Fayettevillega biweekly 2018 06 12

City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report 240 South Glynn Street • Fayetteville, Georgia 30214 770-461-6029 • fayetteville-ga.gov

June 12, 2018

Police or Fire Emergency 911 Police Non-Emergency 770-461-4441 Fire Non-Emergency 770-461-4548 City Hall 770-461-6029 City Manager 770-719-4144 Water & Sewer 770-460-4237 Water & Sewer After-Hours 770-997-5189 Public Works 770-460-4230 Main Street Fayetteville 770-719-4173 Code Enforcement 770-719-4150 City Court 770-719-4277 Building Permits 770-719-4062 Burn Permits 770-719-4051 Job Line 770-719-4182 Public Information Officer 770-719-4147

City of Fayetteville personnel from the Fire, Police, and Public Services departments along with representatives from Waste Industries spent the morning of June 11 at Spring Hill Elementary School’s Fayette Vision Camp. Students have been learning about municipal planning and have been building “good communities”. Our first report was featured in the May 29 Bi-Weekly Report. A followup report will be published in the June 25 edition.

City Manager

Ray Gibson

Mayor

Ed Johnson Mayor Pro-Tem Council Member

Paul Oddo Council Members

Harlan Shirley

Kathaleen Brewer

Main Street Fayetteville receives 2018 accreditation from Main Street America Main Street Fayetteville has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservationbased economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

“We are thrilled to honor this year’s 829 nationally accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to preservation-based economic development and the revitalization of their commercial districts,” said Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center.

“The power of Main Street shines across the country through these vibrant communities, who have all worked to generate impressive economic returns, preserve community character, and celebrate local history.”

In 2017 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.48 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,211 net new businesses, generated 30,294 net new jobs,

catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,737 historic buildings, and clocked 2.7 million volunteer hours.

Main Street Fayetteville’s performance is annually evaluated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.

“Main Street Fayetteville is excited to receive their annual accreditation, as it sows the commitment of the board members, staff, and volunteers to preserving and enhancing the jewel that is Downtown Fayetteville,” said Downtown Development Director Brian Wismer. “An extraordinary amount of preparation and planning goes on behind the scenes of ever event and initiative that people enjoy in our downtown, and we’re pleased that the community responds so favorably.

“Business activity in Fayetteville’s historic district has been substantial as well, with over $5.5 million in public and private investment in building construction, rehabs and infrastructure reported in 2017,” Wismer said.

Our Vision

Fayetteville shall be a city of innovation and opportunity that fosters a vibrant and welcoming community for all.

Our Mission

To provide efficient and effective municipal services to the community through a culture of transparent leadership, excellence and teamwork.

Rich Hoffman

Scott Stacy

Our Values

The City employees, the City Council and all of our City-related boards will always function in a way that reflects well on the City and is in alignment with our vision and mission. The Core Values we will use to make decisions and guide our behavior are to: Be responsive; Act as one team; Act with integrity; be fully accountable.

Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

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Community engagement encourages drug-free choices for Fayette County teenagers

Drug Free Fayette is a joint program of Fayette FACTOR and AVPRIDE. These organizations recently presented the “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” campaign.

Can a community coalition help create a safer environment for young people, helping teens make drug free choices? Four employees of the City of Fayetteville think so. They joined forces with “Drug Free Fayette”, a community coalition made up of 33 community leaders, public servants and volunteers who help decrease alcohol and marijuana use, and prescription drug misuse, by Fayette County teenagers.

“Illicit drug use is a global problem, and Fayetteville is not immune,” said City Manager Ray Gibson. “The City of Fayetteville, especially through our Police Department, has always worked to curb the use of dangerous drugs. Partnering with Drug Free Fayette makes sense in furthering our mission to protect the health, safety and welfare of our residents.”

