The Decatur Minute

The impact

The last round of temporary closures encountered some unmarked underground utilities, delaying completion of the work. Accordingly, North McDonough Street will again be closed overnight between Trinity Place and East Maple Street beginning Monday, April 24, and then repeating on Tuesday, April 25. As before, each temporary closure will begin at 11 p.m. and end the following morning at 6 a.m. Assuming no further hidden discoveries, everything is expected to be completed by Wednesday morning.

This work will ultimately result in a new storm drainage system as part of the North McDonough streetscape improvements.
How to manage

A detour will be in place each evening. Consult the map for greater detail.

To obtain updates on this and other construction projects in downtown Decatur, sign up for Extreme Makeover: Downtown Decatur Edition at decaturmakeover.com.

Reminder: the City of Decatur is hosting Neighborhood Clean-up Days on Saturdays in March and April, to allow residents to dispose of bulky materials that would not normally be placed in pay-as-you-throw bags. Every street in the City has been assigned to one Saturday. Visit the Neighborhood Cleanup Days page on the city website for detailed instructions and specified dates for each street.

Collection for April 29 will take place in the following neighborhood:

MAK Neighborhood/College Heights
Neighborhood –
South McDonough Street (West College Avenue to
Oakview Road)
Ansley Street (South McDonough Street to Kings
Highway)
East Hancock Street
East Davis Street
College Place
West Dougherty Street
West Davis Street
West Hancock Street
Adams Street (West College Avenue to Oakview
Road)
Kings Highway
West College Avenue (South McDonough Street to
Kings Highway)
W. Pharr (S. McDonough to East Lake)
E. Pharr Road (northside from S. McDonough to S.
Candler and both sides east of S. Candler)
Adams (McKoy Park to W. Pharr)
Spring (Adams to East Lake)
McKoy (W. Hill to W. Pharr)
McClean Street
Garland Avenue
Griffin Circle
S. McDonough Street (Hill to Pharr)
Lenore Street
Driftwood Terrace
Driftwood Place
Brower Street
S. Candler Street (Buchanan to E. Pharr)
Buchanan Terrace
Chevelle Lane
Candler Dr.
Candler Pointe
Park Drive
Overlook Bluff

All items to be collected should be placed at the curb by 7:30 a.m. This ensures that we do not have to rerun routes for late set-outs. Collections run until 3:30 p.m., or until finished, whichever is sooner.

Work is expected to begin during the week of April 24, at the intersection of Lockwood Terrace and Fairview Street, and last for approximately 12 weeks. During that time, the general contractor, Autaco Development LLC, will provide traffic control as necessary for temporary lane closures, while maintaining two-way traffic and access to residential driveways. Work will be conducted during regular construction hours listed below:

Mon-Fri 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday No Work

The storm drainage improvements are being done in response to citizen requests to address recurring localized flooding at the intersection. After completion of the design and public input process that started in June of 2015, the City Commission awarded a contract to perform this work at its regular meeting on March 20, 2017.

Our experience has been that infrastructure improvements like these are noisy, messy and inconvenient. Your patience is appreciated during this time and efforts will be made to minimize impacts, but please expect some disruption and plan accordingly. Call or email Jennings Bell with questions at (678) 553-6529 or jennings.bell@decaturga.com.

Decatur will host its second Open Office Hour with Mayor pro tem Fred Boykin on Monday, April 24 from 7 – 8 p.m. The Mayor pro tem will speak for approximately 15-20 minutes on the topic of transportation in the city and the activities and efforts relating to this area.

The community is invited to tune in to watch and listen and will be able and encouraged to submit questions related to the topic live via Twitter, Facebook, email or phone.

If you already have a question in mind related to this topic area, submit it here.

The impact

North McDonough Street will be closed overnight to through traffic between Trinity Place and East Maple Street beginning Wednesday, April 19, and then repeating on Thursday, April 20. Each temporary closure will begin at 11:00pm and end the following morning at 6:00am. Everything is expected to be completed by Friday morning.

This will allow construction of a new storm drainage system as part of the North McDonough streetscape improvements.

How to manage

A detour will be in place each evening. Consult the map above for greater detail.

For more construction updates visit decaturmakeover.com.

At its April 17, 2017 meeting, the Decatur City Commission voted to purchase approximately 77 acres of property currently owned by the United Methodist Children’s Home of the North Georgia Conference, Inc. (UMCH) for $40 Million. The property is located adjacent to the southeastern city limits of Decatur.

Mayor Patti Garrett said, “The purchase of this property fits with the City’s mission, vision and values and is an investment for current and future families and children. Garrett noted, “The City of Decatur is uniquely positioned to be the trustee of this resource and the purchase provides a long-term legacy for generations to come.”

Proceeds of the sale will help UMCH reach more children and families in crisis in new communities across North Georgia, according to Rev. Hal Jones, UMCH President and CEO. The sale terms include preservation of the historic Moore Chapel and the gravesite of UMCH’s founder Rev. Dr. Jesse Boring and naming the administrative building located near the gravesite in recognition of former Executive Director Bev Cochran.

It is anticipated that the UMCH will vacate the property by late summer or early fall, 2017. Once the City owns the property, the City will annex the acreage and begin a community-based master planning effort engaging nearby neighborhoods, UMCH alumni and other stakeholders to help determine a vision and plan for future use.

Reminder: the City of Decatur is hosting Neighborhood Clean-up Days on Saturdays in March and April, to allow residents to dispose of bulky materials that would not normally be placed in pay-as-you-throw bags. Every street in the City has been assigned to one Saturday. Visit the Neighborhood Cleanup Days page on the city website for detailed instructions and specified dates for each street.

Collection for April 22 will take place in the following neighborhood:

Winnona Park Neighborhood –
S. Columbia Drive
Commerce Drive (RR Underpass to S. Columbia)
Conway Road
Avery Street
Bucher Drive
Bruton Street
Candler Oaks Lane
Derrydown Way
Heatherdown Road
Hilldale Drive
Inman Drive
Kirk Road
Kirk Crossing
Mimosa Drive
Mimosa Place
Missionary Court
Missionary Drive
Oldfield Road
Poplar Circle
Shadowmoor Drive
Winnona Drive
S. Candler St (W. College to Buchanan)
Green St (200 Block)
McKinnon Drive (Decatur Only)
Midway Road
Clarke Hill Subdivision

All items to be collected should be placed at the curb by 7:30 a.m. This ensures that we do not have to rerun routes for late set-outs. Collections run until 3:30 p.m., or until finished, whichever is sooner.

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, April 16

• Spring Plant Sale Festival, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Downtown Decatur Food Tour, 11- 2 p.m.
• Easter Golden Egg Giveaway, noon- 10 p.m.

Tuesday, April 18

• Agnes Scott Choral Jam, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 19

• Wednesday Decatur Farmers Market , 4 p.m.

Thursday, April 20

• Jazz Nights at Scottish Rite, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 22

• Second Annual Run to Change a Life 5K, 8- 10 a.m.
• Saturday Decatur Farmers Market , 9 a.m.
• Amplify My Community Concert, 3- 11 p.m.

An announcement from City Schools of Decatur:

The Elementary Facility Planning Steering Committee examined data and feedback from the community meeting and survey and offered two options to the Board of Education for consideration at the April 11 Board Meeting. We want to hear from the CSD community about these options. It is recommended that the presentation from the April 11 meeting be viewed prior to taking the survey. The survey and presentation can be found at http://www.dejongrichter.com/csdecatur/

The survey will close at 11:59 PM on April 23.