MEETINGS, EVENTS & INFO: WEEK OF DEC. 3, 2007
Green Resource Center of Alabama Website – Check out this new website about Green construction and sustainable living — Green Resource Center of Alabama http://www.greenalabama.org.
MONDAY, DEC. 3, 10:00 am – OPEN HOUSE & KEY CEREMONY / NORTHWEST VILLAGE SUBDIVISION
Held on Foster St, northwest Auburn. The public is invited.
The City of Auburn will host an open house and key ceremony for the first homeowners in the Northwest Village Subdivision on Monday, December 3 at 10 a.m. on Foster Street in Northwest Auburn. The public is invited to attend.
Background: In January 2006, the City of Auburn, in conjunction with the North Auburn Housing Development Corporation, broke ground on the infrastructure for the Northwest Village Subdivision, Auburn’s newest affordable housing subdivision. The subdivision was created to give all Auburn residents the opportunity to become homeowners. In June of this year, construction began on Phase I of the subdivision and included the construction of four new homes. Applications are currently being accepted for the next phase of homes. Applicants must meet the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income requirements. For more info on the Northwest Village Subdivision, including application information, contact the city’s Community Development Division at 501-7280.
MONDAY, DEC 3, NOON – GREEN LUNCH: Dr. Sushil Bhavnani / Solar Energy Projects At Auburn
Held in AU’s Foy Union, room 208. Free & open to the public.
Speaker:  Dr. Sushil Bhavnani – Dept of Mechanical Engineering, AU
Diminishing global fossil-fuel resources have spurred worldwide interest in alternative forms of energy. The residential and transportation sectors are among the largest consumers of energy and consequently provide areas in which the greatest savings can be realized. Future needs will have to be met by a combination of alternative energy sources. Solar energy is an attractive option since it is based on existing technology. This presentation features Auburn’s solar-powered house and solar-powered race vehicle projects. The Auburn University Sustainability Initiative “Green Lunch” series is open to anyone on campus (students, faculty, staff, administrators) as well as interested members of the community. These brown-bag lunch seminars (water, iced tea, and coffee provided) will offer informal, non-technical talks by AU faculty and staff on a wide range of sustainability-related topics. For information about additional speakers this semester, please check our Green Lunch schedule: http://www.auburn.edu/projects/sustainability/Greenlunch.php or phone 844-7777.
MONDAY, DEC. 3, 4:00 pm – AUBURN CEMETERIES ADVISORY BOARD
Held at the Dean Road Rec Center. Open to all.
TUESDAY, DEC. 4, 8:30 am to 1:00 pm – AARP RETIREMENT WORKSHOP / Plan, Invest & Secure Your Financial Future
Held at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 E. Glenn Ave. Free & open to the public. Reservations: 334-749-3353.
A free workshop on savvy saving, borrowing & investing, with speakers from the Alabama Securities Commission and AARP Alabama. Topics include: predatory lending, reverse mortgages, home equity loans, investment fraud, retirement & pension issues.
TUESDAY, DEC 4, 3:30 pm – FILM: “MY TWO CENTS” / A Boy Named Sue
Held at AU’s Foy Union, Room 208. Free & open to the public.
A monthly multicultural film viewing and dialogue sponsored by AU’s Multicultural Center.
Film Title: Julie Wyman’s compelling documentary chronicles the transformation of a transsexual named Theo from a woman to a man over the course of six years. The film successfully captures Theo’s physiological and psychological changes during the process, as well as their effects on his lesbian lover and community of close friends. Taking full advantage of the unlimited access she received into an extraordinarily personal process, Wyman carefully composes a moving story about gender identity, relationships, and how even things that seems permanent can change. A Boy Named Sue is one of the best videos to date on female-to-male transsexual experience. Wyman spent six years taping Sue’s transformation into Theo and then organized a huge archive of material into a moving, informative and smart rendering of what a difference sex reassignment surgeries can make not only to the transsexual himself but also to all those in his immediate circle.
TUESDAY, DEC. 4, 4:00 pm – LITTLETON-FRANKLIN LECTURE / WILLIAM T. BENZON: The Magic of the Bell: Music, the Spirit, and Human Nature www.auburn.edu/littleton-franklin/benzon.html
Held in AU’s Sciences Center Auditorium, Roosevelt Drive. Free & open to the public.
