The Decatur Minute

Lifelong Decatur survey results are in! Learn the results of the Lifelong Decatur survey on Thursday, June 18, 6:30 p.m., at the Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore St. The Lifelong Community Advisory Board will present findings from the survey that was completed by more than 630 residents. Find out what steps the board is taking to make sure Decatur is a place where people can live throughout their lifetimes, regardless of age, ability, or economic status.

The survey report is available online. For more information, email leeann.harvey@decaturga.com or call 678-553-6548.

Tomorrow’s Walk with a Doc will be led by City of Decatur landscape infrastructure coordinator India Woodson. Meet at 10 a.m. at the front doors of the Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore St. for a FREE, healthy walk. All ages are welcome. India will point out significant Decatur trees during the hour-long walk.

For more information contact tracie.sanchez@decaturga.com.

This Thursday, June 18, is “Dump the Pump” – an opportunity for drivers to try transit as a commute alternative to save gas and stress. For this year’s Dump the Pump celebration, MARTA is bringing back its popular scavenger hunt on June 20 at Five Points station. In addition to MARTA’s efforts, Georgia Commute Options is offering a week-long commute logging challenge, entering anyone who logs a public transit commute on GaCommuteOptions.com between June 15 and 19 into a $25 prize raffle, with one winner selected per day.

Here is the full press release from Georgia Commute Options:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Pricey Commute? Dump the Pump for Transit.

Atlanta, GA – June 11, 2015 – In metro Atlanta, public transit plays a larger role in maneuvering traffic than you might think. Many commuters might be surprised to learn, for instance, that without these systems, our region’s traffic delay would increase by 10,520,000 hours annually, and the annual costs associated with that traffic congestion would increase by $232 million. (Source: 2012 Texas Transportation Institute Mobility Report)

Saving money and reducing delay are two of the main benefits promoted by Dump the Pump, an annual campaign designed to promote transit as a commute alternative that saves on gas and time. While Dump the Pump 2015 officially occurs on June 18, local entities such as MARTA and Georgia Commute Options are running promotions leading up to the event to encourage Atlanta transit use as an alternative to driving alone.

Consider this: The average one-way commute time in metro Atlanta is 34 minutes and covers 18.3 miles,* costing the average metro Atlanta commuter $340 a month** once fuel, maintenance and parking costs are accounted for. Compare that to the $95 it costs to ride MARTA for a month, and the savings are hard to ignore.

“Dump the Pump is a great opportunity for drivers to see what a hassle-free commute feels like. Instead of the usual angst associated driving in traffic, a person can spend that time reading a book, listening to music or catching up on email,” MARTA spokesperson Lyle V. Harris said. “Make the switch, just for a day, to see how you like it. Commuters will often find that transit is faster and easier than they once thought — and that it’s a great option for getting to work at least once or twice a week, if not every day.”

For this year’s Dump the Pump celebration, MARTA is bringing back its popular scavenger hunt on June 20 at Five Points station. More info can be found at http://www.itsmarta.com/scavenger-hunt-2015.aspx. In addition to MARTA’s efforts, Georgia Commute Options will offer a week-long commute logging challenge, entering anyone who logs a public transit commute on the GaCommuteOptions.com between June 15 and 19 into a $25 prize raffle, with one winner selected per day.

“We’re excited to help MARTA get the word out about the benefits of taking transit,” says Cindy VanDyke, Georgia DOT State Transportation Planning Administrator. “By choosing alternative commute modes, metro Atlanta commuters can impact our region’s traffic and air quality in significant, positive ways.”

Georgia Commute Options encourages “clean commuting” — that is, using alternatives to driving alone — by offering prizes and incentives to commuters who make the switch. When drive-alone commuters switch to an alternative like transit, they are eligible to earn $3 a Day, up to $100. Other commute alternatives promoted by Georgia Commute Options include carpooling, vanpooling, teleworking, walking and biking to work. Clean commuters (including transit riders) can regularly log their trips to win prizes at GaCommuteOptions.com.

About Georgia Commute Options

Georgia Commute Options, a program funded by the Georgia Department of Transportation, helps commuters, employers and property managers take advantage of alternatives to driving alone to and from work. Georgia Commute Options reports that every day in metro Atlanta, the use of commute alternatives such as carpooling and transit results in 1.1 million vehicle miles not traveled and 550 tons of pollution kept out of the air. For more information, visit www.GaCommuteOptions.com.

*2014 Regional Commuter Survey conducted by the Center of Transportation and the Environment on behalf of Georgia DOT

** Calculated using data from current AAA travel cost analyses and from 2014 “Your Driving Costs” study from the Center for Transportation and the Environment

# # #

Many Decatur residents are devoted dog owners (sidenote: if you’re looking for just the right canine companion, LifeLine Animal Project is offering free pet adoptions in June) and spend lots of time walking their dogs around the city and visiting Decatur’s popular dog parks. For the safety of everyone, dogs should be on a leash when out and about or securely fenced when outdoors at home.

Here is the complete law, straight from the Decatur Code of Ordinances:

Sec. 14-33. – Duty of owner to keep animal under restraint while on property.

(a)

It shall be the duty of every owner of any animal, or anyone having possession or custody of any animal, to ensure that the animal is kept under restraint and that reasonable care and precautions are taken to prevent the animal from leaving, while unattended, the real property limits of its owner, possessor or custodian, and to ensure that:

(1)

The animal is securely and humanely enclosed within a house, building, fence, pen or other enclosure out of which it cannot climb, dig, jump or otherwise escape on its own volition. Such enclosure must be securely locked at any time the animal is left unattended.

(2)

No animal shall be chained, tethered or otherwise tied to any inanimate object such as a tree, post or building, outside of its own enclosure as provided for in paragraph (a)(1).

