Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Inc. (KAtlB) is phasing out our monthly recycling event. Live Thrive Atlanta’s CHaRM will move into the Buckhead area with a more comprehensive menu of recyclables to offer, including hazardous materials. Their goal is to open a permanent location in the Buckhead! The CHaRM monthly event is on the last Saturday of the month from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, in the Magnolia parking lot at Lakeland Drive and Roswell Road, NE, 30305. (Less than 1.5 mile from our current location.)

For more than a decade KAtlB has hosted monthly, community recycling programs throughout the city of Atlanta. Our Buckhead, Midtown, Old 4th Ward, and Edgewood locations served over 100,000 patrons, collected over 1.4 million pounds of electronics, shredded more than 650,000 pounds of paper, recycled 40,000 gallons of paint and diverted thousands of pounds of Styrofoam, metals, glass, textiles and books from our landfills.

Until 2008, the City of Atlanta had no recycling to offer except for an annual event sponsored by a member of the City Council. Recognizing the need for recycling, Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Inc. started the first regularly scheduled monthly recycling program in 2008 providing the City residents access and knowledge of proper waste disposal.

Over the next ten years the City started their curbside recycling program, and in 2015 Live Thrive Atlanta, opened the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) in Chosewood Park. Now CHaRM is opening a once-a-month collection in Buckhead with plans to open a permanent facility open three days a week. This is fantastic recycling news for Buckhead! KAtlB recognizes this great opportunity to upgrade recycling services and fully supports CHaRM’s move to Buckhead.

Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Inc., wants to thank you, our loyal patrons, and we look forward to serving you again.

Survey was conducted by the North Highland Corridor Alliance, not the VHCA. Questions should be forwarded to richchey@gmail.com.

Thanks to the 349 residents of Morningside Lenox Park and Virginia-Highland that responded to the survey to help with visioning for North Highland through the two neighborhoods.  As advertised, everyone that took the time to provide input was entered into a drawing for a dining gift card.  Congratulations to Lori Peterson, the winner.

The survey found there is a profound sense of community in our neighborhoods, with more than 72% being very likely or extremely likely to recommend living or working in Morningside/Virginia-Highland to a friend. Only 6% were very unlikely or not at all likely to make that recommendation.  The top reasons noted for choosing to live in the area are that it is a walkable and bikeable; there are lots of dining options; there are great parks and open spaces; and the area is family friendly and a great place to raise kids.  Other reasons cited were the uniqueness, history, and safety of the area.

We were particularly interested in finding how our residents currently interact with the North Highland Corridor and their desires for improvements.  Now most folks frequent the area for its dining options, both at dinner and lunch, with dinner having a higher response rate.  Fewer tend to shop in its retail establishments and the use of professional services is very low with 74% claiming they never use such services along the corridor.  When asked why they didn’t use the corridor more often, the main reason mentioned was little variety in dining/retail options (30%).  Other reasons that figure in are lack of parking and traffic. 

When queried about the types of businesses they’d like to see in the future, restaurants (73%) was closely followed by grocers (68%).  It appears that most residents stick pretty close to home for their dining/shopping with almost half claiming to shop in Morningside/Virginia-Highland once a week or more.  Other areas frequented were Ansley Mall, the Beltline, and Midtown.

As far as vision goes, residents cited Safety, Schools, and the Business District as the most important issues facing the area.  An open-ended question that asked about their vision for the neighborhood 5 years from now also pointed to the importance of transportation, the business district, and housing rose to the top.  Transportation concerns include traffic and ways to mitigate its impact on our neighborhoods. There is a common desire to see the area improve in terms of walk- and bike-ability.  Respondents wish to see fewer vacant storefronts and more variety in our shopping/dining districts.  Housing concerns are focused around affordability and the influx of McMansions.

The North Highland Corridor Alliance again thanks all who took the time to respond.  You can rest assured that your comments will help us as we work to improve the vital neighborhood artery.

