atl-properties.com

A new cast of giant plant sculptures based on the characters of Alice in Wonderland will bloom at the Atlanta Botanical Garden this spring when the Midtown attraction reopens on Saturday, May 23.

Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined, presented through November 1, features a return of some of the enormous topiary-like sculptures presented in 2019’s Imaginary Worlds: Alice’s Wonderland joined by several new sculptures. In addition to a towering White Rabbit and sprawling chess board with Cheshire Cat perched nearby, look for a 16-foot Red Queen playing croquet and an all-new 14-foot Alice rotating in the Howell Fountain pool as she plummets down the “rabbit hole”.

The sculptures are created through the centuries-old art of mosaiculture in which steel forms are covered in fabric, filled with soil and planted with thousands of living plants to form a colorful carpet.
The Garden first introduced guests to the art in 2013 when it presented the United States’ first major exhibition of mosaiculture produced by International Mosaiculture de Montreal, a nonprofit group that has staged wildly successful displays of its work around the world.

In addition to this year’s Alice-themed sculptures, guests will be greeted by two permanent sculptures that are legacies from previous exhibitions – the iconic Earth Goddess and the lovable Shaggy Dog – as well as the Phoenix from the 2019 show.

Visitors also may enjoy the exhibition dramatically lit every evening with cash bars and music, thanks to new extended hours of 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Members enjoy the Garden exclusively on Member Mondays from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. (The Garden’s Gainesville location remains closed until further notice).

Tickets are available for purchase online only with timed entry for ensuring the safety and enjoyment of guests during a crowd-free experience.

Piedmont Healthcare is participating in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) expanded access program for the antiviral drug remdesivir, which was granted emergency use authorization on May 1. The investigational drug was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the recovery time in some COVID-19 patients.
 
The program is available for patients at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital and Piedmont Columbus Regional-Midtown Campus and may be expanded to other Piedmont hospitals. Previously, Piedmont participated in the FDA’s compassionate use program for remdesivir.
 
FDA expanded access programs, sometimes called “compassionate use,” represent a process by which patients with immediately life-threatening conditions or a serious disease can gain access to an investigational medical product for treatment outside of clinical trials when no comparable or alternative therapy options are available.
 
“Piedmont’s providers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and remdesivir gives them another tool to help care for our patients,” said Charles L. Brown, III, M.D., CEO of Piedmont Healthcare’s Physician Enterprise.
 
Amy Hajari Case, M.D., is Piedmont’s Medical Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Research and principal site investigator for this program at Piedmont Atlanta. Ameera Waseem Siddiqi, M.D., is the investigator at Piedmont Fayette and Saeed Aasim Baloch, M.D., is the investigator at Piedmont Columbus.
 
“Piedmont’s purpose is to make a positive difference in every life we touch and by offering novel treatments to care for our COVID-19 patients, we are delivering on our promise,” Dr. Case said. “We had a positive experience with remdesivir early in the pandemic and are excited to be able to provide to our patients again.”

The Advisory Council for the Reopening of the City of Atlanta has submitted its final recommendations for a gradual reopening to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.  Informed by economic indicators and medical science, the report contains evidence-based short, mid, and long-range recommendations for the safe and data-driven reopening of the City. 

The report reflects the insights and guidance of the Advisory Council, which was established by Mayor Bottoms through an Administrative Order on April 20^th of this year in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The 60-person Council is comprised of a diverse group of leaders and experts from across Atlanta’s business, nonprofit, healthcare, and government sectors.

“Thank you to the members of the Advisory Council for your diligence in providing a thoughtful, detailed roadmap that will help inform our plans on the reopening of the City of Atlanta,” said Mayor Bottoms. “I am also grateful to the thousands of individuals who participated in our Resident Survey—it is my strong belief that our residents must be a part of this process. Together, we are on a path to ensuring that our plans for reopening the City continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of all Atlantans.”

The report outlined three core focus areas for Atlanta’s reopening strategy, recommending:

The City establish and track clear metrics to signal to residents and businesses when they can more safely reopen, what safety measures they should take, and how their operations or routines may need to be adjusted. Metrics will also enable the City, in partnership with the State Department of Public Health and other agencies, to quickly identify resurgences of COVID-19, and provide an early warning system to the public in the event safety measures and restrictions need to be re-imposed.

