NPU-S Calendar of Events, September 30 - Oct 6

Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar:
NPU-S Events:
  • Monday, September 30 - ARTlanta OPEN Mondays - 7pm, Stained Gallery (1719 Sayers St SW). Open mic & networking event for musicians to showcase their talents and mix & mingle with their peers within the art and music community. 
  • Saturday, October 5 - WAWA Walk with a Doc - 9am,  Lionel Hampton Trail (390 Willis Mill Road). Free, registration required. Weekly walk with health professionals, ask questions while getting fit. https://wawa-online.eventbrite.com
External Events:
  • Wednesday, October 2 - Task Force for the Promotion of Public Trust - 5:30pm, City Hall (55 Trinity Ave., Suite 5000 City of Atlanta Law Dept Bottoms Conference Room, 5th Fl.). This will be the final meeting of the City of Atlanta Task Force for the Promotion of Public Trust. The meeting will include roundtable discussion among the Task Force members and a work session to finalize their recommendations. There will be an opportunity for public comment at this meeting.
  • Wednesday, October 2 - NPU-R Meeting - 7pm, Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA (2220 Campbellton Rd SW) NPU-R encompasses the communities of Adams Park, Campbellton Road, Fort Valley, Greenbriar, Laurens Valley, Pamond Park, and Southwest
  • Friday, October 4 - Atlanta Region's Plan Pop-Up Open House - 11am, Atlanta Regional Commission, Harry West Conference Center (229 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 100). Visit an open house to learn more and share your thoughts about the latest update to the Atlanta Region’s Plan – the long-range plan developed by the Atlanta Regional Commission that details the investments planned for the decades to come.
If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to events@npu-s.org. Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

The Atlanta Region's Plan Pop-Up Open House - October 4, 11am, Atlanta Regional Commission

From the Atlanta Regional Commission:

Join ARC for our first Atlanta Region’s Plan Pop-Up Open House at our Conference Center in Peachtree Center on Friday, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This pop-up is the first of a series of six immersive, experiential pop-up open houses hosted by ARC throughout the region to share information about the Atlanta Region’s Plan, the long-range blueprint for region’s long range plan that looks out all the way to 2050. We’re updating this plan now, and we’re looking for your input to help shape our region’s future!

Friday, October 4, 11:00am – 2:00pm
Atlanta Regional Commission
Peachtree Center
229 Peachtree St. #100
Atlanta, GA 303031

ARC will be holding five more of these open houses throughout metro Atlanta over the next month. Visit an open house to learn more and share your thoughts about the latest update to the Atlanta Region’s Plan.

More information: https://www.atlantaregionsplan.org/update/openhouse/

Task Force for the Promotion of Public Trust - October 2, 5:30pm, City Hall

This will be the final meeting of the City of Atlanta Task Force for the Promotion of Public Trust. The meeting will include roundtable discussion among the Task Force members and a work session to finalize their recommendations. There will be an opportunity for public comment at this meeting.

TASK FORCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF PUBLIC TRUST
Wednesday, October 2, 2019, 5:30 P.M.

City Hall
55 Trinity Ave., Suite 5000
City of Atlanta Law Dept
Bottoms Conference Room, 5th Fl.
Atlanta, GA 30303

Springhouse Trail Boardwalk Ribbon Cutting - Sept 26, 10am, Cascade Nature Preserve

From Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet:

Join Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet this Thursday, September 26th at 10:00 a.m at the Cascade Nature Preserve for the ribbon cutting of the Springhouse Trail Boardwalk. Registration is encouraged by clicking the following link here.

Check out the video below showing how this wonderful new boardwalk was built!


Building partnerships to invest in community is no simple task. But a small group of dedicated community members sought to do just that. By researching community needs, gathering community partners and securing local funding, FCSNP have successfully made a strategic community investment to improve access and safety in the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve. The new Springhouse Trail Boardwalk features a 200ft pedestrian walking surface with 3 ADA ramps and performance space. The Boardwalk was designed to provide secure physical and visual access to portions of larger wetlands. As part of a broader trail systems, the boardwalks also creates an esthetic enhancement to the gathering place at the historic Springhouse artifact. Please join us to celebrate this community milestone at one of SW Atlanta's favorite Old Growth forests, Cascade Springs Nature Preserve.


