The Decatur Minute

An exciting new festival is coming to Decatur! Could you live in 500 square feet or less? For tiny house enthusiasts, the answer is a not-so-small, “YES!” If you’re intrigued by the concept of tiny houses and small space living and want to learn more, join Tiny House Atlanta for the first-ever Decatur Tiny House Festival, Saturday July 30 and 31 in downtown Decatur. Approximately10 tiny houses will be available to tour, and experts on topics such as sustainability, minimalism, urban planning, zoning, and downsizing will be on hand to answer your questions.

Here are just a few of the fun and informative activities planned over the course of this 2-day event:

• Tiny houses will be on-site and open for tours.
• Vendors will be on hand explaining and promoting sustainable practices in the tiny house movement.
• Speaker Symposium will offer opportunities to learn from experts in different areas of the industry.

Tickets can be purchased here. A limited number of tickets will be available each day.

A portion of the event proceeds will go to the Decatur Housing Initiatives Corporation –a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity overseen by the Decatur Housing Authority to enable the development of affordable housing, provide supportive services for low income families and children, and enhance opportunities for greater diversity in Decatur.

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The draft presentation of Decatur’s Comprehensive Plan Update has been postponed until August.  City staff and the steering committee continue to work with the Atlanta Regional Commission to finalize a draft plan for review and consideration.

If you would like to see how the survey results, along with all the other public input, is shaping Decatur’s planning efforts, join us Tuesday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. where a draft of the Comprehensive Plan Update will be presented to the city’s Planning Commission or Monday, August 15 for a presentation to the City Commission.  The draft will be released on DecaturNext on Tuesday, August 16 for a 30-day public review and comment period.

Questions?  Contact Angela Threadgill, angela.threadgill@decaturga.com

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Construction to refurbish the two lawn areas to the east of the Community Bandstand in downtown Decatur will begin Wednesday, July 13, 2016. The amount of pedestrian foot traffic across the lawn compacts the roots of the grass and keeps it from growing.

The City of Decatur has hired Plants, a local company, to install a new pervious system that allows the grass to grow through it while at the same time reducing the stress on the roots.

The construction area will be fenced off during the two week installation project and the two grassed areas will be fenced through the end of August to allow the new sod to get established. The project also includes additional landscaping designed to encourage pedestrians to stick to the sidewalks and use the lawn for passive recreation rather than using it as a shortcut.

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On May 15th, 2016, dispatch received a call regarding an unconscious male. Police Officers Jameson and Santiago (below) arrived to find the man was unresponsive and not breathing  and immediately initiated CPR until Fire and Rescue units were on scene.

Rescue One and Air and Light crews staffed by
Firefighters Hutley, Brown, Keck (pictured with Fire Chief Washington and Fire Captain Violante) and Firefighter Curtis (not pictured) arrived to take over CPR and provided positive pressure ventilations with oxygen and a bag valve mask device. They continued resuscitation efforts until they were able to transfer care to AMR for transport to the hospital.

Because of their actions, the man began breathing by himself once again and regained a weak pulse.  Although none of these personnel would ask for recognition, we would like to congratulate them for their achievement. The City of Decatur Fire and Rescue and Police Departments are proud of their dedication to education, training and public service that allowed them to accomplish this life save.

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The following email was sent to all City of Decatur employees from City Manager Peggy Merriss.  While it was written to city employees, it is a message worth sharing with the community.  It is re-printed here with her permission. 

Good afternoon –

The events that have occurred over the past several days here in Decatur, in Minnesota and Louisiana and last night in Dallas have reinforced how our time here on earth can be extremely fragile.  As public servants, we have an enormous responsibility to insure the public safety, health and welfare of our community and to treat our residents, business owners, visitors and each other with dignity and respect. As public servants we know that the connection to community is something that is built upon everyday when we act in good faith and with the best intentions to do good for others.

For me, the past several days have provided sobering moments that I struggle to understand but I continue to believe that together we can build a better world because if we don’t, no one else will.

Please be careful and cautious but do not lose the Decatur values of compassion, empathy, creativity and accessibility .  It is a delicate balance and not easy and I am thankful that each one of you are part of the City of Decatur team.

Last week Elie Wiesel passed away.  He spent a good part of his childhood in a concentration camp. He wrote and spoke about his experiences and how he never let go of hope for a better world.

Here is one of my favorites: “Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another.”

Let us stay hopeful, let us pass along hope to others, and let us be the hope for our community.

Peggy Merriss

City Manager

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This is a weekly blog post that lists all of the events and sales going on around town. It will be updated daily. If you would like to add an event, email Catherine.lee@decaturga.com.

Monday, July 4
• Celebrate in Decatur

Wednesday, July 6
• Decatur Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m

Saturday, July 9
• Decatur Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

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JPA Summer 2016 Graduates

Congratulations to the 2016 Summer Junior Police Academy class that graduated last Friday. JPA Participants spent the week learning about policing, getting to know many of the officers, taking tours and having fun.

Family & Friends® CPR course

The JPA participants attended sessions on 911/Communications, Recruitment & Training, Weapons & Equipment, Use of Force, Traffic Safety & Enforcement, Drug Trends & Dangers, Criminal Investigations, Personal Safety & Crime Prevention and Physical Fitness. They also completed the Family & Friends® CPR course, conducted a traffic survey, completed 911 emergency call and crime scene practical exercises as well as toured the police department and the DeKalb County Jail.

Weapons & Equipment Session

We will host our next Junior Police Academy during the CSD Fall break. If you have an 11-14-year-old and are interested, please contact Lt. Jennifer Ross.

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