The City supplement the State’s reopening criteria with additional, voluntary guidelines. The Council outlined five (5) sequential phases for reopening, providing specific metrics that should be achieved to advance to each next phase, and voluntary guidance for individuals, businesses/non-profits, and the City for each phase.

The City continue to work with public and private partners to address cross-cutting and sector-specific considerations for reopening, many of which cannot be addressed by a single actor or sector alone.

“After extensive research and review of global best practices, we believe the findings and recommendations in this report will help provide the City with safe and practical guidelines to help Atlanta residents and businesses through the COVID-19 crisis,” said Advisory Council Co-chair Ingrid Saunders Jones.

In addition to the insights from members of the Advisory Council and other leading health experts, the report also drew from the findings of a Resident Survey asking Atlantans how they were approaching and interacting with various businesses and venues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted between April 28, 2020 and May 4, 2020 with over 15,700 respondents, the Survey showed:

An overwhelming majority of survey respondents indicated that, at the time of the survey, they felt unwilling to go to most businesses and venue types.

Approximately 97% of survey respondents indicated they will not feel safe going out to various venues after reopening without taking their own protective measures, such as wearing a face mask, hand washing, avoiding crowds, and wearing their own personal protective equipment (“PPE”).

Respondents overwhelmingly indicated that, if required to wear a mask by a workplace or business establishment, they would be willing to do so.

“The Advisory Council’s recommendations are based on the current available science on the virus, which we know is rapidly evolving,” said Advisory Council Co-chair Robert Ashe, III. “The Council stressed that as the City establishes metrics and guidelines for reopening, the guidance should be reevaluated and amended as the science and facts are updated and made available to the public.” 

The Advisory Council also recognized that there are Federal guidelines, as well as State Executive Orders, that have been issued pertaining to reopening. The Advisory Council’s voluntary recommendations are put forth as benchmarks for proceeding in a safe and deliberative manner within the context of the State’s reopening orders.  

The Mayor will review the Advisory Council’s recommendations and the current state of COVID-19 cases in the city and will provide additional guidance in the coming weeks to ensure a safe and data-driven reopening of the City.

The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Georgia continue to rise. As of the release of the Advisory Council’s report today, the Georgia Department of Public Health has reported 36,544 COVID-19 cases in the state of Georgia and 1,548 deaths. Fulton County is reported to have 3,632 COVID-19 cases and 159 of deaths. 

Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, released a special April edition of its Public Pension Funding Index (PPFI), in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting market volatility. Milliman’s PPFI consists of the nation’s 100 largest public defined benefit pension plans.

Our latest analysis shows funding for public pensions in April rebounded significantly from the first quarter of 2020, with an aggregate 5.92% investment return for the month – welcome news after Q1’s dismal -10.81% asset performance. April’s market gains led to a $200 billion funding improvement for the PPFI, enabling public pensions to recover half of their losses from the previous two months. We estimate that the aggregate deficit shrank from $1.819 trillion at the end of March 2020 to $1.619 trillion at the end of April. The resulting funded ratio climbed significantly, from 66.0% at the end of March to 69.8% as of April 30.

“April was a surprisingly positive month for public pensions, with many sectors of the market showing some signs of recovery,” said Becky Sielman, author of the Milliman 100 Public Pension Funding Index. “As economic fallout continues from the COVID-19 pandemic, plan sponsors will likely be keeping an eye on asset classes with delayed performance reporting, such as private equity, and market sectors that may be more vulnerable as the economy restarts.”

It’s common knowledge in real estate that the goal of renting out a property is to generate high cash flow. Cash flow is the driver of successful rental properties. So…

Approximately 40 Election Day polling places will change for voters in Fulton County for the June 9 Presidential Preference Primary, General Primary, and Special Election.

A full list of precinct changes is available for download at  https://bit.ly/2zE3zaE.

Fulton County is encouraging all voters to cast their ballots through absentee ballot by mail due to the ongoing COVID-19 out break and social distancing rules.

Some polling locations changed due to date conflicts after the Election Day changes. Other sites, particularly senior centers and assisted living facilities expressed concerns about members of the public visiting those locations due to coronavirus concerns.

