Free-For-All Friday 3/28/14

Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.

Comments close on Monday

80 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 3/28/14”


  2. Good morning!

    I need recommendations for a window washing service and an appliance (dishwasher) repair service. Thanks!

    1. Just had my fridge fixed by Marc White. Thought I was looking at a new compressor; he got me fixed up in about a half hour for under $150. Came highly recommended and lived up to it. 404-468-2208.

    3. Regarding window cleaning, try Sunshine window cleaning. Have used them a couple of times in the past, and always happy with the results.

  4. You know what would be nice –

    A left turn signal westbound on College at McDonough. Also a Toasted Almond donut from Revolution.

    1. You can ask the city to request a review from GDOT. There is a left turn lane there, but that doesn’t mean you get a turn arrow. Wait times are not the issue. GDOT will want to see accident data. If there aren’t a lot of accidents there due to the turning movements, then they are less likely to approve a turn arrow.

        1. There is already a GDOT project to improve the intersections at College/Candler and College/McDonough. I believe they are slated for construction within the next year or two.

  6. Television Without Pity is shutting down! A few more websites and I might have to actually do my work.

  8. Looking for entertainment on a rainy weekend?

    Come out and support your local non-profit dance company: Decatur City Dance. This weekend at the Uhry Theatre at Druid Hills High School: Hoofing Through The Decades, a Let’s Tap production!

    Shows are Saturday, March 29 at 6:30 PM and Sunday, March 30 at 2:00 PM.

    Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

    If you’ve never been to a Decatur City Dance production before, you are missing out! Its is always a fun, entertaining time for kids and grown ups.

  10. Has anyone been to the Decatur HS band mattress sale fundraiser in the prior years? Is it a conducive environment for buying a mattress? Is there a reputable retailer behind the operation to whom one can address warranty issues?

    1. Mattresses??? Whoah–we’re big time now. Guess candybars & magazines just weren’t bringin’ in the big bucks.

    2. The Decatur HS Football is doing this fundraiser this year – April 19th 10am – 5pm in the DHS cafeteria.

      Attended the football parent meeting last night at the high school and the rep for this fundraiser was there (CFS – Custom Fundraising Solutions). Simmons – BeautyRest was mentioned as one of the retailers. Here are some other details:

      There will be 20 new sets on display to try out and a team of experts to answer any questions you might have. No pressure, just savings to our community from 30-60% below retail. Offering free layaway with 25% down.

      (I would recommend stopping by and inquiring about warranty information.)

      Also, I have the reps email address and I have $50 off coupons if anyone is interested – maybe DM can connect via email. Thanks!

    3. Someone on the WP listserv said they bought a set last year and said they were pleased with their set, also that there were regular store warranties.

  12. Tomorrow is Fernbank Science Center’s Spring Plant Sale. I know, I know, rainy, but there will be lots of native and other hard-to-find perennials for sale. The plant list for this sale is “curated,” to use a currently chic term, by local Master Gardeners, who focus on cool plants that will do well here in Decatur, rather than by wholesalers eager to unload tons of the latest “All-America Selections”. What I’m trying to say here is, if you’re a gardening hipster in search of pawpaws, stop by Fernbank Science Center between 8 and 3.

    1. Thanks for posting this. I bought three shrubs/trees at the sale and will spend the summer making room for all the plants and trees (including paw paws) I intend to buy at the next sale. Highly recommended if you are looking for native plants and the prices are very reasonable.

  14. So I know there’s all this discussion about the new Church/Clarimont/Commerce road diet, but what of the existing one on Church (from city limits to just before downtown)? Is that ever going to be improved so it stops looking like a construction zone with orange posts everywhere? Is completing that part of this new project? It’s currently a very ugly gateway to our city that should really be streetscaped nicely.

  16. A FB group announces an event that might be of interest to the many who posted about racial profiling over the last several months:

    MAR 30
    RACIAL PROFILING: DECATUR COMMUNITY MEETING.
    Public · Hosted by Sarah Miller Nathaniel and 3 others.
    Sunday at 4:30pm.
    Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, 118 2nd Ave., Decatur, GA 30030
    Bring your friends and neighbors!
    • Shared stories of racial profiling
    • Resources on learning about your rights as a citizen
    • Community input and discussion

    1. If any of the meeting’s organizers are on here, I’m sincerely seeking a better understanding of the planned discussion. Will it be kept to the focus of the earlier parts of the program or is it to be with the hopes of sifting through the various perspectives held to see where disconnects may exist so that we can emerge better off as a community?

  18. What are people paying for kids braces these days? I have a local orthodontist quoting in the $4,500 range and I am wondering if that is around the going rate.

    1. That’s unfortunately about right in my experience. Usually there’s a multiple child discount.

    2. We got a quote north of that from our dentist-recommended orthodontist and then got a more reasonable quote (below your figure) from Silver Smiles. They have an office on Monroe Drive for consultations, but actually put the braces on in their Snellville location. They were very nice, professional and came recommended from friends.