Joining Gibson on Drug Free Fayette is City Councilwoman Kathaleen Brewer, Police Detective Joshua Meade, and School Resource Officer Scott Israel. DFF is one of dozens of community coalitions in Georgia – and hundreds of coalitions across the United States – that believe that community people working together can help reduce teenage drugs and alcohol useage. DFF does this from a prevention standpoint, doing things like: • Creating awareness of the harms of drugs and alcohol on teenage brain development. DFF shares messages that the young brain isn’t fully developed until about 25 years old, and that drugs and alcohol can change and hamper brain development.

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• Helping teens (and their parents) think about the legal, academic, and financial consequences of drug use, such as when colleges won’t admit teens, or retract scholarships they had already provided, or when employers won’t hire due to negative drug screens.

• Supporting more and stronger conversations between parents and their teenagers about positive choices. Check out http://www.drugfreefayette.org/ conversations.html to read more.

• Creating youth-oriented drug free events and programs. These include AVPRIDE’s “FYLP” youth leadership program, Drug Free Fayette’s Youth Committee, logo design contests, and more.

• Changing policies and laws in Fayette County that support drug free environments. An example of this are the social host ordinances passed by Fayetteville, Fayette County and the other Fayette municipalities, which make it against the law for parents to host teenage drinking parties, whether or not the parent actually provided the alcohol.

“I personally enjoy interacting with other Drug Free Fayette members, because there’s a camaraderie in this effort to encourage drug-free lifestyles,” Gibson said. “It’s also helpful to gain insights from other sectors in the community.”

Drug Free Fayette is a joint program of two local nonprofits, Fayette FACTOR, and AVPRIDE. You can read more about DFF at www.DrugFreeFayette.org, or by visiting DFF’s Facebook page, or by sending an email to DrugFreeFayette@gmail.com.

Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

Fayetteville employs NextSite, LLC to help identify new businesses to fill old vacancies

Toys R Us made national news earlier this year when it announced it would close all of its stores. This building in the Fayette Pavilion shopping center on the north side of Fayetteville is now vacant.

The City of Fayetteville has contracted with NextSite, LLC based in Birmingham, Alabama to help identify and act on opportunities to attract key businesses to the city, which leaders hope will help fill in some of the existing storefront vacancies and reduce what is known as “retail leakage”.

A city planning term, “retail leakage” is when consumers leave a certain retail trade area to purchase goods and services. Within the scope of this new contract, NextSite will help Fayetteville identify and analyze retail recruitment opportunities.

NextSite will also help the city learn from similar communities locally and across the nation when

it comes to finding good matches between key retailers and the community. This community peer analysis will help Fayetteville to be proactive instead of strictly reactive in pursuing retailers that local residents would like to attract.

Developing marketing materials is a key part of the plan, and NextSite will work with Fayetteville to do that as well.

According to Interim Economic Development Director Brian Wismer, the first of NextSite’s initial reports should be completed in the next few weeks, and those analyses will be presented to the public.

See Southern Ground Amphitheater’s new upper deck at facebook.com/southerngroundamphitheater.

Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

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Holliday Dorsey Fife Museum intern pours experience into improving guest experience

Manager Thomas Lee and summer intern Sabrina Barlow at the Holliday Dorsey Fife Museum

Sabrina Barlow was 12 years old when she began volunteering at the Museum of New Jersey Maritime History in the small town of Beach Haven. As a teenager, she created and ran a children’s program for the non-profit, enhancing the guest experience.

Now, nearly a decade later, Barlow is at it again, this time here in Historic Downtown Fayetteville at the Holliday Dorsey Fife Museum. Through July, she is tasked with helping to improve guest experiences by revising the Docent Tour Guide, creating an Artifact Reference Guide for each room of the museum, helping revise existing displays, create new displays, and more.

Barlow, who is an upcoming senior at Hillsdale College in Michigan, is majoring in history and politics, so when her family moved to Fayette County two years ago, she purposed to get to know the story behind her new hometown. Last summer, she volunteered at the National Archives in Morrow, where she did archival work relating to The Manhattan Project. This year, she contacted Museum Manager Thomas Lee to inquire about volunteering, and that’s when she learned about the City of Fayetteville’s summer intern program and about the Page 5

museum’s need for the kind of work Barlow already has the passion and experience to do.

