Showing posts with label Milton events. Show all posts

61st Annual Old Soldiers Day Parade August 3, 2013 Alpharetta, GA

61st Old Soldiers Day Parade
Alpharetta City Hall
Saturday, August 3, 2013
9:15am Band / 10am Program / 10:30am Parade
Road Closure Plan
The City of Alpharetta and the American Legion Post 201 will hold the 61st Annual Old Soldiers Day Parade. The parade is just one way that our country’s war veterans are recognized for the service. A Memorial Service will begin on Main Street in front of City Hall at 9:15am Band, 10am Program and 10:30am Parade. It will end at the American Legion Post 201 on Wills Road for free food and activities.

VIEWING FOR THE PARADE
In 2013, the parade viewing area has been extended to Milton Avenue! To view the parade, bring a chair or a blanket along Milton Avenue; or head south on Main Street/ Highway 9 for the parade, band and reviewing stand; or take a right onto Old Milton Parkway to Roswell Street. The parade will continue to the American Legion Post 201 so come and enjoy the post parade festivities!

HISTORY OF THE PARADE
The Old Soldiers Day Parade began years ago as a tribute to veterans of the war between the states, but was discontinued after a few years.Twenty–eight years later, in 1952, a small group of men in Alpharetta re-dedicated Old Soldiers Day Parade in Alpharetta and started having a parade through downtown Alpharetta. Thanks to these few men and their belief in keeping this memorable tradition alive, this parade has become an annual celebration to all veterans of all wars.; this year marking 59 years.

Along with the program and parade, this celebration will also feature floats, bands, entertainment, children’s activities, and prizes. Free hot dogs and soft drinks will be available at the American Legion at 201 Wills Road. With so much to celebrate, take this day to recognize the living memory of all veterans of war.

THE PARADE IS A RAIN OR SHINE EVENT!
For more information call 678-297-6000.

2013 Milton Mayor's Run--February 23, 2013

To be held at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 23 at the Kohl’s on Ga. 9

For the third year, the Milton Mayor’s Run will begin and end at the Kohl’s in the Deerfield Place shopping center at the corner of Ga. 9 and Deerfield Parkway, said Angela Thompson, Milton’s special events coordinator. It includes a 5K race, 1K fun run and tot trot. The race will be a Peachtree qualifier.
Cost for participation is $25 if received before Feb. 18 and $30 after. That fee includes a quality, moisture-wicking T-shirt with the logo displayed below and plenty of food and fluids after the race.
Sponsorship levels include packages from $250 to $5,000 for title sponsors. Deadline for sponsorship is Feb. 4 to ensure inclusion in all advertising.
All funds raised by this event will directly benefit The City of Milton Parks and Recreation Department and its efforts to provide citizens with access to greenspaces, parks, trails, facilities, and recreation programs and activities.

Celebrate July 4th in Alpharetta

The Fourth of July is an exciting time to visit Alpharetta. From an All-American Celebration at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park to the traditional July 4th Festivities and Fireworks at Wills Park- there is guaranteed to be something for everyone!

July 4th events

July 4th Festivities and Fireworks July 4, 2012
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Wills Park
1825 Old Milton Parkway
Alpharetta, GA
678-297-6133
www.alpharetta.ga.us

Celebrate Independence Day with family and friends at Wills Park on Wednesday, July 4, 2012! The City of Alpharetta Recreation and Parks Department will provide free "inflatables" for children to play and jump on from 4pm to 8pm on the lawn behind the Alpharetta Community Center. The Alpharetta City Band will perform a medley of patriotic favorites beginning at 6pm on the lawn behind the Community Center. Serious Business, a local band, takes the stage from 7pm to 9pm to entertain the crowd with country and rock 'n' roll favorites. Our spectacular fireworks display begins at dusk! Fireworks will be shot regardless of the weather conditions.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: July 4th All-American CelebrationJuly 4, 2012
8:00 PM
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
2200 Encore Parkway
Alpharetta, GA
404-733-5010
www.vzwamp.com

Tony Award-winning Broadway vocalist Debbie Gravitte, the US Army Chorus, and post-concert fireworks highlight the Orchestra’s All-American Celebration.

