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The latest mortgage data from April 2020 reveals that home buying activity in the US real estate market is recovering. This comes as many US states are slowly opening back…
Hundreds of items — from personal essays to photo collections — have already poured into the Atlanta History Center’s digital files in its call for the public to submit documents of the historic coronavirus pandemic.
The “Corona Collective” initiative launched April 7, and within two weeks had received materials from more than 100 people, according to Paul Crater, vice president of collections and research services at the museum.
He said donated items include a 26-year-old woman’s account of how she nearly died of COVID-19 and a Google Docs file describing ways to help shuttered restaurants and their employees. Then there are more whimsical artifacts.
“We received a short documentary about this band who played social distancing shows in Ormewood Park before the stay-at-home order, and they’re being tugged around in boat by a truck and they’re playing to people while people are sitting on their porches, and it’s really fun,” he said.
Crater said that similar efforts from the DeKalb History Center and the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were among the inspirations for the “Corona Collective.” A particular model for gathering history as it happened, he said, was a similar program by the Missouri History Center during the 2014 Ferguson police-shooting protests.
Choosing which items to preserve in the museum’s collection — and even how to preserve such items as that Google Docs file with its hundreds of hyperlinks — are among the challenges of the effort, Crater said. “But I’ve always had this aspiration to do something like this and to be nimble like this,” he added, and the opportunities are big, too.
One goal is to use the material as starting points to solicit donations of physical items and oral histories for the still-shuttered museum when it is safe to do so. Another possibility: pop-up exhibits highlighting some of the neighborhood-oriented artifacts and inviting residents of those areas who might never have visited the museum before.
The museum chose to seize the moment and collect history in action that affects everyone, Crater said, and the submissions so far show a “sense of civic involvement and humanity that is really compelling to me.”
The “Corona Collective” accepts materials from anywhere in metro Atlanta, including Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs. The museum’s staff is taking photos in the neighborhoods as part of the collection as well, with many of the images available on the website at atlantahistorycenter.com/research/coronavirus-collective. The website includes details about what types of materials will be accepted, copyright and other usage rights, and other information about the “Corona Collective.”
Other pandemic history projects
The following organizations also are seeking pandemic items and memories from metro Atlantans.
DeKalb History Center
“The COVID-19 Chronicles”
dekalbhistory.org
Heritage Sandy Springs
“COVID-19 Community Journal Project”
facebook.com/heritagesandysprings
Georgia Historical Society
“COVID-19 in Georgia”
georgiahistory.com
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“Downtown Decides!”, the participatory budgeting program created by Council member Amir Farokhi with the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) – is officially open for voting.
Atlanta residents who live, work, or visit Downtown can visit www.downtowndecides.com and take part. Participants are given a digital ballot featuring 33 submissions and have a budget of $1 million to select their favorite proposals. Polls are open through the end of May. The winners will then be declared, and dollars earmarked for construction projects to help improve the city’s infrastructure.
“I am excited to see the vote get underway,” Farokhi said. “My office and our partners have been hard at work on this for well over a year. Atlantans now get to directly decide how some of your tax dollars are spent. This is direct democracy and I hope it becomes a norm for our city.”
Last fall, Atlantans submitted 116 ideas and the Atlanta Department of Transportation analyzed the data and filtered ideas that were ineligible for reasons such as cost or location. The $1 million in funding comes from unspent Transportation Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (or T-SPLOST) dollars allotted to ADID in 2017. Committed to the guidelines of the financing source, all eligible projects are focused on transportation.
Farokhi was happy with the assortment of ideas that made the final cut.
“There’s something for everyone on the ballot,” he said. “People were creative and thoughtful with their submissions. However you interact with downtown and its transportation infrastructure, there’s going to be something on there that directly impacts you. I look forward to seeing folks make the same hard decisions that government has to in deciding which projects are most popular.”
Farokhi is particularly happy that the process is moving ahead as planned against the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“From the day we launched in November, we had always said we’d have the vote in May. Certainly recent events made that a heavier lift, but we met our deadline. I believe it’s important that as a city government we show that on this and many other things, it’s business as usual. I hope too that this opportunity comes as a welcome distraction to many as we all navigate this challenging time together.”
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The Georgia Department of Public Health’s evening report shows confirmed COVID-19 case have increased to 30,738 and the death toll to 1,327.
The financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the State of Georgia is significant, according to figures released by Gov. Brian Kemp’s office today. Georgia’s April net tax collections totaled nearly $1.84 billion for a decrease of $1.03 billion, or -35.9 percent, compared to April 2019 when net tax collections totaled $2.87 billion. Year-to-date net tax collections totaled $19.23 billion for a decrease of nearly $680 million, or -3.4 percent, compared to the previous fiscal year (FY) when net tax revenues totaled $19.91 billion.
Atlanta Public Schools will host a virtual event on Thursday, May 7, at 9 a.m. for its valedictorians, salutatorians and STAR students as well as their families, STAR teachers and principals. The event will be held on Facebook Live and include messages from Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen, Atlanta Board of Education Chair Jason F. Esteves and Georgia Power Regional Manager Audrey King, as well as a special video tribute honoring each student. After the Facebook Live event, the celebration will be available on APS Channel 22 and the district’s YouTube channel.
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Lisa Herring, the finalist for the Atlanta Public Schools superintendent position, said she has more to learn in response to questions from about 120 participants in a May 5 virtual town hall for the North Atlanta Cluster.
Additional town town halls are ste for today, May 6, and tomorrow, May 7. For details see the school board website here.
