The Decatur Minute

Have a Happy Weekend in Decatur

Catherine — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:34:06 +0000

What: Fab Friday on West Ponce
When: Friday, Jan. 27 • 6-9/10 p.m.
Where and Details: Heliotrope - 20% off your purchase, hors d’oeuvres from Sawicki’s, and complimentary beverages.
Boogaloos - 20% off all full price merchandise, wine and hors d’oeuvres.

What: LoveBeads by local artist Patty Rollins
When: Saturday, Jan. 28 • 12-3 p.m.
Where and Details: Mingei - Patty Rollins makes 108 bead necklaces inspired by her own set of Buddhist prayer beads from a monk in Thailand. Stop by the shop to meet Patty and shop her wares.

What: Sundays in the Garden
When: Sunday, Jan. 29 • 2-4 p.m.
Where and Details: Woodlands Garden – Put on your walking shoes and explore Decatur’s seven-acre garden and Georgia Piedmont native plant habitat.

Calling all bands, clubs, dance classes, and loud people

Katie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:01:40 +0000

Once again, the Publix Georgia marathon will be coming through the streets of Decatur on Sunday, March 18th. Each year, there are prizes given to the cities/neighborhoods that have the best cheering sections along the race route. Decatur has placed very highly each of the last four or five years and we are looking to continue our winning streak!
We need anyone with a garage band, a dance group, a kazoo, or a bunch of screaming cheerleaders to come out and help us cheer on the runners and show them why Decatur is a great place to come back and visit!
If you are interested in joining our cheering crew, please email us at events@decaturga.com

Be sure to put March 18th on your calendar to come on out and cheer on the runners- lets show them what Decatur is really all about!

Atlanta Gas Light Pipeline Replacement

Catherine — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:27:31 +0000

Atlanta Gas Light is in the process of upgrading their pipeline system in our area. The pipeline improvements are being done as part of a 15-year project to replace older pipes in the AGL system with state-of-the-art plastic and steel pipes. This new infrastructure will ensure the continuing safety and reliability of AGL’s natural gas pipeline system. AGL has released a map showing their planned work area for 2012. Residential property owners and businesses in the project area will receive letters explaining how the work will be done If you have any questions or concerns during construction, please call (404) 584-3039 or e-mail us at pipelinereplacements@aglresources.com. For a street by street map of the project area, click on . http://www.aglc.com/prp

The 2012 Citizen Survey is Coming!

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:34:45 +0000

Every other year for the past 6 years, the City of Decatur has surveyed its citizens through the National Research Center. The NRC will send out the 2012 survey to a random sample of Decatur residents beginning this Friday, Jan. 27 with a postcard notification. If you don’t received a postcard, that means you weren’t one of the random households chosen (bummer).

The actual survey will be sent out twice on Feb. 3 and Feb. 10 to the random sample. If you are one of the lucky ones to receive the survey, please make sure to fill it out. We’ve had a 40% response rate for the past 3 surveys, which is great, but we want more! The survey is completely anonymous and we only get the final tabulations from NRC.

If you’d like a better idea of what the final tabulations look like, click here for our webpage where you can download the 2006, 2008, and 2010 survey results. The data from the survey is used by the City in its budgeting process, strategic plan and annual planning process.

If you have any questions regarding the survey, contact Meredith Roark at meredith.roark@decaturga.com or call 404-370-4102.

Work Gets Underway on the $10,000 Home Energy Makeover

Lena — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:42:16 +0000

In December, the City of Decatur announced that the Duggan family won the $10,000 Home Energy Makeover Contest. With the generous donations made by the project’s sponsors, work began in mid-January. One of the sponsors, ACS Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., even documented the project on their website. Click HERE to see what they encountered on Day 1.

When describing their first visit to the home, ACS stated:

“On my first trip to the house, I was astonished at how poorly the ductwork had been installed. The distribution was not only falling apart, but the design and layout would never heat and cool the house properly.”

The City of Decatur plans to fully document the project with a case study, and monitor the home’s energy usage over the next year or two, so stay tuned. A big thank you to all of the project’s sponsors:

South McDonough Will Be Closed This Evening

Catherine — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:01:50 +0000

South McDounough Street between Griffin Circle and Lenore Street (map) will be closed to through traffic overnight and during the day on Saturday. The street has been closed everyday this week for stormwater repairs and reopened every evening at 6 p.m. However, due to the wet weather, the cement has not set, which means the road cannot be reopened this evening. The street should be reopened tomorrow evening.

Your best bet for brunch

Katie — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:00:51 +0000

If you haven’t been down to the Shops of West Ponce lately, then you are missing out on a major secret…Did you know that Big Tex Cantina has BRUNCH?! On Saturdays AND Sundays?! Check it out…
Brunch runs on Saturdays from 11am-3pm and all day on Sundays. See you there this weekend!

Stormwater System Repairs on South McDonough Street

Catherine — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:31:03 +0000

South McDonough Street will be closed between Griffin Circle and Lenore Street beginning Jan. 17 from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. The work will take no longer than 21 consecutive days and homeowners will be able to access their driveways during construction. The road will be reopened every night and early morning between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact John Madajewski, P.E. Senior Engineer/CRS Coordinator at 678-553-6530 or at john.madajewski@decaturga.com.

Got a band? Want to play in Decatur?

Katie — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:43:46 +0000

Is your band ready to strut its stuff on the Decatur community bandstand? Apply now for our 2012 Wednesday Blue Sky Concerts and Saturday Concerts on the Square in May and September. The deadline to submit applications is just a few days away, so get going already!
Click here to go to the Decatur Business Association’s page and download the application

Community Workshop: Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Catherine — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:30:12 +0000

At Clairemont, Church Street and Commerce Intersections and Church Street Bicycle Lanes

A community workshop to discuss alternative plans for pedestrian safety improvements at Clairemont, Church Street and Commerce intersections and Church Street bicycle lanes will be held on Thursday, January 12, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. in the City Commission meeting room of Decatur City Hall, 509 North McDonough Street, in downtown Decatur. As part of the City’s capital improvements program, the purpose of the work is to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists and others using these facilities.

The City has retained the firm of Development Planning and Engineering to help plan the project, which will be partially funded through grants from the Georgia Department of Transportation. An initial workshop to outline project goals was held in September.

The project is based on Decatur’s 2008 Community Transportation Plan and is a project in the 2010 Strategic Plan. A major goal of the Community Transportation Plan is to encourage healthy lifestyles and active living in Decatur.