AJC Decatur Book Festival [Aug 30 - Sept 1]

image via http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2013/index.php

Look up, the Bookasaurus is upon us!

The AJC Book Festival is the largest independent book festival in the USA. It features speakers, panels, book readings, live music and of course lots of books. For a quick view of the schedule, click here.

Road Safety Audit Report [Sept. 5]

Road Safety -- North Decatur Road (Part II)

Share and share alike: room for everyone on North Decatur Road.

Here are some info nuggets from the July 29 workshop:

• Many of our road standards (e.g., sign height) are relics of the original studies conducted in the 1950’s. Consider 1950’s road conditions, vehicles (size, materials) vs today’s cars and driving habits.

• Pedestrian deaths are proportional to impact speed. A 20 mph impact has a 5% death probability for the pedestrian; at 30 mph, those odds go to 45%; at 40 mph, 85%. {Thanks to Marian at PEDS for correcting the above figures and adding that "It’s amazing that doubling one’s speed means a seventeen-fold increase in risk of fatality and also speaks to why we at PEDS are so focused on getting drivers to slow down. More information on speeding in urban and residential districts can be found on our website: http://peds.org/issues/reduce-speed-limits/."}

• Intersections are the most dangerous place for pedestrians.

• Most people have trouble judging distances, and people tend to drive at what they consider a “comfortable” speed (as opposed to the posted speed limit). The combination—a speeding driver who overestimates his/her ability to stop—is deadly. 

• Cyclists: riding against traffic is dangerous because it places the cyclist in an area outside the driver’s expectation.

• EVERYONE is a pedestrian at some point: while getting out of a car in a parking lot, while leaving a bus or building. Of the US’s ~300 million population, around ~200 million hold drivers licenses. Children, the elderly and the impaired are often, by necessity, pedestrians.

• Crossing lights are timed to a 3.5 foot/second standard (the old standard assumed people would walk at ~4 foot/second). Not all individuals are able to travel at this idealized speed, which means they may not have enough time to cross even when they use crosswalks correctly. 

• If foot traffic is vital to business, protect foot traffic.  

• The young and the elderly have slower reaction times than adults. 

• The young and the elderly have limited peripheral vision (30% less) relative to adults.

• Intersections are dangerous. The biggest number of crashes at intersections are due to left turns, with right turns being the second most dangerous turn.

• Crash sources: ~64% are human factors, ~28% are due to road/environmental conditions, ~9% are due to vehicular malfunctions.

human factors [drivers go too fast, drivers are stressed during commutes, drivers allow themselves to be distracted by their cell phones (talking or texting/browsing web)] 

+   

environmental factors (drivers may not notice they are picking up speed on the downhill; limited visibility due to topography, weather, light conditions; tunnel vision due to distractions)  

North Decatur Road at rush hour is a minefield... 

• Maintenance is one of the first things that suffer during budget cuts. Overgrowth of vegetation can create road hazards.

• With regards to cyclist fatalities, roads without bike lanes pose the highest danger. Sidewalk riding increases the risk of crashes. 

• Bikes belong in highways unless prohibited.

• An ideal bike lane (one way) is 4’ wide.  When a bike lane is added next to a parking lane, the overall lane width should be 12’ (to shelter cyclists from car doors that suddenly swing open). A 10-11’ lane can be equally safe, if posted speeds are 45mph or less. 

• North Decatur Road moves around 19,000 vehicles/day. Likely solutions for existing situations include a road diet or reversible lanes.

• For pedestrian safety: make eye contact with drivers and never assume that  “waving” signifies that the whole passage (across whole roadway) is safe. 

• Faster speeds and busy roadways create tunnel vision for the driver. The busier the road and the faster the speed, the smaller the area that the driver is aware of (peripheral perception suffers!).

Links from the presentation: a treasure trove!

Walkinginfo.org: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
Includes a report titled Road Diet Conversions: A Synthesis of Safety Research (May 2013)

"The primary purpose of this review is to assess the available evidence regarding the safety effectiveness of reductions in the number of motorized traffic lanes, widely known as road diet conversions. Although road diets have been implemented since at least the 1970s, earlier reviews and a search of the literature identified no controlled safety evaluation studies conducted prior to the year 2002. A systematic search of literature dating from 2002 was conducted. Six studies in total were initially identified, with four serving as the basis for most conclusions in this review."

This site also includes the PBCAT (Pedestrian/Bike Crash Analysis Tool).

