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Alpharetta students create stimulus plans for scholarships
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| | | Councilman John Monson, left, and Mayor Arthur Letchas, right, presented Adria Ribbler with the top prize in the Alpharetta Stimulus Idea Scholarship contest. Bob Pepalis. (click for larger version) | |
June 12, 2009
Alpharetta – Adria Ribbler thinks an Alpharetta Music Festival & Competition at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park could generate thousands of hotel room-nights each year, boosting local businesses and adding revenue for the city.
Mary Catherine Stark sees Facebook as a tool Alpharetta can use to link its tech-savvy residents to local businesses and market the city.
Melissa Kristen Moore would create an Alpharetta "Hot Spot" map to market the city's businesses, including restaurants and entertainment venues.
These three bright North Fulton high school students were winners in the Alpharetta Stimulus Idea Scholarship Contest, an initiative by Councilman John Monson to generate interest in local youth on issues and to provide ideas to stimulate the local economy.
Students had to be juniors or seniors in high school, maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA and who were city residents. The winning entries were announced at the June 1 City Council meeting.
Ribbler's musical festival idea won her a $1,000 scholarship. She suggested a two-day musical festival and competition that would combine popular and professional bands. A juried contest of local bands would be part of the event.
As a city project, it would be eligible for federal grants. Corporate sponsorships would cover starting costs, according to her calculations.
Stark took second prize, and $500. Her idea to use Facebook to market the city and its businesses also would make use of local high schools and their students to keep the Facebook group running and updated.
Moore's idea earned her the $250 third prize. She took the example of a visitor's map for Panama City Beach to design a similar map for Alpharetta.
Each student also received a signed certificate from Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., for their participation in the contest.
Alpharetta Councilman John Monson got the idea for the contest when discussing the economy. He stated his position that "we are in a recessed economy, it's happened before, going to happen again. We don't need to do anything different this time."
The way things improved was by being self sufficient, tightening belts and making priorities appropriately. The point was to figure out what Alpharetta could do to come up with its own message to help shore up city finances. Departments heads already have shaved at least 8 percent out of their operating budgets.
"That resource has been tapped and has been used effectively," Monson said.
At first he considered just asking "Joe Citizen" to come up with ideas, but then he thought to ask the youth of the city.
"And so I just teed it up for there," he said.
 View images.
Tags: Alpharetta, Alpharetta City Council
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