The Atlanta Preservation Center (404-688-3353) will host its annual event, The Phoenix Flies, from Saturday, March 5, 2011, through Sunday, March 20, 2011. This city-wide celebration provides access to more than 150 FREE events at historic sites integral to Atlanta's rich heritage. Children are welcome at most events.

The Early Edgewood-Candler Park BiRacial History Project Walking Tour is offered on Tuesday, March 8 and Thursday, March 10, with 1 hour tours at 11 am and 2 pm.  Tours begin promptly at the Old Stone Church / First Existentialist Congregation, 470 Candler Park Dr. NE, ATL 30307.

20 people per tour.  Reserve your place soon. Call 404.222.0801 with name, phone, & number of persons. Tours will be cancelled if it's raining. For more info, go to www.phoenixflies.org.

As many of you are aware, a number of attics and basements in Candler Park have been silting up with an impressive amount of CPNO stuff -- signage, Fall Fest materials, 5K road race equipment, you name it. Finally the outcry from fed-up spouses reached a fever pitch, and it became clear that we needed a central storage unit where all that stuff could live.

City Storage to the rescue! The folks at City Storage have partnered with CPNO to provide a free storage facility for all the wonderful stuff from those attics and basements. We are very appreciative of Jeff at City Storage for partnering with us, and Cherie King for reaching out to him to work out the details.

If you're in the market for a place to put your extra stuff, please check with our friends at City Storage. The storage facility is conveniently located just a few miles from Candler Park at 726 Ponce de Leon Place. Phone is (404) 853-3303. Ask for Jeff and thank him for partnering with CPNO.

Oh, and last but not least: if you've got stuff that belongs in the CPNO storage unit, please contact Jay Sandhaus or Dave Aynes.

There will be a vote on a zoning matter at the upcoming membership meeting. The owner of 1435 Benning Place has sought a variance: "Applicant seeks a variance from zoning regulations to reduce the required west side yard setback from 7' to 3'3" to allow for a front porch addition and a one story master bedroom with a screened porch and deck addition to the rear of an existing single family dwelling".

The zoning committe has recommending allowing this variance. For additional information, please contact Zoning Officer Randy Pimsler (zoning@candlerpark.org).

For over 25 years, the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s Hunger Walk/Run has united Atlantans of all ages and athletic backgrounds to support hunger and poverty relief. Over 11,000 participants come together each March to raise more than $400,000.

On Sunday afternoon, March 13th, please join the men of Clifton Sanctuary Ministries, an emergency shelter and a transitional housing program on Connecticut Avenue, and other friends from the neighborhood as we participate in the Atlanta Community Food Bank's Hunger Walk at Turner Field.  It'll be a nice day to take a walk and help our neighbors at Clifton Sanctuary at the same time.

Please follow these steps to support the Clifton Team at www.hungerwalkrun.org:

1. Click on "Click to take the next step"
2. Click on the "Atlanta Community Food Bank" name (NOT "learn more")
3. Click on "Donate to Support a Walker" at the top of the page
4. Click on "Search for a Team"
5. Type in "Clifton" in the Search box and click on "Search"
6. Click on "C6200 Clifton Sanctuary Ministries"
7. You can support a registered team member by clicking on his or her name, OR
8. you can make a donation by clicking on "Make a gift!" by the red thermometer at the right of the screen.

 To join the Clifton Sanctuary Ministries Hunger Walk 2011 Team at http://www.hungerwalkrun.org/:

1. Click on "Click to take the next step"
2. Click on Atlanta Community Food Bank
3. Click on Form or Join A Team
4. Click on I Would Like to Join an Existing Team
5. Enter Team Name: C6200 Clifton Sanctuary Ministries
6. Click on Search for a Team
7. Under the Search Results, to the far right of C6200 Clifton Sanctuary Ministries, click on Join and follow the directions to join the CSM Hunger Walk Team.

 More Details:

Sunday March 13, 2011, Green Lot at Turner Field

 Schedule of Events:

12:00 Park Opens/Event Registration Begins

2:00  5K Run and Walk

4:00  Park Closes

PARKING IS FREE!  All walkers and runners are encouraged to park in the Turner Field Blue Lot to avoid crossing the street.  The Blue Lot is just above the Green Lot where the event is held on Capitol Avenue.  Registration begins at noon. Come early to enjoy entertainment, food and games before the races begin. Festivities conclude at 4:00 p.m. The Run and Walk will take you through downtown Atlanta.

