Lane closures planned for Ga. 53 bridge this week

More lane closures are planned this week on the project replacing the Ga. 53 bridge over the Chestatee River connecting Forsyth and Hall counties.

Work constructing another supportive concrete footing will necessitate single-lane closures from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. The closings will start at Dogwood Trail and end at Little Hall Park. Flagging operations will be in place.

The $20 million project also includes re-alignment of .7 miles of the state road and replaces an outmoded 1956 span over the river.

County officials said that some employees may get more than 5 percent and some less, based on their annual evaluations. County spokeswoman Jodi Gardner said the hikes were to become effective with the first full pay period of 2017.

City OKs project with brewery, residences

The Alpharetta City Council has approved a developer’s proposal for “Downtown Main,” a mixed-use project that will bring a brewery, along with commercial space and residences, to a 12.9-acre site at South Main Street and Devore Road.

Besides the 25,000-squarefoot craft brewery, the Duke Land Group project will have 29,350 square feet of stores and restaurants, 61,500 square feet of offices, 68 for-sale townhouses and detached dwellings and 129 rental units — reductions from the developer’s original request for 78 townhouses and 200 apartments.

Intended to replace an aging strip shopping center, Downtown Main came to the Council with a recommendation for denial from the city Planning Commission. The commission voted 6-1 against the project Dec. 1 after residents voiced concerns about density, apartments, traffic and the many variances to the downtown code that the developer was seeking, according to a staff report.

On Jan. 10, Duke provided a revised site plan that sought to address those concerns — dropping plans for 50 condominium units, and increasing the amount of civic/amenity space to 2.63 acres from 2.41 acres, and withdrawing a request for increased building height and facade length, among other changes.

UPCOMING

Create a Beaded Necklace. 6-7:30 p.m. tonight. Free. Hickory Flat Library, 2740 E. Cherokee Drive, Canton. Use the beads provided or bring your own to make a crimped necklace on beading wire. Register: 770-345-7565. SequoyahRegionalLibrary.org.

Table Gamers. 1-2:30 p.m. Thursday and first Thursdays. Free. Cumming Library, 585 Dahlonega Road, Cumming. Experienced gamer Allison Fry will teach homeschoolers, ages 5 and up, a new game each month to be followed by time spent playing a variety of games. 770-7819840, forsythpl.org.

Great Decisions 2017 series by the Foreign Policy Association, America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. 7 p.m. starting Thursday and Feb. 9, 16, 23; March 2, 9, 23, 30. Free. Cumming Library, 585 Dahlonega Road, Cumming. Each session will be led by a member of the University of North Georgia faculty. Register: 770-781-9840, forsythpl.org.

Swift911 available for real-time alerts

Cobb County Department of Public Safety staff has implemented the SwiftReach Swift911 notification system to distribute emergency alerts.

SwiftReach is a high-speed emergency notification system that alerts residents to emergency situations, including severe weather, missing and endangered persons or significant road closures due to fatality accidents or other unplanned incidents in the local area, according to a county statement.

The program has the capability of delivering pre-recorded messages to the entire county via telephone, cell phone, email and text messaging. Access Swift911:

A sign-up portal is available on the Police, Fire, EMA and Public Safety pages on the Cobb County website at CobbCounty.org. Go to Directory, Public Safety and sign up through the Swift911 logo at the bottom of the page.

Residents also may receive the Swift911 Mobile App by texting the word “Swift911” to “99538.” The response text will be a link for the Swift 911 app in the app store.

Loan for band uniforms helps Allatoona HS

Band members from Allatoona High School in Acworth will receive new uniforms — thanks to a loan from the Cobb County School District.

The $41,147 loan was approved 7-0 recently by the Cobb County Board of Education. The school has five years to pay back the funds.

This loan program is available to any public high school for the purchase of band uniforms.

Information: cobbk12.org.

UPCOMING

“Black Sea Hawks: Story of African-American Whalers in the Age of Sail” by historian Willie Mae Bolden. 2-2:45 p.m. Thursday. Free. Vinings Library, 4290 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta. The little-known history of the lives of African-American seamen during the 19th and 20th centuries will be discussed. 770-801-5330, cobbcat.org.

Boots, Blue Jeans & Chili Cookoff by Verizon Wireless and Friends Against Domestic Violence. 6-9 p.m. Saturday. $30. Jim R. Miller Park, 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta. Register: Hope Felshaw at 770-423-3562 or hfelshaw@ LiveSafeResources.org.