Welcome to the November 2011 edition of the Sandy Springs E-Newsletter, a publication that highlights news and events happening within the City. More information from City Hall can be found online at sandyspringsga.gov. You can also telephone our Call Center 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 770-730-5600.

Officials and dignitaries will commemorate the service of our country's veterans during the Second Annual City of Sandy Springs Veterans Day Tribute. The event will take place on November 11, 2011, at Morgan Falls Overlook Park. Everyone is invited as the City of Sandy Springs honors the brave men and women who have served in the United States Military.

Music provided by the 116th Army Band from the Georgia Army National Guard will precede the official program which begins at 10:00 a.m. The Presentation of Colors by the Marine Corps Color Guard will mark the start the program followed by opening remarks from Sandy Springs Mayor, the Honorable Eva Galambos, Ph.D.

This year's keynote speaker will be Lieutenant General (Ret) P. "Ron" Helmly, Former Chief of Army Reserve. He will speak on behalf of those who have served our country and share experiences from his tours of duty in Vietnam, Panama and Pakistan. The program also will honor Wounded Warriors, a program to aid and assist soldiers injured in the line of duty.

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Residents and businesses who call Sandy Springs home may soon be able to have their postal code default to Sandy Springs rather than the City of Atlanta.  

The request before the postal service will change the default Preferred Last Line within the postal service's software to Sandy Springs. For those zip codes that cross municipal boundaries, only the portion of the zip code that is located within Sandy Springs will be impacted.  Residents who live in Atlanta will maintain Atlanta as their postal city.  The zip codes will not be re-designated as Sandy Springs, but the postal service software will, for the first time, recognize Sandy Springs for our residents who live there.

"It's a matter of civic pride, and also a matter of finance," said Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos. "Sales tax in Atlanta is 8 percent. In Sandy Springs, the sales tax is 7 percent. In many instances, our residents and businesses may have paid 1 percent more than needed when they purchase items online as well as vehicles, furniture and other items, without seeing any benefit. Dollars that should be going to our ChattComm 911 system are being diverted when the default city is Atlanta."

To make sure that residents and businesses are on board with the change, the U.S. Postal Service will be sending out a survey in early 2012. Before the survey is sent out, questions regarding the proposal can be sent to the City of Sandy Springs call center. The City will host informational meetings to answer questions and obtain resident and business feedback. Watch the City's website for notices on those public information meetings.

If residents and businesses agree on the change, the USPS will make the needed alterations in its system.

Every year, the City of Sandy Springs honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., by recognizing an individual who exemplifies King's history of character and service. Nominations for the 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award are currently being accepted by the City.

"The award recognizes an individual for his or her humanitarian contributions to society and their philanthropic work. This year we are excited to include those who work within the City of Sandy Springs, as well as those who live within the city, as eligible for nomination," said Councilmember Dianne Fries.

The nomination form can be found on the Humanitarian Award page on the City's website. Nominations are due December 1, 2011. A volunteer committee reviews all nominations, selecting the award recipient. Sandy Springs resident, Melanie Noble-Couchman received the honor in 2011. The 2012 Humanitarian Award will be presented during festivities held on January 10, 2012.

The new flood maps will show (on a property by property basis) the extent to which parcels are currently at risk for flooding, taking into account changes in topography, land use and drainage patterns. If the risk level for a property changes, flood insurance and building requirements change as well.

To learn more about the mapping process, how your flood risk may have changed, and the options available, you are encouraged to attend one of the Flood Risk Open House meetings hosted by the City of Sandy Springs. Representatives from the City of Sandy Springs, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and FEMA will be available at the meetings to help answer questions.

Meeting 1: Wednesday, November 9, 2011, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Meeting 2: Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 6:00-8:00 p.m. 

Meeting Location: Sandy Springs City Hall Council Chambers, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500

You may stay up-to-date and look up your property on the new map by visiting GeorgiaDFIRM.com. If you are unable to attend one of the meetings, City of Sandy Springs staff will be available to assist residents and business owners one-on-one to provide information. Please call 770-730-5600 and ask for Bennett White or Celia Klardie.

The City of Sandy Springs is hosting a Public Open House meeting regarding the Northridge Interchange and GA 400 Improvement project on Monday, December 5 at 5:00 p.m. There will be no formal presentation, but Georgia Department of Transportation representatives will be on hand to answer questions. The meeting will be held in Council Chambers at Sandy Springs City Hall, located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500.

The Northridge Interchange and GA 400 Improvement project will provide capacity and operational improvements to the GA 400 ramps at Northridge Road, as well as other intersections of Northridge Road at Dunwoody Place, Roberts Drive and Somerset Court. Improvements will include better signage for the northbound exit ramp from GA 400 and additional through lanes on Northridge Road to accommodate the improved traffic flow. These improvements are estimated to cost $7 million and are being funded and designed through a partnership with the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

The Sandy Springs Police Department is communicating directly with residents and businesses through the implementation of the Nixle community-wide messaging system. Nixle allows the Department to send out SMS text messages and emails categorizing each as an Alert, Advisory, Community or Traffic message. Individuals who sign up for the service can specify the categories that he would like to receive.

"If a child were to go missing, we will send out an Alert text message. Our recent Drug Take Back Day would be a Community text reminder," explains Officer David Johns of the Sandy Springs Police Department. "We are giving the residents the freedom to choose what type of information they want to receive."

You can register for the service on the Nixle website. 

Winter and Spring Recreation and Parks program registration is in full swing. Online registration begins today, November 1 for the winter programs, except for Gymnastics programming which will open registration on November 28. Be sure to check the Activenet registration webpage or call 770-730-5600 for class schedules and availability.