2ND ANNUAL MEDLOCK YARD SALE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, from 9AM - 3 PM.
We are gearing up for our second annual Medlock Area Yard Sale. Last year we had a very successful sale with about 17 families participating. Proceeds are yours to keep or you can donate them to MANA if you would like. There is a small $10 participation fee per household to help cover costs (advertising, printing, maps, etc.). This year we are hoping to pair with Clairmont Heights to offer an even bigger sale area. More details will be coming soon about the actual sale and how to participate.
In the meantime, we are looking for VOLUNTEERS to help coordinate the overall planning of the event. In addition, we could use help with:
Advertising (newspapers, local businesses, Craiglist/online advertising, etc.)
Making signs
Putting out signs
Picking up signs
Getting printing done
Ordering balloons (for participating houses)
Delivering balloons to each participating house
Coordinating with a charity to pick up what does not sell that people would like to donate
Replenishing maps to designated areas throughout the neighborhood before and on sale day
If you would like to volunteer for any project, large or small, we would greatly appreciate any time you have to offer. It's a fun way to be involved with the community and meet your neighbors. Please contact either Deb Elkin (elkin_d@bellsouth.net, 404-320-6063) or Bev Monroe (bevmonroe@juno.com, 404-321-9683) to volunteer or with any questions or ideas you might have.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Walmart and Suburban Plaza: status updated to RUMOR
It appears that this is not a done deal.
http://whatnowatlanta.com/
MANA is also making inquiries. As usual, MANA will bring neighbor concerns to any discussion that takes place.
http://whatnowatlanta.com/
MANA is also making inquiries. As usual, MANA will bring neighbor concerns to any discussion that takes place.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Good News: DCSS did NOT vote on cell tower proposal tonight
MANA attended the DCSS BOE meeting this evening. We are pleased to share with community that the vote on the cell phone tower did not take place tonight. It will be taken up again at future date to be determined.
In the interim, neighbors who oppose the tower will have more time to write the BOE, sign the petition, and hopefully attend the meeting when the proposal is on the agenda again.
In the interim, neighbors who oppose the tower will have more time to write the BOE, sign the petition, and hopefully attend the meeting when the proposal is on the agenda again.
Walmart coming to Suburban Plaza?
Read about it here http://www.tonetoatl.com/2011/06/wal-mart-plans-store-for-where-else.html
That article also provides an interesting graph by Selig (property owner) about income levels for the area surrounding Suburban Plaza.
That article also provides an interesting graph by Selig (property owner) about income levels for the area surrounding Suburban Plaza.
DCSS must table the T-Mobile cell tower decisions until July
The text below is edited to correct errors in a previous version.
It appears that the cell tower proposal discussion is on the agenda today, June 13, 6pm, and has not been delayed, as MANA was informed late last week.
The Board meets at 4pm today to approve the agenda, therefore, there is still time for the DCSS Board to do the right thing and for you to nudge them along. Here are the Board and Interim Superintendent's addresses:
ramona_tyson@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
thomas_bowen@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
H_Paul_Womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
sarah_copelin-wood@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
donna_edler@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
nancy_jester@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
pam_speaks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
To view the DCSS Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas, go to
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/MeetingListing.aspx?S=4054
and under today's 6pm meeting you will find Action Item G5. T-Mobile Wireless Tower Placements.
If you have not done so already, email the DCSS Board and share your concerns. Also ask that they delay the T-Mobile Cell Tower proposal decision to allow the community to address the Board.
And it's not just us: the DeKalb School Watch blog also questions DCSS's wisdom in pursuing the cell tower proposal.
It appears that the cell tower proposal discussion is on the agenda today, June 13, 6pm, and has not been delayed, as MANA was informed late last week.
Calls from MANA to Mr. McChesney have not been returned. The Secretary of the BOE explained that the Board does not meet with citizens on business meetings, only on working meetings.
The Board meets at 4pm today to approve the agenda, therefore, there is still time for the DCSS Board to do the right thing and for you to nudge them along. Here are the Board and Interim Superintendent's addresses:
ramona_tyson@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
thomas_bowen@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
H_Paul_Womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
sarah_copelin-wood@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
donna_edler@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
nancy_jester@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
pam_speaks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
To view the DCSS Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas, go to
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/MeetingListing.aspx?S=4054
and under today's 6pm meeting you will find Action Item G5. T-Mobile Wireless Tower Placements.
If you have not done so already, email the DCSS Board and share your concerns. Also ask that they delay the T-Mobile Cell Tower proposal decision to allow the community to address the Board.
And it's not just us: the DeKalb School Watch blog also questions DCSS's wisdom in pursuing the cell tower proposal.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Petition Against Installing a T-Mobile Cell Phone Tower at Medlock Elementary
MANA is disseminating the following petition on behalf of its many neighbors' concerns over DCSS's cell tower proposal:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/778/923/897/
Signatures will be sent to the powers that be.
- - - - -
We, the undersigned, appeal to the DeKalb County School System's Board of Education and to interim superintendent Ramona Tyson that you abandon the proposal to lease school ground space to T-Mobile for the installation of cell phone towers. In specific, we oppose the tower proposed for Medlock Elementary School in Decatur, GA. Our reasons are many:
FISCAL AND FINANCIAL CONCERNS:
- Medlock Park neighbors are dealing with a property value triple whammy:
* The closing of Medlock Elementary and loss of one of our neighborhood's selling points ("walk to school").