Voters who choose to vote in person during early voting or Election Day voting  will see some differences as Fulton County makes efforts to protect voters and poll workers from COVID-19. Out of consideration for fellow voters and poll workers, voters are asked to wear a face covering. Those in line will also be asked to stand at least 6 feet apart in accordance with social distancing recommendations. The number of voters inside the poll at a given time will also be limited.

Early voting will take place weekdays at five locations beginning Monday, May 18, through Friday, June 5,  from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, May 30, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Polls will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25.  Those locations may be found here.

Visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov or Fulton County Registration & Elections at https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/registration-and-elections/find-my-polling-site for assigned polling places.

The post Early voting begins today as Fulton County announces changes to 40 polling places for election day appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Houses for Sale | US Homes for Sale

Finding Houses for Sale The number of homes listed for sale has been chronically low for many years now. With the depressing effect of the Corona Virus, amidst the race for a Covid 19 vaccine, more listings have been removed from local state mls databases. As we recover from the Corona Virus shutdown, home buyers…

 The Allen Morris Company has named CF Real Estate Services as the management company of Star Metals Residences, as pre-leasing begins  at the residential component of the $344 million Star Metals mixed-use development in West Midtown.

The initial phase of Star Metals Residences’ luxury apartment homes is expected to welcome its first residents this summer. When completed, the project will have 409 luxury apartments. CF Real Estate Services will oversee and manage property operations of the building, including the leasing process.

Featuring studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, rents start at $1,300 per month. Amenities include a rooftop bar and lounge, game room, fire pits, outdoor dog run and grooming area, and a fitness center opening onto the pool terrace. There will also be restaurant and retail space on the first floor.

For pre-leasing information, visit https://starmetalsresidences.com/.

The post Star Metals Residences begins pre-leasing apartments in West Midtown appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

A man was shot death early on May 16 outside a Buckhead apartment building. Officers found the unidentified victim dead of a gunshot wound to the chest around 12:22 a.m. on the sidewalk outside the Tremont Apartment Homes at 3645 Habersham Road, at the triangle intersection with Roswell and Piedmont roads, according to the Atlanta Police Department. A witness reported seeing two males in a vehicle, possibly blue or gray in color, yelling “Get him!” during the shooting, then fleeing north on Roswell Road, according to APD. The shooting death came hours after three mysterious gunfire reports in one day at another apartment complex on Pharr Road about a mile away, according to a report at Reporter Newspapers. It is too early in the investigation to determine whether there is any relationship between the incidents, said APD spokesperson Officer Anthony Grant.

The MARTA Police Department arrested and charged four juvenile suspects in connection with a robbery and assault that took place aboard a train near the Candler Park Station on May 2.  The victim in that case was 13 years old.  On May 13, MPD officers were patrolling the Five Points MARTA station when they recognized four juveniles matching the description from the lookout on the initial robbery incident.  The officers detained the juveniles (ages 17, 15, 15, and 12) and discovered two of the suspects, including the twelve-year old, were carrying firearms.  “Violent crime will not be tolerated on MARTA, whether committed by adults or juveniles,” said MARTA Police Chief M. Scott Kreher.  “We will work with the courts to hold these suspects accountable and seek justice for the victim.” All four suspects are charged with Robbery by Force, Battery, and Cruelty to Children – First Degree for the robbery incident in DeKalb County.  Two of the suspects are facing additional charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Minor in Fulton County.  The seventeen-year old suspect is being charged as an adult.

The Atlanta Police Department currently has two officers out sick with COVID-19, according to a weekly APD update. Eleven other officers and one civilian employee who previously tested positive for the disease recovered and are back at work, according to the report.

The post Public Safety Briefs: Buckhead murder; juveniles arrested for MARTA robbery; two APD officers out with COVID-19 appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Five key highlights from this report: A new report ranked Colorado Springs as the hottest housing market in America. Home-buyer demand remains strong in Colorado Springs, despite COVID-19. Housing supply, meanwhile, remains tight across this metro area. Home prices in this market might actually hold up, through 2020. One forecast for Colorado Springs predicted prices […]

The post Colorado Springs Housing Market Forecast Better Than Most Cities appeared first on HBI News.