James Casto at Chukkar FarmsJuly 7, 2012
8:00 PM
Chukkar Farms and Polo Club
1140 Liberty Grove Rd
Alpharetta, GA
678-665-0040
www.homebydark.com/chukkarfarm/july7.html

James Casto is joined by Allison & Paquette on the beautiful 170 acre Chukkar Farm. Most shows sell out. Tables seat 2, 4, 6, 8, or higher. Bring food, beverage and friends for an unforgettable night of music.

Taste of Alpharetta

Taste of Alpharetta
Thursday, May 10, 2012
5 - 10 pm
NEW LOCATION: Across from Alpharetta City Hall at 2 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Taste of Alpharetta has become an annual tradition for festival-goers, families and food connoisseurs for 22 years. Make reservations on your calendar to dine in Historic Downtown Alpharetta at over 50 restaurants in one fun night. Sample delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts from the top menus in town. Enjoy culinary demonstrations, activities and entertainment to please every palette. Free Admission. Food tickets are $.50 each and restaurants participating in the Taste will charge $1-3 per food sample.

With the Taste of Alpharetta moving back to the historic downtown streets, our Music Stage will have current retro-themed bands. A separate Culinary Stage will pair top area chefs against one another in contests. Party with metro Atlanta radio stations. Play at the Fun Zones. Come out and enjoy Alpharetta’s premier dining experience!

Milton to Buy Land for Bell Memorial Park Expansion

City Council approved spending $345,000 on almost 4 acres of land next to the existing park, home to the Hopewell Youth Association baseball league.

Before Milton City Council even had a chance to approve the purchase of 3.82 acres of land next to Bell Memorial Park, the biggest supporters of that park were thanking the city.
Scott Stachowski, president of the Hopewell Youth Association, spoke at the start of the Monday night council meeting to offer his organization's thanks. (Watch accompanying video.) He couldn't stay to watch the $345,000 purchase be approved because his son's baseball team had a practice he needed to attend.
Mayor Joe Lockwood said after the meeting that the additional park land could allow expansion of the existing facilities.
First, however, the city will check the property for problems, such as having been a site where George Washginton once slept, containing 55 barrel drums or being another "Stone Mountain," said City Manager Chris Lagerbloom. While he spoke "tongue in cheek" about those possibilities, the city has 120 days to make sure the city isn't buying any problems. Within that time, the city can back out of the purchase without penalty. He doesn't expect it to take that long to perform due diligence on the land.
The $345,000 is within the appraised value of the land, Lagerbloom said.

Shamrockin’ For A Cure: 4th Annual Benefit for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at Verizon Amphitheatre

Shamrockin’ For A Cure: 4th Annual Benefit for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Saturday, March 10th at 7:00PM

ShamRockin’ is proud to partner with the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park to bring you the best ShamRockin ever! Dance the night away and dine on delicious delicacies We’ll once again have an amazing collection of auction items, both Live and Silent. Enjoy your favorite libation (responsibly, of course) with complimentary beer, wine and vodka. Other cocktails also available for sale at the full service bar in the VIP lounge. Party with a Purpose: St. Patrick’s Day has never been this much fun, and felt this good!
Come Party With Us! We’ll Eat, Drink, and Cure Cystic Fibrosis!
Website: http://www.shamrockinforacure.org/

Milton, Alpharetta Schools Awarded for High Performance

Sixteen schools in the two cities have students who are meeting and exceeding standards.

Gov. Nathan Deal announced today, Jan. 17, that 370 Georgia public schools are being recognized for improvement and achievement during the 2010-2011 school year. These include 16 schools in Alpharetta and Milton.
The schools are being recognized under Georgia's Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS), developed by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, to award schools based on their performance on state curriculum exams and Adequate Yearly Progress status.
"Congratulations to these 370 schools for their commitment to hard work and high academic standards," said Deal. "The principals and teachers at these schools are to be commended for maintaining a focus on providing every student with a world-class education."
The awards are being announced as part of the release of the 2010-2011 K-12 Public Schools Report Card. The Report Card, which features the SSAS awards, was developed by GOSA and provides bottom-line data for Georgia’s preschools, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, technical colleges, and educator licensing and accreditation.
The schools are awarded on four levels -- Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze -- in two categories:
* Greatest gains: 111 schools are being recognized for demonstrating significant improvement on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) or the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT).
* Highest performance: 259 schools are being recognized for high achievement on the CRCT or GHSGT.
Highest Performance for Students Meeting and Exceeding Standards

