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District 8 Mid-Year Report

Some things take longer--or are more complicated--than we might like, especially in the public sector. 

Work on the Powers Ferry replacement bridge that spans Nancy Creek began last Fall and should be complete in mid-August --- several months later than expected. 

My home is near the Powers Ferry bridge, and I share the community’s frustration with the detours and delays. Though weather and utility relocations factored into the delay, the work has taken way too long, and I appreciate the patience residents have shown as this inconvenient, but critical, bridge project takes place.  

The ‘party house’ on Garmon Road
It’s not just construction projects that seem to drag out as we await resolution. Reining in loud, illegal gatherings at the ‘party house’ on Garmon Road has been an uphill battle--complicated by the few weak legal tools at our disposal.

I’ve spent more than a few evenings standing with Atlanta police officers outside the Garmon ‘party house,’ as they attempted to issue citations for noise violations. My staff and I have prodded zoning officials to disallow use of the residential property for commercial purposes. We’ve been somewhat successful, but we need new laws with more teeth. That’s why I’m sponsoring a city ordinance, which has the Mayor’s backing, to bring an end to these obnoxious affairs and restore peace to our residential neighborhoods.

As several constituents have reminded me, we also need to thread the needle between a commercial party house and a residence hosting, say, a charity fundraiser for a worthy cause. How do we respect the rights of a homeowner at the same time we respect neighbors? It’s complicated, but we’ll find a way.
Recently, I found myself at a packed Cobb County school listening carefully to another complicated issue: possible carcinogenic emissions from a medical sterilization facility near Smyrna. I attended the meeting because the plant is approximately one mile from the District 8 border, and public safety is my number one priority.

State Sen. Jen Jordan has filed a petition with the Centers for Disease Control, asking for an evaluation of the health risks from emissions at the Sterigenics plant in Cobb. Sterigenics uses ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has projected an elevated risk of cancer in surrounding neighborhoods, due to emissions from the plant. In addition to Senator Jordan’s petition with the CDC, several of my Council colleagues and I are also introducing legislation to seek further action. 

On August 19 officials from the federal EPA, the CDC, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division are scheduled to meet to discuss the issue. We will be there and will keep you informed as we learn more about this developing and potentially serious matter.  

This is what I signed up for when you elected me to represent District 8 on the Atlanta City Council. But my job is not about conflict resolution alone.
It’s about celebrating the success of the Chastain Park Tidal Waves Swim Team, winners of their 6th consecutive Atlanta Swim Association Championship held at Georgia Tech. (The Tidal Waves were 320 strong this summer and won the ASA League comprised of 124 teams and 16,500 swimmers.) In addition, Chastain Park Athletic Club's partnership and swim programs taught another 180 children how to swim, as well as served 4 recreational summer camps.

My job is also about helping the Northside Youth Organization celebrate turning 70 years old. How many tens-of-thousands of us have played, coached, volunteered, or cheered our kids at NYO these past seven decades?

And we’re also going to celebrate the $36-million in capital improvements (including 12 miles of repaved roads) allotted for District 8--which is no small feat!

Consider the August newsletter a mid-year report to you from me. It has a lot of accomplishments--and a few disappointments. As always, you deserve the unvarnished truth.

One more reminder: school resumes this month. Drive safely. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

At Mid-Year, How Are We Doing?

 
‘Safety, traffic, transportation, quality of life, fiscal responsibility, good government, and improved communications define my to-do list, as I begin a second year as District 8’s Atlanta City Council representative.' That’s how I began our January 2019 newsletter.

‘It’s an ambitious agenda,’ I said. ‘Some goals I can control; others I can only influence. Some tasks will be added; others may be re-prioritized. But I need --- and you deserve --- a plan, if we are to make our neighborhoods, and all of Atlanta, better places to live in 2019.’

We are just over half way through 2019. While I’m proud of our accomplishments, I am frustrated with the speed at which they occur. That they have occurred, however, is what counts.

I believe in accountability. Thus, this mid-year report.

Public Safety

Public safety has been, and will continue to be, my highest priority. At mid-year, overall crime in Atlanta Police Zone 2, which includes all of District 8, was down 13%, as compared with a 5% drop city-wide. Auto-related crimes plagued us at the year’s start. As of mid- July, larceny theft from autos is down 24% to 906 from 1,188 incidents last year. Auto thefts, however, are up 7% --- 264 this year versus 246 in 2018.
 
GOAL: Put 100 more officers on the street by year end 2019. We are making good progress. As we reported in June, we have had a net increase of 71 officers. Applications to join APD are soaring. Much of the credit goes to historic pay increases for police, which I fought hard for.

GOAL: Make APD Zone 2 smaller. In March, we accomplished this when two beats were assigned to other zones, leaving the same number of Zone 2 officers to cover a smaller area.