William T. Benzon, a jazz musician and cognitive scientist, is the author of Beethoven’s Anvil: Music in Mind and Culture. In this book he explores the complex capacities and skills required for the musical experience and our need to create and participate in music. In a review in Science, Benzon is credited with accomplishing “..a rare feat in Beethoven’s Anvil by uniting many aspects of musical science in a truly multidisciplinary manner.” He is also co-author, with Richard Mark Friedhoff, of a book on computer graphics and image-processing entitled Visualization: the Second Computer Revolution.Since 2003, Benzon has been Association Director of the World Development Endowment Foundation in New York. He is on the scientific advisory board for the Institute of Music and Neurologic Function in New York City. Previously he was a senior scientist with MetaLogics, Inc., where he worked on knowledge representation and information design for web-based health services. He has taught in the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is internationally recognized for his numerous scholarly articles, reviews, and technical reports on African-American music, literary analysis and theory, cultural evolution, cognition and brain theory, visual thinking, and technical communication.
*Parking areas nearest the auditorium are the lot in front of Comer Hall on the corner of Roosevelt and College Streets,and the Library parking deck off Roosevelt. Tiger Transit buses (Charcoal Line) run between the Jules-Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts and campus regularly until 6:00 pm weekdays. Persons parking in the Museum lot should be at a bus stop by about 5:30 in order to be sure to catch the last bus back to their car. The nearest bus stop to the COSAM Auditorium is on Mell Street at Roosevelt.
TUESDAY, DEC 4, 5:30 pm – AUBURN PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD
Held at the Dean Road Rec Center. Open to all.
TUESDAY, DEC. 4 — AUBURN CITY COUNCIL
6:00 pm — Committee of the Whole / 7:00 pm – Regular meeting
Held in the council chambers, 141 N. Ross St. Open to all.
Agenda & full packet: www.auburnalabama.org/agenda
Committee of the Whole agenda includes:
CONSTRUCTION WORK TIMES ORDINANCE . Update and Discussion. City Manager Duggan.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE ORDINANCE . Update and Discussion. City Manager Duggan/Finance Director Andrea Jackson.
JULE COLLINS SMITH MUSEUM OF FINE ART. Quarterly Update and Presentation. Museum Director Marilyn Laufer
and Parks & Recreation Director Becky Richardson.
Regular meeting agenda includes:
7. CITIZENS’ COMMUNICATIONS.
8. CITY MANAGER’S COMMUNICATIONS. City Manager Duggan.
a. Announcement of Board Vacancies. Appointments at January 8, 2008 Meeting.
(1) Water Works Board. One Vacancy. Six Year Term Expires January 19, 2014.
(2) Board of Zoning Adjustment. Three Vacancies. Three Year Terms Expire January 20, 2011.
9. ORDINANCES.
a. Construction Work Times. Amend City Code. Section 5-2. Unanimous Consent Necessary.
b. Alcoholic Beverage License. Amend City Code. Section 3. Unanimous Consent Necessary.
c. Business License Ordinance No. 1842. Amend to Exclude Alcoholic Beverage Gross Receipts. Unanimous Consent Necessary.
d. Traffic Control Signs and Devices. Establish and Set. Unanimous Consent Necessary.
(1) Lundy Chase Subdivision. Speed Limit and Stop Signs.
(2) Wrights Mill Road. Woodfield Drive to Janet Drive. Speed Limit Signs.
10. RESOLUTIONS.
a. North Auburn Housing Development Corporation. Northwest Village Subdivision. Restrictive Covenants. Adoption.
b. Contracts and Agreements. Authorize Mayor and City Manager to Sign.
(1) Public Works Department.
(a) $366,400 (County) and $645,687 (City).Resurface and Widen Beehive Road (Lee Road 10) from Auburn Technology Park West Entrance for a Distance of Two Miles. Joint Project with Lee County Highway Department.
(b) $11,500. Slaughter Avenue Drainage Improvement Project. Mathan Holt Construction.
(c) $24,650. Library Expansion Project. Change Order No. 1. J. A. Lett Construction Company.
(2) Environmental Services Department.
(a) 58,215.16. 2008 Model 4300 SBA 4×2 Truck Chassis. Southland International Trucks. State Contract. $
(b) $32,250. Heavy Duty Trash Loader. Pac-Mac.
(3) $49,750 (Water Board) and $107,250 (City). Water Resource Management Department. Design and Construction Manual. Consulting Engineering Services. Joint Project with Water Board. CHM2HILL, Inc.
c. Cleveland Brothers, Inc. Easements and Rights of Way.
