Dunwoody City Council takes up signs & parks master plan on Monday July 10th.

Monday, July 10th
Dunwoody City Hall
41 Perimeter Center East

Dunwoody, GA 30346
6:00 p.m. - Watch Live

Agenda

Proclamation - Parks and Recreation Month.

AT&T in Dunwoody Update. (Fatimot Ladipo, Regional Director, External Affairs, AT&T
Georgia)

FIRST READ: Ordinance Amendment to Chapter 20 - Signs

Approval of Project Agreement with Georgia DOT for Georgetown Gateway Project.

Funding Approval for Stormwater Repairs at 2542 Bentbrook Drive.

Funding Approval for Stormwater Repairs at 2222 Dartford Drive.

Resolution to Appoint Member to Serve on the Alcohol License Review Board.

Approval of RFQ 17-03 Standby Skilled Trade Contractors.

Contract Award for the Donaldson Bannister Farm Site Improvements.

FIRST READ: Temporary Construction Easement Agreement for Taylor Morrison.

Approval of Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Discussion Brook Run Park Baseball Fields Construction.

Dunwoody City Council Meeting Agenda for Mon October 24

Monday, October 24, 2016
Dunwoody City Hall
41 Perimeter Center East
Dunwoody, GA 30346
Watch Live at 6:00 p.m.

6 pm Agenda

Caffeine and Octane "Dunwoody Day".

Update on AT&T Gigapower Fiber Internet Service by AT&T Regional Director- External Affairs Ms. Delores Crowell
FIRST READ: Ordinance to Adopt IGA for Purchase, Sale and Exchange of Real Estate

Resolution Adopting the 2017 Annual Operating and Capital Budgets.

Approval of Amendment of City Position Allocation and Compensation Chart.

Resolution Authorizing a Merit Increase for the City Clerk, Ms. Sharon Lowery.

Resolution Second Amendment to the City Manager, Eric Linton's Employment Contract.

SECOND READ: Ordinance Authorizing the Granting of an Easement to Atlanta Office Investment for a Crane Swing Easement.

SECOND READ: Ordinance Authorizing the Granting of a Temporary Easement to AtlantaOffice Investment, LLC for Underground Construction.

Award of a Construction Contract for a New Traffic Signal on Meadow Lane Road - Walmart.

Funding Authorization for Redfield Pedestrian Improvements.

Convention and Visitors Bureau of Dunwoody Proposed 2017 Budget.

FIRST READ: Ordinance to Amend Purchasing Policy.

Fiber Internet to the home has arrived in Dunwoody as AT&T Uverse with #Gigapower is now being installed.

 

 https://www.att.com/shop/u-verse/gigapower.html

AT&T has been stringing fiber for months and today my regular Uverse service was finally converted over to the Gigapower version with lightning fast speeds.   Below is a comparison of my line speed before and after installation.

The price is a bit more than I was paying previously but the productivity gained on large uploads should cut my processing time way back.   I hope it comes to your neighborhood soon as I am told that it is just a matter of time and unlike other fiber providers, I believe this service is also available to business customers too.

Finally I have received a bunch of questions asking, how do I know if fiber was strung on the poles in my neighborhood?  Well, here is what my pole looked like in June after line installation was strung on the poles.

ATT Uverse #Gigapower Fiber Internet is coming to Dunwoody, GA

Above is an internet speed test from AT&T's UVerse Gigapower fiber internet service that is about to be released in Dunwoody to both residential and business customers.    In case you are not aware, it is quite fast and I dare you to test your speed compared to that shown above.   To test your speed just click the link below.

http://www.speedtest.net

The city has been working to bolster internet speeds for quite some time and now it appears that there may be numerous companies getting ready to jump into this market.  The more the merrier as competition is good for the consumer but as a loyal ATT& T Uverse guy, I say kudos to AT&T for being the first in the Dunwoody market.

Here is the official press release from AT&T.

