The Decatur Minute

“Half of Decatur middle and high school students were recently surveyed about their alcohol use.  22% of 10th graders and 42% of 12th graders reported having consumed alcohol in the past 30 days.  15% of 10th graders and 23% of 12th graders reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.  We have an issue in our community that we need to talk about.”

We invite parents, teens and concerned community members to join us.

Decatur Prevention Initiative (DPI) will be hosting their third 2015 Decatur Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm.

The meeting will be held at The Solarium in Oakhurst located in 321 West Hill Street, Decatur GA 30030.

Guest Speakers: Lt. Jennifer Ross, Decatur Police Department; Wendy Jefferson, Emory University School of Medicine; Diane Hill, Juvenile Court of DeKalb County; Terrie Moore, Decatur Prevention Initiative

“To promote a healthy Decatur community, free of the negative effects of alcohol & other drugs on youth and families.”

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DeKalb County
Department of Watershed Management
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Division

Project Bulletin

August 5, 2015

Superior Avenue Sanitary Sewer Improvement Phase II
Contract No. 14-100403
CIP No. 037-AS

Superior Avenue Water Main and Sanitary Sewer Improvement Phase II Project Update

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management’s Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Division is scheduled to begin construction on the Superior Avenue Sanitary Sewer Improvement Phase II project.
The project is slated to begin October 2015, and is expected to last approximately nine months. Initial activities will be comprised of site preparation, and may include the installation of silt fence in the construction area.

This project is being performed as a part of the County’s consent decree program to replace an existing gravity sewer line along the intersection of North Decatur Road, Superior Avenue, and Scott Boulevard in Decatur, Georgia. The project is also being implemented to upgrade aging infrastructure, as well as address issues related to reoccurring sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) in the community. These improvements will effectively reduce sanitary sewer overflows, thereby reducing the risk to public health and property damage.

Work on the Superior Avenue Water Main Replacement project began in June 2015 and will continue to
progress between Park Lane and Huron Street for the next seven months. All construction activities are
scheduled to occur between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday, excluding holidays. The County is alerting residents that during construction, heavy equipment and construction noise may be noticeable. Detours may also be in effect and special attention should be paid to road work signs and the direction of the construction crew. Lastly, we ask for your assistance in minimizing inconveniences by not parking your automobile(s) on the street during construction hours.

The County would like to thank you in advance for your patience as we work diligently to complete these essential projects. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the details presented in this bulletin, please feel free to contact the County’s Community Outreach team at 1-800-986-1108 or email info@dekalbconsentdecree.com.

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The Decatur Police Department will be registering bicycles in front of Oakhurst Market (650 East Lake Drive, Decatur, GA 30030) this Friday, August 14, 2015 from 5pm-7pm.

Bicycles are a commonly stolen item and are not registered like vehicles. Bicycle registration includes providing owner contact information, having the manufacturer and serial number documented and having a numbered decal applied to and a photo taken of your bicycle.  The process takes just a few minutes.  Registering your bicycle allows officers to look up recovered bicycles and contact the owner and allows for us to quickly look up the needed information about your bicycle if it were to be stolen.  The information is kept in a secured database only accessible by police department staff.  We will also register scooters that do not meet the size requirements for state tag registration.

*There is NO CHARGE to register your bicycle or scooter.

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UPDATE: The police non-emergency number 404-373-6551 is BACK IN SERVICE.

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Please note that the police non-emergency line (404-373-6551) is currently out of order. Technicians are working to bring it back into service. Meanwhile, if you need to call the police non-emergency line please use this back up phone number: 404-377-7911.

An update will be posted here once the police non-emergency number is back in service.

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Mark your calendars for Decatur’s first ever Boutique Crawl!

When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
What: Visit Squash Blossom, Sq/Ft, Vivid Boutique, Big Peach Running, HomeGrown, Bleu Hanger, Wild Oats and Billy Goats, Tres Jolie, Boutique Karma and Boogaloos for giveaways, secret sales and champagne
More Info: Facebook
Why: Keep It Indie-Catur 🙂

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Metro Water District Seeks Submissions for 2015 Photo Contest
Winners to be included in 2016 Water Reflections calendar

(Atlanta, August 7) – The Metro North Georgia Water Planning District invites individuals to capture the beauty of our natural resources in photographs in an effort to remind residents of the important role our region’s lakes and rivers play in providing valuable water resources to the region’s water supply. Submitted photographs will be considered for inclusion in the 2016 Water Reflections calendar.

