Free-For-All Friday 6/6/14

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.

159 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 6/6/14”


  2. Decatur is a wonderful place to live: we are happy, our children are happy, we live on a happy street, people want to move here, and our city is growing and thriving on a scale most cities, anywhere, would envy.

    Any complaint I might have is the equivalent of grousing about the heat of the sun, and the sand in my bathing suit while enjoying a wonderful beach.

    2. And as the sea levels rise because the heat from that sun intensifies due to our unfettered human “progress”, we may all end up with oceanfront property soon!

      1. The average elevation of Atlanta is 1049 feet above sea level. You might want to buy land a few miles west of Savannah in anticipation of an ocean front lot.

    1. You mean behind the Fidelity Building on Commerce?

      It’s the new Walmart we all approved.

      (Sorry, everyone…)

    3. Really, though, I guess you’re referring to the apartment development. They will build on the existing parking lot, add a parking deck, and have 200ish apartments? A Post project, if I remember correctly?

      1. No. The reference is to the former Decatur First Bank across the street, vacant since the Bank went under in 2011 and now owned by Fidelity Bank. The building was steam cleaned and painted last week and there’s been a flurry of construction-type activity inside the place this week.

        1. Pure speculation with no basis in any information: I wouldn’t be surprised to see Fidelity Bank move into the building. I always thought the DFB building would end up as some kind of mixed use project, though.

          1. There’s really not enough land for any kind of mixed use project. Fidelity moving their branch there might make some sense, though, since access and parking to the current location has been severely curtailed. They don’t own the place they’re in and it probably is fairly valuable on the rental market. There’s probably as much space there as they’re using now and it does have a vault.

            1. There had been some talk of selling the air rights to the DBF building before the bubble burst. That’s actually a pretty big piece of property.

              1. I suspect a bank. About six months ago there were a bunch of guys out there marking the nearby parking lot with spray paint. It looked like they were marking out a location for an ATM and an associated line for the power/data to go to the building.

          2. You are correct- last night we saw Fidelity a Bank signs put up over the Decatur First tall sign.

            1. There have been Fidelity signs over top of the DFB signs ever since they took over.

        2. Oh the little bank next to Mellow Mushroom development. Nevermind. I was confused.

  6. Anyone else see the rainbows and fantastic red sky after that storm last night? I was hoping somebody snapped a picture from a condo.

    1. There were several in my Facebook feed last night. No particular worthy ones, though, considering how pretty the sky actually was.

      Among those photos was what looked like a fire–sparked by lightning? Not sure. But it would have been in the vicinity of Emory.

    2. Think there was one on Twitter:

      https://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/474729786384711681

      Here’s another cool shot from ATL Urbanist on Tumblr:

      http://atlurbanist.tumblr.com/image/87692545889

    3. Here’s another one of the rainbow that someone took in Midtown. Amazing.
      https//twitter.com/DannyKarnik/status/474723326922072064/photo/1

      1. Oops, wrong link. Try this one and scroll down a bit.

        https://twitter.com/DannyKarnik

  8. Winnona Park needed a new bridge over the creek. But it did not need a $79,000 bridge. Are you serious? I was blown away when I read that in the Decatur Focus. The new bridge is nice, but how can any City official defend spending that much on a bridge that is only 6-8 feet across?

    1. Eh, I can believe it. That’s one year of college expenses at an Ivy these days.

    2. If I recall correctly, there was also some failing sewer line replacement involved.

      Bulldog, you might want to pour yourself a stiff drink before delving into how much some of the other special projects are costing us.

      1. I know. It’s ridiculous. All that money could have gone to building the moat around the city that would have solved most of the other problems anyway!

    3. It’s actually a lot longer than 6 to 8 feet across, and has some fancy concrete and rock supports on the sides. I don’t know if the price is reasonable but they spent a long time building it (several months).

      1. They still come by and work on it tine to time, so I am not sure it’s done yet.

    4. If the county had built it, it would be only 80 percent complete and would cost $3.4 million. It’s a very nice bridge and it makes for a much safer walk to school for the kiddies. And it’s wheelchair-ready, too.

    7. $80,000 ain’t bad judging by the two head walls that were constructed. I believe Shoal Creek is a blue line stream, so they may have had some environmental standards to maintain. And depending on the length of the span, you want it engineered right if it’s going to last.