ATLANTA,  Aug. 31, 2015 – AT&T¹ is expanding the availability of U-verse® with AT&T GigaPower^SM to residential and small business customers in Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Milton and Woodstock.²

The new Internet service gives customers some of the fastest online speeds available anywhere. Customers can download 25 songs in less than a second, a TV show in three seconds or their favorite HD movie in less than 36 seconds.³

“Residents and small businesses want the latest technologies and AT&T is delivering,” said Beth Shiroishi, president of AT&T Georgia. “The AT&T GigaPower network facilitates a new wave of creativity and innovation through enhanced opportunities for education, health, research and small business growth.”

U-verse with AT&T GigaPower already is available in parts of Atlanta, Decatur, Newnan, Sandy Springs and surrounding communities.

AT&T GigaPower offers Internet speeds up to 1 gigabit per second. It can improve the experience for customers when connecting to the cloud, doing a videoconference, playing online games and more.

The high-speed Internet service is 99.9 percent reliable. It offers the fastest, most powerful Wi-Fi signal with an upgraded home gateway using the latest technology. The new gateway connects more devices with faster speeds from nearly anywhere in the home or business.

Customers who sign up for U-verse with AT&T GigaPower will also have access to award-winning U-verse TV and Voice services. New customers can watch and record up to six HD programs at the same time. AT&T GigaPower customers will also be able to record and store more of their favorite shows – up to 900 hours of SD or 330 hours of HD programming.

Customers can use the AT&T U-verse App on smartphones and tablets to watch more than 250 live TV channels in their home and more than 210 live TV channels while on the go. Customers can also stream video on demand, schedule DVR recordings and access other features from the U-verse app.

Consumers in eligible areas can choose from a variety of plans. AT&T offers single, double and triple play bundles, so customers can select a combination of services to fit their needs. The packages below include waivers of equipment, installation and activation fees.

• U-verse High Speed Internet Premier: Internet speeds up to 1Gbps starting as low as $120 a month, or speeds at 100Mbps as low as $90 a month, with a one year price guarantee.⁴
• U-verse High Speed Internet Premier + TV: Internet speeds up to 1Gbps and qualifying TV service starting as low as $150 a month, or speeds at 100Mbps and qualifying TV service as low as $120 a month, with a one year price guarantee.
• U-verse High Speed Internet Premier + TV + Voice: Internet speeds up to 1Gbps with qualifying TV service and Unlimited U-verse Voice starting as low as $180 a month, or speeds at 100Mbps with qualifying TV service and Unlimited U-verse Voice as low as $150 a month, with a two year price guarantee.

The success of the first AT&T GigaPower market in Austin, Texas led to a major expansion in 2014. AT&T plans to expand its 100 percent fiber-optic network in up to 25 markets. The company has launched U-verse with AT&T GigaPower in 15 markets. AT&T has announced plans to offer AT&T GigaPower in parts of the Jacksonville, St. Louis and San Antonio markets.

AT&T will continue to roll out its fastest Internet services over its all-fiber network to reach more than 14 million residential and commercial locations.

AT&T has invested in Georgia communications networks, people and local communities for 136 years. Between 2012 through 2014, AT&T invested more than $5.4 billion in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Georgia, driving a wide range of upgrades to enhance reliability, coverage, speed and performance for residents and business customers. AT&T employs about 21,000 people across the state.
For more information on U-verse with AT&T GigaPower, or to check availability, please visit att.com/gigapower.

AT&T U-Verse Gigapower is currently being installed along the streets of Dunwoody.

Dunwoody and the Great Gigabyte Oversight

Video

By Mayor Mike Davis published in the Dunwoody Crier

Google recently announced the future launch of “ultra-high-speed broadband service” in nine metro Atlanta cities. But remarkably, Dunwoody was not on the list.

The company’s announcement, similar to recent proclamations from AT&T, didn’t reveal much more than a future promise of gigabyte speed service. While the “when and how much” are to be determined, the real question coming out of the flurry of media activity is “Why isn’t Dunwoody on the list?”

Measuring the number of letters and calls I received, it’s clear there’s broad interest in having these services offered in Dunwoody. And to address those inquiring minds – YES, the City of Dunwoody shares your interest and has actively pursued inclusion on the list of cities.

