Mindy is good enough to send along an email from city commissioner Fred Boykin to the Venetian Pools email list, explaining that the Georgia DOT has scrapped its planned sidewalk improvements along Scott Blvd without telling the city. The city has scheduled a April 1st Westchester meeting at 6:30p to voice dissatisfaction with the change in plans.

Here are Fred’s words…

A recently proposed Georgia DOT project was to include fixing, replacing, and adding sidewalks along the Scott Blvd. corridor (including in front of Venetian Pools) within the Decatur city limits as part of a larger project along Ponce de Leon. The Scott Blvd. portion was scrapped – and with no prior notice to the city. This did not sit well with a number of residents and a meeting has been set up with Ga. DOT staff and residents in the area. In addition, Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Baskett, myself, City Manager Peggy Merriss, State Rep. Stephanie Stuckey, and Ga. DOT Board member Emory McClinton are scheduled to be there as well.

It is difficult to get a meeting like this set up. It will be your best opportunity to let Ga. DOT know your feelings about Scott Blvd.,sidewalks or probably anything else about this corridor!

Sorry for the short notice, but we only pulled it together in the past few days.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday April 1st, 6:30 PM at Westchester on Scott Blvd. This is the old Westchester School location and current home of the Decatur School System Administration Offices – meeting will be held in the auditorium. Please try and attend and please pass the word!

This is a topic that I can talk about firsthand. To walk along Scott Boulevard is taking your life in your hands.

Most of its sidewalks don’t even sport a buffer with the street, and with cars that travel 50+ miles an hour down it, its the least pedestrian-friendly street in the whole city. And crossing it is a whole other form of terror. I can’t even imagine trying to do it with kids in tow.

I know I’ll try to be in attendance.

Seems like One West Courthouse Square is becoming an educational hub.

DeVry University/Georgia’s President announced today in a letter to “Georgia Employees” that they are downsizing from its DeKalb Industrial campus and moving to our glassy, Square building this autumn.

Geez…was this building completely empty prior to these academic tenets? When did all this space become available?

Hopefully this means even more lunchtime traffic for Decatur and perhaps it will help revitalize that sunken dead-zone patio area with the broken stone tables. That whole area is completely unacceptable if you ask me.

Thanks to Cherie and Rus to forwarding along this information!

If you’d like to read the President’s full message check out the continuation… Read the rest of this entry »