Outside of Decatur, but maybe, just maybe someone’s seen this pup.  Rhiannon writes in…

My friend, Dawn, is looking for her lost dog (see image above).  Jasmine escaped after her Glenwood home was robbed Thursday night.  Jasmine is a 6 yr old Beagle/Dachshund mix approx 25-30 lbs. No collar at time of break-in BUT she is micro-chipped. Last seen being rescued by 2 women in silver Scion near I20 at Boulevard and Sydney intersection of Grant Park.  We are asking anyone with more information to please CALL Dawn at or Sam at .

Here is a video of the news footage.  http://www.wsbtv.com/video/28865080/index.html

Heather writes in…

DECATUR – The DeKalb County Animal Services Task Force is seeking public opinion on several proposed initiatives to improve public health, safety and code enforcement related to animal services in DeKalb County. The proposed initiatives seek to increase adoptions of abandoned and lost animals, encourage responsible pet ownership, improve the conditions of animals under the county’s care and reduce euthanasia rates at the animal shelter. Residents are encouraged to attend the following meeting TONIGHT!

Tuesday, Aug. 16 from 6 – 8 p.m.

Decatur Library

215 Sycamore Street, Decatur

I’ve received a lot of notes about a Decatur Historic Preservation Committee presentation at 6:30p regarding the Living Walls mural on the side of the old Paste two-story commercial building at East Howard and N. Candler, thanks to a couple posts on Living Walls’ Facebook page, which read…

Advocacy Alert! Decatur City Hall: Public Hearing on Living Walls Mural … Some neighbors are trying to have the mural erased! (See also picture below.) 6:30PM TONIGHT!

“Hmm”, I thought to myself.  That seems sort of impossible, because the one thing that preservation ordinances can’t usually regulate is paint color.  A note from the city’s Planning Director Amanda Thompson confirms my suspicions and explains what the meeting will actually entail…

The hearing tonight is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the Living Walls project. Some residents in the Old Decatur local historic district have had questions about the project and requested an opportunity to comment and learn more about it. The preservation commission does not have the authority to remove the mural or change its design.

So there you are then.  Some folks in the Old Decatur Historic District may be displeased with the project, but no one can actually force anyone to remove the mural.

Photo courtesy of Living Walls Facebook page

In a 5-0 vote, the 5-member Atlanta Transportation Roundtable Exec Committee – which included Mayor Bill Floyd – approved their final version of a regional transportation list yesterday.  The list will now go before the full 22 member roundtable for final approval by October 15th.

As Mayor Floyd pointed out at last night’s city commission meeting, the larger group could decide to throw out the executive committee’s suggestions and start over if they wanted.  However, Mayor Kasim Reed seems to think that’s not much of a possibility. From the Green Building Chronicle…

…Reed says the larger group will most likely go along with the Executive Committee’s proposals. “The Roundtable’s going to do just fine,” he told us.

The Final List can be found HERE in PDF form.

The Clifton Corridor MARTA line survived the round of last minute cuts unscathed, with $700 million allocated to the project, which is projected to cost $1.1 billion.  The other transit biggie for DeKalb is $225 million allocated to extend MARTA’s East Line from Indian Creek to Wesley Chapel Road near I-20.

At last night’s Decatur city commission meeting, four Westchester neighborhood residents stood up in support of the city applying for a grant through the hazard mitigation program of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to purchase the home at 237 Westchester Drive.

According to the home-owner and area residents, substantial flooding of the house and lot – which has occurred seven times in eight years – occurs due the inadequacies of the city’s storm water and sewer runoff system in the area.

If approved, the grant would cover 75% of the purchase of the property, which is currently appraised by the County at $403,000.  The city would cover the other 25%, in an amount not to exceed $101,000.  According to Asst. City Manager David Junger, there is money in the city’s capital improvement fund to finance this project during the current fiscal year.

However, approval from GEMA will probably take an estimated 12 months.

If approved, the residence would be torn down and the lot would be converted into a public green-space.  Based on discussion between the city commissioners and Mr Junger, even if the lot is purchased, there are no plans currently to remedy the drainage issue.