Welcome to the September 2013 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.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and City of Sandy Springs will host a Public Open House on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013 from 6-8 p.m. at City Hall council chambers, regarding planned improvements for the Northridge Interchange at GA 400. Utility crews are expected to begin their work in mid-September in advance of active construction. The Open House is being held to provide residents and motorists an opportunity to see final designs and ask transportation officials questions regarding construction for the bridge and interchange improvements. No formal presentation is planned. Sandy Springs City Hall is located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500.     

Join Mayor Eva Galambos on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013 from 6 till 9 p.m. for cocktails, dinner and a live auction to benefit the Anne Frank Exhibit located in Sandy Springs. The evening fundraiser will take place at Congregation B'nai Torah Synagogue in the Social Hall, located at 700 Mt. Vernon Highway. Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased online at sandyspringsga.gov/gala.There is limited availability. 

To meet compliance with the City's Alarm Ordinance, all residential and commercial security alarms must be registered with the City by Oct. 1, 2013. Registration information can be found at www.sandyspringsga.gov/alarm.

More than 95 percent of alarm calls in Sandy Springs are false alarms. Responding to these calls take public safety personnel away from proactive patrol efforts within the community.  Tracking false alarms and implementing accountability measures has proven to greatly decrease the number of false alarms in communities where registration is in place.

Registering your alarm system will also provide the City's public safety personnel with accurate accounting and locations of monitored alarm systems throughout the City. This situational awareness can assist in safety planning and response, especially in multi-family communities where units share a common street address.

"The goal of the program is to enhance safety and security of those in our community," said Public Safety Director Terry Sult. "We want our police and fire officers working in the community, not chasing false alarms."

Thanks to a grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the City of Sandy Springs has acquired 11 properties that were deemed to be substantially damaged as a result of repeated flooding. With the removal of the structures from the parcels, the City has announced the "Greenspace in the Floodplain" program. The program provides neighborhoods and Homeowners Associations an opportunity to develop plans for utilizing the parcels and present them to the City for consideration. For more information on the program, please visit the City's website at http://www.sandyspringsga.gov/greenspaceinthefloodplainprogram or email Eden Freeman, Assistant City Manager at efreeman@sandyspringsga.gov 

Pack your picnic basket and grab a blanket, Movies by Moonlight is back for its ninth year at the SSUMC Hitson Center! Leadership Sandy Springs is presenting the following for this year's feature shows: Sept. 6, "Oz the Great and Powerful," and Sept. 27, "Wreck It Ralph." For more information, check out www.leadershipsandysprings.org.  

Be sure to stop by and visit the Recreation and Parks booth at the corner of Hildebrand and Sandy Springs Circle at the Sandy Springs Festival on September 21-22.  We'll have fun and games for the kids. Challenge your basketball skills at our pop-a-shot game, play our wheel of challenge game and answer sports trivia questions or enter our raffle drawing to win a High Country Outfitters $50 gift certificate.  Information will be available throughout the weekend on all of our programs as well as our partner programs. Whether it's youth football, cheerleading, basketball or lacrosse, gymnastics, Irish dance or KidzArt, there's something for everyone with Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks. Check out the fall brochure for a complete list of programs at http://www.sandyspringsga.gov/City-Departments/Recreation-and-Parks.