In fact, our efforts go back to 2010 when we ambitiously submitted the city’s original application for the Google Fiber project. Since Dunwoody was not included in Google’s initial announcement last year, we’ve persistently reached out to Google Fiber, as well as the cities that were shortlisted, to help determine how and when the company planned to bring this technology to the Atlanta area.

The question of “Why not Dunwoody?” has not been addressed precisely. When asked, we were informed: “…we wanted to make sure we didn't bite off more than we could chew. So, we had to draw the line somewhere.”

This is especially perplexing given our application and adjacency to selected cities, some of which did not exist or apply when the original RFI was issued.

We also reached out to AT&T regarding their U-verse with GigaPower initiative. The City has met with AT&T and provided all requested information as they too are considering which cities to add to their final targeted list for expansion.

I strongly believe Dunwoody is an appealing market for an array of broadband service providers. Our city has a streamlined construction permitting process and collaborative policies and procedures which make Dunwoody an attractive community for broadband companies to provide service.

Future interest in making connections available in Dunwoody will grow as companies move forward with identified plans. But it’s also important to remember this is not an overnight process.

Neither of the companies has shared details of their official selection criteria with us but as they study the neighboring communities, Dunwoody will be taking advantage of this opportunity to fully demonstrate itself as community prepared and ready for the technologies of the future. Our adjacency to selected cities, as well as the presence of existing fiber in parts of Dunwoody, bodes well for future service offerings and expansion.

While Google Fiber currently is not expanding its list of area cities, from observing the process unfold in Kansas City it’s highly likely their service provision expansion will ultimately continue once they have a foothold in the Atlanta market.

I’ll leave you with a call to action to run in tandem with the city’s efforts. Google may roll out service based on potential demand, so I would recommend interested Dunwoody residents follow the city’s energies and reach out to Google to let them know we’re here and we’re ready.

Visit https://fiber.google.com/cities/atlanta/home/ to log in your address and get updates on the future of Google Fiber. You can call (residential inquiries: (866) 777-7550 or Small Business inquiries: (855) 418-8326) or just send a letter to Google Fiber Customer Support 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, California 94043.

Let’s show a little Dunwoody pride and demonstrate how our voices, when brought together, can make a difference.

AT&T considers Atlanta for "gigabit" Internet and Dunwoody could be ready very quickly.

Dear AT&T,   It's Not Complicated, just call me about setting up a meeting to discuss next steps about spreading fiber throughout our community.  You have already been testing the fiber market here so lets set a meeting discuss further expansion through a review of our online GIS system and future explosion in commercial growth.  

Thanks, a U-Verse customer and Dunwoody City Councilman.

John
770-234-0678
John.Heneghan@DunwoodyGA.gov

Gigabit Playbook for assisting with future fiber.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/atlantech/2014/04/at-t-considers-atlanta-for-gigabit-internet.html

AT&T is announcing that it will begin discussions with city leaders about a possible launch in Fiber to Home gigabit internet service.  AT&T is looking for communities with "solid investment cases and policies"  "We’re interested in working with communities that appreciate the value of the most advanced technologies and are willing to encourage investment by offering solid investment cases and policies," Lori Lee, an AT&T home solutions executive, says in a statement.  In total, AT&T says that it's now looking at up to 100 potential cities and municipalities, with the remaining major new names including Atlanta

Questions - Is Dunwoody working towards Google Fiber, what are you doing about gravel in streets, unkept sidewalks, See Click Fix, Crosswalks, steel plates?

Another letter from my inbox...

John,

Hope you are doing well. I am sending you this email with a few topics that I would love for the city to look into.

• Google Fiber is potentially coming to Atlanta and surrounding cities. I was surprised to see that Dunwoody was not currently one of those cities. However Sandy Spring and Brookhaven are included in their plans. This is based on the fiber.google.com website. Is the Dunwoody city council working with Google to get Dunwoody included in the Google Fiber expansion plans?
  
  Answer - Barney, Yes we pushed hard for Google Fiber, we applied in 2010 with neighboring cities whereby they were picked and we were not.  We too were surprised but we have the capability of moving very fast if they want to expand but until then we will be watching the process and learning what we can. 
  