One of the first tasks set out for Barlow is to learn the stories already being told at the museum.

“It’s been interesting so far,” Barlow said. “I didn’t know what this museum was about, I just passed by it a lot, and I had heard about it.”

Lee said he was impressed with Barlow’s perspective on working with the museum from her first communication with him. “She said she wanted to learn more about her new community,” he said.

“She wasn’t just looking for a job.”

Barlow says she hopes to be back in town next summer as well, though she hasn’t made specific plans to that end just yet.

“I’m looking into grad schools right now,” Barlow said. “They will probably be in the Georgia area.

The Holliday Dorsey Fife Museum, located at 140 West Lanier Avenue just off the Courthouse Square in Downtown Fayetteville, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-5, and it is open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10-3. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors. Visit hdfhouse.com or call 770-716-5332 for more information.

Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

City meets with county residents on proposed Banks Road, Ellis Road project

Banks Road near the Ellis Road intersection

City of Fayetteville officials engaged with nearby residents of unincorporated Fayette County in May to listen to concerns relating to a proposed annexation and rezoning of 44 acres for a single family detached residential development that would have been built at the intersection of Banks and Ellis roads.

Presently, the land in question lies outside Fayetteville city limits and is zoned for low-density residential development. Developers were asking for the land to be annexed into the city and to have it rezoned R-THC to develop a single family detached home subdivision with approximately three to four houses per acre. A contiguous property fronting nearby Hwy. 85 was recently approved for a mixed-use development containing higher-density residential and commercial projects.

“The developer’s application was withdrawn after we showed the project to the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, which disapproved of it,” said Fayetteville Community Development Director Jahnee Prince. “We wanted to meet with the residents of the area to discuss the project in case the Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

developer wanted to bring the project forward again.”

During that specially-called meeting at Fayetteville City Hall, residents of the Banks Road corridor shared with city officials their concerns that the project being proposed would see 3.4 homes built per acre, whereas the next several properties along Banks Road each have only one home per three-plus acres.

Mayor Ed Johnson said he was happy to hear from residents, even though they are not City of Fayetteville citizens, recognizing that development within the city limits has an impact on non-city residents as well.

City Manager Ray Gibson said he wants the City and Fayette County government to get together on a comprehensive annexation plan to best serve all affected residents inside and outside the city limits.

“I think there is interest within both government entities to do something that will benefit everyone,” Gibson said.

Prince said the developer of the proposed Banks and Ellis roads project has not indicated if or when they would reintroduce a project on that property.

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City crews step up their game to maintain rights-ofway through a rainy spring season Public Works crew members tackle South Glynn Street (right) and Lee Street (below).

Keeping all 45 miles of Fayetteville’s right-of-way grass mowed and trimmed is a big job during any spring and summer, but when you add unusually high amounts of rainfall to the situation, the City’s Public Works 11-man crew (including its operations manager) has to double down to get the job done.

Fayetteville this spring has seen abundant rainfall, which translates to fast-growing grass and weeds. In both February and March, the area averaged almost six inches of rain, and nearly five for both April and May. These amounts are about an inch a month more than normal.

Public Works Operations Manager Jermaine Taylor says he and his team spend about 700 hours a month this time of year looking after the grass, maintaining the stormwater system, repairing roads, and setting up for and clearing away after Main Street Fayetteville events. That’s in addition to providing janitorial support and maintenance for all of the Page 7

City’s buildings and whatever else needs to be done.

“It takes everybody to get it all done,” Taylor said.

What would help a great deal, says Taylor, would be if locals would pitch in on keeping litter off the streets and rights-of-way.

“A lot of it is coming out of the garbage trucks, but some of it comes from people just throwing it out of their vehicles,” Taylor said. “It helps us out a lot when residents and business will keep their properties picked up.

