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When it comes to investing in real estate, one of the first steps every investor has to take is, you guessed it, find investment properties. However, finding investment properties isn’t…

Ground was broken today for the Confluence Bridge, a pedestrian span over Buckhead’s Peachtree Creek intended to be a link to major trail systems.

“Our goal has been to uncover and restore the natural habitat of this beautiful urban waterway and provide ways for people to connect with our natural systems, often hidden from view by neglect and overgrowth,” said Conservancy board president Glenn Kurtz in a press release. “The Confluence Bridge will help provide new connections.”

The 175-foot-long, $2.8 million bridge will run along the west side of I-85 behind the Lakeshore Crossing apartments off Piedmont Road. It will connect a trail created by the South Fork Conservancy — the group building the bridge — with PATH400’s route along Adina Drive.

Ultimately, the bridge is intended to connect those trails with the Atlanta BeltLine and an extension of the Peachtree Creek Greenway, the first disconnected mile of which recently opened in Brookhaven.

Construction is expected to be completed in the fall, according to the Conservancy.

The bridge will be built in a wooded area not from where a section of I-85 collapsed in an infamous 2017 fire.

The post South Fork Conservancy breaks ground on pedestrian bridge over Peachtree Creek appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

While health care physicians, nurses, techs and others fight on the front line against COVID-19, the Alzheimer’s Association and its volunteers are answering the question of how to continue providing critical support groups to the 540,000 Georgians caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

The need for supporting family and professional caregivers is greater now than ever before. In response to these challenging times, the Association is making the move to offering support groups virtually led by experienced support group facilitators via conference lines.

The Association offers on line support groups across Georgia for caregivers, individuals living with Alzheimer’s and others dealing with the disease. Trained individuals facilitate all support groups.

“So many of our constituents rely on our programs and services which are often called a life line,” added Linda Davidson, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter. “Having a good support network like a support group helps those caregiving for someone with Alzheimer’s and dementia to feel socially connected and get the encouragement to move on through their own personal journey,” Davidson added.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter is also continuing to offer free virtual education programs in May. The Association offers a number of education programs that can help those going through Alzheimer’s and their families understand what to expect so they can be prepared to meet the changes ahead and live well for as long as possible. Each virtual education program is approximately one hour and allows the audience to ask questions and engage with others going through the journey online.

To register for a support group or education program, call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at 1-800-272-3900 or go online to alz.org/crf.   

 

Rogers Behavioral Health, one of the largest not-for-profit mental health treatment providers in the U.S., will open its first Georgia clinic May 11 through Rogers Connect Care.

Rogers will open a clinic at 50 Glenlake Parkway Northeast, Suite 200, in Sandy Springs when the shelter-in-place order is lifted as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.

Learn how this intensive level of outpatient care is delivered virtually at rogersbh.org/connectcare.

ROGERS CONNECT CARE

As emergency rooms and other health care providers become increasingly overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rogers will support Georgia communities by providing highly specialized, evidence-based mental health and addiction treatment that is critically needed at this time.

Through Rogers Connect Care, children, teens and adults can receive telehealth treatment in the specialized partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient levels of care. Now virtually serving more than 800 patients across the U.S., Rogers Connect Care provides a secure virtual environment that ensures privacy while allowing patients to continue therapeutic group-based and individual treatment.  

Free screenings are the first step in the admissions process by calling 833-917-2106 or requesting a screening at rogersbh.org/Atlanta. 

ROGERS EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO MEDIA

During this time of uncertainty and heightened anxiety, Rogers is available to provide expert mental health perspective and media comments on critical topics related to COVID-19, including

Calming anxiety in uncertain times

How to ease children’s fears during the COVID-19 crisis

Healthy ways to use screen time during the COVID-19 crisis

How to maintain normalcy for children and adolescents during COVID-19

How to stay mentally healthy while socially distancing

Staying compassionate and resilient in the face of a crisis. See toolkit for the public here. 

Tips for medical professionals on the front lines of pandemic (how they can take care of themselves during the COVID-19 crisis).

The Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia (USG) provided authority Thursday for a plan for possible staffing reductions and furloughs due to rapid changes in expected state revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
USG is working now with its 26 colleges and universities to develop a new spending plan for fiscal year 2021 that includes a 14% reduction from the current fiscal year.
 
Any action related to staffing reductions and furloughs will be based on the final budget appropriation to be approved in June. The Board’s approval allows institutions and the system office to respond to the state’s request for a plan to reduce spending by 14% starting July 1.
 
While this may include difficult decisions, the system’s top priority continues to be helping students complete a college education. USG remains grateful to all its employees for making a difference at a critical time for the University System, including keeping institutions and the University System Office (USO) accessible and responsive during this extraordinary time.
 