GOAL: Increase pay for firefighters. Council’s approval of the 2020 budget included a 3.1% increase for firefighters and a pledge to use the same template for firefighters that we used for police pay adjustments. We must take care of the people that take care of us.

GOAL: Increase District 8’s cameras/License Plate Readers (LPRs) by 20%. I pledged to pay $5,000 towards the purchase of a camera or LPR for every neighborhood in the district. So far, three neighborhoods have accepted the challenge and added a total of six LPRs. Three of these are from an agreement which we helped facilitate between Pace Academy and the West Paces/Northside neighborhood. We haven’t yet hit our goal, but we are making progress.

GOAL: Oversee Renew Atlanta project improvements at Fire Stations 26 and 27. We’re making progress. The plan is to complete $290,000 in improvements at Fire Station 27 and $252,000 at Station 26 before year end.

GOAL: Push plans for public safety capital investment as part of the budget process. We did not achieve significant capital investment in the 2020 budget but continue to push this initiative.

GOAL: Work with Council Member Howard Shook to persuade Fulton County to install cameras in its courtrooms so citizens can monitor judges’ rulings. We have not yet succeeded, but I continue to push for changes in our criminal justice system as an active member of the Repeat Offender Commission.

Transportation

How we spend the transportation dollars we have and how we plan our traffic future are at the heart of this priority. Of the $36 million in Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST funds that will come to District 8, most will be spent on transportation. We have repaved, or are re-paving, 12 miles of roads at a cost of $9 million.

GOAL: Use Renew/TSPLOST money to improve intersections, bridge infrastructure, and sidewalks within District 8.

 
  • Oversee completion of the Powers Ferry bridge replacement. This $3.6-million project is behind schedule but is slated to open in mid-August. When it does, we will have a replacement for the 70-year-old bridge that preceded it.
  • Push for funding intersection improvements. Through RENEW’s re-baselining process, we succeeded in retaining funding for improvements to the West Wesley / Moores Mill intersection. The project scope has been tightened with neighborhood input and is scheduled to begin July 2021.
  • Push for funding sidewalk improvements. On this front, two scheduled projects will make our two largest District 8 parks more enjoyable: sidewalks around Atlanta Memorial Park are being built and the streetscape along Chastain Park’s “main street,” the newly re-named Chastain Park Avenue (formerly West Wieuca Road, NW), will start this Fall.

GOAL: Understand the sources of commuter traffic and help find appropriate policy tools to manage future District 8 traffic, as part of the Atlanta Transportation Plan. Last year, I introduced a resolution asking the Office of Mobility to study the sources of traffic cutting across our neighborhoods and to identify solutions to manage it. The office is now beginning this study which will take several months, as comprehensive studies like this do. One of next year’s goals will be to analyze the findings and to engage you in decision making.

GOAL: Enhance the city’s effectiveness in planning, building, and maintaining transportation infrastructure through the establishment of a City of Atlanta Department of Transportation. I’m happy to report that, as part of the fiscal 2020 budget, the city is creating a DOT. On the surface, it may appear we are simply shuffling the city’s deck chairs. But this is a big deal. This new department will be the one-stop shop for all aspects of transportation for the city; currently, the responsibility--including planning, building and maintaining our city’s transportation infrastructure--is spread across three departments. Now the responsibility, and accountability, rests in one place: the DOT. 

Quality of Life

This goal may sound vague, but it hits us where we live. It’s about our precious trees. It’s about a neighborhoods’ right to live in peace without a commercial venture like a ‘party house’ next door.

GOAL: Work with the Department of Planning to sponsor legislation to overhaul the tree ordinance. A new ordinance is in the works, and I have actively engaged the Zoning department in discussion and participated in numerous public meetings. City Council, through the Community Development and Human Services (CDHS) Committee, will begin working on legislation this Fall. Next month, a pilot program launches which allows tree removal issues to be addressed before, rather than after, trees are down. The arborist’s office supports this change, since currently tree preservation isn’t covered until the end of the permit review process--making it difficult to stop a project in time. 
 
GOAL: Reduce the number of instances where homes are illegally primarily used as businesses by increasing enforcement. Our office has helped residents sort through issues related to short-term rentals and ‘party houses.’ The Garmon Road house is one our office has spent significant time working on. APD and Zoning have issued several citations. There has been an arrest, and I’ve introduced party house legislation to address these situations.

Fiscal Responsibility and Good Government

GOAL: Support the Administration and new Chief Procurement Officer David Wilson’s efforts to reform the city’s procurement process, technology, and department. As part of the city’s Finance Executive Committee, I will be working on a number of procurement reform legislative pieces this Fall. I am pleased to have played a role in two important measures that passed this year. I co-sponsored legislation to create an independent city compliance office to investigate allegations of public corruption and other possible violations of city, state, or federal laws by city officials, elected officials, and vendors. I also helped to institute stringent controls on the use of city credit cards.

