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City employee Lena Stevens leaves today for two weeks in Laos as part of the ICMA Professional Fellows Exchange Program. In May, the city hosted two international fellows, Thongvone Sosamphan from Laos and Ngan Ngyuen from Vietnam.

Lena will be writing about her experience in Laos for the ICMA blog. Here’s an excerpt from her first blog post:

Why Am I Going?

Perspective is key to keeping your eye on the ball when working for local government.  It’s not hard to find examples of government employees who have lost sight of what matters as a public servant. People everywhere have the same needs- food, clean water, safe shelter, jobs, education.  I can’t wait to see another corner of the world where these needs are met in ways that might be dramatically different from the service delivery strategies I’m used to.

Laos (pronounced ‘Lao’ – the ‘s’ is silent)  is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Its neighbors are Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia and China. Lao is the official language of Laos.

The Flag of Laos

The Flag of Laos

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The Slide is finally here!

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After months of talk and preparation, tomorrow is the big day for Slide the City! Not only will it be super fun and a cool way to spend a day in Decatur, but it is a big fundraiser for the Decatur Business Association. The DBA hosts so many free community events all year long, these funds really help make that happen. (Concerts on the Square, Blue Sky Concerts, Easter Egg Hunt, the Bonfire and Marshmallow Roast, as well as help fund the MLK Jr Service Project and the 4th of July Fireworks.)

So even if you don’t have tickets to ride the slide, come on out and enjoy the festivities. T.Mac, Ted’s Montana Grill, and Cafe Lily are all planning big patio parties that are open to everyone.

It will be hot so don’t forget to bring sunblock and a water bottle.  And speaking of water bottles, the Environmental Sustainability Board will be out at the event refilling your water bottles for free!

We can’t wait to see you #slidedecatur

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UPDATE: Scott Blvd is back open and power has been restored to the area. 

Please be aware the Scott Blvd is closed in BOTH directions between Clairemont and Coventry. There is a tree down on live power lines and this stretch of Scott Blvd will remain closed until Georgia Power crews are able to arrive and make the scene safe. Please plan to use alternate routes and avoid the area until further notice.

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Wine Spectator’s 2015 Restaurant Awards highlights restaurants around the world that offer the best wine selections, including several in Decatur.

The full list of award winners is featured in Wine Spectator’s August 31 issue, which hit newsstands July 21. All of the restaurants can also be found in WineSpectator.com’s Restaurant Search.

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Last night the Decatur City Commission voted unanimously to move forward with the Better Together process. The full details are available on DecaturNext.com (along with some photos of last night’s meeting).

The full work session about Better Together and the July 20 City Commission meeting can be viewed online here.

Better Together: Frequently Asked Questions


WHAT IS THIS?

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 that explores our strengths, weaknesses, perspectives and misunderstandings. Taking shape as a variety of citizen-participation opportunities later this year, 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.

All the details are still coming together but the entire process will be promoted and documented here on Decatur Next, so stay tuned.

WHY ARE WE DOING IT?

Decatur’s no longer the sleepy, deeply-rooted little town it once was, where everyone invariably knows everyone else. With a broader mix of new and existing residents, it’s now on us to build the next generation connections and mutual trust that will power us through the coming decades.

Principle B from 2010’s Strategic Plan reads, “Encourage a diverse and engaged community.” Associated with this principle are multiple goals to maintain and encourage all manner of diversity, strengthen our connections, foster greater interaction, and promote a stronger sense of community.

That’s where we want to be but are we? Some recent events, particularly ones rooted in race, have called our community commitment into question and spotlighted the fact that not everyone feels equally welcome here. It’s clearly time, perhaps even past time, to get started.

WHO’S BEHIND IT?

The short answer is “all of us” in the sense that Better Together is ingrained in the task list of 2010’s Strategic Plan. But more specifically, it’s a collection of volunteer Decatur residents representing a diverse cross-section of the community who, together with our police chief and a handful of city employees, are serving as the Leadership Circle organizing committee. The city is also on board for logistical and resource support and a non-profit partner, Welcoming America, helped us procure a $25,000 grant to help fund the effort.

One paid consultant is serving as the group’s facilitator and helping to make their conversations productive. And you can meet the volunteer committee here.

WHEN IS IT HAPPENING?

