Duluth's Brightstar Provides Home Care

by Tana Suggs / Appen Newspapers
January 30, 2009 03:10 PM

Most people prefer the comfort of their own home, and BrightStar Healthcare provides a variety of home care services so a person can remain in that comfort for as long as possible.Scott and Suzanne Morrison opened the Duluth office in September to serve people in Duluth, Norcross, Johns Creek, and Forsyth County."It is a wonderful service to the community and it allows people to age in place rather than having to go into a facility," said Scott Morrison.

BrightStar Healthcare provides services ranging from companion care to highly skilled nursing care."If you just need someone to take you to the doctor, we can do that," Morrison said. "If you are in a hospice situation and you want to finish out your time at home, we have the skilled nursing that can handle just about every medical situation you can imagine."

An initial assessment is made by a registered nurse and a plan of care is developed to match the needs of the client with the skill-set of the caregiver.Scott Morrison is also a certified senior advisor, which is a national certification that allows him to advise clients on senior-related issues and other health care matters and refer clients to experts and other industry professionals when necessary."This has been the most rewarding piece," he said. "Conventionally, when people need my services it's revolving around a crisis, and they haven't thought ahead to prepare for that."

Robin Cook turned to BrightStar Healthcare in October when her sister Simone Quash, who at 48 has a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, and moved from Virginia to live with Cook and her husband, Julian, in Duluth.Cook said she was overwhelmed by the new responsibilities of caring for her sister."Scott Morrison took me by the hand and he gave me information step by step on what I needed to do," she said. "It really made the process less stressful. He went beyond the call of duty."

Because of the level of service BrightStar provides, Cook said she is able to go into her office a couple of days a week."It gives me a peace of mind to know that she's getting care while I'm gone," said Cook. "We're really particular about Simone, and we want her to have the best care we can give her."

For more information about BrightStar Healthcare and the services they provide, visit the company Web Site at www.brightstarhealthcare.com.

Bodker:Support Johns Creek Businesses

by Jennifer Chapman / Appen Newspapers

January 29, 2009 It seems the economy is on everyone's minds these days and Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker is thinking about it too.

Bodker told members of the Johns Creek North Fulton Rotary Club that while many businesses in the city have failed, residents and other business owners can do their part to maintain an economically viable city."The single thing we can do in 2009 is choose to use Johns Creek," said Bodker.He brought forth the "Choose to Use Johns Creek" initiative during last year's State of the City address, asking residents and businesses to use the city's name when referring to where they reside or own a business in an effort to publicize the city.

Now, in light of the economic climate, he's asking residents to make a conscious choice when setting out to shop, dine or run errands around the city.Bodker said if Johns Creek businesses are thriving, more companies will want to make their home in the city.As for the city of Johns Creek's finances, Bodker said they've been able to maintain a balanced budget."As of this moment, I'm not worried," he said. "We're able to control our costs ... and we're working through it."

He added that applications for business licenses and permits are down about 50 percent.Regionally speaking, Bodker said he's hopeful that the bill introduced to the General Assembly to re-create Milton County will pass in the legislature."Starting up a county is going to be more difficult than starting a city," said Bodker.

He added that the re-creation of Milton County will help school systems and local government as well as improve services to residents.Bodker also mentioned that he would like to receive more feedback from local residents and business owners about city issues."I believe it's my responsibility to try to get people involved," he said.

Room To Party

YOUNG DECORATORS TAKE FURNITURE AND FABRIC TO MAKE A DOLL-SIZED ROOM WITH A VIEW

By Michelle E. Shaw
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, January 26, 2009

Trying to entertain pre-teen girls with cardboard and fabric may sound tricky, but Mary Sittler makes it look easy.

The former stay-at-home mom took an idea that kept her intrigued as a child and created My Room Rocks, an interactive party store in Johns Creek, where creativity rules.

“I remember creating rooms for my dolls with my best friend and then I watched my girls do it and I knew there were other girls who would love it too,” she said. “So I decided to make a business out of it.”

The business started, unofficially, in her Alpharetta basement years ago with her three daughters, now 9, 11 and 13. There was a room dedicated to dolls and decor, where Sittler let her girls’ imaginations run wild.

“I found myself going out looking for different things they could use to decorate their spaces,” Sittler said. “And at one point I thought, ‘I think I can make this a business’.”