      This is the world we live in now. If you spend ANY public funds today, you have to do everything to ensure you are spending those funds correctly. That is a good thing with very large projects. But that also means that (seemingly) “small” projects that a mayor might once have just sent a public works crew to construct on the fly (or might have been an Eagle Scout project back in the day) are held to the same standards as “big” projects.

      1. This. If you are going to DIY a bridge in your backyard it could be done for a few hundred bucks, but if you are a government entity doing a public works project you need to comply with thousands of pages of environmental, ADA, safety, wastewater management, and education regulations.

        It’s the same with the proposed/planned rework of the railroad crossings at McDonough and Candler – competent professionals could design and implement the solutions needed for a fraction of what it is actually going to cost.

        1. Prior to the promulgation of this endless red tape, things like the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam were built under budget and ahead of schedule.

          2. With a few worker deaths. It was easier and cheaper when a worker death here or there was allowable.

          3. And yet there are some who think that adding new tree regulations will reduce the cost of living in Decatur.

            1. They know it won’t and don’t really care about costs, hence they didn’t want to talk numbers (and couldn’t). Combined with some of the unified code measures they’re trying to install, it’s all about using control to create their perception of utopia. Of course, it never lasts.

              Creating disincentives for homeowners to do anything themselves will funnel more property into developers hands. It’s easier to control one group with a common focus than a variety of people, especially when that one group is willing to pay and do whatever. In the end, if it stands, the same people will be complaining about more new McMansions when moderate property owners say forget it and move to one of the cheaper metro communities, which are quickly developing their own walkable plans. But maybe they won’t care because many who lobbied for this work in the environmental / tree / landscaping business and will be making more money…

      2. The bridge is about 50-60 feet if not longer for a crossing that is less than 10. We didn’t need to build an elevated bridge with a ramp when wheelchairs could have gone over it previously.

        I understand what everyone is saying, but it just seems like a total waste of money for something that is above and beyond what was actually needed. And it took forever, too.

        1. It’s a deal compared to the $55k basketball court on the WP playground that was built just a few feet from the previous one.

            1. It gets use. I see people playing basketball frequently and my own kids have played “two square” on it several times this week, for example. My youngest reports it is used at recess.

        2. I think the bridge is far better than the one before and worth the money. It’s much sturdier, won’t need painting every two years and debris is no longer going to pile up around the supports. A wheelchair could have gone across the old one but there would have been problems on the Poplar Street side, since it was dirt from the bridge to the street. And after a storm, it was a mud pit. And it probably cost more since they had to shore up the sewer line and that was was money well spent because if the sewer line broke and we dumped raw sewage into the creek, I imagine the EPA fines would have been steep.

          And plenty of people from WP use that basketball court. Certainly, the school uses it and I see plenty of neighborhood kids using it as well.

          1. Yes, the bridge is sturdier. But I still don’t think it needs to be as long as it is. If the money went towards the sewer line, then it is money well spent.

  10. I am replacing my carpet soon. Anyone have flooring company to recommend? Thanks!

    2. Rabern-Nash down on College Ave did an excellent job for us. Good selection, prompt and efficient installation.

  12. Good morning. Now that the dust has settled from the vote to pass the unnecessary, burdensome and widely unpopular tree ordinance, there been any serious discussion about potential candidates to run for city commission?

    Personally, I don’t have strong views about canopy or development or these interrelated matters, but I thought the commission’s outright dismissal of the desires of the citizens in not one, but TWO go-rounds, was truly outrageous, egregious and preposterous. Listening and observing the course of the debate here, at the meetings, and on other forums, I can only conclude that in this case, the commission DID bow to the wants of an active and vocal special interest minority.

      1. Sure. But my question is more to ask if anyone is really thinking about it yet. There may have been some emotional overreaction in some comments after it passed, but I’d like to know if anyone is organizing support or even suggesting other candidates.

          1. Perhaps early, but I sure hope there are some qualified, capable people who will consider a run. Competition should make a candidate, or incumbent, focus their vision and sharpen their message. No candidate for public office should ever run unopposed – in very general terms, it makes them lazy and leaves them unaccountable for their actions.
            To be very clear, it’s not personal – just principle. Except for this latest debacle on the tree ordinance, I like and am satisfied with the elected officials in Decatur.

            1. “Except for this latest debacle on the tree ordinance, I like and am satisfied with the elected officials in Decatur.”

              IMO, the exception has now swallowed the rule. Yes, our elected officials have historically done a good job. But, if they are willing to blatantly to ignore the desires of an overwhelming majority of their constituents, I am no longer satisfied with our leadership.

