By DOUG NURSE / http://www.ajc.com/
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
A Superior Court judge is considering whether to order Fulton County or the new cities in north Fulton to let sign companies set up about 70 billboards in the area. County officials and city leaders are asking the judge to toss out the sign companies’ lawsuits.Judge Melvin Westmoreland is reviewing motions for summary judgment and responses. A hearing date has not been scheduled.It’s a heated issue in the new cities, whose self-images do not include a horizon full of billboards.
For the billboard companies, a victory could mean millions of dollars.The billboard companies have asked for 31 billboards in Johns Creek, 15 in Milton, 23 in Sandy Springs, three in Alpharetta and three in south Fulton. Johns Creek currently has one billboard, Milton none.Several billboard companies filed for permits from Fulton County while the communities of Sandy Springs, Milton and Johns Creek were still unincorporated. Fulton County said no, but then the state Supreme Court threw out the county’s sign ordinance as unconstitutional.The billboard companies filed suit against the county, saying the denials were based on bad law and they should get their permits. If the companies couldn’t get the permits, they wanted the county to pay them about $6 million to cover their lost revenue.
In the meantime, Sandy Springs residents voted to become a city, starting Dec. 1, 2005. The northeast part of the county became the city of Johns Creek and the far northern area became the city of Milton on Dec. 1, 2006.In December, Fulton County negotiated a settlement in which the commissioners agreed to issue backdated permits. City officials hit the roof. Fearing a glut of billboards, city officials asked to become a part of the court case.In their motion for a summary judgment, filed in August, the cities say Fulton County’s proposed settlement was out of bounds because it can’t issue permits for other jurisdictions.
They also maintain there are other provisions of county law that cover the denial.The billboard companies’ motion argues that the county ordinance was invalid and they should get their signs.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
New Fire department Takes Reins in GA. County
By Doug Nurse / www.ajc.com
On Tuesday, the new Johns Creek Fire Department takes over from Fulton County firefighters the protection of 65,000 residents and businesses.
It's a process almost two years in the making, with launch dates pushed back time and again as organizers worked through funding needs, staffing requirements, equipment availability, and contractual obligations with Fulton County.
The latter has provided fire coverage for the city until the municipal Fire Department was ready.
The Johns Creek department plans to do things a little differently from Fulton County. Instead of responding to emergency calls with just pumper trucks, it may send rescue vehicles and pumpers, depending on the severity of the situation. Staffing will be increased for safety and effectiveness, and most of the time, paramedics will ride on each vehicle.
Employee experience ranges from two to 28 years of service. There will be 24 paramedics and 12 Georgia Search and Rescue firefighters, including three instructors.
"I was very happy with that," said Chief Joey Daniels, a former Fulton County battalion chief who served north Fulton. "We bring a lot to the table. We have a lot of experience and skills, including firefighting, medical care and technical rescue. That's good for us."
The department will have newer and more equipment. Each vehicle will have advanced life-support equipment that provides the highest level of pre-hospital emergency care. Each vehicle also has sophisticated heart monitors that can send EKG readings to the hospital so the doctor knows what to expect.
The rescue vehicles will carry special equipment for respiratory emergencies.
On Tuesday, the new Johns Creek Fire Department takes over from Fulton County firefighters the protection of 65,000 residents and businesses.
It's a process almost two years in the making, with launch dates pushed back time and again as organizers worked through funding needs, staffing requirements, equipment availability, and contractual obligations with Fulton County.
The latter has provided fire coverage for the city until the municipal Fire Department was ready.
The Johns Creek department plans to do things a little differently from Fulton County. Instead of responding to emergency calls with just pumper trucks, it may send rescue vehicles and pumpers, depending on the severity of the situation. Staffing will be increased for safety and effectiveness, and most of the time, paramedics will ride on each vehicle.
Employee experience ranges from two to 28 years of service. There will be 24 paramedics and 12 Georgia Search and Rescue firefighters, including three instructors.
