Fulton County Seeks Public Input on Customer Service

As part of an ongoing effort to reach out to constituents about providing the best possible service to our community, Fulton County is asking residents to participate in an online survey.  The project is part of an initiative with the Ken Blanchard Companies to measure resident perceptions about customer service provided by Fulton County’s front-line employees, assessing what is done well and what are areas for improvement.

“We know our Fulton County employees take pride in the work they do on behalf of our constituents,” says Fulton County Manager Dick Anderson.  “We see Fulton as a leader in our focus areas of Service, Impact, and Efficiency and hope that those we serve can provide data crucial to ensuring a good team does an even better job for those citizens.”

The survey is part of a county-wide customer service training initiative in conjunction with the Ken Blanchard Companies’ Legendary Service model.  The program seeks to work to train 1,500 front-line employees starting in May 2016.  The data gathered in this survey will capture citizen’s perceptions of Fulton County services prior to the start of training efforts.  The county is seeking information on county services from the constituents who use them.  From patrons that check out materials at Fulton County libraries to those who request assistance from one of the county’s public safety agencies to taxpayers who deal with county staff to fund these activities, residents will evaluate how customer service should be provided by Fulton County.

The survey can be accessed by logging on to http://survey.fultoncountyga.gov.  This survey will be followed up with another in 2017 to measure the impact of customer service training.

Residents Invited to Give Input on Central Library During June 14 Meeting

Fulton County residents are invited to a meeting on June 14 to give input on the future of the Fulton County Library System’s Central Library.

The meeting will be from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on the Main floor of the library, located at One Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, GA 30303.

At their May 18 meeting, members of the Fulton County Board discussed options for the library. Those options include either renovating the current Central Library facility or constructing a new library at a different location in the downtown area.

This discussion comes as the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System enters the second phase of a $275 million building program, funded by a library bond referendum approved by Fulton County voters in 2008.

Phase I of the Capital Program included the construction of eight new branch libraries and major renovation to two libraries. Seven of the new libraries are now open, with the eighth (Southeast Library) scheduled to open next month.

Phase II will include construction or renovation of the Central Library, as well as renovation of other branches throughout the system.

2016 Fulton Fresh Mobile Kick-Off Event

Fulton County’s Ryan White Program Receives More Federal Dollars to Fight HIV/AIDS

More than a million more dollars headed to initiatives battling spread of disease in metro Atlanta

Fulton County has received a Fiscal Year 2016 grant of $25,023,768 in federal funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services under the Ryan White Treatment Extension Act of 2009. The FY 2016 award of $25,023,768 represents a 5% increase over the FY 2015 of $23,778,777.  In 2015, the Ryan White Program expended 99.6% of its funding and served more than 14,000 people.

“Words can’t express how pleased I am to learn that the Ryan White program has received increased funding this year,” says Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman John H. Eaves.  “Every dollar we receive moves us a step forward in reducing new infections and improving the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS.  I view the additional money as a sign that our program serving the 20-county metro Atlanta area is being recognized for the services it provides and the many lives it touches every day.”

“The community has prioritized these funds to support navigators to help people with HIV enroll in health insurance and also to support rapid entry programs to help people enroll in care more quickly,” says Jeff Cheek, Director of the Ryan White Program. “The goal is to reduce the time for a new appointment from two to six weeks down to 3 days. Our clinics are responding to the HIV epidemic in Atlanta with a renewed sense of urgency.”

Fulton County administers Atlanta’s Ryan White Part A grant for the 20-county area which includes: Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding and Walton Counties.  Part A funds support clients as they progress through the HIV care continuum and include core medical and essential support services with a strong focus on HIV treatment.

Atlanta’s Ryan White Program works to improve the availability and quality of care for low-income, uninsured, or underinsured people living with HIV.  The ultimate goal of HIV treatment is to achieve viral suppression, meaning the amount of HIV in the body is very low or undetectable. This is important for people with HIV to stay healthy, live longer, and reduce their chances of passing HIV to others. 

