Weekly Features
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