Property Deal Stalls, Cutting Alpharetta's Project Scope

by Bob Pepalis / Appen Newspapers

Alpharetta -- A deal couldn't be worked out with a downtown Alpharetta property owner, cutting the size of the proposed City Center project by a few acres.Solomon Holdings was unable to reach a deal with Old Milton Square Partnership, which owns almost 62,000 square feet of property at 40 South Main Street. In February, the partnership wanted $2.44 million for the property, which includes two small strip center buildings.Diana Wheeler, Alpharetta's Community Development director and spokesperson for the project, said this property will not be part of the City Center project. The proposed site design was U-shaped, with buildings surrounding a town square open to Main Street.

Any new site design will be roughly U-shaped around Old Milton Square.Wheeler said she heard the development team and Old Milton Square's owners couldn't agree on a price or other details in the negotiations.Wheeler said Solomon Holdings apparently has a tentative agreement with Robert J. Miller Jr., owner of the 39,000 square feet of property at 50 South Main Street, a house used as an office between Old Milton Square and Publix to the south."We're meeting with the architects to see what our design options are," Wheeler said.

Downtown business owner Kathi An Kessler said she thinks it is great that the project is moving ahead despite the failure to make one land deal. The project might be smaller initially, she said, but Old Milton Square's owners might want to develop after City Center develop.Kessler, owner of The Galérie at the corner of South Main and Milton Avenue, said business owners have been asking all along "what can we as downtown merchants do to help this along."Hearing that City Council will hear the new site proposal at a workship in August or September, Kessler responded "that's not soon enough for me."

What happens to a new city hall also will be determined by the new site configuration being prepared by the architects."It all comes back down to the design. City hall will be designed into the whole project," Wheeler said.

The new configuration will include multi-story buildings three and four stories high."We'll have to accommodate parking in some kind of structured facility," she said.Wheeler said several different options have to be explored to determine costs and practicality.Kessler said she has nurtured her customers for 20 years"Thank God I have a loyal following," she said.She has been doing her part to boost downtown business, holding promotions every other month to attract patrons not only to her boutique, but also to other downtown businesses. But she said she can't keep doing this, as it is too costly in time and money."That's what you do in a community, you help each other out. I'd like to see the city doing things that are focusing on downtown, not necessarily the outskirts. Downtown is the nucleus."

The difference between Barry Real Estate, the first developer in charge of the City Center project, and Solomon Holdings, the current team leader, is that they live in the community and care about it, Kessler said.

Market Growing For Alpharetta Firm's "chicken litter" Fertilizer

By DOUG NURSE http://www.ajc.com/

It's a fertile world for Organic Growing Systems in Alpharetta.
The newly formed company is cashing in on the rising price of synthetic fertilizer by specializing in reconstituted "chicken litter," as it's delicately put.

As the price of traditional, petroleum-based fertilizer skyrocketed 200 percent to 300 percent since 2005, more and more farmers and sod-growers are turning to natural alternatives, said Chris Nichols, the company CEO. "Everyone is looking at us like we're the hot chick at the prom," said Marc Nichols, Chris' nephew and national sales manager. "Today we sold a third of what we did last year." And the future looks even better.

In September, the company had 11 steady customers; now it has close to 200, including turf companies, farmers, cities and golf courses, as well as Piedmont Park. "We placed an order with them last year, and we're placing a second order this year," said Chris Nelson, chief operating officer for Piedmont Park Conservancy. "That should send a message that we're happy with the product."

Chris Nichols said that in January 2007, diammonium phosphate cost $252 a ton. Now it's $1,050 a ton. He can sell chicken manure fertilizer for $350 to $450 a ton.

Organic Growing Systems, a subsidiary of Advance Growing Systems, has one plant, a 30,000-square-foot facility in Monticello, Miss., that produces up to 30 tons of nitrogen-rich chicken fertilizer a day. But Chris Nichols is expanding the Mississippi plant to generate up to 200 tons of chicken litter fertilizer a day by this fall. He also is planning to build another, larger facility near Gainesville within two years and others in Texas and California within five years.
"We're trying to be first at the top," Marc Nichols said. "We're trying to be the national brand."

It was a curious trail that brought Chris Nichols, a financier, to the chicken manure industry. His brother (and Marc's father), Mark Nichols, a landscape and sod expert, was brought in to look at the dead lawn of an expansive home in west Cobb County in 2003. He consulted with another expert from Texas, who brought a load of fertilizer, told them to spread it before and after the replacement sod was laid, and water it like a regular lawn. Mark Nichols was skeptical. Usually, that much fertilizer and that little water will burn sod to a crisp. Mark Nichols came back in a month and found a thriving lawn. He promptly called his finance guru brother and told him they had to get in on this. Chris Nichols did research and decided it was doable. In 2007, they secured financing and bought a plant in Mississippi from an 81-year-old man who knew the product but not the financing and marketing.

