Quick Notice

May 26-29: Johns Creek Baptist Church will host a basketball camp for players in grades 1 through 6. For more information, call 678-474-4442 or visit www.jcbc.org.

New Milton County Legislative Advisory Committee

Many thanks to J.D. Easley / House Communications Specialist GA General Assembly for providing this information.

ATLANTA - Representatives Mark Burkhalter (R- Johns Creek) and Jan Jones(R-Milton) announced today an initial Milton County Legislative Advisory Committee. The Committee will assist and advise Representatives Burkhalter and Jones as they proceed forward with historic legislationto allow the re-creation of Milton County.

Rep. Burkhalter first introduced legislation to facilitate Milton County's re-creation over 15 years ago. This January Rep. Jones authored House Resolution 21 to allow the re-creation ofpreviously-merged counties. Rep. Burkhalter and other north Fulton representatives co-sponsored the resolution.

Two counties remain that were merged in the 1930s, Milton County in north Fulton and Campbell County in south Fulton. North Fulton legislators will push to bring HR 21 to the House floor for a vote in the 2010 Georgia General Assembly session."The Milton County Legislative Advisory Committee will evaluate,collaborate with and make recommendations to the north Fultondelegation," said Rep. Jones. "I look forward to working with theCommittee to addressing issues identified in the recently-released study performed by the University of Georgia and Georgia State University onthe re-creation of Milton County."

The primary areas to be evaluated by the Committee relate to separating the counties' functions, establishing a new school system and addressing judicial services and tax concerns. The Committee will serve through March 2010.

The Committee will consult and engage north Fulton citizens with expertise in specific areas being evaluated. It will also serve as a conduit for information and input with other north Fulton elected officials, including school board members, judges, mayors and city council members.

The Committee will be composed of: Tom Campbell, Fulton County Superior Court Judge; former State Representative Randall Johnson, Johns Creek City Council Member Jim Paine, Alpharetta City Council Member, Mayor Pro TemRusty Paul, Sandy Springs City Council Member, Mayor Pro Tem; former State Senator Robert Proctor, Tax Attorney, north Fulton resident Katie Reeves, Fulton County School Board Member Lynne Riley, Fulton County CommissionerAshley Widener, Fulton County School Board Member Ex Officio Mark Burkhalter, State Representative, Speaker Pro TemEx Officio Jan Jones, State Representative, House Majority Whip.

Autrey Mill Preserve: A golden treasure hanging by a thread

by Hatcher Hurd / Appen Newspapers

May 14, 2009 I wonder how many people in Johns Creek are aware of the 46-acre Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Historical Center off Old Alabama Road – and how many of them care about the feud that has erupted between its board members and the Johns Creek City Council.

Autrey Mill has been a non-profit nature preserve since 1987, with nature trails along a small creek that runs through the property. Over the years it has become a refuge for historic buildings facing the bulldozer in Newtown, Warsaw and Ocee. It was always a sparsely settled area so there just aren't many buildings of note to begin with.Fulton County had a hand in keeping the place going. Any land Autrey Mill acquired was given to the county under a conservation easement.What started out as strictly a nature preserve quickly became a safe harbor for historic buildings that otherwise would have been torn down. The Heritage Center aspect has a small town with a church, farmhouse and other buildings in which the volunteers have created a 19th century village.

Historic homes restored and maintained such as the Summerour House are treasures of Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Historic Center. (click for larger version)

All seemed well until the city acquired title and responsibility for Autrey Mill Preserve. Now what once seemed to be an amicable arrangement for everybody has devolved into a tangled mess that only the lawyers seem able to unravel.

Why did it come to this? Talk to the city's folks, and they say all they want is reasonable control over a facility in which they have tremendous liability exposure. The Autrey Mill Board of Directors has said it will sail on with the new lease it signed with Fulton County the day after the residents of Johns Creek voted to become a city.

Since then, neither the City Council nor the Autrey Mill Board has been able to get what it wants out of the relationship. The Autrey Mill Board has complained since the city took over, it has not been granted the ability to lease out buildings for weddings and other events because the city won't allow alcohol.

The use of Autrey Mill as an event space is one of the few ways it has of raising revenue. This is one reason the board thinks the City Council wants to "take over" the property.

Not so says the city, but then why does it say no to the weddings and other events if not to bring pressure on the Autrey Mill Board. It needs to raise money just as any non-profit organization, and events bring people to the park as well as revenue.The issue of liability is easy to overcome, other cities do it with ease. So why is the city waving the "Liability" flag when a standard catering agreement will cover everybody's tail? It makes the board suspicious.