APBP (Association of Pedestrians and Bicycle Professionals)
Includes the Women Cycling Project and the Bicycling Parking Guidelines document [pdf]

NCHRP (the National Cooperative Highway Research Program)
Want to know the outcomes of research projects funded by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies? Check out the project list.

"The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) conducts research in problem areas that affect highway planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance nationwide"

PEDSAFE (Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System)
Don't miss their recommendations for sidewalks/walkways, crosswalks, or their case studies (featuring examples grouped by state/country and also by countermeasures--great set of examples of what's available).

"The Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System is intended to provide practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who walk. The online tools provide the user with a list of possible engineering, education, or enforcement treatments to improve pedestrian safety and/or mobility based on user input about a specific location."

BIKESAFE (Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System)
Yet more great info, including crash factors.

The Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System (BIKESAFE) is intended to provide practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who bicycle. The information on the site falls into two categories, Resources and Tools

US Department of Federal Highway Administration's Safety Program

"The focus of the FHWA Safety Program is to ensure safer roadways The FHWA Office of Safety works with Federal, State and Local partners and others in the transportation community to develop and promote programs and technologies to improve the safety performance of our Nation’s roadways to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries (safety facts). Safety should be integrated into all programs and projects and considered every time and during every stage from development to completion.  This office provides decision-makers the tools, resources, and information necessary to make sound safety investment decisions."

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Don't miss the "Everyone is a pedestrian" section.

"NHTSA was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 and is dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety. It works daily to help prevent crashes and their attendant costs, both human and financial."

Institute of Transportation Engineers

Safe Routes to School
With Druid Hills High School being so close to North Decatur Road, that's another reason to focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety.

CDC's Pedestrian Safety site.

Road Safety -- North Decatur Road (Part I)

On July 29, I attended the Roadway Safety Audit (RSA) Workshop introduction organized by Bike Emory, Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. The workshop was ably led by Craig Allred, FHWA Resource Center Technical Specialist.

RSA's are a formal process through which community members are trained to (1) recognize safety challenges that a particular section of roadway poses for pedestrians and cyclists, and (2) propose improvements or modifications that enhance safety and access for all. The resulting audit (observations and suggested improvements) is shared with local authorities and other stakeholders (e.g., developers, institutions, local government) who are in a position to secure funds and implement improvements. Local government typically issues a written response to the audit.

image via Googlemap

This workshop was a preamble to an audit being conducted for the section of North Decatur Road between Clifton Road and Church Street. It was attended by several GA DOT employees, several City of Decatur employees, and Commissioner Jeff Rader. The impetus for the workshop comes from recent pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on North Decatur Road. Ghost bike and ghost chair memorials had been installed near the location of these fatalities (corner of North Decatur Rd. and Superior Ave.) by family, neighbors and friends of the victims; these memorials were removed by unknown parties on August 26.

Joe Greear (Clairmont Heights resident) has been very active in bringing these safety concerns to the fore and participated in the North Decatur Road RSA. He shares this message:

...I participated in a Road Safety Audit focused on pedestrian and bicycle traffic on N. Decatur Road. The audit was sponsored by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC), Emory University School of Public Health, and Bike Emory and was led by a Transportation Safety Specialist from the Federal Highway Administration. The audit team included members of ABC, Bike Atlanta, PEDS, DeKalb County traffic engineering, our county commissioner, and members of the local community. We spent two days studying the conditions along N. Decatur from Clifton Rd. to Church street. The team traveled this stretch of road several times, reviewed daily traffic counts, crash data, and traffic flow. We then brainstormed solutions and will develop a report with recommendations by mid September.  

I am confident that the recommendations will be both feasible and effective. The Safety Specialist from FHWA is experienced in developing solutions for situations just like ours and presented several examples of solutions from around the country. I don't want to get into the details yet, but some of the items that MAY end up in the recommendations include road diet measures, sidewalk improvements, additional crosswalks, and repaving N. Decatur. Please hold comments until the final report is made available. 

I hope to present the report (with the help of ABC and Bike Emory) to our neighborhood associations in a community meeting. At the presentation I would like to begin a petition drive to request that our county officials implement ALL of the recommendations in the report. 

You may have noticed the PEDS “Slow Down” signs along North Decatur Road. That was the work of Joe Greear and Deanne Thomas, Mary Shellman and Meck Stockman. Thanks, y’all ☺

So please drive the speed limit and be a pace-setter! As soon as the audit is complete and ready for sharing, we will schedule a meeting venue and being the petition drive.

