Tomorrow is the first Wednesday of August so we’ll be testing the tornado outdoor warning sirens at 5:00 p.m. The test should last approximately one minute. Should the weather become inclement, the test will be postponed until Thursday, 3 August 2017.
If you have questions or want more information about the siren system, check out the Siren page on the City’s website or contact Police Lt. Barry Woodward at 404-373-6551.
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Street re-surfacing in downtown Decatur is expected continue on Wednesday, August 2, and Thursday, August 3. This work will be limited to the intersection at College Avenue and South McDonough Street and possibly the intersection of East Trinity Place, East Howard Avenue and North Candler Street.
There will be temporary lane closures and traffic delays during the work. Pedestrian access will remain open throughout the project area.
Sidewalks are generally open and accessible to residents, students and visitors. However, construction activities will be underway for a few more weeks. These include completion of the North McDonough bicycle lanes, installation of new streetlights on the east side of North McDonough Street, new traffic signals at the McDonough and Candler railroad crossings, and sidewalk and trail improvements near the Old Decatur Depot.
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Due to ongoing GDOT HAWK beacon (High-Intensity Activated crossswalk beacon) crosswalk improvements on S. Candler Street between E. Davis Street and Bucher Drive, sidewalks are under construction northbound and southbound on this street. Pedestrians should use caution.
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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 renae.madison@decaturga.com.
Sunday, July 30
Wednesday, August 2
Friday, August 4
Saturday, August 5
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City Schools of Decatur students are headed back to school next Tuesday, August 1st. There will be more traffic to include vehicles, buses and big & little pedestrians and cyclists on main roads and neighborhood streets. Please plan on allowing more time for your commute and PLEASE slow down and pay extra attention as excited students head back to class. We will have additional officers on duty in and around the school zones to remind everyone school is back in session.
Reduced speeds for school zones are indicated by either flashing lights and/or signage with the times for the school zone posted. Flashing lights are not required or posted for every school zone. You must also obey the times indicated by signage posted for school zones.
Atlanta Public Schools will also start back Tuesday, August 1st and DeKalb County Schools start back Monday, August 7th.
City Schools of Decatur times and citywide school speed zones and crossing guard locations are as follows:
School Commencement and Dismissal Times:
Decatur High School 8:30am – 3:30pm
Renfroe Middle School 8:40am – 3:40pm
4/5 Academy 7:45am – 2:45pm
Winnona Elementary 8:00am – 2:30pm
Westchester Elementary 8:00am – 2:30pm
Oakhurst Elementary 8:00am – 2:30pm
Glennwood Elementary 8:00am – 2:30pm
Clairemont Elementary 8:00am – 2:30pm
College Heights Pre-K 8:00am – 2:30pm
College Heights 3 YR 7:00am – 6:00pm
School Speed Zones:
Reduced Speed Zone in Effect.*School Zone /Reduced Speed signs are posted
*A.M. – From 45 minutes prior to commencement to 15 minutes after commencement time.
*P.M. – From 15 minutes prior to dismissal time to 45 minutes after dismissal time.
Avery Street (Winnona Park Elem.)
Church Street (Clairemont Elem.)
S. Columbia Drive (Friends School / Waldorf School)
S. Candler Street (Renfroe Middle)
Clairemont Avenue (Clairemont Elem.)
Commerce Drive (Decatur High)
E. Ponce de Leon Avenue (Glennwood Elem.)
Erie Avenue (Clairemont Elem.)
5th Avenue (4/5 Academy)
S. McDonough Street (College Heights)
Mead Road (Oakhurst Elem.)
