inDECATUR

It's great to be "in Decatur" Georgia

The Julia Thompson Smith Chapel at Agnes Scott College on 1/8/2010.
No color modifications were made on this image

inDECATUR© (copyrighted as shown) is an online news magazine about a little 4.2 square mile gem, with a population of about 18K, just six miles from the heart of metro Atlanta, a multi-county SMSA with over 5 Million people (9th largest in the US). Decatur is a bustling, Inside The Perimeter (I-285) community retaining a friendly, small town atmosphere. It is in demand as a place to live, work, shop, eat, drink. and play. This is the oldest active blog [started 8/6/07] and most prolific newszine [averaging 6.9 posts/day] which actively covers it.

Comments are encouraged. Just don't type anything you wouldn't want your grandmother or a kid to read.

Use inDECATURga.US to get here. Dave Kell, the editor, can be reached at dav3kell@gmail.com.

More about inDECATUR and the City of Decatur in the continuation

City staff requests legal opinion on use of 444 Sycamore Drive

Prior to the beginning of last evening's Zoning Board of Appeals, City Manager Peggy Merriss (in the absence of Planning Director Amanda Thompson) presented a memo requesting the ZBA request the City Commission to authorize a legal review of the Peer Support and Recovery Respite Center at 444 Sycamore Drive by an outside attorney specializing in zoning and land use law.

The request was approved. 

Her letter can be seen at the DecaturHeights.com blog, where you can comment on this latest development.

Passing of a DHS alum and husband of a DHS alum

Via Marcus Googer

Passing of Dick Post, Husband of Martha Abbott Post, DHS '55 

and James Whitaker, DHS '54

From Sally Tucker:

 

Sally, thank you.  We will be having a memorial service this Friday Feb.12 th at our church, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of Bartow.  Dick wanted to be cremated so the memorial service is going to be the celebration of his life.  We prefer that in lieu of flowers that contributions be made to either our church or Good Shepherd Hospice of Bartow.  They were wonderful through his final days.  Martha

 

Bartow Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

205 East Stanford Street

Bartow, FL  33830-4640

Fax: 863-533-3839

admin@BartowARP.org

 

Good Shepherd Hospice

Bartow Community Resource Center

1239 E. Main Street, Suite 1

Bartow, FL  33830

800-544-3280

863-533-0203

Fax: 863-292-4096

www.goodshepherdhospice.org

From Doug and Eedee Adams:

James Thomas Whitaker

Originally Published Oct 16, 2009, 08:00am (Updated Oct 16, 2009, 08:20am)

Mr. James Thomas Whitaker age 74 of Conyers, Georgia passed away suddenly at his home on Sunday, October 11, 2009 after suffering a heart attack. He was born in Atlanta Georgia August 5, 1935. He graduated from Decatur High School and entered the Air Force in 1955. He was retired from Mathis Dairy. He is survived by his wife: Carol Smith Whitaker; daughter: Deana Oakes; sons: Michael Whitaker and Chris Whitaker; granddaughters: Alexandra Oakes and Sydney Oakes all of Conyers, Georgia; brother: Lanny Whitaker of Atlanta, Georgia; special childhood friends: Harry and Marjorie Walker. Mr. Whitaker will be cremated. Friends may sign the on-line registry at: www.wheelerfuneralhome.com. Wheeler Funeral Home and Crematory, 11405 Brown Bridge Road, Covington, GA 30016 is in charge of the arrangements. (770) 786-7111

Vision for Public Education in Georgia Project

 From CSD

In January 2010, the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) in partnership with the Georgia School Superintendents Association (GSSA) launched a website to promote The Vision for Public Education in Georgia Project.  The Vision Project places emphasis on providing information to the public and engaging with stakeholders. City Schools of Decatur (CSD) Board Chair Valarie Wilson has been involved with this initiative for the past year and is excited to share what she has learned with the Decatur community. Mrs. Wilson was selected as one of only twelve board members across the state to participate in this project.  

The City Schools of Decatur Board of Education and administrators plan to host a meeting in the coming months to further explain the purpose of this initiative and how it relates to CSD's strategic planning process.  For more information on The Vision for Public Education in Georgia Project, visit their website atwww.visionforpubliced.org.

Decatur Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 7:30 p. m. tonight

Here's the official agenda for tonight''s ZBA meeting:

Word is at least one additional item will come up.

What is it with kids and guns?

Friday we learned a student at Decatur High School had an unloaded gun in the classroom:

Principal Lauri McKain-Fernandez learned from another administrator around 10 a.m. about the weapon, according to her note. She and a school resource officer went to the student's classroom and found the weapon.

Then we read that a 14 year-old shot and killed a fellow student in the head at school in Madison, AL (near Decatur, AL).

What happened to settling disputes with fist fights?

WSB reports on Decatur siren vandalism

Here is the WSB video report.

I'd say what has been sprayed is not what kids or gangs would spray, so it probably is by disgruntled neighbors.

