Free-For-All Friday 7/10/15
Decatur Metro | July 10, 2015 | 7:42 amFeel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Decatur Metro
Upatoi Boy
J_T
Robert Butera
Robert Butera
Steve
Scott
Scott
Deanne
Deanne
Siv
Cubalibre
Are you looking for cheap transportation for your new driver? We are selling the 1994 Honda Civic our daughter drove while at DHS. It has 180,000 miles but you will be only the third owner! First owner (19 years) meticulously maintained it at the dealership; second owner (2 years) added a delightful dent in the front bumper and never washed off the police writing on the windshield from when the car was stolen from DHS during school hours on video! Cheap to insure because you don’t need to carry collision. We didn’t let her drive it on the highway but it did well around Decatur and her commute to her summer jobs in Atlanta. Bluebook around $1,000 but we’ll take $800 for the car “as is”. We set up a gmail account to answer questions or arrange for you to see it: yourdecaturcar
We would love for the Honda to get a third life in Decatur!
i sent you an email! very interested!
My buddy drives the exact same car from the exact same year. It has over 300,000 on it and is still his only vehicle. I would say yours has plenty of life left in it.
The ten cars most likely to make it past 200k miles. All Hondas and Toyotas.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/03/ten-for-the-long-haul/index.htm
Thanks for that link!
DH’s ’94 Accord had 365,000 miles on it. At time of trade-in, it still drove fine!
I drove my 1981 Honda Civic for 377,000 miles without any major repair needed, and it was still driving when I donated it to a charity. My nephew saw it driving down the street in a nearby town some months later. It’s probably STILL driving – best car I ever had!
I’d give a lot to have my ’81 Civic back. Put nearly 160k hard miles on it (cross-country several times, spent all of its winters in the upper Midwest, Northeast or Alaska. All it ever needed was tires, a new battery now and then, oil changes and a few new CV joint boots. After two Atlanta summers with no a/c, I reluctantly parted with it, to my everlasting regret.
So sorry I said “civic” — it is an Accord! And manual transmission.
And by manual I mean automatic. D’oh – sorry! It is an automatic accord!
Rough day, huh? Good thing the weekend is here. Hope you sell the car. I sold mine to a local, and I get a little charge whenever I see it around. The new owner keeps it nice and clean.
Yes, very rough day! Last time I sold a car I sold it to a friend and also got a charge seeing him drive it– and an even bigger charge that he treated it real nice and subsequently sold it for more than he paid me! 🙂
Oh, and it’s actually a bike. And, it’s not for sale. It’s not even ours.
+1
We did sell the car to a rising DHS senior! Yay! But now that you mention it, we do also have an Italian scooter we should sell– anyone interested in a Piaggio motorino? No Decatur hipster dad should be without one!!! Perfect for running to Hop N Shop to get a 6 pack.
Is the car still avaliable?
I have a couple of people lined up to see it this morning (Saturday) but if you send me an email I will let you know if it doesn’t sell so you can take a look. Thanks!
Cityhood does not mean economic development or growth , if so, all the cities close to the Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport would be booming. Residents should say no to more government, crime and corruption. The school problems need to be dealt with by the school board, the crime in South DeKalb needs to be addressed, and the residents need to get more involved in their communities and schools. Big businesses and good jobs will not come or stay in an environment where there is high crime and bad schools, unless these problems are addressed.
Yes, we need to do something, but we do not want to make our situation worse. It is the job of the chamber of commerce and private citizens to create jobs. The government can help create a business friendly environment. However, if the government becomes the primary business then we will look like Cuba or North Korea. Some of the proponents of cityhood should be running for a position in the chamber of commerce, not in government.
Alternatives have not been presented to residents in the affected area. For example, smaller cities, opting out of the city, change the annexation laws, court action. Alternative forms of quasi-cities should be considered, private residential associations or communities and special districts could also be alternatives to cityhood.
What cityhood will likely bring is more government with rules and regulations, more jails and courts, more crime, more corruption, more traffic tickets, more code enforcement, less businesses, and bad customer service
South DeKalb could look like Clayton County, Miami Gardens, Tuskegee, Alabama, East Saint Louis, Liberty City, Gary Indiana, Detroit, Washington, DC, or Ferguson, Missouri if the cityhood bill is passed by the state assembly and the referendum is passed by the voters. Ask the proponents of cityhood which city they plan to use as a model for South DeKalb or Stonecrest. I do not mean what the feasibility study used. I mean which city do proponents believe South DeKalb will look like with similar demographics and population
Repeat it enough times they will believe it and then it will become fact. Even the DeKalb 5th district commission candidates are repeating the facts incorrectly.
