Flow meter installation announcement from DeKalb Watershed Management

Received by MANA; please address questions to Mr. James (information follows).

Dear Association Representative:

Dekalb County has reached a Clean Water Act settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the form of a Consent Decree.  The attached letter will provide residents with details of the upcoming Flow Meter Installation project.  This is the first in a series of on going projects associated with the Consent Decree.

It is our goal to keep residents informed of the activities which may be taking place in their neighborhoods.

Click to enlarge.

Please share with your association members via your website, newsletter, or other means of communication.

Thanks in advance.

-- 
John F. James
Project Manager
Consent Decree Program Management Team

CERM | Corporate Environmental Risk Management
Engineers nSurveyors n Planners nManagers n Scientists

2296 Henderson Mill Road, Suite 200 | Atlanta, GA 30345 | www.cerm.com

p 678.999.0173 | m 678-524-4176| f678.999.0186

ICS "walk to school" day: Wednesday, October 8

Click to enlarge.

International Communty School
WALK-TO-SCHOOL DAY
WEDNESESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH, 8:00 A.M.

Kids will be walking on Medlock Road/Harrington/Eastway/Winelease etc.
ICS Kids will be walking from different neighborhood intersections.

Please drive carefully.

Watch out for the little kids from 8:00 a.m. till 9:00 a.m. 

Birdwatching, Fall Festival @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Oct 11, 19]

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is hosting two events that are sure to take advantage of the lovely fall weather.

Great blue heron.

BIRDWATCHING: Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve and Atlanta Audubon Society are co-sponsoring a birding field trip at the nature preserve this Saturday, October 11 from 8 to 11 AM. Dave Butler will lead the trip along with Jay Davis. No experience is necessary so please come and learn about birds and your nature preserve. The event is free. Bring binoculars. No children under 12, please--this is an Audubon event and likely to be well attended. If there is interest, Dave is happy to organize a separate event for young birdwatchers.

And after all that birdwatching, hit the MANA Yard Sale! Who knows, someone may be selling your next pair of binoculars or birding guide...

FALL FESTIVAL: A neighborhood tradition! October 19 from 4-7pm, dust off your fall jacket and come on down for food, kids activities, music, and s'mores by the bonfire.

Perennial morning glory.

Fiery skipper.

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is a 28-acre privately-owned greenspace maintained by volunteers and located at 2580 Pine Bluff, Decatur GA 30033 | map |. The Preserve has been featured in "Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests" and in Birdwatching Daily.

Around Medlock

Some views around the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve...

Fall color preview, from the ground up.

Great Blue Heron hunts for breakfast.

Morning glories are always an unexpected treat. Wonder what this one looks
like to a bee?

Update on Greg Germani: thumbs up

Greg Germani Trust Fund

Beth Anne writes on Facebook: "Thumbs up! Greg Germani gave me the go ahead to share this photo. The past four months have been extraordinarily tough, but Greg's here and giving it his all every day."
As we all know, Greg was (purposefully) hit by a driver while commuting on his bike last July. That driver has been arrested, is charged with attempted murder, and awaits trial. Greg is a Medlock resident and the genius behind the Atlanta Time Machine.

Greg's rehab is ongoing and so is the campaign to ensure that he continues to receive the very best support.

Beth Anne also posted that there's an fundraising even next November 7 at the Star Community Bar. Continued fundraising is needed because "Once Greg leaves the hospital and goes into outpatient treatment, his insurance benefits are less generous. Once he has utilized all of his insurance covered outpatient therapy visits (just about 2-4 weeks), the figure for daily outpatient therapy is in the neighborhood of $500 per day. Greg needs and deserves the best care possible and his incredible friends, family, neighbors and strangers are making that happen."

For anyone who can't attend this concert or just can't wait to pitch in, donations are possible through Greg Garmani's fundraising page at http://www.gofundme.com/GregGermaniTrust
Well-wishers can also send good vibes to Greg:

Greg Germani c/o Shepherd Center 
2020 Peachtree Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

Notes from “Blueprint for DeKalb” presentation

“Blueprint for DeKalb” is a citizen-led initiative first organized by Commissioner Kathie Gannon to improve and revitalize DeKalb County. The group has worked hard to identify best practices that, going forward, will elevate ethical and professional behavior while also providing the type of oversight that is typical of top-notch organizations.

To learn about the people who are leading this effort as well as review white papers and other documents and resources the team has gathered, go to blueprintdekalb.org and don't forget to complete their survey. Blueprint representatives area available to attend civic organization meetings and discuss the Blueprint's plan.

The September 30 meeting at the Maloof Building was well attended (140+ people?) and provide specific examples of the governance targeted by the Blueprint. Presenters (all Blueprint leaders) included Beth Nathan, Brenda Pace, Ted Daniel, Gil Turman, Martha Pacini, Robert Glover, Dan Wright, Patricia Killingsworth, Calvin Sims and Jana Johnson.

Making the Blueprint’s recommendations a reality will require changes to the Organizational Act; proposals will need to be approved by the DeKalb Delegation and later, the state legislature. A key recommendation (for internal auditing and ethics) is that these oversight structures need specific budgets, set to a percentage of the overall County budget (e.g., 0.01-0.05% or similar "industry standard”). A set budget would be protected from political machinations and ensure that oversight departments have sufficient staffing and resources to process complaints and conduct and complete investigations.

Below are some of the examples provided, and links to the Blueprint’s pages that deal with those issues.

MANA Yard Sale Map [Oct 11]

The treasure hunt is ON! Next October 11, 8am - 3pm, prepare to shop 'til you drop. 

You can also view this map here via GoogleMaps or dowload it as a pdf.

Big thanks to Stephanie for organizing this year's sale and generating this awesome map for us!