"I was very happy with that," said Chief Joey Daniels, a former Fulton County battalion chief who served north Fulton. "We bring a lot to the table. We have a lot of experience and skills, including firefighting, medical care and technical rescue. That's good for us."
The department will have newer and more equipment. Each vehicle will have advanced life-support equipment that provides the highest level of pre-hospital emergency care. Each vehicle also has sophisticated heart monitors that can send EKG readings to the hospital so the doctor knows what to expect.
The rescue vehicles will carry special equipment for respiratory emergencies.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Love Shack Closes In Johns Creek, But Suits Continue
Owner says he was losing $40,000 a month because city wouldn’t let him put up a sign
By DOUG NURSE / www.ajc.com
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Adult video store owner John Cornetta has closed the Love Shack in Johns Creek, but he has vowed to seek $1.7 million in damages from the city. “I couldn’t take the losses any more,” Cornetta said. “I’m still opening new stores in other states, and I still have pending court cases that I’m going to win.”
He said he was losing about $40,000 a month.
The store, located at States Bridge and Jones Bridge roads in the heart of the city, has been the object of scorn and dismay by many residents, and city efforts to regulate the store have generated piles of litigation.
Cornetta blamed the city’s unwillingness to give him a sign for running him out of business. The city has said it won’t give a sign permit or a business license for an adult business in an area not zoned for that.
The Love Shack opened just a couple of days before the city was born Dec. 1, 2006, which Cornetta argued meant he existed before the city and it couldn’t regulate him. After losing in Fulton Superior Court, Cornetta cleaned out all but a few of his adult items to become a non-adult store.
Cornetta said the city gave signs to other businesses that didn’t have business licenses.
“If the judge finds that they illegally caused a business to fail, they’re facing huge fines,” he said.
Cornetta and the city have cases pending in federal and state appeals courts.
By DOUG NURSE / www.ajc.com
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Adult video store owner John Cornetta has closed the Love Shack in Johns Creek, but he has vowed to seek $1.7 million in damages from the city. “I couldn’t take the losses any more,” Cornetta said. “I’m still opening new stores in other states, and I still have pending court cases that I’m going to win.”
He said he was losing about $40,000 a month.
The store, located at States Bridge and Jones Bridge roads in the heart of the city, has been the object of scorn and dismay by many residents, and city efforts to regulate the store have generated piles of litigation.
Cornetta blamed the city’s unwillingness to give him a sign for running him out of business. The city has said it won’t give a sign permit or a business license for an adult business in an area not zoned for that.
The Love Shack opened just a couple of days before the city was born Dec. 1, 2006, which Cornetta argued meant he existed before the city and it couldn’t regulate him. After losing in Fulton Superior Court, Cornetta cleaned out all but a few of his adult items to become a non-adult store.
Cornetta said the city gave signs to other businesses that didn’t have business licenses.
“If the judge finds that they illegally caused a business to fail, they’re facing huge fines,” he said.
Cornetta and the city have cases pending in federal and state appeals courts.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Johns Creek Police To Use Pedal Power
By DOUG NURSE / www.ajc.com
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Johns Creek police are going old school. The department is planning to use two officers mounted on bicycles to patrol parks, shopping centers and various neighborhoods.
The program, called Police and Community Together or PACT, heightens the profile of the department and makes the police – and the city – more accessible to residents and business owners, said police spokeswoman Rosemary Taylor. That builds trust, she said.
Bikes give police more mobility in some circumstances by allowing them to go places cars can’t go, such as park trails, she said.
The pedaling police should be on the road sometimes this fall.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Johns Creek police are going old school. The department is planning to use two officers mounted on bicycles to patrol parks, shopping centers and various neighborhoods.
The program, called Police and Community Together or PACT, heightens the profile of the department and makes the police – and the city – more accessible to residents and business owners, said police spokeswoman Rosemary Taylor. That builds trust, she said.
Bikes give police more mobility in some circumstances by allowing them to go places cars can’t go, such as park trails, she said.