Crabapple Crossing Elementary School	Platinum
Summit Hill Elementary	Platinum
Birmingham Falls Elementary School	Gold
Creek View Elementary School	Silver
New Prospect Elementary School	Silver
Lake Windward Elementary School	Silver
Fulton Sunshine Charter Elementary	Bronze
Cogburn Woods Elementary School	Bronze
Milton High School	Gold
Alpharetta High School	Bronze
Fulton Science Academy High School	Bronze
Fulton Science Academy (Middle)	Platinum
Northwestern Middle School	Gold
Webb Bridge Middle School	Silver
Hopewell Middle School	Bronze

Christmas Tree Recycling in Roswell, Johns Creek, Milton and Alpharetta

Many sites will take Christmas trees for recycling

Now that Christmas is done for another year, local residents can give a gift to nature by recycling their holiday trees.
There are dates and times in four north Fulton cities for all who want to participate:

Keep Roswell Beautiful is holding its 22nd annual Bring One for the Chipper at the two Home Depot locations in Roswell on Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The two Home Depot locations are on Holcomb Bridge Road in Holcomb Woods Shopping Center and Woodstock Road across from Publix.

Milton Grows Green is also holding its Bring One for the Chipper.
Residents may take Christmas trees Jan. 7 to Milton High School’s Birmingham Road entrance, 13025 Birmingham Hwy., and Home Depot, 5300 Windward Pkwy., for assisted dropoff from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Scottsdale Farms, 15639 Birmingham Hwy., will offer extended dropoff Dec. 26 through Jan. 7.

In Alpharetta, Jan. 7 is also Bring One for the Chipper day. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. trees will be accepted at the Windward Parkway Home Depot Store. Community volunteers will be available to help unload the trees.

The city of Johns Creek and Keep North Fulton Beautiful will take undecorated trees Jan. 7 at The Home Depot, 5950 State Bridge Road, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To find other tree dropoff locations, visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org.

Alpharetta completes deal for Westside Parkway extension

By Patrick Fox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Alpharetta has taken ownership of the final tract of land needed to complete Westside Parkway, a key thoroughfare used by thousands of north Fulton commuters each day.

At its regular meeting Monday night, the City Council voted unanimously to accept the deal negotiated with property owners along the proposed route north of Old Milton Parkway to Westside Parkway.
"The vote sets the stage for completing one of our community's most important goals," Mayor Arthur Letchas said. "The completion of Westside Parkway will provide a key north-south roadway that will ease traffic congestion during peak commute times."
The city anticipates it will send out requests for proposals by the end of the year, and a contractor should be selected the early part of 2012.

Sites selected for new Roswell, Alpharetta libraries

Milton building still pending

by Jonathan Copsey

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Fulton County Library Board of Commissioners has decided on five of the seven library locations and has begun the process of designing libraries for them.

The Board met Nov. 2 to chose the sites for the majority of sites that will be built with $275 million in bond referendum monies voters approved in 2008.

The sites of Roswell and Alpharetta are among those settled on. Roswell's will be at the intersection of Holcomb Bridge Road and Fouts Road on land donated by the city; Alpharetta's will be incorporated into the new city center concept, paid for with bond money on the ballot.

Walmart to put Neighborhood Market in Alpharetta

First one in Georgia as Walmart goes

by Hatcher Hurd

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Walmart will open a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Alpharetta that will compete directly with Kroger and Publix.

Although there are more than 180 Neighborhood Markets to date (the first Walmart Market opened in 1998 in Bentonville, Ark.), this one along with six other stores in the metro Atlanta area will be the first in Georgia. Walmart corporate communications officer Glen Wilkins said the plans call for refurbishing a former grocery store in the Alpharetta Crossing Shopping Center at the corner of Haynes Bridge Road and Old Milton Parkway.
The 40,000-square-foot store will open in late 2012 carrying a full line of groceries, a pharmacy, health and beauty aids and a "limited selection" of general merchandise.
"We found we needed to fill a gap in our market for the everyday customer who only needs a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread," Wilkins said. "Our regular Walmart stores can be five or six miles from one another, and we want to find a more convenient solution to pick up the things they may need on a daily basis. It's a grocery store."
These smaller stores are also meant to woo shoppers with easier parking, less crowded aisles and quicker checkout.
Wilkins said the Neighborhood Markets will soon be in Snellville and Marietta also. The store will employ 45 to 100 people. The strategy is to fill in where those Walmarts are already.
Wilkins said Walmart is not challenging the big grocery chains. It is instead trying to better serve its customers.
"This is a smaller-basket concept. We know our customers like shopping at Walmart. Sometimes with the challenges of traffic and convenience, it is hard for them to come to our stores. This fills that gap," Wilkins said. "We want to continue to provide that convenience."
Walmart will be competitive in price "for the market we are in," he said. "We will have everyday low prices."

