County Water Authority, City of Auburn Receive Loans for Infrastructure Projects

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority awarded the loans for water supply, waste water and solid waste infrastructure projects.

AccessNorthGa.com reports the Barrow County Water & Sewerage Authority and the city of Auburn have received loans for water supply, waste water and solid waste infrastructure projects from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority.  The Barrow County Water and Sewerage Authority was awarded a $2,102,000 Georgia Reservoir and Water Supply Fund planning loan as part of the Governor’s Water Supply Program. The loan will finance a study on the need for additional water supply sources. Once a preferred water supply option is selected, the authority will identify any needed mitigation and apply for necessary state and federal permits. The county will pay 2.82 percent interest on the 10-year loan. The total cost is $2,102,000 with GEFA …

• Photos (1)

City Spotlight

City of Auburn Promotes Water Conservation

The Barrow County municipality embraces a water conservation program as it reminds residents of the county's Level Three Drought Plan and implementation of water restrictions.

Regardless of the time of year or threat of drought, the city of Auburn Utilities Water Conservation Program strives to promote a culture of conservation within the community by: While a fair amount of rain has fallen over North Georgia in recent days, the Barrow County Water Authority's Level Three Drought Plan remains in full effect for all service areas, including the city of Auburn. Therefore, Auburn would like to remind its residents of the following water restrictions. Outdoor water use is as follows: Exemptions to these restrictions are: Violators of these watering restrictions will be subject to fines. According to the city of Auburn July newsletter, a first offense will result in a warning, but a second offense will result in a …

• Photos (1)

Auburn Wishes its Citizens a Happy and Safe Memorial Day

Barrow Patch takes a hard look at some surprising holiday statistics, as well as a peek inside the city’s code ordinances related to traffic violations and offenses against public peace.

Memorial Day is a national holiday designated to honor the fallen soldiers of American wars. For many, it has evolved into a day that heralds the unofficial start of summer, marked by family picnics, neighborhood barbecues, and boisterous poolside celebrations. While the City of Auburn wishes all of its citizens and visitors a happy holiday, it also desires that everyone have a SAFE Memorial Day. According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, during the 2011 Memorial Day holiday travel period the Georgia State Patrol investigated 312 traffic crashes that resulted in 236 injuries and 13 traffic deaths.  Alcohol was noted as a contributing factor in 6 of the 13 fatalities, and 8 of the 9 people killed in either a passenger car or …

• Photos (1)

City Spotlight

Details of Auburn's 2012 Springfest Released

The city welcomes spring with an April 7 Easter egg hunt and festival.

It seems as though the city of Auburn is not immune to the power of spring fever. With the recent release of the schedule of events for Auburn’s fifth annual Springfest and Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 7, Auburnites might want to begin polishing up their shiny, white shoes and dusting off their best egg-hunting baskets. Springfest will be hosted at James Shackelford Memorial Park, although shuttle buses will pick up egg hunters up from the parking lot of the old Ingles Supermarket beginning at noon. The festivities — including face painting, games, activities, q petting zoo and, of course, Easter egg hunts — will begin at 1 p.m. and last through 3 p.m. Keep your eyes open — there might even be an appearance by the Easter bunny! …

• Photos (1)

City Spotlight

Auburn Introduces Prescription Drug Discount Card

The local municipality has partnered with the National League of Cities to help its residents cope with the high cost of prescription drugs.

In January 2012, the city of Auburn announced the arrival of prescription drug discount cards — available free to its residents thanks to a National League of Cities program administered by CVS Caremark. Now Auburnites can enjoy savings on prescription drugs, even if they don’t have health insurance, a traditional pharmacy benefit plan or have been issued prescriptions that are not covered by insurance. Armed with Auburn’s Prescription Discount Card, residents can save an average of 23 percent off the full retail cost of prescription medication. There is no enrollment form, no membership fee and no restrictions on the frequency of the use of the card. Best of all, the prescription discount card is accepted at more than 60,000 pharmacies …

• Photos (1)

City Spotlight

Auburn Releases 2012 Special Events Calendar

From a Valentine’s Day social in February to the ceremonial lighting of downtown Auburn for the holiday season in November, this Barrow County city boasts a calendar filled with fun community gatherings all year long.