The pedaling police should be on the road sometimes this fall.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Creek Indian Descendant Building Authentic Hunting Lodge
By DOUG NURSE / http://www.ajc.com/ Sunday, August 24, 2008In a couple of weeks, visitors to Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center in Johns Creek will be able to walk down a trail and back into time. About 50 yards down a path into the woods, a Creek Indian hunting lodge is being built by a man of Creek descent using mostly authentic techniques.
“We want it to be like someone just stumbled on it 200 years ago,” said Cheryl Bowlin, an Autrey Mill board member. “We want Autrey Mill to be a ribbon of time, and this is another part of the ribbon.”
The lodge is being constructed by Tom Blue Wolf, also called Tom Goodman. Blue Wolf, 62, grew up on the Poarch Creek Reservation near Atmore, Ala. He said his grandfather named him Blue Wolf. He said he learned how to build lodges from the old men on the reservation. He said he received the blessing of Creek and Cherokee elders before building the lodge at Autrey Mill.
Autrey Mill, about 46 acres, features several buildings from the early 1900s and trails through native forest. The lodge originally was planned to be built near water, but endangered lady-slipper orchids were growing in abundance on the proposed site.
Blue Wolf said there is no set way to construct a hunting lodge, which would have temporarily housed several men in a hunting party. “I was going to use cedar, but we couldn’t find it, so we went to poplar bark,” he said.
Blue Wolf, who has built similar lodges at Georgia botanical gardens and universities in Europe, said he envisions the lodge as a place visitors can learn about natural ways of living.
Creek and Cherokee Indian hunters would range for weeks, collecting barks and herbs for medicine and killing game and preserving meat to bring back to their village, Blue Wolf said.
When finished, the structure will be about 10 feet wide, 12 feet long and 8 feet high. The face of the lodge will be open.
He and his four helpers are using native materials, and occasionally non-native tools, such as power drills or a Japanese handsaw. Blue Wolf said doing it authentically with a small set of people would take a long time. He said he’s compromising with some material, such as modern-day screws, because otherwise the lodge would soon fall into disrepair without his being there to maintain it.
Blue Wolf said he also plans to build a kiln so Autrey Mill volunteers can demonstrate how the Creeks used to smoke meat to preserve it. “We want people to get a sense of what a day in their life would’ve been like,” Blue Wolf said. “We wanted to do something educationally that was visually stimulating.”
The lodge has two rows of four posts with each row topped by a long log. The sides will be made of river cane weave filled in with clay, sand and straw. The roof will be shingled with poplar bark.
On the other side of the path will be a tepee reminiscent of those of the Great Plains Indian tribes. Bowlin said that even though the Creek and Cherokee didn’t live in tepees, mill officials included the tepee to show a contrast between the various ways of Indian life.
The tepee, 24 feet in diameter, will be made of canvas instead of buffalo, but it will get the idea across, Blue Wolf said. People will be able to rent out the tepee for birthday parties to raise money for the mill, Bowlin said. “Some children have no idea there was anything before the subdivisions,” Bowlin said. “We’re hoping we can give them an ‘Aha!’ moment.”
Friday, August 22, 2008
900 Households Can't use "Johns Creek" in Address
City officials want to take up issue in Washington, D.C.
By DOUG NURSE / www.ajc.com
Friday, August 22, 2008
Johns Creek officials met with representatives from the U.S. Post Office this week to explore ways for 900 households to be able to give Johns Creek as their address instead of Suwanee and Roswell. City leaders were shot down at every turn.
The city is served by five ZIP codes based in other municipalities. Most the 65,000 residents and businesses can use Johns Creek as long as the street address and ZIP code are correct.
The city would like for everyone within its boundaries to be able to proudly give Johns Creek as their home address.
The council raised these questions:
Could Johns Creek have its own ZIP code and post office? No, says the Post Office. It’s expensive, and reconfiguring routes doesn’t make business sense.
