The Decatur Minute

Decatur High School will be holding it’s homecoming parade at 5:30 p.m. today. 

The route is as follows:
North on Commerce Drive from the School
East on West Ponce DeLeon Avenue
South on Church Street.
West on E. Trinity Place
South on South McDonough Street to the School

Please note that this area will be congested and some areas will be closed off while the parade is in motion. Use extreme caution in these areas until 6:30 p.m.

 If you have any questions, please call the Decatur 911 Center at 404-373-6551.

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Oops! 

 The wrong date was cited in the October Decatur Focus for the Historic Resource Survey Public Input Meeting.  The correct date for the meeting is Wednesday, November 4th and it will be held in the City Commission Meeting Room at City Hall starting at 7 p.m. 

Thanks for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you Wednesday November 4th.!  If you have any questions, contact Regina Brewer at regina.brewer@decaturga.com.

Thank you, thank you very much….

Regina

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Sun Tracker at Fire Station #2

Decatur’s Fire Station No. 2 was re-opened in June 2009.  The building is on track to receive LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building conserves water, employs recycled materials and energy-efficient systems, and uses natural light throughout.  The aluminum and glass tower at Fire Station No. 2 not only supports the station’s solar hot water system, but also acts as a “sun-tracker.”

A large red glass “2” is suspended in the tower’s center.  The sun projects the “2” across the tower’s face on clear days during the fall, winter, and spring seasons of the year.  The big red “2” supplements the conventional building signage in establishing the station in the Oakhurst community and helps identify the station in the City of Decatur Fire Department.  The “2” has not been visible since the buildings’ opening.

A blue glass sliver lies across the open top of the tower and projects a band of blue light from the sun that pivots across the tower’s glass face in correspondence to the hour of the day. The blue glass shaft is the tower’s “gnomon,” which is like the raised triangle on a traditional sundial. The general passage of time can be sensed by the changing angle of the blue band, with noon being a roughly vertical projection during standard time.

When the sun peaks out again, head over to Oakhurst and see the sun-tracker for yourself!

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I just got an email from Jo Giraudo who tells me the Artisan has a special team who helps keep Decatur clean.  As they go out individually to walk their dogs or go to restaurants and shops, they pick up trash along the way.  They also have group outings where they comb both sides of several streets and then meet up for drinks and food.  They would love to start a coalition of other condos interested in streets around their buildings.

Jo says that during this season of giving, they are grateful to live in downtown Decatur and want to give back to its upkeep and beautification.

Their big decision now is their name – Artisan Trash Pickers or ArtiSanitation Team.  Any votes?

Pictured are Jo, Coco, Dawn, Vernita, Caroline, Gary, Nikki, Alan, and Sophie.  Missing are Julie, Nancy, Susan and Ruthie.  Thanks to Barb Rowland for taking the photo of the ATPs with their “litter sticks.”

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The Decatur Homeowner’s Night held by the City Development Department was so popular that we had a line outside  the door before 6 p.m. when the event started.  We had hundreds (okay, twenty) property owners come in to find out information on the process for making improvements to their homes, constructing additions, historic preservation tax incentives (the most popular topic that night!), and permitting/code requirements.  One happy homeowner, George Demmy stated,

“Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to do the Homeowner’s Night. That’s great stuff and was incredibly helpful. I’ve taken much of your advice to heart, and my contractor has seen problems he was fretting about melt away (specifically venting). “

Sad you missed the event?  Devastated that you too could not having your venting questions answered?  Don’t despair, Homeowner’s Night returns one more time before the end of the year.  On Tuesday, December 1st, the Development Department will throw its doors open from 6-8 p.m. to once again provide that extra special attention to our residents of Decatur. It’s the day before my birthday, so I’m thinking cake just might be served. 

 So come December 1st and get great advice, a permit if you need it ,and cake if you want it!

See you in December!

Regina

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Here’s a great opportunity to learn more about “Smart Growth” concepts and good urban design concepts.  Join the Georgia Conservancy’s Growth Management Program and Georgia Tech professors Richard Dagenhart, Doug Allen, and David Green for a six-class course focusing on the history, principles, and current practices about designing better cities and a better Atlanta. Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30 p.m., October 27 – November 12, AGL Building, One Peachtree Place, Atlanta, GA.

For the general public, $200 for the six sessions (a few scholarships are available).Continuing education credits are available for some professions with an extra $100 charge. AIA (Health, Safety, and Welfare and Sustainable Design) and AICP CEUs are being pursued. For Professional Engineers self reporting, the Georgia Conservancy will provide assistance.

All proceeds from Good Urbanism 101 support urban design education at Georgia Tech by supporting graduate students with scholarships or research assistantships.

Visit the Good Urbanism 101 website for more information or visit our event calendar to register online today!

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