From the Decatur Makers…

All the Decatur Makers are hootin’ and hollerin’ because our Kickstarter campaign has surpassed the initial goal of raising $15,000. Close to 200 people from all over the world (yes we have international backers) have come together to support your friendly neighborhood makerspace.

This means we’re closer to being operational and officially opening the doors. Now we can build out a starter workshop, add some AV capabilities, and install an RFID security system to better control access to the building and tools.

This is a huge milestone for Decatur Makers, but we’re not done yet! There is still one day left to help us reach the stretch goal which would open the side of the building (allows for larger projects, improves access for wheelchairs, handtrucks, etc.) and install some virtualization servers for programming classes and other open source projects.

“Decatur Makers is thrilled to see hundreds of supporters come together to help us open our all ages makerspace.  We’re so excited we may extend the age range to include embryos and the walking dead!” says Lew Lefton, Executive Director.  Appropriate, as the Kickstarter campaign http://bit.ly/dmks will close at midnight on Thursday, Oct 30, the eve of Halloween.

You can still back us at any level from $1 on up.  We have many new backer rewards!  Another way to support the organization is by sharing the following link with your networks:

http://bit.ly/dmks

Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us as we create this awesome community and facility.

OK, so there are a lot of moving pieces in the ongoing annexation saga, especially in the neighborhoods to Decatur’s north.  We’re pregnant with updates, so here are many of them all in one place.

Medlock

The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association just released the first results of an ongoing survey that shows residents who took the survey most preferred to be added to the city of Decatur (66%) vs. being added to the city of Briarcliff (60%) or the City of Atlanta (~45%).

At a recent meeting with Former Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver and State Senate candidate Elena Parent, the message sent to regarding Decatur’s disinterest in annexing Medlock was “it ain’t over”, do not accept defeat today.”  They continued…

City of Decatur is likely to get commercial areas but there is an unspoken rule that commercial annexations should also include residents

We would need Representative Rahn Mayo to write legislation to propose that our neighborhood be annexed to City of Decatur. Even if the legislation is approved and a referendum is mandated, the Decatur Commission could still say no.

Druid Hills

Over to the west in Druid Hills, the main annexation effort continues to focus on Atlanta.  The Civic Association recently released a map, using the current Briar Vista and Fernbank Elementary School boundaries as the first proposed boundaries of a Druid Hills annexation into Atlanta.  See map below (courtesy of Druid Hill Civic Assoication website).

The Civic Association has also provided a tax analysis of the potential changes if incorporated into Atlanta.  In regards to Emory, the site says they continue to monitor the situation and hope the process remains open so they can evaluate their options.

Clairemont Heights

Between Medlock and Druid Hills sits Clairemont Heights, which has been relatively silent on annexation preference up until now.  However, this past week the Clairmont Heights Civic Association blog noted that some residents of the neighborhood had recently filed a petition with the city of Decatur requesting annexation.  The petition claims the support of “at least 68% of homes” in Clairmont Heights, though some discussion on the Association’s Facebook page about how widely the petition was circulated.

At the same time, Clairmont Heights current President noted recently that Druid Hills’ latest annexation map (above) incorporated some of Clairmont Heights in their annexation plan.

Of note, if Clairmont were to incorporate into Decatur, it would eliminate an Atlanta annexation from Medlock’s array of choices, since it would have no way of being congruent to the Atlanta city limit.

From Decatur PD’s Sgt. Jennifer Ross…

Decatur loves celebrating Halloween and we want everyone to have a good time.  The Decatur Police Department will have additional officers and volunteers patrolling neighborhoods, parks, school properties, the Decatur Cemetery and business districts in marked patrol cars, unmarked cars, bicycles and on foot.  During Halloween there is more vehicular and pedestrian traffic in residential neighborhoods, including many children who are excited and distracted.  Please be extra cautious and aware.

A few extra tips:

• Be bright at night! Make sure costumes have something reflective, carry a flashlight or clip on a flashing light like the ones runners and cyclists use to increase visibility.
• Make sure to cross streets properly. Look both ways before crossing and cross at corners or crosswalks. Walking out from in between parked cars is very dangerous because you may not be seen until it is too late.
• Know where older kids and teens are and check up on them.
• Talk to your kids about the difference between fun and vandalism. Throwing eggs may seem funny but it causes damage to the property of others, which is a crime, and it is rude.

Have fun on Halloween and keep it safe!  For more Halloween safety tips, please visit http://www.halloween-safety.com/

So this isn’t an entirely new conversation around here.  We’ve previously discussed stop sign alternatives, crosswalk varietals til we’ve been blue in the face, and debated criminalizing certain ways of getting around.

But recently, a New York Times op-ed mentioned a “radical” shared streets plan in Chicago in a larger plea toward urging peds, bikes, cars and trucks in the city to just get along.  This led Co.Exist to point out that shared streets aren’t radical at all, and have existed for years in other countries and are already beginning to pop up around the U.S. (See Seattle’s Bell Street below)

Now that shared streets are getting another 15 minutes of fame, perhaps we can take a moment to consider them for ourselves.  “But what exactly does a shared street look like?”, you ask.

Well, it has no lanes, curbs and minimal signage.  It often employes different colored pavers to indicate where “the street” normally ends and a “sidewalk” begins.  The design works because it puts all travelers on equal footing (har), and forces them to negotiate themselves through eye contact instead of taking instruction (or inherent right!) from signage.

Would such a street of harmonic traveling be welcome in Decatur?  If so, where would you argue it’s most needed?

Photo: Nate Cormier, SvR Design Company