Free Yoga in the Park is coordinated by the VHCA & Highland Yoga every first Sunday of the month. Due to rain in April and May, June 2 was our first vinyasa flow with instructor Inna Milko and it was a great turnout. About a dozen people walked, scooted, and rode to North Highland Park to lay out their mat under a tree for one hour of yoga in the park.

The North Highland Park provided a fantastic ambiance and a light chatter of singing birds, cars passing by, leaves in the wind, and Inna’s little jambox.

Join us for our next session, July 7 at 2:30pm. For updates follow the Facebook event here.

You might remember in March, when the City & Atl Plus did a month-long trial period of “bagged” meters, well it worked!

The metered parking at the Virginia-Highland intersection has officially (& finally) been removed, an effort on behalf of our Councilwoman Jennifer Ide as well as feedback from the community residents and landlords. Councilwoman Ide mentioned that Midtown has seen an increase in metered parking and that has allowed for some relief from neighborhood, which was one of the first neighborhoods to have them installed. The plan is to keep the pressure to eventually move free parking into the Atkin’s Park node.

Please invite all of your friends into the intersection to enjoy this new perk to shopping local!

Another Summerfest is in the books! The VHCA would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors and volunteers who made the festival possible.

The weekend was kicked off with a circus themed parade and showing of “The Greatest Showman” at our annual neighborhood dinner. Bright and early Saturday morning over 800 runners turned out for our 5K. As an added incentive, runners were offered a free beer or non-alcoholic beverage following the race. The popular tot trot sold out for the first time ever.

This year we welcomed over 200 artists in our juried market and 30 in our makers market. Summerfest had two new additions to the fun-packed weekend. The VHCA teamed up with Cornhole ATL to host a cornhole tournament, and our neighbor, Stephanie Coffin, held a walking tree tour.

Summerfest attendees also enjoyed an expanded Kidsfest area that featured bounce houses, a water slide, face painting, a petting zoo, police horses, and much more.

The Summerfest committee will be meeting next month in order to review the festival and discuss more exciting changes for the festival in 2020.

Are you tired of hitting the same potholes every day?

Do you wish the city would fix those potholes?  Well, you can be part of the solution.  Let the city know about the potholes you encounter so they can prioritize them as they work to fix our streets.  It is quick and easy.  VaHi residents have experienced success getting potholes filled as soon as 2-4 weeks after submitting the request (results may vary).

To submit a request use one of the following two methods:

Either:

1. Navigate to: https://www.atl311.com/?page_id=115&atlId=1-3JRDP
2. Click “Create Request”
3. Fill out the form.  Provide as much detail on the location as possible in the “Customer Notes” section (direction of travel, lane)

OR

1. Navigate to: https://www.atl311.com/
2. Click “Report a Problem”
3. Select “Streets and Sidewalks” from the drop down list
4. Select “Pothole” from the next drop down list
5. Select “Potholes” from the last drop down list
6. Click “Submit”
7. Click “Create Request”
8. Fill out the form.  Provide as much detail on the location as possible in the “Customer Notes” section (direction of travel, lane)

• Information letters and parking passes were mailed on May 20, 2019 to residents of streets that will be completely closed to traffic during Summerfest (such as Virginia Avenue from N. Highland to Park), Greencove, parts of Crestridge accessed from alley).  If your neighbor receives their letter and you don’t, please wait for another day to receive yours, as sometimes they are not delivered to everyone on the same day.
• For residents of streets closed to residents only (Clemont, Los Angeles, Maryland, Vance), your parking passes will be hand-delivered by May 31.
• If you live on one of the aforementioned streets and do not have your parking pass by May 31, then please contact Chip Franzoni at 404-357-2268.

Follow the link!

Focus Atlanta April 21, 2019

The 36^th Annual Summerfest (5/31 – 6/2) is right around the corner! 

Summerfest kicks off on Friday, May 31 with the neighborhood parade, neighborhood dinner and movie for residents of Virginia-Highland.  The movie this year is The Greatest Showman and the parade has a fun circus theme.  We’ll have a few circus-related surprises this year at the community dinner and movie!

