City having 85 trees planted along street

Ruppert Landscape will be paid $138,095 by the city of Alpharetta to plant and water 85 trees in the median and along the sides of Westside Parkway from Gardner Drive to Old Milton Parkway, according to work approved this week by the City Council.

Ruppert, the city’s on-call contractor for landscape installation and construction, also will remove 38 Okame cherry trees and several large holly shrubs from the median due to their poor condition resulting from age, vehicle damage “and overall aesthetic decline,” according to a staff report.

Those plants will be replaced with varieties of oak, hawthorn, holly, hornbeam, bald cypress, plane tree and arborvitae, according to landscape plans prepared by Alpharetta’s Department of Public Works. Ruppert also will install 3,130 linear feet of root barrier to prevent future damage to curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

The trees come with a two-year warranty. To minimize long-term maintenance costs, the turf grass area will be reduced. The city’s urban forestry program manager will be project manager for the undertaking, to be completed

Roots College and Greek Fair. 3-6 p.m. Sunday. Free. East Roswell Recreation Center, 9000 Fouts Road, Roswell. Open to all high school students to meet college recruiters and Greek letter organizations. 770-641-3705. Register through eventbrite.com.

Southern Sweets: Pound Cake Cook-Off. 1–3 p.m. Feb 25. Free. East Roswell Recreation Center, 9000 Fouts Road, Roswell. A new favorite to the Roswell Roots: A Festival of Black History and Culture, the pound cake cook-off features amateur, youth (ages 8 to 18), healthy and professional bakers. Amateur bakers must register by Feb. 17. Those attending may meet and mingle with competing bakers, swap recipes, sample pound cake and vote for their favorites. Several local restaurants and bakeries will have cake entries and provide guest judges. Andie Gambrel at 770-594-6199 or agambrel@RoswellGov.com. RoswellRoots.com/ PoundCake.

“Slammin’ in the Suburbs”— Roswell Poetry Slam. 6 p.m. sign in, 7 p.m. Feb 21. Free. Roswell Historic College, 6972 Alpharetta St., Roswell. Open to the first 15 who sign in, poets will perform their work and be judged by the audience for prizes. Theresa at RockStarPoet@gmail.com, RoswellRoots.com/PoetrySlam.

City may take parcels for Windy Hill Road project

The Smyrna City Council approved 4-1-1 recently the possible taking of nine parcels for the Windy Hill Road improvement project if they cannot be purchased through negotiated sale.

Next to the existing right of way, the properties are within an area stretching from Windy Hill Road’s intersection with Atlanta Road to its intersection with South Cobb Drive.

Councilwoman Susan Wilkinson was opposed since she said she was not sure if Cobb County had given approval, and Councilman Corky Welch recused himself due to a conflict of interest.

Also not voting was Councilwoman Teri Anulewicz since, as mayor pro tem, she was presiding in the absence of Mayor Max Bacon.

In support were Councilwoman Andrea Blustein and Councilmen Ron Fennel, Derek Norton and Doug Stoner.

“Shaping Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln Before His Presidency.” 11:30 a.m. to noon Sunday. Free. Visitor Center, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw. This interactive Ranger presentation will recognize Lincoln on what would have been his 208th birthday and discuss what shaped him to become the 16th U.S. president. 770-427-4686 ext. 0, nps.gov/kemo.