Rooftop Solar Program

from Monica Morgan

There is a new rooftop solar program, Georgia BRIGHT, which was just made available in Georgia for a limited time.  Here are my notes from attending a webinar hosted by Commissioner Ted Terry and a nonprofit Solar program organizer:   

(Links below to the presentation, webinar, and application)

KEY FACTS: 

- This program is for low/ medium income households (income eligibility caps at $100k/household).

- This is a lease program.  After 6 years you are able to purchase the system at a reduced rate.  

- You pay ZERO upfront cost. The nonprofit, Capital Good Fund, pays for your solar panels and installation and is responsible for maintenance for the life of the lease: 25 years.  

- Monthly, you pay for the lease payment of the solar panels + your Georgia Power payment (yes, you still have a power bill, but it will be lower due to the solar offsetting it.)

- The math works out to be a total savings for the homeowner of approximately $5-45/month. 

- This program was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act that extends the 30% rooftop solar discount to Nonprofits to lease the systems to homeowners.  So the Capital Good Fund is able to purchase the systems with the Federal discount and lease them to you. 

BENEFITS: 

- Lower your energy costs

- Support green energy and reduce your load on the grid

- If you opt for a battery -  you'll have electrical continuity during power outages.

APPLY:

- When to apply: Now!  They will close applications when they receive 160 home installations or April 2024, whichever comes first.

- If you sign up before the end of the year there is a $200 gift card incentive.

- Application and Assessment are FREE

To learn more about the Georgia BRIGHT program and sign up, please visit https://bit.ly/GABRIGHT. Reminder to start the process before the end of the year to take advantage of the $200 incentive!

WEBINAR links:
You can view the presentation from the session via https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:3177182e-783d-3665-a805-c1ca8ed78d73.

A recording of the webinar can be watched via https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/vCl2S_nlaUcFAI38n4WXaqfaqQcx-v26F-ICcIuyQfZ-lvMs6Q6CwiKg4hx-jFc.U42XryGaBlo_J6e0.
Passcode: 1ZRNA8*@

Haunted Trail & Fall Festival 2023

 Info and tickets available in the Haunted Trail & Fall Festival page!

Go to the Haunted Trail & Fall Festival page for details!

North Decatur Road Initiative: Design Presentation [June 21]

From June 7, 2023 presentation

 Per Decatur Next...

Proposed designs, based on prior input from prior sessions, will be shared on Wednesday, June 21 from 6-8pm, at the North Decatur Presbyterian Church, 611 Medlock Road. There will be a presentation, followed by Q&A, followed by an opportunity for further community input. Please arrive by 6pm. 

Notes and slides from the presentation on June 7 can be found here.

North Decatur Road Initiative Notes (6-7-2023)

From June 7, 2023 presentation

Big thanks to Monica Morgan for providing this summmary of the June 7 meeting:

"Quick recap of the meeting this evening in case you missed it, and info below on the meeting tomorrow.

The section of N. Decatur Rd. and sidewalks from approx the six-way intersection up to Webster Dr. will have some changes - could be minimal, could be quite significant, dependent on public input.

WHAT: Presentation of N. Decatur road study- a range of options were presented to address safety concerns, traffic, and drainage. Details, impacts, and costs were all presented. Lane changes, turn lanes, roundabout, sidewalks, crosswalks… etc.

GOAL: To gather public comment and determine what the neighbors’ priorities are.

If you weren’t able to attend the meeting but want to learn more and give your feedback there’s another meeting on JUNE 8th 6-8pm at Decatur Recreation Center (231 Sycamore Street). The same information will be shared.

If you are able, please attend tomorrow and give your feedback! This is how they’ll decide what direction to go with the design. They did a quick digital poll with us while we were in the room using our mobile devices."

To access the slides of the presentation, click here.

Findings of North Decatur Rd. Initiative

The City of Decatur is sharing findings of its North Decatur Initiative Transportation Study. This relates to improvements to the North Decatur Rd and Superior Ave. intersection.

Image from https://www.decaturnext.com/2022/11/17/n-decatur-road-kickoff/

 

Please join 6-8PM on June 7th at North Decatur Presbyterian Church (611 Medlock Road) or June 8th at Decatur Recreation Center (231 Sycamore Street) for a presentation of the findings and an opportunity for the public to provide input regarding the path forward. 
The same information will be shared at both meetings; please join at 6PM to avoid missing the presentation. 

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

CARA SCHARER, PE (she/her)
Senior Engineer
City of Decatur
Public Works Department

South Peachtree Creek PATH and Tax Allocation District updates

 Some very brief updates:

PATH UPDATE: connecting North DeKalb Mall to the Medlock Park neighborhood. Seep page 14 on this link for specifics on our neighborhood https://drive.google.com/file/d/1glTAFKCsVjUxbL-nCqhwvVIvfqdf8wwP/view

TAX ALLOCATION DISTRICT: With the North DeKalb Mall redevelopment are plans to establish a Tax Allocation District (TAD), which would be used to pay for infrastructure and other improvements in the nearby vicinity of the redevelopment. These are essentially tax dollars that would be earmarked for use only in our area. The current TAD area includes North DeKalb Mall, Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve, Little Creek Horse Farm, Laurel Ridge Elementary, Druid Hills Middle, University Heights UMC, Shamrock Forest, Medlock Park, the International Community School, Shamrock Plaza, and several businesses along N Druid Hills Rd and Lawrenceville Hwy. This proposal is pending final approval from the DeKalb County Commissioners at this time. You can review this proposal here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12zk2KITJOKc-JFuiRClU3vxECHIZa8J_/view

Fall Festival and Haunted Trail [Oct 22]

 See UPDATE below!

 

Online tickets are now sold out; there will be a very limited number of tickets available on-site on October 22.

Food will be available for sale. See the Fall Festival and Halloween page for more details.