Category: Environment

Earth Day Paint Recycling this Saturday

Do you have a stash of old paint cans in your garage or shed?  Jump start your spring cleaning by recycling them in honor of Earth Day.

The Decatur Presbyterian Church Youth are hosting a paint recycling fundraiser this Saturday, April 21st.  The event will be held from 9:00am-1:00pm in the Sycamore House parking lot (208 Sycamore St.).  Per the Decatur Presbyterian website:

The event will be held in the Sycamore House parking lot, across the street from the church sanctuary. Latex and oil based paints will be accepted in all quantities, and the value of the recyclable material will depend on the size (1 pint of latex paint=$1; 1 gallon of latex paint=$3). Funds raised from the event will help with the costs of establishing a new green space at Sycamore House.

Image courtesy of Rachel Ellis via the City of Decatur - North of the Tracks Facebook group.

Decatur Christmas Tree Recycling Thru Saturday, Jan 6th This Year

From the City via Steve in a FAFF comment (harder to find the info online this year!)…

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, through Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, City of Decatur residents may drop off live Christmas trees at the annual “Bring One for the Chipper” event at the Agnes Scott College parking lot between 184 and 206 S. Candler St.

Please do not leave Christmas trees anywhere else on the Agnes Scott campus.

DeKalb Hazardous Waste Recycling This Saturday

The DeKalb County Sanitation Division is hosting its biannual household hazardous waste recycling event this Saturday, Oct. 21 from 8 a.m. – noon, at the Sanitation Division’s Central Transfer Station, 3720 Leroy Scott Drive in Decatur.

If you’re a DeKalb County resident, dead on over and recycle aerosols, batteries, adhesives, flammables, lawn care products, fluorescent light bulbs, photo chemicals, artist supplies, paint and paint-related products!

However, don’t try to recycle s agricultural waste, ammunition, pharmaceuticals, radioactive materials, and biohazardous and biomedical waste.  Those items won’t be accepted.

Photo courtesy of DeKalb Sanitation 

After Property Sale, United Methodist Children’s Home Signs Leases On New Facilities

After selling it’s 77 acre property to the City of Decatur earlier this year, the United Methodist Children’s Home announced in a press release yesterday that they have signed leases on residences, offices and a flea market in nearby Clarkson and Tucker, GA.

According to the UMCH, the sale of the Decatur property will allow them to reach 25% more children and families in the coming year and provide “more modern, safe and appropriate housing” for current and future residents.

“UMCH also signed a lease for new administrative and volunteer office space and UMCH Flea Market at 1967 Lakeside Parkway, Building 400 in Tucker.”, according to the release.

Decatur is planning to hold community-based master planning sessions in the coming months to determine how the expansive UMHC property (MAP) will be used by the city.  The city also secured a low-interest loan to help with the purchase of 22.08 acres of the property, which  “will permanently protect the land for the purpose of conservation and public recreation” according to the city.

Correction: The city’s low-interest loan will protect 22.08 acres of land at the UMCH site, not the entire site, as the post previously stated.

City To Evaluate City-Owned Trees

If you start seeing Xs spray-painted on trees around town in the coming weeks, here’s what’s up according to the Decatur Focus…

City of Decatur arborist Kay Evanovich is working with the Urban Forestry Management Plan team to mark certain city-owned trees for either tree health care or removal as part of the city’s Urban Forestry Management
Plan.

Using a tree risk management system known as ALARP (As Low as Reasonably Practical), which manages tree risks by reducing them to a level that demonstrates due diligence and a proactive approach, the team is able to assess trees and categorize them by their risk level.

Trees that are identified as high risk are being marked with an orange X for removal and moderate risk trees are wrapped with yellow caution tape to be pruned or treated.

The community can help by leaving flagging tape on trees so that crews can locate them.

Once all necessary trees are flagged the information at right will apply:

On streets that experience reduced canopy levels each spring, new trees will be planted through the Trees Atlanta planting program.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree In Decatur Through Saturday, January 7th

From the City of Decatur website…

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, through Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017

City of Decatur residents can drop off live Christmas trees at the annual “Bring One for the Chipper” event at the Agnes Scott College parking lot between 184 and 206 S. Candler St. Please do not leave Christmas trees anywhere else on the Agnes Scott campus.

East Decatur Greenway Trail Construction Begins Next Week

path-sign

A sign posted at the entrance of the Katie Kerr neighborhood announced that construction of the East Decatur Greenway Trail will begin next week.  (If you didn’t get that already from the post title! 🙂 )

Here’s the text in full from the picture above, courtesy of Kat …

Construction of the East Decatur Greenway Trail will begin November 7, 2016 and continue through March 2017.  The trail will be located on county right-of-way on Katie Kerr Drive.  We will do everything possible to minimize any impact to your daily routine during construction.  Please be patient with their task of clearing and grading your area.

Contact for questions or concerns:

Jonathan McCaig

Construction Manager

PATH Foundation

[email protected]

See eastdecaturgreenway.org for a trail map and more information.

As shown in the map below, the East Decatur Greenway will connect from a new community park on S. Columbia Drive – a former vacant gas station, up Katie Kerr Drive around the backside of the United Methodist Children’s Home to the new Avondale MARTA mixed use development.

Click the map below to enlarge…

greenway-path-map