Courtesy Appen Newspapers
The following items will be heard at a public hearing held by the City Council on Monday, July 20, 2009 commencing at 7:30 p.m. in the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers, 2 South Main Street, Alpharetta, Georgia.a. V-09-07 North Point Commons - SignageConsideration of a variance to the Unified Development Code sign setback requirements in order to permit a 2’ setback for two monument signs located within North Point Commons shopping center located at Georgia Lane and North Point Drive. The property is legally described as being located in Land Lots 754, 796, 797 1st District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia.b. V-09-08 The Arbors - ParkingConsideration of a variance to the Unified Development Code parking requirements in order to permit a reduction of required parking in order to accommodate a restaurant use. The property is located at 800 North Main Street and is legally described as being located in Land Lot 1111 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia.Note: Georgia law requires that all parties who have made campaign contributions to the Mayor or to a Council Member in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) within two (2) years immediately preceding the filing of this request, and who desire to appear at the public hearings in opposition to the application, shall, at least five (5) days prior to the hearing, file a campaign contribution report with the Community Development Department. The complete text of the Georgia law and a disclosure form are available in the office of the City Clerk, 2 South Main Street.
Monday, June 29, 2009
ASO magnificent outdoors
Orchestra’s offering more articulate than forced banter.
By Pierre Ruhe
For the AJC
Monday, June 29, 2009
My car’s dashboard thermometer read 94 degrees on the way to the Atlanta Symphony’s “Magnificent Mozart” concert Saturday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, in the north Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.
A hot evening for a concert, yet Encore Park is favored by what winemakers would call a good terroir: the site’s unique mixture —- artistically and geographically speaking —- of nutrients and cultivation and the slope of the hill. So long as there’s a light breeze and the humidity isn’t too punishing, the terroir allows the 12,000-seat pavilion to overcome all sorts of limitations to a good concert. It’s got an enviable sense of place.
It helps, too, that the ASO musicians don’t slump for these outdoor performances, but play with the same vitality and care that they would for indoor gigs at Symphony Hall.
Saturday’s guest conductor, Grant Llewellyn, is a gray-haired Welshman who leads the North Carolina Symphony and is principal conductor of Boston’s venerable Handel and Haydn Society. For reasons unknown, he introduced himself from the podium, microphone in hand: “You might have guessed I’m not from around here,” he observed helpfully in his Welsh accent, while throwing in a few “y’alls” to prove he’s no Euro-snob.
Is it an ASO marketing strategy to address the audience as inanely as possible at Encore Park? As an intermission feature, ASO program annotator Ken Meltzer, a smart guy who knows music, offers similarly “lite” banter, as if afraid the audience will bolt if the discussion rises above what local TV anchors give between news reports. It felt forced, not organic.(If they want to entertain at intermission, I’d rather hear the evening’s soloist play a Mozart sonata or something.)
Fortunately, the music spoke more eloquently than the professionals. Llewellyn and crew dispatched “The Marriage of Figaro” Overture with pep and crisp lines.
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, the sublime D-minor masterpiece, is all about touch and balance, storm and pathos. It is performed frequently but can be interpreted so many ways that it remains fresh.
Bosnian pianist Pedja Muzijevic, an interesting musician, was here making his ASO debut, as was the conductor. Although his touch at the keyboard sounded acidic and tinny —- the fault of microphone placement or audio engineers twisting knobs, most likely —- he crafted an uncommonly compelling role for the piano, as a personality in direct communication with the orchestra.
He ornamented his singsongy phrases neatly, and with Llewellyn’s assistance, brought the middle movement, almost a garden serenade, to a gorgeous, peaceful ending.
In this concerto, most pianists play Beethoven’s cadenzas —- those extended solo passages that offer the soloist a flight of fancy —- since Mozart’s own have been lost.
Muzijevic instead played cadenzas composed by Paul Balascora (in the first movement) and J.N. Hummel (in the third). It was a small point but well taken: Muzijevic is a thinking musician, eager to go his own way.
Mozart is often thought of as an 18th-century urban creature, but Llewellyn found in his last symphony, the Olympian “Jupiter,” a pastoral quality, lifting flute flutters to the stature of birdcalls. The Andante Cantabile slow movement evoked a mood that was fragrant and idyllic —- music that seemed to cool a hot summer evening.
By Pierre Ruhe
For the AJC
Monday, June 29, 2009
My car’s dashboard thermometer read 94 degrees on the way to the Atlanta Symphony’s “Magnificent Mozart” concert Saturday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, in the north Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.