* A large, empty building in the middle of our neighborhood. We have no information of how the property will be maintained.
* The prospect of an inescapable 150-foot tall eyesore.
The specter of increased millage rates simply compounds the above.
- While DCSS stands to gain financially via a long-term cell tower lease, Medlock Park neighbors get nothing we want or need.
- Cell tower decisions should wait until DCSS's long-term plan is revealed in full. T-Mobile's financial targets and deadlines are neither Medlock Park's nor DCSS's problem.
- Neighborhood leaders have attempted to work with DCSS to find desirable tenants to lease the school building and generate income for DCSS. Although our efforts to help have been stonewalled, our offer stands.
- Leasing school property to cell tower companies does not address the source of DCSS's fiscal problems. We reject this "Band-Aid" approach as the distraction it is.
HEALTH CONCERNS AND PEACE OF MIND:
- Some neighbors worry about health impacts. So might potential leaseholders (in particular if their business tends to young children).
- We worry this is but the tip of the iceberg. If one tower makes money, why not two? What other businesses or structures are being considered? As long as the land remains part of the DCSS (i.e., government-owned), it remains exempt from zoning restrictions that protect neighbors.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS:
- We have yet to see any environmental impact assessments. We are in particular concerned about the known dangers that communication towers pose to migratory birds. Does the site's elevation present additional dangers to birds beyond those calculated for a "typical" 150-foot tower? Medlock Elementary is located near water sources that attract birds, and is surrounded by multiple wildlife corridors and parks that provide habitat for many native bird species.
We hold and will continue to hold our DCSS and DeKalb County elected officials accountable, in particular as additional taxes are proposed for the November ballot (i.e., SPLOT).
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/778/923/897/
Signatures will be sent to the powers that be.
- - - - -
We, the undersigned, appeal to the DeKalb County School System's Board of Education and to interim superintendent Ramona Tyson that you abandon the proposal to lease school ground space to T-Mobile for the installation of cell phone towers. In specific, we oppose the tower proposed for Medlock Elementary School in Decatur, GA. Our reasons are many:
FISCAL AND FINANCIAL CONCERNS:
- Medlock Park neighbors are dealing with a property value triple whammy:
* The closing of Medlock Elementary and loss of one of our neighborhood's selling points ("walk to school").
* A large, empty building in the middle of our neighborhood. We have no information of how the property will be maintained.
* The prospect of an inescapable 150-foot tall eyesore.
The specter of increased millage rates simply compounds the above.
- While DCSS stands to gain financially via a long-term cell tower lease, Medlock Park neighbors get nothing we want or need.
- Cell tower decisions should wait until DCSS's long-term plan is revealed in full. T-Mobile's financial targets and deadlines are neither Medlock Park's nor DCSS's problem.
- Neighborhood leaders have attempted to work with DCSS to find desirable tenants to lease the school building and generate income for DCSS. Although our efforts to help have been stonewalled, our offer stands.
- Leasing school property to cell tower companies does not address the source of DCSS's fiscal problems. We reject this "Band-Aid" approach as the distraction it is.
HEALTH CONCERNS AND PEACE OF MIND:
- Some neighbors worry about health impacts. So might potential leaseholders (in particular if their business tends to young children).
- We worry this is but the tip of the iceberg. If one tower makes money, why not two? What other businesses or structures are being considered? As long as the land remains part of the DCSS (i.e., government-owned), it remains exempt from zoning restrictions that protect neighbors.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS:
- We have yet to see any environmental impact assessments. We are in particular concerned about the known dangers that communication towers pose to migratory birds. Does the site's elevation present additional dangers to birds beyond those calculated for a "typical" 150-foot tower? Medlock Elementary is located near water sources that attract birds, and is surrounded by multiple wildlife corridors and parks that provide habitat for many native bird species.
We hold and will continue to hold our DCSS and DeKalb County elected officials accountable, in particular as additional taxes are proposed for the November ballot (i.e., SPLOT).
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Cell Tower Proposal To Be Discussed by DCSS on???
6-9 UPDATE: There may be changes to the agenda discussed below. MANA is seeking clarification about when the cell tower proposal will be discussed by the DCSS Board. It currently appears discussion will take place in July. Will share additional information as it becomes available.
According to the preliminary June 13 meeting agenda distributed at the June 6 DCSS Board meeting, the cell tower proposal will be discussed later this month:
Please continue to contact DCSS Board Members and the Interim Superintendent to convey your feelings about the cell tower proposal. See this post for their contact information
And if you can attend the meeting on June 13, please do.
According to the preliminary June 13 meeting agenda distributed at the June 6 DCSS Board meeting, the cell tower proposal will be discussed later this month:
Action Item G.1.The meeting will take place at
T-Mobile Wireless Tower Placements
Presented by: Mr. Steven Donahue, Executive Director, Plant Services
Administrative and Instructional ComplexDCSS posts their meeting agenda online, on the day of the meeting. You can find recent meeting agendas here, see right margin, under "Board Meetings."
J. David Williamson Board Room
1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
June 13, 2011 6:00 PM
Please continue to contact DCSS Board Members and the Interim Superintendent to convey your feelings about the cell tower proposal. See this post for their contact information
And if you can attend the meeting on June 13, please do.
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