  
• Over the past few years I have pleasantly seen the city expanding bike lanes and side walks. This also comes with the responsibility to ensure those bike lanes and side walks are maintained and clear of debris. Following this winter, gravel and debris are covering many of the bike lanes forcing riders to travel outside those lanes and/or at time forcing them to swerve at the last minute.
  
  Answer - Barney, I do not have details but the Public Works Director stated on Monday that the Streets of Dunwoody will be swept in the coming weeks.  Look for a vehicle like above on your streets soon.
   
• I have also observed side walks sections on North Peachtree and Tilly Mill road being over grown with grass or other plants/debris and trees not being trimmed forcing pedestrian to potentially step off the side walk.
  
  Answer - Dunwoody acts on a customer driven complaint system for code enforcement and then once in a while we will do sweeps looking for a specific issue like making sure the sidewalks are clear.  I will reach out to code enforcement (not taking for granted that they are daily readers of my blog - but they are) asking if a sidewalk sweep could be done on the major jogging routes in the city.   I also highly recommend the See Click Fix app for your smart phone where city complaint like above can be logged in seconds with a photo and gis location.  Please try it.
  
• As you know I am still hopping that the city will realize the need to help pedestrian cross our streets safely by adding cross walks in areas where they don't exist today. Tilly Mill between city limit and before Andover, North Peachtree by Brookrun park to name a couple.
  
  Answer - Barney the city does realize that crosswalks are needed and I am looking for lit crosswalks in specific places and in critical locations where there are no traffic lights.   An independent study on crosswalks near schools should be out any day and I will be reaching out to council to fund those improvements as soon as possible.  The City has recommended the crosswalk on Tilly Mill be located near Stonington because of the sight lines and hill but the problem is that the street at that point is in the City of Doraville and we (the two cities) have yet to figure out the funding mechanism as we (Dunwoody) are not allowed to pay for a capital improvement in another city even though 100% of the crossings would be Dunwoody residents.  A crossing at the front of Brook Run also makes sense and I will ask staff to analyze but that entire area will be redesigned in 2015 with the reworking of the Nroth Peachtree, Tilly Mill, Peeler intersection.
  
• Lastly we continue to have utility work on main streets that go unfinished for weeks with metal plates and pot holes. On Tilly Mill past Peeler road two metal plates and a major pot hole (was filled in with gravel yesterday) have now been there for weeks. Past reasons for those have been that the city, to save money, was coordinating  paving of utility work in groups. Utility work was paved on Tilly Mill by Perimeter college last week but not by Peeler road, a mile away.
  
  Answer - Barney I don't have the best answers for you except that the City of Dunwoody only controls the top 8 inches of asphalt on the roads and most things below that depth are controlled by DeKalb Water & Sewer or another utility (Natural Gas comes to mind today).  They do the work they need to do and when told to do so we repave when appropriate.  Sometimes there are scheduling issues or with the big metal plates being in place, the work under ground is on going.   I will see if I can get specific updates on the streets in question.

I guess this is it for now. 

Regards,

Barney  (Please say hi to Wilma, Pebbles and the two BamBam Brothers)

City of Dunwoody, GA collectively states "Google Fiber, I want my high speed access !!"

In early February 2010, I learned of the Google Fiber Initiative and pushed for the City of Dunwoody to apply but based on Google’s requested city size to complete the application, the City of Dunwoody would need to partner with neighboring cities in order to meet the minimum requirements. I brainstormed and saw a joint application with Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee & Doraville being a very viable one and posted my thoughts on my blog of February 11, 2010 entitled Imagine the top end of Atlanta as a technology hub tied together with the fastest internet. Let's ask Google to help make it happen.

From there the City Manager and City Staff took my request seriously and started talking to our neighboring cities. In the end, I believe that Sandy Springs was big enough to submit a single application therefore Dunwoody then partnered with Decatur, Avondale Estates, Chamblee and Doraville as well as Emory University and Georgia Power on the final application submission under the name “Atlanta Urban Area Partnership for Google”.

