Meeting notes from February 8, 2011
Home Park Community Meeting Notes
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Fire Station #11
· Members from Fire Station #11 (16th St & Techwood) attended the meeting and were welcomed to the neighborhood.
· They sold t-shirts ($15) as a fundraiser for items around the firehouse.
District Attorney Presentation
· Sharla Jackson, Senior Assistant District Attorney representing Zone 5 works with citizens to prosecute repeat offenders.
· Court Watch program helps citizens learn about the court system.
· Email: Sharla.Jackson@fultoncountyga.gov
· Questions:
o Crime affects property value - is there anything being done in the Home Park area to address this? Working with different task units including the crime prevention, gang unit and Georgia Tech to tackle this problem.
o Is there a way to notify community when someone who causes menace has been released? Victims are notified, but residents can contact the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance to help set up a system to track those who may be offenders in our neighborhood. Mug shots can be found on the Fulton County website (Department of Corrections > Inmate Information)
Georgia Power Substation Plan Update
· Dan Noyd provided an update since the Home Park representatives (Will Hazelton, Eric Jones, & Shaun Green) were unable to attend the meeting.
· Due to the fact that Georgia Power had not run Peter Drey’s (the architect) plans through their levels of bureaucracy, Georgia Power wasn’t prepared to go forward with the discussion tonight as originally planned.
· The revised plan is that Georgia Power will present the plan next week at the Land Use Committee Meeting (Tue, 02/15 @ 5:30pm @ Relapse Theater). Once they have presented in front of the Land Use Committee they will present in front of the entire Home Park Community.
· Currently the plan is for Georgia Power to hold a special meeting at the GCATT building to present the substation plan to the residents of the neighborhood.
Election of HPCIA President
· Joe Blount led the finalization of the Home Park President election.
· Dan was elected by the group in attendance.
How Can We Improve Home Park Communications?
· Email communication is adequate. If there is anything out of date on the website, please notify Joe Blount. The website will be updated more regularly.
· The Home Park Yahoo listserv has 500+ members. The Home Park Facebook group has 60+ members.
· Chair persons should provide Joe with updates.
Georgia Tech Beautification Project
· The Georgia Tech Beautification Project will take place on Saturday, April 9th, from 9 am – 12 pm.
· 1500 volunteers are expected to help clean up trash in strategic areas, remove graffiti, leaves and branches.
· Home Park will be one of the areas where students will be focusing their efforts.
· Last year Home Park timed the GT Beautification Project with a Home Park Clean-Up Day. During the event residents and students together worked with local government services (Police, Fire, Code Enforcement, Sanitation, etc.) to rake & bag leaves and pickup trash throughout the neighborhood.
· It was recommended that students who live in Home Park get involved in this project.
Keith Willey and Joe Blount will be the Home Park representatives working on the project and Robyn Kuckuk will be the Georgia Tech student representative to Home Park.
Public Safety Report
· Crime in the neighborhood has decreased for the most part, but some crime still exists at Atlantic Station.
· APD got a federal grant for use towards the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Section) program, an after school program that offers tutoring, addresses environmental issues, ID theft, etc.
· Weed and Seed program, which addresses crime and drug intervention, now has about 22 officers. Law enforcement builds partnerships with community to help cut down on crime and address code compliance matters.
Atlanta Police Department Zone 5 Appreciation Day
· The community will be showing APD appreciation next week by displaying “Thank you APD Zone 5!” signs in the neighborhood and providing breakfast and lunch at the precinct on February 16th. If you would like a sign, to make a donation ($7/sign), or help with food, please contact Kathy Boehmer. Donations are not required to get a sign.
Discussion of Modifying Permit Parking Hours
· Some streets have limited or no parking because of safety reasons (Fire Trucks need ability to pass).
· Discussion on the following was brought up: Can we change hours of no parking? Is there a two hour window for parking? Do parking signs need to be clarified? Should there be more flexible parking hours during the weekend? Will crime increase with more cars on the street? Will there be parking problems on weekends during GA Tech games? If parking is open on the weekend, will this be problematic for residents and their guests? Will crime level be impacted on the weekends? Can different parts of the neighborhood have different parking restrictions?
· A follow up meeting will be scheduled to discuss neighborhood needs further. Kurt Belgum will arrange this meeting.
· Permit changes require at least 75% of residents of the affected area to agree.
Membership
· Membership dues can be submitted by cash, check or PayPal to Bill Patterson or Hugh Sanders.
[See http://homepark.org/join]
HPCIA Board Meeting