Kathryn Rice back tracks on her statement that South DeKalb will be left paying pension. First, Rice and her group said there was a law that permitted the new cities to avoid paying or sharing in the cost of DeKalb pension plan; almost everyone was repeating it, even State lawmakers and DeKalb commissioners.
Now Kathryn Rice and her group admits there is no law. They now use the words “fair”, “shoulder” and “burden” of the pension costs, a play on words. The group Concerned Citizens for Cityhood in South DeKalb has repeated so many times that “South DeKalb would be the only area paying the pension” that everyone believes what they have been saying is true. The factoid meter indicates that this is not true, and that the statement is a stretch of the facts. It is being used as a fear or scare tactic to get residents to support cityhood. Rice continues to say if the city of South DeKalb is created that it is her position that the city should make pension payments. It seems that there is some double talk going on.
According to the county budget department, the new cities are contributing to the county pension plan, though not to the same extent as if they had not become a city. The typical portion that new cities may not be equally contributing to are police and designated services if new cities are providing their own services in those areas. All the other county funds contribute to the pension.
You do realize you posted your anti-city rant on a Decatur City blog?
tl;dr
Are you looking for somewhat less cheap but super fun transportation for your driver of any experience?
I have a 1994 Ford Mustang for you. You would be the second owner, I have had the car since new and taken very good care of it. Less than 147,000 miles. Manual transmission, 6 cylinder with very good get-up-and-go, recent check up by mechanic confirms no mechanical issues outstanding, with exeption of intermittedly working speedometer. You’d have to take it to a specialist to fix–there is one in Roswell. Or don’t bother. All other dials on the dash work so I easily judged my speed with the tach. Nice radio. Interior without stains, wears or tears. Exterior without scratches or dings, exept one small damage area to the driver’s side front bumper. Perfectly excellent for highway driving and easy to park in town. Color is teal blue. Good gas mileage (average 21 ish with a mix of highway and city driving).
My mechanic recommended I list it for $5,500 and I’ve seen others with same specs and mileage on AutoTrader in the $4-$6,000 range. I’m open to offers! You can send them, or questions, to this mustang’s very own gmail account: KelseyMustang
I too would love for my faithful steed to find a good home in Decatur!
Dog poop bags – why do people think it is OK to put them in a persons garbage can in the City of Decatur? The ‘victim’ (he or she who is on the receiving end of the poop bag) must then fish out the bag of poop and put it in a pay-per-toss bag. Not very considerate of the dog owner…
Agreed. I will probably go to jail for assault if I ever actually catch someone doing this. One of my biggest pet peeves.
Thank you. Could not agree more – that’s inconsiderate and nasty, and happens too far inside the city for it to be from people outside the city limits who may be excused for not knowing better.
Dog owners, you’re not doing anyone a favor with this habit (except yourselves of course.)
So gross – especially if you have a really tall trashcan and have to submerge yourself in it to fish out the dog poop bag stuck on the bottom.
On a related note, I really love it when my dog does her business on Thursday morning with all the COD PAYT bags waiting in front of every house…
I wish we had more community trashcans in Oakhurst. There seem to be more in Winnona Park.
Agree. I either use the public cans or throw them away at home. Another problem I found the hard way: I put my boy’s waste bags into my can. When I threw kitchen garbage on top… well let’s just say poop bags aren’t designed to withstand the weight of more garbage landing on top of them. Yuck!
One word: Cats.
🙂
What about the recycling bins?
Does Decatur have a particularly rigid health inspector? Dropped by Pinewood last night and noted the 71. One of our favorite spots, but that was concerning! Know there have been other great places in Decatur getting dinged in the past. Are the low scores rooted in actual problems or nonsense?
It’s a county function. The periodic low score is not uncommon and restaurants are given an opportunity to correct the problem and be re-evaluated. Most of the low score instances in Decatur that have gotten click-bait coverage online have been these kind of one-offs. I don’t know of any chronic offenders.