Friday also marks the start of the free Summerfest concerts.  Moontower will be playing from 8 – 11 at the stage at Virginia and North Highland and will cover the best of The Beatles and favorites from David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead and more.  The free music continues all weekend with bands on both the North Highland Stage and the Main Stage in John Howell Park.  Additional information on the bands can be found at: https://www.vahisummerfest.org/music/

On Saturday morning, we have the always popular Summerfest 5K and Tot Trot.  This year, the 5k, which is a Peacthree Road Race qualifier, includes not only a great race tee shirt, but a free beer as well!  More information on the race, which starts at 8:00 am on Saturday, can be found athttps://www.vahisummerfest.org/run/

The amazing Summerfest artist market runs Saturday, 6/1 and Sunday 6/2 from 10:00 – 6:00.  In addition to the juried artist market with some of the top artists in the Southeast, we have an expanded Makers Market where you will get to explore booths from 30+ artisans and vendors who offer one-of-a-kind items that ignite the senses.

We have some exciting changes this year as well.  There will be a Corn Hole Tournament on Saturday.  https://www.vahisummerfest.org/events/#cornhole We have also expanded Kidsfest and expect it to be the best one yet!

Additional details on Summerfest are available on our new Summerfest website: https://www.vahisummerfest.org/about/

We look forward to seeing you at Summerfest on 5/31, 6/1 and 6/2!

WHEN

·         Friday, May 31 from 8 to 11 p.m. – Acoustic Street Party only

·         Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Artist Market and Makers Market close at 6:30 p.m.)

·         Sunday, June 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE 

·         Virginia Avenue between North Highland Avenue and Park Drive and John Howell Park.

COST

·         Admission to Summerfest, including all of the live music, is free.

Inspiritus Introduces New Thrive! Host Home Program

Inspiritus, formerly Lutheran Services of Georgia, has launched a new program focused on ending youth homelessness in Atlanta. The first program of its kind in Georgia, the Thrive! Youth Host Home program provides supportive, short-term housing in residential homes for youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness. 

The Thrive! Youth Host Home program creates welcoming spaces for youth experiencing homelessness to live safely in a home setting for up to nine months while they work toward transitioning into permanent housing. The program places special emphasis on being inclusive and supportive of youth who identify as LGBTQ and youth who have aged out of foster care. In addition to housing, youth in the program will receive ongoing support, including education and employment assistance and other case management services. Youth referrals will be coordinated through City of Atlanta’s coordinated entry system. 

Inspiritus is currently seeking compassionate individuals and families in the Metro-Atlanta area who are interested in opening their hearts and their homes to youth experiencing homelessness.  Individuals who would like to learn more are invited to attend an open house at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 16 at Episcopal Church of the Epiphany (2089 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307).  Registration is not required.

For more information on getting involved with Thrive! Youth Host Homes, visit  weinspirit.org/thrive or contact Inspiritus Youth Host Home recruiter Fran Patrick at fran.patrick@weinspirit.org

Hey neighbors!

We know some of you are talented beyond belief…cough cough Stephanie Coffin cough cough..

So the VHCA is hosting a ‘Call for Local Artists’ for one lucky winner to transform a utility box into a work of art. As part of the VHCA beautification funding, we will be sponsoring a local Artist to paint the utility box located near the sidewalk at North Highland Park.

To Apply:

Email your name, zip code, short bio, instagram/portfolio (optional) and conceptual ideas to communications@vahi.org.

Winner will be chosen June 1, 2019.

Note: if this proves popular, more utility boxes may become available!

Also note: the VHCA is still requesting permission to paint said utility boxes, if you have any information or connections with AT&T please contact communications@vahi.org

Meet Beautify VaHi and other volunteers in the main VaHi intersection Saturday, April 13th at 10am for a few hours of Spring planting and beautification! Projects on the list include replacing winter vegetation in existing planters, adding another 10 pots to the main intersection, replanting the Amsterdam parklet, new planters for Atkin’s Park area, and more!!