Oakview Road (4/5 Academy)
W. College Avenue (Renfroe Middle / Oakhurst Elem.)
W. Howard Avenue at Atlanta Avenue (Oakhurst Elem.)
W. Howard Avenue at Commerce Drive (Decatur High)
W. Ponce de Leon Avenue (St. Thomas More)
School Crossing Guard Locations & Times:
Church @ E. Trinity – 7:15am-8:45am/2:30pm-4:15pm
Church @ Lucerne – 7:15am-8:30am/2:15pm-3:15pm
Clairemont @ Michigan – 7:15am-8:30am/2:15pm-3:15pm
Commerce @ Sycamore Pl. – 7:15am-8:30am/2:15pm-4:15pm
Commerce @ W. Howard – 7:45am-9am/3:15pm-4:15pm
E. PDL @ Sycamore Pl. – 7:15am-8:30am/2:15pm-4:15pm
E. Trinity @ E. Howard – 7:15am-8:45am/2:30pm-4:15pm
Mead @ Oakhurst Elem. – 7:15am-8:15am/2:15pm-3:15pm
Oakview @ 5th – 7am-8am/2:15pm-3:15pm
Oakview @ E. Lake – 7am-8:30am/2:15pm-3:30pm
S. Candler @ E. Davis – 7am-8:15am/2:30pm-3:30pm
S. Candler @ E. Dougherty – 7am-8:45am/2:30pm-4:15pm
S. Candler @ Kirk – 7am-8:15am/2:30pm-3:30pm
S. Columbia @ Katie Kerr – 7:15am-8:30am/3pm-4pm
S. McDonough @ E. Dougherty – 7am-8:45am/2:30pm-4:15pm
S. McDonough @ Oakview – 7am-8:30am/2:30pm-3:45pm
Scott Blvd @ Clairemont – 7:15am-8:15am/2:15pm-3:15pm
Scott Blvd @ Coventry – 7:15am-8:15am/2:15pm-3:15pm
Scott Blvd @ Superior – 7:15am-8:15am/2:15pm-3:15pm
St. Thomas More – 7:15am-8:15am/3:pm-4pm
W. College @ Adams – 8am-9am/3:15pm-4:15pm
W. College @ Atlanta Ave – 7:15am-8:45am/2:15pm-4:15pm
W. College @ Kings Hwy – 8am-9am/3:15pm-4:15pm
W. College @ S.McDonough – 7:15am-8:50am/2:50pm-4:15pm
W. Howard @ Adair – 7:15am-8:45am/2:15pm-4:15pm
W. Howard @ Atlanta Ave. – 7:15am-8:45am/2:15pm-4:15pm
W. Howard @ N. McDonough – 7:50am-8:50am/2:50pm-4:15pm
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Weather permitting, several downtown Decatur streets will be repaved beginning Monday, July 24, following completion of the present milling work concluding — ideally — on Friday, July 21.
This is an ambitious effort and is being done to complete as much work as possible before the City Schools reconvene on August 1. It’s expected the work will take 2-3 days.
North McDonough and the two intersections will remain open to two-way vehicle traffic. However, there will be temporary lane closures and traffic delays during the work. East Howard will be closed to through traffic for a short period when it is being resurfaced.
Vehicular access on North Candler Street, East Howard Avenue and Barry Street will be limited and on-street parking will not be available on the affected streets during the work. Pedestrian access will remain open throughout the project area.
This includes streets in the following infrastructure projects:
North McDonough Street
– Streetscape Improvements
The North McDonough Streetscape Improvements include reducing North McDonough to two vehicle lanes, wider sidewalks, and a 2-way “cycle track” on the west side of the street, along with traditional streetscape improvements and on-street parking. The project also features significant “green infrastructure” improvements to improve storm water quality.
In addition to the repaving, new streetlights are presently being installed on the east side of North McDonough Street.
Railroad Crossing Improvements
-The Candler and McDonough intersections at East Howard Avenue and College Avenue
– East Howard Avenue at North McDonough Street
The Railroad Crossing Improvements address pedestrian accessibility and safety around and across the two CSX crossings at the intersections of College Avenue and Howard Avenue with Candler Street and McDonough Street. Gentler slopes on the north side of both crossings will result in an accessible path for persons in wheelchairs or using strollers, as well as a safer route for pedestrians and bicyclists located outside the railroad crossing gates.
Poles and mast arms for new traffic signals are now being installed as well. This will provide protected left turns on all legs of the 2 crossings.