(1) Mimms Trail Subdivision, First Revision of Lot 1 and Future Development Property. South of Shell Toomer Parkway and East of Mill Creek Road. Drainage and Utility Easements and Rights of Way. Acceptance.
(2) Moore’s Mill Club, LLC. Ingress and Egress to Golf Cart Path. Underneath Moore’s Mill Road Bridge over Moore’s Mill Creek. Easement and Right of Way. Dedication.
11. OTHER BUSINESS.
12. ADJOURNMENT.
TUESDAY, DEC 4, 6:30 to 8:00 PM — ALLIANCE FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE www.peaceeagle.org
Held at the Busch Center (508 Auburn Drive), the small building behind the Unitarian Fellowship (450 E. Thach), Auburn. Open to all.
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 – OPELIKA CITY COUNCIL
6:35 pm – work session / 7:00 pm – regular meeting
Held at 204 S. 7th St, Opelika. Open to all. Agenda: www.opelika.org
Work session agenda includes:
6:35 (1) – a. Rezoning of 138 acres, Interstate Rd Extension & Frederick Road, from R4 to C2. — Jerry K.
6:40 (2) – a. Capital Outlay amendment, FY 2007. b. General updates — Mayor Fuller, John Seymour
6:50 (3) – Discuss/review CM agenda items of 12/04 — Mayor Fuller, John Seymour, Dept. Heads.
a. Remarks by Mayor; b. General business; c. Bids; d. Resolutions; e. Ordinances; f. Board Appointments.
6:55 (4) – Discussion: New / Old Business — City Council. a. Board appointments; b. Other City business.
Regular meeting agenda includes:
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS – (Limit comments to five minutes or less)
REMARKS BY THE MAYOR – Gary Fuller
a. Check presentation by Bailey-Harris, Miracle Field. b. Officer of the month – Corporal Elliott Grace – OPD.
REPORT OF DISBURSEMENTS
COMMITTEE REPORTS
GENERAL BUSINESS – Bob Shuman
1. Request by Outta Bounds Sports Bar (in PJ) for a Lounge Retail Liquor Class I license.
2. Public meeting (hearing), development agreement & lease agreement (Expo), Celebrate Alabama.
3. Notice of public hearing, rezoning, 19 parcels, R1 and C3 to R/E district.
4. Notice of public hearing, rezoning, Lawler Business Park, R4, GC2 to C2, GC2.
AWARDING OF BIDS – (By Resolution) – Shirley Washington
1. Two 2007 unmarked police package autos, plus one marked police package auto.
2. Two 2008 pickup truck – (1)P&R (1)Planning.
3. Rental of two copy machines for L&P.
4. Rental of one copy machine for P&R-Covington.
5. Rental of one copy machine for P&R-Denson Drive.
6. Rental of one copy machine for Administration-2nd floor City Hall.
RESOLUTIONS – Guy Gunter
1. Annual contract with the Lee County Rabies Officer.
2. Special appropriation for the Opelika Learning Center.
3. Authorize Mayor Fuller, demolition at 615 Auburn Place.
4. Authorize Mayor Fuller, demolition at 505 McCure Ave.
5. Authorize Mayor Fuller, demolition at 3409 Chilton Ave.
ORDINANCES – Guy Gunter
1. Annexation, W.S. Newell property, 56 acres – Planning – TABLED.
2. Annexation, Morris/Boucher property, 60.2 acres – Planning – 2nd Reading.
3. Declare December 31, 2007 a special City holiday – Admin. – 2nd Reading.
4. Amend zoning, Pepperell Mfg. Co, – Planning – 2nd Reading.
5. Amend Chapter 14 of City code, Business License Schedule – Revenue – 2nd Reading.
6. Amend City Council meeting dates in January, 2008 – Legis – 1st Reading.
7. Amend zoning, 19 parcels, R1 and C3 to R/E district – Planning – 1st Reading.
8 Amend zoning, Lawler Business Park, R4,GC2 to C2,GC2 – Planning – 1st Reading.
9. Authorizing a development agreement, Celebrate Ala. – Admin. – 1st Reading.
APPOINTMENTS
ADJOURN
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5, 9:30 am – ALABAMA ETHICS COMMISSION / Open & Executive Sessions
Held in the 9th Floor Hearing Room, 100 North Union Street, Mont. – 334-242-2997. Open to the public.