Besides the application which was submitted along with Resolutions of Support from each of the participating cities, a video was produced and submitted along with the application and it is shown below.

 Video

I know that ultra-high speed internet service will be the future life blood of a community and that businesses and tech savvy individuals would be drawn to that infrastructure. Besides Google Fiber, I have pushed for other expanded internet options like UVerse which is Fiber to the Neighborhood (Node) vs Google’s plan which is to complete the last mile and go Fiber to the Home.

Today Google announced that the Atlanta area is in the running for the next wave of investment and in doing so named eight surrounding municipalities by name but did not specifically include the City of Dunwoody, even though we were in direct partnership with several of the cities that were specifically named. My guess is that Google is ready to start with any viable area in the Atlanta market and I can tell you that the City of Dunwoody is ready, willing and able to complete the next stage of the process in working with the provider to bring the service to our community.

From the moment that Google announced possible expansion cities, my inbox was lit up with information as to why the City of Dunwoody was not named and if I could summarize the collective message of those inquiries it would be "Google Fiber, I want my high speed access !!"

If you are interested in this project, please do me two favors.  First go to this link and click the blue CHECK ADDRESS box or the blue GET UPDATES box to register your address as being interested in the service; second if you are a Facebook user, please go to the “Atlanta Urban Area Partnership for Google” page and like it for future updates.

The City of Dunwoody is reaching out to Google as to specifics and we look forward to working with them in the very near future.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Challenge to find and spread innovative local solutions to national problems.

Video

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is posting a nationwide challenge to city mayors in order to find and reward ideas that improve city life by addressing a major social or economic issue, improving the customer service experience for citizens or businesses, increasing government efficiency, and/or enhancing accountability, transparency, and public engagement.

The City of Dunwoody, GA started from scratch several years ago and our service delivery motto is really to put proven best practices and the latest technological innovations into place in order best serve the citizens and the businesses within our jurisdiction at the lowest possible cost without jeopardizing the overall level of service.

I can think of so many things that we as a city have done right...

• Breaking apart our service contracts to various vendors in order to maximize service and minimize price was a risky way to start a city but it worked well and has now been copied by others.
• We hired and equipped a top notch police force in 90 days.
• We hire the best and brightest employees and hopefully then get out of their way to do the job.  Along with that goes the responsibility of making sure that that the employees are well served, cared for, compensated and appreciated for the quality service they are expected to provide.
• As there were no legacy computer systems in place, we decided to invest in a cutting edge back end computer infrastructure that integrates everything from accounting, community development, public works and GIS; whereby man hours are cut and efficiency improved.
• Having a paperless police and court system where traffic tickets can be uploaded to the servers via a wireless transfer and then be able to be paid online just hours after being issued, 
• Transparency has been pushed from the city's infancy whereby financial reports with the check register are now published monthly, crime and police calls are published daily, and we have a police department that is pushing more information to social networks than most teenagers with an unlimited data plan would ever dream of doing

We are by no means perfect but I believe we have done many things right, and it is through introspective reflection by always looking to see what could be improved is what I now strive for the City of Dunwoody.  It is  by applying to opportunities like this or the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge or even the Google Fiber Contest that we can stretch our minds to find ways to better serve you the citizens. 

I am not sure if the City will actually take the time to complete the application but it will be reviewed by staff for consideration and then we should circle back in October when the winners are announced to see what best practices others have come up with.  It appears by this job announcement that the City of Atlanta has already focused their efforts in data collection and analysis in order to reduce homelessness and improve employment. 

What could the City of Dunwoody offer up that we have done that others should replicate on a national scale?

Washington Post - New York City’s billionaire mayor is using his personal fortune to try to spark innovation in the nation’s cities — inviting 1,300 mayors to compete for millions of dollars in funding for new programs meant to solve urban challenges and enhance city life.

The mayors of U.S. municipalities with at least 30,000 residents will be asked to join the Mayors Challenge, being launched Wednesday by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which is offering a grand prize of $5 million and four smaller prizes of $1 million. The foundation is asking the mayors to focus on initiatives that could be replicated elsewhere if successful.