Downtown Decatur Storm Drainage Improvements – Phase 2
-North Candler Street
-Barry Street
-East Howard Avenue
Phase 2 of the Downtown Decatur Storm Drainage Improvements includes replacement of undersized and deteriorated storm drainage facilities and will reduce or eliminate frequent flooding on private properties in the Old Decatur neighborhood. During construction, the work was expanded to include renewal of a failing sanitary sewer system in the same community. This project was originally planned almost 40 years ago, replaces some of the oldest infrastructure in metro Atlanta, and will complete major planned improvements to the upper Peavine section of the downtown drainage system.
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The City of Decatur has teamed up with Foresight Augmented Reality (FAR) to establish FAR-accessibility for seven locations throughout Decatur’s city limits. FAR-accessible locations are “visually impaired friendly” and bring added context for the blind and vision-impaired.
Transforming a business into a FAR-accessible one includes the installation of a Bluetooth beacon, that when paired with the FAR Vision mobile app, provides users with descriptive information such as entrances and exits, restrooms, hazard warnings and more.
“This project opens a lot of doors for the visually impaired community in Decatur and the surrounding area,” said Foresight co-founder and CEO Tara Williams. “With the FAR Vision mobile app, more people can access many of the great features the city of Decatur has to offer. We hope this movement continues to build momentum until the entire Atlanta area is accessible for the blind and visually impaired.”
Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett said, “One of the goals in our 2016 Better Together Community Action Plan for Equity, Inclusion and Engagement is to support community participation and engagement among all members of the city’s population. Making city buildings more readily accessible to the blind and visually impaired allows us to reach and include a broader spectrum of community members in city life.”
Highlights of Decatur’s 65-beacon installation include Decatur City Hall, Decatur Police Department, Ebster Recreation Center, Decatur Recreation Center, Decatur Visitors Center, the Decatur Square Community Bandstand and the Decatur Transit Station plaza.
Foresight Augmented Reality was founded in 2016 in Atlanta, GA with the goal of creating smarter communities. FAR’s beacons provide compliance beyond ADA requirements for businesses looking to support those with vision-related disabilities. According to the National Foundation for the Blind, there are 7.3 million visually impaired people living in the USA. For more information, visit www.ForesightAR.com (or Facebook) and download the FAR Vision mobile app for iPhone, iPad or Android devices.
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The impact
Weather permitting, North McDonough Street and the Candler and McDonough intersections at East Howard Avenue and College Avenue will be milled in preparation for final resurfacing starting on Monday, July 17. The work should take 2-3 days. This work is part of the North McDonough Streetscape Improvements and the Railroad Crossing Improvements at Candler and McDonough Streets.
Project details
The North McDonough Streetscape Improvements include reducing North McDonough to two vehicle lanes, providing for wider sidewalks, and installing a 2-way “cycle track” on the west side of the street, along with traditional streetscape improvements and on-street parking. The project also features significant “green infrastructure” improvements to improve storm water quality.
The Railroad Crossing Improvements will significantly improve accessibility and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, further encouraging those who live in Winnona Park, the McDonough-Adams-Kings Highway community, and other neighborhoods south of the CSX rail corridor to walk and bike into downtown Decatur. The improvements will provide gentler slopes on the north side of both crossings resulting in an accessible path for persons in wheelchairs or those using strollers, and a much safer route for all located outside the railroad crossing gates. Presently, pedestrians and bicyclists have to share the roadway with vehicles at these crossings.
In addition to improvements at the crossings, there will now be new pedestrian crosswalks where none presently exist — on the east side of both intersections and just north of the Candler crossing connecting to the sidewalk along the old Depot property.
Finally, improved vehicular mobility is also a project priority. Both crossings will include new traffic signals on both sides which will allow protected left turns on all legs of the two crossings.
North McDonough and the two intersections will remain open to two-way vehicle traffic. However, there will be temporary lane closures and minor delays during the work.
To obtain updates on this and other construction projects in downtown Decatur, sign up for Extreme Makeover: Downtown Decatur Edition at decaturmakeover.com.
Posted in Community, Transportation | Tagged decaturmakeover, milling, N McDonough, streetscape improvements | Leave a Comment »
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, July 9
Wednesday, July 12
Saturday, July 15
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