Futon County Ryan White Website: http://ryanwhiteatl.org.

For more information, visit Fulton County’s website at www.fultoncountyga.gov or connect with Fulton County government on Twitter at @FultonInfo or Facebook at @fultoninfo.

Public-Private Partnership with Keep Atlanta Beautiful and Fulton County Will Revitalize ‘The Front Door to the County’

“As part of our continued efforts to address the many capital needs of our Fulton County facilities, I am thrilled with our partnership with Keep Atlanta Beautiful to improve and beautify our water garden.  This Public/Private partnership will bring great improvements to our main government center’s “front door” for our many visitors and employees for years to come,” said Vice Chairman Liz Hausmann, District 1.

“I am pleased to work with Keep Atlanta Beautiful on this important project. The structure was built as a fountain and needs to be maintained because we don't want it to create health or environmental issues,” said Commissioner Joan P. Garner, District 4, which includes the Government Center. “It is important to me that Fulton County create our water garden into a more inviting public space that will make Fulton County and the government district more welcoming to visitors and residents. I am glad to be part of the energy and excitement that defines downtown Atlanta."

Friedberg, a recipient of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ medal – the highest honor for a landscape architect – has also designed other noteworthy public spaces, such as Pershing Park in Washington D.C., the 67th Street Playground in New York, and Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis.

In conjunction with modernization of the water garden, a $2 million streetscape improvement project will address the surrounding sidewalks that lead to the government center, redevelop the edges of the building to meet the current Special Public Interest (SPI) overlay requirements, and establish a cohesive streetscape connecting the Fulton County Government building to the greater urban fabric of the area.

This partnership comes at an exciting time, when more than $3 billion is being invested in the overall improvement of the area around the Fulton County Government Center, including the $1.4 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium; the $60.2 million makeover of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; and the substantial investments in Georgia State University, Atlanta Underground, Centennial Olympic Park, and Turner Field, to name a few.

“We are excited to work with the county and our partners Integral-Gude, HGOR, and Astra Group on this unique architectural space in our great city,” said Brent Brown, Chairman of Keep Atlanta Beautiful.  The revitalization of this Water Garden/Streetscape into a welcoming and relevant space will benefit the county, city, and surrounding neighborhood for years to come. This project is in keeping with the goals of Keep Atlanta Beautiful, which seeks to maintain welcoming, beautiful public spaces, improving the quality of life for all.”

Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Inc. and Fulton County are partnering on a $3.4 million project to enhance the Fulton County Government Center on Pryor Street. The one-of-a-kind project, in the heart of Atlanta’s Government District, will update the 26-year-old water garden and improve the surrounding streetscape. 

The Center’s water garden, which opened in 1989, and was designed by world-renowned landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg, will undergo a $1.4 million modernization preserving the original architectural integrity of the garden, improving the pedestrian circulation, and enhancing the beauty of the landscape with the using of native, adapted, and aquatic plants. The vision of the project is to create a more welcoming front door to the county that greets the thousands of Fulton County employees, residents and visitors every year.

Meet Former Olympian Shirley Crowder Meadows, 76 #SeniorsOfFulton #OAM2016

Former Track Star and Olympian Shirley Crowder Meadows teaches a sittercise class at the Darnell Senior Multipurpose Facility. She hasn’t stopped moving despite knee surgery.

“I started running in ninth grade at Booker T. Washington here in Atlanta and that was an accident. I loved basketball and after basketball season, most of my friends who played basketball also ran track. One day I was sitting on the steps waiting for my friends and a person who finished Washington High offered to teach me what he knew about hurdles. While I was running in high school, a coach at Tuskegee wanted me to come and participate with her girls. After getting a Bachelor of Science degree from Tennesse State and working on my skills, I ran with Wilma Rudolf and Martha Hudson in the 1960 Olympics. Today, I keep moving in spite of my knee surgery. I would urge others with challenges not to give up. Get God on your side and keep moving.”