“It helps when businesses take care of their own right-of-way, too,” Taylor said, adding that many Fayetteville businesses already do that, for which he is appreciative.

“We have a large area to maintain even when we have a full crew working that day,” Taylor said.

“About 75 percent of the work this time of year is just keeping the grass cut. The rest of the time, we’re doing something different every day.”

Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

Water Department Meter install

May 25 - June 8, 2018

Total Water Department Work Orders: 55

1

Other

6

Water leak

10

Water meter maintenance

38

Building Department

May 25 - June 8, 2018 Total Inspections: 161

Foundation only

1

Land disturbance

1

Fence

Land Disturbance: 1

Total permits: 36

Foundation only: 27

2

Plumbing: 28

Plumbing

4

Electrical: 35

Electrical

5

Mechanical: 17

Low voltage

5

Building: 53 8

Building Mechanical

10

Code Enforcement Disposal of garbage

1

Land/Bldg. prohibited use

1

Permit required

1

General maintenance

2

Parking on grass

2

Prohibited signs Complaint investigation

May 25 - June 8, 2018 Total Inspections: 178 Initial Inspections: 104

Code Enforcement Cases: 151

1st Re-inspections: 66 2nd Re-inspections: 5 Citations: 3

3

Verbal Warnings: 9

5

Trash containers

8

Working without permit

8

Grass cutting Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

120

Written Warnings: 84 Violation Notices: 7 Stop Work Orders: 2 Page 8

Code Enforcement is about more than keeping lawns low, but that’s a good start Terry Windley and Bob Stavenger, who make up the City of Fayetteville’s Code Enforcement team, stay busy this time of year checking on construction and remodeling projects around town, but there’s a lot more to their jobs that help protect the quality of life enjoyed by residents, workers and guests.

Windley says this is also a busy time of reminding residents to keep their lawns mowed. During the two weeks spanning May 11-24 alone, Windley and Stavenger documented dealings with 157 Code Enforcement cases in the city. Nearly 90 percent of those (137) were cases of lawns where grass and weeds exceeded a height of 12 inches.

Windley says most of the time residents respond quickly to notices, so citations and fines are few.

“People comply pretty easily,” Windley said.

“Residents are concerned about the image.” He noted that periods of excessive rain can cause lawns to grow more quickly than residents may anticipate, so he and Stavenger try to take that into consideration when doing the rounds.

As with other City departments, the goal of Code Enforcement is not to write citations and levy fines, but rather it is to ensure compliance. Looking at those same May 11-24 figures, about 42 percent of overall 210 inspections were new cases. The other 58 percent were re-inspections, including a total of 12 “Second Re-Inspections”. Only one citation was issued in that two-week period.

While the numbers may suggest keeping up appearances is of premier importance, Windley says protecting the public is actually the number-one goal.

He says a particular concern is unscrupulous contractors who may take advantage of unsuspecting residents. While he says there are many reliable contractors out there doing good home improvement work, he and Stavenger try to watch out for the other sort.

Windley reminds City of Fayetteville residents that they should always insist that contractors are applying for the correct permits from the City before beginning any work on their property. If they are not sure if permits are required, they should call the Fayetteville Building Department at 770-719-4063.

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Code Enforcement officers Terry Windley (left) and Bob Stavenger

As Building Official Greg Taliercio mentioned in the May 30 Bi-Weekly Report, the person doing the work is the person who should obtain the building permit, because they will be the one held accountable for the work being done properly to city and state standards. Residents should require the contractor to provide copies of the permits, and again, they can call the Fayetteville Building Department if they have any questions. All building permit information is public record.

Windley says to confirm all permits are in place before the work begins. “You may never catch up with the people doing the work once they’re gone,” he said.

Windley joined the City of Fayetteville as a code enforcement officer in late 2016 after working for the City of Riverdale for nearly two decades in the Public Works and Code Enforcement departments.

Stavenger, who retired from the Fayetteville Police Department, joined Windley part-time in 2017.

Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

Police Department Part 2 Offenses for May 2018

Part 1 Offenses for May 2018

Alcohol Violation

2

Burglary 1

Disorderly Conduct

2

Robbery

Juvenile Offense

2

Motor Vehicle Theft

Weapons Offense

2

Larcenies

Forgery/Counterfeit

5

Fraud

5

10

Vandalism

11

Other Assaults

14

Drug Violation

16

DUI

22

Traffic Offense

Fire Department

EVENT PARTICIPATION Spring Hill Elementary Cool-Off Fayette Vision Camp planning Church Street Community Meeting Metro Atlanta Firefighter Conference

Activity for May 24 - June 6 2018

FIRE PREVENTION ACTIVITIES: 60

TOTAL EMERGENCY INCIDENTS: 117 Vehicle fire

1

Investigate odor of smoke

1

Unauthorized burning

1

Station walk in

1

Assist resident Fire/smoke alarm activations Dispatched and cancelled EMS calls Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

36

8

City Bench Warrant

Motor vehicle accident

4

6

Family Violence

Gas leak

2

Pre-construction meeting

1 2 (w/ 706 individuals)

Fire safety events Pinewood Forest meeting Other meetings

2

4

Fire Marshal inspections

9

Code compliance inspections Code compliance re-inspections

11 31

3 8 10 11 14 67 Page 10

FFD learning the ropes

Fayetteville Fire Lieutenant Rick Swales, a nationally recognized ropes access technician, recently conducted mechanical advantage systems pre-planning exercises at Station #91 for lowlands evacuation. These techniques would be used in places like The Ridge Nature Area wetlands when conditions and terrain may make vehicle assistance difficult and dangerous.

Ropes would be used to help rescuers reach patients, and they would help transfer patients to awaiting vehicles.

Belle and the Prince to attend June 15 ‘Beauty and the Beast’ FREE Moovie Night The first FREE Moovie Night of the year featuring the 2017 film “Beauty and the Beast” is coming up Friday, June 15, and Main Street Fayetteville officials have announced that Belle and the Prince will make a special appearance that night at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Amphitheater in Historic Downtown Fayetteville.

Gates open at 7 p.m., and the movie will be projected on the big screen at sundown.

Sponsored by the Fayetteville Dwarf House, FREE Moovie Night events are highlighted by free Chickfil-A Kids Meals for attendees 12 and under. Other Chick-fil-A fare will be available for teens and adults to purchase.

Prior to the start of the film, Belle and the Prince as well as the Chick-fil-A Cows will be available for photographs.

As always, attendees are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets, food and drinks.

Contact the Main Street Fayetteville office at 770719-4173 for more information.

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Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

Friday, June 15 FREE Moovie Night: “Beauty and the Beast” (rated PG) at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Amphitheater, sponsored by Main Street Fayetteville and Fayetteville Dwarf House, gates open at 7, movie starts at sundown Saturday, June 16 Main Street Market (rescheduled from May 19) on the Old Fayette County Courthouse Lawn, 10-3, sponsored by Main Street Fayetteville Friday, June 22 Lunch on the Lawn, 11:30-1:30, on the Old Fayette County Courthouse Lawn, sponsored by Main Street Fayetteville Saturday, June 23 Coffee with a Cop, 8:30-10 a.m., Broadway Diner, 535 South Glynn Street, Fayetteville Saturday, June 30 Foghat in concert at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Amphitheater.

Box office opens at 6, gates open at 7, opening act starts at 8, Foghat performs at 9. SouthernGroundAmp.com Thursday, July 5 Trace Adkins at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Amphitheater. Box office opens at 6, gates open at 7, opening act starts at 8, Trace Adkins performs at 9. SouthernGroundAmp.com Saturday, July 14 The Robert Cray Band at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Amphitheater.

Box office opens at 6, gates open at 7, opening act starts at 8, The Robert Cray Band performs at 9. SouthernGroundAmp.com

Find more events: fayetteville-ga.gov facebook.com/fayettevillega.gov

Bi-Weekly Report - June 12, 2018

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