Jim Wallis of NPR at Carter Library 7pm Tonight

Jim Wallis will discuss the current economic situation tonight.

 

DHS family mourns the passing of an alum, a wife, and a mother

Marcus Googer passes along sad news

From Tom Harrison, DHS ‘69

 

Marcus,

 

It is with great sadness that we report the loss of one of our friends and fellow graduates, Charles Vickery. It seems he suffered a heart attack sometime Monday night.

 

A memorial service will be held at A.S. Turners Funeral Home on Saturday at 2 p.m. Prior to the memorial a visitation is scheduled between 1 and 2 p.m. also at Turners. Online tributes can be made at www.asturner.com .

 

Let’s all keep Charles' family in our prayers. May he rest in peace.

 

Tom Harrison (DHS 69)

In the continuation:

Wilma Headrick Miller, mother of Skip Miller, DHS '61

Cherry Rutland, wife of Bob Rutland, DHS '59

Renew Design-Build wins regional award for renovated Oakhurst home

From Kelly Cheek

 

February 4, 2010 --- The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) named Renewal Design-Build a 2010 Regional CotY (Contractor of the Year) winner in the Whole House category of its annual awards competition. This is the second consecutive year the company has won a CotY award.

The winning whole house project, located in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood, is EarthCraft certified and has been featured on Planet Green’s “Renovation Nation.” The remodel included doubling the home’s existing square footage while cutting its energy bills in half. You can see the winning project here.

Contractors from seven regions around the country vie for CotY Awards on an annual basis. An impartial panel of judges who are experts within the industry and associated fields, selected winners based on each entrant’s “before and after” photography and project description.  Judging was based on problem solving, functionality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, degree of difficulty, and entry presentation.

All regional winners will be eligible for the National CotY Awards at NARI’s Evening of Excellence^SM in April in Phoenix, Arizona. The Evening of Excellence^SM is widely considered to be the premier event of the year in the remodeling industry. It will be attended by more than 350 of the industry’s elite.

 

Renewal Design-Build, 124 S. Columbia Dr. in Decatur, provides complete solutions for renovations, additions, kitchens, baths, porches, decks, curb appeal, and repairs. For information, call 404.378.6962, or visit RenewalDesignBuild.com.

Objection to Decatur tornado siren turns ugly

From CSD

Dear Decatur Community,  

On Wednesday evening (2/3) Winnona Park Elementary was vandalized by someone who is unhappy about the tornado sirens that have been placed on our schools by the City of Decatur. They spray-painted a very large message on the blacktop of the lower parking lot as well as on the pole that the siren is attached to. If you have any information about this incident or know who is responsible for the vandalism, please contact the Decatur Police Department at 404-377-7911 or call Winnona Park Principal Greg Wiseman at 404-370-4490.

If you or others are upset about the tornado sirens being placed on the schools, please contact the Decatur City Commission or Ms. Peggy Merriss. Naturally, there are better ways to express one's displeasure than defacing school property. Thank you for helping us keep our schools safe and clean for our students.

Give your dog a special treat today

The 50% off Scoutmob deal is already on for Taj Mahound in Oakhurst.

 

Twenty incidents in twenty months involving the police at 444 Sycamore

We've read and heard a lot -- in official documents, blog comments, and meetings -- about no incidents at the Peer Support and Recovery Respite Center at 444 Sycamore Drive in Decatur Heights during its two year existence.

Actually, there have been TWENTY incidents necessitating a police response in twenty months.

Read the full story, and comment if you like, at DecaturHeights.com.

Since this is just a linking post to the appropriate neighborhood blog, no comments are allowed to this post.

Guard the pets. Coyote on the prowl in northeast Decatur

 A coyote killed a dog in Glennwood Estates yesterday morning, after having been spotted the day before, as reported at the DecaturHeights.com blog. (Decatur Heights borders Glennwood Estates.)

Apparently domestic cats and small dogs are easy prey for these natural predators. In the past, the remants of what was a pet have been found around Decatur.  A coyote was caught in a trap in Oakhurst a few years back.

This page recommends accompanying your pet outdoors (as attacks on human adults are rare) and not leaving food sources outside.

Differences between coyotes and dogs (from the TN Coyote page):

• The coyote is similar in size to a small to medium German Shepherd
• Coyotes carry their tails quite differently than a domestic dog.  A coyote's tail is typically held down, although not between the animal's legs. Dogs usually carry their tails in the air.
• An adult coyote track is approximately 2 1/2 inches in length.  The track is shaped like an oval, and the toenails are close together and hook inward.  A dog's track is round in shape and the toenails tend to point outward.  The walking stride ranges between 12 to 15 inches apart.  When running, the stride may be anywhere from 3 to 10 feet apart.

Agenda for 2/1/2010 Decatur City Commission meeting

 The agenda and supporting materials for tonight's City Commission meeting are posted in pdf format at the City's website.