This is just the Spring facelift we were looking for, and we’d love your help!

BONUS: VHCA has teamed up with a few major landowners to fund-match a Business Node Pressure Washing Project. Peach State Pressure Wash will be cleaning our curbs and sidewalks of gum and debris prior to the Spring Planting to ensure maximum Winter recovery!

We’ll see you out there.

To donate to the cause, please click here.

The popular VaHi event, Summerfest, is right around the corner (June 1 & 2) and just like every year before, we need your help!

Here’s a few ways to get involved:

Volunteer:

It takes over 200 volunteers to make Summerfest possible. Sign up to volunteer for 1,2, or all 3 days to get the most out of your Summerfest experience! Volunteers will each receive a free commemorative t-shirt.

Click here to sign up to volunteer

Sponsor:

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. If you would like to be a sponsor of Summerfest, please email Rick@mixitmarketing or visit the new Summerfest website and click on the ‘sponsors’ tab! Thank you, all money raised goes directly back into the neighborhood!

Like & Share the event online! Click here to follow us on Facebook

The Atlanta Track Club and Publix are sponsoring a cheer party for runners of the Atlanta Publix Marathon at the intersection of Virginia and Highland Avenue on Sunday, March 17th. The cheer squad will set up around 6:30am and the runners should be passing from about 7:30-9:30 am! See map below.

Come out and support your neighbors with cheering and signs!

Hi Neighbors!
You might be thinking you haven’t heard much from Beautify VaHi in a while… BUT that’s because we’ve been planning MEGA for this year! We are taking last year’s momentum with the Perk’s Plus card, Winter Planting and VaHi Stocking Stuffer Market and were quadrulping it! We are so excited to announce a calendar full of neighborhood events and beautification efforts. 

A List of projects Beautify VaHi is working on:

• First, we want to brag on the daffodils we planted by the median sign back in December. They JUST popped up, and somehow it feel like instant gratification. So beautiful.
• Our Co-Founder, Katie Voelpel, is working with the Civic Association toward a Place-making grant from the City of Atlanta to spice up the Va-Hi median with tables and chairs under the existing trees. Application is due March 29th.
• Spring Planting Day is April 13th at 10am. We will be meeting at Art Bath Soul for an afternoon of beautification and maintenance in the main VaHi intersection. Join us! To make a donation of money or supplies, please contact katie@beautifyvahi.com.
• We are scouting a farmer’s market for our VaHi neighborhood residents, hopefully to open this Spring down by Atkin’s Park!
• Looking forward to a pressure washing of the business corridors this month!
• New Easter Wine Walk & Dine event is happening in the main intersection the Saturday before Easter (April 20th). Bring your friends for an afternoon of wristband-access to exclusive discounts, a VaHi commemorative wine glass, with wine and appetizers from local restaurants. Only $25, Sign up now on Event Brite!
• Keep an eye out for a Beautify VaHi Quarterly Newsletter mid-April. Email katie@beautifyvahi.com to join the list! We will be using this platform to update residents and visitors on news and events of each upcoming quarter. You won’t want to miss this! For other updates follow our Facebook @BeautifyVaHi
• A Mother’s Day Sidewalk SALE-bration is also happening. Similar to the Stocking-Stuffer Market we will be hosting independent artists & owners on the sidewalk of the main intersection. Bring your mom/graduate out to this free event on May 12.
• A VaHi Restaurant Week in June? We really hope so! Ask your local restaurant if they are participating.
• The 2nd Generation Perks Plus card is also in the works, set to launch this Summer/Fall.
• Beautify VaHi is also working with Art Bath Soul to create a co-op/community workspace in the back Enrichment Lounge area. For activities like, book clubs, bead-bracelet making, office hours, small workshops, and more. Contact Ben or Kayla at Art Bath Soul For a free booking/tour during business hours.

