Nominations are open for the Sandy Springs Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award. The award will go to a person distinguished for humanitarian contributions to society in his or her business, profession, volunteerism or philanthropic life's work. Individuals may nominate a living resident of Sandy Springs who instills pride within the community and inspires others. Each nominee must have been a resident of Sandy Springs for the past three years or longer and should embody the spirit and philosophy of Dr. King. Current Sandy Springs staff and elected officials are not eligible.

Last year, Carolyn Axt was named the 2010 recipient of the Humanitarian Award, and in 2009 Sandy Springs resident, Lucy Hall-Gainer was given the honor. This will be the fifth time the City will bestow the award. A volunteer committee makes the selection.

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• Fire Station #1, 1425 Spalding Drive
• Fire Station #2, 135 Johnson Ferry Road
• Fire Station #3, 6025 Heards Road
  
• Fire Station #4, 4697 Wieuca Road

The event is open to all elementary and middle school aged students and their siblings, and the goal of the Open House is to learn valuable fire safety lessons from Sandy Springs firefighters while having fun at the same time. Firefighters will teach children fire safety and prevention through enjoyable activities. Firefighters will cover topics such as EDITH (exit drills in the home), the meeting place, stop/drop/roll and various other fire safety topics. The Open Houses will also give the students a chance to interact with the firefighters while experiencing a small part of the roles and responsibilities of the firefighters. Station tours will also be available.

The City of Sandy Springs appreciates those residents who were selected to participate in the National Citizen Survey and have taken the time to complete and submit their survey. The City continues to accept responses from those residents who haven't yet completed their survey. Sandy Springs is preparing to send out its final wave of surveys to an additional 600 residents. Notification postcards from Mayor Galambos will be mailed on October 4 to inform residents of their selection. The actual survey will be mailed on October 12 and responses are due before November 15. The information provided to the City by participating residents is critical to the future success and direction of the services provided by Sandy Springs. Everyone who was selected to receive a survey is encouraged to complete and submit it.

For more information on the Nation Citizen Survey, visit the FAQ on our website.

Every Sandy Springs resident is unique. That is why the City offers a number of Twitter feeds to allow our residents to choose which notifications are relevant to them. You might be interested in the following feeds:

News and Events - sandyspringsga
Follow this feed to hear about general City news and events. Several tweets are posted each month.

Traffic Alerts - SSGA_Traffic
The new Traffic Alerts Twitter feed is updated daily with road closures, lane closures and other traffic issues in Sandy Springs. This is an invaluable tool if you regularly drive on Sandy Springs' surface streets.

Emergency Alerts - SSGA_Emergency
Our Emergency Alert Twitter feed will only be used if the safety of our residents is at risk. Only a few tweets are posted each year. Regular Twitter users would certainly benefit by signing up for this feed.

Neighborhood News - SSGA_NhbDNews
A new feed is directed specifically toward our home owners associations. The service will develop over the next few months.

Recreation and Parks - SSGA_Recreation
This feed is dedicated to news about our recreational programs. Sign up if you want to break out in a sweat!

Never used Twitter? Visit the Twitter main page to sign up for a free account.

Keep North Fulton Beautiful is holding a Bulky Recycling and Trash Day event on October 2, 2010. There is no charge for any item, except for television sets and computer monitors. A document shredding service will also be available for a $5 charge for each bankers box. The event will be located at the RBS WorldPay at 600 Morgan Falls Road in Sandy Springs and will take place 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. For full details and a list of accepted items, visit Keep North Fulton Beautiful's website.

The Justice Department announced that it reached agreements with the city of Sandy Springs, in the form of consent decrees filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If approved by the court, the decrees will allow for Sandy Springs to bailout from their status as a "covered jurisdiction" under the Voting Rights Act, thereby exempting them from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the act. The bailout standard requires that a covered jurisdiction demonstrates nondiscriminatory behavior for 10 years prior to filing.

Read Full U.S. Justice Dept Press Release

TENNIS FUN FEST - The City of Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department is partnering with Special Pops Tennis to provide youth and adults with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to learn about the Special Pops Tennis program. The Fun Fest will offer:

• On-court games and activities
• Education about the possibility of becoming a competitive tennis player through Special Olympics and other local events
• Light refreshments and giveaways to add to the day of fun-filled activities

When: Saturday, October 16, 2010, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: Hammond Park Tennis Courts, 6005 Glenridge Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30328
Who: Participants of all skill levels are welcome ages 6 and up.
Price: Free

YOUTH GOLF CLINICS - Youth Golf Clinics are available to elementary school-aged children at no charge. Participants will learn the fundamentals of golf in a fun non-competitive atmosphere.

When & Where: Mondays 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. at Lake Forest Elementary / Tuesdays 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. at Ison Spring Elementary; the program runs until October 12.
Who: Children currently attending elementary school
Price: Free

YOUTH FREE PLAY KICKBALL - Youth Kickball is a fun, structured free play program designed to spark interest in a youth kickball league.

When: Tuesdays 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Program runs through October 26th
Where: High Point Elementary
Who: Grades 1st - 5th
Price: Free

Registration for these programs is available online via Activenet or call (770) 206-2035 for further information.

Residents interested in playing athletic games like kickball, soccer or flag football but don't have the time to join a league, may join other residents for the Recreation & Parks Department's free play hours on regular weekends. Time has been set aside to accommodate non-league play Saturdays 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. and Sundays 11:00 - 3:00 p.m. Park supervisors will be available to assist coordinating games played on the field during the free play time period.

Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department recently completed the installation of  the artificial professional field turf at the Hammond Park facility located at 705 Hammond Drive, Sandy Springs, Ga. You can reserve the field for private events at the following rates: $75/4hrs resident; $100/non-resident; $150/league play. To reserve the field today, call (770) 206-2035, or go online to Activenet.

Construction is underway with new sidewalk installed at Lake Forrest and I-285 up to the intersection with Allen Road. Work is progressing on the construction of retaining walls along Lake Forrest.

The project to construct sidewalk on the north side of Windsor Parkway from Roswell Road to High Point is underway. Final utility relocations are underway and the construction contractor has begun construction of retaining walls throughout the project site.

Bids were received for the contract to construct sidewalks near Ison Springs Elementary and the contract is being awarded. Bids have been received for the project to construct sidewalk on Abernathy near the Tennis Center and Hammond near Mt. Vernon Highway and award is pending. Bids have been received for projects to construct sidewalk on Mt. Vernon Highway near the Public Library, and Dalrymple near North Springs High School. Sidewalk design along Pitts Road is complete and will be advertised for bids next month.