The Decatur Minute

The following information comes from MARTA:

MARTA will be conducting Public Hearings for the purpose of considering the proposed bus service modifications for December 10, 2016.

The Public Hearings will take place Monday, September 19, 2016, Wednesday, September 21, 2016 and Thursday, September 22, 2016 beginning with a Community Exchange at 6:00 PM, followed by the Public Hearing at 7:00 PM.

You can also view a video presentation of the proposed changes by clicking on the following link video.

The following information comes from the DeKalb County Board of Health: 

A mosquito collection from a DeKalb County Board of Health’s sampling station which is located in Decatur has been reported as positive for West Nile virus (WNV).

While most people infected with West Nile virus have no symptoms or experience mild flu‐like symptoms, the virus potentially can cause serious and sometimes fatal illness. The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito

bite is low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill.

The easiest and best way to avoid West Nile virus is to prevent mosquito bites. While the potential for WNV transmission exists throughout the metro area, this WNV positive collection does indicate a higher risk at this time in this area. Please remember to use the following precautions and remind your neighbors, friends and coworkers to do the same.

∙ Apply insect repellent. DEET (N, N‐diethyl‐meta‐toluamide), picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus and IR3535 are effective repellents recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, please see:

http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/prevention/index.html

∙ When possible, wear long sleeves, long pants and socks. Clothing may also be treated with permethrin.

∙ Use extra care when mosquitoes are most active, particularly from dusk to dawn.

The DeKalb County Board of Health is aggressively working to prevent transmission of West Nile virus or any additional mosquito‐borne virus including chikungunya or Zika. Program technicians will be in the area providing additional mosquito control services including applying larvicide and investigating for mosquito breeding sites. The larvicide product, metheprene, will keep mosquito larvae from developing into flying biting insects.

Along with the larvicide treatment, it is important to eliminate any containers and other removable breeding sites which may hold water for five or more days. Some items such as bird baths can be dumped and rinsed twice a week, but do need continual attention. Also, gutters should be cleaned and checked to make sure they drain properly.

For more information about West Nile virus, refer to the following web sites:

∙ http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/

∙ http://dekalbhealth.net/envhealth/west‐nile‐virus/

Contact the Division of Environmental Health (404‐508‐7900) with any questions or concerns on this matter.

The City of Decatur will have mosquito repellent with DEET available at the Fire Department’s First Aid Tent, all of the Welcome/Information Tents around the festival and the Visitors Center during the Decatur Book Festival this weekend.

The City of Decatur Police Department is pleased to announce the ability to send a text message to 9-1-1 as an integrated service to our 9-1-1 network and 9-1-1 equipment. Thorough testing has been conducted and Text to 9-1-1 is live, for the public inside the City limits of Decatur.

Texting to 9-1-1 provides accessibility to the hearing and speech impaired population and provides an alternative to reach help in a dangerous situation when a voice call is not possible or where a voice call fails due to a high volume of phone activity but texting is successful.

How to text to 9-1-1 in an emergency:

• Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” field.  The first text message to 9-1-1 should be brief and contain the location of the emergency and type of help needed.
• Push the “Send” button.
• Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 9-1-1 call taker.
• Text in simple words- do not use abbreviations.
• Keep the text message brief and concise.

When to text to 9-1-1:

• If you are hearing impaired.
• When a voice call could increase a threat.
•  If you are injured and cannot speak.
• If you are in a remote location and can only send a text message.

Currently, the four major carriers; AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have agreed to offer the text to 9-1-1 service. However, this does not mean that the service is available in all areas. Should you be out of the area, for that carrier, you will receive a message stating that the text service is not available and to call 9-1-1. Photos, videos and other attachments cannot currently be sent to 911 via text, although these capabilities will be available in the future.

CALL IF YOU CAN, TEXT IF YOU MUST

The Decatur Police Department and Decatur Book Festival will be hosting a bicycle registration this Saturday, September 3, 2016 from 10am-2pm in the North McDonough turn-a-round next to the bike valet.

Bicycles are a commonly stolen item and are not registered like vehicles. Bicycle registration includes bringing your bicycle, providing owner contact information, having the manufacturer and serial number documented and having a numbered decal applied to and a photo taken of your bicycle.

The process takes just a few minutes.  Registering your bicycle allows officers to look up recovered bicycles and contact the owner and allows for us to quickly look up the needed information about your bicycle if it were to be stolen.  The information is kept in a secured database only accessible by police department staff.

We will also register scooters that do not meet the size requirements for state tag registration. There is NO CHARGE to register your bicycle or scooter.

For additional information, please contact Lt. Jennifer Ross.