Shirley Crowder Meadows, 76 ‪#‎SeniorsOfFulton‬ ‪#‎OAM2016‬

Commissioner Arrington to Host Family Fun Day May 14

Fulton County District 5 Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington, Jr. invites residents to the 2nd Annual District 5 Family Fun Day. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oak Hill Family Center, 2805 Metropolitan Parkway, Atlanta, GA.   Parking and shuttle bus services will be available from Atlanta Metropolitan College's Gold Lot at 1630 Metropolitan Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30315 to Mount Zion Methodist Church on 2840 Metropolitan Parkway SW, Atlanta, GA 30315.

“This is a great day for families in the communities of District 5 to celebrate all that is great about living in our area,” says Commissioner Arrington. “We hope, in the midst of the day of fun, some valuable information will also go out to our friends and neighbors.”

The event will include: free health screenings, free lunches by Chick-fil-A  storytelling by Mama Koku and Mr. Tyriq, live dance performances, spoken word by Atlanta's Hank Stewart, Zoo Atlanta’s Zoomobile, City of Atlanta's Parks and Recreation Game Mobile, face painting by Fulton Arts, healthy cooking classes by CHOICES, MARTA's Community Interactive Bus, SSK 25, Older 2nd Annual Kickball Tournament, and much more. In addition, residents will learn more about Fulton County and City of Atlanta services, including Health & Wellness, Registration & Elections, the Fulton County Library system, public safety services, and more.

The event can be shared on social media via the hashtag #D5FamilyFunDay. To RSVP for the event, go online to www.2016FamilyFunDay.eventbrite.com.

For more information, visit Fulton County’s website at www.fultoncountyga.gov or connect with Fulton County government on Twitter at @FultonInfo or Facebook at @FultonInfo.

Meet the “Carolina Lady” #SeniorsOfFulton

“I say I'm from Atlanta now, but I was originally a Carolina lady. I was born in Anderson, South Carolina. I moved to Atlanta in the 1950’s.

Every day I come to the Bowden Center and sit in the parking lot at 6:30 a.m. and wait for the doors to open. I started coming in 1998. I have a lot of friends here and everyone is pleasant, no matter your nationality everyone are friends. I'm a country girl. Growing up, we had neighbors who were African American. We didn't know anything about segregation, and I didn't know until my 40's about racism. We didn't have radio or TV. Only thing we had was farm work, school and church.

I don’t mean to be ugly, but I’m losing my hair, so I’d rather not have a picture taken of me. I’d like to finish by saying that I enjoy coming to the Bowden Center to breakfast with my friends.”

Fulton County Senior, 91, ‪#‎SeniorsOfFulton‬ ‪#‎OAM2016‬

Meet Tawanna Sellers #SeniorsOfFulton

“I joined the Benson facility eight years ago after I turned 55. I came to the Benson facility to make a presentation during my days as an American Heart Association volunteer. I remembered how much I enjoyed the center and that’s why I decided to come back after I retired to join and serve as a volunteer. I love meeting people and helping others. Our facility provides great meals, classes and the pool. This facility is wonderful. Some people would do nothing if they didn’t come here.” 

Meet Tawanna Sellers, 63 #SeniorsOfFulton #OAM2016

Meet Dorothy Benson ‪#‎SeniorsOfFulton

May is Older Americans Month across the Country as we celebrate the contributions, activism and creativity of our Nation’s seniors. Dorothy C. Benson, the trailblazer for which the Dorothy C. Benson Senior Multipurpose Facility in Sandy Springs is named practices in her calligraphy class at the Benson facility.

In 1990, Ms. Benson and 40 other seniors boarded a bus for a trip to Baltimore, Maryland to tour senior multipurpose facilities in that city. The trip to Baltimore planted the seeds for Fulton County’s first senior Multipurpose Facility, the H.J.C. Bowden Senior Multipurpose Facility. The generosity of East Point in donating the land made Bowden the first of four to open in Fulton County.

Dorothy Benson, #‎SeniorsOfFulton‬