A hot evening for a concert, yet Encore Park is favored by what winemakers would call a good terroir: the site’s unique mixture —- artistically and geographically speaking —- of nutrients and cultivation and the slope of the hill. So long as there’s a light breeze and the humidity isn’t too punishing, the terroir allows the 12,000-seat pavilion to overcome all sorts of limitations to a good concert. It’s got an enviable sense of place.
It helps, too, that the ASO musicians don’t slump for these outdoor performances, but play with the same vitality and care that they would for indoor gigs at Symphony Hall.
Saturday’s guest conductor, Grant Llewellyn, is a gray-haired Welshman who leads the North Carolina Symphony and is principal conductor of Boston’s venerable Handel and Haydn Society. For reasons unknown, he introduced himself from the podium, microphone in hand: “You might have guessed I’m not from around here,” he observed helpfully in his Welsh accent, while throwing in a few “y’alls” to prove he’s no Euro-snob.
Is it an ASO marketing strategy to address the audience as inanely as possible at Encore Park? As an intermission feature, ASO program annotator Ken Meltzer, a smart guy who knows music, offers similarly “lite” banter, as if afraid the audience will bolt if the discussion rises above what local TV anchors give between news reports. It felt forced, not organic.(If they want to entertain at intermission, I’d rather hear the evening’s soloist play a Mozart sonata or something.)
Fortunately, the music spoke more eloquently than the professionals. Llewellyn and crew dispatched “The Marriage of Figaro” Overture with pep and crisp lines.
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, the sublime D-minor masterpiece, is all about touch and balance, storm and pathos. It is performed frequently but can be interpreted so many ways that it remains fresh.
Bosnian pianist Pedja Muzijevic, an interesting musician, was here making his ASO debut, as was the conductor. Although his touch at the keyboard sounded acidic and tinny —- the fault of microphone placement or audio engineers twisting knobs, most likely —- he crafted an uncommonly compelling role for the piano, as a personality in direct communication with the orchestra.
He ornamented his singsongy phrases neatly, and with Llewellyn’s assistance, brought the middle movement, almost a garden serenade, to a gorgeous, peaceful ending.
In this concerto, most pianists play Beethoven’s cadenzas —- those extended solo passages that offer the soloist a flight of fancy —- since Mozart’s own have been lost.
Muzijevic instead played cadenzas composed by Paul Balascora (in the first movement) and J.N. Hummel (in the third). It was a small point but well taken: Muzijevic is a thinking musician, eager to go his own way.
Mozart is often thought of as an 18th-century urban creature, but Llewellyn found in his last symphony, the Olympian “Jupiter,” a pastoral quality, lifting flute flutters to the stature of birdcalls. The Andante Cantabile slow movement evoked a mood that was fragrant and idyllic —- music that seemed to cool a hot summer evening.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Alpharetta puts City Center on hold due to economy
By RALPH ELLIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The economy has forced Alpharetta to put a big downtown redevelopment project on hold. The city had a partnership with Solomon Holdings to build the Alpharetta City Center, which would have included a new City Hall, 80,000 square feet of retail and office space, an underground parking garage, a town green and a 5-acre passive park.
Alpharetta Mayor Arthur Letchas said in a statement that the sour economy hurt the project. “While we do believe that Alpharetta City Center will in the future be a viable project … that viability cannot be realized as things now stand,” he said.
Jim Drinkard, the assistant city administrator, said the city staff had been negotiating with Solomon Holdings since April. During that time the economy got worse. “We could not come to a point where Solomon was comfortable, the city was comfortable and it was the right deal for everybody,” he said.
The city planned to use $24 million in bonds to finance the project, which would have been on nine acres bounded by Academy Street, Ga. 9 and Haynes Bridge Road. The city owns the land. The City Council would have had to decide by August to put the bond question on the November referendum.
Al Holbrook of Solomon Holdings said in a statement that his company would be open to working on the project in the future.
Charles Petrakopoulos, whose family owns the Alpha Soda restaurant, said he was disappointed by the news.“We were looking forward to it because we feel that center corridor has been neglected,” he said. “It needs to happen someday.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The economy has forced Alpharetta to put a big downtown redevelopment project on hold. The city had a partnership with Solomon Holdings to build the Alpharetta City Center, which would have included a new City Hall, 80,000 square feet of retail and office space, an underground parking garage, a town green and a 5-acre passive park.