I need suggestions on finding an afternoon babysitter for my two daughters 2-3 days a week. This sitter would need to pick the girls up from school and take them to gymnastics. Hours would be 2:30-4:15. Days are flexible. I have placed ads on the student job lists at Agnes Scott and Emory, although summer is probably the worst time to find a student.
Are you on FB? If so, join the group DAMES! (Decatur Area Moms Enjoying Sanity) and post what you’re looking for there. I was looking for something every similar, posted, and got 2-3 Nanny recommendations from other Moms. Ours starts next week and will help us once school starts, too.
DAMES appears to be a closed/private FB group. Wife is dying to get plugged in. Seems she needs to be invited by a member…?
Can you invite me to join? Hannahkrogers at gmail dot com
And now, a quick commercial break from Sherlock’s / Cooks Warehouse – Decatur
1) If you’re looking for Creature Comforts Athena then I’m glad to say we have 5 cases. Won’t last long, but I thought I’d share that with DM beer geeks.
2) Did you know we host a wine tasting from 3pm – 5pm on most Saturdays? It’s a free tasting of about 4 wines – usually stuff that is new or different – or whatever catches my mood that day. But while you’re walking around downtown stop by and check it out. Best bet is to come by before 4:30pm because some wines are in short supply. (We won’t be doing a tasting the day of the Slide the City – July 25th.)
Have a great weekend.
So…here’s a different (aka similar) request: I need an oven repair person. Last guy out gave me expensive bad advice. Need an oven pro this time (not a general “appliance” repairman.)
Any local favorites?
Are you the least bit handy? No judgement if not, but if you are, try a website called Appliance Repair dot com. Not only can you look up common problems by brand, but the part you need is linked in and there are some videos for the details of installation. My spouse is now been able to fix our washer (cycle problem), dryer (belt), and ice maker (total fail). He also changed the mother board on an oven – all without being an appliance repair person. Good luck!
Sounds like you need to give G Buck your husband’s phone number!
Seconded. I repaired our dryer using steps from Appliance repair and I am pretty clueless around the house…
Thanks – I actually changed the motherboard on our oven on the advice of our last repairman. Said repairman was talking nonsense, because that didn’t fix the problem 🙁
So, I need to diagnostic expertise more than anything. I could fix, but i can’t figure out what’s wrong.
I am not sure if this is ok but since I see cars for sale…
I am selling my home in Oakhurst: 162 Mead Road across from the elementary school. 4 bedroom/3.5 bath $699,000. Open house this Sunday June 12 from 2-5 pm.
CSD staff was notified of internal postings for central office positions which require leadership experience. Guessing this means principals will apply? Anyone heard if moves will be made right as school is starting? Is Dr. Edwards hiring or will that happen when the new person starts?
First-hand account of the DeKalb County Schools job fair this week: A complete mob scene. Watched as they hired people far-less-than-qualified on the spot. Kind of a “first person with a pulse and a teaching license gets first dips” scenario. Not exaggerating; I’ve spent more time selecting which Netflix movie to watch than they did selecting teachers.
Made me sick how careless and uncritical the hiring admins were. Not to disparage the few courageous DeKalb teachers out there but they’re fighting a very steep uphill battle. Explains why those schools are in such bad shape. Apathy at its worst! Shameful and sad.
Thankful I wasn’t there job hunting and especially grateful for City Schools Decatur!
*dibs
I’m now in possession of my Grandfather’s U.S. Army Air Force uniforms from the ’40’s, my Dad’s Army uniforms from the 50’s / 60’s, and my brother’s Starfleet uniform from the 90’s. I’d like to get them cleaned, but I’m worried about damaging them. Should I get them dry cleaned? Can anyone recommend a dry cleaning service that is capable of handling these items?
From what I understand Pinckard and Morgan over on Zonolite Road does a great deal of dry cleaning for many of the smaller shops around Atlanta. I don’t have much dry cleaned but when I had a king sized feather bed that got a little musty smelling I had at least two dry cleaners say it was beyond their ability and directed me to Pinckard. The people I talked to at Pinckard were extremely helpful and took the time to explain the options. The end results were great.
Looks like they have a couple of locations, one of which is in Decatur:
http://pinckardandmorgancleaners.com/Locations.aspx
Thank you!
