Smart 911 service

Smart911The Atlanta Police Department is encouraging residents city-wide to enroll in a program that provides household information to first responders in the event of an emergency.

The free Smart911 system allows residents to create a “household safety profile” that would give emergency responders information about who lives in the home, along with photos and important medical information that would be helpful in an emergency. The information would only be used in the event of a 911 call.

Members of the police department are visiting neighborhood meetings to promote the service and answer questions from residents.

“In an emergency situation, every second counts,” Community Services Division Deputy Chief Renee Propes said in a statement. “Smart911 will help ensure first responders arrive on the scene with better insight of the situation at hand to more effectively address the needs of the citizens.”

Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and Chamblee police departments, along with departments around the country, also use Smart911. City of Atlanta enrolled in the service in December 2011.

In an effort to reach households without internet access and senior citizens, the Atlanta Police Department will hold mobile registration drives over the course of the year to walk residents through the registration process.

The first registration drive will be held on Friday, Feb. 24, at Baptist Towers, 1811 Myrtle Drive SW. You can register on their website here.

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Down payment assistance in Atlanta

Are you aware of the multiple opportunities for down payment assistance in the city of Atlanta? Here are just a few:

Cleta Winslow, our City Councilperson, Invest Atlanta and developer Jerome Russell will sponsor a series of housing and down-payment workshops and bus tours to help potential home buyers find available homes in Atlanta. The first workshop and tour will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Participants are asked to meet at Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue SW, in the City Council Chambers on the second floor at 8:30 a.m. Registration is required. Residents can call (404) 330-6047 to register.

Wells Fargo has started a program called “NeighborhoodLIFT”. The event has already happened in Atlanta, but the money is still out there to be used.

Last, there is downpayment assistance through the Beltline’s Affordable Housing program. This affects houses in the Beltline Tax Allocation District, which covers some houses along Allene Ave and other areas in Adair Park.

Some of these programs can be used in conjunction. Do some online research, there are many opportunities out there!

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Need some ideas for fixing up your house?

Adair Park is full of older homes. It is part of what most of us love about the neighborhood – large front porches, wooden windows, coal burning fireplaces, drop ceilings, old large crown molding, etc. There is an upcoming day long seminar in Decatur called “Decatur Old House Fair” on Saturday, February 18th that can help you with some ideas for what to do to your house. There are multiple seminars and workshops throughout the day covering topics from woodworking to kitchen and bath to energy efficiency to grout and caulk renewal.

And if you are interested, Living Social has a discount available that drops the cost to $5 per ticket!

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The Boxcar Grocer is open!

Boxcar GrocerLooking for some organic produce and don’t feel like making a long drive to the Farmer’s Market? Do you prefer to shop from local farms? Then the Boxcar Grocer is for you! This modern version of the corner store has opened in neighboring Castleberry Hill at 249 Peters Street.

From their website – “Boxcar offers a wide range of culturally and community appropriate items in addition to our organic produce, fresh bakery treats, and dairy selection.” It is great to have a local source of such yummy goodness! Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 9am-8pm, Sunday & Monday 11am-6pm.

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Adair Park Today monthly meeting tomorrow

Tuesday, February 7th at 7pm is the next Adair Park Todsay monthly community meeting. We will have special guests from Voter Education, SHINE weatherization program and Gideons mentoring program. We will also have the Atlanta Police Department, City Council and other officials speaking. Please grab a neighbor and join us to learn what is going on in your community.

The meeting is held at the Kroc Community Center at 967 Dewey Street, just across Metropolitan from Adair Park. Park in the back, go to the door on the right hand side and hit the buzzer. Tell them you are with Adair Park, and they will let you in. Hope to see you there!

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Keep Atlanta Beautiful Recycling Program

Keep Atlanta Beautiful LogoThe next monthly recycling event is Saturday, February 11th from 10am-3pm at Walden School, located at 320 Irwin Street. This event is organized by Keep Atlanta Beautiful. They accept a wide variety of recylables for free, including electronics, paper (they even shred it!), styrofoam and more. They will take televisions for $10 and can of latex paint for $2 per quart or gallon.

Keep Adair Park beautiful by helping Keep Atlanta Beautiful and recycle!

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Next S.A.F.E. Meeting January 31st

RecycleThe next South Atlanta For the Environment (S.A.F.E.) meeting is this Tuesday, January 31st, from 6-8pm at the Georgia Hill Center. The address is 250 Georgia Avenue, Room 316, Atlanta, GA, 30312. This is the first meeting of 2012.

For more information and to reserve dinner, contact Eco-Action at 404-584-6499.

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