Don’t feed geese, city asks residents

Peachtree City’s lakes and ponds are home to ducks and geese, but the city is asking residents not to feed them. The city has issued an alert noting that feeding waterfowl “can turn them into nuisances causing a variety of problems in the community, which will ultimately lead to them being removed or destroyed.”

The city already pays to have Canada geese removed if their populations get large. Bread, popcorn and other popular items are considered “junk food” for birds and can lead to malnutrition and disease. Food left for birds can attract mice and rats, and excess bird waste fouls lawns and waterways.

Upcoming

Stockbridge Coffee With a Cop by Mayor Pro Tem Anthony S. Ford. 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday. Free. Bridgeview Country Cooking, 4727 N. Henry Blvd., Stockbridge. Meet with Henry County Police Department officers from the North Precinct. 678-833-3348, DRobinson@ CityOfStockbridge-ga.gov, CityOfStockbridge.com.

Celebration of Life Mother’s Day Gala Benefit for HOPE (Helping Others to Push and Endure), the outreach arm of Breakthrough Worship Ministries, a 501(c)(3) organization. 7-10 p.m. April 29. $60 with appetizers, dinner, dessert and live entertainment. Clayton County VIP Complex, 2300 Highway 138 SE, Jonesboro. This adult-only, black-tie formal event leads up to May Lupus Awareness Month. The journey of five mothers will be highlighted, so anyone wanting to honor a mother with cancer or lupus may submit a story of 500 words or less by April 5 at Breakthroughwm.org. Those mothers, whose stories are chosen, will receive a gala package to include a free gala ticket, gifts, a free pedicure, manicure and makeup session. Any mother, who currently is diagnosed with cancer or lupus, may attend the event for free but must register online by April 15, also at ​breakthroughwm.org. Donations in honor and memory of a mother who died of cancer or lupus and tickets: MothersDayGala2017.eventbrite.com.

Fraud Watch. 1-2 p.m. April 7. Free. Fayette Senior Services, The Life Enrichment Center, 4 Center Drive, Fayetteville. Chris Baker, with Daily Money Management, will teach the best methods to recognize signs of financial fraud for better protection. Learn about common scams that affect seniors and their families and where fraud can be reported. Register: 770-461-0813 or email register@fayss.org (include name, phone number and event title). Fayss.org.

PFA makes purchasing home closer to reality

Decatur establishing a Public Facilities Authority “makes the potential for the city [to buy the United Methodist Children’s Home] a little stronger,” according to John Cerniglia, the home’s vice president for development.

The PFA will be able to seek bond funding for purchasing the 77-acre DeKalb County site just outside the city. The five-member PFA board could get named as early as this week.

Cerniglia said the UMCH’s choice in a buyer is driven by two options: who gives it the “best opportunity to advance our ministry” and to what extent a buyer will work in “honoring and preserving our history.”

The UMCH is looking to shift its programs to microsites, or to take them to a variety of north Georgia locations, rather than every program getting run out of the 144-year-old campus.

The UMCH, he said, would reject buyers asking for structural improvements or who dictate when the home’s employees have to vacate. Cerniglia said it’s been estimated that if the UMCH remained at the current site, it would cost $25 million to modernize the existing 31 buildings and get them ADA compliant.