Bloomberg, who has said that he plans to focus full-time on his philanthropy after his third term ends in 2013, argued that mayors are better positioned than community organizations, governors and even presidents to make a difference when it comes to delivering services.
“Governors and presidents redistribute and work at a different level, a policy level. Mayors have to get stuff done,” Bloomberg said. “Organizations tend to talk a lot, and some do some things. Mayors don’t have that option. Mayors, if you don’t deliver something, you are out of office pretty quickly.”

The challenge is part of the philanthropy’s Mayors Project, which has already paid to install teams in Atlanta, Chicago, Louisville, Memphis and New Orleans to work on initiatives in areas including small-business growth and crime reduction. Under the $24 million initiative, the teams report directly to the mayors of those cities.

Applications for the Mayors Challenge will be due Sept. 14, and winners will be announced in May after teams from finalist cities attend an “Ideas Camp” at which they can refine their proposals.

Under the contest rules, cities must propose ideas that improve “city life by addressing a major social or economic issue, improving the customer service experience for citizens or businesses, increasing government efficiency, and/or enhancing accountability, transparency, and public engagement,” according to the foundation.

AT&T U-Verse is making it's way through Dunwoody, GA.

Through a new agreement with AT&T*, The Barclay at Dunwoody is now bringing cutting-edge entertainment services – AT&T U-verse^® TV, U-verse High Speed Internet and U-verse Voice – directly to residents, delivered to the apartment complex on an 100-percent Internet Protocol (IP)-based, all-fiber network.

This agreement with The Barclay at Dunwoody is part of AT&T Connected Communities^® – a strategic marketing program between AT&T and regional or national single-family builders, developers, real estate investment trusts, apartment ownership and management groups, and home owners’ associations to provide next-generation communications and entertainment solutions to residents and homebuyers.

Located in Dunwoody, Ga., just minutes from I-285, I-85 and Georgia 400, The Barclay offers six floor plans and more than 200 one- and two-bedroom units with high-end amenities including stainless steel appliances, custom cherry wood cabinetry, ceramic tile flooring, private verandas and more.

In addition to AT&T U-verse services, residents will have access to a dedicated AT&T retail store serving The Barclay at Dunwoody. The AT&T Experience Store – located at 136 Perimeter Center West in Atlanta, just west of Perimeter Mall – offers a full suite of AT&T wireline and wireless products.

“I applaud the expansion of this innovative video choice in Dunwoody,” said Ken Wright, mayor, city of Dunwoody. ”These investments bring the potential to grow our economy and create new jobs in the area.”
Robin Johnson, community manager for the Barclay at Dunwoody, said: “Thanks to this agreement with AT&T, we’re able to offer the latest and greatest entertainment solutions directly to our residents, boosting the value of our property and making this an even more desirable place to live in Dunwoody.”

“AT&T is continuing our commitment to make the investments necessary to bring consumers in Georgia advanced video services,” said Sylvia Russell, president, AT&T Georgia. “We are thrilled we will be able to start offering this innovative video choice to residents at The Barclay.”

AT&T U-verse brings together your TV, broadband, digital home phone and wireless services — all on one bill — with unique features that provide a new level of integration, convenience and control. AT&T U-verse offers multiple combinations of TV, Internet and Voice packages to customize your experience.

U-verse TV customers can enjoy numerous benefits, including the ability to watch and manage recordings from a single DVR on any connected TV in the home with U-verse Total Home DVR; the ability to choose and watch up to four of your favorite channels at one time with the exclusive My Multiview app; an extensive High Definition (HD) channel lineup with access to 130 HD channels; the ability to program DVR recordings from their Web-connected mobile phone or PC; personalized, on-screen weather, sports, traffic and stock information via AT&T U-bar; and more.

With AT&T U-verse Voice, customers receive unmatched calling features that provide deeper integration across their bundle of services. For example, customers have a single, combined voice mailbox for convenient access to their AT&T U-verse Voice and AT&T wireless messages. They can also view their call logs on their PC or their TV screen, and initiate a call from their PC or TV.

AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet offers faster available speeds. All U-verse Internet packages include wireless home or office networking at no extra cost, and customers receive a wireless access point with their installation, so The Barclay at Dunwoody residents will be able to connect Wi-Fi enabled devices, including smartphones, to their home broadband connection. Wi-Fi generally provides consistently fast speeds for accessing the mobile Internet on your smartphone. Information on available packages can be found online at: www.att.com/u-verse.

For more information on The Barclay at Dunwoody, please visit: www.barclaydunwoody.com.
More information on AT&T Connected Communities can be found at: http://www.att.com/communities.

Dunwoody and other DeKalb Cities partner for Google Fiber Application.

Atlanta Urban Area Partnership for Google from Atlanta Urban Area Partnership for Google Fiber on Vimeo.

Here’s the video produced by Decatur’s Andrea Berry on behalf of Decatur, Chamblee, Avondale, Dunwoody, Doraville, Emory and Georgia Power, making the case for Google Fiber. [h/t The Decatur Minute and Decatur Metro]

It looks like the Atlanta partnership team will have their work cut out for them.  Google broke its silence on the initiative yesterday with an update, which stated that with the RFI deadline now past, over 1,100 communities across the U.S. had expressed interest in becoming the test ground for the company’s high-speed fiber optic network.  Next steps for Google include “site visits, meeting with local officials and consulting with third-party organizations.”

Below is a map that Google created showing the locations of government responses (small dots) and resident nominations of 1,000 or more (big dots).

Dunwoody City Council scheduled to vote Monday on backyard chickens - Work Session scheduled for 6 p.m.

Monday, March 22nd
Dunwoody City Hall
41 Perimeter Center East

Dunwoody, GA 30346

The City Council proposed a new schedule whereby this Monday's Voting Meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. also has a work session starting at 6 p.m. in order for the Council to ask informal questions, present new items and is in place to attempt to speed up the voting meeting.  Since I will be rushing to get to this meeting located in the side room of the main City Council Chambers; I'm not sure I will be able to set up my computer in time but I will try.  As always the work session is open to the public and I encourage your attendance since that is were some heavy discussions regarding the evenings topics may occur.  The main voting meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and even if the work session is required to be cut short; the main meeting will start at 7 p.m. 

6:00 p.m. - Work Session (Side Room)

Work Session Agenda - Possible Video?

Review of March 22, 2010 City Council Meeting agenda.
Crime mapping demonstration.

7:00 p.m. Voting Session (Main Chamber)

Voting Session Agenda - Watch live streaming video


CALL TO ORDER
By Tommy Fry, Austin Elementary student and winner of the Austin Elementary “Mayor for a Day” auction package.

Employee recognition.
a. Michael Lockett - “Employee of Distinction” Proclamation
b. Officer Jesus Maldonado - “Officer of the Year”
c. Katharine “KC” Kramer – Dunwoody Police Department “Employee of the Year”
d. Officer Fidel Espinoza - “Marksman of the Year” and “Christmas for Kids” Program
Resolution opposing proposed changes to Class B airspace at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

City of Dunwoody and Perimeter Community Improvement District (PCID) Cooperation Agreement.

Green Building Policy.

PUBLIC HEARING and Scheduled Vote on Chapter 27, “Raising Backyard Chickens in Single Family Residence Districts.

SECOND READ: Ordinance to amend Chapter 15, Regulation of taxi cabs.

SECOND READ: Ordinance to amend Chapter 17, Motorized Golf Carts.

Convention and Visitors Bureau of Dunwoody Annual Report.

Ordinance to amend Fiscal Year 2010 Budget to fund Economic Development study.

Resolution “Georgia Cities Week”.

Resolution “The Atlanta Urban Area Partnership for Google”.

Resolution to appoint additional members to the Dunwoody Village Design Review Advisory Committee.

Resolution of joint cities opposing proposed changes to Class B airspace at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Five-year resurfacing plan.