UPDATE: Mr. Fred Boykin, City of Decatur Commissioner and owner of Bicycle South, posted on the DecaturMetro blog (comment section) that the results of this RSA will be shared on September 5.

Read part II of this item.

Scam warning from GA Power

via Dawn:

This was posted on the Center Precinct Facebook Page and I wanted to pass this Georgia Power scam alert on to you: 

Please share this information about Scams from Ga Power. Please tell a friend: Scammers are at it again! 

More than 70 customers -- residential AND business -- have told us in recent weeks how they were called by impostors threatening power disconnection if they do not pay over the phone with a "Green Dot" or other type of gift card they are instructed to purchase. Once the card numbers are given, the caller and the customer's money are gone.
Don't be a victim! Please call us at 888-660-5890 (800-253-1077 en Español), or local police, if you receive any such call.

To view GA Power's press release on this issue, see http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/26/ga-georgia-power-tips-idUSnPNCL69351+1e0+PRN20130826

AGL project continues

Panoramic view from Wood Trail Lane. Click to enlarge

View of sound baffles.

Marci Davis, Communications Consultant with Atlanta Gas Light, encourages neighbors to call the project hotline at 404-584-3130 if they have questions or concerns.

Scott Blvd. Church: Community Council defers vote until new site plan is submitted

Atlanta INtown reports on Tuesday's Community Council meeting, which included a presentation of proposed plans for Scott Blvd Baptist Church property. Read about it at http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2013/08/vote-deferred-on-scott-boulevard-church-property-development/

MANA Zoning Chair Theresa Same attended the meeting and adds that "As things stand, the development is slated for the west side for Barton alone, meaning, the church property only."

Rain on!

Not quite flood stage, but the Peachtree Creek gauge is certainly getting a workout this week.

Fox 5 should have a really good close up of the neighborhood
and the South Fork of Peachtree Creek... 

At Moody Bridge on Wood Trail Lane, a scene from The African Queen.

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve -- bring you really tall boots, boardwalk was under water.

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve -- or  bring a canoe!

Medlock Park-- flooded but not so much as to tempt the ducks.

Updates from North DeKalb Mall

via  Mary Joyce Burge... 

New Stores: 

Kizzie’s Downhome Kitchen – Opening late August
Georgia Power – Opening September
Dollar Tree – Opening Fall 2013
Creative Art Connections - AMC Wing
Computer Authority Stores – AMC Wing 

New Prospects: 

Coffee Shop
Comic Cartoon Academy
New Arcade 

Updates: 

Golden Corral is exceeding expectations and driving huge crowds to the mall for both lunch and dinner!  It has been a welcome addition by generating more restaurant interest at the mall. 

The African American History Museum has been a rewarding summer addition to the center and the community at large.  Mr. James Horton, Curator, reports over 4,000 visitors to the museum to date.  Housing over 8,000 artifacts, the museum will be open through August 31st in the Macy’s wing of the mall. 

The North DeKalb Mall-Community Garden started in the summer of 2012.  A Bhutanese refugee family living less than a mile from the mall became the first garden farmers.  The Keep DeKalb Beautiful program participated in providing compost and mulch to the garden.  The Atlanta Community Food Bank helped provide many of the seeds used, and Global Grower’s Network has also been involved in the planning and coordination of this effort. 

The garden expanded in 2013 by plowing up the remaining idle field into a total of 30 plots.  Most of the space continues to be refugee planted but community plots have now been made available to local gardeners.  Look for the garden produce stand coming soon!
Many groups have volunteered by helping install rain barrels, spread wood chips, and install compost bins.  Local Girl Scout troop #4044 honored the garden with canvas paintings located at the Ross entrance of the mall. The center’s neighbor, Stivers Subaru, was our first sponsor by generously donating a tool shed for the garden of the mall.  There is something for everyone wanting to volunteer in the community garden 

Reaching our Community 

North DeKalb Mall endeavors to reaches all demographics with programs such as Mall Walking and monthly Bingo for seniors (1st Thursday of each month); children’s activities which include fun and educational games;  support to area schools with an arts program, and inviting choral and band groups to perform during the holidays. 

The mall has been making a committed effort to reach back out to the community and serve as an important shopping and entertainment destination by adding tenants that have unique products or services and providing exciting worthwhile events and programs that the community can participate in.  The mall is currently undergoing some changes with our tenant mix as we talk to significant prospects.

