Free-For-All Friday 9/11/15

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

68 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 9/11/15”


    1. As I work in the aviation industry, today is a somber one and one to “never forget”. 09/11/01 the day that changed everything.

  4. JV Fastpitch softball one day tournament, Oakhurst park, tomorrow. Come out and support your lady bulldogs.

  6. Avondale City Wide Yard Sale
    Saturday, September 19 from 7 am to 1 pm.

    There will be three map pickup locations – Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church, Exeter at S. Avondale Road, Berkeley Road at Clarendon Avenue. The map will also be available at http://www.avondaleestates.org Friday, September 18 at 5 pm

    1. It would be nice if the community could have some input into the process. Maybe have a meet and great with the finalists giving a short talk about themselves and their plans.

          1. So we have a meet and greet and everyone voices their opinions, and it gets ugly, and people get upset when their person doesn’t get hired. What good would it do? We don’t have hiring authority. We put people in positions to make these calls. Now, a meet and greet after they are hired is another story.

            1. It would serve the same purpose of including the community in the process that has already taken place to this point. Specifically, the approach of the executive search agency that provided information to the board, and also select members of the community who have served in the process. Are the cooks the board or the community?
              Is the kitchen the education of children in our city?

              1. I think the idea is that we elected school board members to serve as our filters so that we, as individuals, wouldn’t be personally responsible for school system hiring decisions. So I guess the degree to which people are comfortable with that rests with their degree of comfort with those presently holding those seats. But either way, I think they deserve the leeway to do their jobs. And, of course, to be accountable for the decisions they make.

                1. My suggestion is actually not about us (such selfishness!), but giving the finalists a taste of what they can expect from our fair city. Decatur parents are a little more demanding than the average group, given our level of taxes and classroom participation.

                  Regardless, I think it’s safe to say that most everyone expects the new superintendent to place a lot more emphasis on communication than the previous administration.

                2. “So I guess the degree to which people are comfortable with that rests with their degree of comfort with those presently holding those seats.”

                  Exactly. The process is that the board votes on the superintendent. There may be disagreement among the board. So how does a resident go about the process of vetting board members or potential board members for decision making processes? Information concerning decisions made by the board is one answer.

                  Any potential superintendent should be happy to participate during a meet and greet for discussion with the community; via the information for the board –
                  – is a strong communicator who can listen and be empathetic
                  – Possesses the ability to build relationships and trust with all constituencies in Decatur

                3. Last time, I remember one superintendent candidate (not the one we hired) participated in the Tour Decatur race. Many people met and spoke with her–she did that on her own. I thought that was a great way to see the community she’d potentially be joining. Maybe some of the candidates will be at the Slide this weekend! 🙂

                  My point is, even if it’s not formal, I hope they create their own opportunities to figure out who we are and what we’re about.

                  1. Now that would be a great test of a potential superintendent’s mettle–will he/she don just a bathing suit and mouthguard and brave their way down a slide in the middle Decatur’s main drag surrounded by rowdy preteens playing bumper inflatables.

        3. A debate between The Walrus and The Tin Man sounds like a bad mash up between the Beatles and America (The Band).

      1. Edwards said she can work until 12/31. Are you anticipating the new Supt. won’t start until the end of the school year? How does that usually work for mid-year hires?

  10. We’re having some trouble with our GE refrigerator water dispenser and icemaker. Can anyone recommend a local appliance guy? Thanks in advance!

    1. When was the last time the filter cartridge was changed? If you are having low output issues with the ice/water that’d be the first thing I looked into before seeking professional assistance.

      1. Thanks for the replies. I replaced the filter earlier this summer. I don’t think it’s the problem.

        The filter is in the fridge side. Ice and water dispenser is on the freezer side. Ice comes out great but no water at all from its dispenser. There’s also a puddle of ice on the freezer side floor. I emptied the ice cube receptacle and the puddle got worse when it made more ice. Tried petroleum jelly on the door seals just in case they were the culprit. Water solenoid valve appears to be working (it makes 60Hz buzzing) and I could not locate ice in the reservoir coil (I took a hair dryer to it just in case but still no output).

        So I think it’s at least two things – potentially a clog in the water line, potentially a leak in the ice maker, and maybe a door seal. I tried a bunch of non-invasive stuff thanks to the internet, to no avail.

        I could spend hours tinkering and spoiling food inside or I could call a pro.

    2. I recently had a problem with my GE fridge ice-maker. Somehow ice formed in the water line and blocked the flow of water into the ice-tray. I was able to remove the ice chunk and everything is fine again.

      2. Thanks all – I’d tried all I felt comfortable with to find the cause, so I’ll give the pro a call Monday. Thanks again!!!