              1. Bingo. It doesn’t matter whether you support the ordinance or not. The fact that they ignored the majority of voters (and were self-righteous about it), signals that we have a serious problem. Just wait until they ignore the majority on something you oppose or support…

                1. Where do you get your numbers. 1500 people supported a stronger tree ordinance when it was introduced as part of the master planning process a few years ago. While I have my issues with the city ( city staff are far to accommodating of developers at the expense of current residents) I don’t think the commissioners misread the sentiments of a majority of Decaturites.

                  1. “1500 people supported a stronger tree ordinance when it was introduced as part of the master planning process a few years ago”

                    Even if true, that is 100% absolutely completely irrelevant when assessing the support for the particular POS that just passed which was opposed by 4/5 of CoD residents.

                    And support of the master plan in general does not equal support for every aspect of it, including the tree ordinance.

                    2. OK. I stand corrected. But, it still doesn’t mean they supported this ordinance.

  14. Hey folks, I’ve got a junky old 10-speed bike that needs new tires. Anyone know of the best place in the Decatur area for cheap, basic tires?

    I’m not looking to ride this thing all over town, and all of the bike shops I’ve come across here seem to be for a more serious rider. I really just need to be able to drive this a mile or so around the neighborhood for small errands.

    Thanks for any & all suggestions!

    1. I took an older bike to Decatur Bikes on Ponce to have some work done, including new tires. Those guys are friendly and they do good work.

    2. I have had good luck with Bicycle South for years and years. Sure, they serve serious riders, but they also understand if you say “I only ride a few times a month” or “this is for occasional use bombing around town.”

      1. +1. They’ll put you in the tires you need. I think a lot of their customers fall into the “recreational” rider category, as opposed to the folks spending $$$ on race-level equipment.

      2. +2
        I used to have them replace the tires on my jogging stroller. Never got the attitude that stroller tires were beneath them.

    3. You might check out the Sopo Bicycle Cooperative. 404-425-9989 and the website is sopobikes dot org.

      1. What he said. Find my number online and call me and I’ll help you out, if you like.

  16. Anybody know where I could get some scrap linoleum/vinyl floor for free/cheap? I would prefer a piece (or pieces) that are about one square yard or larger in size. Thanks, and happy weekend to all!

      1. Oh God, don’t get into that freecycle thing ” My family lost everything in a house fire and we would be blessed to drive from Cumming for that ceiling fan”
        But ask at Rabern Nash for remnants, they’ve got pieces in the back $10- $20,

    1. DOT ordered redesign of the vehicle entrance. This is separate from the playground/blacktop/parking lot issue.

  20. Does anyone know any good resources for filing a tax appeal? I have never done it, but feel like I should this time. I’ve been reading about and find it a bit overwhelming. Do people hire appraisers and real estate agents to get their numbers?

    1. I did my BOE appeal myself. But I did hire an appraiser and included the report, and I also asked a friendly agent for all home sales for the past 3 years in my neighborhood. You want to avoid the impression that you are cherry-picking information. Others (I think discussed on the property tax thread earlier this week) hired professionals.

      My whole process took 1.5 years to resolve. By the time it was over, I was no longer living there and had moved to Decatur. Which at least made going to the hearing easier 🙂

      1. Did you submit the sales data, etc. with your initial appeal notice or did you just bring that to the hearing?

    2. I just hired Rob Vinson today, a Winnona Park neighbor, to do mine. His company’s website is
      http://www.taxappealatlanta.com 404-218-7874

  24. About to have the exterior of my house painted. In need of a designer/painter than can not only paint but help coordinate/pick out colors for siding, trim, doors, windows, etc. Any recommendations??

    1. My wife, Jenna, is a designer who regularly helps with color selection. She works with Stephen Adams at Ashford Painting. He works a lot here in Decatur. The two of them could certainly help you out. Call Stephen at (404) 877-8399, and/or you can reach Jenna at (706) 247-5432.

  26. Feeling overwhelmed with the college application process. Any other parents of rising seniors interested in forming an informal group to share info, ideas and resources over the next 6 months? (Any parents who have navigated this recently with advice to share– please do!!) I’m particularly interested in the actual stats (GPA/SAT) of DHS students who were accepted to UGA this year or last year.

