\;;il\ A3ZO . PI T4 c. tJ.:~f Volume ;i. No. 2 .tt Replacement of Wall Street Viaduct Begins By Bruce MacGregor Assistant Director of Planning Work to replace the 69-year old Wall Street viaduct with a new structure between Central Avenue and Pryor Street began last month and is scheduled to be completed by July 1999. The $2.8 million Wall Street project is part of the City of Atlanta's Public Improvement Program. The program is the result of a $150 million bond referendum in 1994 for infrastructure improvements including city streets, bridges, viaducts and drainage systems. The project is overseen by the City of Atlanta Public Works Department, Heery/Mitchell Joint Venture and PCL Civil Contractors. Because of the age of the Wall Street viaduct and the degree of deterioration, the 367-foot section of viaduct between Central Avenue and Pryor Street will be replaced rather than repaired. The portion of Wall Street between Pryor and Peachtree Streets is newer and will not be replaced. It is believed that completion of this project will improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety as well as increase the vertical clearance on Lower Wall Street which has been a problem for freight and delivery trucks. Pedestrian access will be maintained, beside Lower Wall Street between Central Avenue and Peachtree Street, allowing access between 90 Central Avenue and the #2 Peachtree Street Building. Vehicu- lar access to GBA's Lower Wall Street parking lot from Kimball Way will also be maintained. Access to GBA's Milepost Station will be provided via a temporary ramp behind the McDonald's restaurant See, Viaduct, back page August 1998 MARTA Offers Monthly Discounts to State Employees In an effort to encourage ridership and in support of the State's Ozone Action Days, MARTA is offering a reduced introductory rate for months Transcards. For the months of August, September and October, MARTA monthlyTranscards will be priced at $35.00, a $10.00 savings over the regular $45.00 price. After the introductory period, the cost of the Transcard will depend on the number of cards sold with anticipated cost between $38.25 and $40.05. State employees will be able to order MARTA Transcards from their agency transportation coordinator each month. The Georgia Building Authority has agreed to serve as administrator of the MARTA partnership with the State and will receive orders for the number of cards each agency would like to purchase along with payment to MARTA In turn, GBA will be respon- sible for purchasing the cards in bulk in order to receive the maximum discount. Purchased cards will be available for pick-up by the agency transporta- tion coordinator by the third week of each month. GBA does not plan to sell individual monthly or weekly Transcards. All purchases must be made through your agency transportation coordinator. Discounts ranging from 4% to 15% are based on the number of cards sold each month. State employees can realize a 15% reduction of the monthly Transcard as long as 1000+ Transcards are purchased. Contact your agency transportation coordinator for more details on how you can take advantage of this MARTA discount or contact GBA's Bruce MacGregor at 404-657-7404. GBA Terminates AmeriCare Contract The Georgia Building Authority terminated its contract with AmeriCare Early Learning Centers for the operation of the Capitol Hill Child Development Center on July 20 due to financial problems experienced by AmeriCare. AmeriCare failed to meet their July 17 payroll forcing GBA to assume operation of the Center. GBA plans to operate the Capitol Hill Child Development Center until a decision is made regarding another operator. Katharine Garrison, AmeriCare's director of the Center, and many of the existing staff remain in their current positions as GBA employees. The Capitol Child Development Center opened in April of 1997. In addition to the Capitol Hill Center, AmeriCare also operates early learning centers at DeKalb Medical Center, SmithKiine Beecham Clinical Laboratories and the Atlanta Federal Center. While termination of AmeriCare's contract was unexpected and regrettable, GBA believe the actions taken are in the best interest of the parents and children involved with the Capitol Hill Child Development Center. Eliminate Workplace Danger Zones Every workplace has potentially dangerous workspaces: cluttered aisles, open cabinet doors, exposed electrical wires. There are plenty of places in the office that could pose a danger to employees. Here are some tips on how to eliminate them: 1. Pay attention to your filing cabinets: V Always load from the bottom up to stabilize them. v Open drawers one at a time and close them when they're not in use. V Place filing cabinets in areas where they don't open into aisles that are subject to heavy foot traffic. 2. Eliminate office acrobats: V Use chairs with stable wheels, castors, or legs. V Provide a safe step stool or ladder. V Avoid using wheeled chairs to move from one area to another. 3. Clean up the clutter: V Keep boxes away from aisles or hallways. V Don't try to lift heavy items without the help of a coworker, dolly, or cart. V Fix frayed carpets and keep rugs from slipping. V Keep cords and phone wires under desks or along baseboards. V Clean up spills immediately to prevent others' slipping on the wet areas. II' Provide good lighting for hallways and stairs. V Clearly mark all exit doors. 4. Practice safe use of office equipment: V Make sure wires for equipment are grounded. V Disconnect frayed electrical cords. II' Unplug equipment before moving it. II' Keep dangling jewelry or hair away from machines. BALLARD STREET Jerry Van Amerongen Viaduct, continued from front page on Decatur Street. Other infrastructure improvements scheduled for the area include the planned replacement of the Peachtree Street viaduct beside the #2 Peachtree Street Building. This is a Georgia Department ofTransportation project and will most likely begin several months after the completion of the Wall Street viaduct. Important Telephone Numbers! Work Order Desks Team North 404-656-3273 000000000000000 Team South 404-651-8670 000000000000000 Team Ptree 404-657-4422 0000000000000000 Shared Services 00000 404-657-5663 GBA Security 0000000000000 404-656-3281 Recycling 404-651-5924 00000000000000000000000 Parking 404-656-3251 0000000000000000000000000000 Banquets 404-656-3850 0000000000000000000000 GBA Police Increase Bike Patrols In July of 1996, as a complement to foot and vehicle patrol, GBA Police began patrolling the Capitol Hill area with two uniformed police officers on bicycle. The program has been extremely successful, especially during special events such as the 1996 Olympics, Braves home games and the annual session of the General Assembly. Bike patrols allow greater mobility in confined areas that are not easily accessible by other police units. For this reason, Police and Security has increased its bike patrol to include five uniformed police officers. The police officers assigned to this unit are required to take additional training on their all terrain mountain bikes to learn how to maneuver the curbs, stairs and other obstacles that are a part of their environment. As a weekly training regimen, uniformed officers on bike patrol record 60-100 miles weekly while on duty, participate in a weekly training ride as well as one to two monthly interagency training rides which include bicycle tactics and safety techniques. According to W.W. Holley, Chief of Police, "These bike patrols have been very well received on Capitol Hill. Bike patrols help us bridge the gap between automobiles and foot patrol. They also give us greater visibility, an important factor in community policing. People are much more comfortable approaching a uniformed police officer on bike than in a vehicle or motorcycle." TENANT TALK is a special publication of the Georgia Building Authority Send NEWS/ARTICLES to: Ms. Julie Kerlin, Editor 1 MLK, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Ga. 30334 Phone 404-656-6557 Fax 404-651-9614 jkerlin@gba.state.ga.us