For up to the minute mall news, “Like Us” on FaceBook or check out our website at www.northdekalbmall.com.  North DeKalb Mall is conveniently located at the intersection of North Druid Hills Road and Lawrenceville Hwy.  

For leasing information contact Taylor Dozier at 404-320-7960 or tdozier@northdekalbmall.com.  To schedule an event or to receive event information contact Mary Joyce Burdge at 404-235-6444 or mjburdge@northdekalbmall.com
North DeKalb Mall is owned and managed by Hendon Properties LLC

UPDATE (via Deanne): The Dollar Tree will be 9969 sq ft (about the same size as the big one at Belvedere Plaza). When construction is completed, there will be an entrance for Dollar Tree at the end of the building across from the Post Office.

Druid Hills Civic Association's Cityhood and Annexation Town Hall Meeting [Aug 20]

This meeting is organized by the Druid Hills Civic Association and attendees can expect that the concerns of Druid Hills residents will be the focus of the discussion. That said, note that speakers include representatives of the City of Briarcliff and the Druid Hills Charter Cluster--two initiatives that include our neighborhood:

from the Druid Hills Civic Association website:

The agenda has been set for a Town Hall Meeting on Cityhood & Annexation to be held on August 20, 7-9pm. Speakers will include Allen Venet, chair, City of Briarcliff Initiative; Duriya Farooqui and Hans Utz of the Office of the Mayor, City of Atlanta; Lee May, acting CEO, DeKalb County; and Matthew Lewis of the Druid Hills Charter Cluster. 

Presenters will be available to answer questions from the audience, said Mike St. Louis, chair, Committee to Explore Druid Hills Cityhood Options.  The meeting will be held in the sanctuary of Glenn Memorial Church. Please attend and bring your neighbors!  This issue is critical for our community! 

UPDATE (8/26/2013): Notes from the above meeting are available at http://druidhills.org/2013/08/22/town-hall-meeting-draws-a-big-crowd/#more-2506
Per the comment section, a link to the Powerpoint presentation shared at the meeting may be posted soon.

Emory University also posted notes on the meeting, including a heading that reads "Emory remains neutral."

Zoning Code Review Schedule (updated deadlines)

Davis Fox at Commissioner Gannon's office shared this information (Aug. 13 Planning and Economic Development meeting) outlining coming milestones for  DeKalb County's new zoning code. For some insight as to the changes that are being proposed, see our other posts on the zoning code update.

New Zoning Code Review Schedule (August 13, 2013)
· August 21st Board of Commissioners agenda item for the proposed zoning code will be deferred to November 

· August 29th - Complete legal review by Law Department and outside counsel Jarrard and Davis 

· September 10th – Planning Department presents revisions to Planning and Economic Development Committee of the Board of Commissioners 2PM Maloof Bldg 5th Floor 

· September 15th -  Pond and Company completes revisions and posts revised code on County website 

· September 16th – Public meeting specifically on cell towers (time and place TBD) 

· September 24th - Planning Department presents revisions to Planning and Economic Development Committee of the Board of Commissioners 2PM Maloof Bldg 5th Floor 

·  October 7th – Public meeting to discuss zoning code. Time and place TBD, but probably an evening meeting at Maloof auditorium. Same format as previous meeting with discussion tables. 

·  October 10th – Pond completes final revisions 

·  November 7th – Planning Commission Public Hearing (night meeting) 

·  November 19th – Board of Commissioners Public Hearing (night meeting) 

·  January 1, 2014 – Effective date for new zoning code 

·  August – December – Staff training on revised code, procedures and fees 

Davis Fox
Policy and Projects Manager for
DeKalb County Commissioner Kathie Gannon for District 6

Colder than Alaska!

Weather.com's Cool Weather Lingers in the Southeast item includes this interesting factoid:

On Friday, Atlanta recorded its fifth coolest August high temperature on record with a high of just 67 degrees. Atlanta was also three degrees cooler than Fairbanks, Alaska on Friday!

Reporter Nick Wiltgen explains the unusually cool weather is caused by the jet stream pulling cold air from Canada:

This pattern, officially called "cold-air damming" but informally called the "wedge," is often associated with freezing rain and ice storms in the winter. It rarely occurs in early-mid August. 

Our weekend forecast: cloudy, rainy, highs in the 60's / low 70's, frisky for puppies and choked-up for lawnmowers.

AJC's "30 Restaurants in 30 Days" covers Golden Corral

I'm always struck that Golden Corral searches land so many people on the MANA website...

... so I was pleased to see that John Kessler @ AJC has reviewed the North DeKalb Mall location. The comment section rounds up the review.

