June 2008 Newsletter DCA Will Sponsor/ Co-Sponsor These Events In June 2008 Great American Clean-Up 2008 Closing Activity June 10 - Decatur This is a joint event with Park Pride. For more information, please contact DCA's Kim Portmess at (404) 6794940 or kportmes@dca.state.ga.us. Urban Georgia Network Forum Going Green - June 17-18, 2008 Atlanta For more information, please contact DCA's Cindy Eidson at ceidson@dca.state.ga.us or (404) 679-3101. GEMA/ FEMA Update Gov. Perdue Takes Action To Help Georgia's Mid-May Storm Victims. On Friday, May 23rd, President George W. Bush approved a Federal Disaster Declaration for the 14 Georgia counties that Governor Perdue requested aid for following the tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that hit our state on May 11-12, 2008. Per the President's declaration: Individual assistance would be available to disaster victims in Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh and Twiggs counties. (FYI: Individual assistance funds may be used to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses.); and Federal funds would be available to help offset 75% of the cost of initial emergency response, debris removal and restoration of damaged public facilities in Bibb, Carroll, Crawford, Emanuel, Glynn, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh, Treutlen, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties. Storm-impacted business owners that sustained losses were also encouraged to apply for FEMA assistance. "I am grateful to President Bush and FEMA Director Paulison for the quick action in offering assistance," said Governor Perdue. "This Federal Disaster Declaration will broaden our capability to recover from these devastating storms." As the state's lead agency for coordination of emergency and disaster response activities, GEMA worked closely with FEMA officials to set up Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs), conduct outreach to residents and local media and coordinate other activities. A number of other state and local agencies, including DCA, worked closely with GEMA to provide onsite assistance to Georgia residents. DCA's Raymond Noel coordinated the agency's "storm response" team. WHERE WE STAND TODAY -- Nearly $1.3 Million In 2 Weeks To Georgians For Tornado, Storm Recovery. Georgia residents can begin to turn their backs on the May 11-12 tornadoes and storms to move forward in their recovery with state and federal disaster assistance approaching the $1.3 million mark. Officials from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report the following efforts, through June 5, two weeks since the May 23 presidential disaster declaration: Exactly 4,287 individuals (homeowners, renters and business owners) already have applied for assistance. More than $1 million in grants has been approved in housing assistance for 434 applicants to be used for temporary disaster housing or to help make disaster-damaged homes safe, sanitary and functional. A total of $241,386 in Other Needs Assistance (ONA) already is approved for 324 applicants to replace personal property and to help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disasterrelated needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs. More than 120 homeowners, renters and businesses have returned their U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) applications for low-interest loans. So far, the SBA has approved $174,400 for 11 loans. July 22 is the deadline for applicants who received SBA low-interest loan applications to complete and return the applications. If the SBA application is not returned, the applicant may not receive other forms of federal assistance. A county-by-county breakdown follows: County Bibb Carroll Douglas Emanuel Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Laurens McIntosh Twiggs Applications 3,152 224 80 55 73 55 310 79 48 137 Individuals & Household Program $742,799 $147,226 $15,924 $19,268 $15,769 $126,080 $111,239 $43,406 $14,591 $25,703 Housing Assistance $587,729 $116,002 $13,873 $18,698 $14,505 $99,177 $91,738 $43,014 $11,700 $24,184 Other Needs Assistance $155,071 $31,225 $2,052 $570 $1,264 $26,902 $19,501 $392 $2,892 $1,518 Help Still Available July 22 Is Deadline. To apply by the July 22 deadline for assistance, Georgia citizens should call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for speech- or hearing-impaired applicants. Both lines are available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EDT). Residents also may apply on line at www.fema.gov. For more information on Georgia's disaster recovery efforts, visit www.fema.gov or www.gema.ga.gov or www.georgia911.org Executive It's Another "Joe," As Joseph Tollison Is Recognized As DCA's Quarterly Exceeding Excellence Winner. In May, DCA Commissioner Beatty announced the selection of Joseph Tollison as the agency's most recent quarterly Exceeding Excellence Winner. Joseph has been a part of DCA's Team since 1997. In his role as DCA's Information Security Officer, he is charged with maintaining the safety and security of the agency's extensive information technology and network systems. As part of the agency's top notch IT team, Joseph and his colleagues are busy from arrival to departure. In today's environment of computer viruses and hackers, DCA is fortunate to have a dedicated pro like Joseph on our team. Yet, in spite of this busy schedule, he is never to busy to smile, offer encouragement and help in any way possible. Fellow DCA team member Debbie Harrington described Joseph's participation at a recent conference. He led two sessions on network security-related topics. Debbie and other session participants described Joseph's standing room only sessions as enthusiastic, entertaining and informative. As DCA continues efforts to implement Governor Perdue's mandate for faster, friendlier and easier customer service, Joseph Tollison serves as a great role model. Whether his workload is hectic or steady, his cheerful and encouraging manner and commitment to provide helpful answers demonstrate the kind of customer service excellence that DCA wants to be known for statewide. Please join DCA in congratulating Joseph Tollison as this quarter's Exceeding Excellence Award winner. Customer Service News Did You Receive Excellent Service From A DCA Staffer? New "Exceeding Excellence" Customer Service Recognition Program Allows You To Recognize A Job Very Well Done. In April 2007, DCA announced an innovative effort that would allow DCA team members and our external customers to recognize DCA team members for providing excellent customer service. Excellent customer service goes above and beyond normal job duties. DCA "dubbed" this effort Exceeding Excellence. Previous winners included Jo Childers (Downtown Development), Joseph DeGumbia (Administration) and Angela Gregory (Housing Finance). Please consider nominating a DCA staffer that's gone above and beyond! Information is available from our website's front page www.dca.state.ga.us. Questions may also be directed to DCA Assistant Commissioner Bill Swaim at bswaim@dca.state.ga.us or (404) 679-4940. Downtown Development News Let's Talk About Going Green At '08 Urban Georgia Network Symposium June 17-18, 2008 - Atlanta. Want to learn a hundred ways your community can improve its environmental stewardship practices and brand itself as an eco-friendly place to live and invest? Want to learn how making your city eco-friendly can actually spur economic development and job creation? Want to learn more about public/private ventures to start fresh markets and community gardens, and hear how communities around the country have involved citizens in positive eco-partnerships with the public sector? If the answer is YES, please plan to attend the 2008 Urban Georgia Symposium. The two-day workshop is being sponsored by DCA and the Georgia Department of Economic Development in collaboration with Southface Energy Institute and the American Institute of Architects Whether you work with local government, a non-profit or in the design and development fields, you can make a real difference by attending this workshop and learning ways you can help your local Georgia community GO GREEN. The workshop will present cutting edge, earth friendly, public policies adopted by progressive cities around the country, sustainable development codes, architectural recognition programs like LEEDs, ideas for recruitment of green entrepreneurs and ecotourism ventures, sustainable transportation options, landscape standards using native and drought tolerant plants, alternative infrastructure solutions that can conserve water and reduce our human impact on the environment. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from cutting edge examples of sustainable design in Georgia and the Southeast and be inspired by presentations by nationally known leaders and visionaries in this field. Additional workshop questions may be directed to Cindy Eidson at ceidson@dca.state.ga.us or (404) 679-3101. 90 Communities To Be Recognized For Achieving 2008 National Main Street Accreditation. 