DHS teacher Chris Billingsley writes in…

The students enjoyed meeting all the elected officials, especially Ms. Elizabeth Wilson, former mayor of Decatur. They were also interested in Senator Jason Carter’s proposal to put an income cap on eligibility for the Hope Scholarship. I was especially interested in the discussion about new municipalities in the Atlanta area and a proposed constitutional amendment concerning state sponsored, but locally paid for, charter schools.

The Atlantic Cities blog has a really interesting post this morning based on the successful rain garden programs in Portland, Oregon (“the dream of the 90’s is alive…”) and around Washington D.C.  The post has a rather emphatic title “Why Every City Should be Planting Rain Gardens” and after reading it, it’s hard to disagree.

Rain gardens seem like they have the potential to please every type of city dweller as well as perform a necessary function of reducing rain runoff by allowing storm-water to soak into the ground.  The finance hawks can take comfort in the fact that each strategically placed rain garden can reduce the burden on an increasingly expensive sewer system.  Eco-nauts can love the fact that the gardens incorporate native plant species, and reduces damaging run-off.  Draught-fearfuls will appreciate that the gardens send more rainwater back into the earth during the summer months of Lanier-induced panic.

What’s not to love?

And it’s not just something the city can tuck into small parcels of land around the city, but it’s also an idea that can benefit our commercial properties AND countless negative-revenue single family homeowers!  Want to install a few rain gardens yourself?  The Oakhurst Community Garden and the city are hosting a rain garden event at the Decatur Library in April.  Can’t wait ’til then?  You can also watch this 12 minute video put together by the city of Portland on the where and how of installing rain gardens around your home, do some more Googling and then get started (or hire someone to do it for you).

At the broader city level, it seems like if city staff could just determine where to put these rain gardens, you could find countless volunteers to spend the weekends digging the ditches, shoveling the dirt, and planting the low-maintenance plants.  What parent hasn’t dreamed of sending their tweenager out to dig a few ditches on a Saturday morning??  And they’d be digging “for the environment”.  What child of the new millennium wouldn’t love that?

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

• Decatur’s new Courtyard by Marriott will open February 1st [Crossroads]
• Contrary to previous reports, Outwrite Books closes for good [Outwrite]
• Burrell Ellis says he’ll seek re-election as DeKalb CEO [AJC]
• Oakhurst new construction featured [Curbed]
• Sign a petition for a new animal shelter in DeKalb [Change.org]
• Billy Reid opening a store at White Provision [Bearings]
• Brookings Institute op-ed: Atlanta ain’t so “Hot” anymore [AJC]

Midtown Atlanta parking map courtesy of Human Scale Cities

Feel free to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.

Comments close on Monday.

Twains, Decatur GA (pic submitted by E.J. of 7of1)