Bank of North Georgia Receives Best Place to Work Award

For the second year in a row the Bank of North Georgia remains a member of the Georgia Trend 2008 Honor Roll of the Best Places to work in Georgia.

Georgia Trend magazine selected 15 Georgia companies for its 2008 Honor Roll of the Best Places to Work, which are featured in its November 2008 issue.  The winning companies were selected by Georgia Trend’s editorial staff from a total of more than 400 employee submitted nominations.

Business Banking Relationship Manager, Matt Davis had this to say; “Some companies say they value their employees, but Bank of North Georgia walks the talk in showing that they really do care.  Our leadership team is very approachable and encourages personal development, community involvement, and work/life balance.  We are a company focused on serving others and the fact that this culture is embraced from the top down makes all the difference.”

This is a special award as it is the employees that get to choose the best place to work…they are the experts, and their opinion means a lot!  The Bank of North Georgia also won the award in 2007 and was the only repeat winner.

Ice Skating returns to Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta

Yesterday, November 16, 2008 Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta opened its ice skating rink for the holiday season.  The skating rink will be open daily until January 4, 2009.  The fee to skate is $7 for a 90 minute skate session and the ice skate rental fee is $2.

Hours are:
Monday – Thursday 430pm – 10:00pm
Friday 4:30pm – 11:00pm
Saturday 10:00am  – 11:00pm
Sunday 10:00am – 11:00pm

Thanksgiving Day 5:00pm-10pm

Below are some pictures captured by Laura Araya of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Centennial Olympic Park is located about 20 miles south of Roswell and is roughly a 30-45min drive. Visitors can find plenty parking spaces in nearby lots and garages.

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New Program Modifies Mortgages to Help Stabilize the Real Estate Market

On Tuesday of this week the Bush administration unveiled a new program that will modify mortgages to help stabilize the real estate market.

Eligibility of the new plan is determined by several factors:  Homeowners must be 90 days or more late in their mortgage payments, owe at least 90% of their home’s current value, live in the home on which the mortgage was taken and have not filed for bankruptcy.

Under the plan, homeowner’s mortgage payments would be adjusted through lower interest rates or longer repayment schedules…in some cases up to 40 years.  The goal of the plan is to bring payments to 38% of monthly household income.

Currently the plan only applies to loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie and Freddie, however officials are hoping that it will soon be adopted industrywide.

Of the 18 million loans owned by Fannie and Freddie only 1.7% of them are delinquent by 90 days or more, this works out to be about 300,000 mortgages that could be eligible.

There is a strong interest from banks and mortgage finance firms to halt foreclosures because of the chain reaction they produce.  The market already has more homes for sale than there are qualified buyers and thus more foreclosures will drive down home prices further which will in turn lead to more foreclosures.  If you are behind on your mortgage loan it is strongly urged that you contact your lender as most are willing to setup some sort of plan to help with your payments and keep you in your home.

Foreclosures Jump in October with 85,000 Homes Lost

Last month a total of 279,561 struggling borrowers received foreclosure filings, including default notices, notices of auction sales and bank repossessions.  A total of 84,868 homes were lost to foreclosure in October.  A total of 936,439 homes have been lost to foreclosure since the housing crisis hit in August 2007.

Many states have adopted legislation to combat foreclosures allowing homeowners a chance to modify their mortgages, however foreclosures are still up 25% from a year ago.

Fueling the increase in foreclosures is the struggling economy in which many companies are laying off employees, thus putting strain on these employees being able to pay their mortgages.

Home prices nationwide have been on a steep decline.  According to a Case-Shiller study, Phoenix has seen a one year decline of -30.7%.  The Atlanta metro area is quite fortunate, only seeing a -8.5% decline.

The metro Atlanta area has not been hit as hard as other parts of the country mainly due to the growth and economic development of the city and its surrounding metro areas.

How Roswell Residents Have Saved $26 Million in Tax Dollars

The city of Roswell is one of few cities that employs a Grants Manager.  Grants Managers find matches for the city that make good public policy by sifting through thousands of government grant programs.  The city of Roswell hired Danny Blitch in 2000 to become its first Grants Manager.  As a result, the city has procured $26 million in government grant money from various public and private sources.

In many cases the grants require that the cities match funds, however in most cases only 20 percent of the total is required.  Sometimes it is a 50-50 match, but regardless, the grants all go towards projects the city would spend money on any way.  By receiving the grants the city doesn’t need to put up as much money.  The end result is a savings to taxpayers.

The way Blitch describes it, he works with experts in the various city departments to see what their needs are. Then they develop proposals to send to state and federal agencies to suggest partnerships with the city.

“It is something of an art. You have to understand these grant programs are looking for projects that are innovative and creative. So to get the grant, that is what you have to be. Usually grants are for the types of things that are outside the usual modus operendi,” Blitch said.

Perhaps the most notable grants is the $6.5 million grant for Big Creek Park’s storm water demonstration project.

The idea there is to not only use the wetlands in the park to cleanse storm water runoff, but to build boardwalks through the wetlands and provide education and awareness about the environmental consequences of such runoff.

Some of Roswell’s grants include:  $10,000 to renovate Roswell’s Fire Station No. 2, Roswell Recycling Center, new sections of Riverwalk Park trails and mill restoration on Vickery Creek, mobile fire safety truck for student education, police Kevlar vests and thermal imaging cameras.

Grant Mangers are a relatively new concept, but it is a growing profession.  The American Association of Grant Professionals is a 1,700 member professional society and Roswell’s Grant Manager Danny Blitch is President.

