City residents get a role in proposed traffic program

A proposal from Council member Lance Rhodes - Ward B:

The City of East Point recognizes the value of public participation when responding to quality of life issues surrounding neighborhood traffic.

The intent of this policy is to provide a uniform methodology to address and mitigate unacceptable traffic conditions occurring within our community. Communication, cooperation and involvement in fostering resident consensus in the identification of traffic related issues and their resolution is an integral component of these policies.

There are proposed petition requirements if neighbors ask for traffic control measures:

 For installation of stop signs and intersection controls, 90% of residents (one resident per address) in a two block radius before the stop sign or intersection controls and two bocks after the stop sign or intersection controls must sign the petition or ¼ mile before the stop sign or intersection controls and ¼ mile after the stop sign or intersection controls (which ever provides the largest number of signatures).

 For installation or removal of no parking signs, 100% of residents who park on the street must sign the petition. This will include no parking signs with specific days and or times for no parking.

For installation of speed humps, all residents within 50 feet of the device must agree to the installation. 90% of residents (one resident per address) in a two block radius before the device and two bocks after the device must sign the petition or ¼ mile before the device and ¼ mile after the device (which ever provides the largest number of signatures).

City of East Point Neighborhood Participation Traffic Calming Controlpolicy

New hours for public library branches in Tri-Cities

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Fulton county leaders cut the hours of Atlanta-Fulton County Library system as part of their solution to deal with a multimillion dollar budget shortfall. (Here's the AJC story.) Libraries are closed two days a week at the three library branches in the Tri-Cities area. The new hours began in mid-February. To see the hours of operation for all the libraries, please click here.

East Point Branch
2757 Main St., East Point 30344
404.762.4842

• Monday 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.


• Tuesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.


• Wednesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.


• Thursday Closed


• Friday Closed


• Saturday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.


• Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Hapeville Branch
525 King Arnold St., Hapeville 30354
404.762.4065

• Monday 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.


• Tuesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.


• Wednesday Closed


• Thursday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.


• Friday Closed


• Saturday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

College Park Branch
3647 Main St., College Park 30337
404.762.4060

• Monday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.


• Tuesday 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.


• Wednesday Closed


• Thursday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.


• Friday Closed


• Saturday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

East Point nonprofit wants to train pet owners before having to rescue animals

EAST Point Susan Laskey first rescued a dog when she was just a youngster. Then came Fritzy, a schnauzer, and Scamp, a mutt, not to mention a turtle Timothy and Chester the hamster.

 

Post by Laskey's Lucky Ones & Volunteers.

 

From her passion animals, she created a organization to rescue dogs and cats, and educate owners in East Point and the south Fulton County. She started the Georgia nonprofit in July 2013.

"The discarded pet population is off the charts in these areas," she said in an email.

Laskey’s Lucky Ones & Volunteers (LLOV) is an all-volunteer group in Georgia dedicated to pet rescue and community outreach. Our mission is to provide education, resources and services to existing pet owners within the community, and to rescue and place displaced, neglected and abused dogs and cats in permanent homes. We provide foster care, basic training and socialization, healthcare, spay/neuter services, resources, and education for our foster and adoptive parents, as well as for pet owners within our communities. LLOV serves animals of all breeds within the metro-Atlanta area, with a focus on underserved areas of South Fulton and adjacent counties. Our animals have been rescued from (or have been prevented from going to) high-kill shelters and live in foster homes awaiting their forever families. LLOV also facilitates and promotes reducing the number of feral cats and kittens throuh the humane practice of TNR (trap-neuter-return).

She outlined three of the nonprofit's goals:

• Prevent 75% of dogs found in our target areas from going and/or staying in animal control. The target area is around East Point area because, well, that’s where I and most of the board members and volunteers live.


• Develop a solid community outreach program that reduces the number of unaltered, unvaccinated, chained and/or uncared for dogs.


• Partner with Walker’s Room to create a program for homeless people who have dogs,  currently working on a food, blanket and jackets program

"Believe it or not, homeless people are very good dog owners. They always share their food, they sleep with their pet, and care for them, often before they care for themselves. We want to help people become and stay responsible pet owners. Sometimes it’s just a matter of providing information and resources," she said.

To help out this community organization, LLOV has a wish list with Amazon.  Click here. Or you can make a donation through PayPal. There's an active Facebook page, with close to 600 Likes. Check out the website too.

A few special events are scheduled for the spring,

• Dog wash in March at Intown Healthy Hound in Grant Park


• Wine tasting scheduled for April.