After about a year, Organic Growing Systems overhauled its sales force and business took off.
The beauty of chicken manure as a fertilizer is that it becomes soil, feeding beneficial microbes in the dirt, which continues to nourish the plant, said Chris Nichols. Over time, farmers need less and less of the fertilizer. Synthetic fertilizer feeds the plant but doesn't add anything to the soil, he said.

Virtually all of the chicken fertilizer is consumed by plants or rebuilding soil, said John Chapman, general manager of a 2,500-acre turf farm in Foley, Ala., and an Organic Growing Systems customer. "There's nothing negative about the product," Chapman said. "This stuff flat works."

For poultry farmers, manure is a massive headache, something to get rid of, and they're happy to sell it for the cost of shipping. It's hauled in dump trucks to the plant, where it's semi-dried, sterilized, mixed with other stuff like ground feathers for protein, a little yucca for the odor, shells from shrimp and whatnot for binder, and then made into pellets by squeezing it like Play-doh through little holes.

The fact the product is environmentally friendly is a plus, but for most customers, cost and effectiveness are the driving factors, Marc Nichols said. "It's not that they're green," he said. "They want it to be good for the plant, but it has to be good for the pocketbook."

Chapman said that using natural fertilizer pays for itself over the long haul. "Used to, it wasn't cost effective for the first few years, but since synthetic fertilizer is going up, it's now an easier decision to make," Chapman said. "The more you do it, the less you use. That's not the case with most product. It's a long-term thing. Once you look at the big picture, it becomes even more cost-effective."

Bus Crash Injures More Than 20 From Lexington

By Ashlee Clark
aclark@herald-leader.com

More than 20 children and adults from Centenary United Methodist Church on Tates Creek Road in Lexington were sent to the hospital Sunday after a pick-up crashed into their bus in Dothan, Ala.

The truck apparently had been speeding and was cutting in and out of traffic in the northbound lane of Ross Clark Circle, said Sgt. Tim Ward of the Dothan Police Department's traffic safety division.

The truck driver lost control, possibly from hydroplaning, Ward said. The truck crossed the median and hit one of the three buses taking the 83-member church group to a youth camp in Panama City, Fla., said Gina Evans, senior administrator at Centenary.

There was nothing the bus driver could have done to avoid the truck, Ward said.
Roughly 24 youths and counselors were taken to two Dothan-area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries that were mostly bumps and bruises, Ward said.

“We're just very grateful that all the kids and adults are OK and that God took care of them,” Evans said.

Two people in the truck were in critical condition, Ward said. Two or three adults from the church group were to stay in the hospital overnight for injuries that included a concussion and a fractured hip.

Twelve adults and 71 children were headed to BigStuf Camps, part of a non-denominational, non-profit ministry based in Alpharetta, Ga. The group was about 45 minutes away from the camp when the accident happened.

Centenary officials will decide soon whether the youth group will go forward with the trip.

Bryan Adams & Pals Coming To Alpharetta

Jun 30, 2008 3:06AM

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams will spend his summer on the road in North America with a series of co-headlining dates with Foreigner and then Rod Stewart. The singer will also hit select cities during the run with his acoustic show, "A Very Special Solo Performance." Stops with Foreigner include Augusta, Maine (July 15), Norfolk, Va. (July 18), Alpharetta, Ga.(July 20), Houston and Dallas. Dates with Stewart kick off July 30 in Paso Robles, Calif. and run through August 9 in Cleveland, Ohio, with additional stops including Las Vegas, Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati. Adams' acoustic sets will take place in Wilmington, Del. (July 17), Charleston, S.C. (July 21), New Orleans (July 23), Milwaukee (August 3), St. Louis (August 4) and Pittsburgh (August 7). Tickets for all three lineups are available at Ticketmaster.com. Adams' latest release, 11, is available exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.

Textron Financial Vendor Fiance Names William Carney Sales Manager For Southeastern Region.

Alpharetta, GA, USA – June 30, 2008 -

Textron Financial Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that its Vendor Finance Division has added William Carney as a regional sales manager. In this role, Carney will assume responsibility for building vendor relationships within the construction industry throughout the Southeastern United States.