The Alabama Ethics Commission will meet in open session to render Advisory Opinions requested by public officials/public employees. An Executive Session will be held to discuss matters relating to complaints filed with the Ethics Commission and the results of those investigations. These matters are covered by the Grand Jury Secrecy Act. No matters will be discussed which are outside the scope of the State guidelines for the holding of Executive Sessions. Matters discussed in Executive Session will be voted on in public.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5, 3:00 to 5:00 pm – OPEN HOUSE / FIRE STATION NO. 5
Held at Auburn’s Fire Station No. 5, Technology Parkway, Auburn Tech Park South. The public is invited to attend.
Fire Station No. 5 is the City of Auburn’s newest fire station and will serve the southern portion of Auburn, in addition to providing support to Auburn’s four existing fire stations. The new station came online November 14, is staffed by 5 firefighters on each shift and currently houses 1 truck. More info: Auburn Public Safety Department-Fire Division at 501-3160.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5, 4:30 pm – AUBURN BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT / BZA
Held in the city council chambers, 141 N. Ross St. Open to all.
Agenda & full packet: www.auburnalabama.org/bza/agenda.asp. Agenda includes:
OLD BUSINESS – none listed
NEW BUSINESS:
Variance to Section 502.01 of the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance PL-2007-00990
Barbara Pitts Miller, Ruthie H. Pitts, and W.E. Pitts, Sr.; 1972 Saint John Court; Neighborhood Conservation (NC-20)
Action Requested : Variance of 14-feet from the required 45-foot rear yard setback on the north side of the residence for the construction of an addition
Variance to Section 433.06 (C) of the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance PL-2007-00992
Maxwell Engineering and Land Surveying for Cleveland Real Estate Investments Partnership; In the 2300 block of Bent Creek Road (adjacent to Waffle House Restaurant); Comprehensive Development District (CDD)
Action Requested : Variance to allow a car wash opening to face Bent Creek Road (a corridor)
Variance to Sections 604 (L) and 606.03(A) of the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance PL-2007-00993
Donald Allen Development, Inc.; 696 West Magnolia Avenue; University Service (US)
Action Requested : Variance to allow a freestanding sign to project approximately 4-feet into the public right-of-way
Variance to Section 605.03 of the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance PL-2007-00995
The Cotswolds, L.L.C.; 794 Cotswolds Way; Development District Housing (DDH)
Action Requested : Variance to allow a subdivision identification marker sign in the public right-of-way
Variance to Section 605.03 of the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance PL-2007-00999
Tuscany Hills, L.L.C.; Tuscany Village Drive, near North College Street; Development District Housing (DDH)
Action Requested : Variance to allow a subdivision identification marker sign in the public right-of-way
OTHER BUSINESS: Reschedule January 2008 Meeting
CHAIRMAN’S COMMUNICATION. ADJOURNMENT.
THURSDAY, DEC 6, noon – LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS / Topic: Water Issues in East Alabama
Held in Bruno’s community room. All are invited to attend.
THURSDAY, DEC. 6, 1:00 pm – FREE WEBCAST: GREENING EXISTING BUILDINGS
Free with registration. Register at: http://www.bdcnetwork.com/info/CA6501519.html.
Building Design+Construction is presenting a free webcast on improving the ‘green’ factor of existing buildings.
THURSDAY, DEC. 6, 5:30 pm – SAVE OUR SAUGAHATCHEE (SOS)
Held at the Nunn-Winston House, Kiesel Park. Open to all.
Agenda: Christmas party and election of officers. Social at 5:30; program/elections at 6:00.
FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm – ARMORY ARTS CENTER SALE
Held at the Armory Arts Center on 7th Ave, Opelika. The sale includes works by many potters at good prices. (Also on Saturday, Dec. 8.)
FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 11:30 am – AUBURN TREE COMMISSION
Held at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 E. Glenn Ave. Open to all.
FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 11:45 am to 1:00 pm – AU WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY BOARD / ESTATE PLANNING ROUNDTABLE
Held at Ariccia Restaurant, private dining room, AU Hotel & Dixon Conference Center.
Seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP by Dec. 5 to the WPB Office 334-844-9199 or wpbchs1@auburn.edu.