The Georgia Aquarium Welcomes Aqua Vino Guests

Georgia Aquarium's Sixth Annual Aqua Vino will be held at the Georgia Aquarium on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, with the Grand Tasting beginning at 7 p.m. Enjoy and sample more than 200 fine wines from around the globe, gourmet fare from Atlanta's premier restaurants, a live, silent and wine auction and live music, all with the backdrop of the Ocean's Ballroom and the Aquarium's amazing galleris.

All proceeds from Aqua vino support the Aquarium's Veterinary Services through the Correll Center for Aquatic Animal Health.

This special price is only available if you purchase your tickets by Sept. 30, so get your tickets today!

Thank you for your support of the Georgia Aquarium! We would like to extend a special offer to you for our Sixth Annual Aqua Vino!

From now until Sept. 30, you have the opportunity to purchase Aqua Vino Grand Tasting tickets for the special price of $150 per person. That's a $50 savings!

To learn more about the event, please visit www.georgiaaquarium.org/aquavino

Sixth Annual Aqua Vino
Georgia Aquarium and Ocean's Ballroom
Oct. 13, 2011
Grand Tasting: 7 p.m.Attire: Cocktail Chic

Event attendess must be 21 years of age for entry.For VIP Tasting tickets and Patron opportunities, please visit www.georgiaaquarium.org/aquavino

Alpharetta Brew Moon Fest

The Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association is proud to present the first annual Alpharetta Brew Moon Fest street dance, brew & shenanigans on Saturday October 1, 2011 at 6:30pm on Old Milton Ave in downtown Alpharetta.

There will be great food, beer and wine and non-alcoholic beverages for sale, a performance by the Old School Horn Band from 6:30p to 8:30pm and our headline band Banks and Shane from 9pm to 11pm!

Food vendors at the event will be Smokejack, 52Bistro, Pure Taqueria, and Coffee Pot.

Admission to the event is $10. ID's will be required at the entrance gates. People coming to the event are welcome to bring their own chairs.

DATA is very excited about this event and look forward to seeing you all there! Bring your friends and neighbors because this is going to be a whole lot of fun!

If you have any questions regarding table reservations, please email office@downtownalpharettatradeassociation.com

The tasty toast of Georgia.This is a real wine country — not just a phony excuse for a label

DAHLONEGA, Ga. — So what wine goes best with fried pork rinds, anyway?

"That'd be Fat Boy Red," deadpanned Sharon Paul, not missing a beat as she continued to pour at a tasting at her Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery in the steep foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Paul and her husband, Doug, a former broadcaster, own and operate the kitschiest of a cluster of remarkable wineries just outside this north Georgia town hitherto known principally for one of the nation's oldest military colleges and the Southeast's biggest gold strike. (The U.S. government actually established a branch mint here in 1838 to turn out gold coins.)

But the gold in these hills here and now can be found in the thousands of acres of grapevines laid out as if in military rows up and down the steep slopes of outer Dahlonega. The place even looks like the Napa and Sonoma valleys.

A short (once you get out of Atlanta traffic) drive due north from the state capital, Georgia's wine country beckons oenophiles, tourists and folks just looking for a pleasant day out of the hustle and bustle of the city for a taste of fine yet casual dining, decent live music and surprisingly good local wine.

Arguably the best of that wine is produced in the vineyards in and around Frogtown, a red-clay community perched along the border of rural Lumpkin and White counties, where you can almost hear the tune from "Deliverance" as you drive past the occasional dilapidated gray wooden shack barely held together by rampant kudzu.

Within a Champagne cork's toss from Three Rivers are two wineries recognized as producing wines on a par with any in the storied California regions of Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles: BlackStock Vineyards and Winery and Frogtown Cellars.

"My wines are an expression of this place," said BlackStock owner Dave Harris, a fifth-generation Atlantan who studied at Fresno State University to hone his craft, which he says is not just growing grapes but "growing wine."

