Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Open Office Hour

Decatur will host its fifth Open Office Hour with Commissioner Tony Powers on Thursday, September 28 from 7 – 8 p.m. Commissioner Powers will speak for approximately 15-20 minutes on the topic of the role of the city and schools including ongoing and potential initiatives and partnerships.

The community is invited to tune in to watch and listen via livestream, http://www.decaturga.com/city-government/city-commission/streaming-video, and will be able and encouraged to submit questions related to the topic live (beginning at 7 p.m.) via Twitter (@downtowndecatur), here on Facebook, email (@openofficehour@decaturga.com), or phone (678-553-6569).

 

East Lake Logo Flower

Thanks to a $100,000 Livable Centers grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission, stakeholders of three different municipalities, one transit system, and a variety of business and environmental interests are converging to form the Make East Lake MARTA Yours initiative.

The community is invited to participate in two public participation opportunities:

KICK-OFF: COMMUNITY ACADEMY AND OPEN HOUSE

Monday, September 25 | 6 – 8 p.m.
Oakhurst Baptist Church, Fellowship Hall (Room 100), 222 East Lake Drive

Join the discussion on population density, demographics, transportation, and economic development topics within in the first hour, then allow for input, questions, and comments thereafter.

KICK-OFF: OPEN HOUSE

Tuesday, September 26 | 6 – 8 p.m.
Oakhurst Baptist Church, Fellowship Hall (Room 100), 222 East Lake Drive

Identified topics from the Community Academy meeting get repeated here in an open house environment. Drop by, review, and chime in. Expect a half hour to participate.

For more detailed information, visit decaturnext.com.

logo-2017

Only half of the tickets remain for the 2017 Decatur Craft Beer Festival. The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21, noon-5 p.m.

Both general admission and VIP tickets are still available. Keep in mind that this event sells out every year. Proceeds from ticket sales go back into the local community as grants and donations to nonprofit groups. Since its start in 1999, the festival has granted more than $1,200,000 to Decatur nonprofit organizations.

Purchase Tickets

DecaturBeerFestival.com

Tree Removal

There may be extensive clean up required for trees that were downed or partially downed during Tropical Storm Irma.  In order to expedite clean-up efforts,

The City Manager has issued a waiver consistent with the provisions of the Unified Development Ordinance Section 9.1.4 (C) (2) exempting tree permitting during and immediately after an emergency such as  Tropical Storm Irma. The requirement to obtain tree removal permits for DEVELOPED commercial and residential properties is being waived for a period of 30 days until October 14, 2017.  New construction is not covered by this waiver. For homeowner occupied residential properties covered under the “no net loss of canopy requirement”, required tree replacement will remain  on a one to one replacement  with six foot tall trees to be planted by December 31, 2019.

Construction

Permitting will continue as usual.  There are no waivers or changes related to Irma.  However, Design, Environment & Construction Division will permit all Irma storm damage within 24-36 hours of permit submittal.  In addition, electrical inspections can be arranged same day if it is related to storm damage.

For more information, visit http://www.decaturga.com/city-government/city-departments/design-environment-and-construction

As we continue to restore and recover from the storm, the City will resume regular collection of yard debris next week. Beginning Monday, Sept. 18, please put out household garbage, recycling, and yard waste on your regular collection day.

 

It may take a while to remove all of the debris and we may not get everything on the first collection date. In that case, we may also be collecting on Wednesdays and on the week-ends. If your debris is not picked up on your regular collection day, leave it at the curb so that it will be ready for pick-up when we return. We ask for your patience as we try to remove the debris as quickly as possible.

 

Please remember the ongoing regulations for yard waste placed on the curb including:

 

  • Yard trimmings should be placed in a container no larger than 32-gallons, or single-use yard waste bag.
  • Sticks, hedge clippings and small brush should be gathered into bundles and tied securely so that each bundle does not exceed 4 feet in length nor weigh more than 50 pounds.
  • Yard trimming and containers should not extend into the street or obstruct the sidewalk.

 

If you have larger items as a result of the storm, the city will collect them. However, you should call 404-377-5571 to schedule a special pick-up because collection of larger piles, limbs and trees takes different equipment than that used for a normal collection route.

 

Please do not rake or blow your leaves or grass clippings into the street. Leaves and other yard debris which is raked or blown into the street can clog the storm drains and cause flooding and property damage.

 

Remember that if you use a tree or yard service, the private company is responsible for removal of debris.

 

We encourage you to compost yard debris on-site to the maximum extent possible. Composting yard debris adds nutrients back into soil, lessening the need for fertilizers.

IRMA_CLOSURES_09_15_10AM

As of 10:00 a.m. today, Thursday, September 15, this map shows the most up-to-date road closures in the City of Decatur. The next updated map will be posted today, September 15 by 4:30 p.m.

Today, the City of Decatur started out with 73 out of 110 issues resolved, leaving 37 on the list.  By 3:30 p.m., the list was down to 10.  With the exception of the Early Childhood Learning Center, which should have power this afternoon, all of the CSD schools have power.  Transportation of Westchester Elementary students to Decatur High went great and the students enjoyed the adventure.

All of the large power outages have been resolved.  There are spot and smaller scale areas that are still without power.  The Oakland/Fairview and Oldfield/McKinnon neighbors are the main smaller areas that are still without power.  The city is working with Georgia Power to get those addressed as soon as possible.  Lucerne/Geneva has a tree and pole down, but the wires never lost power.  In order to repair the pole and remove the tree, the power will have to be shut off for some period of time.  Regretfully this will have to be done in order to get the repair completed.

Grounds crews are working to get to the larger piles of debris left during the power restoration process and will continue to get to those through the end of the week. We are targeting the Safe Routes to School and School Crossings.

Tomorrow (Friday) we will provide specific information on collecting yard debris and sanitation collection. We expect that debris collection will take several weeks, if not much longer.

IRMA_CLOSURES_09_14_4PM (002)

As of 4 p.m. today, Thursday, September 14, this map shows the most up-to-date road closures in the City of Decatur. The next updated map will be posted tomorrow, September 15 by 10:30 a.m. Also, nearly all traffic lights are back in operation at this time. Crews are still working on the lights at West Ponce de Leon Avenue and East Parkwood Road.

IRMA_CLOSURES_09_14_10AM

As of 10 a.m. today, Thursday, September 14, this map shows the most up-to-date road closures in the City of Decatur. The next updated map will be posted today by 4 p.m. If main roadways are re-opened before that time, updates will be posted on the City of Decatur Police Facebook page.

Also, GA Power is working at West Ponce de Leon Avenue near East Parkwood Road and have the eastbound lane blocked. The westbound lane is open, please use caution.

Assistant City Manager, David Junger sends a message to residents giving an update on city efforts to work with GA Power to restore power after Tropical Storm Irma and encouraging everyone to remain safe.