Reminder: Regional Transportation Tax Focus of Town Hall at Emory [Apr 25]

Regional Transportation Tax Focus of Town Hall at Emory April 25

WHAT:   “Decision Time: The Clifton Corridor & Atlanta’s Transportation Future,” an Emory Town Hall with local government and transportation leaders to discuss the July 31 regional sales tax referendum that would support development of light rail service along the Clifton Corridor and transportation improvements throughout metro Atlanta.

WHO:  The panel discussion and audience Q&A will be moderated by local broadcast news reporter Sally Sears. Panelists include:

· Burrell Ellis, DeKalb County CEO

· Bill Floyd, Mayor, City of Decatur

· Beverly Scott, CEO & GM, MARTA

· Mike Alexander, chief of the Atlanta Regional Commission, Division of Research

WHEN:  Wednesday, April 25, 6:30-8 p.m.

WHERE:  Glenn Memorial, 1660 North Decatur Road NE, Atlanta

PARKING: Fishburne Parking Deck, http://tinyurl.com/FishburnParking. Additional parking also is available in the Lowergate South Parking Deck and the Oxford Road Parking Deck. http://tinyurl.com/EmoryTownHallParking

Emory University’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives, Bike Emory, and the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, will host a special transportation town hall open to the community on April 25.

The Town Hall will feature discussion on the regional transportation 1 percent sales tax that the metro-Atlanta region will have the opportunity to vote on July 31. Panelists will address the impact of this referendum on the Clifton Corridor and Atlanta, as well as answer questions. Voter registration and absentee ballot requests will be available at the event.

The 1 percent sales tax is expected to generate $7.22 billion in the 10-county metro Atlanta region over a 10-year period and will be dedicated to specific transportation projects and improvements approved last October by elected officials representing the metro region. From this revenue, the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative is slated to receive $700 million to fund construction of the rail line and an additional $25 million for a new bridge and associated road improvements at Clifton and Haygood roads.

For more information: http://bit.ly/IY9EMt

A daycare must-read

If you have children in daycare or wonder how daycare is regulated in Georgia, today's AJC has an eye-opening report on how a menu of special exemptions allows a great variety of childcare providers to bypass the licensing process. The article includes disturbing vignettes of how one business owner felt "smart" in finding a suitable loophole and how another point-blank lied to AJC reporter Tim Eberly about part-owning a childcare business that handled its revoked exempt status by reopening under a new name.

The problem: childcare providers that strategically avoid meeting the definition of a "traditional" daycare program may be approved for a waiver that exempts them from basic due diligence such as running a background check on employees. It also exempts them from following best practices required for traditional daycares, which are extensive and outlined for various program types within the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) website as well as on DECAL's Rules and Regulations page.

Confirming rumors of Your DeKalb Farmers Market expansion

WSBTV reports that

"Documents show owners of the popular Your DeKalb Farmers' Market in Decatur want to expand their business to include more than 1 million additional square feet of retail and warehouse space...." Read about it @ WSBTV.

Emory sponsors Q&A on T-SPLOST [Apr 25]

Emory University will sponsor a Q&A on the upcoming T-SPLOST vote scheduled for next July.

As noted elsewhere, light rail is proposed for the Clifton Corridor; both Emory and MANA are within this corridor. 

Wednesday, July 25

6:30-8pm

Glenn Memorial Church [directions/parking info]

1600 Clifton Rd.

Click image to enlarge.

On the up side

The Atlanta Business Chronicle highlights positive economy indicators for the Atlanta area:

1. Per the US Census for 2011, population growth points to investment in urban areas (vs. exurban)

 ... from 2000-2010, Cobb, Fulton, Dekalb, and Gwinnett Counties added an average of 42,779 people per year, while the 14 counties on the edge of the region added an average of 57,425. From 2010-2011, however, the close-in counties added 55,168 people (up 29 percent from the 2000-2010 rate) while the edge counties added 21,077 (down 63 percent). At a finer grain level, growth in Fulton and Dekalb outpaced Gwinnett and Cobb last year by 26 percent, a stark reversal of the prior decade’s patterns. . . . the next 24 months are going to be all about close-in, lifestyle oriented product, and that looks like a trend that will stick. Whether hunting for land, raising money to break ground, or rehabbing existing product to take advantage of energy related tax credits, the action is decidedly urban.

2.  Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Georgia salaries were average as of May 2011 (annual pay of $42,590 vs national average of $45,230). This places Georgia 24th in the nation, bracketed by Mississippi ($34,770) and Washington, D.C. ($74,540).

Earth Day @ Oakhurst Community Garden [Apr 22]

The City of Decatur, in partnership with the Wylde Center, will be holding its annual Decatur Earth Day Festival (DEDF) on Sunday, April 22, 2012, 1-4 p.m. at the Oakhurst Garden at the corner of Oakview and South McDonough. ...  

The celebration will kick off with a parade that will go from Harmony Park to the Community Garden site, beginning at 12:30 pm.  We have an exciting array of events planned for children, youth and adults and include, for example:
Kids Crafts
Music
A Live Raptor Show! (need we say more!)
Special Earth Day T-shirt contest
Checkin’ out the resident Chicks and Bees in the Garden
World Famous Cake Contest
And MORE!

For additional details see the Oakhurst Community Garden website.

On staying put, and moving closer to the first sphere of foodie heaven

The AJC reports this weekend that shoppers are acting as if they are setting roots. Per reports from Home Depot, Lowe's and even our own Intown Ace Hardware store, homeowners are focusing on maintenance and more frugal remodels (with stores offering products that make things easier for do-it-yourselfers). Whether buying perennials to gussy up the yard or materials for a chicken coop, all signs point to feathering the nest for the owner's own longer-term enjoyment. Read it all @ the AJC. 

If nesting and "staycation" urges turn your mind to delicious home cooking shared with family and friends, Decatur Metro has news that might make you snap your spatula: Your DeKalb Farmers Market has submitted a development of regional impact request that outlines a plan to expand retail operations to over half a million sq. ft.  (vs. the current 140,000 sq. ft.) as well as add warehouse and parking space. YDFM proposes to begin the project next October, but the totality of their so-far secret master plan will unfold over 10 years.