Roswell History Walk

November 15, 2008
9:30 am	to	11:00 am

The Roswell Historical Society will host a Walk With History on Saturday, Nov. 15 that will transport you back in time to July 1864.

Characters in period costumes will escort participants to various sites within walking distance of the Roswell historic town square. Learn what happened to Roswell Mill workers during that Civil War period. Meet Roswell’s historic residents and Civil War era visitors.

The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Roswell historical town square. The cost is $5 per person.

Be sure to wear walking shoes. The history walk is ideal for school-aged children and adults.

For reservations and other information, contact the Roswell Historical Society at 770-992-1665.

The City of Roswell Receives Bicycle Friendly Community Designation

The League of American Bicyclists has awarded the City of Roswell with the Bicycle Friendly Community designation.

This is a very coveted award amongst cities nationwide.  Roswell is the only city in Georgia to hold the designation and one of only 63 cities across the United States.

Mayor Jere Wood said he is thrilled the City has earned the designation. “Bicyclists are always welcome on our City streets, on our bicycle trails, and in our parks. We celebrate the sport every year with the Nalley Historic Roswell Bicycle Criterium, my own ride the morning of the Criterium, and my annual Ride to the Capitol in support of Bicyling across Georgia. There is no better place for a cyclist to live in metro Atlanta than Roswell and this designation shows that.”

Andy Clarke, the chief executive director of the League of American Bicyclists, said Roswell has shown a tremendous commitment to improving conditions for bicyclists. “They are making the streets safer for bicyling, educating bicylists and motorists to share the road and promoting a wide range of bicyling activities.”

The Bicycle Friendly Community Award was initiated in 2003 and has recieved applications from more than 150 communities. Applicants must complete a detailed application with numerous questions in five key areas: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation/planning.

Roswell residents can enjoy cycling on streets with designated bike lanes, bicycle trails and within the city’s numerous parks.

The Big Creek Greenway is a favorite network of trails enjoyed by Roswell cyclists.  There are lots of unpaved walking and mountain bike trails within the park, however most of the greenway are paved trails.  The Greenway is part of the City of Roswell’s Wetlands Demonstration Project and consists of just over 2 miles of concrete sidewalk and boardwalks.  The trail connects in the north to the City of Alpharetta’s Greenway trail.

Have fun, be safe, and remember – keep the rubber side down!

The City of Roswell is Helping You Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays

Spring is the season to clean, right?  Well, if you didn’t have a chance to clean this past spring, why not clean out this fall?  The City of Roswell and Keep Roswell Beautiful have numerous events to help you get your house clean and decluttered before the holiday season begins.

In addition to the elections today, Roswell residents are invited to participate in the Electronics Recycling event at Harry’s Farmers Market, 1180 Upper Hembree Road, from noon until 5pm.  The event is sponsored by Harry’s Farmers Market, Keep Roswell Beautiful, Roswell Recycling Center and Atlanta Recycling Solutions.

Items accepted at no charge include:  computer monitors, microwave ovens, computer CPU’s stereos, laptops, copiers, toaster ovens, printers, video machines, disk drives, VCR’s, floppy drives, camcorders, modems, telephones, test and networking equipment, cameras, CB radios, mouse, record players, CD players, circuit boards, portable radios, typewriters, UPS, battery back-up, CD Roms, fax machines, cell phones, cables, projectors, keyboards, 8 tracks (reel to reel tapes), and scanners.  Televisions are accepted with a $10.00 fee.

Items NOT accepted:  console/projection TV’s, refrigerators, washers, dryers, ovens, freezers, humidifiers, de-humidifiers, power equipment, tires, household trash, non-electric equipment and vacuum cleaners.

Saturday, November 15th is America Recycles Day and the Roswell Recycling Center, located at 11570 Maxwell Road, will be holding, “ShredFest” beginning at 8am.   This is residents chance to safely dispose of sensitive documents like old tax returns and other documents with personal information on them.  There is a limit of five boxes or 200 pounds per vehicle.  The event will last until the truck is full, so arrive early!

For more information about these two events, contact the Environmental/Public Works Department at 770.641.3715.

ShredFest

November 15, 2008

“ShredFest” will be held on Saturday, November 15 (which happens to be America Recycles Day!) at the Roswell Recycling Center, 11570 Maxwell Road, beginning at 8 a.m. The event is over when the truck is full, so come early to safely dispose of sensitive documents like old tax returns and documents with personal information on them. A limit of five boxes or 200 pounds per vehicle.

Electronics Recycling Event

November 4, 2008
12:00 am	to	5:00 pm

Electronics Recycling event at Harry’s Farmers Market, 1180 Upper Hembree Road, from noon until 5 p.m.

The event is sponsored by Harry’s Farmers Market, Keep Roswell Beautiful, Roswell Recycling Center and Atlanta Recycling Solutions.

Items accepted at no charge include: computer monitors, microwave ovens, computer CPU’s, stereos, laptops, copiers, toaster ovens, printers, video machines, disk drives, VCR’s, floppy drives, camcorders, modems, telephones, test and networking equipment, cameras, CB radios, mouse, record players, CD players, circuit boards, portable radios, typewriters, UPS, battery back-up, CD Roms, fax machines, cell phones, cables, projectors, keyboards, 8 tracks (reel to reel tapes) and scanners. Televisions are accepted with a $10.00 fee.

Items NOT accepted: console/projection TV’s, refrigerators, washers, dryers, ovens, freezers, humidifiers, de-humidifiers, power equipment, tires, household trash, non-electric equipment and vacuum cleaners.