The Johns Creek Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee along with the Transportation and Green Plan subcommittees will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, December 11 starting at 7 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

The CAC and subcommittees got to work in earnest at their first meeting November 14, discussing the community assessment currently under way and planning for the community participation segment of the process that begins in February. Subcommittees met in breakout sections to begin work on their respective areas.

You can track the Comp Plan process on the City's Web site.

Ed Densmore became the City's first Chief of Police November 26.

Densmore, formerly Alpharetta's Police Chief, brings 15 years of experience in law enforcement to his new position of building and leading Johns Creek's force, set to launch April 2008.

"It's truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as a law enforcement professional that I didn't want to pass up," said Densmore, who began his career with the Decatur Police Department after earning a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. Read more.

As part of the ramp up to launching the City's public safety operations in 2008, the Mayor and Council recently approved the purchase of vehicles and related equipment. In October, City leaders signed off on a maximum of $1.2 million for police vehicles and $370,000 for mobile and portable radios to be used by officers.

In November, they OK'd the purchase of three pumper trucks at a price not to exceed $450,000 each and two 100-foot ladder trucks at a maximum of $845,000 each for the fire department. The police department is expected to launch in April 2008, with the fire department to follow in August.

Newtown Park will begin accepting registration on December 10 for spring programs that include youth soccer (ages 3-15), baseball (ages 4-12), youth lacrosse (ages 7-14), youth golf (ages 5-12), Newtown Tots (ages 3-4), and youth and adult tennis. All teams will have one practice and one game each week.

Registration is accepted on a first come, first served basis. For details, call 678-297-2662 or visit www.newtownrec.com.

Keep North Fulton Beautiful offers the annual Christmas Tree Exchange in Johns Creek on January 5 at the Home Depot store, 5950 State Bridge Road (or any Home Depot store). Bring in your Christmas tree and get a seedling in exchange. The trees will be chipped into mulch and used for public beautification projects and is available free to all North Fulton residents.

As part of a statewide effort to reuse Christmas trees, Keep Georgia Beautiful and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs had joined corporate sponsors The Home Depot, WXIA TV and The Davey Tree Expert Company for the annual 'Bring One for the Chipper' program.

Businesses in the City of Johns Creek have until March 31, 2008 to renew their business tax certificates by submitting a renewal application with full payment of all fees and taxes due. The City began mailing renewal applications Dec. 1 and a second notice will be mailed in mid-February.

Failure to receive a renewal application does not relieve a business of its responsibility to pay the business tax by the deadline. Late payments are subject to a 10 percent penalty and interest of 1.5 percent a month. Questions? Contact the Revenue Division, 678-512-3200.

The Mayor and City Council members recently joined their Fulton County Schools counterparts for the official groundbreaking ceremony on the new high school now under construction on a 45-acre site off State Bridge Road just west of GA 141. Fulton Superintendent James Wilson showed off plans for the 2-story, 318K square foot facility, with sustainable design features.

Nearly all classrooms will be exposed to soft, natural daylight and the common areas to exterior views of the campus. Building materials will include recycled content, locally manufactured wherever possible, and building processes will be environmentally sensitive.

State-of-the-art security, energy management and computer network systems will be used. Two streams and wetlands that flow along the northwest and southeast corners of the site are being preserved.

See the site plan and follow the progress of the new high school here.

Northview High math teacher Wendy McCarron is a 2007 Milken Family Foundation National Educator for her outstanding teaching of 9th-12th grade students.

McCarron received the $25,000 award at a surprise ceremony with students, parents and State School Superintendent Kathy Cox.

The awards program gives public recognition and financial reward to teachers, principals and other education professionals in the pursuit of attracting and retaining talented people to the field.

Over 2,300 educators across the United States have received a Milken Educator Award since it began in the early 1980s.