It would do the city little good to oust the board. Who would take on the operation of Autrey Mill? The city would incur a $300,000 annual liability without volunteers to run the facility. The land easements ensure the property could not be turned into, say, ball fields.What is needed is some give and take here, fellas. What we have is a new city with some ideas about how the park should be run and some career volunteers who have created and operated Autrey Mill since its inception.

Everybody sounds suspicious of one another, everybody has their back up. And now it has all landed in court.

Well, perhaps for once, the lawyers can settle things. They know each other and seem confident of settling things amicably. Maybe it will work.

But the city should take a lesson from Fulton County and the city of Roswell. They are masters of using volunteers to manage property and save their respective governments millions in operating costs. That is where the devil is, not in acquiring property but in the maintenance and operation of it. In this case, it is the programming of the park that would be onerous to the city.

Roswell has three gems of historic homes. It provides the maintenance, but Bulloch Hall and the Archibald Smith Plantation are manned by volunteer docents and directors paid by their respective boards.Fulton operated Autrey Mill, Cochran Mill in South Fulton and Big Trees in Sandy Springs with volunteer boards that worked well.

Johns Creek should take care not to "win" in court but lose when all of the volunteers walk out.Likewise, the volunteers need to work with the city. It is the city's land, and despite all that you have done in the past, you have to earn the right to stay every day. We need you there, doing what you do. So everybody take a deep breath and let the two lawyers settle this.Autrey Mill is a special place run by special people. Let's keep it that way.

Cheeseburger Bobby's To Open in Johns Creek.

By Joe Guy Collier
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Local burger chain to open new locations

Cheeseburger Bobby’s, a Kennesaw-based burger chain, has opened an outlet in Canton and signed agreements for restaurants in Johns Creek and Acworth.

The Canton outlet, opened by new franchisee owners Bob and Carol Burton, marks the fourth Cheeseburger Bobby’s location in metro Atlanta.

The chain also has signed a two-store development agreement with brothers Rob and Eric Heidt, who plan to open a store in Johns Creek this summer and an Acworth location by next summer.

Johns Creek is State's Wealthiest City

By RALPH ELLIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constituion
Tuesday, May 05, 2009

It’s not even 3 years old, but Johns Creek has been ranked the wealthiest city in Georgia and the 95th wealthiest city in the nation.

Using census data, the company Bizjournals compared income level, home size and value, number of cars owned, education and other factors to rank Georgia cities.

Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker said he was proud but not surprised by the ranking for the bedroom community of about 70,000 people. “It’s a nice acknowledgement of the great things we’ve got going in Johns Creek,” he said Monday.

The median household income in Johns Creek is $108,416 and the average home price is $335,900. Bizjournals said almost 40 percent of the homes have nine or more rooms and
5 percent of the city’s households have four or more cars.

Arlington, Va., was ranked the wealthiest city in the nation and Brownsville, Texas, the poorest.

Johns Creek's 5k Run Will "Go Green - Be Green"

Appen Newspapers

February 16, 2009 JOHNS CREEK - In keeping with the "green" spirit of St. Patrick's Day, the city of Johns Creek's first "Go Green-Be Green" 5k Fun/Run will be held Saturday, March 14 at 8 a.m.The race through Technology Park/Johns Creek – an award-winning, master-planned business park with lots of green space, hills and tranquil settings – kicks off with registration at 6:45 a.m. at Lifetime Fitness, 1480 Lakefield Drive in Johns Creek.

Presented by the Johns Creek Recreation & Parks Department, "Go Green-Be Green," features organic refreshments and environmentally conscious benefits for race participants, including organic cotton T-shirts and canvas race bags.

"Our Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee wanted a fun, community event that would create a fuller awareness of what a healthy environment looks like," said Recreation and Parks Manager Kirk Franz. "For example, we won't be using plastic water bottles. We'll have biodegradable cups and water coolers. We'll also have "Green Facts" along the route, sort of like digi-notes on environmental education."

Awards will be presented to the top overall male and female and to all first place age group finishers in increments of 10 years.Entry fee is $20 (until March 7); $25 after March 7 and on the day of the race.All proceeds benefit Johns Creek Beautification, a non-profit organization dedicated to the beautification of public spaces in Johns Creek.Visit www.rungeorgia.com or active.com for registration and information. Online registration is encouraged, to avoid unnecessary printing.