BlackStock's 40 hilly acres encompass 240,000 vines planted in 1997 and yield a wide range of wine grapes, from merlot to chardonnay to pinot varieties. Harris modestly claims to be the second-largest grower on the East Coast of viognier, a highly prized, once nearly extinct French grape that legend claims was the favorite of kings.

But he seems most proud of the fact that BlackStock's wines are "100 percent Georgia grown." Citing a unique combination of soil, slope, rainfall and mountain-protected climate, the soft-spoken but passionate winemaker declared, "This is an exceptional grape-growing area."

Which explains in large part the mini explosion of successful wineries that have cropped up in north Georgia over the last decade and a half. The Georgia Winegrowers Association lists 10 local wineries within an hour's drive of one another.

Michael Bryan, director of the prestigious Atlanta Wine School, said the high elevation and cool climate "provide the best chance of mimicking better known domestic wines from the West Coast."

Just up the road from Three Sisters (named for the trio of mountain peaks you can see from the porch) and BlackStock is what some critics consider the best of the Georgia wineries: Frogtown Cellars.

Owner and winemaker Craig Kritzer has built an impressive European-style operation in Frogtown, embracing innovative winemaking techniques and combining that with shrewd marketing concepts.

A retired lawyer from Atlanta, Kritzer followed his passion for wine to realize his dream of owning what he claims is the biggest homegrown vineyard (41 acres) in Georgia and — as he will tell anyone who will listen — the best.

"We do not just say we make competitive premium wines," Kritzer said. "We prove this characterization of our wines by submitting Frogtown labeled wine to the rigors of competing against the best wines produced anywhere in the world."

To back this up, he produces a list of recent medals Frogtown Cellars has won in a slew of major U.S. wine competitions.

While the title of No. 1 Georgia winery likely will continue to be challenged by these competitive neighbors, most of the folks who drive up from Atlanta or down from their mountain vacation homes mainly seem to be looking for where they can have the most enjoyable wine-tasting experience. All provide tastings, fine dining, live music and leisurely sipping — even grape-stompings during harvest season — plus venues for weddings and receptions.

The consensus seems to be that visitors leave happy, whichever winery they visit — from the slick Old World Frogtown Cellars to the engaging modern sincerity of BlackStock to the down-home atmosphere of Three Sisters.

Which brings us back to Fat Boy Red. Where did that name come from?

"Have you seen my husband?" Sharon Paul asked, gesturing to the rather robust man in denim overalls pouring a glass for a visitor.

'Nuff said.

If you go

Tastings generally run $15 for eight or nine wines.

BlackStock Vineyards

and Winery, 5400 Town Creek Road, Dahlonega; 706-219-2789, ext. 223; bsvw.com

Prices range from $15 for a 2006 merlot to $32 for a 2008 reserve touriga. The 2010 reserve viognier is $25.

Frogtown Cellars, 3300 Damascus Church Road, Dahlonega, 706-865-0687, frogtownwine.com

Prices range from $19 for a 2008 sangiovese to $50 for a 2006 Frogtown Family reserve merlot. Most Frogtown wines are in the $20s.

Three Sisters

Vineyards & Winery, 439 Vineyard Way, Dahlonega, 706-865-9463, threesistersvineyards.com

Prices range from $10 a bottle for Chestatee red or Chestatee rose to $28 for a 2005 cabernet franc (from the reserve list). Fat Boy Red is $15.

Other wineries in north Georgia:

Cavendar Creek Vineyards and Winery, Dahlonega, 770-823-9255, cavendercreekvineyards.com

Crane Creek Vineyards, Young Harris, 706-379-1236, cranecreekvineyards.com

Habersham Winery, Helen, 706-878-9463, habershamwinery.com

By J. Randolph Murray, Special to Tribune Newspapers

4:44 p.m. CDT, August 30, 2011

By J. Randolph Murray, Special to Tribune Newspapershttp://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sc-trav-0830-southern-wine-20110830,0,2723817,full.story

Roswell Arts Festival 2011--September 17/18,2011

The weekend of September 17 and 18, 2011, the Roswell Town Square will become an outdoor art gallery. Creative works will be on hand from artists around the county. Along with art, there will be live entertainment and a kids activities area.
The 45th Roswell Arts Festival will be held rain or shine. Parking is limited, however, there will be shuttle rides from City Hall at 38 Hill Street in Roswell. Proceeds of the 2011 Roswell Art Festival will go to support the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department. Find out more at www.roswellartsfestival.com.