“Bill is a well-respected industry veteran who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our growing team of professionals,” said Troy Murray, vice president and national sales manager, Vendor Finance. “Our goal is to place top sales talent in strategic regions across the country in order to better serve our customers.”

“Bill is a leader in the construction equipment finance market,” said Vincent Faino, president, Vendor Finance. “He is known for successfully identifying and satisfying the needs of large multi-line dealers and distributors. He places the customer first in all that he does, making him an excellent fit for Textron Financial.”

Carney joins Textron Financial from GE Capital where he grew the Southeast territory into one of the company’s largest volume-producing regions, originating over $50 million in new business. He has also worked for CitiCapital, where he originated loans and leases to the construction industry.

The Vendor Finance Division develops and manages vendor-based equipment leasing relationships across multiple industries, oversees Textron Financial’s golf equipment financing business, and pursues construction and agricultural equipment financing opportunities in the United States and Canada.

The division is based in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA. About Textron Financial Textron Financial is a diversified commercial finance company with more than $11 billion in managed receivables. It has core businesses in Aviation Finance, Asset-Based Lending, Distribution Finance, Golf Finance, Resort Finance, and Structured Capital. Textron Financial also provides financing programs for products manufactured by its parent company, Textron Inc. Additional information about the company is available at www.textronfinancial.com. About Textron Textron Inc. is a $13.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 34 countries with approximately 44,000 employees.

The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense and intelligence, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.

New Law Protects Pipeline Infrastructure From Underground Blasting

Tennessee Lawmakers, Governor Praised for New Safety Measure

ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The president of Colonial Pipeline Company today praised the Tennessee Legislature and Gov. Phil Bredesen for adopting a new law that protects petroleum pipelines from underground blasting.

During the 2008 session, legislators tightened blasting laws to add new limits that protect Colonial Pipeline as well as other underground petroleum pipelines.

“Developing a state’s infrastructure is an important job for any government official,” said Norm Szydlowski, the president and CEO of Colonial, which has its headquarters in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.

“But it’s just as important to safeguard the infrastructure that you have, and for that the Governor and Legislature deserve our deep appreciation,” Szydlowski said.

The pipeline safety bill was sponsored by Sen. Tim Burchett, a Knoxville Republican and Deputy Speaker of the Senate, and by Rep. Curt Cobb, a Democrat from Shelbyville. The bipartisan support resulted in unanimous passage, 32-0 in the Senate and 93-0 in the House. Gov. Bredesen signed the new law on March 10 and it becomes effective July 1.

Without this new legislation, Colonial was forced to negotiate with construction crews and others doing blasting to ensure their work did not threaten the pipeline.

“While there has been a spirit of cooperation in these negotiations, the proper thing to do was ensure the safety of these pipeline operations. They are too vital to our citizens and our state’s economy to leave anything at risk,” said Rep. Cobb.

Tennessee receives a significant portion of its gasoline and other liquid fuels via Colonial’s network of underground pipelines. Colonial’s 5,500 miles of pipe stretch from the refineries of the Gulf Coast to the New York harbor, serving Tennesseans along the way. Products carried on the Colonial Pipeline include diesel fuel, home heating oil, jet fuel and fuels for the U.S. military as well as gasoline.

Despite Lower Rate, Alpharetta Officially Raising Taxes

By DOUG NURSE www.ajc.com

Only in the "Alice in Wonderland" world of government and law could a city cut taxes and still be said to be raising taxes.
The city of Alpharetta is cutting its property tax rate, but it legally has to advertise that it's increasing taxes.

Because of rising property reassessments and growth, the city will take in more money than it did last year even if it doesn't touch its property tax rates. In fact, if the city takes in $1 more than it did the previous year from reassessments, it has to advertise that it's raising taxes.
Alpharetta is cutting its millage from $6.24 to $5.75 per $1,000 in taxable property value, or a cut of .498 cents. But that's not enough to be revenue-neutral, so it's raising taxes.

Property reassessments for 2009 are generating about 7.06 percent more in tax revenue to the city than it collected in 2008.
To be revenue-neutral, the city would have to cut the rate to $5.47 per $1,000 in taxable values.
The city is concerned that many people are challenging the new reassessments, which could reduce the value of the property being taxed. The city must adopt the 2009 millage by June 30, well before the challenges are settled.

If the City Council were to roll back the millage to be revenue-neutral and if the amount of taxable property shrinks, the city could suddenly find itself with less money than it had last year.

Public hearings on the property tax rate will be conducted at Alpharetta City Hall, 2 S. Main St., at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. June 12, and again at 7:30 p.m. June 19.