...a
glance at what's making the news...
Atlanta Scores in African-American Market
African-American meetings and events will account
for more than 320,000 visitors and will make a
$264.5 million economic impact on the city this
summer. The National Baptist Convention, T.D.
Jakes' MegaFest, the National Black Arts Festival,
the Bronner Brothers International Beauty Show
and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta's Atlanta Football
Classic have all become annual business.
Occupancy is Up
According
to the most recent report from Smith Travel Research,
metro Atlanta has maintained steady levels of
growth as recovery of the business and group travel
industry continues to climb metrowide. Occupancy
rates are up 5.5 percent with demand increasing
by 5.9 percent since last year. The airport, northeast
and west sides of the city have experienced the
most growth.
Atlanta Running City
Atlanta is a "run"-a-way success! The city was
named among the Top 25 running cities in America
in the July 2005 issue of Runner's World magazine!
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival in Atlanta will be
in Atlanta on Labor Day weekend from September
2 - 4 at the Woodruff Arts Center. www.woodruffcenter.org
Bronner Brothers at GWCC
August 20-22 The Bronner Brothers International
Beauty Show at the Georgia World Congress Center
is the largest black beauty trade show in the
world assembling cosmetologists, make-up artists,
barbers and aestheticians. www.bronnerbrothers.com
Downtown Restaurant Week
This event showcases select Downtown Atlanta restaurants
with special dining promotions of three-course
dinners for $20.05 per person, or with selected
restaurants, two meals for $20.05 plus tip, plus
tax. Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week takes place
Monday, August 15th through Sunday August 21st.
Participating restaurants and their Downtown Atlanta
Restaurant Week menus can be found at www.atlantadowntown.com
.
To make reservations please contact the individual
restaurants, or visit www.opentable.com
to make your reservation for select restaurants.
To make it even easier to enjoy Downtown Atlanta
Restaurant Week, several Downtown Atlanta hotels
are offering a discounted rate of $60.05 to metro
Atlanta residents on August 19 & 20, 2005.
Atlanta Streetcar a Possibility on Peachtree
Street
Transportation continues to be a hot topic in
Atlanta and one possible avenue for improvement
is a streetcar running the length of Peachtree
Street with additional routes to the Georgia Aquarium,
the New World of Coke, CNN Center, Phillips Arena,
Underground Atlanta, Auburn Ave. & the King
Center and Woodruff Arts Center. Michael Robison,
president and CEO of Lanier Parking Systems and
chairman of the Atlanta Streetcar board, spoke
at the Chamber's Real Estate Roundtable on July
19 about the advantages of having a streetcar
in Atlanta.
Since Peachtree Street is the backbone of Atlanta,
improving mobility will allow office workers and
residents to take advantage of shopping, restaurants
and attractions along Peachtree Street, as well
as encourage tourists to extend their stay and
likelihood of returning to the city. Learn more
about the Atlanta Streetcar Project at www.atlantastreetcar.com
.
Vote for the NASCAR Hall of Fame!
Do you want to see images of Atlanta's NASCAR
Hall of Fame? Visit www.halloffameatlanta.com
to learn about the recently submitted bid.
You will find information on the building design,
building location and exhibit space. While searching
the site, make sure you click on Vote Atlanta
to show your support for the Hall of Fame.
With 75 million fans, NASCAR is the number one
spectator sport in the nation and has the most
brand loyalty of any other sport. The Hall of
Fame would be a great addition to the city, creating
revenue and bringing thousands of NASCAR fans
into Atlanta. An announcement of which city has
been chosen will be made by the end of the year.
Beltline Partnership
Mayor Shirley Franklin announced the creation
of an advisory committee known as the BeltLine
Partnership. The BeltLine Partnership is charged
with coordinating progress on the BeltLine between
the city and the numerous groups already working
on the BeltLine concept. Ray Weeks, chief executive
officer, Weeks Properties Group, was named as
the chair of the BeltLine Partnership in April.
"The BeltLine represents a significant initiative
towards driving economic development in the city
and increasing green space, housing and transit
in Atlanta," said Mayor Franklin. "The project
will stimulate economic growth while creating
37,500 permanent new jobs and 48,000 year-long
construction jobs for our city. The BeltLine will
improve the overall quality of life in Atlanta
and act as a blueprint for Atlanta's future growth.
The selection of these individuals, all of whom
are leaders in their respective communities and
fields, reinforces how important the BeltLine
project will be for the entire city."
For additional information on the BeltLine Partnership,
the BeltLine project and how to become involved
with the BeltLine, visit www.beltlinepartnership.org
.
Five Points Task Force
A new task force has been created for the Five
Points area in downtown, assembled by Public Works
Commissioner, David E. Scott. The task force is
a multi-agency group of professionals from the
public and private sector who will focus on making
Five Points a more welcoming area of the city.
Task Force accomplishments to date include:
- Increase frequency of pressure washing plaza
pavement
- Address code issues including graffiti &
take steps to resolve issues
- Create a system of solid waste coordination
DPW & CAP
Increase litter collections
- Remove illegal signs and banners from poles
- Increase the number of patrolling officers
from APD and CAP
- Examine vendors' permits and operations; cite
for ordinance violations
24/7
Gateway Center Opens Its Doors
Mayor Franklin recently joined city residents,
local and state politicians, business leaders
and members of the non-profit community to celebrate
the highly anticipated opening of the 24/7 Gateway
Center.
The most fundamental strategy of Atlanta's
Blueprint to End Homelessness , the 24/7 Gateway
Center will provide services to an estimated 500
homeless people a day.
The 110,000-square foot center will not only meet
the immediate needs of the homeless, but will
also provide specialized services to help them
move toward independent living.
Medical and mental health care, addiction pretreatment,
job readiness and training, veteran services and
specialized services for women and children are
among the services offered at the center.
"Most people now believe we can and will tackle
this issue of homelessness," said Atlanta Mayor
Shirley Franklin. "This center is a place that
will give people hope and help on their journey
to self-sufficiency."
The center is located at the former city pretrial
detention center on Garnett and Pryor Street.
For more information please visit www.gatewayctr.org.
News compiled from: City Newsbytes At-A-Glance
(Mayor's Office of Communications), Underground
Happenings (Underground Atlanta), Membership
Communiqué (Atlanta Convention
and Visitors Bureau), Downtown Live
(Central Atlanta Progress), Metro Atlanta
Chamber of Commerce Newsletter, www.downtownATL.com,
The Pulse of Progress (Atlanta
Development Authority) and the Georgia
World Congress Center newsletter.
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