Dear Stakeholder:
The City of Atlanta is on the MOVE!!!!!
With all of the recent talk and media coverage about the challenges American cities are facing, I thought it was important to highlight just a few recent Atlanta success stories so that we do not lose sight of recent significant achievements.
On Monday, the Atlanta City Council voted to support the BeltLine Project by authorizing Tax Allocation Bonds in excess of $100 million with the overwhelming support of the community-based BeltLine Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee.
With over $270 million in projects underway, this project has built momentum, remains financially viable and continues to bring important benefits city-wide without requiring tax increases. For more details on the Atlanta BeltLine Project visit www.beltline.org.
Council members also voted to put $85 million in bond money toward the Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) and other improvements in the Westside Tax Allocation District. Nearly half of the bond issue-$40 million-is designated for the CCHR project. The Westside Tax Allocation District will feature a new hotel, office and retail space and 1,600 units of housing. For an exciting overview of the Center for Civil and Human Rights visit www.civilandhumanrights.org.
Last week in Denver, the Atlanta Fire-Rescue Department earned its accreditation from The Commission on Fire Accreditation at their international annual meeting. The Atlanta Fire-Rescue Department was awarded a five-year Accredited Agency status based on 244 performance indicators as well as 77 core competencies. Of the 30,000 fire departments in the United States, only about 113 are accredited. Atlanta Fire-Rescue is the 54th municipal fire and rescue department in the world to earn this designation. Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran stated, “It is an honor for Atlanta Fire-Rescue to accept the accredited status awarded by our peers”.
Earlier in the year, the Atlanta Police Department received national accreditation for the second time since 2003. Both the Atlanta Fire-Rescue Department and the Atlanta Police Department are modeling their performance, operations and policy on the highest and best national standards.
Our Clean Water Atlanta program has met operational targets and with City Council approval has engaged the firm Montgomery Watson as a program management consultant for the City's wastewater and sanitary sewer federal Consent Decree program. Atlanta has gained praise for meeting the consent decree timetable and schedule. Earlier this year, Judge Thrash had this to say about Atlanta’s progress on water and sewer, "The work's been done; it's been done on time, and it really is a remarkable accomplishment."
As our young people return to school, the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs’ Camp Best Friends should be noted for serving over 3,100 campers in 21 programs at 19 camp sites. The Atlanta Workforce Development Agency in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and dozens of business and agency partners provided jobs, internships and career training for 726 high school students. Over 400 members of the 2008 Atlanta Public School (APS) graduating senior class collectively earned $800,000 at 131 worksites across the city. Additionally, the Mayor’s Youth Program has served as a bridge from high school to post secondary education and the workforce assisting over 3,000 Atlanta youth since the spring of 2005. Nearly 700 of the APS Class of 2008 have sought counseling, technical assistance, training and financial assistance for the upcoming academic year.
As Mayor, I want to thank each of you for your contributions to making the City of Atlanta a better city for all of us.
For additional information on any of the programs in this letter, please visit www.atlantaga.gov.
Sincerely,
Shirley Franklin
Mayor, City of Atlanta