NPU-S Calendar of Events, September 23 - 29

Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar:
NPU-S Events:
  • Monday, September 23 - ARTlanta OPEN Mondays - 7pm, Stained Gallery (1719 Sayers St SW). Open mic & networking event for musicians to showcase their talents and mix & mingle with their peers within the art and music community. 
  • Tuesday, September 24 - Oakland City Community Organization - 6:30pm, Reverend James Orange Recreation Center (1305 Oakland Dr). More information at https://www.occoatl.org/ 
  • Thursday, September 26 - Cascade Avenue Neighborhood Organization - 7pm, Fire Station 14 (1203 Lee St.). Covers south of Beecher to north of Avon, from Cascade Heights to Westmont.  For more information, contact cascadeaveneighborhood@gmail.com
  • Saturday, September 28 - WAWA Walk with a Doc - 9am,  Lionel Hampton Trail (390 Willis Mill Road). Free, registration required. Weekly walk with health professionals, ask questions while getting fit. https://wawa-online.eventbrite.com
External Events:

  • Tuesday, September 24 - Film: "Suppressed: The Fight to Vote" - 7pm, Auburn Avenue Research Library (101 Auburn Ave NE). The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with Brave New Films, will host a screening of Suppressed: The Fight to Vote by Robert Greenwald. In Suppressed: The Fight to Vote, Brave New Films weaves together personal stories, from American voters, that vividly paints a disturbing picture of recent systemic voter suppression, that disproportionately affected communities of color. This film examines the historical context and contemporary relevance Voter suppression experienced by millions of Americans via voter roll purges, poll closures, missing absentee ballots, and strict voter ID. This event is free and open to the public.
  • Wednesday, September 25 - Fort Mac LRA Community Engagement Subcommittee Meeting - 5:30pm, Ft. McPherson LRA Office (1794 Walker Ave). http://fortmaclra.com/community/
  • Sunday, September 29 - Atlanta Streets Alive - Southwest - 2:30pm, Cascade Ave & Donnelly St. From the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition: "From 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition activates Atlanta Streets Alive - Southwest, connecting 7 neighborhoods spanning from Cascade Avenue along Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard to Georgia Avenue. We'll close the streets to cars and open them for people to walk, roll, bike, and play!" For more information, see https://www.atlantastreetsalive.com/southwest.
If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to events@npu-s.org. Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

NPU-S General Meeting *tonight*, Sep 19, 7pm

Tonight, Thursday the 19th, will be our NPU General Meeting for September 2019, held, as always, on the third Thursday of each month.

At this meeting there will be a presentation, two zoning votes, and an ordinance on "party houses".

Furthermore, there will be a vote on several proposed changes to the bylaws. Unlike other NPU-S votes, bylaws changes are voted upon by residents of the NPU without restriction. All other NPU-S votes are restricted to members who have attended at least three meetings in the last year.

And, of course, there will be reports from the police, code enforcement, public works, and many more!

See you there!

When: Thursday, September 19, 2019, 7-9pm
Where: VICARS, 838 Cascade Rd SW
Agenda: http://bit.ly/NPUSAgendaSeptember2019

Annual West End Health Fair - September 21, 10am, West End Mall

From West End Seventh-Day Adventist Church: Please come out to support the annual West End Health Fair on September 21st from 10:00am to 3:00pm at 850 Oak St SW Atlanta, GA 30310. We will have health screenings, vendors, and much  more. We hope to see you there!




Fulton County Board of Equalization Seeking New Members

The Board of Equalization hears and decides taxpayer's appeals of the value, uniformity of value and taxability of real and personal property, exemption denials and current use determinations. Board members are also responsible for assuring that all real and personal property entered on the county's assessment roll is at true and fair market value.

