Neighborhood Planning Unit – Provides information and advice to the Mayor, the City Council and other City officials in order to assist them in making decisions about the growth and development of the City.
NPUs (Neighborhood Planning Units) are under the responsibility, coordination and guidance of the City of Atlanta Department of Planning, Development and Neighborhood Conservation. The mission of the bureau is to provide information and advice to the Mayor, the City Council and other City officials in order to assist them in making decisions about the growth and development of the City.
History of Neighborhood Planning
Neighborhood planning in Atlanta evolved in March 1973 when a new city charter for Atlanta was approved by the general assembly. The new charter required the city to produce an annually revised Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) that sets forth city goals, objectives and policies. The CDP is required by charter to include public hearings and a maximum amount of citizen input.
In August 1974, an ordinance that institutionalized neighborhood planning as a part of the CDP process was adopted by City Council and approved by the Mayor. The 1974 ordinance permitted the creation of neighborhood planning units (NPUs) and planning committees (NPCs). The NPU boundaries were adopted by the city in May 1975, and there are currently over 185 official neighborhoods clustered in 24 NPUs. Berkeley Park is assigned to NPU-D along with six other neighborhoods including: Underwood Hills, Whittier Mill Village, Riverside, Bolton, Blandtown and Hills Park.
The purpose of the NPU is to provide an opportunity for the citizens of Atlanta to have formal input into the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) of the city and to provide a means by which information concerning the operation of city government can be communicated to the citizens.
The Department of Planning, Development and Neighborhood Conservation is responsible for preparing the city’s CDP. They also are required to make available to NPUs basic information including the areas of land use, transportation, environment, zoning, housing, parks and open space, human resources and capital improvements to assist them in neighborhood planning activities.
The NPUs may recommend an action, a policy or a comprehensive plan to the city and/or any city agency on any matter affecting the livability of neighborhoods. NPUs may also advise the Bureau of Planning on the preparation of the annual CDP.
What This Means for You
As you can see, the NPUs are an important part of the planning process for the City of Atlanta. Your participation and input is wanted and needed. Anyone who resides within a NPU is a member, no matter if you rent, own or represent a business operating within the boundaries.
NPU-D meets on the fourth (4th) Tuesday of every month at the Agape Center located on Bolton Road. The Agape Center is .3 of a mile west of the intersection of Bolton Road and Marietta Boulevard. Meetings start at 7:30 p.m. and usually last for 1 to 1½ hours. City officials, police and fire personnel are available starting at 7:00 pm.
Berkeley Park’s current elected representative to the NPU-D is Jim Martin (james.martin@me.gatech.edu). Feel free to contact him for more information.
Atlanta City Fire Station #23 is located at the corner of Antone Street and Howell Mill Road.
Engine Company 23
Berkeley Park is very fortunate to have a City of Atlanta Fire Station located within the neighborhood. It was built in 1948 as a Fulton County fire station. As many know, we lost this station in 1994 due to budget cutbacks but were able to get it reopened in 1998. In fact, the Berkeley Park Neighborhood Association owes its very existence to the cause of getting Engine Company #23 re-activated. It was the very first joint effort and goal of the BPNA.
In addition, Fire Station #23 previously served as the meeting place for the Berkeley Park Neighborhood Association. Saying this, we all should stop by every now and then to thank them for the job they do or just to say hello. We know they work 24/7/365, but they are always glad to see visitors. And, if you give them some notice and chip in on the food cost, you can even stop by and have a great meal. These guys can really cook!
Remember, too, that you can get free blood pressure monitoring at the station, and that’s something more of us should take advantage of on a regular basis. You can make an appointment to have your child passenger seat inspected for safe installation. Radon detection kits are also available. They also give out free smoke detectors to those that need them. Speaking of smoke detectors, have you checked the batteries in yours lately? A good tip is to always check your smoke detectors twice a year when daylight savings time takes effect in April and when it ends in October. If you have any questions, they will come to your home and test the smoke alarm for you.
Engine #23 is a 2001 Spartan Gladiator manufactured by Quality Fire Apparatus in Talladega, Alabama. It came to the City of Atlanta as part of a lease-purchase plan in which every piece of front-line fire apparatus in Atlanta was replaced over a three year span. Engine #23 has a 1500 gallon-per-minute pump which is capable of 2000 GPM through the 4-inch pre-piped deck gun. It carries 500 gallons of water and 60 gallons of foam concentrate. It also carries 1600 feet of 3″ hose, 400 feet of 2 ½” hose, 700 feet of 1 ¾” hose and 200 feet of 1″ booster line.