The new Stony River construction up the street just went on the market for the same price as the one that sold a few months ago. The newer one has even more bedrooms/bathrooms. Another new construction farther up the street priced higher, but with fewer bedrooms/bathrooms, took months to sell. Is it possible that we’ve hit the ceiling for new construction housing prices? (My property taxes hope so.)
maybe we’ve hit the top on Stony River houses. just saying…
AT&T Uverse internet has been very choppy for us lately (more so than usual). Anyone else having this issue? Dreading making a phone call to them.
Our Uverse TV and Internet have been out since Tuesday. Calls have e been frustrating with no ETA on a fix time. Did see a bunch of AT&T trucks and workers out today along Scott and Coventry so hopefully that means they’ll be getting it back up soon (at least for us on the north side). Gonna be hell to pay if we don’t get some decent kind of credit out of this.
The google fibers can’t get here soon enough.
+1
+ 2
Ours was out this morning and has been out now and then the last few weeks. We don’t live in Decatur proper though – we’re near N.Dekalb Mall.
Yes! Started a couple weeks ago and has gotten progressively worse. Neighbor’s went out altogether.
Looking for a replacement for Kim’s watch repair and alterations. Found a new alterations place but need a watch repair for an old Omega. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Bowers Watch & Clock Repair, 2441 Cheshire Bridge Rd. Confirmed that my 2 old wristwatches were defunct – and no charge. A while ago found them thru this Free…Friday.
Agree with Bowers. I took a watch there to have a band re-sized. Very knowledgable and the guy refused to charge me.
Just yesterday I took my Omega to a guy I’ve been using since I moved to town 14 years ago. I’ve also taken my dad’s vintage Omega to him. His name is Ashley Womble at Womble Watch Works. The only catch…he’s in Marietta near the intersection of Delk and Powers Ferry. Well worth the short drive.
Anyone know when Las Brasas is reopening at its new location? Their webpage says July, 2015. It’s July, 2015. (impatient tap, tap, tapping of foot)
ISO information about exterior painting, specifically 90-year old stucco. The current paint (in addition to being a singularly unappealing color) is somewhat chalky and it also starting to peel, can be pulled off in small sheets and ribbons (as opposed to flaking or chipping). Prior to repainting, I’d like to consult a painter who is knowledgeable about old stucco and can advise about proper prep, the right kind of primer and paint, etc. The job is several hundred miles away so not looking for bids, just free advice. (I tried googling and found so many different conflicting viewpoints and positions, I gave up.)
Check this list to see if the state your property is in has signed on to the EPA’s lead paint regulations:
http://tinyurl.com/qhrdqlv
If so, you’ll probably want to use someone with the proper certification. My understanding is it’s not mandatory to have a certified contractor do the work, even in states that have opted in, but not having the clean bill of health may redound to the property valuation (if, that is, you’re prepping it to sell — if not, I’d say don’t worry about it, unless there are kids on the property with a penchant for paint-eating). And be aware that some such contractors may recommend work that isn’t necessary in order to be in compliance, i.e. window replacement.
Thanks, sansho1. No kids in the picture or on the horizon, and reputedly lax enforcement in the locality in question. I’m mainly concerned with making sure the next paint job lasts and that no damage is done to the stucco through either the prep or the painting process. (Have run across a few “cautionary tales” online but it can be difficult to figure out which self-appointed experts actually know what they’re talking about.)
Good luck with it!
Does the City ever enforce the parking restrictions on the east side of Second Avenue between Oakview and Wast Lake?
Not my home turf any more but I’d guess residents might be instituting their own alternate-side-of-the-street parking policy in an attempt to calm traffic. (One of several low-cost solutions we tried in vain to get the City to embrace.)
The speed humps aren’t effective?
They weren’t when I lived there and I doubt they are now. They are apparently the kind that make it fun to drive fast; even the MARTA buses like to catch air going over them. I think there are some constraints about how speed bumps/humps/tables can be configured that pertain to keeping them navigable for emergency vehicles on certain routes. Which is why other measures such as alternate-side parking and chicanes seem to make a lot of sense to some of us. Traffic engineers will tell you one of the most effective ways to slow down drivers is to interrupt long straightaways.
From Bill Banks / AJC: Decatur planning director resigns to take job in Miami