July - City of Auburn

CityCouncilBill Ham, Jr., Mayor501-7260bham@auburnalabama.orgArthur L. Dowdell, Sr., Ward 1524-2074bishopdowdellministries@yahoo.comSheila H. Eckman, Ward 2821-9666750-9666sheilaeckman@bellsouth.netThomas Worden, Ward 3740-1783tworden@charter.netBrent Beard, Ward 4821-4302brent@alabamacontractsales.comRobin Kelley, Ward 5501-7947887-0033robinkelleylaw@gmail.comDick Phelan, Ward 6887-2071dickphelan@yahoo.comGene Dulaney, Ward 7887-7908466-3191gdulaney@auburnbank.comBob Norman, Ward 8821-1901bobnorman67@bellsouth.netOpen Line is produced byOffice of theCity Manager144 Tichenor Ave., Ste. 1Auburn, AL 36830phone: 334-501-7261fax: 334-501-7299web:www.auburnalabama.orgemail:cduggan@auburnalabama.orgPrinted onRecycled PaperJuly 2009Governor Riley Names Portion of Highway 280The Lt. General Hal Moore HighwayGovernor Bob Riley recently visited Auburnfor an official ceremony naming the portionof Highway 280 between mile markers 98and 101 the Lt. General Hal Moore Highway.Thanks to an effort spearheaded byRepresentative Mike Hubbard, this portionof Highway 280 now stands as a tribute toAuburn’s own local hero.Moore retired from the Army in 1977 as a 3Star General with over 32 years of activeservice. A longtime citizen of Auburn,Moore dedicated a portion of his retiredyears researching and authoring the bookWe Were Solders Once…and Young. Thebook spent over 17 weeks on the New YorkTimes Bestseller List and is considered aclassic on the Vietnam War.“The fact that this portion of Highway 280 not only runs through Auburn, but also leads to Fort Benning, GA isa fitting tribute to General Moore,” said Mayor Bill Ham, Jr. “General Moore truly is an American hero and weare grateful to Governor Riley and Representative Hubbard for ensuring this tribute to his legacy.”East Samford Avenue Extension OpensConstruction of the East Samford AvenueExtension between East University Driveand East Glenn Avenue was completed inMay. The road is now open to traffic. Theproject, totaling $2.5 million, included extendingEast Samford Avenue from its previousterminus east of East UniversityDrive to East Glenn Avenue; installation ofwater and sewer services and other utilities;the addition of two six-foot wide bikelanes; and new traffic signals at East UniversityDrive and East Glenn Avenue.In the 2009 Citizen Survey, Auburn citizensindicated the management of traffic flowand congestion was their top priority forCity officials to address over the next twoyears. The completion of the East Samford Avenue extension is expected to help improve east-westtraffic flow in the City.For more information, please visit the City of Auburn Public Works Department online atwww.auburnalabama.org/pw or contact them by phone at 501-3000.

A Place To Call HomeCity Accepting Applications for theNorthwest Village SubdivisionThe City of Auburnand the NorthAuburn HousingDevelopment Corporationare currentlyacceptingapplications forhomeowners in theNorthwest VillageSubdivision,Auburn’s newestaffordable housing subdivision. The subdivision, located off FosterStreet in Northwest Auburn, features beautiful three bedroomand two bath homes in a varietyof styles and finishes. Applicantsmust meet incomerequirements set forth by theDepartment of Housing andUrban Development (HUD).Qualified buyers are eligible toreceive the first-time homebuyers’tax credit, totaling upto $8,000.This project is the City’s latesteffort to provide affordablehome ownership opportunitiesfor all citizens. For moreinformation, please visitwww.auburnalabama.org/cdbgor contact the City of AuburnCommunity Development Divisionat 501-7280.City of AuburnNon-Emergency NumberPlease note the City of Auburn’s 24-hour non-emergency numberis 501-3100. Citizens are encouraged to use this number when contactingthe Public Safety Department with non-emergency requestsand issues such as cars blocking the roadway and noise complaints.In addition, this number may be used for all after-hours issues.This number was established to keep 911 lines open for true emergencies.In the event of a true emergency, please dial 9-1-1.Board Vacancies• Three vacancies on the Auburn DowntownRedevelopment Authority willbe filled at the July 7 City Council meeting.• One vacancy on the Water WorksBoard will be filled at the August 4 CityCouncil meeting.• One vacancy on the Greenspace Advisory Board will befilled at the August 4 City Council meeting.Citizens interested in serving are encouraged to contacttheir City Council member or notify the City Manager’s Office atwebocm@auburnalabama.org or call 501-7260.VACANCYIndependence Day Holiday ScheduleCity Hall will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of IndependenceDay. Public Safety services, including Police, Fire, andCommunications, will remain on their regular schedules. There willbe no change in the collection of garbage, trash, and recycling forthe week of June 29 - July 3.Summer Camps and ProgramsThe City of Auburn Parks andRecreation Department offers awide variety of summer camps andprograms for children of all ages.Join us for visual art workshops forchildren, art for young children,young artist atelier, and much morethis summer. For more information,including registration fees anddeadlines, pick up a FREE copy of the Parks and Recreation SummerBrochure. Brochures are available at City facilities or downloada copy online at www.auburnalabama.org/parks/brochure.asp.For more information, visit the City of Auburn Parks and RecreationDepartment online at www.auburnalabama.org/parks or call501-2930.MEETING SCHEDULEJULY1 Board of Zoning Adjustment, 4:30 p.m., CouncilChamber6 Cemeteries Advisory Board, 4 p.m., Dean RoadRecreation Center7 Industrial Development Board, 4 p.m., City HallConference RoomParks & Recreation Advisory Board, 5:15 p.m.,Dean Road Recreation CenterCity Council, 7 p.m., Council Chamber9 Planning Commission, 5 p.m., Council Chamber10 Tree Commission, 11:30 a.m., Chamber of CommerceConference Room14 Greenspace Advisory Board, 11:30 a.m., City MeetingRoomHistoric Preservation Commission, 4 p.m., DevelopmentServices BuildingBoard of Education, 6 p.m., AHS Multi-Media Room21 City Council, 7 p.m., Council Chamber23 Library Board, 8 a.m., Library Board RoomWater Works Board, 4 p.m., Water Board ConferenceRoom28 Bicycle Committee, 7 p.m., Development ServicesBuildingMeeting times and places are subject to change.For more information, including a map ofCity meeting locations, please visitwww.auburnalabama.org/boards.