In addition to being property owners, applicants must also be qualified and competent to serve as grand jurors and be high school graduates at least 18 years old.  Applicants must satisfactorily complete 40 hours of certified state-mandated training before he or she can participate as a member of the Board. Applicants may not hold an elected office or be employed by an elected official.

Successful candidates will serve a three year term and may be reappointed by the grand jury for more than one term of office. Board members are compensated at the rate of $100.00 per day.

To apply, please visit: Fulton County Board of Equalization (BOE) Member Application


NPU-S Calendar of Events, September 16 - 22

Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar:
NPU-S Events:
  • Monday, September 16 - ARTlanta OPEN Mondays - 7pm, Stained Gallery (1719 Sayers St SW). Open mic & networking event for musicians to showcase their talents and mix & mingle with their peers within the art and music community. 
  • Tuesday, September 17 - Beecher-Donnelly Community Association - 7pm, West End Family Life & Community Center (1191 Donnelly Ave SW). Covers the area between Oakland Drive and Cascade, from Richland to Donnelly.
  • Thursday, September 19 - NPU-S General Meeting - 7pm, VICARS (838 Cascade Ave).
  • Saturday, September 21 - WAWA Walk with a Doc - 9am,  Lionel Hampton Trail (390 Willis Mill Road). Free, registration required. Weekly walk with health professionals, ask questions while getting fit. https://wawa-online.eventbrite.com
  • Saturday, September 21 - Westridge/Sandtown Venetian Hills Neighborhood Organization - 10am. Monthly meeting of WSCO, which operates over the entirety of Venetian Hills. Contact VenetianHillsPresident@gmail.com for more information.
  • Saturday, September 21 - Lorenzo Drive Neighborhood Block Association - 5pm, Chik-fil-A (875 M.L.K. Jr Dr SW). Quarterly meeting of LDNBA, which operates on Lorenzo Drive and neighboring roads. Contact thelders@bellsouth.net for more information.
External Events:
  • Wednesday, September 18 - NPU-I Meeting - 7pm, CT Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center (3201 MLK Dr.). Covers the neighborhoods of Audubon Forest, Beecher Hills, Cascade Heights, Collier Heights, Florida Heights, Ivan Hill, Mangum Manor, Peyton Forest, West Manor, Westhaven, and Westwood Terrace.
  • Saturday, September 21 - Atlanta Planning Advisory Board General Meeting - 10am, Atlanta City Hall (55 Trinity Ave).
If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to events@npu-s.org. Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

Federal Opportunity Zone Small Business Empowerment Forum - September 26, 9:30am, Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Join Invest Atlanta, the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a discussion on Federal Opportunity Zones.

Federal Opportunity Zones are economically-distressed census tracts where investors can re-invest their unrealized capital gains to support revitalization in low-income communities. The City of Atlanta has 26 Federal Opportunity Zones, primarily located in the southern and southwestern areas of the city.

This action-oriented economic development forum will offer guidance and support to small and minority-owned businesses seeking to participate in Atlanta’s Federal Opportunity Zone initiative.

Click here to RSVP on Eventbrite.

Thursday, September 26 2019, 9:30am – 11:30am

Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
504 Fair St SW
Atlanta, GA 30313




Saint Peter Missionary Baptist Church Community Festival - September 28, 12pm, Saint Peter Missionary Baptist Church

Fun for the whole family! The Saint Peter Missionary Baptist Church Community Festival will have food bank giveaways, health screenings, and opportunities for residents to connect with community resources and public officials.

The festival will be held on Saturday, September 28, from noon to 3pm, at Saint Peter Missionary Baptist Church, 1558 Venetian Drive Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30311.

For more information, email info@saintpeterbaptist.org or call 404.758.4462


Bylaws update

At our next NPU-S meeting on the 19th, we'll be voting on proposed changes to our bylaws. Bylaws are required to be sent to the City every year by the 30th, so this is our make-or-break time - please come out!

Earlier in the year, we had a committee meet in February and put together a new set of bylaws, to be voted on up-or-down by the NPU. However, after the proposed changes generated greater interest in the Bylaws process, we decided to take a different approach. Instead of voting on a complete set of bylaws with every change already inserted, we've pulled out the changes so that each change can be voted on independently.

