Lain forwards a link to Boing Boing showing off Dutch company Tiger-Stone’s new “Brick Road Laying Machine”.

Note the loose bricks sitting on top of the machine.  This isn’t a sheet of stamped concrete or anything; this machine lays actual brick.  How does it work?  From Inhabit…

The machine consists of an angled plain that workers feed with paving stones or bricks. As the electric crawler inches forward along a sand base layer, the bricks are automatically packed together by gravity. A small telescoping forklift feeds the hopper, allowing the Tiger-Stone to lay out an impressive 400 meters of road day, and the span can be adjusted up to six meters wide. Here’s a stereophonic video of the machine in action.

Of course, word usage can be confusing, especially when assuming that the legalese version is at all similar to a word’s more common use in the public lexicon.

But make no mistake, in the Decatur City Commission’s ongoing process of securing interest-subsidized financing for three incomplete bond projects – Fire Station #1, the Decatur Rec Center, and Public Works – they will ultimately have to deem the land encompassing the Rec Center and Fire Station #1 and the Public Works site as a “slum” and/or “blight”.

Why?  Well, first of all, according to a letter to the commission from Peggy Merriss (page 50), the city wasn’t able to obtain “Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds” – which would have provided a 45% interest rebate on loans – because the State didn’t make any available for local projects “not included in the original disbursements to county governments.”

So, the back up plan – which should provide a smaller 35% rebate on interest – is to go after Build America Bonds.  To do this, the city must jump lots of legal hurdles such as: deem it necessary to “exercise urban redevelopment powers” and establish an Urban Redevelopment Agency.

It must also legally acknowledge that these are “slum areas”.

But before we get all up in arms about use of the word “slum” to describe relatively nice areas of the city, note this part of the legal definition, as relayed by the City Manager in an email this morning…

“areas in which there is the presence of deteriorated or deteriorating structures; faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness; deterioration of site or other improvements.”

The city believes that this accurately describes the three city buildings seeking redevelopment and renovation.

To be clear, the City Commission does not vote on the parcel designation at tonight’s meeting.  They will only tackle the issue of declaring the necessity of exercising the Urban Redevelopment Powers.  Most of the other aspects should be taken on at the December 6th commission meeting.

Oh, and one other interesting note.  In her letter to the Commissioners, City Manager Peggy Merriss raises the question of whether the undeveloped Trinity Triangle property – across from Fire Station #1 – should also be included in the designated “slum area”.  When I asked the City Manager about this, she responded…

I don’t know if the “Trinity Triangle” parcels will ultimately be included. We are trying to determine if it would provide some incentives or be helpful in getting the property redeveloped and get the project moving.

The AJC reports that the Delta Community Credit Union that been building out the old Wolf Camera space for a few months will open to the public this Thursday with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:30am.

UPDATE: Oh, BTW…once you balance the budget, the NY Times will supply you with a link if you’d like to share you solution with DM friends and foes alike.

Blues, Reds, Purples.

In a time of economic recession, people of all political colors become increasingly concerned with their governments’ budgets.  Here on DM, the financial watchdogs have been out in force over the past year or so, consistently raising questions of local, state and federal spending when another expense is proposed.

And while Decatur currently boasts a balanced budget, the same can’t be said for our Federal government.

But what to do?  You’re just one person without a think tank or army of economists.

Well, thanks to an ambitious effort by the New York Times, you can now balance the Federal budget in mere seconds, at home in your jammies!

Just CLICK HERE to begin your personal journey into the depths of our federal taxing and spending.  Click off on plans to either cut spending or raise taxes with the goal of balancing the Fed’s budget in both the short-term (2015) and long-term (2030).

And if I know many of you, you’re also going to be even more interested in the research behind these numbers.  You can read a summary of how amounts were calculated HERE.

Good luck.  We are all counting on you!

Across-the-street neighbor, Ann at Mingei World Arts, reports in that “Taste” – which has been closed since the beginning of the year – will reopen tomorrow.