Update on DeKalb Transportation Plan

Big thank you to Mary Shellman who attended several meeting and brings these updates about DeKalb County's Transportation Plan 2014. Mary writes:

"The Medlock Road project is part of the Multimodal projects (#5092).  It is also on the Bicycle/Pedestrian projects (#0308).  Sidewalks along Scott Blvd are also on there (#0276) but they seem to be unaware of the sidewalk work that Decatur has already completed.  There are many other projects on the list including several in Emory.  The Clairmont/N Decatur Road intersection is on the intersection projects.  I was told that the Scott / Medlock / N. Decatur Rd intersection would be part of the Medlock Road Multimodal project.   

You are now able to fill out the online survey and list your preferences for projects.  They said the online survey will only be up for a couple weeks..."

Also note that project #0499 appears to highlight the development of easement space for bicycle and pedestrian use. It appears to connect Medlock Park to the area between the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve and North DeKalb Mall.

These are in/near Medlock projects:

BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN: these projects are in Medlock or very adjacent, or will add to a network that will make Medlock more ped/bike-connected to other areas of interest in the County 

# 0276. Scott Blvd. From W Ponce de Leon Ave  to Church St. Widen the sidewalk on the northwest side of Scott Boulevard in sections designated as Safe Routes to School by acquiring easements from adjacent property owners. Fill in gaps in a few areas where sidewalks don't exist.   

# 0308: N Decatur Rd. From Briarcliff Rd to N Indian Creek Dr. Provide access for cyclists along this corridor. A detailed corridor study will be needed to determine the best design for this project 

# 0485: Farmers Market Trail. From South Peachtree Creek Trail to Stone Mountain Trail in Avondale Estates. Expansion of the PATH Foundation trail system (Farmers' Market Trail) 

# 0499: South Peachtree Creek Trail. From Atlanta at Lenox Rd, the North
DeKalb Shopping Center to Farmers Market Trail and Zonolite Park. Expansion of the PATH Foundation trail system (South Peachtree Creek Trail) 

MULTIMODAL 

#5092. N Decatur Rd. From Clifton Rd. to East Ponce de Leon Ave. Four lane section to include a median as well as bike and pedestrian improvements. --> this one includes our dearly demented Scott / N Decatur Rd / Medlock intersection

Transportation Plan 2014 Documents page  ||    List of all projects  ||    Survey Link 

The survey is anonymous and you can complete some or all answers. Actual questions are listed below, for your convenience :)  Your feedback will help improve County-wide transportation. If nothing else, open the survey link and offer your feedback or support for in or near Medlock-projects, whose numbers are listed next to the project map links below.

__________________________Transportation Survey Questions__________________________

Part I: Fill in the blanks to name up to 5 of your most and least supported projects for each project category.  M = Medlock interest project

Roadway Corridor Project Map

Roadway Intersections Project Map --> # 690 (Clairmont Rd / N Decatur Rd intersection: Operations; Intersection Improvement, incl turn lanes)

M Bicycle / Pedestrian Project Map: projects #0276 (Scott Blvd), #0308 (N Decatur Rd), #0485 (Farmers Market Trail), #0499 (South Peachtree Creek Trail)

M  Multimodal Project Map: project #5092  (N Decatur Rd)            

Part II.  Multiple choice answers

Transportation Policy Preferences (10 multiple choice question)

Clifton Corridor  and I-20 Corridor (1 question) : support one, both, neither?

Priorities: maintain and repair or expand and improve system & how to secure said funds? (6 questions)

Comments

__________________________________________________

Pedestrian and cyclist improvements. Purple means bike/pedestrian projects, blue highlights pedestrian projects and red indicates bicycle projects. Dashed green indicates existing PATH foundation corridors.

Multimodal Recommendations Map: Green highlights operations and safety, blue suggests road diets, burgundy indicates "new connections" and dashed green lines highlight existing PATH Foundation corridors.