AU College of Human Sciences’ Women’s Philanthropy Board will host “Have a Wish – Make a Will,” a Dutch treat luncheon and roundtable discussion about estate planning featuring attorney Liz Hutchins, a shareholder with Sirote and Purmett, a law firm based in Birmingham. Hutchins will focus on creating wills, maximizing charitable giving through your estate and developing strategies to minimize taxes. More than 50 percent of Americans die without a will with consequences that can be devastating. Estate planning is an ongoing process which incorporates the latest tax and probate laws and should be updated on a regular basis. Through her practice, Hutchins assists clients in the areas of estate and charitable planning; estate gift and trust tax law; wills and probate. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Judson College, a Juris Doctor degree from Cumberland Law School and a Master of Law degree in taxation from New York University. Hutchins is a past president of the Alabama Planned Giving Council and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council. She was named “Best of Class” 2006 by Best of US Inc. for Tax Law and was listed in The Best Lawyers in American 2005-2007 by Woodward White Inc. for Trusts and Estates Law. More info: www.humsci.auburn.edu/wpb/files/have_a_wish_flyer.pdf.
FRIDAY, DEC 7, noon to 9:00 pm — HOLIDAY ART SALE
Held at the Dempsey Community Arts Center, 222 East Drake Ave, Auburn. Open to all.
Paintings, prints, fiber works, sculpture & ceramic works by local artists, AU art students and students at the Dean Road Ceramics Studio will be featured. Info: Sara Hand 334-501-2944.
FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm – DOWNTOWN KICKOFF CELEBRATION FOR LOVELIEST VILLAGE CHRISTMAS TOUR
Held in downtown Auburn and St. Dunstan’s Episcopal College Center (Magnolia Ave). Free & open to all.
More info: 887-8747 or www.auburnpreservationleague.org/frmChristmasTour.aspx
Downtown merchants will be open with special sales for the holiday shoppers. St. Dunstan’s Episcopal College Center, located on Magnolia Avenue will be the host site for performances from several local choral groups and choirs. (The tour, hosted by the Auburn Preservation League, will be held on Sat & Sun – see details below.)
FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 6:00 pm – AUUF AUCTION
Held at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall (AUUF Hall), 450 E. Thach Ave. All are invited to attend.
Delicious food and beverages available from 6 pm ’til the end. Don’t miss this great event!
Silent Auction 6:00 – 7:00 pm; Live Auction 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
SATURDAY, DEC. 8, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm — LOVELIEST VILLAGE CHRISTMAS TOUR
Tour details & ticket info: 887-8747 or www.auburnpreservationleague.org/frmChristmasTour.aspx.
Nine homes plus a local church, all decorated for the holidays, are included in the tour. (Also on Sunday Dec. 9.) Hosted by the Auburn Preservation League.
SATURDAY, DEC. 8, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm – ARMORY ARTS CENTER SALE
Held at the Armory Arts Center on 7th Ave, Opelika. The sale includes works by many potters at good prices.
SUNDAY, DEC. 9, 1:00 to 4:00 pm — LOVELIEST VILLAGE CHRISTMAS TOUR
Tour details & ticket info: 887-8747 or www.auburnpreservationleague.org/frmChristmasTour.aspx.
Nine homes plus a local church, all decorated for the holidays, are included in the tour. Hosted by the Auburn Preservation League.
——— ———- ———- ———–
Walking, Cycling and Driving In Alabama – In a recent presentation to the YMBC Civic Forum in Birmingham, Regional Planning Commission’s Tom Maxwell conveyed some stunning statistics about “the state” of walking, cycling and driving in Birmingham and Alabama. His figures came from the most recent Surface Transportation Policy Projects “Mean Streets” report. Here are some of the findings.
~ According to U.S. Census 2000 data, metropolitan Birmingham ranks 266th out the nation’s 280 MSAs in terms of the percentage of the population that walks to work at 1.21%.
~ The region ranks 271st in terms of the percentage of the population that bikes and/or walks to work (combined = 1.27%), which is lower than any other metropolitan area with a population of 500,000 or more.
~ Based on traffic fatality data from 2002 and 2003, the Birmingham MSA has the 6th highest Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) of 110.0 compared to PDIs from 26 similar sized metro areas having populations of 750,000 to 1,500,000.
~ U.S. Census 2000 data indicates that Alabamians make only 1.3% of all commutes on foot compared to 2.9 percent nationally.
~ The National Household Travel Survey 2001 conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) indicates that Alabamians spend an average of 71 minutes in a vehicle per day compared to a national average of 66 minutes.
~ 57% of all trips made in Alabama that are under a half mile are made in a vehicle. (*Note: Half mile trips are generally considered “walkable” distances. Such short trips can feasibly be made on foot when safe and convenient walking conditions exist.)
To read the entire “Mean Streets” report go to www.transact.org/report.asp?id=235 .
This item courtesy of BEN – Bama Enviromental News — www.bamanews.com.
—————————————————————————-
Thanks for your interest and support.
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