    1. Here is the link that profiles the freshman class of 2013. It gives GPA and Test score ranges of that freshman class:
      https://www.admissions.uga.edu/article/first-year-class-profile.html

      1. Thanks! I’ve seen the stats but I’ve heard rumors that it differs greatly from high school to high school, and that kids with a 3.4 from good high schools can count on UGA being a “likely admit” — which doesn’t seem possible if this is true:

        Middle 50% of All Enrolled First-Year Students: 3.77 – 4.05

        So, want to see what it takes to get in from DHS.

        1. There’s enough variability year to year that, if your child is truly interested, especially if there’s a special reason that UGA is a great fit for them, they should apply, even if their stats don’t quite make it. Just have back-up. Lots of kids are having a great experience at other state schools like Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Georgia College/University at Milledgeville (small like private liberal arts school), Kennesaw, West Georgia, North Georgia, Georgia State (but awful close to home), etc. Often one state school or another has just the program a student needs, e.g. music performance, education, tech, whatever. The “prestige” factor should be secondary to a good fit for your student. If they are unhappy and take 6-8 years to finish, even the more prestigious school was not the right choice. After all, in other parts of the country, the average employer doesn’t know the difference between one university with the word “Georgia” in it vs. another.

          1. Might want to strike GA Tech off the backup list:
            http://admission.gatech.edu/life-tech/class-profile
            And many employers do have different perceptions (which I have experienced first-hand) of the different state institutions of higher learning. The further you get from Atlanta the more important the brand is. Of course the brand value is industry dependant and it won’t perform your job for you. In the interest of full disclosure I am a graduate, fan, and supporter of GA Tech but I’m not sure I would been admitted under today’s higher standards.

            1. Agree with you, Robert, branding is important in higher education, as the perception of a school by employers is paramount for jobseekers.

              This is an area that Georgia doesn’t help itself, with the state schools having names like West Georgia, North Georgia, Perimeter College, etc. These do not lend prestige to graduates who go out of state and are looking to differentiate themselves within a stack of resumes.

              I come from Virginia where the state schools with similar missions to the ones mentioned above have names like James Madison, Radford, George Mason, Longwood (easy Juan), William & Mary, etc. Some may say that’s a superficial take, but that’s what branding is all about.

              1. Interesting point. I always assumed those Virginia schools you mentioned were private because of the names.

                1. So did I. But I’m obviously not up on Southern colleges. I never even heard of Elon or Sewannee until recently and I guess those are fairly competitive schools.

                  There is a college, or maybe 5 or 10, for every student who truly wants to attend; the trick is identifying it. It’s a bit like caring for an infant–impossible to learn without actually doing it and by the time you’ve mastered it, it’s over. And every infant is different.

            2. +1 I think there is a huge difference in a degree from UGA vs West GA, GA Southern, GA State, etc. Just like there is a huge difference in a degree from LSU vs La Tech, La-Monroe or La-Lafeyette

            3. This probably shows my coastal rearing and bias, but in the years I lived in the Northeast and out West, I never heard anything about any college or university in Georgia except Emory. I still get confused when my family says “Georgia” as though I’m supposed to know that they are talking about UGA not any of the other schools with Georgia in their title. I’m sure I’d have heard of Georgia Tech if I’d been interested in engineering but I wasn’t. I’m not belittling Tech or UGA–all power to the students who earn a place there and do well–just saying that there’s a lot of good schools in the state and the student-to-college fit is most important. A student who drops out of Georgia Tech (shockingly high rate IMHO) because they are not doing well there or don’t enjoy it is worse off than a student who does well in a less prestigious school, maybe in an honor’s program and with lots of awards and good internships, and then gets a good graduate or work experience afterwards.

            4. So many factors to consider … but the game has changed since the dark ages when I went to college. HOPE has changed everything– our state schools, all of them, are more competitive and the price difference is astonishing. A GA college with HOPE costs $13,000 per year (less than our family’s annual health insurance bill) and every other option is 2-3x as much. But, after decades of living and working here, we don’t know a single person who went to Georgia College, for instance, but I understand that a lot of great, smart kids from DHS go there. Friends are telling me that it is the third best public school in GA, so why have I never heard of it or hired anyone who has graduated from there? This is why I want to talk to other parents, especially parents of kids who are A/B students in advanced and honors classes but who don’t have a 3.8 or higher. I think things are very different now and I don’t want to be providing guidance to my child based on bad info from 20 years ago.