Workday at Ira B Melton Park [Sept 7, 9-11am]

via Valerie Boss...

Friends of Ira B Melton Park will host a workday on Saturday, September 7, 9:00-11:00 am. The park entrance is on Desmond Road across from Park Lane. All are welcome. Boy Scout troop 534 will join us as we spread gravel on the trail, remove invasive plants, and pick up trash. Please bring your own gloves, water, and insect repellent. We could use some shovels and a wheelbarrow or two. For more info on the Park Pride program, go to-- http://www.parkpride.org

Lost grey tabby cat [Aug 12]

GT, a grey, striped tabby cat is missing from the Scott/Desmond intersection area.

He has a slim, small build. He was wearing a collar with contact information.

If you have information, please contact Joy at 706-614-0312.

As usual, please be on the lookout and check your shed and basement/crawl space in case he snuck in and got trapped by accident.

Parents say YES to the Druid Hills Charter Cluster

Please go to the AJC for the full report:

The petition for a charter school cluster centered on Druid Hills High School passed by a huge margin Tuesday. 

Not counting provisional ballots, there were 1,036 for approval and 94 against, said lead organizer Matthew Lewis. The 92 percent vote for approval “shattered” the 60 percent threshold required under the law, he said.  Read on @ AJC

UPDATE: also see the report on the Get Schooled blog.

Selig issues Suburban Plaza update

Below is an open letter to the community from Selig Enterprises, where they address the ongoing court case with Good Growth DeKalb, announcement of potential new tenants and construction expectations:

Click to enlarge, or click here to view full-size pdf.

UPDATE: since this was posted, Mr. Stogner has added that the LA Fitness will feature a basketball court and pool. Thanks for the update, Deanne!

Update from Atlanta Gas Light

Marci Davis of Atlanta Gas Light contacted MANA president Bev Monroe with updates on the project that has been going on in the neighborhood since last September:

As neighbors have noticed, work has started up again in the easement by Wood Trail.  The section between Lawrenceville Hwy and Wood Trail is being re-done to go under the creek beds.  Pipes we see lying on the ground by Wood Trail are not there permanently.

As to the area between Wood Trail and Hunting Valley, they have to go back in over the next few months to make sure everything is as it should be. They may have to bring the big drill rigs back in. Property owners adjacent to the easement have been contacted and AGL is working with them.  Some of the work will be completed in the next couple of months, and monitoring of project quality will be ongoing into early next year.

People can contact AGL about the project at either the hotline number, 404-584-3130, or at eastsidepipeline@aglresources.com.

From the Druid Hills Charter Cluster - details for Tuesday's vote [Aug 13]

The Countdown to the Vote is On!

Please remember that the vote on the proposed Druid Hills Charter Cluster is this coming Tuesday, August 13, any time from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Druid Hills High School gym.  The proposed DHCC would be governed and managed by a DHCC Board of Directors and a Cluster Administrative Officer (a Druid Hills cluster-superintendent), and bring far greater operational, instructional, and financial autonomy to our seven cluster schools.  That autonomy will allow the DHCC Board to drive much more of our per-pupil tax dollars to where it belongs:  in our classrooms and with our teachers.  You can review the full Petition, the bios of the proposed DHCC Board of Directors, the proposed five-year budget, and much more on the Project Documents page of http://www.druidhillschartercluster.org/. You can vote if you have a child who will be in Kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2014-2015 school year and your child either resides in the DHHS zone (which covers the elementary school boundaries of  Avondale, Briar Vista, Fernbank, Laurel Ridge, and McLendon) or is enrolled in one of the Druid Hills cluster schools.  Please bring your photo ID, proof of your child's age (copy of birth certificate, passport, or a DeKalb County report card showing name, school year, and child's grade), and if your child is not currently enrolled in one of the schools, please also bring proof of residence (this month's or the previous month's utility bill, mortgage statement, or lease agreement).  Also, if you are a teacher (certificated personnel) or paraprofessional assigned full-time to any of the seven schools, you can vote. Teachers need only bring a photo ID (driver's license or DCSD-issued ID).  Additional parking will be available from 4-8pm only in the Emory Presbyterian lot, directly behind the church and just east of the high school.  The entrance to that parking lot is off of Westminster Way. Any questions?  Please email druidhillscc@gmail.com or message on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/DruidHillsCharterCluster

Back to school

DeKalb County schools are back in session as of next Monday, August 12. This includes Laurel Ridge Elementary and The International Community School (ICS), Druid Hills Middle School and Druid Hills High School.

