Strolling around Decatur? Take your drink with you! On Fridays and Saturdays (starting this weekend) take your beer or cocktail to go within our five business districts – Downtown Decatur, West Ponce, East Decatur Station, Oakhurst, and Old Depot District. Alcoholic beverages will be served in official Keep It Indie-catur cups on Fridays, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. and Saturdays, 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Patrons must stay within these designated business districts. Visit decaturga.com/woco to read the official ordinance.
Tropical Storm Zeta came through the area with a vengeance on Thursday and it is continuing to wreak havoc around the City today. Over 30 trees came down during & after the storm and city crews & Georgia Power crews are doing their best to clear the debris and restore power.
We understand your frustrations if you are still without power or if there is a tree blocking the roadway preventing you from easily getting through the City. Please be patient and do not attempt to remove any part of the tree yourself. If the tree is still there, it is likely that a live power source is on it and it is not safe to touch. The City is working with Georgia Power to address these areas. Use this time to check on your neighbors and help us get the word out about staying safe.
DeKalb County announces its Arts and Culture Relief Grant, funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to support professional artists who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson allocated $250,000 to launch the program which will provide grants of up to $20,000, based on documented financial impact.
The Spruill Center for the Arts and the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center will manage the program for the county’s Community Development Department and District 3.
The grants are limited to professional artists who reside in DeKalb County, who are at least 18 years old, in any artistic disciplines which includes, but is not limited to music, dance, drama, theater programs, creative writing, painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, folk arts, visual arts, media and other major art form.
Online applications will be available beginning Oct. 19 on the websites of Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (www.callanwolde.org) and Spruill Center for the Arts (www.spruillarts.org).
For more information, contact one of the following:
• Alan Mothner, 770-394-3447, ext. 233, amothner@spruillarts.org • Andrew Keenan, (404) 872-5338, akeenan@callanwolde.org
UPDATE 10/28/20 1:15 p.m.: The tropical storm watch has been upgraded to a tropical storm warning. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm-force winds are expected somewhere within this area within the next 36 hours.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City has advised of the potential for severe weather conditions tonight into Thursday due to Tropical Storm Zeta.
Currently, much of north and west Georgia are under a tropical storm watch as well as a flash flood watch until midday on Thursday, 10/29. The main impacts include:
• Heavy Rain (widespread 2-4 inches)
• Flooding and flash flooding
• Strong and Damaging Winds (could down trees/power lines)
Here are ways you can get prepared now:
Keep updated on the latest weather by tuning in to your local weather channel and downloading a weather notification app so that it will notify you when a television or radio isn’t nearby.
Sign up for the City’s Smart911 notification system to receive emergency weather alerts should your property be included in a storm predicting polygon.
Determine a safe place to shelter in the event of damaging winds or a tornado. Look around your place for helmets, pillows, e.g. anything you can use to protect your head in the event of flying objects in high winds. As always, it’s good to be on the lowest floor of a house or structure since winds are less strong near the surface.
Charge your devices including smartphones, laptops, etc. now, and leave them charging.
Clear sidewalks and drains near your property of fallen leaves; however, do not push into the street as the additional material in the roadway could block storm water drains.
-Join arborists on Saturday, October 31 from 1-3 p.m. for the “Walking Past the Dead” Tree Tour! Visitors will walk a trail showcasing trees in the Historic Decatur Cemetery with an arborist stationed at each to share interesting facts and stories. This event is free but donations will be accepted for Women Arborists of the Southeast Scholarship Fund and Friends of the Decatur Cemetery.
Social distancing will be required for non-family groups and each group size is limited to no more than 10 people. Masks will be required by attendees during the presentations. Reservations are not required. For more information, contact Kay.Evanovich@decaturga.com.
-Enjoy making a fun Halloween craft that you can use to decorate your home with. Using a balloon, glue and yarn, you will create a 3-D spider web. The directions are included, as are all the supplies you will need. Pick yours up at the Glenlake Tennis Center. Supplies are limited, so stop on by today. For more information, contact Sara.Holmes@decaturga.com.
-Take a journey through time with the DeKalb History Center for stories from the vibrant past of the Historic DeKalb Courthouse. These stories include historical events, unexplained occurrences, and untold stories that still haunt these walls and for this year’s spooky tour they enlisted the help of local psychic medium to help communicate with the spirits who reportedly linger on the grounds of the courthouse.
The Virtual Spooky Tour is a pre-recorded video tour. Purchase your tickets at dekalbhistory.org. When your ticket is purchased, you will be sent the video link to watch at your convenience.
The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections has approved the following polling place changes for the November 3, 2020 General Election and any following Runoff elections. These changes are necessary because the regular polling locations for these precincts are not available or are no longer able to accommodate indoor social distancing requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A complete list of polling locations for both Advanced Voting and Election Day voting can be found online at DeKalbVotes.com. Be sure to double-check your precinct location by logging into mvp.sos.ga.gov.
Register to join the Better Together Advisory Board and the City of Decatur for the next installment in our 2020 Anti-Racism Speaker Series. The Speaker Series seeks to mine the knowledge and wisdom of numerous thought leaders to challenge and inspire our community to take actionable steps to instill anti-racism throughout our norms and practices.
On Friday, November 6 we’ll hear from Andra Gillespie, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute at Emory University. Visit decaturga.com/speakerseries to register for this session and for the upcoming sessions and check out the recaps from our previous speakers.
Are you interested in learning more about the development of the plan to address the CSD’s Senior Homestead exemption? If so, please plan to virtually attend this Board Work Session with the Senior Homestead Exemption committee coming up this Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 pm. Information on how to join the zoom call or how to call into the meeting can be found below. For more about this process, please visit https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/4212.
Due to an extreme risk, be advised of a road closure on West Parkwood Road from Ponce de Leon Avenue to Parkwood Center. There’s a leaning Oak tree with a compromised root system that has a split on the backside of it. Georgia Power has been contacted and we anticipate the tree being removed as soon as possible.
Spooky season is here but celebrating will look different this year. Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses. There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween. If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.