              1. Something else that has changed is that a lot of private liberal arts colleges are competing with state schools by offering scholarships, sometimes huge ones, to a high percentage of students who are admitted. So it’s like buying a house or car–the sticker price is not necessarily what you’ll pay. The most expensive option actually is often a state school outside of Georgia (unless it has repricosity which seems rare). State schools don’t usually offer huge scholarships to out-of-state students. But even that isn’t a hard and fast rule–an applicant with a desired rare musical or sports talent may even get wooed by out-of-state state schools.

                No question that it’s more complicated than in the dark ages. “The College Solution” is a good book to read to get perspective.

                1. Thanks for the book recommendation.

                  I had heard that about private schools, but my friend’s kid was offered several presidential scholarships that lowered the price from 60k to 25k and 30k respectively — still double the cost of in-state.

                  1. 60K sounds like an Ivy or other top of the top tier. In other good private liberal arts schools with “lower” costs, that 30K-35K scholarship would go a lot further. There’s two schools of thought on the 60-65K pricetag–one is that the Duke, Harvard, Stanford, whatever name is worth it so go ahead and take out massive student and family loans, sell your house, take the athletic scholarship which will consume 20 hours a week and the work study offer for another 20 hours (….and then hope your student goes into something real lucrative or the family inheritance comes through earlier rather than later 🙂 ). The other is that coming out of college with a good record and lower debt positions a student more comfortably in an excellent graduate or professional school program. Don’t know which approach is right, probably varies by the student and the family’s resources. A valedictorian from an underpriveleged family might get a full scholarship to a 60K school. A student offered less of a scholarship might do better at a cheaper but still prestigious school. If there was an easy formula for college admissions and decisions, it sure would be a lot easier on parents–no endless college tour trips, painful applications and essays, nail biting, federal student aid forms, etc. There’s a whole industry built around the process. It helps to remember the ultimate goal–that your child ends up a happy and successful adult. There’s more than one way to get there.

              2. You’ve never heard of Georgia College because it’s in Milledgeville and it doesn’t have any big sports teams.

                1. It’s a great bargain. A small liberal arts school experience at in-state prices. Up and coming, growing in quality and reputation, located in a cute college town, quaint campus. And gorgeous new dorms compared to most schools. Well, there I’ve gone and blown it for my kids by advertising how good it is. Now the rest of DHS will all apply there too….

                2. Yep. Also, long-time Georgians will know that Milledgeville used to be known for being the home of the state mental hospital. I grew up hearing my mother say “I’m gonna end up in Milledgeville if you kids don’t stop [doing whatever we we’re doing that we shouldn’t have been].”

              3. HOPE did change the game here, but not quite as dramatically as I would have thought. There was an Atlanta magazine article about this several months ago. One example: pre-HOPE (1990), 19% of Georgians 25-or-older had at least a bachelors degree, which was one point below the national average. In 2012, 28% had at least a bachelors degree, still one point below the national average. My guess is that we still trail the national average because of immigration from poor countries and migration from poorer states (I’m thinking specifically of Michigan and Louisiana), but could it also be because students don’t stay here after they get their degrees?

                1. Brian, I think the changes are that parents who would otherwise send a kid out of state instead send kid to Georgia after doing the math, so Georgia (and it trickles down) gets more and more competitive. I have heard the lottery called a tax on the poor that benefits the upper middle class, and this is the perfect example of that.

                  1. I’ve always been uneasy about the idea of state-sponsored lotteries. It doesn’t seem the place of the State to be encouraging its citizens to do something as financially unwise as gamble. I’m ok with it as a substitute for the illegal numbers games that used to exist, with all the attendant crime, but active promotion of gambling to people who wouldn’t otherwise have thought of it seems inappropriate for government.

                    Having said that, I think that college costs have gotten exorbitant enough that it’s not just the well-off who are benefitting from Hope. Any family that is depending on one or two salaried positions, rather than family money or CEO type compensation packages, is going to have trouble paying for college for four years for 2-3 children, even with college savings plans. Without the in-state tuition discount and the Hope Scholarship plus Stafford loans, it would be a rare middle class family that could afford college without massive private loans. It’s easy to earn too much to qualify for Pell Grants or even a lot of college-based financial aid or work-study options.

                    1. I’m ok with legal gambling that’s taxed, but don’t like the idea of state-sponsored gambling either (I’ll admit some personal bias here; I thing gambling is stupid and have seen a couple of lives ruined by it)
                      And I agree about HOPE being a middle-class benefit. Low income families qualify for other aid and high income families don’t have to worry about paying for college, but middle-class families are often dependent solely on loans—unless they get merit scholarships. That said, if cuts to HOPE are going to have to continue, then I think some degree of means testing should be brought back.