Alpharetta Mayor Arthur Letchas said in a statement that the sour economy hurt the project. “While we do believe that Alpharetta City Center will in the future be a viable project … that viability cannot be realized as things now stand,” he said.
Jim Drinkard, the assistant city administrator, said the city staff had been negotiating with Solomon Holdings since April. During that time the economy got worse. “We could not come to a point where Solomon was comfortable, the city was comfortable and it was the right deal for everybody,” he said.
The city planned to use $24 million in bonds to finance the project, which would have been on nine acres bounded by Academy Street, Ga. 9 and Haynes Bridge Road. The city owns the land. The City Council would have had to decide by August to put the bond question on the November referendum.
Al Holbrook of Solomon Holdings said in a statement that his company would be open to working on the project in the future.
Charles Petrakopoulos, whose family owns the Alpha Soda restaurant, said he was disappointed by the news.“We were looking forward to it because we feel that center corridor has been neglected,” he said. “It needs to happen someday.”
Church collects double-stuffed care packages for troops
By Caroline Gray
cgray@neighbornewspapers.com
A fortuitous meeting on an airplane has led to a church crusade to send some All-American treats to troops abroad.
Thinking he was just flying to a golfing vacation in Scottsdale, Ariz., Alpharetta First United Methodist Church Senior Pastor Don Martin discovered he was in for more than just teeing off. Seated next to an Army captain who was just returning home from service in Iraq, Martin quickly struck up a conversation with the young soldier.
Martin learned the captain was trained to use robots to detonate improvised explosion devices before they could hurt soldiers and then use the forensic evidence to find suspects in surrounding villages. He then asked the soldier a usual question, but received an unusual answer.
“I asked him, ‘What’s the one thing you missed most while you were in Iraq?’ And without any hesitation he said, ‘Oreos. Double-stuffed.’ Well, I thought that was so funny I promised to ask the congregation to bring in Double Stuf Oreos to send overseas,” said Martin.
The idea that started out of admiration for a soldier who risks his life to save other soldiers’ lives has caught on like wildfire at the church. Martin said he has already collected 150 packs of Double Stuf Oreos from church members and hopes to collect 1,000 packs to send to Iraq.
“I wish I could take a pack of Oreos to every soldier in the Middle East myself and thank them for their service,” said Martin. “But at least that’s one of the neat things about Oreos – they travel well.”
Sunbelt Office Products has offered to supply all the packing materials, trucks and drivers to deliver the Oreos to be shipped. The receiver and Oreo distributor will be Command Sergeant Major Frank Leota in Diyala, the first province north of Baghdad.
The main collection day for the Oreos will be Sunday at the church’s annual patriotic service. All members have been asked to bring as many packs of Double Stuf Oreos as they can to be donated to the troops.
Martin said he still has hopes that Oreo manufacturer Kraft Nabisco will get in on the action and agree to match the congregation’s donation. And they need not worry that Martin will be tempted to sample the cookies himself.
“One member brought a box of Oreos and said it was just for the office staff, so we’re eating those,” he said. “Besides, I have promised myself not to touch one donated Oreo that is meant for the troops.”
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church is at 69 N Main Street.
Information: (770) 475-5576 or
www.afumc.org.
cgray@neighbornewspapers.com
A fortuitous meeting on an airplane has led to a church crusade to send some All-American treats to troops abroad.
Thinking he was just flying to a golfing vacation in Scottsdale, Ariz., Alpharetta First United Methodist Church Senior Pastor Don Martin discovered he was in for more than just teeing off. Seated next to an Army captain who was just returning home from service in Iraq, Martin quickly struck up a conversation with the young soldier.
Martin learned the captain was trained to use robots to detonate improvised explosion devices before they could hurt soldiers and then use the forensic evidence to find suspects in surrounding villages. He then asked the soldier a usual question, but received an unusual answer.
“I asked him, ‘What’s the one thing you missed most while you were in Iraq?’ And without any hesitation he said, ‘Oreos. Double-stuffed.’ Well, I thought that was so funny I promised to ask the congregation to bring in Double Stuf Oreos to send overseas,” said Martin.
The idea that started out of admiration for a soldier who risks his life to save other soldiers’ lives has caught on like wildfire at the church. Martin said he has already collected 150 packs of Double Stuf Oreos from church members and hopes to collect 1,000 packs to send to Iraq.
“I wish I could take a pack of Oreos to every soldier in the Middle East myself and thank them for their service,” said Martin. “But at least that’s one of the neat things about Oreos – they travel well.”