As to nearby colleges and universities, first day of instruction is as follows:
GA Tech & GA Perimeter College: August 19
GA State: August 26
Emory University & Agnes Scott College: August 28
Columbia Theological Seminar: September 5

"Back to School" Tax Holiday [Aug 9, 10]

The upcoming "Back to School" sales tax holiday, scheduled for August 9 and 10, reminds us that summer break is over:

Above image via https://etax.dor.ga.gov/pressrel/2013SUTHoliday.pdf 

The holiday covers clothing, computers and school supplies, and exceptions apply. For a comprehensive of what items are exempt, visit https://etax.dor.ga.gov/salestax/holiday/5-15-13_Georgia_2013_Sales_Tax_Holiday_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Fuqua plans for Scott Blvd. Baptist Church

As noted in previous posts, Fuqua Developments wishes to convert the Scott Blvd. Baptist Church property (2532 N Decatur Rd.) into a mixed use development. As proposed, the development raises questions about its effect on traffic at the Church St./Scott Bldvd./North Decatur Road intersection and impact on the quality of life and property values for Blackmon Drive residents.

image via DecaturMetro

Fuqua filed its preliminary plan for the development in mid-July. In contrast to previous discussions, this plan shows 260 residential units (vs. ~200 mentioned at a community meeting).

⇠ DecaturMetro has shared an image of the public notice that is now posted at the site. The Community Council meeting is the first step of the review process, as outlined in this 2011 DeKalb County document: Rezoning, Land Use Amendment, Special Land Use Permit, and Major Modification Process. Generally speaking, the plan can change many times during the process. If a plan appears likely to be denied, the developer may opt to withdraw the application (because a rejected proposal means the site will be locked out of further consideration for a year).

Overlay of Fuqua plan (per County records, see below) on Scott Blvd. Baptist Church and nearby residences.
Fuqua map matched to Google map as closely as possible, per main roadways.

As noted elsewhere, Fuqua has the Scott Boulevard property and homes on Barton Way under contract, contingent on the approval of their proposal. Under this plan, Barton Way disappears.

Per County records, the site is being designed by Pieper O'Brien Herr, whose website shows examples of mixed development projects. Photos of Fuqua's site plan, as submitted to the County, appear below.

Plans drawn by Pieper O'Brien Herr Architects,
dated July 11, 2013. Click to enlarge.
For larger version of this file, click here

Site Calculations: click to enlarge.
For an larger version of this file, click here.

Site plan: click to enlarge. For larger version of this file, click here.

Another great MANA pool party

Big thank you to all the MANA volunteers who make this year's pool party possible! Special kudos and thanks to Emily (MANA social chair) and Adrianne, Barb (for Community BBQ arrangements) and to Stephen and Judy for sponsoring the King of Pops cart.

Druid Hills Charter Cluster Petition Vote [Aug 13]

Tuesday August 13th is voting day for the Druid Hills Charter Cluster petition. This vote will take place from 4-8pm at Druid Hills High School. The petition can be reviewed online; an executive summary is also posted.

Visit the FAQ for answers to questions such as:

"What is a Cluster?
A Cluster is a group of feeder schools that feed into a middle school and ultimately a high school.  A lot of Cluster's have more than one middle school that feed into one high school.  The Druid Hills High School Cluster is unique in that it has 5 elementary schools that feed into only 1 middle school, Druid Hills Middle.  Druid Hills Middle feeds into Druid Hills High School.
What is a Charter school?
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public funding (and like other schools, may also receive private donations).  They are subject to some of the rules and regulations that apply to other public schools, but generally have more flexibility than traditional public schools.  Charter schools are expected to produce certain results, set forth in each school's charter.  In exchange for flexibility, charter schools receive less funding and although they provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition.
What is a Charter Cluster?
In 2005 the State of Georgia passed a law that allowed Clusters of schools to apply for what is called a Charter Cluster.  This would allow all of the schools in the High School Cluster (elementary, middle and high) to run as an entire Charter together.
What schools are in the Druid Hills Cluster?
Avondale Elementary, Briar Vista Elementary, Fernbank Elementary, Laurel Ridge Elementary, McLendon Elementary, Druid Hills Middle School & Druid Hills High School.  Continue reading @ http://www.druidhillschartercluster.org/faq"

The group also has a Facebook page.

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve featured

Hear about it at http://wabe.org/post/getting-away-atlanta-atlanta