Last month, City Manager Ricky L. Clark, Jr. welcomed MARTA's General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood, who joined officials for an in-depth discussion on the future of transit and ways to better improve transportation options for constituents who live and work in Clayton County. The visit also included a personal tour of the new Gillem Public Safety Building, as well as Kroger's massive Customer Fulfillment Center located right here in Forest Park.

This year's Back 2 School Bash event was a huge success! Thanks to the efforts of Councilwoman Akins-Wells, city staff, community partners and countless volunteers, hundreds of Clayton County students were able to return to the classroom in style after receiving free bookbags, notebooks, pens, markers and much more.

A new look is coming to Forest Park PD after city officials unveiled a revamped logo and seal in an effort to enhance the overall awareness of police services and communication with constituents. Both the new logo and seal will be present on personnel uniforms, city-owned patrol vehicles and throughout the police department's office headquarters, located at 320 Cash Memorial Blvd. City officials plan to use asset forfeiture funds to complete a total rebranding of the department, saving the taxpayers approximately $40,000.

Class is in session! The Forest Park Police Department was excited to kick off its Citizen Police Academy on Tuesday, July 25. Nearly 20 Forest Park and Clayton County residents will be taking the next several weeks to learn more about the ins and outs of Law Enforcement, including patrol operations, use of force and crime scene investigations. Kudos to these awesome citizens for staying involved in their community.

The City of Forest Park is home to a growing number of black-owned businesses that represent various sectors of the economy, including healthcare, social work, beauty salons, restaurants, information technology and more. In celebration of National Black Business Month, the city will be featuring several businesses in the local area on social media that are offering discounts to local residents.

This summer has definitely been one for the records. Residents can help our local seniors beat the heat by participating in the city’s Summer Fan Drive sponsored by Councilwoman Latresa Akins-Wells. During the entire month of August, City Hall will be accepting donations of new and used fans during normal business hours. All donations will go to seniors who live in Forest Park.

It’s official! The Forest Park Fire and Emergency Services Department has officially moved into its new 15,000-square-foot Gillem Public Safety Building, located at 2090 Anvil Block Road. The state-of-the-art building features three apparatus bays, compartmentalized sleeping quarters for staff, a high-end kitchen and even a fully equipped weight room. Forest Park Mayor Angelyne Butler, MPA, City Manager Ricky Lamar Clark Jr., firefighters and EMS personnel celebrated this momentous occasion with you guessed it... a good ole fashion team barbecue!

This month's Employee Spotlight features Martina Miller from the city's Code Enforcement Division. In her role, Martina works to improve the safety, health and welfare of residents by enforcing city laws, codes and even ordinances approved by the governing body. Often times, Code Enforcement Officers are out on the front line working directly with citizens and businesses to address various issues such as abandon vehicles, overgrown yards, unpermitted signs and even property maintenance issues. Join us as we thank Martina and our entire Code Enforcement team for helping to keep and maintain our city beautiful.