    4. Sounds like the usual ballpark. Ours — a fairly run of the mill straightening; no complex problems — was within 10% of that.

    5. I have not a clue in the world about what it costs. But I can tell you what you DON’T want (which happened to me): childhood orthodontia that created a lovely smile but messed up the bite mechanics, resulting in severe adult TMJ, requiring a series of bite splints over about a year (worn day and night) followed by a year of elaborate orthodontia and then total dependency on a night-time bite splint for the remainder of life and intermittent tinnitis (and no gum chewing forever after). Once you have TMJ, you’re lucky if you can manage it — can’t typically cure it. Granted, my childhood treatment was a few (!) decades ago but I still would not assume that all orthodontists are created equal. BTW, my orthodontist the second time around was Michael Sebastian. Not convenient for Decatur folks (Roswell/Wieuca Rd) but a great doc.

      1. We used Dr. Sebastian for our daughters braces. Her teeth turned out beautifully. The cost was the exact same price as Dr. Clinebell, where everyone in Decatur seems to go. Dr. Sebastian was further away (Chastain Park) but they really work with you on getting convenient times and we loved the office staff. I can’t remember the exact price but I think it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $4000. This was 5 years ago though.

    6. I’m wondering – has anyone decided NOT to put braces on their kids? How much stigma is attached to a crooked smile? They’re so expensive, especially if you have more than one kid.

      1. That makes me smile (pun intended). I’ve heard it said that all teens in Decatur smile alike because they all go to the same few orthodontists. The only problem with not correcting crooked smiles and bites is that they get worse over time and orthodontia is much more miserable for adults than for teens whose mouths are still fairly plastic and moldable.

      2. All I can say is that I wish I had a beautiful smile. It’s a lovely gift if you can manage it. Speaking as an ex-kid.

      3. It would depend on the issue. Unfortunately with my kid it is more than just crooked teeth and a malocclusion making braces necessary.

  20. Come out to Decatur Idol tonight at the DHS Performing Arts Center. This event is sponsored by the DHS Band and features outstanding voice talent of students. Show begins at 7 pm and tickets are $5 students and $10 for adults. Special entertainment will be included at the intermission. Come out and support the kids and have fun.

  24. Any recomendations for a family therapist in the Decatur area, one good with adolescent issues?

    1. Any of the he therapists at Thrive Center on McDonough : Jaime Blandino PhD, Marnie Bender PhD, Melanie Bliss PhD. Also John Lucy PhD on Trinity, or Kathy Lucy, LMFT. Debra Moore, PhD on Church is also fantastic. Can’t go wrong with any of them.

    2. Beth-Anne Buitekant on Clairmont near North Decatur. She was guidance counselor at Friends School for many years.

    1. House painter – Larry Amelang – 404-202-4148. Does a lot of work in Glennwood Estates, Decatur.

  28. Has anyone been to Ration & Dram over in Arizona Lofts/soccer area yet?
    They don’t have a menu up yet, so wondering if it’s worth a try.

  30. What is the latest on MAR? Last I looked it had not re-opened as promised. Hasn’t it been closed since Christmas?

    1. Don’t know about MAR, but was glad to catch Calle Latina open for lunch today. Still loving those arepas and empanadas.

  32. One of Decatur’s hotspots on Sunday mornings….. CAYA is having its first full length worship concert
    New visitors to Decatur First’s CAYA regularly share “I looooove the CAYA music!”
    You say, what is CAYA? Come As You Are is a contemporary worship experience on Sunday mornings at 11am in the Decatur First Chapel at the corner of Commerce and Sycamore Drive. Long-time Decatur resident Kelly Holyoak (her grandfather is Carl Renfroe, former CSD school superintendent) is the worship leader for the CAYA band. Speaking of the CAYA band – we are talking seriously good musicians here…. who write, record and tour separately as a Little Tybee, an Atlanta area folk-rock band.
    The UpLift Concert is a CAYA music experience that will also highlight Decatur First’s Honduras Outreach mission, who with the help of over 600 volunteering organizations nationwide has dramatically enhanced the lives and communities in central Honduras over the past twenty years.

    Bring your friends and family for the free concert on Saturday March 29th, doors open at 6:30pm in the Chapel. There is a nursery available for preschoolers.

    1. The 3/14 YDFM Expansion post was open for comments this morning. Since it had had some more activity on it,I decided to add one (right around the same time as FFAF snafu), but all the reply links had disappeared and are still missing.

    2. I actually replied to Deanne about the YDFM thread (I couldn’t even find it) in this thread, and those comments are gone…what’d I do??

      1. Nothing but you were all replying to a jacked up thread within the comments and unfortunately the only way to “fix” it is to delete everything in the associated thread.

