UPDATE: It looks like last night may have been a test run.

Brent writes in with this eyewitness report…

Decatur Diner. Drove by tonight.  Booths were filled. Menu’s were waving.

Could it be??

A reader sends in a picture of a map hanging in the new Burnt Fork BBQ on Church Street.  They report that all the roads on the map retain their current Great Lake names, even though the original name of the development was “Clairemont Park”.

What does “5 Minute Schedule” refer to?  Is that a reference to the trolley?

On to Principle B of Decatur’s 2010 Strategic Plan draft: Encourage a diverse and engaged community.

What concrete steps will Decatur undertake to maintain and encourage a diverse population?  Here they are!

Goal 5: Maintain and encourage diversity of race, ethnicity, income, culture, age, family type, and other kinds of diversity

Task 5A: Promote Decatur as a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC ) where people can stay in their homes and communities as they age.

Task 5B: Continue to encourage the participation of artists and performers that represent a broad range of cultures at festivals and special events.

Task 5C: Identify and support marketing and media outlets that target diverse cultures.

Task 5D: Track and report policies that encourage diversity and attendance at festivals.

Task 5E: Identify networking opportunities for minority groups and reach out to these groups to solicit them to live, work, and play in Decatur, as well as participate in community leadership roles.

Task 5F: Adopt universal design guidelines to allow new buildings and homes to be visitable by those with mobility impairments.

Even the most able-bodied members of society will one day reach periods in their life where their mobility is impaired. Creating housing that is accessible or visitable to a wide range of citizens would benefit both current and future residents, and make the city resilient in the face of demographic changes.

Here’s a taste of Atlanta Magazine’s just posted “Ten questions for… Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd”

Name: William (Bill) Floyd

Age: 64

Neighborhood: Decatur

Occupation: Mayor of Decatur / General Contractor

1. How long have you lived in Atlanta?

40 years.

2. In one sentence, tell us the best thing about your job.

I enjoy what I do. That makes going to work fun.

3. What’s one thing that’s changed about the city that you wish hadn’t?

“There’s a pall that’s over this town that is unacceptable…We need a second act.”  That’s Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed at last week’s Atlanta Press Club meeting, as reported by the AJC.

With Dallas’ recent hosting of the Super Bowl and Charlotte’s announcement that they had snagged the 2012 Democratic Convention, it’s easy to see how Atlanta could be sorta down on itself right now.

According to Reed, Atlanta’s 2000 decade boom spurred by the 1996 Olympics made the city complacent.  With unemployment above the national average and a nearly 9 percent drop in available jobs since 2007, it’s easy to see why Atlanta would be sort of sensitive to the recent, high-profile achievements of its unofficial rivals right now.

And it’s not just Democratic mayors that want Atlanta to produce a “second act”.

Rusty Paul, a former legislator who headed the state GOP, laughed when told of Reed’s comments about Atlanta’s potential decline. “It sounds like the speech I’ve been giving,” he said. “I’m glad the mayor is talking this way. If you’re going to fail, fail big.”

“Atlanta was the regional hub of the South because it did things first; Atlanta was on the cutting edge of transportation,” Paul said. “But, after the Olympics, we sat back and coasted. We expected growth to keep coming like it would never end. We got lulled into complacency.”

No longer on the cutting edge of transportation (Dallas has apparently installed 72 miles of light-rail since 1996) and no Olympic-scale event on the books, the city of transplants needs to start acting like it believes in itself again.  Because while its great fun to fight amongst ourselves over Atlanta’s direction, eventually we gotta move forward and DO something demonstrates faith in our future.

Otherwise, cities like Dallas and Charlotte will happily step in and fill the gap.