Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Kat
David
s
Chris Billingsley
Tonio
Robert Butera
GreenTea
Decatur Metro
Walker1
GreenTea
Walker1
Walker1
Morning! Any recommendations for getting slides scanned to a thumbdrive locally? Thanks.
How local is local? We were very happy with the service we got from Niatalgic Media onN Druid Hills, just this side of 85.
Thanks. Local means I don’t want to ship/mail them. 🙂
I presume you mean “Nostalgic” Media? :))
Thanks to everyone that came out to the Friends of the Decatur Library book sale. The volunteers, and Library staff appreciate such wonderful community support. Remember all proceeds benefit the programs, and collections of the Decatur Library. This includes children’s programs, musical bookings & many educational programs. Our next book sale will be in conjunction with the Decatur Arts Festival. Saturday; May 27th. As always, lots of friendly family fun will be had. See you there, and thank you for being Friends of the Decatur Library.
Managed to bust the band of a treasured ring on a treacherous vending machine door. Suggestions for where to get it repaired? Reasonable prices would be nice but quality and trustworthiness more important.
Go see Decatur City Jewelers, Clairmont Rd.
Worthmore Jewelers, on E. Court Square, did a couple of ring adjustments for me at a reasonable price.
They fixed a watch for me that hadn’t run in over thirty years. Keeps time perfectly (once I remembered that I had to wind it).
What will be the property tax status of the new apartments at the Avondale MARTA station? I am assuming that property will pay property tax? Correct me if I am wrong, but as a MARTA parking lot, that property was not on the tax logs?
It will be on the tax roll when it is built. MARTA doesn’t own it.
According to the tax records the land is still owned by MARTA. MARTA has been less interested in selling land recently as proceeds from land sales must go to capital funds and lease proceeds go to operating funds. MARTA has been keen on booking operating funds with the lack of large scale capital projects (though that could change with the new sales tax funded projects).
Anywho, if it’s a long enough lease (other recent projects have been 99-year terms) then the improvements built upon tax exempt land is taxable. So the improvements would be taxed but not the value of the land.
Maybe the parcel records aren’t updated yet but I’d be surprised if MARTA sold that land.
You’re correct. They didn’t sell. Pretty sure the lease term is 99 years as you suspect.
Does anyone else get frustrated with the people who cross Ponce from the parking deck/driveway between Harken and SCAD to the other side? It drives me nuts! They walk into the road expect people will stop for them when there are 2 crosswalks that are easily accessible to them. They could cross the road faster if they walked the 100 steps to the crosswalk rather than standing in the middle of the road waiting for cars to stop.
Yes, yes, and yes. But then I got to thinking, maybe that just indicates that the crosswalk should have been located there, where people actually cross, rather than at Thumbs Up. In any event, frustrating, and dangerous.
The existing crosswalk is pretty close to the middle of the block. If it were moved: a) it would be more inconvenient for folks on the londgr end of the block and b) people would ignore it anyway. You can’t have a crosswalk every 100 feet.
Nor can you have a crosswalk terminate in a driveway, which is where these people are coming from (the parking deck).
I just got back from Bangor, Maine and noticed that all of their traffic lights automatically allow for pedestrians to walk immediately following a light change. I was told years ago that we were going to install similar functionality here. It seems reasonable for a town that prides itself on its walk-ability. Anyone know if this Is this still in the works?
Third boxcar, midnight train?
Sorry. I have to do that literally every time I hear Bangor, Maine.
Yeah, it makes no sense to me why pedestrians should have to push the button to get a walk signal. If I recall correctly the city spent some money in the last year or so moving some of the signal buttons lower for accessibility purposes, so unfortunately it doesn’t appear to me that we are looking at any automatic walk functionality in the near future.
There are many crosswalks in Midtown that have the pedestrian crossing lead the light change by 3-5 seconds.
I really like it.
+1 to not pressing the button. At most lights, the pedestrian crossing does not impact the light timing, so why require the button press? It is especially frustrating when the button does not work. I call in a couple of “button not working” items to Dekalb 311 each year.
I believe that some (if not many) intersections designate one road with a primary default green light and the lights do not cycle from green to red on a fixed schedule. Only if the intersecting road has a car on it will the light then trigger (sometimes immediately; sometimes after a pre-select schedule). In those cases, a pedestrian could not get a walk signal until a car came up beside that pedestrian to trigger the green (and the walk). In addition, when there is a low volume of traffic, and only the car triggers the green light, the walk signal sometimes remains in a do not walk status. Since a car usually crosses faster than a person on foot, the timing for that one lone car can be less than the same person trying to cross on foot. And the primary traffic lane returns to green more quickly. Robert, you are right that in busy urban area where there are always pedestrians and always intersecting traffic in all directions, the button is not needed.
However, it’s hard to know upon installation what the traffic patterns and pedestrian patterns might be like at all times (day and night) over the next decade. Hence, the need for the button.
I’m definitely not a traffic engineer. This reply is based mostly on my casual observation as both a frequent pedestrian and frequent driver.
And, for what it’s worth, a new Dekalb County signal on Clifton Road between Emory’s business school and law school trigger the walk FIRST, by about 3 seconds before the green light. That gives pedestrians time to flood the intersection, making it a bit more safe for them.
I wish more places in Atlanta were designed for a pedestrian “scramble.” I believe one is planned for the DeKalb Ave at Krog Street intersection improvements with the Beltline. A scramble is where pedestrians are all allowed some time to cross as cars wait at a red light in all directions. Pedestrians are allowed to cross in any direction – even diagonally during this time.
Sometimes called a “Barnes Dance” named after the traffic engineer who developed it.
Strolled to Oakhurst tonight thinking of a salad at Saba, only to discover it’s gone. There’s still the one in Emory Village, but I’m sorry it’s left Oakhurst.
Is Jim still working at the Emory Store? I haven’t seen him walking home in months.
OH no! That’s sad to hear. Their pastas are really underrated. I hope The Emory location stays open.
FYI – there is a sign on Dekalb/Howard at the RR crossing stating that it will be closed 2/28-3/3 for track repair. No more info than that. Total closure? That will be fun …
Appears to be total closure. Relatively easy detour.
Should make for fun times at the Rocky Ford intersections with College and Dekalb.
I heard the same thing about Coventry yesterday. Has anyone seen a sign at that RR intersection yet?
I forgot where I saw it, but, yes,Coventry also.
http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/news/road-closure-coventry-road-between-north-parkwood-road-and-dyson-drivechelsea-circle
http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov
Coventry Road between North Parkwood Road andDyson Drive/Chelsea Circle DECATUR, Ga. – Coventry Road, between North Parkwood Road and Dyson Drive/Chelsea Circle, will be closed to through trac beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, through 7 a.m. Saturday, March 4, 2017, to complete railroad maintenance
Thanks!
Also
http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/news/road-closure-donegal-court-between-brown-road-and-lake-erin-drive
and
http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/news/road-closure-west-howard-avenuedekalb-avenue-ne-between-paden-circle-and-ridgecrest-road-ne
all called “Decatur GA”
http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/news/road-closure-coventry-road-between-north-parkwood-road-and-dyson-drivechelsea-circle
http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov
Coventry Road between North Parkwood Road andDyson Drive/Chelsea Circle DECATUR, Ga. – Coventry Road, between North Parkwood Road and Dyson Drive/Chelsea Circle, will be closed to through trac beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, through 7 a.m. Saturday, March 4, 2017, to complete railroad maintenance
Does anyone know what’s filming at golden Buddha?