At My Room Rocks, the party starts with each child getting an empty 10x10x16 cardboard box —- or empty room —- and a checklist of things they can use to decorate the space. Once armed with a tote bag and the list, the young designers are let loose in the design area to find the furniture and fabrics of their desires. Sittler, with her ever-cheery smile, plays the role of a design consultant, if any of the novice decorators have questions. Once all of the pieces have been gathered, the kids head to the work table to begin putting their rooms together.
“When we walked in here for the first time, we had a fit,” said Lisa Bastian, who was looking for a place to have her daughter Sarah’s ninth birthday party. “Then she showed us what she had to offer and we knew it would be perfect.”

The concept is similar to services offered by chains such as American Girl and Build-A-Bear: the event takes place at the store and guests get to leave with a craft made at the party or a keepsake.

Sittler thought the room-design feature would put a fresh twist on the idea. “It’s something the kids can take home and continue to play with and rearrange,” she said.

A party for eight costs $240 and includes the boxes, 4 pieces of hand-painted wooden miniature furniture, window treatments, bedding, and room accessories. Other add-ons, such as miniature pets and additional furniture, can be purchased. And it’s not only the kids that get in on the fun.

Jason and Tara Abney attended the Bastian party with their two kids, Devin and Ally. The room creations were more of a family affair than something for the kids to do, Tara Abney said.
“I really had a good time,” she said. “I mean, how often does an adult say that at a kid’s party?”

PARTY PLACE
My Room Rocks, 10995 State Bridge Road, is currently open 7 days a week, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit myroomrocks.com or call 678-566-3200.

Johns Creek Council Weighs Sign Changes

By Doug Nurse, Kent A. Miles, Nancy Badertscher, April Hunt, Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, January 26, 2009

JOHNS CREEK

Council weighs sign changes

> What: The Johns Creek City Council will weigh changes to the city’s sign ordinance, which many businesses have decried as onerous. Council members say they are trying to strike a balance between allowing businesses to have signs that are visible enough to be effective, and protecting the landscape from clutter and ugliness. At the last public hearing, no one spoke so the city decided to have another hearing.

> When and where: Today at 7 p.m. at Johns Creek City Hall, 12000 Findley Road
> What it means to you: Council members say they are trying to strike a balance between allowing businesses to have signs that are visible enough to be effective but protect the landscape from clutter and ugliness.

Masked Men Tie-Up Father, Son During Home Invasion Robbery

Courtesy Wsbtv

Monday, January 26, 2009 – updated: 9:40 am EST January 26, 2009

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. -- Gunmen tied up two north Fulton men during a home invasion robbery early Monday morning.

Wearing ski masks and gloves the robbers entered the home at 9795 Buice Road about 1 a.m.
"The residents advised us they had been tied up and robbed by an unkown number of suspects who came in and demanded money," said Lt. Chris Byers of the Johns Creek police department.
Police are trying to determine how the robbers got past a fence with a security gate that surrounds the house.

The robbers tied up a man and his adult son.
The thieves took an unknown amount of cash from the home and then fled on foot.
The victims were not harmed.

Johns Creek Gov't Meetings For This Week

January 26, 5 p.m. - Work Session

1. Memorandum of Agreement with Atlanta Regional Commission regarding the North Fulton Transportation Plan.
2. Contract Agreement with Wolverton & Associates for Intersection Improvements at Jones Bridge Road and Buice Road, Waters Road, Mortons Road.
3. Update on the Fulton County Arts Council 2010 Municipality Grant.
4. Legislative Update.
5. Election Qualification and Call for Elections.
6. Review and Discussion of Sign Ordinance.Council meeting – January 26, 7p.m.
1. Monthly Update on Strategic Action Plan.2. Public hearing and Consideration of Ordinance to the Zoning Text Amendment to Amend Article 33 of the Zoning Ordinance (Sign Ordinance).
3. Public hearing and second read of Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Map for Zoning Case RZ-09-001-Abbotts Bridge Center, LLC – 6200 Block of Abbotts Bridge Road & Old Bell Road – AG-1 to C-1 Conditional – allow retail/office development.VC-09-001-1 - Reduce Landscape Strip adjacent to Old Bell Road from 25’ to 20’ 12000 Findley Road, suite 300.
4. Public hearing and second read of Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Map for Zoning Case RZ-09-002 - Ismaili Jamatkhana - Lakefield MK, LLC – 11300 Block of Lakefield Drive – M-1A Conditional to M-1A Conditional – Change in conditions to allow for a Community Center, Office, and place of Worship.
5. Second read of Ordinance to Create an E-911 Fund and to Amend and Adopt the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget for the E-911 Fund of the City of Johns Creek, Georgia Appropriating the Expenditures, Adopting the Revised Anticipated Revenues for the E-911 Fund.
6. First read of an Ordinance to Amend the Terms of the Planning Commission for the City of Johns Creek.
7. Consider Approval of Resolution Calling for General Elections to be held November 3rd 2009.

