City Hams it Up with Radio Operators

Members of a local amateur radio operating society were recognized by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the for their efforts to use radio communications to assist people during disaster scenarios.

The Kennehoochee Amateur Radio Club (KARC) was founded in 1949 and has been the gathering point for local amateur radio enthusiasts. Commonly called “ham radios,” operators use radio signals to communicate with each other for non-commercial purposes using unique callsigns.

Every year, The purpose of the exercise is to not only spread their love of amateur radio operations, but to make as much contact as possible with other radio operators in a 24 hour period. This message handling is meant to simulate the immediate response to a disaster situation such as Hurricane Katrina, where amateur radio operators were among the first to get messages in and out of the danger zone.

In addition to demonstrating disaster preparedness, the field days are an opportunity for local Boy Scouts to learn more about amateur radios and even broadcast radios. Scouts that attend the field day are eligible to receive the Radio merit badge.

KARC members Joe Grimes, Clark Macaulay, Bill Gailey, Richard Craver, Paul Bartoszewicz, Ernie Braxton and Rick DeLuco were joined by aldermen and fellow amateur radio operators Bob Weatherford and Tim Richardson to receive a proclamation declaring June 18-24 “Amateur Radio Appreciation Week.” This year's field day will be held on June 23 at Dallas Landing Park.

“We're very grateful to be working with the city,” Gailey said. “You folks have been wonderful for us for the last six years or more. The park is a great venue to show off Acworth.”

The final item of the consent agenda attempts to resolve the c. Residents were concerned about the routing of beachgoing traffic during the summer months and potential parking inconveniences and safety hazards.

During a meeting on Monday, residents and City Hall came to an agreement to hire attendants to monitor the intersections at Dallas Road and Seminole Drive for the remainder of summer.

“We're gonna see how this works out and revisit the issue next year,” said Alderman Weatherford.

A few Seminole Drive residents were on hand to thank the city for their work in resolving the issue.

The Mayor and Board unanimously approved tonight's consent agenda. Notable items from the agenda include:

• Approval of an Alcohol Privilege License for sales of liquor, beer, wine and Sunday Sales for Acworth Bottle Shop, Inc., 5100 Lake Acworth Dr. The business is undergoing a change of ownership.
• Approval to release to the Special Needs Development Group, Inc. all current funds raised for the operation of Horizon Field. The city currently has $2,090.00 in funds to be transferred.
• Authorization to accept engagement letter to conduct the annual audit for FY 2012 for the City of Acworth from Crace Galvis McGrath, LLC in an amount not to exceed $30,556.00.

The entire agenda may be found here.