“As good stewards of the natural environment, and more specifically of shared water resources, it is imperative that all residents join in the effort to protect the metro area’s water supply from point source and non-point source pollution and conserve whenever and wherever possible,” said Boyd Austin, District chairman.

Professional and amateur photographers 18 years of age or older are welcome to submit photographs for this contest. Photographic entries should portray the beauty, heritage, activities and character of metro-Atlanta’s water resources. This year, an additional prize will be awarded for the best photo that highlights water conservation in practice.

First place will receive $500 and 11 finalists will receive $100 each. Individual participants may submit up to three photographs and are eligible to win up to three times. Photographs must be taken within the geographical boundaries of the 15-county Metro Water District, which includes the Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale counties. The District does not encompass the cities of Braselton and Loganville.

The submission deadline is September 12, 2015.

• Learn more about the contest
• Contest entry form

For more information, contact the Metro Water District at 404.463.3344 or e-mail at comments@northgeorgiawater.com.

About the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro Water District)

The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District is the planning organization dedicated to developing comprehensive regional and watershed-specific water resources plans to be implemented by local governments in the 15-county metro Atlanta region, which include Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale counties. These plans protect water quality and public water supplies in and downstream of the region, protect recreational values of the waters in and downstream of the region and minimize potential adverse impacts of development on waters in and downstream of the region.

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Better Together is a citizen-led, government supported effort to build deeper connection, understanding, and mutual respect among the Decatur community.

The process will facilitate a substantive community conversation around the myriad differences — in culture, race, age, abilities, politics, economic resources, and more — that make us who we are. Taking shape as a variety of citizen-participation opportunities, it will culminate in the creation of a tangible Community Action Plan focused on cultivating a more just, welcoming, inclusive, equitable and compassionate experience for all who visit, live or work in the City of Decatur.

There are many ways for you to make your voice heard, including by taking this ten-minute survey online now. All the latest details about Better Together are available at DecaturNext.com.

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Yesterday the city announced the release of the new MyDecaturGa web and mobile reporting platform. Residents are already starting to download the app and make requests.

Please note that you will need to create a login for an account in order to make out of town house check requests, “watch” issues and otherwise use all the features in MyDecaturGa.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Casie Yoder, casie.yoder@decaturga.com, 678-553-6561

City of Decatur announces new MyDecaturGa web and mobile reporting platform

Decatur will use SeeClickFix to encourage greater civic participation, improve quality of life

Decatur, Ga. – Today the City of Decatur announced a new tool, MyDecaturGa, that allows residents, visitors and business owners to report quality-of-life issues and request services online or with their smartphones. Powered by SeeClickFix, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike, ranging from graffiti and code violations to damaged sidewalks and potholes. It also features useful information such as lists of restaurants and city parks as well as links to the city’s blog, Facebook page and Twitter account.

“MyDecaturGa replaces the city’s previous reporting system, GovPartner ,” said City Manager Peggy Merriss. “The SeeClickFix interface is more robust and allows users to report concerns not only online but using the mobile app. This makes it much easier to include a photo and exact location when reporting an issue.”

Anyone can go to SeeClickFix.com to create a login and report an issue or download the free app from the Apple or Google Play stores by searching for “MyDecaturGa.” When submitting issues via mobile app, users can provide locational, descriptive, and photographic information as they see the issue in real time. Users can even create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about all issues reported in their community, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests, not just the ones they report. Additionally, people can view, comment on and vote to fix problems submitted by other users.

Once someone submits an issue, City of Decatur staffand anyone ‘watching’ the area will receive an alert. Then, a City of Decatur employee will acknowledge the service request, and update the request once it’s been resolved. Everyone watching an issue will be able to see each step of the process as it happens.

Currently, the list of reports that can be made are: Animal complaints, Car seat safety check request, Cemetery issues, City Facilities Maintenance  issues, City trees and park maintenance request, Code violations, Feedback on staff or service, Fire Inspection Request, Graffiti, Missed sanitation collection, Out of Town house check request, Parking issues, Potholes and Sidewalks.

Launched in 2008, SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues. Through web and mobile applications as well as embeddable widgets, SeeClickFix empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together to improve neighborhoods. It is the most widely distributed citizen-reporting tool in the country, having recently surpassed 1 million issues. SeeClickFix supports the Open311 standard that promotes improved communication between local municipalities and the citizens they serve.

“We are happy to welcome the City of Decatur to the SeeClickFix family,” said SeeClickFix CEO and co-founder Ben Berkowitz. “We look forward to an engaging partnership with the Decatur community.”

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