Engine #23 is a Basic Life Support Engine Company which responds to medical emergencies as well as fires and rescues. Every crew is capable of providing “Intermediate” level emergency medical care. This includes procedures such as cardiac defibrillation and monitoring, Philips HeartStart FR2+, intravenous fluid therapy, CombiTube esophageal airway intubation (Caution… graphic video, procedure performed on live patient), Pulse Oximetry Nonin Onyx, Blood Glucose monitoring, and many other emergency medical procedures. Transportation to the hospital is provided by Grady EMS. In critical situations, Atlanta Fire-Rescue members will continue medical care along with the ambulance crew in the ambulance on the way to the Emergency Department. All medical care is provided under the direction on Dr. James Augustine, who holds the position of “Fire Surgeon”, or more commonly referred to as “Medical Director”. All Atlanta Fire-Rescue crews have the capability of online medical direction 24/7 via the departments 800mhz radio system as well as cell phone capabilities.
The following is a list of our firefighters at Station #23. They work one day on and two days off, so it’s pretty easy to stop by and see any of them on a regular basis. They’d love to hear from you.
A-Shift: Capt. (Vacant), FAO Steven “Smitty” Smith, FF Kelvin “Bump” Jones, FF/EMT Evans “EB” Pollard, FF/EMT Felicia “Fifi” Harvey
B-Shift: Capt/Pmdc. Keith “Shoe” Schumacher, FAO John “Johhny Mac” McIlwain, FF/EMT Dane Clark, FF/EMT Damon Harris
C-Shift: Capt/EMT. Donald Zachary, FAO/EMT Lloyd Medina, FF Matthew “Goody” Goodson, FF/Pmdc Leando “Lee” Ford, FF/EMT Abe Weaver
Read about Berkeley Park’s first volunteer firemen in History Part IV.
Remember to first call 911 in an emergency.
If you would like to contact Engine 23 Station for non-emergency reasons, here is that information:
Atlanta Fire-Rescue: Engine Company #23
1545 Howell Mill Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
EMERGENCY – 911
404.609.8046
station23@firehousemail.com
Berkeley Park Neighborhood participates in the City of Atlanta Police Department’s Crime Watch Program.
Berkeley Park Neighborhood participates in the City of Atlanta Police Department’s Crime Watch Program and was designated a Crime Watch Neighborhood in 1995. Although the overall Crime Watch Program is run by the Atlanta Police Department, the program is primarily a neighborhood responsibility– it takes all of us to make it work. One of the best ways to decrease crime in a community is for people to be watchful, to know who and what activities belong in a neighborhood, and to report suspicious activities.
Criminals won’t be as active in an area that they know is united against them. Getting people to be watchful and involved in the overall safety of their community not only reduces crime but also increases their pride in making their neighborhood a better place to live.
For the Berkeley Park Neighborhood Crime Watch Program to work effectively, it is important for all neighbors and property owners to be involved. Follow these simple rules:
- Whenever a crime is committed, call 911 immediately to report the crime to the Atlanta Police Department.
- Contact your neighbors so all neighbors will be made aware of the crime. The Berkeley Park e-mail distribution list is a good vehicle for this, but also remember to call any neighbors close to where the crime took place to make sure they are aware. Be sure to notify Amy Hoover, the BPNA Crime Watch Chair.
What to do if you witness or are a victim of a crime.
- Call 911 immediately to report all suspicious activity or crimes to the City of Atlanta Police.
- Write down all important information as soon as possible; i.e.: tag numbers, car and/or perpetrator descriptions, time of day/night, details of crime or activity, etc. Pay attention to details.
- Contact your neighbors and the BPNA Crime Watch Chair to notify them of the activity.
What about suspicious persons or activities?
If you see anyone or any situation you feel is suspicious, call 911. This might be someone walking or driving through the neighborhood, doing any door-to-door soliciting, unknown parked cars, or just someone acting strangely. The police always prefer that they are notified of potential crimes. If an officer is available, someone will check it out. Even if it turns out to be nothing, reporting suspicious behavior alerts the police to our neighborhood. The more activity that is reported means the more police presence we will have, and that will help scare off criminals. And usually, if you think something is wrong, it probably is. Occasionally, suspicious activity will turn out to be perfectly legitimate, but it’s always best to call if you are unsure. The police will not hold you responsible if the activity turns out to be legal.
If you would like to receive the weekly crime watch update via email, join the Berkeley Park mailing list. You may also contact the Crime Watch Chair:
Amy Hoover
amyh@talentzoo.com
404.607.8955
If you would like more information on the Neighborhood Watch program or would like to join, you may contact:
Victoria Camac Hurd
victoriacamac@gmail.com