Auburn City Pools OpenSamford Pool Renovations CompleteBeat the heat this summer at Auburn City Pools! Visit Drake Pool,located at 653 Spencer Avenue behind Drake Middle School, orthe newly-renovated Samford Pool, located at 328 SamfordAvenue behind Auburn Junior High School. Daily admission is$2/person and children 1 & under are free. Individual seasonpasses are available for $50. Family passes are $100. Seasonpasses are on sale now at the Dean Road Recreation Center.Patrons at Samford Pool may notice a new look this summer. Immediatelyfollowing the close of the 2008 pool season, the SamfordPool Renovations Project began. The project, totaling morethan $300,000, included replacing the existing concrete deck, anew drainage system, and new lighting. Work was completed priorto the opening of the 2009 pool season.For more information, including a detailed summer pool schedule,please visit www.auburnalabama.org/parks/pools.asp or contactthe Dean Road Recreation Center at 501-2930.Jan Dempsey Community ArtsCenter Celebrates 10 YearsJoin the City of Auburn aswe celebrate 10 years ofthe Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center on Thursday,July 30. Stop by the Arts Center from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. to see specialdisplays highlighting a decade of community partnerships involvingart education programming, art exhibitions, theatre, anddance. A reception will be held from 5 - 7 p.m. This event is freeand open to the public. Join us as wecelebrate the past and look to the futureof our educational programs,performances, and events at the JanDempsey Community Arts Center.For more information, please visitwww.auburnalabama.org/arts or contactthe Jan Dempsey CommunityArts Center at 501-2963.FEMA Floodplain Maps andFlood InsuranceStudy UpdateProperty Owners in Floodplain Encouraged toContact Insurance Agent About Flood InsuranceLee County and the City of Auburn are in the process ofupdating their Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) Floodplain Maps and Flood Insurance Study. Propertyowners affected by the new proposed floodplain havebeen notified by mail and are encouraged to contact their insuranceagent about purchasing flood insurance. Propertyowners affected by the new maps will likely face higherflood insurance premiums once the proposed maps are ineffect. The proposed maps are tentatively scheduled to gointo effect in March 2010.For more information, please visit the City’s FEMA webpageat www.auburnalabama.org/fema, or contact the Cityof Auburn Public Works Department at 501-3000 orwebpw@auburnalabama.org.For an interactive map of the current and proposed FEMAfloodplains and to determine if your property is in thefloodplain, visit the City’s FEMA map atwww.auburnalabama.org/fema/maps.asp.Annual Fourth of JulyCelebrationSponsored byBriggs & Stratton CorporationCelebrate our nation’s 233rdbirthday at the City of Auburn’sAnnual Fourth of July Celebration,sponsored by Briggs &Stratton Corporation, on Saturday,July 4 behind the home sideof Duck Samford Stadium.Gates open at 6 p.m. Enjoygreat food, live music, and ashow-stopping fireworks display.Music and children’s activitiesbegin at 7 p.m., followed byone of the largest fireworks displaysin Lee County at 9 p.m.Admission is free to the public. Attendees are encouraged tobring a blanket or chairs. Enjoy a picnic dinner with familyand friends or purchase refreshments from local vendors onsite.In the event of rain, the fireworks display will berescheduled for Sunday, July 5. For more information, pleasevisit the City of Auburn website at www.auburnalabama.orgor contact the City of Auburn Parks and Recreation Departmentat 501-2930.