Yesterday, many of you wondered openly why the city was asking about additional bond funding for Decatur Fire Station 1 and the Rec Center in a new Open City Hall question, when renovations to those facilities were also covered under the previous bond referendum.

City Manager Peggy Merriss responded this morning with this statement.

1. Improvements to Fire Station No. 1 were included in the 2007 bond issue.

In estimating what we would need for renovations to Fire Station Number 1 and rebuilding fire Station Number 2 for the total amount of funding, we estimated replacing the existing 2400sf Fire Station No. 2 with a new 2400sf Fire Station No. 2. Instead, in order to provide for placement of two pieces of fire equipment, to provide separate personal areas for each firefighter so that male and female firefighters could have some privacy in sleeping arrangements and bathroom facilities, and to provide alternative emergency management capabilities, Fire Station No. 2 is a 4800sf building. In the end, it cost about double our estimate because it was double the size.

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From Decatur’s City Manager Peggy Merriss…

The gas leak has been fixed. In cooperation with the City Schools of Decatur, children who live in the area are staying at school for an extra 15 minutes before they are released to go home. We will have fire and police staff in the area to assist any children in reentering their homes and making sure windows are opened and that he house is well ventilated.

We will also begin shuttling persons back from the Decatur Recreation Center to their homes within approximately the next half-hour.

Atlanta Gas Light will be in the neighborhood for the remainder of the day and likely overnight going door-to-door to relight pilot lights.

We will also be issuing a new Code Red message to let everyone know it is safe to return to their neighborhoods.

There were no injuries and no property damage. Thanks to the wonderful emergency management and active living staff who made sure the inconveniences were minimal and gave people a safe, comfortable place to stay.

UPDATE IV: Another update from The Decatur Minute – 2:00 p.m. — The gas line has been shut off but it will still be several hours before residents will be able to return to the area.

UPDATE III: The CodeRed alert also said that “Ridley Circle, Harold Byrd Drive and Mockingbird Lane to Westchester Drive were also being evacuated.

UPDATE II: Just received my CodeRed alert relaying much of the same info in the update above.  One additional piece of info from the CodeRed: if you need transportation to the Rec Center, Decatur Police at the Coventry/Scott intersection can assist you.

UPDATE: From The Decatur Minute – 12:50 p.m.

The following streets are being evacuated: 300 to 600 blocks Coventry Road; Merrill Avenue; Chelsea Drive; Pope Circle; and Kathryn Avenue.

At this time, all residents residing in those specific areas need to open various windows throughout their residences then immediately evacuate from the area. The City of Decatur has established the Decatur Recreation Center as the staging and evacuation point for all residents. The Recreation Center is located at 231 Sycamore Street within the City of Decatur.

If you need transportation assistance to the Recreation Center, Police and Fire units are standing by at Coventry Road @ Scott Blvd. and will assist you in relocating to the recreation center.

From the city’s Lyn Menne…

There is a major gas line leak on Coventry Road. A contractor (I think DeKalb Co. but not certain) hit a gas line and residents in the area are being told to evacuate. We are sending out a code red telephone alert to all residents in the impacted area. We are setting up a temporary shelter at the Decatur Recreation Center for any residents who need a place to go. Will keep you posted.

Here we go again.  From Decatur PD…

Please do not place payments for outgoing bills in your mailbox. We are continuing to receive reports of thefts of outgoing mail that lead to fraud.

To prevent mail theft in your neighborhood:

• *Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery.
• *Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection mailboxes or at your local post office. Do not leave mail in unsecured mail receptacles.
• *Shred pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts, bills, and other financial information you don’t want before discarding it in the trash or recycling bin.
• *If you plan a vacation, please notify your local post office to place a courtesy hold on your mail until you return from vacation.

• *Please report any type of mail theft to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Decatur Police Department.

Giving new meaning to the term “free-range”.

David writes in…

Missing a rooster? Riding my bike to work today, I stumbled upon a black rooster on the sidewalk. Corner of Commerce and East College Avenue at the green railroad bridge. It ran off into the shrubs by street entrance to the newer homes located there.

I wonder if this is the same fowl as was reported by Robert on Twitter yesterday…

Saw #DecaturGA police officer chasing a chicken down railroad tracks outside Ice House Lofts about 12p today. The chicken was winning

Both William and Altmod write in with eye-witness reports of a bomb scare at the Emory Village CVS.  Here’s the time-line thus far…

• At 6:40pm, William reported that the pharmacy had been evacuated due to a “bomb scare”.
• An hour later Altmod wrote in “We are having to walk back to Decatur as no cars can leave cvs lot. Doc chey’s evacuated too…”
• A couple minutes later, she wrote “Actually suspicious bookbag next to CVS.  Bomb squad on the scene.”

From the Emory Report…

Emory’s new campus bookstore and admissions office continues construction on Oxford Road. The building is expected to be complete in late May, and occupied later this summer.

When completed, the three story structure will house a Barnes & Noble Bookstore on the first and second level, a large Starbucks coffee shop on the first level, and a Barnes and Noble “spirit merchandise” sales area on the third level. The new undergraduate admissions office will also be on the third floor.

A landscaped plaza, the Anne Register Jones Courtyard, will bridge the area between the new building and the B. Jones Building.  Recently named to honor the wife of Boisfeuillet Jones, the courtyard will be a large “green roof” over a new parking deck.

Interior and Exterior Renderings courtesy of the Emory Report