I’ve been avoiding these intersections already on the off-chance that they had already closed.  But apparently not.  Here we go!

From the Extreme Makeover: Downtown Decatur website…

As tentatively announced in this previous post, effective the morning of Monday, June 19, CSX will begin rebuilding their crossings at Candler and McDonough Streets.

Site work will continue uninterrupted until its completion which is projected to take roughly seven days. Both intersections will be closed and will remain closed for the duration.

Completion could be delayed due to rain. Stay tuned here for updates if an extension proves necessary.

You probably don’t want to get caught up in the detour…

…better to just use an alternative crossing point elsewhere in the city.

Photo courtesy of Joel

Calling all durable outdoor media artists!  The Decatur Arts Alliance is seeking artists for new Artway Sculptures!

The Decatur Arts Alliance seeks sculptures to be placed in five locations within walking distance of downtown Decatur as part of the ongoing Decatur Artway celebration of public art.  The sculptures are on view for two years and easily accessible to hundreds of people each month who come to Decatur to shop, dine, work, or attend the year-round calendar of events and festivals.  In addition, the art and artists are featured on the Otocast App.  Selected artists will receive an honorarium of $2,000, and in addition, the artwork may be available for sale.

All submissions should be professionally constructed of durable materials that will withstand the elements.  All durable outdoor media are encouraged.

Deadline for submission is July 15 and the jury will make the selection of sculptures in August, 2017.  Submit your application through callforentry.com (CaFE).

The Decatur Artway is a partnership among the Decatur Arts Alliance, the Decatur Tourism Bureau, and the City of Decatur.  Once installed the show will feature a special Gallery Opening with a walking tour of the sculptures and an artist talk by the selected artist(s) at his/her specific sculpture.

The Decatur Artway began in September 2015 with five temporary sculptures in downtown Decatur and continued in 2016 with the placement of five more sculptures in Oakhurst.  The new sculptures will be on display in downtown Decatur from October, 2017 through September, 2019.

Photo of “Prairie Vane”by Dan Perry at 4th Ave. and Oakview Rd. / F.AVE courtesy of Decatur Arts Alliance 

EXTREME DETOUR everyone. This should be a fun time for Decatur commuters.

That said, we should also take the long view and remember that this rebuild is a LONG time coming. (I have posts on this dating back to at LEAST 2009!  Man. I’m getting old.)

From the city’s Decatur Makeover website…

Details are still being finalized but now’s the time to start planning ahead: Effective the morning of Monday, June 19, CSX will begin rebuilding their crossings at Candler and McDonough Streets.

Work will continue uninterrupted until its completion which is projected to take roughly seven days. Both intersections will be closed and will remain closed until the work is finished.

A detour map will be posted here during the week of June 12 so stay tuned.

Project details

This collective project, including rail crossings at both McDonough and Candler, will significantly improve accessibility and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, further encouraging those who live in Winnona Park, the McDonough-Adams-Kings Highway community, and other neighborhoods south of the CSX rail corridor to walk and bike into downtown Decatur.

 The improvements will provide gentler slopes on the north side of both crossings resulting in an accessible path for persons in wheelchairs or those using strollers, and a much safer route located outside the railroad crossing gates for pedestrians and bicyclists. Presently, pedestrians and bicyclists have to share the roadway with vehicles at these crossings.

In addition to improvements at the crossings, there will now be new pedestrian crosswalks where none presently exist — on the east side of both intersections and just north of the Candler crossing connecting to the sidewalk along the old Depot property.

Finally, improved vehicular mobility is also a project priority. Both crossings will include new traffic signals on both sides which will allow protected left turns on all legs of the two crossings.

You can view the schematics in the original post.

Photo courtesy of Joel

From the Decatur Extreme Makeover website…

AMLI Development will begin underground utility improvements necessary for the Callaway property development on Commerce Drive beginning Tuesday morning, May 30. These will require the periodic closing of single vehicle lanes on Commerce south of West Trinity Place during a roughly two week period.

How to manage

Two-way vehicle traffic will generally be maintained during the work, though flagman/directional efforts may cause minor delays. All sidewalks are to remain open.

From the Agnes Scott College website…

Agnes Scott College President Elizabeth Kiss has announced her plans to step down on June 30, 2018, at the conclusion of her 12th year in this position. Known locally, nationally and internationally for her work as a leader and scholar in the areas of moral and political philosophy and ethics, Kiss is the eighth president of Agnes Scott.

Her major accomplishments include:

• Enrolling the three largest classes in Agnes Scott College history (fall 2010, 2015 and 2016).
• Launching SUMMIT, which “The Chronicle of Higher Education”  last week called “perhaps the best-known signature-experience program” in the country, through which every student completes a core curriculum focused on global learning and leadership development and builds a personal Board of Advisors, including a career mentor.
• Garnering national recognition for the college, including “#4 Most Innovative School” by “U.S. News & World Report” and the 2017 American Council on Education/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation.
• Establishing nine new majors and minors, as well as new partnerships with Emory and Georgia Tech.
• Launching—and exceeding by nearly $16 million—a $100 million comprehensive campaign for the college.
• Ensuring long-term commitments to sustainability on the campus via the use of geothermal and solar energy and establishing a $1 million Green Revolving Fund for energy efficiency.
• Strengthening the college’s commitment to a just and inclusive environment by establishing the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion, with full-time staff; implementing a Living Wage policy; and supporting the creation of a Staff Council.

Under Kiss’ leadership, Agnes Scott students have garnered Marshall, Truman and Goldwater scholarships, and the college has been named a “Top Fulbright Producer,” with 30 Fulbrights awarded during her tenure. The U.S. Department of Education has named Agnes Scott “the top national performer” (among private not-for-profit colleges and universities) for its success in graduating low-income students.

“Agnes Scott College is a better place today because of Elizabeth Kiss’ extraordinary leadership and unwavering commitment to our mission of educating women to be strong leaders in a global society,” said Agnes Scott Board Chair Elizabeth D. Holder ’82. “Elizabeth’s transformative leadership will be felt on this campus for years to come. She will truly be missed.”

Photo courtesy of Agnes Scott College website

Oh thank goodness!  From the AJC…

From the folks at Amplify Decatur…

Amplify Decatur is coming up on April 22^nd and is an outdoor concert that takes place out on Decatur Square.  A variety of volunteer opportunities are available for the event, including entry gate, merchandise table and close down shifts. Volunteering is a not only a great way to experience the concert, which is headlined by Lucinda Williams, but is also a fun way to give back to the community as proceeds from Amplify Decatur benefit Decatur Cooperative Ministries, which helps families in our community facing homelessness.

Ready to volunteer? You can sign up for a Volunteer Decatur account at www.volunteerdecatur.com and then see all the fun volunteer spots available and sign up!

For further information about volunteering at Amplify Decatur, contact Morgan Perkins at [email protected].

Thanks for volunteering!