Said Laskey:

The way I see it, rescue isn’t limited to me picking up a dog, rehabilitating it and finding it a forever home, which is a great task in and of itself. Rescue is getting and keeping an owned dog off a chain; making sure an owned dog always has food for his belly, water and a warm place to sleep; it’s helping owned dogs stay healthy and happy. I didn’t choose to get into rescue. No one chooses rescue. It chooses you, and if you try to ignore it, it will know louder and you will never be happy until you throw open the door and embrace it for the change you can make.

 

 

 

 

Weather Storm updates

I'll post ice storm updates here.
Also, check Twitter: @jphub.

Click on  "Weather Storm Updates" to see the blog updates.

Here's a list of reported power outages, as of 8:30 a.m.

POWER OUTAGES

1. Camp Creek Market Place and in the area of Washington Road and Mt. Olive Road.

2. Lakemount Substation Area: The streets affected are Washington Road North, Redwine Road, Grant Way, Ale Circle, Arlington Road, Mt Olive Road.

East Point fire houses open to anyone in need

Mayor Jannquell Peters posted this notice on her Facebook page:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING SHELTERS: Each of the City of East Point Fire Department stations are Safe Houses available to the public during any emergency. In the case of Winter Storm 2014, the stations are available as shelters as well as warming stations. We have hired extra people to have one person remain at the fire station in case the company has to go out on an alarm. - Fire Station #1 to be staffed and used as a fourth Safe House/Shelter.

Here are the addresses and phone numbers;

Station #1 - 2757 East Point Street

Station #2 - 3171 Norman Berry Drive
404-559-6419

Station #3 - 3800 North Commerce
404-559-6422

Station #4 - 2222 Ben Hill Road
404-559-6424

Jannquell Peters
mayor@eastpointcity.org

HS principal updates community on teen shooting in East Point

The principal of Tri-Cities HS, Dan Sims, took to Facebook to inform the community about a shooting that happened off-campus, but still close to the school.

Jefferson Park Family. Sorry for the late notice. Just keeping you informed. This went home today to our parents:

Tri-Cities parents, this is Principal Dan Sims. This afternoon, we learned that one of our students was shot in the leg by an acquaintance during an altercation. This occurred off campus and after school hours. I wanted you to be aware since it happened not far from our school property lines. The student is expected to be OK, the parent has already been notified, and the suspect has been identified. Police are handling the situation swiftly. The suspect is not one of our students and the argument had nothing to do with our school. I wanted to share this with you since you will see it on the news or hear rumors.[mappress mapid="82"]

Here's the story from the AJC:

East Point police were searching Friday night for the man accused of shooting a teenager in the leg.

The suspect, whose name was not released, is accused of shooting Andrew Burnett in the thigh near the intersection of Norman Berry Drive and North Martin Street, according to Lt. Cliff Chandler.

Burnett, 17, a Tri-Cities High School student, was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, Chandler said.

Investigators believe Burnett and two other students had been involved in an altercation during the day, Chandler said.

The argument continued after school, when a female student allegedly called a relative to come to the area, police said. That relative, believed to be a former Tri-Cities student, is accused of shooting Burnett, Chandler said.

“Multiple individuals are expected to face multiple charges,” Chandler said.

 

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Give a little love to Mother Nature Saturday

East Point hosts one of the largest white oaks in the state where volunteers are going to give a little TLC to the Connally Nature Preserve this weekend. It's pretty impressive to stand in the shadow of 'Hank Aaron." ( And since it's little used park, there's a map at the bottom of this post to show you how to get there.)

White Oaks (Creative Commons photo.)

 Trees Atlanta is partnering with Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, the City of East Point, and the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club to remove invasives and replant natives along the streambanks at the 30-acre Connally Nature Park.

The workday will be on Saturday, Feb. 8th, from 9am to 1pm. The goal is to removing invasives like English ivy and Chinese privet, and replanting native riparian shrubs and trees.

Connally Nature Park is home to many the big white oaks there, which are some of the biggest in the state; the park is home to one of the largest white oaks, named the Hank Aaron Tree, as well as a population of endangered pink lady slipper orchids.

 The park was going to be turned into a school at one point, and Trees Atlanta got involved to stop that development and preserve the park.

For more information about the project, how you can volunteer, and where to sign up, contact Juliet Cohen at jcohen@chattahoochee.org or by phone at (404) 352-9828 x. 13. You can also sign up through the event calendar on Trees Atlanta’s website or here http://treesatlanta.org/volunteer/sign-up/.

 

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