  Just last week, the city of Auburn released its recently approved calendar of events for the year 2012. In a recent statement on the city’s Facebook page, a representative for the city wrote, “We are excited for the opportunity to offer these events and look forward to all the fun!” Residents of Auburn are encouraged to mark their calendars for the following events throughout the year. The city of Auburn also features recurring monthly events, such as Movies in the Park the second Saturday of each month from April through September at Whistlestop Park at sundown, farmer’s markets from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays at the Burel Park Pavilion from June through September and community yard sales from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. the second Saturday of each …

• Photos (2)

City Spotlight

Auburn Highlights Local Businesses in Monthly Newsletter

A monthly municipal newsletter provides a perfect platform for area restaurants, shops and service providers to showcase their businesses to more than 2,500 homes.

The city of Auburn newsletter is not only the ideal forum for keeping local residents informed of the latest news and upcoming events, but the full-color, four-page Auburn Messenger also provides local businesses with a terrific opportunity to advertise inexpensively and directly to 2,800 households each month. All ad spaces can be purchased in three-month increments and are available on a "first-come,-first-served" basis. A 2-inch by 2-inch ad space can be rented for just $50 — that equates to less than $17 per month. A maximum of two ad spaces may be purchased by one business per ad cycle and can be combined for a larger space or placed on two different pages for the possibility of more impressions. Space is very limited, and …

• Photos (1)

City Spotlight

Auburn Youth Invited to Set Their Sights on a Career in Law Enforcement

The Auburn Police Department Explorer Program now accepting applications.

Rather than get a taste for law enforcement from the latest blockbuster action film or hot "aim and shoot" video game, youth in Auburn have a unique opportunity for more "real world" experience.  The Auburn Police Department Explorer Program is open to young men and women 14 to 20 years old who have an interest in learning more about a future in the law enforcement field. Law enforcement encompasses many exciting careers, including everything from local jobs such as police officer or state trooper to federal jobs such as FBI investigator or U.S. Marshal, just to name a few. The Auburn Explorer Program provides educational training for teenagers and young adults with regard to the purpose, mission and objectives of law enforcement. The …

• Photos (1)

City Spotlight

Auburn Invites Local Kids to Have a Ball

Spring youth softball and baseball registration is now open.

Believe it or not, but opening day for the Auburn Dixie Youth baseball and softball spring season is just around the corner. Registration is now open and can be completed one of two ways: During the Feb. 11 registration day, Auburn Dixie Youth will also be offering a “Legends for Youth Clinic” featuring tips and tricks from retired Major League baseball players from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration fees are as follows: These fees include a complete uniform, player insurance and associated playing fees. Additional costs during the season may include team-related purchases, such as trophies, team shirts, team parties, etc. Players from surrounding counties are also welcome to play — Auburn Baseball and Softball does not charge out-of-county …

• Photos (1)

City Spotlight

Auburn's Website Features Links to Activities for Kids

Environmentally-friendly games and activities can help stave off boredom over winter break.

Boasting a wide array of features spanning the gamut from a calendar of events and city news updates to important city contacts and business permit information, the easy-to-navigate city of Auburn website also includes links for kids. In step with Auburn’s mission to promote eco-friendly initiatives among its citizenry, by providing links to environmentally-driven games and activities, the city is appealing to its pint-sized population. Through links to sites such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Student Page and Stormwater Coalition’s Kids Playhouse and activities such as Make a Water Filter or games like Droplet and the Water Cycle, kids can learn about the world around them and stave off winter break boredom at the same time. It…

• Photos (1)