The Board’s guidance, to be reflected in each campus plan, requires faculty and staff at all 26 USG colleges and universities as well as the USO to take a minimum number of days of unpaid time off depending on their salary range, with the exception of those with the lowest base salaries. For most employees, this means either 4 furlough days or 8 furlough days, depending on their salary. Those with the highest base salaries will be required to take 16 furlough days, or the equivalent of a 6.2% pay reduction.
 
In addition, the Chancellor and all Presidents at every USG institution will take the equivalent of a 10% pay reduction which includes 26 furlough days for fiscal year 2021.
 
USG institutions and the USO may also need to adjust staffing levels to meet operational needs and address the immediate impact of revenue and funding losses. These plans, including the number of impacted employees, will be unique to each institution.
 
“Employees of the University System of Georgia and our 26 colleges and universities continue to show resilience and dedication despite facing uncertainty and unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic,” USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “Their work has been instrumental in supporting not only USG’s 333,000 students, but thousands of Georgians across the state. I deeply appreciate the contributions of our employees impacted by these measures, and ask all of us to show our respect, compassion and gratitude for their service to our students.”
 
Institutions have already experienced changes to campus operations caused by COVID-19, including a move to remote instruction and the departure of thousands of students from campuses, which has had an immediatenegative impact on auxiliary operations and finances.
 
USG will continue to monitor the financial impact of COVID-19 and adjust as circumstances require. The system also continues to implement cost-cutting measures. These include a Comprehensive Administrative Review that will reduce administrative costs systemwide by more than $100 million and a critical hire process that was implemented in December 2019.
 
While remote instruction will continue through summer, on-campus classes are tentatively expected to restart in the fall. A final decision will be based on guidance from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Late last week, Governor Brian Kemp signed the House Bill 444 into law and Representative Bert Reeves (R-Marietta), sponsor of the bill, believes this is the best way to keep dual enrollment sustainable.

“We had to do something, the program was financially unsustainable,” said Reeves, one of the Governor’s Floor Leaders. “Making changes was necessary to keep the program going. It’s grown expeditiously over the past few years and is just not sustainable the way it’s going.”

Reeves told IAG that dual enrollment has a current fiscal year budget of about $100 million and a 2018 state audit found that general fund spending for the program had increased by more than 325% over the prior five years.

“This bill is intended to set parameters, to create a guardrail that keeps the budget in the $100 million range,” said Reeves. “And that’s extremely important right now with the challenges we are facing as a result of COVID-19.”

State agencies were told last week they should plan on cutting more than $3.5 billion from their budgets in the upcoming fiscal year — a 14 percent cut — as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. With this in mind, Reeves said dual enrollment could possibly be impacted even more.

The changes set by the new law will reduce the number of classes high school students can take on college campuses by capping the college credit hours that would be paid through state funds to 30 hours. Classes taken as part of the dual enrollment program must be college core classes – not electives. The new requirements also limit the program, with some exceptions, to only 11th-and 12th-grade students.

“Even with these changes, this is still one of the most generous programs in the state,” said Reeves, who added that the dual enrollment program has evolved into “something it was not intended to be.”

Dual enrollment was intended to give students a jumpstart on college,” said Reeves. “It was never intended to replace high school classes with college classes. While the average public school student who dually enrolls takes 17 hours of college credit classes, we had some students taking 60 to 70 hours — which was driving up the costs and making the program unsustainable.

“We had to draw a line somewhere, and we had to make a lot of decisions to keep the program going,” said Reeves. “We wanted to make sure we kept the dual enrollment program going for students who wanted to take college courses while still in high school, and we felt capping it at 30 hours was the best answer.”

More than half of companies with an employee referral program (55%) say it reduced hiring costs, according to new data from Clutch, the leading B2B ratings and reviews firm.

On average, it costs $4,129 to hire a new employee, according to data from the Society for Human Resources Management. Employee referral programs can decrease that cost.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies in the U.S. are not currently hiring. When the economy reopens and businesses seek to hire again, employee referral programs may be a key recruiting strategy, especially if businesses are working on a newly tightened budget.

Anna Papalia is the CEO of ShiftProfile, an interviewing consultancy. She says that for one consulting contract, she was responsible for recruiting and hiring $7.2 million in yearly salary.

“We relied heavily on a generous employee referral program and leveraging our internal networks,” Papalia said. “I believe one of the best and most reliable talent pipelines is a referral program.”

Papalia states that an employee referral program for the project saved her company upwards of $1 million.

Referral Programs Reduce Hiring Timeline

Currently, 46% of companies say they spend 1 month or less on their hiring process.