Could these Johns Creek residents be switched to a ZIP code that can use Johns Creek? Nope, says the mail service. Again, reconfiguring routes and re-mapping of areas would be problematic.
City officials say they’re not giving up. They’re going to try to meet with postal officials in Washington D.C.
By DOUG NURSE / www.ajc.com
Friday, August 22, 2008
Johns Creek officials met with representatives from the U.S. Post Office this week to explore ways for 900 households to be able to give Johns Creek as their address instead of Suwanee and Roswell. City leaders were shot down at every turn.
The city is served by five ZIP codes based in other municipalities. Most the 65,000 residents and businesses can use Johns Creek as long as the street address and ZIP code are correct.
The city would like for everyone within its boundaries to be able to proudly give Johns Creek as their home address.
The council raised these questions:
Could Johns Creek have its own ZIP code and post office? No, says the Post Office. It’s expensive, and reconfiguring routes doesn’t make business sense.
Could these Johns Creek residents be switched to a ZIP code that can use Johns Creek? Nope, says the mail service. Again, reconfiguring routes and re-mapping of areas would be problematic.
City officials say they’re not giving up. They’re going to try to meet with postal officials in Washington D.C.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Johns Creek Delays Launch of Fire Department
By DOUG NURSE / www.ajc.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Johns Creek firetrucks won’t roll out this month as hoped. Instead, the target date has been pushed back to Oct. 7. As late as June, city officials weren’t sure whether vehicles and equipment would arrive by the original August date for starting city fire service.
By the time the arrival dates for equipment were nailed down, any date in August would have been less than the 90 days notice the city has to give Fulton County Fire Department that the city would take over fire safety, said Public Safety spokeswoman Rosemary Taylor.
Fulton County is providing fire protection until the city launches its own fire department.
Fulton County stuck to the 90-day notice requirement, which meant the city had to push back the start date for Johns Creek Fire Department, she said.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Johns Creek firetrucks won’t roll out this month as hoped. Instead, the target date has been pushed back to Oct. 7. As late as June, city officials weren’t sure whether vehicles and equipment would arrive by the original August date for starting city fire service.
By the time the arrival dates for equipment were nailed down, any date in August would have been less than the 90 days notice the city has to give Fulton County Fire Department that the city would take over fire safety, said Public Safety spokeswoman Rosemary Taylor.
Fulton County is providing fire protection until the city launches its own fire department.
Fulton County stuck to the 90-day notice requirement, which meant the city had to push back the start date for Johns Creek Fire Department, she said.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Fired 911 Dispatcher To Appeal Dismissal
(WSB Radio) She's accused of botching a 911 call that led to a woman's death. Now, Gina Conteh wants her job back.
Conteh's attorney confirms he has filed an appeal of her dismissal, in the wake of the mistake that contributed to the death of a Johns Creek woman. Darlene Dukes called the Fulton County 911 center on August 2, complaining of breathing problems. She told Conteh, who was working as a dispatcher, that she lived on Wales Street. But Conteh sent EMT's to Wells Street, in Atlanta, instead.
It took almost 30 minutes for police to get to Dukes' home. But Conteh had not dispatched an ambulance, and it took another 30 minutes for EMT's to arrive. By that time the mother of two had died. Conteh was fired after 12 years at the 911 center on August 6.
Conteh's attorney, Rory Starkey, says his client has filed a formal notice of appeal, challenging the decision to fire her. This week, Conteh's employment history came to light, showing repeated transgressions in the past.
Twice before supervisors had tried to fire her, and both times failed when Conteh appealed.
She has been suspended at least seven times, for insubordination, fighting with co-workers, showing up late for work, and falling asleep on the job.
In one incident, supervisors say Conteh fell asleep at her desk and fell out of her chair. But she claimed she was leaning over to pick up some paper when she tumbled out of her chair, scraping her ear. She filed a worker's compensation claim for her injury. Supervisors say they never believed her story.
Under county rules, Conteh is entitled to an appeal of her termination. No date for a hearing has been set.