  12. American Red Cross – Leaders Save Lives scholarship opportunity. Students have the opportunity to win a scholarship, earn a gift card and enjoy a valuable leadership experience.

    A great student leader must:
    Be currently enrolled in high school or college.
    Host a Red Cross blood drive between Dec. 15, 2015 – Jan. 15, 2016.
    Collect at least 25 pints of blood.

    Here’s the website where you can read about the Leaders Save Lives program and sign up to participate: redcrossblood.org/leaderssavelives

  14. What is going on with the Oakhurst Village construction project? The combination of time taken + progress made is starting to strain credibility.

    1. In terms of infrastructure, which includes huge highway, street and sewer projects, ours is pretty modest. I’m sure the low bidder is balancing it against much higher dollar work and staffing accordingly. Not the only influence (weather hasn’t been as cooperative as it could have been) but probably a fairly significant one.

      That said, I tend to be pretty forgiving anytime an investment of 2 million dollars is being made down the street from where I own property. We planned that thing 8 years ago so a couple more months ain’t no thang!

      1. I’m sure that business owners on Oakhurst Village (Sugar Moon for instance) are getting pretty fed up with the project going on and on as it is keeping people from their door. I can hardly wait for it to be done so I can feel like my kids can walk safely to school.

    2. Wasn’t the initial timeline like 10-12 months? Yes, it seems like it’s taking forever, and they are just digging more holes before fixing old ones, and don’t are about erosion control, and doing generally sloppy looking concrete work . . . but I don’t know that any deadline has passed yet. YET being the key word.

  16. Can someone recommend an affordable way to make a legal will? Has anyone done this online? I know there are sites like LegalZoom but I’d like to hear other people’s experiences first. Thanks!

    1. We bought software, which I think was around $100, and then filled in the blanks ourselves. The prompts were easy to follow. Then all you have to do is get it notarized.

    2. All you need for a legal will is a document in writing (that you intend to be your will), signed and properly witnessed by two people. Those online forms are not very good for much else– they aren’t state specific and don’t anticipate enough circumstances to give you any real peace of mind. (They usually contain disclaimers warning that they are not giving you legal advice. Then what are you paying for?) Particularly if you have minor children, you should have a lawyer help you with a trust. A wills lawyer will also help you coordinate the way your assets are titled and beneficiaries are designated on retirement and life insurance to make sure the whole plan works together, as well as help you with a healthcare directive and power of attorney.

      1. My husband and I recently employed the services of Tom McNally in Downtown Decatur. We were going to just do our estate planning online, but felt much more reassured drafting our wills, power of attorney, and healthcare directives with his assistance. Tom and his staff were very helpful and personable throughout the process. Good people. McNally Weeks: 404-373-3131

    4. Here is my two cents on wills, POAs, etc (and full disclosure–I have prepared one or two), the problem with using a service like Legal Zoom is that a host of things can go wrong in the prep or the execution—and you won’t know until it is too late and one of your loved ones has to deal with it. The cost of using a reasonably priced attorney to do this is about the best legal bang for your buck you can get. It would be one thing if the cost of having a lawyer handle it was 5,000 bucks (vs legal zoom $199)…except it isn’t. At my law office (which is in Decatur), we routinely handle these for less than $1,000. Let a lawyer handle it….your loved ones will appreciate it.

  18. Not quite in Decatur, but this is a fun festival for the foodies if anyone is interested. October 9th at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

    http://www.atlantacheesefestival.com

  20. What is happening with the Spanish / Tapas restaurant in the Ice House Lofts building. I saw some place last week it was having a soft opening but nothing since then. Are they open?

    1. Yes, they’re open, and I liked them. They’re different from The Iberian Pig in that their menu, whilst having some similar offerings, is much more streamlined. I can personally attest that their rose sangria is fabulous, and wickedly drinkable!

    2. We went to Rezagarse and loved it. We hope it does well because all the dishes we had made us feel like we were back in Spain. From the descriptions on the menu not all the dishes are going to do that but there are enough that will. This is the Spanish restaurant we have been waiting for and it is walking distance for us:-) The White Sangria was good and definitely potent. The bill at the end was reasonable for the amount of food and drink we had.

  22. My name is Christian, and I’m a high school senior with a pressure washer. I would love to help out if anybody needs sidewalks or driveways pressure washed. You can contact me at (404) 630-5956 or [email protected]. Thanks!

