Comments on: Decatur’s Planned Projects Over the Next 12 Months

By: s

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:15:16 +0000

I love it!

By: AnotherRick

AnotherRick — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:12:30 +0000

And get the Atlanta Jugglers there.
http://www.atlantajugglers.org/

By: Linda Harris

Linda Harris — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:34:52 +0000

There are currently four kiosks around the square – one in front of the Old Courthouse, one behind the Community Bandstand and one at each entrance to the MARTA station. We put a large map showing the location of all the shops & restaurants and change it out every time we update the Shopping, Dining and Services Guide. Three of the kiosks have a space on the other side to put posters and information about upcoming events. The Tourism Bureau has a tent out on the square every Saturday to answer questions and give out information about the city. We have had an equal number of residents and visitors come to the tent to get information. We will be opening a Visitors Center that will have a variety of information available for residents and visitors. We are always looking for volunteers to help out so let us know if you are interested.

By: Daydreamer

Daydreamer — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:14:46 +0000

“Why not close Ponce every Fri and Sat from Leons to court house?”

You know, I could really see something like this working and being lots of fun. Maybe local artists and other venders, the trucks wouldn’t hurt restaurants because they are usually packed these nights. Maybe the last Fri and Sat evening of the month, Summer through Fall, so it doesn’t require the commitment from the city every weekend. This is a 5 star idea!

By: AnotherRick

AnotherRick — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:35:48 +0000

Actually it is almost impossible to develop the data sets that would be required for this kind of analysis of governmental policy. I was enthusiastic about doing this type of work while getting my MS in Public Administration.That was 35 years ago. It is not so easy.

By: DecaturCyn

DecaturCyn — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:17:21 +0000

I’m sure that ARC will help Decatur to adapt and use its Lifelong Communities framework. ARC’s aging division is nationally recognized for this very comprehensive approach to aging in place. Here’s the link to more info: http://www.atlantaregional.com/aging-resources/lifelong-communities-llc.

“DecaturCynic”? Never thought of that. The dull (and true) answer is that Cyn stands for Cynthia.

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:35:45 +0000

+1. Even though I’m not a great believer in privatization over government services–I’ve seen both malfunction stupendously–I AM a great believer in volunteerism and community service. So I’m all for FFAF group efforts to assist the City. If nothing else, it would be an excellent start for the City. I doubt that all the City plans to do is enumerate the properties but I cannot imagine that they wouldn’t find public feedback helpful.

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:30:24 +0000

In running decision analyses, it’s often helpful to have common units for comparison. So costs are often compared, using the dollar or some other monetary measure as the units. Cost units are discrete, well understood, easy to manipulate mathematically, and are consistent with the units used for things like taxes, salaries, purchases, fines, etc. But cost may be an artificial, albeit useful, construct for some decisions. A value can be assigned to pleasure, comfort, moral outcomes, connectivity, quality of environment, educational performance, whatever but it’s important to remember that cost is a proxy, not the actual benefit. I would caution that “return on investment” is only one way to look at community decisions, especially if the dollar is the only unit of analysis. I have no expertise on how one factors in constructs like beauty, pleasure, comfort, community cohesiveness, fairness ethics, civic pride, etc. into ROI analyses but I know that net dollars saved or spent is only one of the many measures of success of a community.