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Georgia Super Speeder Law

Originally hailing from the great state of Indiana, this is the well known start to the Indy 500 every May. As the drivers start their engines, then proceed around the track before being unleashed at speeds in excess of 200 MPH all that is heard is the roar from the engines.

Unfortunately, Governor Perdue also thinks this same vision plays through the minds of most Atlanta drivers when they hop in their car to head to work, go out to dinner or just run some errands. While 285 may be made for speed, it’s not made for “Super Speeders”.

The new “Super Speeder” law just took effect on January 1st and it’s about to get really expensive on Georgia road.

Going 85 miles per hour or more on most Georgia roads, including interstates, will cost a speeder an additional $200. On two-lane roads, meaning one lane each way, the extra fine kicks in at 75 mph. And that is on  top of whatever ticket the speeder gets for going over the speed limit.

The state will send a letter notifying the speeder of the $200 fine, which must be paid within 90 days of the letter’s date.

Drivers who don’t pay will have their licenses suspended.

The law intended money collected from the fines to fund trauma services, but where it’s actually spent will be up to the state Legislature.

For those that have already been pulled over, apparently the excuse of not knowing about the new law is no excuse at all. Keep an eye on the mailbox for your bill from the state.

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Recycle that Tree! ….Bring One For The Chipper! – Saturday, January 9, 2010, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Home Depot parking lot on Cumberland Parkway – recycle that tree and get free seedling (while they last).

Make sure that your tree keeps on giving after the holidays by removing all ornaments and the base and deliver it to the event between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on January 9th.

Volunteers are needed, too. To volunteer, call Keep Smyrna Beautiful at 770-431-2863.

Contact Davey Tree Experts at 770-451-7911 for free mulch after the event.

City of Smyrna Residents can also leave their trees for curb-side pick up to recycle.

Bring One for the Chipper is Georgia’s annual Christmas tree recycling program. Each year, Keep Georgia Beautiful works with private sponsors to organize the recycling event. In the past, these statewide sponsors have included The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company and WXIA-TV. Numerous local sponsors and volunteers also make contributions and provide in-kind services across the state.

The Chipper program involves hundreds of Georgia communities and thousands of volunteers. Since its inception, the program has recycled over 4.8 million Christmas trees. The mulch from these trees has been used for playgrounds, local government beautification projects, and individual yards. You can support the Chipper program by bringing your cut Christmas tree to a designated drop off site or volunteering with your local coordinator to collect trees.

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In what has seemed to take forever, the quadrant gate systems will finally be installed in Smyrna. So if you’re one of those hopeless romantics that appreciate the historical significance of the sound of the train blowing it’s whistle, you won’t be hearing it in Smyrna.

Spring Street at the railroad crossing will be closed by CSX Railroad on the following dates November 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24th for initial construction of the railroad quiet zone. This will be a daily closing between the hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

In August 2007, the City of Smyrna and CSV approved the installation of the quiet crossings. The City of Smyrna is funding the estimated $700,000 in construction costs with 80% coming from a federal transportation grant and the remaining amount from from SPLOST funds.

These quiet crossings have been in the works for years and have been eagerly awaited for by current Smyrna Vinings residents. The quiet crossings should have a beneficial impact on new Smyrna Vinings developments located close to the crossings such as the Smyrna Market Village, Jonquil Village, Spring Street Village and Rileys Walk.

While many debate the merit of the first-time homebuyer tax credit, it appears that Senate leaders have come to a tentative deal to not only extend the first-time homebuyers’ tax credit that was originally passed earlier this year, but also to expand it to current homeowners who want to move.

The latest version calls for the credit to be offered on home purchases under contract by April 30th, 2010 and closed by June 30th, 2010. The plan also calls for increasing the income limitations to $125,000 for an individual and $250,000 for couples, up from $75,000 and $150,000 under the current program.

The current proposal also targets the “move-up” buyers or individuals who have lived in their current home for five or more years. The tax credit for the move-up homebuyers  would have the maximum of $6500.

More than 1.2 million borrowers through October 9th have claimed almost $8.5 billion of the $13.6 billion set aside for first- time homebuyer tax credits this year, according to U.S. Treasury data.

This is still very preliminary, but just wanted to keep everyone up to speed on this.

As politicians love to do, this measure is expected to be added as part of a bill to extend unemployment benefits, among other things. That measure has been a point of disagreement for some time. So we’ll have to wait and see where this goes, but we’ll keep you posted.

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The City of Smyrna has scheduled a public meeting for the proposed construction of a multi-use trail on Atlanta Road from Ridge Road to Spring Road/Concord Road.

The Public Information Open House will be on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and will take place at Taylor-Brawner Park, in the Brawner Hall Building. The open house will be informal and open to the public.

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