90 Georgia communities are slated to be honored during GMA's Annual Convention for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center. Presentation of the 2008 Main Street Accreditations will be held during at a May 23rd convention breakfast event. The 90 Georgia cities to be recognized for achieving "National Main Street" accreditation are (in alphabetical order): Acworth, Americus, Athens, Bainbridge, Blairsville, Brunswick, Buchanan, Byron, Calhoun, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Cleveland, College Park, Columbus, Commerce, Conyers, Cordele, Cornelia, Covington, Dahlonega, Dalton, Darien, Donalsonville, Douglas, Douglasville, Dublin, Duluth, Eatonton, Elberton, Elijay, Fayetteville, Flowery Branch, Forsyth, Fort Valley, Gainesville, Gordon, Gray, Greensboro, Griffin, Hampton, Hapeville, Hartwell, Hogansville, Homerville, Jefferson, LaFayette, LaGrange, Lavonia, Locust Grove, Lyons, Madison, McDonough, Milledgeville, Millen, Monticello, Moultrie, Nashville, Newnan, Oglethorpe, Pelham, Pembroke, Plains, Richland, Rome, Royston, Social Circle, St. Marys, Statesboro, Stone Mountain, Summerville, Sylvania, Tallapoosa, Thomaston, Thomasville, Tifton, Toccoa, Trenton, Union Point, Valdosta, Vidalia, Vienna, Villa Rica, Warrenton, Washington, Waycross, West Point , Winder and Woodbine. The Main Street program uses a comprehensive revitalization process originated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 1980, Georgia became one of six pilot states to launch a statewide Main Street program of downtown economic development. Its comprehensive approach seeks to integrate a locally-driven management strategy with a focus on the physical improvement of buildings and public spaces, aggressive promotion and image building and economic development of the downtown area. For more information on the National Main Street Program accreditation, visit www.mainstreet.org/nationalprograms. For more information on the Georgia Main Street Program, visit www.mainstreetgeorgia.org. Environmental News Thanks Georgia - 2008 Great American Cleanup Results Are Rolling In! Join The Team For '08 GAC Closing Activity. Since the March 1st kickoff of the state's 2008 Great American Cleanup, Georgians have actively participated in a number of local community activities. The 2008 Great American Cleanup offered Georgia's citizens numerous opportunities to get involved in community-building activities that would help keep our roads, rivers, mountains and communities clean. DCA's Keep Georgia Beautiful Team is currently working to compile cleanup events results from 236 community leaders from 115 Georgia counties. This year's activities included roadside cleanups, tree plantings, river cleanups, bulk recycling events, Earth Day festivals, school events and much more. Next week, the GAC will host its closing event on June 10, 2008 as DCA hosts its own cleanup event with Park Pride. Volunteers are asked to meet in the parking lot at 1pm dressed for outdoor yard work that will involve clearing a new park off of Peachtree Dunwoody Road in metro Atlanta. Please plan to join DCA for this special event. For more information contact Kim Portmess at (404) 6794940 or kportmes@dca.state.ga.us. Coordinated nationally by Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the Great American Cleanup is the national's largest community improvement program. This year's GAC activities involved Georgia's 71 Keep Georgia Beautiful (KGB) affiliates, Kiwanis International - Georgia District and several other groups in a wide variety of litter prevention and community beautification projects. Georgia Commission On Service & Volunteerism AmeriCorps Week Thanks For Making It A Huge Success. The goal of making the second annual AmeriCorps Week even bigger and better than last year was definitely exceeded. Thanks to all that played a role in making the week a terrific success. In addition to the numerous individual and community events, the Georgia AmeriCorps State Programs team was out in full force on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at Atlanta's Piedmont Park. The team partnered with AmeriCorps Alums to promote membership awareness; share information about disability awareness; promote available resources; encourage community involvement; and provide info on how join AmeriCorps and Georgia AmeriCorps Programs. Nearly 50 AmeriCorps members also participated in a service project providing landscape maintenance and beautification for the park. To make the week's events "one for the history books," we need to record local activities. Please visit (or revisit) the AmeriCorps Week website - www.americorpsweek.gov - and list your activities. so that we will have a record of all that happened in Georgia. Housing News GeorgiaHousingSearch.org - A Ready Resource During Critical Times. Tornadoes, storms, you name it...when disaster strikes, everyone needs help. In many cases, finding a place to live is a