On the agenda for tonight’s Decatur City Commission meeting, approving construction of a trail from Olympic Place to Mead Road in Oakhurst.  The trail was spurred by the Paty family providing an easement for the trail a year ago.  The proposed budget for the trail is currently $70,000, which will pay for “a new slate chip trail, new privacy fences, a stone wall and new plantings.”

Where else around Decatur could the city and its residents install walking trails to increase connectivity?

A path stretching following Peavine Creek from Westchester Elementary to Trinity Place (behind the Marlay and Post Office) is an idea that has been thrown around here before – despite the acknowledged difficulty/feasibility of such a long, impactful trail.  What else ya got?

Prior to being annexed by Decatur, the Parkwood Neighborhood in unincorporated DeKalb County was within the Druid Hills Historic District.  After the neighborhood was annexed into Decatur, many neighborhood residents requested to retain their historic designation according to a note to the City Manager from Planning Director Amanda Thompson.

Decatur’s Historic Preservation Commission took up the application at their June 30th meeting, according to Ms. Thompson’s note and the Decatur City Commission is set to vote on it this evening.

According to the designation report, the proposed district “is bounded by West Ponce de Leon Avenue, the railroad, East Lake Road and includes West Parkwood Road, East Parkwood Road, and 5 parcels on Parkwood Lane.”

Map courtesy of Parkwood District Designation Report

Drone Flying Over Decatur Fireworks from Matt Sloane on Vimeo.

Some of you asked about a drone flying over the Decatur fireworks last Friday.  Well, here’s the video!  Amazing angles.

From the City of Decatur’s Casie Yoder…

 In its commitment to being a 21^st century city, Decatur announced today that it is the first city and government entity in the state of Georgia to partner with Google+ Business Photo to provide a virtual tour of key city buildings. Trusted Photographers Atlanta, a Google Trusted Certified Photographer, produced the virtual tours of Decatur City Hall, Decatur Fire Station #1 and Fire Station #2 and the Decatur Recreation Center.

“The City of Decatur is proud to be the first Georgia city to offer virtual Google+ tours of its facilities,” said Mayor Jim Baskett. “We believe it is a great way to showcase city buildings, all of which have been renovated and updated over the past ten years. Some community members may never set foot inside City Hall, but they can take a look around inside, all from the comfort of their own home. The 360 virtual tour of the Decatur Recreation Center allows viewers to see which rooms can be rented for receptions, events and meetings.”

All video tours can be viewed online:

http://bit.ly/GoogleDecaturCityHall

http://bit.ly/GoogleDecaturRec

http://bit.ly/GoogleDecaturFireStation1

http://bit.ly/GoogleDecaturFireStation2

Photo courtesy of Google streetview

Deanne sent along this message sent out by Smith Ace Hardware on East College Ave…

After 42 successful years, the Decatur store has closed its doors to allow the property to be developed. We thank you for your loyalty and your business.

No word yet as to what the development will be.

Photo courtesy of Google Streetview