Clifton Sanctuary Ministries is a nonprofit organization at 369 Connecticut Avenue that provides shelter and nurture to men seeking to overcome homelessness.  To learn more, visit www.cliftonsanctuary.com.

The Candler Park Neighborhood Organization monthly meeting is this Monday (February 21st). We'll start with socializing (wine, beer, and snacks) at 6:30 and move on to general business at 7pm.

On the agenda this month:

• The Freedom Park Conservancy will visit & answer questions
• Talk about the Big List of Ideas compiled at our planning party, and what happens next
• Vote on funding an Easter Egg Hunt with Friends of Candler Park
• Review & vote on permits for 3 events happening in the park, including the Sweetwater 420 Fest

Snacks this month will be provided by FIGO Pasta! Thank you to Figo for supporting the CPNO.

The meeting is held at the First Existentialist Congregation (470 Candler Park Drive) -- Across from the golf course

I propose that we vote to approve the 2011 420 5K operating budget at the March General Meeting.  We are proposing an expansion of the race to up to 2,000 runners and this requires that we use electronic timing and additional security.  The proposed fixed costs for 2011 are $7,650 vs $5,850 in 2010.  The entry fee will be raised to $28 per runner to accommodate a $4 wristband sale back to the festival promoter and a $4 payment to the beverage vendor to provide the “free beer” for each runner.  Due primarily to these factors and the rise in the cost of shirts, the cost per runner (variable cost) will rise from $7.80 in 2010 to $16.25 in 2011.  Given this cost structure, the event will require approximately 800 runners to breakeven.  If we achieve our goal of 2,000 runners, we'll net approximately the same amount as we did in 2010.

                                           Best Case            Worst Case

# Runners                            2,000                     800

Income                                56,000                   22,400

Fixed Costs                         7,650                     6,650

Variable Costs                   32,500                   13,000

Net Income                        15,850                   2,750

Thanks to the loyal sponsors of this year's event:

Presenting:

SweetWater

Atlantis Hydroponics

Gold:

Proper Medium

Operation Bootcamp

Silver:

Candler Park Market

Six Feet Under

The list of ideas that came out of our planning party last month is here! Thanks to everyone who came to our planning party and suggested all these great ideas.

Click here for the list

Many of these ideas closely align with our mission statement -- to promote the common good & general welfare in Candler Park -- and can, and should, be done. It is up to the membership now to decide which of these we take on, and in what order. However, one significant obstacle stands in our way -- volunteers who want to make these ideas real.

Three ideas came with owners who have offered to advocate for them and try to make them real. Michelle Hughes suggested improving the memorial bench above the playground in Candler Park, by adding mulch and appropriate plants. Russell Mill volunteered to organize a golf tournament at the Candler Park Golf Course. And Gordon Rose is helping investigate what it would take to put a dog park somewhere in our neighborhood.

Sixty-two other great ideas are orphans. Until folks offer to own & lead them, we can't even consider getting them done. If one of these ideas catches your eye, please let us know that you'll take ownership of it.
A final note -- this list is never complete. At any time, you should feel free to suggest additional ideas or projects, and we’ll add them to the list.

It's time to start planning the 4th annual Candler Park Easter Egg Hunt. The working date is Saturday, April 23 at noon. Over the years the event has grown increasingly popular with our kid population. Due to demand we have decided to grow the event to 2000 eggs! Kate Sandhaus has graciously offered her home the night before the hunt at 7:30 for an egg stuffing party. Permits, fees and possible pool house bathrooms will be handled by the Friends of Candler Park. We are asking for up to $499.00 of funding from CPNO. We need a bunny suit ($75-$100) and the rest of the funds will be used for Easter Eggs and candy. The event is open to kids of all ages that love candy eggs and don’t mind hunting for them. For comments, questions, concerns or to volunteer to be a giant bunny, e-mail us at projects@candlerpark.org.

This will appear in the upcoming Messenger and was submitted by the event promoter. She will be at our membership meeting on Feb. 21 to discuss and answer questions. CPNO members will vote on their festival application, and the outcome of that vote will be taken into consideration by the NPU and the City.

