July 2010 In This Issue Exceeding Excellence HB867 Signed Into Law New DCA Board Leaders Emergency Shelter Grant Awards GA Downtown Annual Conference Georgia AmeriCorps Receives National Recognition Local Government Assistance Changes Resource Teams They're Back! CDBG Stimulus Dollars at Work Affordable Housing Awards Governor Signs Commission on Regional Planning Legislation Governor Sonny Perdue signed HB 867on May 25th, legislation creating the Commission on Regional Planning. This statewide Commission, chaired by the Governor and coordinated by DCA, will ensure meaningful interagency coordination and cooperation with the new Regional Commission structure. This bill passed overwhelmingly in both Houses of the Legislature. Pictured with the Governor are Representative Ron Stephens, the bill sponsor, and Commissioner Beatty. New DCA Board Leadership The DCA Board recently elected Frank Turner, Bebe Heiskell and Bruce Williamson as its new chairman, vice chairman and secretary respectively. New officers were elected at DCA's June 2nd board meeting in Atlanta. Previously, Billy Croker, Nathan Dean and Bebe Heiskell served as the board's chairman, vice chairman and secretary. The newly elected officers assumed their Board leadership positions on July 1, 2010. POPULAR RESOURCES Left to Right: Bruce Williamson, Frank Turner, Commissioner Bebe Heiskell, Commissioner Mike Beatty American Recovery and Re-Investment Act DCA Awards $6.2 million in ESG and HOPWA Funds DCA Home The awards (FY 2011 Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Awards) will fund 248 programs to be administered by local agencies. Typical grantees include nonprofits, faith based organizations, mental health agencies and local governments. Activities include support of shelter and transitional housing programs, critical services that provide outreach to homeless populations, and other supportive services programs that are necessary in order for those experiencing homelessness to regain their independence. Exceeding Excellence Did You Receive Excellent Service From A DCA Staffer? DCA's "Exceeding Excellence" Customer Service Recognition Program Allows You To Recognize A Job Very Well Done. Please consider nominating a DCA staffer that's gone above and beyond! DCA's "Exceeding Excellence" recognition program affords DCA team members and our external customers the opportunity to recognize DCA team members for providing excellent customer service. Information is available from the DCA website front page www.dca.ga.gov, Click on the "Customer Feedback" link and complete the information. Information about the awards is published on the ESG page of the DCA website at http://www.dca.ga.gov/housing/specialneeds/programs/emergencysheltergrants.asp. For more information, please contact John Bassett of the DCA staff at john.bassett@dca.ga.gov or by phone at (404) 679-3170. LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE Save the dates! The Appalachian Regional Commission Fall Conference will be hosted in Georgia this year, and will bring representatives from the thirteen ARC states to beautiful downtown Rome, October 25 to 27. Governor Sonny Perdue is the States' Co-Chair for 2010, and Commissioner Mike Beatty serves on the ARC as the Governor's Representative. Economic developers, local elected and appointed officials, Regional Commission staff, workforce developers and training and education administrators from Georgia's 37 ARC counties are encouraged to put these dates on the calendar and look for more information coming soon! For more information about the Appalachian Regional Commission, please visit the website at www.arc.gov, or contact James Thompson, ARC State program manager, at james.thompson@dca.ga.gov. Georgia Downtown Conference Downtown at Work: Building Jobs and Preserving Places - 30 Years on Main Street September 29 - October 1, 2010, Augusta, Georgia There is only one gathering in Georgia each year that brings together people who understand exactly what kind of work you do... the kinds of opportunities specifically available to a community like yours... the types of challenges you face and the creative ways to overcome them. It's the Georgia Downtown Conference. Join us in the beautiful, vibrant city of Augusta for three days and experience a whirlwind of great ideas, inspiring speakers, innovative solutions, and leaders who are involved in historic preservation-based economic development. Preservation-based economic development is not only essential to the success of Main Street; it is connected to issues consistently in the national spotlight sustainability; smart growth; local fiscal investment and job creation. This year's theme, Downtowns at Work: Building Jobs and Preserving Places, captures our message of downtown development equals economic development. We will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Georgia Main Street Program and the Main Street Four Point Approach. What better way to celebrate the successes of the program than by focusing on the billions of dollars in reinvestment in our communities along with the thousands of new businesses and new jobs created? This conference will provide you with tools to continue your important work through these unprecedented, difficult times. Be on the lookout for more details, including the conference registration materials. For more information, visit www.georgiadowntownassociation.org or www.mainstreetgeorgia.org. 2010 Awards for Downtown Excellence to Include Cash Awards For the first time, the Awards for Downtown Excellence, which is co-sponsored by the Georgia Downtown Association and Department of Community Affairs, will include cash awards. Cash awards of $1,000 will be given in each of the four award categories (Organization, Design, Economic Restructuring and Promotion), as well as for the GDA Annual Award of Excellence in Downtown Development. Cash awards will be granted to local downtown organizations for the purpose of continuing efforts in revitalizing downtown. This project in Downtown Senoia developed by Historic Development Ventures was the winner of the 2009 Outstanding New Construction / Infill Award. The purpose of the Annual Awards for Downtown Excellence is to recognize, honor and promote the outstanding achievements of Georgia's local downtown development and revitalization organizations. Award recipients will be announced to the public at the Georgia Downtown Conference Awards Ceremony in Augusta, Georgia on September 30, 2010. Nominations opened in May 2010 and the nomination deadline is Friday, August 6, 2010. The local downtown organization sponsoring the application must be a member of the Georgia Downtown Association in good standing in order for the nomination to be eligible. For additional information or questions, please contact