Johns Creek Council Gets Feedback On Signs

publication date: Jan 31, 2009

author/source: Tim Altork / STAFF / Beacon Media

By Tim Altork / STAFF Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker definitely got his wish. Two weeks after stopping just short of begging Johns Creek residents to voice their opinion on the council’s deliberation of the city’s sign ordinance, the council’s chamber was bustling with a near capacity crowd of interested observers. Fourteen people – mainly business owners in the community – filled the public comments portion of the meeting voicing their opinions on the proposed sign ordinance that was made public last week.“This is the first time that we’ve used the entire 30 minutes,” Bodker said, commending the turnout.

Council meetings have a total of 30 minutes allotted to public comment each week.The comments were civil, yet pointed. Business owners railed against the limitations in the proposed ordinance, saying that their businesses would suffer if they were unable to use signs to corral potential drive-by customers.

Marion Davidson, who is opening a business in the Johns Creek Walk development, said that she put up two of the two-foot by two-foot roadside signs permitted by the current ordinance.“They’re just not big enough,” she said. “I’m looking for them. I know where I put them, and I still struggled to see them because they just aren’t visible from the road.”

Geoff Berlin, who owns Abbott’s Bar and Grill on Medlock Bridge Road and is the president of the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce, said that getting the sign ordinance correct was “critical” to businesses in the community. He said that signs must be permitted to be large enough to capture the attention of drivers who are increasingly distracted by things like cell phone conversations while they are in the car.“Diversions are so numerous that present signage is of diminishing value,” Berlin said.

The council also heard from the non-profit sector. Gene Ray, an administrator for Johns Creek United Methodist Church, implored the council to create verbage in the ordinance to allow for exemptions from fees for the use of banners beyond the number allowed by the ordinance. Ray said the church could use upwards of 50 banners throughout the year to promote their various ministry efforts, such as vacation Bible school. The current ordinance allows for three banners per calendar year.Johns Creek citizen Susan Miller addressed the aesthetic challenges that an overuse of signs presents.“I believe if you own a business you don’t win with signs, you win with good service,” she said.

The council was hoping to put the new ordinance to a vote at Monday’s meeting, but the large turnout forced them to table the item one more time in order to consider the new input. A vote on the ordinance is expected at the February 9 council meeting.

Muslims Welcomed

The council unanimously approved the construction of a Jamatkhana, a place of worship for the Ismaili sect of the Islam faith, in Technology Park. Since a final construction plan was not presented to the council, the approval was made on the condition that the city’s community development department will have a final pass at the building’s design before a final approval is made.In their presentation the Ismaili representatives showed pictures of other Jamatkhanas around the country to give council members an idea of what the one in Johns Creek would look like. Each facility is unique, however, in accordance with the faith’s guidelines. Some have a distinct middle-eastern look while others are more contemporary.

“I know it’s going to look nice,” said council member Randall Johnson, after seeing the presented images, “I’m just hesitant to move forward without seeing the final draft.”
“I want some reassurances of what it will look like,” Johnson added.

There are an estimated 600 Ismailis in the North Fulton area who currently have to drive to one of the four other Jamatkhanas in the metro Atlanta area in order to practice their faith. The sect has worship services seven days a week, but the primary service is on Friday evening.“I was initially hesitant about putting it in Tech. Park, but the designated times of primary traffic make it appealing,” said council member Ivan Figueroa. “I’m in support of it.”