And that’s about it…for now!
We are so excited, and hope that you will join us for all the fun.

Katie Voelpel
Beautify VaHi, President
Contact Katie@BeautifyVaHi.com with comments, questions, & ideas!

The feedback on what color the sign is going to be…. has been brought to the people! Thank you to everyone who participated in our Instagram and Facebook surverys.

Our designs were made with reference to neighboring examples such as:

We started with about 70 signs and have added a bunch more! No matter what the decision, these are sure to add a fresh pop to our streetscape. Make sure to keep an eye out for these, coming this Summer!

Top That!

They say that street sign toppers encourage a sense of belonging and neighborhood pride. While it’s hard to imagine how one can be more proud of our community, we’re now a few steps closer to having our very own sign toppers to promote our neighborhood’s identity.  A few design mock-ups will be headed to the VHCA board for consideration at their next meeting. Once a selection is made, it’s off to production and up they’ll go! 

content submitted by Chip Franzoni of the VHCA Board of Directors

The Virginia-Highland Civic Association is pleased to report some significant property tax reductions that will result in material savings to the Association on the old library lots–now North Highland Park (at St. Charles Place and North Highland Avenue) that the VHCA owns thanks to some great efforts by past Treasurer George Zirkel and Walter Hotz, Esq., of BOE Tax Appeals in Tucker. Upon George’s request, Mr. Hotz appealed our 2018 taxes on the two parcels and physically attended the County Boards of Equalization hearings to present our case. The parcels were appraised at $174,000 and $157,000, respectively, in 2018 before the appeal and hearing. Mr. Hotz was able to get each lot appraisal down to $100, for a sum total of $200 appraisal value for the combined property/park. What an amazing job that the Association will reap benefits from for the next several years. These rates will be frozen/’locked in’ all the way until 2021 pursuant to the tax statute.

On behalf of the VHCA and all of its’ members, we would like to formally send a huge thanks out to both George Zirkel and Walter Hotz, Esq. Thanks so much!!

Article by David Brandenberger, President – Virginia-Highland Civic Association

From Jennifer Ide’s Office: (Please join us)

The Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST programs, launched in 2015 and 2016, were created to help address the billion dollar infrastructure backlog facing the city. Though the programs have made much progress to date delivering key projects across Atlanta, they face significant budget challenges as we move forward to complete the full initial program scope. Moreover, the cost to deliver the full scope of the initial program considerably exceeds the funding available from the Renew Atlanta Bond and anticipated TSPLOST revenues.

We are working diligently to prioritize and re-baseline the initial program lists to deliver the greatest impact to Atlanta’s above-ground infrastructure and transportation network with the available funds. Through this re-baselining effort, we are dedicated to engaging all stakeholders to help inform the process in a transparent and meaningful way.

As a first step in that process, we encourage you to attend our Public Meetings associated with each quadrant of the city. Bring your neighbors to the first meeting for the Northeast quadrant will be at Grady High School (929 Charles Allen Dr. NE) on January 30 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM

(UPDATE) Public input via survey has been extended to February 7, 2019.

Presentation and Survey can be found here.

Subscribe to the District 6 Newsletter for monthly updates/news/events in our district!

Submitted by Kim Meyer, Trustee, Inman Middle School Foundation

Atlanta Public Schools recently received the amazing news that all 6^th and 7^th grade students will benefit from the T-Mobile Empower Ed program.  What does this mean for Inman? Lenovo laptops will be issued to all 6^th and 7^th grade students in January. In addition, certain students will qualify for wireless “hotspots” to ensure the availability of WiFi service at home.

Thanks to donations from our Inman community that includes our Candler Park neighborhood, the Inman Middle School Foundation had already succeeded in funding over 400 Chromebooks that are already being used in classrooms every day across grades and subject areas. These devices, when added to the new T-Mobile laptops and existing Inman devices, mean that EVERY Inman student will have access to a dedicated device by February!