Sunbelt Office Products has offered to supply all the packing materials, trucks and drivers to deliver the Oreos to be shipped. The receiver and Oreo distributor will be Command Sergeant Major Frank Leota in Diyala, the first province north of Baghdad.
The main collection day for the Oreos will be Sunday at the church’s annual patriotic service. All members have been asked to bring as many packs of Double Stuf Oreos as they can to be donated to the troops.
Martin said he still has hopes that Oreo manufacturer Kraft Nabisco will get in on the action and agree to match the congregation’s donation. And they need not worry that Martin will be tempted to sample the cookies himself.
“One member brought a box of Oreos and said it was just for the office staff, so we’re eating those,” he said. “Besides, I have promised myself not to touch one donated Oreo that is meant for the troops.”
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church is at 69 N Main Street.
Information: (770) 475-5576 or
www.afumc.org.
Meeting set for Alpharetta Elementary addition
By Caroline Gray
cgray@neighbornewspapers.com
Alpharetta Elementary School will be free of portable classrooms following an addition set to be finished August 2010.
The school will hold a public meeting tomorrow at 6 p.m. to discuss the 14,000-square-foot addition and renovations to the school. Construction will begin this summer, but will mostly occur during the school year after hours and during school breaks and finish up next summer.
Principal Pat Reed said she is eagerly anticipating the new additions and improvements to the existing building. The school uses twelve portables with two classrooms each.
“At the meeting we’ll show the new architecture and how it blends nicely and the design of the new classrooms,” said Ms. Reed. “We’ll also be going over the new renovations to the school.”
Renovations range from infrastructure improvements like a new heat pump, ceiling tiles and lighting to a new floor and air-conditioning for the school gym. Several renovations are planned for the special education wing, said Ms. Reed. Sports impact flooring will give the special education classroom floors some cushion and new ramps and secure doors will also be installed.
Ms. Reed said a parking study will also be conducted to reconfigure the school’s existing land because parking area is an area of concern for her.
Overall the improvements are an exciting development for the school. “We’re an older school in historic Alpharetta and by adding on we’ll be better than ever,” she said.
The meeting will be held in the cafeteria at Alpharetta Elementary School, 192 Mayfield Road in Alpharetta.
cgray@neighbornewspapers.com
Alpharetta Elementary School will be free of portable classrooms following an addition set to be finished August 2010.
The school will hold a public meeting tomorrow at 6 p.m. to discuss the 14,000-square-foot addition and renovations to the school. Construction will begin this summer, but will mostly occur during the school year after hours and during school breaks and finish up next summer.
Principal Pat Reed said she is eagerly anticipating the new additions and improvements to the existing building. The school uses twelve portables with two classrooms each.
“At the meeting we’ll show the new architecture and how it blends nicely and the design of the new classrooms,” said Ms. Reed. “We’ll also be going over the new renovations to the school.”
Renovations range from infrastructure improvements like a new heat pump, ceiling tiles and lighting to a new floor and air-conditioning for the school gym. Several renovations are planned for the special education wing, said Ms. Reed. Sports impact flooring will give the special education classroom floors some cushion and new ramps and secure doors will also be installed.
Ms. Reed said a parking study will also be conducted to reconfigure the school’s existing land because parking area is an area of concern for her.
Overall the improvements are an exciting development for the school. “We’re an older school in historic Alpharetta and by adding on we’ll be better than ever,” she said.
The meeting will be held in the cafeteria at Alpharetta Elementary School, 192 Mayfield Road in Alpharetta.
SADDLE UP: Equestrian remains big draw in north Fulton
By Ryan Peckrpeck@neighbornewspapers.com
Equestrian events and horse show exhibitions receive plenty of support in north Fulton. Matt Casey – Director of Equestrian at Wills Park in Alpharetta – said his park stays booked with shows for much, if not all, of the season.
Equestrian events and horse show exhibitions receive plenty of support in north Fulton. Matt Casey – Director of Equestrian at Wills Park in Alpharetta – said his park stays booked with shows for much, if not all, of the season.
“We pretty much have horse shows, that’s our main staple,” said Casey. “The majority of our horse shows are free, for people to come out and watch. We stay so busy out here. About every one-and-a-half days we have an event.”
Casey added Wills Park caters to about 75,000 spectators on an annual basis, and hosted another horse show just last weekend. Casey said the majority of shows are of the hunter-jumper variety, where contestents are judged based on eloquence over minimal jumps (hunter) and speed and clearance of higher fences (jumper).