The Leadership Circle’s been working together since late 2014 — getting to know and trust one another and working to define goals and a process for engaging the broader community. Those basic recommendations are expected to be presented to the City Commission sometime between May and mid-summer. Assuming the Commission is receptive to and approves the plan, the Circle will then work through logistics towards a formal, community-wide kick-off. That’s anticipated to occur sometime in August or September, once school has resumed.

A more detailed schedule will be posted as it comes together.

IS THIS A WISE USE OF GOVERNMENT RESOURCES?

Building connections, relationships and trust among neighbors isn’t something that works top-down through government intervention or mandate. It has to happen roots-up, by and among the people who live here. That’s why the city’s on board with Better Together primarily in a support role, where our resources can help empower what the citizen-led Leadership Circle is working to do: engage the broader community in a meaningful, neighbor-to-neighbor dialog and actualize the results in the form of a plan.

It’s a role that makes sense because the Strategic Plan, which reflects the collective desires of a broad spectrum of Decatur residents, calls for the city to take action on diversity and its related issues. That means this isn’t just happening on a whim. It’s on the city commission’s ten-year to-do list, which emerged from an extensive public participation process. In short, we as a community value our differences and welcome municipal effort to ensure an ongoing culture of connection, mutual respect and fairness across the board.

We all want a Decatur that’s welcoming — not just to some but to all those who choose to visit, grow a business, or make a home here. Better Together is an effort to further pursue that goal in a way that’s a realistic and responsible use of government resources.

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The sheep and shepherds are busy at work in the Decatur Cemetery this week.  The shepherd dogs have extra work with the addition of pups over the weekend.  Mom is watching over both flocks now.  Look for the flock behind the Old Cemetery.

 

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special needs cities
Congratulations to the City of Decatur, one of the first cities in the nation to become special needs certified. Every single employee who works for the City of Decatur is given a small lesson on interacting and improving service for persons with special needs. Decatur is constantly striving to improve upon itself and continue to be one of the most progressive and attentive cities in the U.S. We want to better the way we meet the needs of all persons living in our city. For more information visit www.specialneedscertified.com or contact Captain Violante at ninetta.violante@decaturga.com or 404-947-0522.

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carThe City of Decatur Fire Department will be hosting a PRIDE class, Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Education. The class will be from 10am until noon on August 1st.It is free and will be held in the commissioners room at City Hall, 509 N.McDonough St, Decatur, GA 30030.  This class is for teenagers and the adults that supervise them. The teenager cannot attend alone.  If you have any questions, please contact Captain Violante at 404-947-0522 or ninetta.violante@decaturga.com. There is more information about the PRIDE class at ridesafegeorgia.org.

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DeKalb History CenterThe DeKalb History Center will present a Civil War symposium on July 11 with a series of events and presentations lasting from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

The focus of the day’s activities will be on people and events in and around Atlanta and DeKalb County during the war. The day begins at 9 a.m. with a Civil War walking tour of downtown Decatur followed at 10 a.m. with a presentation by Gordon Jones of the Atlanta History Center entitled The Battles In and Around Atlanta. At 11 a.m. Robert A. Pratt of the University of Georgia will present The Fate of the Freedmen. The 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. segments are both free and sponsored by the Georgia Humanities Council.

Lunch and a panel discussion with Pratt, Jones and Will Bryant from The Battle of Atlanta Commemorative Organization (B’ATL) will begin at noon. Lunch will be provided by Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q and will be followed at 1 p.m. with a production of Shadows of the Past, a play about the Civil War in DeKalb County.

From 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. there will be guided bus tours of the front lines of the war in DeKalb County by B’ATL (The Battle of Atlanta Commemorative Organization). There is a $15 charge for the bus tour and advance reservations are required.

Advance paid reservations include all events except the bus tour. The advanced reservation price is $35 per person for members of DeKalb History Center and $40 for non-members. The bus tour is an additional $15 per person. Walk up tickets are $60 per person and do not include the bus tour.

For additional information visit www.dekalbhistory.org. To register by phone call (404) 373-1088, ext. 20.

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It wouldn’t be the 4th of July if we weren’t dodging rain and thunder.  City staff will update this blog, our Facebook page, Twitter, and the City website with any weather updates today.  Have a safe and fun 4th of July!

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