Any Road Will Get You There - Unless You're Stuck In Traffic

publication date: Jan 31, 2009

author/source: Liz Flowers / Beacon Media

By Liz Flowers / SPECIAL

If you’ve been thinking about adding to your I-Tunes music collection or expanding your books on tape library because of the increased amount of time spent on your daily commute, 2009 might be the perfect time. It’s not clear whether state leaders will be able to get their arms around the gigantic state budget shortfall, but it is clear that local governments are feeling the pinch and are becoming creative in solving transportation and infrastructure project delays.State lawmakers continued discussions this week about how to close the $2.6 billion state budget gap, which includes a $190 million hole in the Georgia’s Department of Transportation (GDOT).Georgia’s DOT local projects are already backed up 10 years, which comes as no surprise to anyone within commuting distance of North Fulton.City leaders have begun to shift transportation gears, as they prepare for another year of a weakened economy, decreased revenues, and a continental divide in how to fix the problem. “There is not a single transportation project in the City of Alpharetta, which includes state or federal dollars, that is not impacted directly by the shortfall at the state/federal levels,” said Alpharetta city councilman John Monson. “If the funding is available in the GDOT accounts, they are still holding them up in order to see how much of the trillion dollar federal O'bailout funds Georgia will receive,” Monson said.He said he completely understood the need to delay funding of any new local projects or projects that have not completed the milestone of right-of-way funding (the purchase of land associated with the project). However, Monson said to hold up projects promised in prior years' budgets, with those funds already in encumbered accounts, represents broken commitments to Georgia's taxpayers.Alpharetta is moving ahead with some projects. On its own dime they are working on the Mayfield-Canton Road intersection improvement ($1.8 million); Upper Hembree at Maxwell ($601,000), an Adaptive Traffic Control System ($810,000), the northern end of Big Creek Greenway ($2 million from hotel tax funds), and another $1 million in sidewalks. But other projects may have to wait.Roswell’s Director of Transportation, Steve Acenbrak was preparing to make a presentation to council members, and his passion for infrastructure improvements was untainted by the economy. He said his department would concentrate on taking care of what they already have, but Roswell’s GDOT experience isn’t much different from Alpharetta’s.Acenbrak said the city is finally underway with the Grimes Bridge project, which GDOT has had on their “to do” list since 1997. He said another 10-year-old project at Holcomb Bridge was still bogged down over matters related to excessive grading.Julie Breckbill, communications director for Roswell, said revenues are down, but she said the city is prepared for years like 2009.Mayor Jere Wood has promised not to lay-off or furlough any city workers, nor delay maintenance on infrastructure projects.Breckbill said Roswell has $31 million in its reserve fund; only $15 million in reserves is required under law. She said Roswell typically uses the reserves to fund one-time capital improvement projects.“Foreclosures are up, but not as severe as in some places,” said Breckbill. “Property values have remained stable. We are very lucky.”The newer North Fulton cities of Johns Creek and Milton may face tougher transportation decisions due to smaller commercial tax bases, limited cash reserves, self- imposed millage rate caps and an inability to bond (borrow) against future tax payments.In his State of the City address given this week, Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker essentially asked community leaders to help push forward bond efforts, saying city leaders know what the problems are, but might not have the money to fix them. He said it would cost $15 million during coming years just to stay even with current conditions. The Johns Creek annual budget can’t handle the transportation fixes necessary or wanted by the citizens.Leaning heavily on a survey the city commissioned in late 2008, Bodker said that one-third of the 300 respondents said traffic was their No. 1 concern – slightly more than half of those respondents cited traffic and congestion as a primary concern for the city.Managing Public ExpectationsGetting “below the road,” makes good sense in lean times, says Josh Rowan, an engineer with the national firm PBS&J. The company has worked on two of Roswell’s downtown beautification projects.Part of traffic and transportation improvement, says Rowan, is managing consumer expectation. He said that when many of us visualize a traffic fix, we think of what the world might be like driving at 95 MPH at 1 a.m. with four other cars on the road. Not going to happen he said.“Sewers and water are things you can control locally,” Rowan said. “Manage what you can and don’t resurface just to resurface. There are plenty of secondary issues you can work on before you build a six-lane road.”Rowan said without repairing what lies beneath, three days later a pothole fix can be peeling and that’s taxpayer money wasted. He said adding to capacity might not be feasible in this economy, but if you can afford it there is a whole construction community starving right now.“There’s not a lot of political glory in maintenance,” Rowan said.But maintenance is necessary and Acenbrak concurs. “Roswell is a bedroom community that is two-thirds residential. We don’t plan to spend a lot of time and effort and money to go 95 through our town. We want to make a safe system and look for ways to improve connectivity,” he said.The Road Less TraveledTwo distinctly different transportation/infrastructure fixes that could pump much-needed cash into cities have emerged at the state level. One plan allows for regional transportation coalitions and taxing. The other option would allow the state to tax an additional one cent for transportation and provide those funds to local governments. One of those measures is backed by the State Senate, the other by the State House leadership with Gov. Sonny Perdue as the wildcard.The trio has a track record of infighting.Convoluting the debate is a power struggle over who gets to control MARTA (Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority), GRTA (Georgia Regional Transportation Authority), and how much money Georgia will receive from any federal programs as they become available.Perdue is reported to be developing a measure to realign Georgia’s transportation departments.Georgia Democrats have a dog in the fight, too. After all, they are ones with the Obama connection.“While it will take several significant steps to solve our transportation problem, the voter-approved local option sales tax concept has been successful in the past to provide meaningful funding to local regions and communities,” said Jaillene Hunter, communications director for Lt. Gov Casey Cagle.The Senate’s regional tax plan is expected to come up for debate early in the coming week.

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.