Highlight of megaproject map. Yellow line represents the planned Clifton Light Rail; orange highlights the existing
MARTA heavy rail.

Per page 20 in the County's transportation plan slide presentation, "Mega projects are larger interstate or transit expansion projects (such as the I-20 and CliftonCorridor projects) for which DeKalb will advocate but not be required to provide funding.

Found dog: rottie

Friendly, neutered, male dog with an intense drive to chase squirrels  found on Harrington Drive on Nov. 17. Email medlockassoc@gmail.com if you have any information about how to contact his owners.

North Decatur Presbyterian Church Alternative Gift Market [Dec 7]

Click to enlarge.

"North Decatur Presbyterian Church invites the Medlock Community to our annual Alternative Gift Market, Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 am to 3 pm. Shop for fair trade*, environmentally sustainable and reasonably priced holiday gifts, including many new items this year. Gifts for sale include olive oil and beautiful carvings from Palestine; hats, scarves, clothing and gifts from Latin America; delicious soup and cookie mixes made in the U.S. supporting people in transition; rugs and other gifts from local refugee and affordable housing initiatives; beautiful beaded jewelry from Rwanda; Haitian goods; fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate; and beautiful handmade cards from around the world.

NDPC is at 611 Medlock Road at the intersection of Medlock, N. Decatur Rd. and Scott Blvd.  Make a difference in the world, one gift at a time!

_________________

* What is Fair Trade? (text credit: Fair Trade Federation)

Fair Trade is an economic partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect. Fair trade is not about charity. It is a holistic approach to trade and development that aims to alter the ways in which commerce is conducted, so that trade can empower the poorest of the poor. Fair Trade Organizations seek to create sustainable and positive change in developing and developed countries."

Laurel Ridge Elementary Fall Festival [Nov 16]

Laurel Ridge “Adventure in Wonderland”

Fall Festival

November 16, 2013 11am to 5pm

Laurel Ridge Elementary School

The Annual Laurel Ridge Fall Festival will inspire you to be Curiouser & Curiouser. So don’t Be Late for that Very Important Dateon Saturday November 16th. Game Trucks, Bounce Houses, Crafts, & Great Food will be great fun for the whole family. Contact your friends and relatives and tell them about this terrific community event. Come to enjoy or come to play with us. We want to feature local ‘family- friendly’ performance artists (singers, dancers, jugglers, and comedians) on our community stage. Do you know someone with a family friendly product to promote, crafts to sell, or someone who simply is looking for a place to allow the community to rummage through their treasures? Send the performers and the crafters our way! Vendor space is available. The Registration Form is on the back!

Our theme is Adventures in Wonderland. Join those fabulous fictional characters in a variety of flavor and fun!

Proceeds will benefit the art, music, and drama programs of Laurel Ridge Elementary. Stay tuned for more!

Want a bigger part in the adventure? Volunteers (marketing, preparations, fundraising, & event day activities) are needed for Festival preparations and Event activities.

Contact Melanie Darby at meldarart@bellsouth.net for more information.

For vendor registration see this link.

DeKalb BOE rejects Druid Hills Cluster

Per the AJC,

"In a contentious 5-4 vote tonight, the DeKalb County Board of Education rejected the Druid Hills Charter Cluster petition.

The "no" vote followed about four hours of tense debate. Those voting for the cluster were Thaddeus Mayfield, John Coleman, Marshall Orson and Jim McMahan. Read the rest @ AJC's DeKalb board votes down Druid Hills Charter Cluster after long, tense meeting

Next steps are unclear.

Season of giving

Kudos to Crossroadnews for reporting on these local charities and how residents can help:

Hosea's turkey drop comes up short: The Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless helps year-round, and one of their traditions is offering a Thanksgiving meal. This year, due to the loss of a donor, they are in need of additional donations for this event. To contribute, go to www.4hosea.org.