  24. Does anyone know if the city is in the process of improving the crosswalks? Crossing Ponce in front of Taqueria is a challenge because the walkway isn’t striped (and that old brick that was supposed to indicate a crosswalk is broken and not visible) and the sign that used to be in the middle of the street hasn’t been replaced. I’ve had several close calls. I can see why drivers who are not from the city would not anticipate the crossing. Can we bring back white stripes to our crosswalks and remove the brick (mostly good for twisting ankles since it is so broken) and reinstall the signs that sit on the lane lines?

    1. Definitely need those bright signs in the middle of the street. They catch drivers’ attention as good as anything short of an actual stoplight.

    2. That ridiculous fake brick is/was a complete waste of our tax dollars. Rip it all out and just paint all the crosswalks, and remember to go with proven solutions to problems.

      1. Hey! A fellow curmudgeon!
        (But in this case I think we should be more adventurous with traffic/pedestrian solutions.)

      3. Agree the faux brick was an abject failure. And agree they should be alert for creative enhancements, although big, fat zebra striping seems to work well IF it’s deployed consistently. I would be very interested to see the respective costs and durability specs on trompe l’oeil crossing markings versus conventional zebra striping.

        1. I have no idea what that French word is, but there are stencil crosswalks now that pass legal and traffic engineering muster. Chattanooga has some featuring trains. I’m sure we can come up with some creative designs.

          2. Trompe l’oeil is an art technique that makes something drawn or painted on a flat surface look three-dimensional. If you google “trompe l’oeil crosswalks” you’ll see some cool images. To approaching drivers, it looks like there is an obstacle in the street and they reflexively slow down and pay attention, then realize it’s flat and drive over it. There’s one of a child chasing a ball which, I imagine, would make people brake every time, no matter how many times they’d passed it before.

            1. Maybe they can paint them with the same paint that was used for the stripes in front of the fire station.

    3. The My Decatur GA app allows you to report things like this. P.S. We are reporting almost the entire stretch of S.Columbia’s potholes.

    4. Agree, that crosswalk is more and more difficult to cross. I called the City about it a month or two ago (can’t remember the person’s name) and asked if the signs were going to be replaced.

      I was told that that crosswalk never had signs because signs would never last at that location.

      Surprised, I told him I thought I remembered signs but he was insistent and I didn’t press the point because, frankly, I wasn’t sure my memory was correct.

      You can still see the marks in the road where the signs had been attached.

      Granted it’s a tough location for sign longevity but the signs are crucial to pedestrian longevity!

  26. Come out and support local artists at the Decatur Art House Saturday, September 12 from 10:00-4:00. Works will include Decatur pillows, ceramics, prints, paintings, and other various crafts. Featured artists include, Lil Bee Designs, Sarah Nathaniel, Geneva Smith, CJ Evans and kid creative team Sew Awesome. Located right next door to Corner Pub.
    See you there!

    1. Beat me to it…They’ve had the NO PARKING cones along several streets in Clairmont/Great Lakes for several days now and the filming permit says they’ll be filming for almost a month. So clearly somebody’s house is serving as a main location. Almost makes me wonder if it’s some sort of home improvement show.

    2. Came here to ask the same thing. Just came through there and a large crane/lift? was being used to film at the second story of that next to last house on the right before the light at Clairmont (119 Witon, maybe). Stuck behind a car that wanted to look rather than drive.

      1. Mother’s Day, directed by Gary Marshall–along the lines of New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Stars Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, and Kate Hudson, among others. That’s what you get if you google the production code on the crew signs–FALCON. (I get a kick out if trying to figure them out.)

  30. “Scene of the Crime” played tonight on the Square, and they should be arrested. They have sold their souls for the talent of Jimi Hendrix, Greg Allman, among other electric blues greats. Way too much talent for that age (maybe 16?), and surely up to something that will revolutionize something! You go, guys and girls! Wow. Only in Decatur.

  32. A shout out for Revival. We had a fantastic dinner on Friday night, granted it was a little earlier than I’d like due to having our kiddos in tow. Thanks for a great evening Revival!

    Everything we tried was fantastic. If you want great-Grandma’s homemade fried chicken, crazy good quail, cream corn, killer cornbread, field peas, greens, cabbage, etc, you owe it yourself to get over there ASAP.

    The hostess and staff was very accommodating and the food was off the charts. Check it out!

  34. Preparing to leave the city behind and so I’m ready to part with my city car. 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT, 14,500 orig miles. 6-speed manual. Silver w/ black leather interior. 30 mpg combined (21 city/37 hwy). Remainder of warranty transfers (5 yr/60k mi bumper to bumper, 10 yr/100k mi powertrain). Immaculate condition (one non-smoking owner, no pets or kids, parked in garage). Retails for $15,500-16,900 (Edmunds). Asking $14,500.

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