              4. Question about that $13,000 figure for HOPE scholars – is that the all-in cost to go to a state school on a HOPE scholarship? i.e. living expenses? Or is it the amount that a HOPE scholar pays out for tuition, room and board, books, etc.?

          2. I second the “go ahead and apply” advice. My daughter was told her GPA wasn’t high enough for UGA and they wouldn’t even consider her. Even though it wasn’t a school she was particularly interested in, she was challenged/insulted enough to apply and was accepted (she choose to go to a smaller school instead). There are so many factors universities are looking at that if it’s one your student is really interested in, they should go for it.

            1. For some reason, DHS staff sometimes discourage students from applying too high. Not sure why. Maybe they’ve seen too many heartbroken kids. But if you don’t apply, your chances are zero and if you do apply, you have a chance. It’s ok to have some “stretch” schools as long as you include some “safety” schools too.

    2. Sometimes senior class parents have had formed a Facebook or Google group to communicate among themselves.

    3. My advice to the original poster: let your child do the work. It should be just as important to your child as it is to you. If it is, then they will put in the time to make the right decision. We made my somewhat lazy and not-an-awesome-student do all the work–applications, searches, setting up visits, and she actually came out okay and is going to a great school and got HALF the tuition in scholarship.

  28. I love our sidewalks. Parking your car across the sidewalk, thus fully or partially blocking pedestrians (and wheelchairs) is against the law. It’s also unlawful to park your car on the grass right-of-way strip. Thank you to all the wonderful Decatur residents who park legally and who leave the sidewalks clear.

    1. totally agree Annie – I get (mostly just internally) fired up whenever I see someone having to walk into a street to pass a blocked sidewalk – especially when there are easy, nearby street spots.

      Just say no to jerk-parking.

      1. Couldn’t agree more! It’s very frustrating to not be able to walk on the sidewalks!

      2. At least I can’t be called a jerk because of this, thanks to the rest of the jerks in the neighborhood who refused to even let us have sidewalks to block in the first place!

        1. I agree. That’s an important issue–the city’s sidewalk policy should be followed. Everyone in the city walks on the streets, not just the residents, and sidewalks make an important contribution to the quality of life.

        2. Try again with a new petition, maybe there has been enough turnover to support sidewalks.

          2. Can you explain why there would need to be a petition? If it’s in the city’s plan to have a sidewalk in a location, shouldn’t the city just install it? Why would the residents need to petition for what’s already in the plan?

            1. City planned a sidewalk. Some folks who had planted on the edge of their lawn didn’t want sidewalks. A few may have had that old view that sidewalks bring crime in from outside the neighborhood. Petition went around to stop the sidewalk. Unfortunately, a counter petition was never started because I think a true poll would have showed more in support, than against, sidewalks. So now no sidewalk. It would take some energy to get the City to consider again. But agree that the the neighborhood has changed, lots of new little kids who could be riding trikes and walking to their neighbor’s houses on the sidewalk. A petition FOR sidewalks might work.

              1. Wondering whether the opposition tended to come more from the people living on the side where the yards would be affected. A perfect solution could be sidewalks on both sides, which my neighborhood has and which works well because you never have to cross the street twice to visit a neighbor who lives on the same side you do, or just to reach the sidewalk. Better for the kiddies! And no, my street doesn’t have a lot of traffic. Just really nice sidewalks.

                1. Two different plans were put forward that varied the side of the road. But the anti-sidewalk folks petitioned against ANY sidewalk. City should have polled every resident rather than listening to the vocal opposition. Or just taken their footage that the City owns and put sidewalks on both sides, petition be damned. Are we committed to walkability or not? I suspect that at least one of the sidewalk opposers was well-connected to City Hall. Can’t figure out why the City would have folded so easily otherwise.

                  1. I don’t see that this is something that should be polled, unless everyone in the city gets to vote. Sidewalks are for everyone, not just the residents of the particular street. And they vastly enhance the safety and quality of life here.

              2. “Some folks who had planted on the edge of their lawn didn’t want sidewalks.”

                Can you clarify this? It was my understanding that it was folks who had planted / done landscaping not at the edge of their lawns but on land the did not own. In short, they had appropriated public right of way and then used that, ahem, occupation to prevent public use. If that’s the case, I agree with every poster here that says individual property owners should not be given a yay/nay say over how the broader community chooses to manage its assets.