Annual Tree of Love seeks donors to spread holiday joy: Disadvantaged children in need are identified by the County and donors purchase items that the children requested. "Wrapped gifts are due back on Dec. 14 when the annual Tree of Love Christmas Program takes place at the mall."

Also, The DeKalb County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) accepts donations for children they represent.

DeKalb Board of Education: Druid Hills Charter Cluster vote [Nov 11]

via Druid Hills Charter Cluster:

The Board of Education vote to determine the future of the Druid Hills Charter Cluster is tomorrow,  Monday, Nov 11th at 7:00 pm. 

WE NEED YOU AND YOUR KIDS THERE TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
This is the time we have all been working towards and we need to be there in force to show the board how passionate we are about the Charter Cluster.
The address for the meeting is:
1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard,
Stone Mt., Georgia 30083
The Charter Cluster Governing Board will be there for this important meeting.  In case you haven't met the governing board, let us quickly introduce you to them and help you understand their role on the Charter Cluster.  Each has valuable and complementary skills that will make this Governing Board a huge asset to the Charter Cluster.   

CHARTER CLUSTER GOVERNING BOARD 

Scott Bonder:  Brings legal experise to the DHCC.  Mr. Bonder is a business litigator with experience in multi‐million dollar cases spanning multiple jurisdictions and involving state, federal and foreign laws.   He is a former President of the Fernbank Elementary School PTA.   

Fred Daniels, Jr.: Brings financial and business expertise.  Mr. Daniels is  Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Atlanta-based Citizens Trust Bank.    Daniels’ current tasks give him charge of governance, credit risk, portfolio management, and loan administration over the $400M community bank.    Mr. Daniels is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Marta. 

Theresa Johnson-Bennett:  Brings legal and procedural expertise.  Ms. Johnson-Bennett is a Paralegal with the State of Georgia- Department of Community Health.  She previously served as Chief Deputy Clerk in the Recorders Court of DeKalb County and as an Investigator with the Office of Public Defender for the City of Atlanta.   She is currently the PTO President at Avondale Elementary School and was previously Secretary for Avondale Elementary School Council.    As a paralegal, she is knowledgeable of policies, procedures, and governing laws. 

Matthew Lewis:  Brings business and organizational expertise.  Mr. Lewis is a businessperson who spent his career playing leadership roles in a number of well-run organizations including Bank South, CheckFree, and most recently First Data Corporation.  At First Data, Matthew was President of the Financial Services Division where he oversaw a $1.8 billion budget and 6000 associates.    Matthew recently served as the Chair of the Druid Hills High School Council and has two children who have grown up in the DeKalb County schools.

Kathleen Boyle Mathers: Brings educational expertise.   Ms. Mathers is an independent educational consultant with strong analytic, project management, strategic planning, communications and research skills.   Formerly the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement and the Program Director of the Math Science Partnership.   Ms. Mathers was a teacher in DCSS for 8 years. 

David Roberts:  Brings public sector improvement expertise.  Mr. Roberts is a Director in KPMG's Government Advisory Practice where for 13 years, he has been driving operational and financial improvement programs/transformations.  He has worked with a range of public sector organizations , including the Atlanta Public school system, the University of Chapel Hill and the Georgia State Accounting Office. 

Robert Thorpe:  Brings education and educational change experience.  Mr. Thorpe is a retired DeKalb Country Middle School Principal.  Mr. Thorpe led Druid Hill Middle School's  (then Shamrock) successful pursuit to become an International Baccalaureate school.  Prior to joining DeKalb County, he was Principal in the Gainesville School system where he successfully implemented three "theme academies".   Mr. Thorpe is a veteran in education, having served as a Teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal.   He has 3 grandchildren currently residing in the Druid Hills cluster. 

Copyright © 2013 Druid Hills Charter Cluster, Inc., All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the Druid Hills Charter Cluster initiative.
Our mailing address is:
Druid Hills Charter Cluster, Inc.
1798 Haygood Drive Northeast, Druid Hills, GA
Atlanta, GA 30307