----

Sweetwater 420 Fest -- April 15-17
By Jennifer Bensch, SweetWater 420 Fest Event Promoter
Small changes, big differences


It’s almost April and that means the Sweetwater 420 Fest is coming back to Candler Park! The festival has been a big success in the past and has grown in size each year. This year, Sweetwater is proposing some changes that will reflect this growth.  The goal is to enhance the patron and community experience and to maintain safety for all.
 
Small Changes:



1) The festival has asked to be able to open their doors on Friday evening, starting at 4:20 and ending at 10pm.  



2) On the permit application the event is asking to begin setup on Monday.  This is 2 days prior to last year’s request.  This is only to be able to gain access to the park to begin the staging of equipment and trucks.  The major setup will begin Wed and be finalized Thursday.  They hope to have everything removed from the park by Monday evening 4/18/2011.  Their permit asks to be able to stay until Tuesday just in case there are a few pieces of equipment that have yet to be removed.   



3) There will be a stage on the outskirts of the soccer field in the corner nearest the number 2 tee box of The Candler Park Golf Course.  They will be using rola-track to load in and load out all equipment on the field.  The rola-track has special holes in it to allow aeration. This will preserve the grass and field.
 
4)  During the actual festival event days the sidewalk entrance near the number 2 tee box will not be utilized except by festival staff and CPNO runners.  There are small motorized carts transporting festival equipment and goods on this pathway.  Closing it to event staff only will ensure the safety of all patrons and area residents.  (During the small window of time the CPNO race patrons are directed down this path to the main stage there will be no motorized carts allowed.)


While the Sweetwater 420 Fest has grown over the years we have always been a great partner to the neighborhood.  While we talk about the event changes it is also important to highlight the Big Differences they make in our community.
 
Big Differences:
 
1.       We have again agreed to sponsor our neighborhood CPNO race, The SweetWater 420 Fest Annual 5K, which we have expanded by 700 runners for a total of 2000.  With the funds from this event the CPNO is able to complete many projects in our neighborhood and it accounted for 31% of our income in 2010 and almost 50% in 2009.   

2.       We partner with the Mary Lynn Elementary PTA by allowing them to operate the Kids Area bounce houses.  The PTA keep 100% of proceeds.

3.       We partner with Epworth Church to allow the sale of hotdogs for no fee and 100% of proceeds back to the church

4.       The Candler Park 420 Fest Walking Trail -- A portion of proceeds from the 2010 SweetWater 420 Fest were donated to a Park Pride Fiscal Account earmarked for "The Candler Park 420 Fest Walking Trail".  The available funds are $4,250.00.  The trail will be a mulched path with landscape timbers to define the path and help hold the mulch in place. The path will be combined with an effort to clear out underbrush and add educational signs regarding the plants and other natural features of the
ravine. The ravine largely has been a forgotten and unused (except by isolated urban campers) part of Candler Park. The goal of the clearing and trail building is to make the area more inviting and encourage more traffic to the area. Trails are among the most popular features in most parks, and the ravine provides a natural experience missing from the more developed areas of the park.  SweetWater Brewery has graciously offered its staff for a work day to help complete the work for the path. We have approx. 20 volunteers thru Friends of Candler Park and Operation Boot Camp. This is a very labor intensive project and we could always use more help.  Please come out to show your support.                Work Day:  Friday March 18th 11:00am until it is done.      Location:  Candler Park - 1500 McLendon Ave, ATL, GA 30307
We are excited to come back for another festival.
 
If there are any questions or concerns you may feel free to discuss them with us at the membership meeting on Feb. 21st. After discussion, there will be a vote to pass along to the NPU and the city.

Please join Rep. Stacey Abrams (HD-84) and Sen. Jason Carter (SD-42)

Date: February 12, 2011

Time: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Location: Shy Temple CME Church

2012 Memorial Dr SE

Atlanta, GA30317

TOPICS INCLUDE:

• 2011 and 2012 Budget Proposals
• Tax Reform Legislation
• Atlanta Public Schools and DeKalb County Schools
• Key Legislation

____________________

All persons are welcome to attend. This event is FREE. Light refreshments will be served.