                If the issue’s more nuanced than that, I’d love to hear it. Otherwise, I encourage a roving band of lawn chair-toting activists to just choose random properties and set up mini block parties in the 5-8 feet of frontage we all communally own.

                1. Problem is that folks won’t admit to their true motivation–they’ll cite runoff (even though they totally paved over their yard with a huge driveway and three car garage), or aesthetics, or even safety (sidewalks will narrow the road and make it harder to pass). But my best understanding is that folks were about to lose lawn and foliage in the roadside strip that really belongs to the City. Folks don’t realize or don’t care that they don’t own their lawn all the way up to the curb.

                  1. Better yet, they’ll cite the environment: maybe there are trees planted in that space, or, in any event, sidewalks replace greenspace with impervious surfaces. Oh noes!

                    1. Well, the city can’t have it both ways.

                      No response to requests about assistance with right-of-way trees (“looks dead, can you help?”), but then turn around and decide to put a sidewalk over land they haven’t maintained for X number of years? Sorry, that doesn’t work.

    2. If it’s blatant, call DPD non-emergency number and they can write a ticket.

      1. In one particularly glaring case in my neighborhood, several residents have asked the police to help. The police may well have stopped by, but the illegal parking has continued.

        1. Stop parking violators with these hard-to-miss fluorescent parking violation stickers.
          • Peel and stick the label to the side window or windshield. Once stuck onto a window, the warning requires scrapping or a razor blade to remove. With fluorescent parking violation stickers, you mean business!
          • Fluorescent label material gets your attention 75% faster than standard stickers.
          • Parking violation stickers are sold in convenient packs of 50 labels.
          • For less aggressive enforcement, just place the warning under the wiper.

          http:DOUBLE SLASH wwwDOTmyparkingpermitDOTcomSLASHParking-Violation-StickersSLASHVehicle-Parked-Illegally-TowingSLASHSKU-D-2051DOTaspx

          1. STG – when placed on the vehicle by a non-agent of the government, isn’t that at the least vandalism or a property crime of some sort?

            1. I found these on the PEDS website.http://peds.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mock-parking-ticket.pdf. I like the way they make the point that it’s a violation of state law, and the reasons. I myself would not affix anything to an offending car, but I don’t see a problem with putting it under the wiper. I also just called the non-emergency number for the Decatur police regarding a car that is a perpetual offender. Or its owner is, anyway.

            2. I do not know the answer that question. My opinion is that (1) placing a piece of paper under somebody’s windshield wiper is not vandalism, (2) placing a sticker on somebody’s window which can be removed without damaging the window (although not without effort) is not vandalism, and (3) someone who habitually parks so as to block a sidewalk deserves to spend some time scraping glue off their window with a razor blade.

              An alternative strategy when a neighbor does this, or permits their guests to do it, is to knock on their door, introduce oneself, and ask them clearly and respectfully to knock it off.

  30. I know that one can appeal an appraisal based on “fair market value” but I’m wondering if it is also possible to appeal based on equity (i.e. if my 3/2 home is more or less valued at fair market value, but my neighbor down the street lives in a 4/4 Mcbungalow appraised at less than my home, is that grounds for an appeal?).

    1. I’d be afraid that the County would address the equity issue by increasing the neighbor’s assessment, not lowering yours. The line of argument that used to work for us was showing that the house really didn’t have the “improvements” listed on the assessment–e.g. the fourth “bedroom” was really a converted porch without a true door or the square footage was off.

      1. Thank you for those tips – they are very useful!

        However, I am honestly not concerned about an argument based on equity making a neighbor’s appraisal go up if her current one is well below market value (and even below that of residents with much more modest homes). On the contrary, equity seems to be extremely important in a community that prides itself on justice an fairness.

        1. My sense is that the County appraisal process is so haphazard, incomplete, and inconsistent that fairness is an unrealistic goal. I have no idea whether the methods are sound but not implemented well or whether the staffing is inadequate or whether the entire process is flawed or all of the above. I have had this sense from day 1 of buying my house years and years ago. I’ve never heard any differently. I’m pretty big on equity but sometimes the only thing you can do in an absurd system is try for individual survival.

          1. Some of the worst cases of inequity seem to be related to misreported or unreported permits. There are homes with massive additions that show $3,000 permits on the county’s website, and there are other homes whose major renovations were completed several years ago, but for which the county website still shows open permits. Is this Dekalb’s fault or CoD’s for not correctly following up on and reporting permit data? It appears there is a huge loophole in the system if folks can manipulate the permit/certificate of occupancy process to get 15k/year tax breaks…

            If the system is broken beyond any hope of repair, it seems the city should reassert control over the process.

