Among the Decatur School Board’s agenda items for the coming week is a motion to approve advertising “for project management services for Renfroe Middle School infrastructure update, Fifth Avenue Academy Building Project, and Decatur Career Academy renovation/addition.”

This search is of particular note because it marks the end of Rosser International’s contract with CSD in May.  Rosser has worked on many CSD construction projects in the last couple years, including the completion of the new Decatur High gymnasium and auditorium and the renovation of the high school’s science labs.  They’ve also done some sketches of the new 5th Avenue Academy.

But many Decatur residents, myself included, were first introduced to Rosser in 2008, when the city was collecting information on whether to pursue a wide-spread annexation of surrounding unincorporated, residential and commercial property.

In a dialogue that stretched over MANY months, it was ultimately proven by residents Pat Herold and Judd Owen that there were serious discrepancies in Rosser’s student enrollment projections, which adversely affected revenue estimates.  This finding, combined with broader worries about tax revenue, was followed closely by a School Board vote against annexation (non-binding), and a tabling of the issue by Decatur’s City Commission.  The item is still tabled as far as I know.

Who will be CSD’s next project management team?  Who knows.  But one thing is for sure; between the School Board and city residents, they’ll certainly have their work cut out for them.

Decatur and Avondale Estates’ College Avenue annexation bid hits the front page of the AJC this morning, with a big ‘ol article on all things PROPERTY.

The article features all the reoccurring arguments and views in our ongoing debate:  the effects of gentrification, the predicted value of property after annexation, the legal right of cities to annex without property owner consent, and arguments pro (Finders Keepers’ Bonnie Kallenberg) and con (property owner Joe Gargiulo).

April Hunt’s piece gives a very good overview of the situation, but honestly doesn’t feel very timely since the bill to annex the commercial parcels along the strip is currently without a needed 10th vote from the DeKalb delegation, which is the only way to usher it onto the House floor.  But I guess since it’s made its way out of the AJC’s Metro section and onto the front page, it might be an interesting read for Cobb County residents!

“Oh Dekalb cities, you so crazy!”

Threats of annexation seem to bring people together. Remember how Decatur’s last annexation attempt united the city’s northern neighbors?

The latest College Avenue annexation attempt by Decatur and Avondale has spurred one DeKalb County Commissioner and many of the area’s business owners into action.

According to a recent article in the Champion Newspaper (h/t: Next Stop), Commissioner Kathie Gannon and some area business owners will meet up on this coming Saturday to discuss ways to improve the area’s appearance.

“We’ll be doing any kind of things that we can physically do and make a difference in terms of appearance,” she said. “Every single issue we can address, and there should be no reason for annexation.”

Gargiulo said she and several other business owners have created a list of improvements to businesses along the street that leads into Avondale Estates’ Tudor-themed gateway. That includes picking up trash, tearing away decrepit fencing and repainting some businesses’ exteriors.

It seems a noble goal, and one that would accomplish many of the two cities’ end-games without a controversial annexation.  However, if annexation doesn’t pass the GA legislature, it will be interesting to see how committed folks are to beautification efforts without any looming threat.  I don’t doubt the sincerity of the effort, but when any group is motivated primarily by a threat, it’s often tricky to sustain momentum once that threat disappears.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Stuckey Benfield continues to search for that elusive 10th vote from the DeKalb delegation, in order to bring the annexation bill to the floor of the GA House.

Breaking news from The Champion…

After [Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield] gathered the 10 signatures from DeKalb County House delegation members required to send the issue to a vote in the General Assembly, one member – Rep. Simone Bell – pulled her name off the list, Benfield said.

Bell and fellow local House members “are getting heavy lobbying from the county not to sign. I can respect that,” Benfield said. “That’s understandable pressure.”

…Benfield said her nine other signatures included Reps. Stacey Abrams, Karla Drenner, Fran Millar, Mike Jacobs, Pat Gardner, Mary Margaret Oliver, Jim Chambers and herself. At the Feb. 1 meeting, only Millar and Benfield vocally supported the proposal. Rep. Kevin Levitas asked several probing questions indicating his concern for the rights of the business owners, but Benfield said he has agreed to sign the petition in the future if the businesses don’t clean up their sites in a reasonable amount of time.

Regardless, Benfield said she doesn’t know where that leaves her.

As you can see from the picture above, a couple days ago, someone threw a large rock through the Finders Keepers sign which currently reads “Yes Annexation”. Real classy.

