Road Safety -- North Decatur Road (Part I)

On July 29, I attended the Roadway Safety Audit (RSA) Workshop introduction organized by Bike Emory, Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. The workshop was ably led by Craig Allred, FHWA Resource Center Technical Specialist.

RSA's are a formal process through which community members are trained to (1) recognize safety challenges that a particular section of roadway poses for pedestrians and cyclists, and (2) propose improvements or modifications that enhance safety and access for all. The resulting audit (observations and suggested improvements) is shared with local authorities and other stakeholders (e.g., developers, institutions, local government) who are in a position to secure funds and implement improvements. Local government typically issues a written response to the audit.

image via Googlemap

This workshop was a preamble to an audit being conducted for the section of North Decatur Road between Clifton Road and Church Street. It was attended by several GA DOT employees, several City of Decatur employees, and Commissioner Jeff Rader. The impetus for the workshop comes from recent pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on North Decatur Road. Ghost bike and ghost chair memorials had been installed near the location of these fatalities (corner of North Decatur Rd. and Superior Ave.) by family, neighbors and friends of the victims; these memorials were removed by unknown parties on August 26.

Joe Greear (Clairmont Heights resident) has been very active in bringing these safety concerns to the fore and participated in the North Decatur Road RSA. He shares this message:

...I participated in a Road Safety Audit focused on pedestrian and bicycle traffic on N. Decatur Road. The audit was sponsored by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC), Emory University School of Public Health, and Bike Emory and was led by a Transportation Safety Specialist from the Federal Highway Administration. The audit team included members of ABC, Bike Atlanta, PEDS, DeKalb County traffic engineering, our county commissioner, and members of the local community. We spent two days studying the conditions along N. Decatur from Clifton Rd. to Church street. The team traveled this stretch of road several times, reviewed daily traffic counts, crash data, and traffic flow. We then brainstormed solutions and will develop a report with recommendations by mid September.  

I am confident that the recommendations will be both feasible and effective. The Safety Specialist from FHWA is experienced in developing solutions for situations just like ours and presented several examples of solutions from around the country. I don't want to get into the details yet, but some of the items that MAY end up in the recommendations include road diet measures, sidewalk improvements, additional crosswalks, and repaving N. Decatur. Please hold comments until the final report is made available. 

I hope to present the report (with the help of ABC and Bike Emory) to our neighborhood associations in a community meeting. At the presentation I would like to begin a petition drive to request that our county officials implement ALL of the recommendations in the report. 

You may have noticed the PEDS “Slow Down” signs along North Decatur Road. That was the work of Joe Greear and Deanne Thomas, Mary Shellman and Meck Stockman. Thanks, y’all ☺

So please drive the speed limit and be a pace-setter! As soon as the audit is complete and ready for sharing, we will schedule a meeting venue and being the petition drive.

UPDATE: Mr. Fred Boykin, City of Decatur Commissioner and owner of Bicycle South, posted on the DecaturMetro blog (comment section) that the results of this RSA will be shared on September 5.

Read part II of this item.

Scam warning from GA Power

via Dawn:

This was posted on the Center Precinct Facebook Page and I wanted to pass this Georgia Power scam alert on to you: 

Please share this information about Scams from Ga Power. Please tell a friend: Scammers are at it again! 

More than 70 customers -- residential AND business -- have told us in recent weeks how they were called by impostors threatening power disconnection if they do not pay over the phone with a "Green Dot" or other type of gift card they are instructed to purchase. Once the card numbers are given, the caller and the customer's money are gone.
Don't be a victim! Please call us at 888-660-5890 (800-253-1077 en Español), or local police, if you receive any such call.

To view GA Power's press release on this issue, see http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/26/ga-georgia-power-tips-idUSnPNCL69351+1e0+PRN20130826

AGL project continues

Panoramic view from Wood Trail Lane. Click to enlarge

View of sound baffles.

Marci Davis, Communications Consultant with Atlanta Gas Light, encourages neighbors to call the project hotline at 404-584-3130 if they have questions or concerns.

Scott Blvd. Church: Community Council defers vote until new site plan is submitted

Atlanta INtown reports on Tuesday's Community Council meeting, which included a presentation of proposed plans for Scott Blvd Baptist Church property. Read about it at http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2013/08/vote-deferred-on-scott-boulevard-church-property-development/

MANA Zoning Chair Theresa Same attended the meeting and adds that "As things stand, the development is slated for the west side for Barton alone, meaning, the church property only."

Rain on!

Not quite flood stage, but the Peachtree Creek gauge is certainly getting a workout this week.

Fox 5 should have a really good close up of the neighborhood
and the South Fork of Peachtree Creek... 