        2. (To Dawgfan on your comment about DM having been infiltrated by GGD– I doubt it. GGD doesn’t seem to have anyone left who even knows how to do online stuff. If they did, surely they’d update their website, FB and Twitter to tell folks how Monday’s hearing went. :0)

  36. Can anybody recommend a piano tuner? I have a Boston upright. Any clues as to a reasonable going rate?

  38. Collision of car and cyclist on Ponce this morning in front of Marlay/Fleet Feet. Cyclist involved is a Jimmy John’s delivery person. He was taken to the hospital. People nearby said he was very scraped up but alert and responsive.

    The response from Decatur emergency services was quick and strong . 4 or 5 police cars, 2 fire trucks and an ambulance. Lots of bystanders were helping out until the emergency vehicles arrived.

    Thoughts and prayers for both the cyclist and the driver.

    1. That can be quite a congested area on Saturday mornings. Would a roundabout help?

    2. I like the idea of local deliveries by bicycle, but I have observed those JJ’s guys to not be the most careful of cyclists. Not saying it was his fault this time, but I almost ran into one at that same intersection on Friday (and it would not have been my fault).

      1. What you say about JJ delivery cyclists is correct by my own and other’s observation, but my understanding is that, in this case, it was the motorist’s fault and they were cited.

  40. This morning, i was heading north on 2nd Ave and stopped at a light at Hosea Williams. Ahead of me was a car with a sticker saying something like “If you can read this, you are too f***ing close.” I was feeling kind of guilty, although it didn’t feel like I was right on the car’s bumper. But then the car sped off, completely tailed the car ahead of it, and ran the light at Oakview. Decided the driver had anger issues and stopped feeling guilty.

    1. I’m too busy looking at the goats and sheep and the new dog to pay attention to bumper stickers.

  42. Speaking of bumper stickers, I saw a new favorite today: “Jesus would use a turn signal.”

  44. Anyone else in the Mimosa/Kirk Road area hear several very loud booms last night around 8:30 or 9:00? Couldn’t tell if it was fireworks, firearms or something else. Must have been seven or eight of them in a row, and they were so loud, they echoed off the houses and were very clear from inside the house.

    1. I live in another part of WP but I heard them too, I thought at the time maybe somebody was setting off fireworks at Winnona Park field, but have no proof of that…

    2. can confirm: fireworks on candler oaks lane or someone’s backyard in the mimosa’s.

  46. Understandably, there’s been a lot of talk about the loss of trees in Decatur and I’m glad that the city is addressing this important issue. Tree canopy loss is sad, but also renewable for future generations.

    But I have another concern, which is not reversible. I’m really starting to miss the SKY in downtown Decatur. I think much of Decatur’s charm lies in the scale of our downtown buildings. We stroll down streets of primarily one to three story structures, under trees, while catching some sun. A typical small town experience. Five or six story buildings with a minimal step back on the +/- second or third floor as allowed does not protect our experience. We are still creating a canyon experience in our downtown. Decatur is hip now. We don’t have to bend to the developers whims. We can write codes that protect our experience by stepping back building facades. One quick Google led me to the following article, see page 15.
    http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/PublicParticipation/Documents/Draft_UD_Guidelines_PP_Mrt12.pdf

    Is anyone else starting to miss Decatur’s sky?

  48. For some reason I cannot edit my prior comment. ” We don’t have to bend to the developers whims.” is not what I wanted to say. I am pro development. What I wanted to say was the “We have a greater ability to control the developers designs. They want to be here and will be much more inclined to work with us towards these goals.”

    1. Change it to: “We have a greater ability to affect the developers’ designs when we seek to collaborate with them,” and you’ll have the right approach.

  50. Density equals maximizing the building height allowable under code (which is lower than some of the existing, older buildings). That has been the city’s plan for quite some time and was simply delayed by the real estate bust. How those buildings are executed is something that can be influenced, but its unlikely that going smaller is going to be part of any concessions.
    As for missing the sky, NOLA, I’m not sure how much you could be missing as there is only building that far along in the construction process downtown. Unless you are talking about buildings that have been around at least seven years.

    1. I am not advocating going smaller. if you look at the link I provided the building height/mass is just mitigated better at the street level. I am advocating better design and additional guidance using revised building codes from the city of Decatur. I am talking about buildings that have been around at least seven years. Honestly, every building built to date along Ponce could have been improved by a stronger code. The sky I am about to miss is in front of the Wachovia building, clearly one of the older buildings to which you are referring. The experience in that area of Ponce will be forever changed by the new structure. What if the Cafe Lily strip sells too and how about the CVS site. I am not complaining about a specific building or event. I simply think we need a stronger, more creative guideline for the development we know will come over the next few years. I know the city is visiting all of these issues and it seems like the right time to make concerns known.

      1. The building you are talking about *is* doing a stepped approach to its height from street level. Is it instead the retail frontage to the sidewalk that you are more concerned about. Myself, I much prefer the sidewal frontage to the small parking lot in front of Cafe Lily… But you are right, the UDO process is going on now, so now is the time to have these convos.

  52. I get so confused driving down Second Avenue. For whom do I vote? Kyle Williams? Keller Williams?

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