2nd Annual Embrace our Green Space Race [Mar 24]

thanks CHCA for the heads up!

March 24, 2012 at Oak Grove United Methodist Church at 10AM. It is finally here! The Second Annual Embrace Our Green Space Race to benefit four local parks is happening again on Saturday, March 24th at Oak Grove UMC starting at 10AM. We have an event for everyone: 2K walk for seniors and kids, 5K run/walk, 10K run, 10K skate, and 20K bike ride. All routes are well marked and wind through area neighborhoods, and police are posted at busy intersections and volunteers at major turns. The cyclists will start promptly at 10AM, followed immediately by the skaters, then the 10K runners, 5K runners and lastly the 2K walkers. All events will be completed shortly after 11AM. These events are non-competitive so everyone is invited to come out for some fresh air and exercise, meet new friends, tour local neighborhoods and support our local parks! Great post race snacks provided by local restaurants. All proceeds beyond the cost of staging this event will go to these deserving friends of park groups: Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve, Kittredge Park, Mary Scott Nature Park and the new park on Lavista Road near Oak Grove. Park Pride Atlanta is providing financial management of the funds.

On Druid Hills Patch...

... summary of Good Growth Dekalb meeting last night.

Neighborhood Watch Alert: Neighbor Robbed [Feb. 22]

From the Neighborhood Watch:

Wednesday Feb. 22, around 4 pm, a neighbor was robbed, not forcefully. Please beware of the seniors in your grid and keep them informed as many of them do not email.

Here is the info: 

A new black truck with 3 or 4 men in it claimed to ring the front door bell. When there was no answer, they went around to his carport door, which he keeps propped wide open with his interior door open and entered his kitchen. The owner was in the back, came out into the carport to confront one of the men in his kitchen. The man stated he had rung the bell, then came to look for him to see if he wanted them to clean his gutters. Eventually he agreed they could. They offered to do it for $40. They asked him for a hose, a nozzle, then told him they needed many containers of boiling water. (It seems to me that they were keeping him looking for stuff and keeping him busy and not noticing that they were scouting out his house and its contents). 

 Once they got him boiling the water, the one man said they had to go get some more of the special cleaner they use and they all got back in the truck and never came back. The owner went back to his bedroom where he tossed his wallet on the dresser and it was gone along with other valuables. He can't describe the men except to say he thinks they were Hispanic, but they spoke English well. He says he didn't spend a lot of time looking directly at them. 

The homeowner is not hurt and a police report should be filed soon.
 Please be aware of people that you do not know, asking to do work, solicitors and do not let strangers in your home. 

Keep your doors looked at all times and please inform your neighbors about these issues.

Coyote Alert: more sightings near Medlock Park

This was posted on Facebook tonight [around 8pm-ish]

In the last couple of months, there have been many sightings all over the neighborhood. We've had reports of coyotes near Medlock Park, on Gaylemont, and in the Medlock Elementary school property but also on Woodridge and Desmond.

As you will read in just about any article about coyotes, they are clever and adaptable. Other critters in the wild kingdom look up to them as models of range expansion. Our neighborhood, graced as it is with pockets of woods, creeks, and ample food supply, are simply too attractive.

City of Decatur has created a page with links on coping with urban coyotes, see  http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=569. Please review this information to ensure you and your pets remain safe.

p.s. 

Admittedly far cuter and less threatening than coyotes, San Joaquin foxes are another example of wild canids who thrive in close proximity to humans. 

Girl Scout Troop 26429: Cookies Available [Feb 19]

Which one's your favorite???

Troop 26429 will be at Melton's on Sunday, Feb 19 from 12:00pm - 2:00pm and then at the Kroger on DeKalb Industrial from 5:15pm-7:15pm.

Free Green Lecture Series Starts This Week at the Decatur Library

from the Oakhurst Community Garden: announcing a series of free courses on greener living

LIVING THE GREEN LIFE
All Year Long at the Decatur Library Starting this Wednesday!

Over the past few years, the interest in living a more green and sustainable lifestyle has grown tremendously. The Oakhurst Community Garden Project, the City of Decatur, and the DeKalb County Public Library are pleased to announce their collaboration on offering you an exciting FREE series of classes in 2012. Topics include gardening for food and for the unpredictable environment, how to make your home more efficient, composting, and using what you have to lead a healthy life. Look for seminars and workshops that speak to information that is timely and current as well as leaving with a full list of resources that can be found at your local library and online.

Events take place at the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street Decatur, Georgia 30030.
The family friendly compost workshop takes place at the Oakhurst Community Garden Project, 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030.

For more information about this series, please contact Andrea Zoppo, andrea.zoppo@yahoo.com.

See full schedule after the jump... Available courses include Your First Edible Garden, Sustainable Landscaping, Drought and Rain Gardens, Composting Workshop, House Energy Efficiency, Fall Vegetable Gardens, Recycling, and Medicinal solutions from your Kitchen

DeKalb County annexation issues

CHCA has posted an anonymous email that outlines concerns about the "cityhood" trend that is going around DeKalb county. A key concern is that as new cities incorporate residential and especially commercial property, they carve away the county's tax base, to the detriment of those left behind. And those left behind are typically residential property owners, their public school systems, and the county's service infrastructure (which includes everything from water supplies to trash collection to emergency services). To remain financially viable, lost income must be replaced and that typically translates into higher property taxes.

You can see the whole post here: http://clairmontheights.org/node/2547

MANA supported commissioner's Rader call for a moratorium on these decisions, in particular when decisions do not appear to be fully studied and understood and "destabilize" the county as a whole.