GOAL: Improve the planning and information presentation of the budget process and encourage the budget to be used as a management tool. We made significant improvements in the budget process this year. I’m proud to help add a business perspective to government. It’s what you’d expect a finance guy to do.

GOAL: Have the city conduct an independent assessment of commercial property values and take follow-up actions. Earlier this year, the city completed a study of the commercial property tax process. The upshot was unsatisfying and inconclusive. I’ve learned that big companies can afford to hire really good lawyers when their property taxes are at stake. Private homeowners should not bear a disproportionate share of the property tax burden, which I believe they do. Commercial properties should pay their fair share. There’s more to be done on this. I am proud that once again Council passed a budget that will NOT raise taxes on the 25% city of Atlanta share of your property taxes. This is a streak I have foght hard to keep going--and will continue to do so.  

GOAL: Review city impact fees to ensure they are competitive and cover appropriate development impacts. The city has not changed its impact fees in 25 years (last change was 1993). As Atlanta experiences considerable development, we need to ensure our impact fees are competitive and cover appropriate development impacts. I’ll be pushing this goal this Fall.

Communication

I believe our neighborhoods improve when residents are informed and engaged. I’m committed to keeping you in the know and to helping share information among our neighborhoods’ leaders.

GOAL: Initiate regular meetings of all District 8 neighborhood presidents in the first quarter to provide updates and share best practices. In February, we held our first meeting. It was wonderful to see 27 neighborhood leaders connect and share ideas and best practices. I look forward to our next meeting in August.

GOAL: Continue to produce this monthly newsletter and double the distribution list from 390 to 800. Thanks to you, we are well on our way. Our distribution list stands at 725 today.  Help us reach our goal. If you’re not a subscriber, become one. There is a link in this newsletter. If you subscribe, please spread the word by sharing this newsletter with a neighbor.

A 70th Birthday for NYO

It’s anyone’s guess as to how many Atlantans grew up playing Northside Youth Organization sports. The numbers are well into six figures. NYO started with football in 1949. Baseball, fastpitch softball, girls and boys basketball, and cheerleading were added along the way. Today, NYO is one of the largest youth sports programs in the country.  

Each year, more than 5,000 children ages 4 to 17  from 2,500 area families register to participate. There are nearly 1,000 volunteers  --- parents and non-parents --- all of whom are introduced to NYO’s Positive Coaching and Parenting Alliance. It ensures a supportive athletic environment for all. 

To mark its 70th birthday, NYO will hold a ‘homecoming’ celebration from 5-8 p.m. Sunday, October 6 at Chastain Park. Admission to the adults-only party is $40 per person, $70 per couple. To purchase tickets, go to www.NYO70th.splashthat.com.
 

NYO historian and board vice president Larry Bennett and retired longtime executive director Jane Wilkins are compiling a history for the occasion. “We are relying on our memories to reconstruct the history, but there are gaps in the early years,” said Bennett.  Ms. Wilkins (Miss Jane to those at NYO) added, “We are looking to the community to help us fill in those gaps.”

If you have a story or historic picture to share, please submit it to NYO executive director Josh Burr at josh@nyosports.com.

Suzanne Caswell and Lisa Martinez will serve as homecoming chairs. Miss Jane will be homecoming queen and former NYO presidents will be honored for their service. 
 
NYO is  a dedicated community partner and longtime lessee of the City of Atlanta. It maintains high-quality playing fields and a gym at Chastain, as well as at numerous facilities at local partner schools and churches. NYO offers multiple ways for the community’s youth to play sports, including a needs-based scholarship program and the Christopher League for children with disabilities.

Adopt-A-Drain Website

Last month, we told you about the city’s new ‘Adopt-a-Drain’ program. It’s a way citizens can ensure leaves and debris do not clog the storm sewers on their streets, preventing floods and other damage.

Adopt-a-Drain now has an official web site, which outlines all the details of the program and allows volunteers to sign up online: www.atlantawatershed.org/adoptadrain. Interested applicants for the program can complete an application via the link on the website.

Collier Hills 4th Annual 5K Fun Run/Walk


The 4th Annual Collier Hills 5K Fun Run/Walk is THIS SATURDAY, August 10th at 8 a.m. in Tanyard Creek Park.

Registration forms can be found on the
Collier Hills Civic Association facebook page

District 8 Contacts

 

J.P. Matzigkeit    

jpmatzigkeit@atlantaga.gov

404.330.6051

 

Katie Howard

jpmatzigkeit@atlantaga.gov

404.330.6051

 

Jim Elgar

jqelgar@atlantaga.gov

404.546.4911

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