Marcia Hampton at (678) 715-6091 or by email at hamptonm@ci.douglasville.ga.us or Kimberly Carter at (404) 679-0604 or by email at kim.carter@dca.ga.gov. Two Georgia AmeriCorps Programs Nationally Recognized for Innovation Two Georgia AmeriCorps programs funded by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism have been recognized by a national publication for their innovative design. Innovations In Civic Participation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., cited the Jekyll Island Sea Turtle Center AmeriCorps program and the Albany Police Cadet AmeriCorps program in its 2010 publication "Transforming Communities Through Service: A Collection of the 52 Most Innovative AmeriCorps Programs in the United States." The publication was released at the annual Association of State Service Commissions meeting in New York June 27. The publication features 52 AmeriCorps programs in 39 states and is intended to inform Congress, policy makers and foundations about highly successful and innovative AmeriCorps programs throughout the country. The Jekyll Island Sea Turtle Center is completing its first year as an AmeriCorps program and was recently visited by Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism Board Chair Laurie Chandler and two officials of the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Albany Police Cadet AmeriCorps program is completing its second year. The program was selected by the Georgia Commission for a one-year American Recovery and Reinvestment Act AmeriCorps program that concluded June 14. Changes within Local Government Assistance Division Mike Gleaton, Assistant Commissioner, has officially "welcomed" the ARC and GCSV to the Local Government Assistance Division. Effective July 1st, several organizational changes were implemented within the LGA Division. DCA's Appalachian Regional Commission office, headed by James Thompson, and the Georgia Commission on Service and Volunteerism, headed by John Turner, have joined the LGA Team. In addition, a new Office of Sustainable Development has been created by the merger of the Office of Planning and Quality Growth and the Office of Environmental Management, joining forces under Director Jim Frederick. The new Office of Sustainable Development will provide technical assistance to local governments on a variety of planning, land use and environmental topics. This combination of planning, quality growth and environmental management will promote responsible development, a healthy environment and a high quality of life in each of Georgia's communities by helping local governments implement measures to address current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. (As we make this move, we wish Randy Hartmann, the Director of the Office of Environmental Management since 1999, the fondest of farewells and look forward to working with him in the future as he assumes the responsibilities of Membership Services Director for ACCG. Thank you, Randy, for your dedication to Georgia!) The new Office of Compliance Assistance, headed by Mike Bush, includes the Construction Codes and Research & Survey functions. The Office of Development Assistance, directed by Winfred Owens, will continue to act as the on-the-ground technical assistance group you've known as Regional Services. The newly-renamed office is staffed by Development Specialists available to assist with DCA programs at the local level. Sustainable Development Resource Teams Despite tight budgets, we are committed to providing a high level of technical assistance to local governments. To this end, staff of the new Office of Sustainable Development have revised our former Resource Team structure to meet the needs and budgets we are all facing now. We've created three options to best suit the needs of local governments: Option 1: Team members will work with citizens, staff and elected officials to generate innovative strategies to build upon the community's strengths. Option 2: Our zoning and legal experts will analyze your current zoning plan to identify factors that are contributing to continued sprawl and inconsistencies between the current zoning plan and the identified character area visions in the comprehensive plan to help governments use their zoning codes as tools to implement their vision. Option 3: The team will focus attention on an identified Area Requiring Special Attention (from the comprehensive plan), providing specific recommendations for improving the current conditions, as well as longer-term recommendations to achieve a stated vision. For more information and application tips, go to: http://www.dca.state.ga.us/development/PlanningQualityGrowth/programs/QGResourceTea ms.asp CDBG Stimulus Dollars at Work in Communities CDBG Stimulus dollars are being spent rapidly in local communities across Georgia. Of the state's total allocation of almost $10.8 million, almost $4 million has been spent as construction contracts move into high gear. CDBG Stimulus dollars are being invested in needed local public works projects. In Cairo, where severe neighborhood flooding plagued an area for many years, stimulus funds will allow local residents relief from periodic flood events that caused property damage, limited access by emergency vehicles and even required resident evacuations. Oxford proposed and received funding to replace asbestos containing water lines in a local target area-alleviating resident concerns about contaminated drinking water. Over 52% of this project has been implemented. Another good example of CDBG at work is in Roberta. Here, sanitary sewer upgrades are allowing the city to retain 70 jobs70 jobs that rural Georgia can't afford to lose. For more information on the CDBG Stimulus program, please see our web page at: http://www.dca.ga.gov/communities/CDBG/programs/cdbgstimul us.asp. SAFE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING DCA Awards Funding to Four Regional Commissions Four Regional Commissions (RC) were awarded funding to provide localities with assistance in achieving their affordable housing goals. The communities receiving assistance have been designated as a Signature Community, a Community of Opportunity, or are participating in the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing. Funded RCs included the Northeast Georgia RC, Middle Georgia RC, River Valley RC, and Southwest Georgia RC. The five housing activities funded through the RFP include: City of Americus/Sumter County - Housing Inventory City of Gray - Urban Redevelopment Plan City of Hawkinsville - Housing Fair City of Moultrie - Urban Redevelopment Plan City of Winder - Housing Inventory/Assessment For additional information regarding the RFP for Regional Commissions, please contact Cynthia Harrison at (404) 502-6176 or email cynthia.harrison@dca.ga.gov.