Herring’s answers on such topics as charter schools and Title I funding were lengthy, but specifics were few, as she sidestepped taking controversial stances and deferred to the Atlanta Board of Education and its strategic plan.
One controversy she did address specifically was her transition coming in the midst of the pandemic, with its district closure and virtual processes. “I understand that there are still questions tied to making a transition during a pandemic and how individuals might have angst — could and should have angst — and questions,” she said. “…“I’ve said, I sometimes find myself pushing in as if I want to push in and jump through the computer screen, and that’s all we have right now. There will be more opportunities.”
Herring was picked by the school board to replace current Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, whose contract ends June 30. Herring is scheduled to take over July 1, but will be “onboard” before that under a separate transition contract, according to school board chair Jason Esteves.
Pandemic issues loomed large among audience questions. Asked about the possibility of in-person classes resuming in the fall, Herring said the idea was “to be in a space of preparedness” based on expert public health advice. On the likelihood of budget cuts, she said, “To be detailed at this point would be irresponsible.”
On the topic of dual-language immersion programs, Herring raised a broader issue of parental input and mentioned one technique she has used in her previous jobs, which currently is superintendent of Birmingham, Alabama’s public schools.
“I’ve always had a parent advisory council, so that there is space for a voice for parents to be right in the face or in the ear of the superintendent,” she said. That council included a parent representative from every school in the system, she said.
On some other controversial topics, Herring said she saw both sides, such as charter schools, which are a widely debated component of APS under Carstarphen. “I’ve seen the success of charter schools and I’ve also seen the challenges, across — not just Atlanta Public Schools, but across the country,” said Herring.
One questioner asked about the loss of Title I funding in the North Atlanta Cluster. Title I is federal funding directed at schools where at least 35% of the student population is low-income. Herring answered broadly by praising APS for having an equity policy and saying that previous districts where she worked still don’t have them, despite lengthy discussions. That idea of equity would guide her thinking about how individual schools get resources, she said.
Divisions between haves and have-nots exist, Herring said: “In public education, that is simply a reality, depending on the construct of the district.” Her concept of equity, she said, is providing resources to ensure success, “whether that success is grounded in accelerating the lowest-performing or accelerating the accelerated.”
The school board will see an election in 2021. One question asked about dealing with possible board member transition shortly after a superintendent switch. Herring said she had that situation in Birmingham, with two-thirds of the board that hired her replaced, and they nonetheless completed a strategic plan in less than a year.
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The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) State Supported Funding Program (SSFP) will be hosting an online webinar for small business owners interested in learning about business opportunities with Georgia DOT.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), small business owners and veteran-owned small businesses will have the opportunity to learn about State Funded projects in the Northeast Georgia region.
During the webinar, virtual attendees will also learn about projects funded by H.B. 170 and the process of becoming eligible to apply for maintenance projects with Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) via Team Georgia Marketplace.
This is a great opportunity for (DBEs), small business owners and veteran-owned small businesses to establish themselves as qualified contractors with the State and learn about Supportive Services available to them.
WHEN: Thursday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Virtual/Online Event – Register Here! (LINK)
COST: FREE for DBEs, Small Businesses and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
CONTACT: Anthony Miles, amiles@mhm-cpa.com, 678-420-5500
The State Supported Funding Program conducts events and workshops across Georgia. To find an upcoming event near you see our event calendar at http://www.dot.ga.gov/PS/Business/SSFP. For information about the Georgia DOT State Supported Funding Program, visit www.gdotstateprojects.com.
First Community Mortgage (FCM) has named Atlanta mortgage veteran and serial entrepreneur Dan Smith as its new President. Nationally recognized as a mortgage industry leader and sales solutions expert, Smith has been consulting with FCM for the past 8 months. Tennessee-based First Community Mortgage does business nationally, including in Georgia.
“We are excited to welcome Dan as an official part of the First Community Mortgage family,” said FCM CEO, Keith Canter. “He has long been a friend – and sometimes a friendly competitor – to FCM and has been helping us strategize toward our next phase of growth, bringing even more value to our team, our referral partners and our customers. I look forward to working alongside Dan and know you will too.”
Prior to joining FCM, Smith was President of Mortgage for National Bank of Commerce, which originates mortgages in 50 states and is now part of CenterState Bank. He co-founded Atlanta-based PrivatePlus Mortgage, a division of Private Bank of Buckhead, recognized as one of the 100 fastest growing companies by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and named to the 2016 Inc. 5000, recognizing it as one of the fastest growing businesses nationally.
“I have long known and admired Keith and FCM and look forward to being part of the team taking First Community Mortgage to its next stages of growth and innovation,” Smith says. “It’s rare to have an opportunity to help lead such a healthy company full of great people; I am excited to contribute and be part of that winning team.”
Smith has grown multiple companies with annual origination volumes ranging from $500mm to $6 Billion. He is Chairman and was principal investor of Insite Managed Solutions, which provides Sigma-based analytics strategies, training, and consulting services to Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
He is a 1989 graduate of the University of Miami School of Business, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. He is Chairman-elect of the University’s President’s Council and served on the Advisory Board for The Launch Pad, a collaboration between the University of Miami, Blackstone Charitable Foundation and The Kauffman Group, which promotes entrepreneurship for students and alumni. He also is an Aspen Institute Leadership Moderator and member of The Aspen Institute’s 2012 Class of Henry Crown Fellows and served on the Advisory board of Junior Achievement of Georgia.