            1. “If the system is broken beyond any hope of repair, it seems the city should reassert control over the process.”

              Agreed. They are likely losing more in revenue than handling the assessments would cost. Especially if we’ve got homeowners actively trying to defraud the system.

      2. “I’d be afraid that the County would address the equity issue by increasing the neighbor’s assessment, not lowering yours.”

        If it’s warranted, that’s a good thing.

    2. There is a category for uniformity. Are you certain that your 3/2 is appraised the same as other similar properties (recent sales or not)? The county would not go back and increase the appraisal on your neighbor’s house this year, but they may next year. Also, did you check to see if they had appealed an earlier appraisal? If so, their valuation would be locked in for a few years.

      1. not exactly the same, but in the same ballpark for the most part. No, the massive homes I have seen whose renovations are not reported on the county’s website did not file an appeal in recent years. Thanks for the note on uniformity.

  32. I have a question about the intersection of (if memory serves correctly) Ponce de Leon Place and Beaumont Avenue. The one a block or two behind Green Ginger.

    They installed a nice roundabout there, but the intersection still has stop signs. I thought the point of roundabouts was to keep traffic moving (slowly) through intersections. Is there something about this particular intersection that requires the stop signs?

  34. I believe when a roundabout is installed that the stop signs remain for a while to get people used to the new pattern.

    1. Somebody told me that some residents in that area petitioned the city to leave the Stop signs. I agree that a round-about with Stop signs makes no sense. I don’t understand why the $ was spent on a round-about, when you have to stop; just like you would have to stop if there was no round-about. If the Stop signs were to remain all along, why the round-about?

  36. An alert for Decaturites who travel south on Second Avenue to get to I-20: Today the City of Atlanta changed the traffic pattern at Second and Alston near the new Drew Charter High School and the East Lake Country Club. There are three lanes there. Until today there were two southbound lanes. The middle lane has now become a northbound left turn lane from Second into the High School property. There was no warning and there are no signs advising of the change. I found myself in the wrong lane today. Scary.
    When you get further south, near Tilson, beware of the metal plates over the water main project excavations. There is a car on the side of the road that looks to have a broken front axle. Some of the plates look higher than usual.

    1. Yep, there’s gonna be some trouble there for sure, especially given the speeds many drivers take that stretch of road at.

  40. I’m only shopping at Baby Kroger until Big Kroger is fully remodeled. Went in there today and things are all messed up. And, it smells like a combination of an electrical fire and pee. I hope no one was electrocuted while peeing on an exposed live wire sticking out of a wall or anything.

    1. On Sunday it wasn’t so bad. Still a bit weird looking way over to the left but no more smell. Selection of certain items, e.g. some string cheeses, was decreased perhaps because of space. Or maybe I just couldn’t find it.

      1. It wasn’t you. The store was horribly stocked on Sunday. There were numerous unmanned carts of inventory blocking the aisles, and it seemed the stockers didn’t know where anything went, so they just left everything on the carts.

        1. Yeah, I rifled through the carts a bit. But the Big Kroger never has seemed wonderfully organized to me. I usually have to search more than one place because the line between the bargain food vs. regular aisles and international vs. um, less international aisles have never been clear to me. I mostly shop there because the prices are low and they have certain items demanded by the family picky eaters that I can’t find at the Emory Commons Publix like Maple Grove No Fat Wasabi Dijon Salad Dressing and Mueller FruitUp Luscious Lemon non-Greek Yogurt. Convenience has never been the draw and I find the parking lot depressing in the daytime and scary at night.

  42. Totally off-the-wall new subject: Before returning home from Southern California, I was involved in the hobby of flying radio control model airplanes. Can anyone tell me about any flying sites, groups, or Hobby Shops in the ATL area? Thank you!

    1. We’re sadly lacking in nearby hobby shops. I usually end up at HobbyTown USA in Duluth (on Satellite Blvd. on the road that goes around the mall).

      They have a pretty good selection of toys and hobbies, although the prices are pretty steep. The guy who works on the RC cars and trucks knows what he’s doing, especially when it comes to tuning nitro engines. Can’t speak for their knowledge on airplanes, though, since I’m strictly ground-based.

    2. You might try the Peachtree City area. I think some folks are active down there, flying at Falcon Field.

  44. Try Exit 9 off of 78. We see radio control planes flying over there all the time.

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