News Archive

Mayor in State of the City: Johns Creek no longer in start-up mode

3/12/2010

Three years after its creation, Johns Creek is entering a new phase in its development, Mayor Mike Bodker said Friday in his third State of the City address at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

"Given what we have accomplished since our inception a little over three years ago, I think it is safe to say that we are now officially done with the startup of our city," Bodker said in a wide-ranging speech attended by about 110 people.

The City is working on a range of projects and initiatives that build on the foundation established in the first two years, he said. Phase I of the Johns Creek Greenway will be finished in a few months, and motorists will see several road and sidewalk improvements throughout the year, Bodker said.

The City also is exploring obtaining a bond rating to raise money for future capital projects, he said. The bond rating was one of the priorities set by the City Council at its retreat last summer. The Council also decided then to craft an economic development strategy to help retain and expand existing businesses, and attract new ones. In a look back at 2009, he said that among the major accomplishments was the launch of CHATCOMM, a 911-system formed in partnership with the City of Sandy Springs.

Within three weeks of CHATCOMM's start-up, the area was hit by heavy rains and floods, prompting 1,270 calls in one day, he said. None were dropped.

Bodker expressed pride in the Fire Department's successful efforts to reduce deaths from heart attacks as well as its program to teach CPR and use of defibrillators to the public.

The Police Department has cut the number of traffic deaths, car break-ins and car thefts in half, he said. Bodker recognized several programs that the Police Department has started with the community to reduce crime, underage drinking, and improve young people's driving skills.

To improve traffic, the City is implementing an Intelligent Traffic System, which uses video cameras to feed information to an engineer at City Hall watching the flow of vehicles, he said. If there's an accident or other problem, the engineer can adjust the timing of stoplights to help traffic move better.

In the vision part of the speech, Bodker embraced the re-creation of Milton County, saying, "For far too long Atlanta and North Fulton have paid the price of an inefficient and bloated county government and deserve to pay less and get more for our tax dollars."

He said he would like to see a town center in five to 10 years with a town green, arts, restaurant and retail. He said the City should continue to improve its green space, greenways, and bike lanes. Bodker also urged people to shop locally as part of the Choose to Use Johns Creek initiative, including using Emory Johns Creek Hospital.

Read the speech | See the presentation [2.1 MB] | Watch the video [72 MB]