At Moody Bridge on Wood Trail Lane, a scene from The African Queen.

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve -- bring you really tall boots, boardwalk was under water.

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve -- or  bring a canoe!

Medlock Park-- flooded but not so much as to tempt the ducks.

Updates from North DeKalb Mall

via  Mary Joyce Burge... 

New Stores: 

Kizzie’s Downhome Kitchen – Opening late August
Georgia Power – Opening September
Dollar Tree – Opening Fall 2013
Creative Art Connections - AMC Wing
Computer Authority Stores – AMC Wing 

New Prospects: 

Coffee Shop
Comic Cartoon Academy
New Arcade 

Updates: 

Golden Corral is exceeding expectations and driving huge crowds to the mall for both lunch and dinner!  It has been a welcome addition by generating more restaurant interest at the mall. 

The African American History Museum has been a rewarding summer addition to the center and the community at large.  Mr. James Horton, Curator, reports over 4,000 visitors to the museum to date.  Housing over 8,000 artifacts, the museum will be open through August 31st in the Macy’s wing of the mall. 

The North DeKalb Mall-Community Garden started in the summer of 2012.  A Bhutanese refugee family living less than a mile from the mall became the first garden farmers.  The Keep DeKalb Beautiful program participated in providing compost and mulch to the garden.  The Atlanta Community Food Bank helped provide many of the seeds used, and Global Grower’s Network has also been involved in the planning and coordination of this effort. 

The garden expanded in 2013 by plowing up the remaining idle field into a total of 30 plots.  Most of the space continues to be refugee planted but community plots have now been made available to local gardeners.  Look for the garden produce stand coming soon!
Many groups have volunteered by helping install rain barrels, spread wood chips, and install compost bins.  Local Girl Scout troop #4044 honored the garden with canvas paintings located at the Ross entrance of the mall. The center’s neighbor, Stivers Subaru, was our first sponsor by generously donating a tool shed for the garden of the mall.  There is something for everyone wanting to volunteer in the community garden 

Reaching our Community 

North DeKalb Mall endeavors to reaches all demographics with programs such as Mall Walking and monthly Bingo for seniors (1st Thursday of each month); children’s activities which include fun and educational games;  support to area schools with an arts program, and inviting choral and band groups to perform during the holidays. 

The mall has been making a committed effort to reach back out to the community and serve as an important shopping and entertainment destination by adding tenants that have unique products or services and providing exciting worthwhile events and programs that the community can participate in.  The mall is currently undergoing some changes with our tenant mix as we talk to significant prospects.

For up to the minute mall news, “Like Us” on FaceBook or check out our website at www.northdekalbmall.com.  North DeKalb Mall is conveniently located at the intersection of North Druid Hills Road and Lawrenceville Hwy.  

For leasing information contact Taylor Dozier at 404-320-7960 or tdozier@northdekalbmall.com.  To schedule an event or to receive event information contact Mary Joyce Burdge at 404-235-6444 or mjburdge@northdekalbmall.com
North DeKalb Mall is owned and managed by Hendon Properties LLC

UPDATE (via Deanne): The Dollar Tree will be 9969 sq ft (about the same size as the big one at Belvedere Plaza). When construction is completed, there will be an entrance for Dollar Tree at the end of the building across from the Post Office.

Druid Hills Civic Association's Cityhood and Annexation Town Hall Meeting [Aug 20]

This meeting is organized by the Druid Hills Civic Association and attendees can expect that the concerns of Druid Hills residents will be the focus of the discussion. That said, note that speakers include representatives of the City of Briarcliff and the Druid Hills Charter Cluster--two initiatives that include our neighborhood:

from the Druid Hills Civic Association website:

The agenda has been set for a Town Hall Meeting on Cityhood & Annexation to be held on August 20, 7-9pm. Speakers will include Allen Venet, chair, City of Briarcliff Initiative; Duriya Farooqui and Hans Utz of the Office of the Mayor, City of Atlanta; Lee May, acting CEO, DeKalb County; and Matthew Lewis of the Druid Hills Charter Cluster. 

Presenters will be available to answer questions from the audience, said Mike St. Louis, chair, Committee to Explore Druid Hills Cityhood Options.  The meeting will be held in the sanctuary of Glenn Memorial Church. Please attend and bring your neighbors!  This issue is critical for our community! 

UPDATE (8/26/2013): Notes from the above meeting are available at http://druidhills.org/2013/08/22/town-hall-meeting-draws-a-big-crowd/#more-2506
Per the comment section, a link to the Powerpoint presentation shared at the meeting may be posted soon.

Emory University also posted notes on the meeting, including a heading that reads "Emory remains neutral."