PRESS RELEASE                                   January 20, 2006

Richmond Hill named a “Trendsetter” City

ATLANTA – The City of Richmond Hill will be one of six cities in Georgia honored as a “Trendsetter” at the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) Mayors’ Day Conference on Sunday, January 21.

Richmond Hill was selected as a “Trendsetter” in the category of “Public Works” for cities with a population of less than 10,000. The city will also be featured in the February issue of Georgia Trend magazine, which partners with GMA for the award each year.

The Trendsetter Award recognizes cities for outstanding performance in particular service areas. This year, the categories were “Public Works” and “Parks and Recreation.”  Richmond Hill and the other winning cities –Augusta, Roswell, Suwanee, Thomasville and Valdosta – will be honored at a luncheon on Sunday at the Atlanta Hilton.

Richmond Hill was chosen by an independent panel of three judges for its state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility. Through a partnership with CH2MHill/OMI the city was able to invest $6 million into the innovative facility constructed of wetlands and manmade sewage lagoons. The wetlands and lagoons are a creative and economic alternative to mechanized wastewater treatment.    

“Richmond Hill’s success demonstrates how cities can effectively use the resources existing in and around its city to meet the citizens’ needs,” said Jim Higdon, GMA’s executive director and Neely Young, Georgia Trend’s editor and publisher, in a joint statement. “We commend Richmond Hill's leaders for finding innovative ways to create facilities that contribute to a vibrant and lively community.”

Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, research, training, employee benefit and technical consulting services to its 500 member cities.

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