The Decatur Minute

As of 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, September 13, this map shows the most up-to-date road closures in the City of Decatur. The next updated map will be posted tomorrow, September 14 by 10:30 a.m. If main roadways are re-opened before that time, updates will be posted on the City of Decatur Police Facebook page.

Also, another tree just went down on the lines on West Ponce de Leon Avenue near East Parkwood Road. The roadway is partially blocked.

The City of Decatur experienced over 100 tree issues during the period when Tropical Storm Irma came through on Monday.  Beginning yesterday (Tuesday) morning our priorities were to clear major transportation routes of downed trees and to work with Georgia Power to assist them in getting power on for as many residents and businesses as possible.

Today (Wednesday) our priorities are to work with Georgia Power to get power restored in areas where school facilities are located, including Westchester and Clairemont Elementary Schools and College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center.

It is possible that the area in the western part of the City along West Ponce de Leon and East and West Parkwood area will not be addressed any sooner than tomorrow.

We will continue to clear major transportation corridors and then begin moving later today to secondary streets.  It is likely that our work on streets will continue through the rest of this week.

We know that power outages are disruptive and cause major problems.  Many of our own staff do not have power at their homes in the City so we have first-hand experience with the challenges and frustrations felt by residents and businesses.  While patience is running thin, please know that we are working to get things back to normal as soon as possible.

As of 10 a.m. today, this map shows the most up-to-date road closures in the City of Decatur. The priority is to get the intersection of Scott and Clairemont open.

An updated map will be posted by 4:30 p.m. today. If main roadways are re-opened before that time, updates will be posted on the City of Decatur Police Facebook page.

As of 4 p.m. today, this map shows the most up-to-date road closures in the City of Decatur. An updated map will be posted tomorrow, September 13, 2017 by 10:30 a.m. If main roadways are re-opened before that time, updates will be posted on the City of Decatur Police Facebook page.

This year Decatur will host a Welcoming Week kickoff event on Friday, Sept. 15, 5-7  p.m. at the community bandstand on the square. Bring your family and friends as we celebrate what it means to be a member of the Decatur community. There will be artists, refreshments and speakers from the community sharing their stories of immigration and what being a Decatur resident means to them.

A public art installation based on Decatur photographer, Beate Sass’ I Am Decatur photo project will be on view beginning Sept. 14 and will be unveiled during the reception. You can also view the exhibit online at IamDecatur.com. Subscribe to receive new stories as they are published.

The event is free and open to all who wish to join.

City of Decatur offices are scheduled to open for normal operations, Tuesday, September 12.

Active Living and Children & Youth Services

Ebster and Decatur Recreation Centers will open at noon. All Active Living activities will begin at noon as well.

All other aquatic centers, community recreation centers, gyms, senior centers, plus fields and natural fields located in parks, will be closed.

After school activities are canceled, Tuesday, September 12.

Board Meetings

• Better Together Advisory Board meeting will take place tomorrow, September 12 at 6:30 p.m.
• Zoning Board of Appeals meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, September 25.

Trash and Recycling Pickup Rescheduled

Due to severe weather conditions and because the DeKalb County landfill will be closed on Tuesday, solid waste and recycling services for this week have been rescheduled.

Monday Regular Service- trash and recycling will be collected on Wednesday, Sept. 13

Tuesday Regular Service- trash and recycling will be collected on Thursday, Sept. 14

Thursday & Friday Regular Service- trash and recycling will be collected on Friday, Sept. 15

Down Trees and Power lines

There are trees down throughout the city, some involving live power lines. Georgia Power cannot respond until the high winds pass. Call 911 to report wires and trees down. DO NOT call 911 to report power outages. The rain and wind is expected to continue for the rest of the evening and into tomorrow morning. PLEASE shelter in place.

Tomorrow morning when it becomes safe for our crews to use equipment, the City’s priority will be to get trees out of the roadway. Later in the week, we will remove debris from public spaces. Residents and businesses will need to prepare debris from private property for collection during regular service days.

Permitting

We anticipate that inspectors and the building official will be in the field assisting with assessments of damaged properties.  It is likely that permit applications for all but emergency repairs will not be accepted until Monday, September 18, 2017.

Since trash and recycling pick up has been disrupted due to Tropical Storm Irma, the following adjustments have been made to the collection schedule.

• If your regular collection day is Monday, your items will now be collected on Wednesday, September 13. Please wait to set out your cans and bins until 7:30 on Wednesday morning.

• If your regular collection day is Tuesday, your items will now be collected on Thursday, September 14.

• If your regular collection day is Thursday or Friday, your items will now be collected on Friday, September 15.

If you have questions, contact the Public Works department at 404-377-5571.

Due to the threat of severe weather for our area, all city offices are closed tomorrow, Monday September 11. Public safety, public works and emergency staff should report as normal.

Other cancellations:

-Monday garbage and recycling services. A notice for Tuesday’s services will be posted by Monday afternoon.

-Monday court sessions are all cancelled. Individuals will receive a notice of rescheduled dates and times.

-After School Programs

-Active Living activities

-Oakhurst Pool ribbon cutting.

Emergency updates and closures will be posted here, the city’s website, and all official City of Decatur social media platforms.

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 renae.madison@decaturga.com.

Sunday, Sept. 10

• Eye on Accessibility with Foresight Augmented Reality, 1-4 p.m.
• Victory Luau, 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 13

• Blue Sky Concert on the square featuring The Beulah Boys, noon
• Decatur Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 14

• Oakhurst Jazz Nights, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 16

• Concerts on the Square, 7 p.m.