Conteh's attorney confirms he has filed an appeal of her dismissal, in the wake of the mistake that contributed to the death of a Johns Creek woman. Darlene Dukes called the Fulton County 911 center on August 2, complaining of breathing problems. She told Conteh, who was working as a dispatcher, that she lived on Wales Street. But Conteh sent EMT's to Wells Street, in Atlanta, instead.
It took almost 30 minutes for police to get to Dukes' home. But Conteh had not dispatched an ambulance, and it took another 30 minutes for EMT's to arrive. By that time the mother of two had died. Conteh was fired after 12 years at the 911 center on August 6.
Conteh's attorney, Rory Starkey, says his client has filed a formal notice of appeal, challenging the decision to fire her. This week, Conteh's employment history came to light, showing repeated transgressions in the past.
Twice before supervisors had tried to fire her, and both times failed when Conteh appealed.
She has been suspended at least seven times, for insubordination, fighting with co-workers, showing up late for work, and falling asleep on the job.
In one incident, supervisors say Conteh fell asleep at her desk and fell out of her chair. But she claimed she was leaning over to pick up some paper when she tumbled out of her chair, scraping her ear. She filed a worker's compensation claim for her injury. Supervisors say they never believed her story.
Under county rules, Conteh is entitled to an appeal of her termination. No date for a hearing has been set.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Fulton 911 Center Falsely Claimed Accreditation
Publicbroadcasting.net / Odette Yousef ATLANTA, GA (2008-08-14)
Contrary to claims made on its website and by its former director, Fulton County's 911 Center is not accredited. The center has come under scrutiny after a 911 operator mishandled a call earlier this month, resulting in the death of a woman in Johns Creek.WABE's Odette Yousef reports.
Emergency response experts in the community say they've long known that County officials were falsely claiming accreditation. As recently as last week, the 911 center's webpage touted that it was, quote, Nationally Accredited 1st in Georgia, 28th in the world! But Fulton County's Emergency Communications Center hasn't been accredited since 2002.Carlynn Page is with the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch, which accredits roughly eighty 911 Centers in the world. She said accreditation is voluntary, but it ensures quality. If you call 911 where they're using a standardized protocol, you're going to get the same consistent, high level of care. Whereas if you call some agency that's not doing quality assurance or not using protocol correctly, it's just kind of hit and miss.
You don't know if you're going to get that same standard of care.The idea is to ensure that call-takers properly identify the nature of a medical emergency, dispatch the right resources in response, and give sound medical advice to callers.Accredited agencies have to pay a fee of $2 to 3 thousand dollars.Page does not know why Fulton County decided not to renew its accreditation, but said many agencies fail to renew:PAGE: It's usually due to a change in personnel, or someone that doesn't value that process as much.But one emergency dispatch expert in Atlanta said, if the county didn't value accreditation, why did it continue propagating the notion that the center was accredited long after it wasn't? Fulton County failed to respond to WABE's questions by airtime.
Contrary to claims made on its website and by its former director, Fulton County's 911 Center is not accredited. The center has come under scrutiny after a 911 operator mishandled a call earlier this month, resulting in the death of a woman in Johns Creek.WABE's Odette Yousef reports.
Emergency response experts in the community say they've long known that County officials were falsely claiming accreditation. As recently as last week, the 911 center's webpage touted that it was, quote, Nationally Accredited 1st in Georgia, 28th in the world! But Fulton County's Emergency Communications Center hasn't been accredited since 2002.Carlynn Page is with the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch, which accredits roughly eighty 911 Centers in the world. She said accreditation is voluntary, but it ensures quality. If you call 911 where they're using a standardized protocol, you're going to get the same consistent, high level of care. Whereas if you call some agency that's not doing quality assurance or not using protocol correctly, it's just kind of hit and miss.