The latest Bylaws meeting happened on September 7, and the resulting set of changes can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/131Em9xdTcMX9CmO_lIaBBJSV931Be5aN?usp=sharing under the document "proposed bylaws changes 2019".

A quick summary of the proposed changes:

  • Neighborhood Association Recognition - Adds clarifying language on how Neighborhood Associations are recognized by the NPU.
  • Removal of Officers - moves Sections on removing and replacing officers into more appropriate Articles
  • Expansion of Vice-Chair Duties - assigns the Vice-Chair to be the APAB representative for the NPU, unless otherwise delegated
  • Voting Identification Requirements - expands the ways residency can be proven for voting purposes within the NPU
  • Political Forums Boilerplate - moves Section on prohibiting political forums to a more appropriate Article
  • Duty to Solicit Consensus - clarifies that Executive Committee members are expected to solicit the consensus of their communities.
  • Clarification of Elections and Officer Terms - cleans up language on election procedures, moves some miscategorized Sections into appropriate Articles
  • Reduce number of Standing Committees -  Shrink the number of standing committees from nine to four, merging the responsibilities of the original committees to create fewer committees with broader mandates.
    The four new committees would be:
    • Land Use Committee – merges the Zoning, Traffic, and Code Enforcement Committees. By default chaired by the NPU Zoning contact.
    • Quality of Life Committee – merges the Human Development/Safety, Recreation/Cultural Affairs, and Environmental Committees
    • Assistant Services Committee – merges the Senior Services and Education Committees. Adds a mandate to consider youth issues.
    • Policy Committee – enhances the APAB Committee to encompass NPU policy positions both internally and externally. By default chaired by the APAB representative for the NPU.
Every one of these changes will be voted on separately on the 19th. For more details, including the specific text changes, go to the PDF document linked above.

Last but not least: NPU-S normally restricts voting to residents who have attended at least three NPU meetings in the past 12 months, but in accordance with City ordinance, there are no such restrictions on votes on Bylaws. If you haven't visited us before and wish to vote on the bylaws, please bring some proof of residency to receive a ballot.


Georgia Power Energy Assistance Programs

With temperatures across Georgia expected to continue to climb into the 90's through the week, Georgia Power is reminding customers that the company offers energy assistance programs to those in need of help paying or reducing their monthly energy bill.

Need a little help paying or reducing your monthly energy bill? Georgia Power partners with nonprofits, community and faith-based organizations to offer assistance programs to those in need. Programs include:

Visit georgiapower.com/energyassistance to get started.


Barbeque Cook Out with Councilmember Cleta Winslow - September 15, 3pm, 1380 Mozley Place SW

Join Councilmember Cleta Winslow for a free Barbeque Cook Out.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 from 3 - 5pm at the home of Roy Davis, 1380 Mozley Place SW, Atlanta, GA 30314.

For more information please contact Councilmember Cleta Winslow at 404.330.6047 or cwinslow@atlantaga.gov.


NPU-S Calendar of Events, September 9 - 15

Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar:
NPU-S Events:
  • Monday, September 9 - ARTlanta OPEN Mondays - 7pm, Stained Gallery (1719 Sayers St SW). Open mic & networking event for musicians to showcase their talents and mix & mingle with their peers within the art and music community. 
  • Tuesday, September 10 - Graymont Drive Neighborhood Organization - 6:30pm, St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church (1558 Venetian Dr). Monthly meeting of GDNA, which operates over Graymont, Elizabeth, Lockwood, and Westmont. Contact DionneMoore2015@gmail.com for more information.
  • Saturday, September 14 - WAWA Walk with a Doc - 9am,  Lionel Hampton Trail (390 Willis Mill Road). Free, registration required. Weekly walk with health professionals, ask questions while getting fit. https://wawa-online.eventbrite.com
  • Saturday, September 14 - Bush Mountain Community Organization Meeting - 2pm, Outdoor Activity Center (1442 Richland Rd SW).For more information, contact Tavius Elder at taviuselder@yahoo.com.
External Events:
  • Monday, September 9 - NPU-V Meeting - 7pm, Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority Resource Center (341 Kelly St SE). NPU-V encompasses the communities of Mechanicsville, Summerhill, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, Adair Park, and Capitol Gateway.
  • Wednesday, September 11 - NPU-T Meeting - 7pm,  Lee & White St Community Room (1020 White St SW) NOTE: Location update! The NPU-T meeting will be held at Wild Heaven West End Brewery, 1010 White St SW, adjacent to Monday Night Brewing. NPU-T encompasses the communities of Ashview Heights, Atlanta University Center, Harris Chiles, Just Us, Castleberry Hill, West End, and Westview.
If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to events@npu-s.org. Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