top priority. No need to worry or panic as GeorgiaHousingSearch.org offers a FREE, easy-to-use and available resouce to help citizens quickly find affordable housing options in their community. Over 700 housing units are currently available for rental in the Georgia counties covered by the 5/23/08 Presidential Disaster Declaration. On the site www.GeorgiaHousingSearch.org -- citizens can search for rental properties statewide. Property postings are detailed, current, and updated bi-weekly. Property managers and independent landlords can post listings for free and reach thousands of potential renters. The website is bilingual (English and Spanish) and has a toll-free number (877) 428-8844 - available to assist potential renters or property owners and managers. In addition, the site's unique Special Needs Housing Search feature has assisted Georgia caseworkers locate housing for hundreds of traditionally hard-to-place families and individuals. For more information, please contact Sheila Barry at (404) 679-4855 or sbarry@dca.state.ga.us. GICH Is Looking For Your Community's Application. The Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) is currently accepting applications for community participation through September 8, 2008. GICH offers communities a three-year program of collaboration and technical assistance to help communities create and launch locally-based plans to meet their housing needs. Participating communities will create a community housing team to develop new ideas about meeting local housing needs, learn about approaches and available resources to meet housing needs, and produce and implement their community housing plan. GICH partners with Georgia Municipal Association, DCA and the University of Georgia Housing and Demographics Research Center. Applications for participation in GICH are available at UGA's Housing and Demographics Research Center www.fcs.uga.edu/hace/hdrc/gich/about.html. Interested communities may also contact Karen Tinsley, GICH Program Coordinator at (706) 542-4949. *** GICH Program Leaders will also be onsite at the 2008 GMA Annual Convention in Savannah to participate in a panel discussion on Sunday, June 22, 2008 (Exhibit Hall 10:30 AM). *** Magnolia Award Nominations Open Deadline Is June 30th. It's that time again! The DCA mailbox is "open" and ready to receive your nominations for Georgia's best affordable housing projects. Nominated projects will compete for the prestigious 2008 Magnolia Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing. The awards will be presented at the annual Housing Georgia Conference. The conference is scheduled for November 20, 2008 at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. The Magnolia Awards recognize outstanding achievements in affordable housing. Awards are given in six categories: Affordable Rental, Creative Partnerships, Homeownership, Neighborhood Revitalization, Special Needs and Superior Design. DCA is currently accepting nominations for the awards for online. Nomination forms and guidelines are available at www.magnoliaawards.org. The deadline for receipt of nominations is June 30, 2008. Finalists will be announced in mid-August and award winners will be announced at the event. For more information, please contact Malisa Thompson at mthompso@dca.state.ga.us or (404) 326-1048. Planning & Quality Growth News Helen To Host July 2008 Community Planning Institute (CPI). DCA's Office of Planning and Quality Growth will host its next Community Planning Institute (CPI) in Helen, Georgia. The CPI is scheduled for July 15-16, 2008 and is being held in conjunction with the Georgia Planning Association's Planning Commissioner Training session. CPI is one of many resources designed to help planning officials achieve a well-planned community. CPI provides attendees the opportunity to learn the latest in the planning process and obtain hands-on experience in meeting its many challenges. Further, the institute targets the training needs of attendees with a two-day program in planning concepts and procedures conducted by Georgia planning and legal professionals. Program topics include Community Vision and Planning, Getting the Most out of Your Local Plan, The Good, the Bad, and the Legal, Conducting Meetings and Making Good Decisions. Participants will also be grouped into breakout sessions to complete the popular Quinn County exercise that demonstrates how it feels to face an agenda full of challenging development and zoning issues. Attendees completing the two-day training program earn twelve hours of education in land use, comprehensive planning and legal issues. Course completion provides participants with "Certified Planning