(3)

The animal is on a leash and under the control of a competent person; or is off leash and obedient to that person’s command and that person is pre

sent with the animal any time it is not restrained as provided for in paragraph (a)(1) of this subsection.

Sec. 14-34. – Duty of owner to keep animal under restraint while off of property.

It shall be the duty of the owner of any animal or anyone having an animal in his/her possession to keep the animal under restraint at all times while the animal is off the real property limits of the owner, possessor, or custodian. For the purposes of this section, an animal is deemed under restraint when it is confined within a vehicle, parked or in motion, is secured by a leash or other device held by a competent person, is within the boundaries of a designated dog park under voice command of a competent person and such person is present with the animal, or the animal is properly confined within an enclosure with the permission of the owner of the property where the enclosure is located. A violation of this section shall be punishable as provided in section 1-12.

Slide the City tickets for the event in Decatur on July 25th have SOLD OUT.

DeKalb County is starting a waterline replacement project on Superior Ave, part of which will take place in the City of Decatur. This project will upgrade outdated infrastructure and lead to a more reliable delivery system and a reduction of water main breaks and leaks. It is project to be completed by November of this year, weather permitting. The best place to check for the most up-to-date information for this project is www.dekalbconsentdecree.com.

Here is the full bulletin from DeKalb County about the Superior Avenue Waterline Replacement Project that is being distrbuted to affected neighbors:

Project Bulletin

June 12, 2015

Superior Avenue Waterline Replacement

Contract No. 15-902970

CIP No. 82

Superior Avenue Waterline Replacement Project  

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management’s Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Division is scheduled to begin construction on the Superior Avenue Waterline Replacement project. The project is slated to start the week of June 9, 2015, and is expected to last approximately nine months. Initial activities will be comprised of site preparation, and will include the installation of silt fence in the construction area.

This work is being performed as a part of the County’s Waterline Replacement Program to replace undersized waterlines with new, adequately sized pipes that will improve water pressure, reliability and water quality in the area. The project is also being implemented to upgrade aging infrastructure, as well as address issues related to reoccurring waterline breaks and leaks in the community. Not making these improvements would result in continued water service disruptions to businesses and residents located in the area.

Construction activities will occur between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday on Superior Avenue between Park Lane and Huron Street. The first phase will originate at Park Lane and terminate at North Decatur Road. The project will involve lane closures; periodic service interruptions; construction crews working in close proximity to homes; and steel road plates deployed in the roadway at the end of each construction day.

County contractors have been directed to ensure permanent access to your property/business during construction, as well as provide sufficient notification of any service interruptions. The steel road plates will also be sealed and edged to Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) standards to reduce vehicle impacts. 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 this essential project. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the details presented in this bulletin, please feel free to contact the CIP public outreach team at 1-800-986-1108 or email projectinfo@dekalbcountyga.gov.

Oakhurst

CMES has begun work on the expansion of Harmony Park.  This includes demolition of the existing public parking area, installation of storm drainage improvements and the construction of a new plaza. A new permanent angled parking area will be provided on East Lake Drive in front of One Step at a Time and Oakhurst Market.  Ten parking spaces have been leased in the surface parking lot at 630 East Lake Drive to provide a temporary replacement for the parking area.  Pedestrian access to Oakhurst Market and One Step at a Time will be maintained during construction.  Depending on the weather, this phase of the work should take 10 days to 2 weeks.

Later in June, an area on Oakview Road just south of East Lake Drive will need to be demolished and rebuilt.  This will lower the roadway so that positive drainage can be provided for new sidewalks on Oakview Road.  This work will take 7 – 10 days, again depending on the weather.  Sidewalks and pedestrian access will be maintained during this work.  A plan is being developed to allow traffic to detour around this area.

Phase V Downtown

GS Construction is finishing this phase of work on Church Street and will be waiting for the installation of new streetlights and for Comcast and AT&T to complete transferring utilities to new utility poles so it can wrap up all the sidewalk improvements. Two-way traffic will be restored on Church Street this week.

Starting tomorrow (Wednesday, June 10), GS will begin demolition and installation of new curbing and sidewalks on the south side of East Trinity Place. Work will commence at North McDonough and proceed toward Church Street.

During this period, vehicle and pedestrian access will be maintained to all businesses, though there may be some  inconvenience. Vehicle  traffic  will be reduced to 2 lanes on East Trinity Place, so expect delays.

In celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the Decatur Business Association, the DBA along with the City of Decatur has decided to shake up our traditional summer event, the Decatur Beach Party, and make a huge SPLASH this summer. For one day only, there will be a 1000 foot long water slide in the middle of W. Ponce de Leon Ave, stretching from Clairemont down just past Ponce de Leon Place.

This amazing event is produced a by a professional event company called Slide the City which has brought this wild slide to cities such as Salt Lake City, Boise, Fountain Hills, and Ft. Lauderdale.  Decatur will be the only metro Atlanta city to host this event which will bring Decatur thousands of visitors and tons of foot traffic.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 10th at 9am EST through the Slide the City website. This is the only place where tickets can be purchased.  Only a limited number of tickets will be sold for this event.

Use the promo code  DBA15   to get a  10% discount off of your tickets.  A portion of each registration that uses that code will go directly to the Decatur Business Association, our Slide the City non-profit partner for this event. As a reminder,  the DBA meets monthly to provide a networking opportunity for local businesses, advocates on behalf of local businesses and partners with the DDA to support marketing, advertising and special events designed to showcase Decatur’s business districts and introduce potential new customers to the quality of our local business districts.   They sponsor the free Concerts on the Square series and Blue Sky Concert series, the Decatur Easter Egg Hunt, the Holiday Bonfire and Breakfast with Santa along with providing support to other festivals and events that contribute to our sense of community.