Johns Creek State of The City Scheduled For Jan 28

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

January 22, 2009 JOHNS CREEK - Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker will deliver his second State of the City address at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28 at the Atlanta Athletic Club. The Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and the AAC are hosting the event. The cost for the luncheon is $20. Visit www.gnfcc.com to register.Bodker will also be giving the State of the City address to other community groups in the next few weeks. The city will record the event and post it along with the text and presentation on the city's Web site, www.johnscreekga.gov.

Photographer To Discuss Book On Georgia's Environment

By DOUG NURSE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, January 21, 2009

On Saturday, people will be able to travel to the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center in Johns Creek and see tidal pools, bogs, and caves.

Of course, those sights aren’t native to the 46-acre park off Old Alabama Road. They, and dozens of other images, are in photographs on display as part of an environmental education program called Still Small Voices.

Photographer Marc Del Santro will be talking about a new book he illustrated, called With Still Small Voices They Speak: A Journey into the Heart of Georgia’s Last Wild Places. The book was written by Anne Foskey.

Still Small Voices has been integrated into educational outreach programs of public and private agencies, such as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, The Nature Conservancy, and The Atlanta Botanical Garden and Earth Share of Georgia.

For more information, visit stillsmallvoices.com or visit autreymill.org. Admission to the event is free.

Johns Creek's Autrey Mill Celebrates Culture

by Jennifer Chapman / Appen Newspapers

January 21, 2009 JOHNS CREEK - Walking into Autrey Mill Middle School Jan. 15, students, parents and staff were able to take a short trip to countries like Greece, Poland, China and Jamaica. The school's annual Multicultural Night celebrated cultures from around the world by sampling delicacies from dozens of countries and watching students perform native dances and songs.After the always-popular food tastings, students, parents and staff filed into the cafeteria where the performances started with an African Welcome Dance, followed by a birthday tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.Multicultural Night provided a chance for students to perform countries' national anthems, traditional dances and songs.

Emory Johns Creek Breaks Admissions Record For Year

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

January 20, 2009 JOHNS CREEK - Emory Johns Creek Hospital posted record admissions in December of 2008, breaking every record for inpatient admissions, inpatient surgeries, emergency admissions and outpatient surgeries since it opened in February 2007. "Traditionally, December is a strong month as people schedule surgeries to meet their deductible and healthcare savings accounts deadlines," said Christine Williams, controller of the hospital. "But our performance in December of 2008 was even stronger than we projected early on in the month."

Last year was a year of records for the hospital, as it continued to expand its medical staff and scope of services. The hospital opened with a comprehensive range of services, from emergency to surgery and neonatal intensive care. In 2008, Emory Johns Creek opened its Center for Sleep Medicine and Cardiac Cath Lab. Services expanded to include Heart Calcium Scoring, Vascular Medicine and Advanced Interventional Diagnostics.

"We have a unique phenomenon in our Emergency Department," said John Quinlivan, CEO of the hospital. "The number of patient visits we have has remained somewhat steady, but the level of acuity, or degree of injury or illness is relatively high when compared to other Emergency Departments in the area or even across the country."

Emory Johns Creek Hospital launched several initiatives in 2008 to improve its quality of care, including nursing, core measures, satisfaction and glucometrics. The hospital was recognized by national and state organizations for its quality measures. Among awards in 2008, was the Georgia Hospital Association's Patient Safety Award for their infection control initiatives.

Growth for Emory Johns Creek Hospital is bound to continue as the population continues to do the same."We will continue to expand our services to respond to the needs of our growing community," said Quinlivan.In response to the community's need, EJCH has recently filed its plans to open a Cancer Center on its campus.

The recent opening of the Cardiac Cath Lab completes the diagnostic capabilities offered by the Heart & Vascular Institute of Emory Johns Creek Hospital."In 2008, we saw a growth rate of fifty-eight percent over 2007 in Admissions, Surgeries, Emergency Visits, Outpatient Visits and Baby Deliveries. We are excited at what the future holds for us," said Williams.For more information, please visit emoryjohnscreek.com

Johns Creek Library Celebrates 10th Anniversary This Weekend

by Jennifer Chapman / Appen Newspapers

January 16, 2009JOHNS CREEK - Northeast Spruill Oaks Library is celebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend. The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System's third busiest library has several events planned to celebrate.