According to a report, the Finders Keepers folks have since ” taped [the sign] back together as a sign of support so the “Yes Annexation” is still proudly showing.”

Finders Keepers is one of two property owners in the annexation area along College Avenue who support the legislative effort.

Updates coming in as we speak!  uh…comment!

The AJC reports that Representative Benfield got the 10 signatures from the DeKalb delegation today to introduce the bill to the General Assembly.  What’s next?

The twin bills — which would allow Decatur to annex 10 properties and Avondale 23, to meet at Sams Crossing- will be read and assigned to the intergovernmental affairs committee on Wednesday.

Once the committee affirms the bills comply with local rules, they could be bundled with several other local bills and voted on, as early as Friday, Benfield said.

Even so, the measure would then go to the Senate, for review by that delegation and vote by the whole body.

According to the AJC, Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield says she has 6 of the 10 signatures from the DeKalb delegation needed to put the Decatur/Avondale College Ave commercial annexation bill to a vote before the General Assembly.

DeKalb County’s legislative delegation conducted a two-hour meeting Monday on annexation in general and in particular on the proposal for the two cities to meet at Sams Crossing.

It was announced at the end of the session that the sponsor of the two bills — one for Avondale Estates, one for Decatur — can begin lobbying fellow lawmakers to sign off on the plan. The delegation’s rules require signatures from at least 10 of its 21 members to move a bill forward for a General Assembly vote. State Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield said she already has six signatures for the bills.

Also in the article: Many area business owners are still angry about the possibility.  DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis is against it.  And Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd is tired of delays.

UPDATE: Geoff has a very detailed report of opinions given on annexation from the hearing at the Georgia Capitol.  No big surprises though.  The Decatur and Avondale mayors are for it.  DeKalb commish Kathie Gannon and many of the area’s business owners are against it.  And round-and-round we go.

As first reported here on DM, Decatur and Avondale Estates have revived their attempt to pass state legislation that would annex 32 commercial parcels between their two borders.  This morning, the AJC’s April Hunt reports that this is the week when state legislators will review the plan.

In terms of its chances getting 10 DeKalb delegation signatures to bring it to a House vote, Hunt writes that Rep. Benfield is optimistic.

The owners haven’t changed their stance, but state Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield said she is “encouraged” by talks with DeKalb’s 20 other House members who might support a vote. Ten delegation signatures are required for a House vote.

“We are getting an early start this year,” Benfield said. “I’ve been optimistic that this is the year.”

This squares with a comment Rep. Benfield made to me a couple weeks back, when I first covered this issue, saying “I think I’ve got a good chance of passing it this session.”

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A year after Decatur led a failed effort to annex a portion of College Avenue into Decatur and Avondale Estates’ city limits, Avondale Estates has now taken the lead and is making a serious effort, during the current state legislative session, to bring this strip of “blighted” land under the two cities’ jurisdiction.

In a letter to his community this morning, Avondale Estate mayor, Ed Rieker, urged Avondale residents to contact elected state and county representatives and urge them to support Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield’s effort to pass legislation that would bring College Ave land west of Sam’s Crossing into the city of Decatur and land east of the Crossing into Avondale’s city limits.

The mayor’s letter includes an attachment that summarizes Avondale’s argument to approve the annexation, which Rieker promises he “will also be distributing…to those elected officials at the state and county level that we are lobbying to help State Representative Stephanie Stuckey-Benfield pass the annexation legislation during the 2010 session that started today.”

Among the mayor’s stated reasons for annexation are to “regulate future growth and development, increase the presence of law enforcement and to beautify the gateway into our city.”  Rieker notes that the area under consideration, which consists of 23 properties belonging to nine separate owners, has become “blighted and considered by residents an area prone to criminal activity”.

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Having a guest in town last night, we opted for 1/2 bottles at Watershed over the commission meeting, but the AJC reports this morning that the DeVry annexation passed unanimously.  The commission also approved the change in zoning to “mixed-use.”

Money wise…

As is, the campus is valued at $13.5 million, generating about $222,000 in taxes for the city and school district.

With 550 residential units plus $10 million worth of commercial space, the land is projected to be worth $65 million and put more than $1 million into city and school district coffers.

This should be a very interesting project once it gets off the ground.  If it does indeed offer walkable retail to Sycamore Heights residents, one can assume that the desirability of that neighborhood will increase quickly.