Updates - Google, Ethics, Pre-K, Gardening, Cheap Dad, Speeding, Tax Freeze and Kitchen Tour

Google Fiber Update - The Cities of Avondale Estates, Chamblee, Decatur, Doraville, and Dunwoody along with Emory University are now partnering together to answer Google's search for a trial location to test its ultra-high speed broadband network. Become a fan on Facebook.

Ethics - Dunwoody City Council - Financial Disclosures and Campaign Contributions are now available on line.  The data is not 100% complete as I know that I have already filed my 2009 & 2010 financial disclosure reports but I am sure they will all be there soon.  Our initial candidate campaign and personal finance forms were filed with the GA State Ethics Commission and can be found by searching the the previous links.

Pre-K Lottery today - Registration for the Pre-K lottery is Thursday, March 18 from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM at all Dunwoody lower elementary schools. The application processes closes at 1:00 PM and the lottery drawing beings at 1:15 PM. Complete documentation must be presented at the time of registration, including: Child's original certified birth certificate,Parent's Photo identification,Child's Social Security Number, Current Month's Gas, Electric Bill and/or a copy of your lease agreement. A residence affidavit must be provided if current bills are in someone else's name.

Garden Plots Available at Dunwoody's 2nd Community Garden at Georgetown - Congrats to Susan Harper and if you are interested in gardening check out the Potluck Picnic at the Dunwoody Community Garden at Brook Run.

Cheap Dad Alert - Atlanta Opera’s Family Day on Saturday March 27th The Atlanta Opera is hosting their popular Opera Family Day on Saturday, March 27 from 10 am – 2 pm. The day is designed for children in preschool and early elementary school. Activities include make-your-own instruments and other craft activities, an interactive costume shop, stage combat demonstrations and an instrument petting zoo. For those who don’t know, an instrument petting zoo is an opportunity for children to hold and play various instruments. It’s a lot of fun and the kids love it. Of course there is also an opera performance. This year will be The Ugly Duckling.  $5.00 with free parking.

Speeding Tickets reduced - DeKalb offers a firesale reduction on old traffic citations.  I wonder if the recorders court has been doing this for years without putting a notice in the paper.

Five Year Tax Assessment Freeze, citizen vote approved - thank you Rep Fran Millar.

Tour Atlanta's Top Kitchens (Dunwoody included) this weekend to support the Junior League of Atlanta.

Imagine the top end of Atlanta as a technology hub tied together with the fastest internet. Let's ask Google to help make it happen.

Google is test-marketing blazingly-fast ultra-high-speed Internet service in a few markets. Lucky residents will be able to purchase Internet service at speeds up to 1 Gb. This is orders of magnitude faster than current Internet offerings.

What if the Cities of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee & Doraville partnered with Google on providing a fiber-optic network to every home and then every business in the area? This type of infrastructure would be a fantastic boon to the residents as well as the many corporations in the area. It is my belief that a multi-city partnership like this would not only be feasible but it would be highly successful on many levels.

Together the cities have population of about 150,000 but the day time office populations jump to approximately 300,000 people.

The area is served by a mix of single & multi-family residential as well as established commercial centers that need and would thrive on the faster internet service provided. The area has the corporate headquarters of InterContinental Hotels, United Parcel Service, Mirant, Cox, AFC Enterprises and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It has a thriving business community which is supported by local governments who know how to work together for a common goal. The "Pill Hill" area of Children's, St. Joes & Northside Hospitals along with the 100's of small doctor's offices in the area would be a fertile testing ground for high speed data transmissions of medical images and records. Federal data centers (both the IRS & CDC) could harness the power of Fiber.  New technical communities and businesses could be built replacing the long shuttered factory of long ago.

Become a fan on Facebook by the link below and talk to your city leaders about joining together on this collaborative project for the good of our community.  Together our proposal would be stronger then any one of us apart.

Topend Perimeter Partnership of Atlanta for Fiber

As a member of the Dunwoody City Council, I will be requesting that the City immediately start reviewing the application as well as start discussions with our neighboring cities.

John Heneghan
Dunwoody City Council
John.Heneghan@DunwoodyGa.gov