You don't know if you're going to get that same standard of care.The idea is to ensure that call-takers properly identify the nature of a medical emergency, dispatch the right resources in response, and give sound medical advice to callers.Accredited agencies have to pay a fee of $2 to 3 thousand dollars.Page does not know why Fulton County decided not to renew its accreditation, but said many agencies fail to renew:PAGE: It's usually due to a change in personnel, or someone that doesn't value that process as much.But one emergency dispatch expert in Atlanta said, if the county didn't value accreditation, why did it continue propagating the notion that the center was accredited long after it wasn't? Fulton County failed to respond to WABE's questions by airtime.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Personnel File Shows 911 Operator Slept On Job
Courtesy Cbs46.com
POSTED: 6:19 am EDT August 13, 2008
UPDATED: 8:23 am EDT August 13, 2008
ATLANTA -- A CBS 46 News review of the personnel file of 911 operator Gina Conteh's file found that she was on the verge of being fired before she made a mistake that led to a woman's death.
Last week, Conteh misheard the name of the street given by Darlene Dukes, who called 911 after experiencing some breathing problems. Conteh sent paramedics to the wrong address. Crews did not get to Dukes' apartment in Johns Creek until an hour had passed. CBS 46 learned Tuesday that this incident was not the first time Conteh had been disciplined for delays in dispacthing an ambulance.
A letter from her former boss, Rocky Moore, showed plans to fire Conteh in 2004, but she was only suspended for five days after being cited multiple times for falling asleep on the job, failing to respond to units and having an unsatisfactory work quality.
On one call, the file revealed, Conteh's response led to a 22-minute delay in response.
As recently as April, Conteh was cited for displaying "major difficulties navigating through the system."
And in 2003, Contech was written up for being "habitually in violation of county and departmental policies". The letter went on to say that Conteh "requires frequent supervision to perform routine tasks."
Perhaps the most startling allegations found by the CBS 46 review was the numerous times Conteh fell asleep on the job. In one incident, the file indicated, Conteh hurt herself when she fell from the chair after falling asleep. The records indicated other employees fell asleep as well.
The documents also show cases where Conteh failed to respond to multiple requests for an ambulance, failed to dispatch the closest unit, and failed to be attentive to details.
Records showed that on one date, Conteh was cited for failing to failing to properly respond six times in one night. According to the file, on that date, Conteh gave the wrong address twice, and for responding as if she was awakened from her sleep on two occasions.
POSTED: 6:19 am EDT August 13, 2008
UPDATED: 8:23 am EDT August 13, 2008
ATLANTA -- A CBS 46 News review of the personnel file of 911 operator Gina Conteh's file found that she was on the verge of being fired before she made a mistake that led to a woman's death.
Last week, Conteh misheard the name of the street given by Darlene Dukes, who called 911 after experiencing some breathing problems. Conteh sent paramedics to the wrong address. Crews did not get to Dukes' apartment in Johns Creek until an hour had passed. CBS 46 learned Tuesday that this incident was not the first time Conteh had been disciplined for delays in dispacthing an ambulance.
A letter from her former boss, Rocky Moore, showed plans to fire Conteh in 2004, but she was only suspended for five days after being cited multiple times for falling asleep on the job, failing to respond to units and having an unsatisfactory work quality.
On one call, the file revealed, Conteh's response led to a 22-minute delay in response.
As recently as April, Conteh was cited for displaying "major difficulties navigating through the system."
And in 2003, Contech was written up for being "habitually in violation of county and departmental policies". The letter went on to say that Conteh "requires frequent supervision to perform routine tasks."
Perhaps the most startling allegations found by the CBS 46 review was the numerous times Conteh fell asleep on the job. In one incident, the file indicated, Conteh hurt herself when she fell from the chair after falling asleep. The records indicated other employees fell asleep as well.
The documents also show cases where Conteh failed to respond to multiple requests for an ambulance, failed to dispatch the closest unit, and failed to be attentive to details.
Records showed that on one date, Conteh was cited for failing to failing to properly respond six times in one night. According to the file, on that date, Conteh gave the wrong address twice, and for responding as if she was awakened from her sleep on two occasions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