Commissioner" status a "Certificate of Achievement: granted by the Georgia Planning Association and DCA. Advance registration is required and class size is limited. Registration is $150.00 per person. For more information, please contact 404-679-5279 or visit www.georgiaplanning.com. Planning and Quality Growth Team Onsite @ GMA. DCA's planning & quality growth gurus will do more than enjoy Savannah's historic streets, shops and seafood while attending the 2008 GMA Convention. The team is taking its "Plan For Lunch" sessions directly to GMA attendees. Since their launch, the sessions have been well received by Georgia communities. The schedule is below. We'll see you there. Sunday, June 22 10:00 AM Best Planning Practices 11:00 AM Character Area Identification & Implementation 1:00 PM DRIs: Developments of Regional Impact 2:00 PM Model Code's Starter Code: Basics of Development Regulations Monday, June 23 1:30 PM Plan Works: Making Your Comprehensive Plan Work for You Tuesday, June 24 1:30 PM Plan Works: Making Your Comprehensive Plan Work for You Toolkit Helps Local Governments Manage Growth. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs Office of Planning and Quality Growth is pleased to offer local governments and citizens a Best Practices Toolkit. Hammers, saws, and drills are just some of the equipment in the toolkits of contractors commissioned to build the apartments, houses, businesses, and attractions that make up the state of Georgia. However, in order to make quality growth and protecting the environment a priority, not only do contractors need a toolkit but so do local governments and citizens. The Best Practices Toolkit was designed to provide advice to local governments on tools that may be used to put quality growth principles into practice at the local level. It is easy to use and allows users to obtain information via "Search by Index of Tools, Search by Issues Affecting Community, or Search by Keyword". In addition, the site also provides detailed "Tool Descriptions" in the effort to inform and educate the user. For more information regarding The Best Practices Toolkit and other resources, please call DCA at (404) 6795279 or visit www.georgiaplanning.com. Other Interesting Tidbits That Just Didn't Fit Anywhere Else June 1 is Official Start of Atlantic Hurricane Season. Sunday, June 1, marked the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts until November 30, 2008. Per GEMA, we are in the midst of an active hurricane cycle, mainly due to a natural fluctuation that the Atlantic Ocean endures. Since 1995, the Atlantic basin has averaged 14.5 named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes), eight hurricanes, and four major hurricanes (winds more than 110 mph). Contrastingly, the era from 1971 to 1994 averaged only 8.5 named storms, five hurricanes and 1.5 major hurricanes. The Atlantic is showing signs of another active hurricane season. This year's forecast is calling for 12-16 named storms, six to nine hurricanes, and two to five major hurricanes. The National Hurricane Center also said there is a 65 percent chance of an above average season. One factor that has contributed to this active period over the last decade plus includes warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic. Warm ocean waters are like added fuel for hurricanes. That is why we see more activity farther south in the Atlantic. Another major factor is stronger than average convective activity in western Africa. Basically that means more weather disturbances come off the African coast into the eastern Atlantic. They can be the seeds from which tropical systems can grow when they hit the warm ocean waters. Another factor this year is the fact that we are in a La Nina. La Ninas typically mean weaker upper-level winds in the tropical Atlantic. Strong upper-level winds create something called shear, which can rip the tops off of tropical system, and not allow them to grow as strong. So what does this mean for the United States? That is very difficult to say. Last year we had above average activity, with 16 named storms and six hurricanes. However, only five storms made landfall on the U.S. coast and none of those five hit Georgia. Stay in the loop by checking GEMA's website www.gema.ga.gov for updates. Reader Information For more information on any of the topics included in this newsletter, please visit the DCA website at http://www.dca.state.ga.us or call DCA's main telephone number at (404) 679-4940 or TDD (800) 736-1155. Look for the next edition of DCA News on July 11, 2008. If you wish to be removed from the DCA Newsletter distribution list, please send an email to unsubscribe@dca.state.ga.us. # # #