The Grady Cluster is aligned to support the College and Career Readiness platform for our students. These technology initiatives result in students gaining skills to best prepare them for their college and/or job experiences.  In the shorter term, increased exposure in the classroom helps increase students’ comfort level for the spring Milestones assessments which are conducted on a laptop or Chromebook.  Finally, this technology enables teachers across all grade levels to interact with their students in new and engaging ways while delivering real-time, differentiated instruction based on individual student needs and abilities.

Tenecia Powe, Inman’s Instruction Technology Specialist, said “The most powerful aspect of being one to one is the unique learning experiences that will now be offered to our students. They will be able to interact with content in a way that’s just not possible with the traditional paper and pencil method. Skyping content experts, virtual field trips, and other digital activities take learning beyond the borders of our brick and mortar school. With effective and efficient integration, we will not only engage and instruct our students today, but we will also prepare them for future success in college and careers.”

The success of this initiative will continue to require support in the areas of teacher professional learning, educational software, and technology updates/accessories. Continued financial contributions from our Inman families and community are therefore critical to maintaining the great momentum we’ve built so far.

Please visit www.inmanfoundation.org to learn more on how you can support our Inman Eagles!

Long time Board member, Leah Matthews welcomed her second baby, precious Lila Mae, last weekend. Congratulations to you and your family, Leah!

We’ll see you at the February Board Meeting! Thank you for all that you do.

Each month the volunteer board members of the VHCA, come together with Va-Hi residents to make motions, pass variances, and mold the future of our wonderful historic neighborhood. We invite you to join us for the conversation. Mark your calendar for the year ahead!

Capping off another successful year, the 2018 Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes raised more than $30,000 for the Virginia-Highland Civic Association. Every year we’re reminded of what an incredible neighborhood ours is to call home, and this year was no different! Seven generous neighbors opened up their homes to more than 1,700 visitors over the weekend of December 1^st and 2^nd, showcasing their art, furnishings, and renovations, as well of some of the neighborhoods favorite restaurants. Despite one day of heavy rain, more than 170 volunteers came out to showcase wonderful homes from across Virginia-Highland. Luckily, Sunday brought beautiful weather – and with it a record number of visitors. 

Raising more than $380,000 for the neighborhood over the last six years, the Tour of Homes is a true community effort. We’d like to thank, first and foremost, our homeowners for hosting this year’s tour. We couldn’t have done it without YOU! We’re also very grateful to our advertising and restaurant partners who continue to be so generous each year. Many thanks to those who volunteered throughout the weekend and to our house captains who managed volunteers at each home.

The Tour of Homes Committee works all year long to put together an outstanding event. We’d like to thank each of them for their efforts:

• Home Selection: Jeannie Lightsey (Co-Chair), Robin Ragland (Co- Chair), Pam Bullock, Julie Farmer, and Mary Hallenberg
• Public Relations:  Kitsy Rose PR
• Restaurants: JoAnn Zyla (Chair), Alison Hutton, and Robin Ragland
• Volunteers: Brittany Thacher (Co- Chair), Meghan Pendergast Dean (Co-Chair), Elanor Barrineau, and Karen Murphree
• Graphic Design: Lori Z Joslyn
• Website: Centner Consulting
• Tour Operations:  Sean Davey, Cherry Frederick, and Holle Gilbert
• Signage and Flocking: Cherry Frederick

Last but not least, thank you to Robin Ragland for dedicating your time for the last six years as Tour of Homes Chair. Your hard work and dedication are invaluable and we’re grateful to have you as our neighbor!

If you really enjoyed this year’s Tour and want to be part of an important fundraising effort for our neighborhood, please note that the 25th annual Tour of Homes will be held December 7-8, 2019. We’d love to have you join our team! Or, maybe you’d like your home featured on next year’s tour? It’s a great way to connect with neighbors and finish up that list of projects around the house! For details on how to get involved, contact Chase Johnson at chasevhca@gmail.com.

Contributed by Chase Johnson