NPU-S Bylaws Meeting - THIS SATURDAY, 9/7, 11am at Outdoor Activity Center

The meeting to to collect and categorize proposed changes to the NPU-S bylaws, to be voted on at the September General Meeting, is occurring this Saturday, September 7th, starting at 11am at the Outdoor Activity Center, 1442 Richland Rd SW.

Background:
In February, NPU-S called a meeting of a Bylaws Committee to go over the current bylaws and review proposed changes. After a period of review and revision, the Executive Committee approved the proposed changes for vote at the General Meeting.

The timeline originally was to hold the vote in August, as the bylaws were introduced to the General Body at the July meeting. However, since the August meeting is typically lightly attended, and the deadline for bylaws submission to the City is end of September, it seems like a better idea to give the community extra time to review and comment on the bylaw changes. Vote will be held at the September meeting.

The directory containing the bylaws is at:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=131Em9xdTcMX9CmO_lIaBBJSV931Be5aN

There are four PDF documents in the directory:

  • 2017 bylaws - the current bylaws that the NPU operates under
  • 2010-2011 bylaws - a previous version for historical comparison
  • The current proposed 2019 version, and
  • An annotated version of the proposed 2019 bylaws.

The annotated version uses colors to show the differences between the 2017 version and the proposed version. Added sections are highlighted in green; changes sections are highlighted in yellow, and deleted sections are in highlighted in red with strikethrough.

Most of the changes are minor:

  • Some sections were simply moved into more appropriate areas. For instance, Article I, section 4 was moved to Article III, section 6.
  • In other cases, clarifying language was added. For instance, text on what defines an "active community association" was added in Article V, Section 3.  

There are two fundamental changes to the bylaws:

  • First, the number of standing committees is collapsed from nine committees to four. The purpose of this change is to have fewer, larger committees, instead of many one-person "committees" that cannot work effectively.  This codifies the "teams" system that the NPU is currently using. All responsibilities from the previous committees are preserved, merely swept into the new committees:
    • The new Land Use Committee takes on the responsibilities of the current Land Use, Zoning, and Transportation committees.
    • The new Quality of Life Committee takes on the responsibilities of the Human Development and Public Safety, Environment, and Recreation and Cultural Affairs committees.
    • The new Assistant Services Committee takes on the responsibilities of the Senior Services and Education committee.
    • The new Policy Committee takes on the responsibilities of the APAB committee.  It also formulates NPU-S's official positions on citywide and regional issues.
  • Second, the role and responsibilities of the APAB representative are enhanced. The purpose of this change is to create a system around the NPU's relationship with the City and its neighbors.  Currently, the Chair winds up being the face of the NPU, but this can lead to the NPU taking positions that are at odds with its constituency.  By creating a committee, this change hopes to ensure that the NPU's official positions reflect the will of the community.  The APAB representative is assigned as head of the Policy Committee by default, and by default the role of APAB representative is assign to the Vice-Chair. These responsibilities can be delegated to other people.

Physical copies of the bylaws will be available at the next NPU meeting.

If you have comments, questions, or suggestions, please by all means get in touch with with the Chair at chair@npu-s.org (or call 404 890 0089), email the executive committee at exec@npu-s.org, talk with your local neighborhood organization, or come to the General Meeting.