Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve Work Day [Feb 10]

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is having a volunteer day on Sunday Feb. 10, from 10am - 1pm to continue to clear dead privet from along Pine Bluff Rd.

DeKalb school board names interim superintendent

After first failing to muster a majority, the DeKalb school board tried a second time Friday and by a 5-4 vote approved a separation agreement that pays Atkinson $114,583 to leave. Then, they voted 7-2 to approve an employment agreement with Michael Thurmond, a former Georgia lawmaker who went on to become state labor commissioner. Read the rest @ AJC.

Some commenters in school-related blogs (DeKalb School Watch, AJC's Get Schooled) suggest that Thurmond is not a good choice due to long-term ties to the embattled DeKalb School Board but the AJC article states that

Marshall Orson, who unseated McChesney to become one of the three new board members this year, said he’s the one who brought up Thurmond’s name. No one else had considered him, Orson said. 

Orson had seen Thurmond speaking publicly and in small groups over the years, and was impressed.

“He just had a way about him that drew people in,” Orson said. He said Thurmond’s lack of an educational leadership background seemed an asset, given the withering criticism of the public these days for so-called “educrats.”

For additional comments by Thurmond and others, including a brief biography for  Mr. Thurmond, see the AJC.

DeKalb Medical Center-area LCI approved!

This is great news for our area! Selig Enterprises contributed $5,000 to the County to help qualify for this grant.  This contribution came out of negotiations by MANA and the surrounding neighborhoods with Selig and Walmart.

Per the press release, LCI's (Livable Center Initiatives)

...help these communities create new plans for quality growth and help develop innovative policies that support more vibrant, connected communities. Once their studies and plans are complete, these communities will be eligible for additional LCI funding for transportation projects needed to implement their plans. 

See the press release from the Atlanta Regional Commission at http://www.atlantaregional.com/about-us/news-press/press-releases/0e77e470-34ee-4a38-895e-ff7bd5dc4a0a

Nine Metro area communities received awards, including the corridor around DeKalb Medical Center:

Medline Regional Activity Center 

Award amount: $120,000
Sponsor: DeKalb County
Contact: Cedric Hudson, Planning Administrator,
Phone/Email: (404) 371-2789, chudson@dekalbcountyga.gov 

This study focuses on the area around DeKalb Medical Center and will plan for redevelopment of underutilized and vacant properties to create a variety of housing options and an appropriate mix of commercial, office and retail. The study will incorporate Lifelong Communities concepts and the establishment of a “wellness district” for the DeKalb Medical Center area. Additionally, the plan will address sidewalk and bicycle facilities along the major corridors in the area to create a more walkable center and to improve connections to MARTA bus routes and Emory’s Cliff shuttle.

DeKalb Co. Schools superintendent leaves; school board hires a lawyer

Atkinson gets $114,583 for leaving, plus payment for any unused vacation, according to the agreement. It takes effect at midnight Friday if the board approves it. The agreement calls on the board and Atkinson to work together to produce a “mutually approved joint public statement that is brief and non-disparaging.” Read the rest @ AJC

Meanwhile, The Champion reports that, in order to face the GA Board of Education,

the county school board voted 6-1 to hire the law firm of Wilson, Morton & Downs to represent it. Board member Nancy Jester voted against the measure and Marshall Orson was absent. Read the full report @ The Chamipion

As to why they must spend additional funds instead of using the district's legal resources when they meet with the Board of Education on February 21, The Champion explains that

Walker said, “If we had felt we could do it in-house we would be looking in that direction. We feel that we’re trying to galvanize the resources necessary to help us be successful in responding to those [AdvancED] requirements.” ... “They’re going to help us assess many of the concerns that were raised by [AdvancED] and help us see elements of it that we did not see,” Walker said. “No board member, to my knowledge, has ever violated one of [AdvancEd’s] standards. We’re not talking about breaking the law. We’re talking about standards that many of us don’t see the implications of the so-called infractions that we may have made.”

A list of "so-called infractions" can be found in our post on the SACS (AdvancedED) report.  

Ivy season is open. No bag limit!

Neighbors proudly show the 4-point branch they  
bagged at the inaugural Ivy Pull Classic.

English ivy is an invasive species that damages trees and displaces native vegetation at ground level. Our neighbor Deb noticed that many trees at the PATH entrance on Willivee appear choked with ivy and has organized a series of ivy removal events. The first took place last Saturday.

Additional ivy removal is scheduled for February 9, 16 and 23, noon - 3pm. Meet at the community garden on the corner of Willivee and Scott Circle. Loppers, machetes, hand saws and pruning shears were the most useful tools at the last event. For comfort and safety, please wear long sleeves and pants.

For more information, contact elkin_d at bellsouth.net.

Work day @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Feb 10]

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is having a volunteer day this Sunday from 10am - 1pm to continue to clear dead privet from along Pine Bluff Rd. Please join us if you can.

Groundhog forecast: more winter

This weekend, famous weather prognosticator and Lilburn resident Gen. Beauregard Lee announced that winter is not quite over yet:

According to weather lore, if the groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, there will be six more weeks of winter. No shadow means that spring is just around the corner. Read the article and see photos of Beau at work @ AJC.

Beau's northern counterpart, Punxsutawney Phil, did not see his shadow and called for an early spring. Astronomically speaking, Beau is correct--the spring equinox is on March 20 which means 6+ weeks of winter left.

Meteorologically speaking, Wikipedia does not place a whole lot of faith on rodent weather reports:

According to Groundhog Day organizers, the rodents' forecasts are accurate 75% to 90% of the time. However, a Canadian study for 13 cities in the past 30 to 40 years found that the weather patterns predicted on Groundhog Day were only 37% accurate over that time period—a value not significant compared to the 33% that could occur by chance. According to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887, Punxsutawney Phil's weather predictions have been correct 39% of the time.  The National Climatic Data Center has described the forecasts as "on average, inaccurate" and stated that "The groundhog has shown no talent for predicting the arrival of spring, especially in recent years."