Saturday, Jan. 17
11 a.m. - "Mystery of Twins" with authors and identical twins Carolyn Cohen and Marilyn Segal.
11 a.m. to noon - Children's Craft: Personalized Placemats. Ages 3 and older.
12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. - Spinning wheel and weaving demonstration by El Bradley.
2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Free blood pressure checks by Little Clinic of Publix.
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. – "Ignorance is No Defense: A Teenager's Guide to Georgia Law."
3 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Children's craft and story "Rainbow Fish." Ages 3 and older.
Sunday, Jan. 18
2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Author Kathy Hogan Trocheck/Mary Kay Andrews. Book sale. Cake, punch and snacks will be served.For more information call 770-360-8820. Northeast Spruill Oaks Library is located at 9560 Spruill Road, Johns Creek.

Johns Creek Wants To Hear From Residents, Businesses

by Jennifer Chapman / Appen Newspapers

January 14, 2009JOHNS CREEK - Mayor Mike Bodker wants to hear from you. He told City Council members at their Dec. 12 meeting that he would like to hear Johns Creek residents' and business owners' opinions about the proposed changes to the city's sign ordinance. "I'm disappointed that we've seen no public comment about something that's important to the businesses in the city," said Bodker.

City Council agreed to table the discussion of amending an article of the zoning ordinance that includes the city's sign ordinance and decided to schedule another public hearing at its Jan. 26 meeting.Council members discussed segments of the proposed changes to the sign ordinance including changeable copy signs, banners and wayfinding signs, among others.Bodker said he hopes to get the word out in the community about the importance of the sign ordinance and anticipates more residents and business owners to voice their opinions. No one in the audience spoke during the public comment portion of the City Council meeting Jan. 12.

One area of the proposed sign ordinance includes changing banner restrictions specifically for graduation season. Dozens of Johns Creek neighborhoods post graduation banners listing the names of that year's graduates who live in a particular subdivision.The proposed change would allow one banner per lot during the months of May and June without having to pay $25 for a banner permit.A public hearing on the sign ordinance will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at City Hall, 12000 Findley Road.

Weezy's Opens In Johns Creek

by Jennifer Chapman / Appen Newspapers

January 14, 2009 JOHNS CREEK - Sanford Sanford said he's trying to bring a little bit of Hollywood to the South.He's the owner of one of Johns Creek's newest businesses, Weezy's Movin' On Up Cafe Jazz & BBQ, and Sanford happens to be the son of a Tinseltown star - Isabel Sanford, who's known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Jefferson on the TV sitcom "The Jeffersons."

"I named it after (Isabel Sanford) - it's a known name and it's a tribute to her," said Sanford. Photos of Isabel Sanford decorate the red brick interior walls of Weezy's, as well as several other celebrities and prominent figures.Sanford, an 8-year Johns Creek resident, said he opened Weezy's to give area residents "something more than what you typically expect" when dining out.Sanford, a professional musician, said the stage where musical acts perform is one of the highlights of Weezy's.

"You're going to walk away with a good experience," said Sanford. Live music and dancing is offered Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays is an open mic night - musicians, vocalists and poets are welcomed to perform.Sanford said he often accompanies the musicians on stage - he's a highly experienced percussionist. "I love getting up here on stage," he said.

And while the economic times are challenging, Sanford said business at the restaurant on Medlock Bridge Road has been going well.He added that while other Johns Creek restaurants have shut their doors, he hopes Weezy's does well because it has something special.

"In this time of recession, people need to still be able to get away and not spend a lot of money," said Sanford. "We're moderately priced so people can afford to come here."Sanford said area residents won't have to drive to Buckhead or Atlanta to get good food and live entertainment."It's all right here," he said.

He said the barbecue ribs are the biggest seller on the menu. A full slab costs $22.95 and a half slab costs $12.95.Other entrees like catfish, tilapia and salmon cost $10.95. Weezy's also offers appetizers, salads, sandwiches and an array of Southern side items.Sanford said several of the menu items are his mother's recipes.

The restaurant is having an inauguration celebration Tuesday, Jan. 20, in honor of President-elect Barack Obama. And, an official grand opening ceremony of Weezy's will be held Jan. 22.For more information, call 770-496-4363 or visit www.weezysjazzandbbq.com.