Key industries on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, including e-commerce and healthcare companies, are facing a sudden increased need for workers, including some roles requiring specialized skills. Referral programs may be able to get the employees they need in the door quicker.

Ollie Smith, CEO of Card Accounts, a payment data merchant service provider, said he hires referred candidates twice as fast.

It typically takes 4-5 weeks for Smith to vet and hire an employee, but Smith can skip certain stages and hire referred candidates in as little as 2 weeks.

Referred Employees Stay at Companies Longer

Nearly half of companies with referral programs (49%) say that referred employees stay at the company longer.

These hires may better integrate into a company’s culture and can potentially bond faster with co-workers, helping improve their long-term engagement.

“It’s likely that an employee who is referred already has a close connection with the person who referred them,” said Joey Price, CEO of Jumpstart HR, an outsourcing consultancy for small businesses and startups. “Working with people you like is important because you’re more open to positive and constructive feedback, attempts at team building, and buying into corporate vision.”

Overall, employee referral programs can save companies time and money on their recruiting needs.

Read the full report: https://clutch.co/hr/resources/5-employee-referral-program-strategies-hire-top-talent

For questions about the survey or a comment on the findings, contact Kristen Herhold at kristen@clutch.co.

With Georgia’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 sitting at 31,509 and the death toll at 1,340, Gov. Brian Kemp didn’t rule out a reinstatement of his shelter-in-place order if there is a surge in cases.

Asked by a reporter during an afternoon media briefing at the State Capitol if he would reinstate shelter-in-place, Kemp said he would continue to follow the data on COVID-19. “If the numbers turn in a different direction, we’ll take further action,” he said, noting he was encouraged by the data he was receiving from health officials and the state’s ramped up ability to test and availability of hospital beds.

Kemp said he’s seen models that predicted 10,000 to 20,000 deaths in the state by August, but pronounced them wrong.

“Don’t get scared or panicked by the models,” Kemp said. “The more we test, the more positives we’re going to see due to community spread. The models are wrong, but useful as guides.”

The governor encouraged Georgians to continue wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings. Kemp began allowing businesses and restaurant dining rooms to reopen on April 24 and let the shelter-in-place order for most to expire on May 1.

Kemp said there the state had reached a record high for testing with more than 217,000 performed with Georgia rising to 29th in per capita testing out of the country’s states and territories. He said there were now 60 testing sites around Georgia.

The post Gov. Kemp says he’ll take ‘further action’ if COVID-19 numbers surge appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

The May 1 end of the statewide shelter-in-place order to stop the spread of COVID-19 saw an uptick in illegal activity and concerns about the number of people using parks and the Atlanta BeltLine. These concerns were discussed during the Atlanta City Council’s weekly conference call on the pandemic with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

While overall crime is down 37 percent during the last eight weeks, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields was candid in the department’s failures over the past weekend as impromptu street parties, gatherings, and illegal street racing were reported across the city and popped up on social media.

“The zones failed to recognize what was going on in their backyards,” Shields said. “We were thrown a curve and the number of calls for officers tripled. I believe people were bored and coming up with their own forms of entertainment. We are instructing the zone commanders to reach out more to the community. We’ll improve operations and get a handle on it.”

Councilmember Joyce Sheperd said she received complaints about parties and street racing in her district and all over the city.  “The car racing is out of control,” she said. “People were out partying like it was 1999.”

On May 2, there were throngs of people on the Atlanta BeltLine and in Piedmont Park to watch the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flyover to salute frontline medical workers. In images circulated on social media, few people were wearing masks and social distancing was hard to maintain on the BeltLine trials.

“The genie is out of the bottle now on not adhering to social distancing, ” Councilmember Michael Julian Bond said. “There was gross, flagrant disregard for social distancing and face coverings not only in our parks, but on the BeltLine.”

Mayor Bottoms said there was a definite uptick in BeltLine usage – up seven percent over the previous week – but praised local businesses along the trail who remained closed and are taking phased approaches to reopening. She encouraged the public to call 311 or 911 to report social distancing issues in the city.

The mayor said Gov. Brian Kemp had refused her request to enforce a city ordinance for people to wear masks in gatherings of 10 or more. She expressed her concerns about public safety officials facing more risk for catching COVID-19.

Bottoms said her city reopening advisory committee would make its final recommendations on how to move forward by May 15.

The post ‘Genie out of the bottle:’ Illegal street racing, gatherings, BeltLine usage catch Atlanta Police off guard appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

After a record-setting 2019, the US economy started off 2020 with another strong job market. In January, job gains beat expectations, wages grew above 3%, and unemployment rates remained at…