“At the end of May we had a jumper show where City League International – [entrants] from all around the world – came to compete,” he said. “Obviously, north Fulton is always known for equestrian activities. That’s still strong.”
Richard Fritzler, who owns and operates The Horseback Riding Barn off Shallowford Road in Roswell, has sent past riders and horses to shows at Wills Park, among other hot spots. His land, while a bit on the smaller side by Fritzler’s account, provides a haven for local youths to learn skills and responsibilities in caring for and riding horses, as well as life skills, in general.
“It’s a place where people can come, who like to be around animals and horses,” said Fritzler, who was raised as a western-style rider in Colorado and has been training riders for 15 years in the north Fulton area.“When on a horse, the natural and logical consequences of their own [the rider’s] actions come right back to them immediately. For people or kids that really need that kind of integrated experience, horseback riding does that. This [location] offers team sport activity, but it really is a lot more personal thing.”
His two daughters, Katherine and Emily – both 22 years of age – “occasionally” compete, according to Fritzler. They continue to contribute on their father’s barn, as well as working towards college degrees.“It’s a wonderful place,” said Mary Flynn, whose granddaughter, Taylor, spends time at The Horseback Riding Barn. “It’s more than just about the riding. It’s about training young people to keep responsibility and have a good time. As a neighbor, this place is a fantastic place for young people.”
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Bicyclist pinned under truck in Alpharetta
By MARCUS K. GARNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
An Alpharetta man is recovering Wednesday night after a pick-up truck ran him over on his bicycle, police said. Police are still uncertain how the bicyclist, who has not been identified, came to be trapped beneath the truck.
The bicyclist was pinned beneath the truck for 20 minutes after being run over by the vehicle sometime after 6:30 p.m., Alpharetta Police spokesman George Gordon said.
“The bicyclist [was] talkative, responsive and alert,” as emergency crews used a hydraulic lift to rescue him from beneath the truck, Gordon said.
The bicyclist suffered cuts and abrassions, and was taken to North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell where he is being kept for observation, Gordon said.
No charges have been filed against the driver of the truck, police said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
An Alpharetta man is recovering Wednesday night after a pick-up truck ran him over on his bicycle, police said. Police are still uncertain how the bicyclist, who has not been identified, came to be trapped beneath the truck.
The bicyclist was pinned beneath the truck for 20 minutes after being run over by the vehicle sometime after 6:30 p.m., Alpharetta Police spokesman George Gordon said.
“The bicyclist [was] talkative, responsive and alert,” as emergency crews used a hydraulic lift to rescue him from beneath the truck, Gordon said.
The bicyclist suffered cuts and abrassions, and was taken to North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell where he is being kept for observation, Gordon said.
No charges have been filed against the driver of the truck, police said.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Belk store at North Point Mall to close
By Rachel Tobin Ramos
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
The Belk store at North Point Mall will close, the company confirmed Wednesday.
Belk got space in the mall after acquiring a Parisians store in 2006. The store later took over a larger space that had been occupied by Lord & Taylor.
Even with the closure, Atlanta will remain Belk’s largest market, with 21 stores.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk opened new stores in Newnan and Winder in March, and has spent more than $32 million on its stores in the area over the last two years.
In company earnings released last week, Belk said sales declined in the first quarter to $760.9 million, from $817.3 million in the first quarter 2008. The company blamed “continued weakness in consumer retail.”
Same-store sales — a metric that measures stores open more than a year — fell 7.7 percent.
The company eked out a profit of $500,000 for the quarter, compared to $5.1 million in the first quarter of 2008.
North Point Mall is managed by General Growth Properties. Other anchor tenants include Dillard’s, Macy’s, JCPenney and Sears.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
The Belk store at North Point Mall will close, the company confirmed Wednesday.
Belk got space in the mall after acquiring a Parisians store in 2006. The store later took over a larger space that had been occupied by Lord & Taylor.
Even with the closure, Atlanta will remain Belk’s largest market, with 21 stores.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk opened new stores in Newnan and Winder in March, and has spent more than $32 million on its stores in the area over the last two years.
In company earnings released last week, Belk said sales declined in the first quarter to $760.9 million, from $817.3 million in the first quarter 2008. The company blamed “continued weakness in consumer retail.”
Same-store sales — a metric that measures stores open more than a year — fell 7.7 percent.
The company eked out a profit of $500,000 for the quarter, compared to $5.1 million in the first quarter of 2008.
North Point Mall is managed by General Growth Properties. Other anchor tenants include Dillard’s, Macy’s, JCPenney and Sears.
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