Nestled in the heart of historic downtown Roswell, the Roswell Arts Festival is held on the Roswell Town Square. Entertainment featuring local singers, dance companies, and children’s entertainers begins daily at noon on both days of the festival. Children’s painting, sand art, and other activities are also available. Food vendors on site.

Founded in 1966, the Roswell Arts Festival Committee has worked tirelessly to bring quality artisans to Roswell for the benefit of the community and to raise money in support of the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department. The Roswell Arts Festival has raised money for a variety of projects throughout its forty year history, including funding for the Roswell Visual Arts Center, Roswell’s Riverside Park, funding for the Roswell Adult Recreation Center, and funding for the purchase of sixty three acres of land that would later become Roswell Area Park. Through monies raised by the annual festival, the Roswell Recreation Association has been able to donate more than half a million dollars towards the betterment of recreation in Roswell.

Fulton County Schools North Fulton High School Redistricting Final Recommendation

The opening of a new high school on the Bethany Bend-Cogburn Road site in August 2012 also will be the starting date of the new attendance zones expected to be adopted by the school board in June. Please see attached link for Final Recommendation for North Fulton High Schools Redistricting Map.

Bethany Bend High School Site Draft Plan Map

North Fulton Redistricting Draft Maps for the high school and middle school have been posted on the Fulton Schools website. There is summary of the draft plan, a flow chart of the feeder pattern and also a summary of the projected enrollment.

http://fultonschools.org/redistricting/bethany/Packet_Round3_online.pdf

Great Escape: Wine Tasting In Alpharetta

Welcome to TinderBox Vino 100

Wine Tastings:

If you like a good wine, don't miss our Tinder Box Vino 100 Alpharetta Wine Tasting Events, held every Saturday from 4:30pm-6:30pm. Drop by and sample several featured wines — all for the nominal fee of $10 per person ($5 of which is donated to charity! No RSVP required! Talk wine with our helpful, knowledgeable staff, fellow wine lovers, distributors' reps — and perhaps a vineyard owner from time to time. You'll enjoy our store's warm and relaxing ambience and soothing background jazz music so much, you won't want to leave!

131 South Main Street, Suite G | Alpharetta, GA 30009 | 770-343-8010

Fulton School System Creates Redistricting Maps for New Bethany Bend School

Parents, students and teachers will get a first look at alternative maps proposed for redistricting for the new high school being built on Bethany Bend in Milton Wednesday, March 16. They'll also get a chance to critique the different proposals.
The new high school is being built to relieve overcrowding at existing schools. To accomplish this, existing attendance zones at other North Fulton high schools will be modified to create the new school's attendance zone.

Bethany Bend High School Site Attendance Zone Redistricting

A new high school is planned in North Fulton County to relieve overcrowding at existing schools. The school, currently under construction on the southeast corner of Bethany Bend and Cogburn Road, is scheduled to open in August 2012. Existing attendance zones at other north county high schools will be modified to create the new school's attendance zone.

About the redistricting process
Each time a redistricting effort is under way, the school system holds three rounds of meetings to gather information needed to draft a redistricting proposal that best meets the community's needs. Fulton uses a unique process that encourages public discussion before developing a proposal. This allows the community to have maximum input on how the proposed attendance lines are created.

Timeline for Redistricting Process

Meetings will be held and Alpharetta High School (3595 Webb Bridge Road, Alpharetta 30005; click for Google Map) from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

Round One - February 23, 2011
- School system staff will outline the redistricting process and established ground rules for facilitated small-group input sessions.
- Participants will move to small-group sessions and give input related to the redistricting criteria.
- Staff will review public comments and apply Board-approved redistricting criteria to develop alternative attendance zone plans prior to the next community forum
Round Two - March 16, 2011
- Staff will present alternative proposals for new attendance zones.
- Community members will offer comment on strengths and weaknesses of each plan in facilitated small-group discussions.
- Prior to the next community forum, staff will condense the number of attendance zone alternatives based on public input.
Round Three - April 13, 2011
- Community members will review and provide input on revised attendance zone draft plans in facilitated small-group discussions.
- Staff will use comments to develop a final attendance zone recommendation for Board consideration.

The Fulton County Board of Education will be reviewing the new attendance zone recommendations during their meetings. Changes in the attendance zones will go into effect in August 2012 with the opening of the new school.