Some of the biggest changes yet are about to be implemented at Emory’s North Decatur intersection as construction of the Emory Village roundabout continues. Kathy sends in this email just sent out by Emory…

To the Emory Community:

The next phase of DeKalb County’s construction for the roundabout in Emory Village is scheduled to begin this Thursday, March 17 and will have several traffic implications.

· Dowman Drive will re-open to traffic entering Emory’s campus.

· South Oxford Road (near Everybody’s Pizza) will close for approximately 60 days as construction crews work on that section of the roundabout. (North Oxford Road near the Chevron station and Emory’s campus will remain open.)

· Traffic lights in the North Decatur Road intersection of Emory Village will be permanently removed and replaced with stop signs. This three-way stop intersection will remain in place until South Oxford is opened to traffic again. At that point, the intersection will operate as a four-way stop until the roundabout is completed.

· Pedestrian crosswalks will continue to allow access through Emory Village, including Everybody’s Pizza and Saba on South Oxford Road.

Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists should continue to use caution during the construction. The entire Emory Village roundabout and streetscape improvement project is expected to be completed this summer. For updates, visit www.emoryvillage.org.

As soon as the Emory Village roundabout is completed, the Alliance to Improve Emory Village hopes to build the above “pocket park” at the corner of North Oxford Road and North Decatur Road, which currently plays the part of an unfortunate and needless extension of the defunct Chevron gas station’s concrete pad.

As you can tell from a quick glance at the image above is so much more than a concrete street corner.  It will include a creek-esque “water feature”, trees, shrubs, and stone seat wall, and green space.   According to Emory’s release, “Benches and seating spaces to accommodate 40 people will be installed. Eight of the more than 50 new trees that will be planted in the Village will be in the park.”

The Alliance says it still needs to raise $40,000 by June to build the $300,000 park.

If you’d like to study this park “concept plan” more closely, check out this PDF.

h/t: Fresh Loaf

“Cyclops” from Charles Berkowitz on Vimeo.

This sounds like a rather intriguing talk and film.  From Emory’s Carlos Museum…

Jonathan Shay, clinical psychologist and winner of the 2007 MacArthur “genius” award, will discuss his groundbreaking work to treat combat trauma and other effects of warfare on veterans and their families using Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey in a lecture titled, War is War is War is War is War on February 27 from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The lecture will be followed by a screening of Odysseus in America by filmmaker Charles Berkowitz.

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A sustainable line of fish tacos?  Now that’s something we ALL can get excited about!  (Unless you’re a vegan, I guess.)

Thanks to Jack for forwarding!

From the Emory Wheel…

United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will address graduating seniors at Emory’s 166th Commencement ceremony on May 9.

…Napolitano was not on the final list that the Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee — which includes both students and administrators and is responsible for suggesting potential speakers — submitted to University President James W. Wagner last spring, but was among those initially considered.

…Napolitano will address an expected audience of more than 14,000, including approximately 3,600 graduating seniors. She is the first female speaker to address the graduating class since Marian Wright Edelman, an activist for children’s rights, delivered the keynote in 2006. Previous Commencement speakers have also included California Gov. and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in 2010, former President of Mexico Vicente Fox in 2009 and Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus in 2008.

Check it.  Emory is posting videos on YouTube of filming of the Matt Damon/Jude Law/Kate Winslet movie “Contagion” out in front of the CDC today.  Of the six videos posted thus far, this one of the fake protest in action is probably the best.

“No More Lies!”  Preach on, fake protesters.  Preach on.

After the jump, some footage of Laurence Fishburne on the scene, also courtesy of Emory…

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Yet another sewage spill in the area.

This morning the AJC reports that 12,600 gallons of raw sewage spilled on Hancock Drive near Emory University yesterday and spilled into Peachtree Creek.

Lots of people went before the DeKalb County Commission this past week and complained about higher water rates that are needed to cover a $700 million overhaul of the county’s sewer system.  I’m sorta feeling like I should have gone down there and done some unhinged yelling about these upgrades not being made sooner.  That would’ve really thrown those penny-pinchers for a loop!

And of particular note to Decaturites who enjoy cutting through Druid Hills to Emory and beyond – South Oxford Road – you know, that road adjacent to Everybody’s – will be closed to traffic for 2 months starting sometime in early 2011.

From the Alliance to Improve Emory Village…

Nov. 18, 2010 – The first phase of construction in Emory Village is nearly complete!

The first phase (1A) of construction involved improvements to the sidewalks, curbs and garden areas between Supercuts and Panera Bread along the south side of North Decatur Road. This phase also included the addition of new outdoor spaces that can accommodate café-style seating and the addition of parallel parking spaces in front of several businesses. Landscaping and over 50 trees will be added in the Village later in the construction timeline.

The entire DeKalb County project is scheduled to be complete in June 2011. The next phase of construction (1B) is similar to the first, but across the street on the north side of North Decatur Road between Dave’s Cosmic Subs and the Chevron station. This phase of work will last approximately one month and should be completed in December. As with the prior phase, construction will occur during the day and when feasible, at night.

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The Emory Libraries Electronic Data Center has put a new interactive map entitled “Snapshot of Atlanta” on its website that lets you look at Atlanta at a neighborhood level based on a variety of demographic factors.  Anything from median age to median income to population change (2000-2009) to average household size.

Above is a snapshot of the median income map for Decatur, Avondale and Druid Hills.  Looks like Winnona Park and Northwest Decatur are still the wealthiest areas in the COD.

Personally, I found the median age, population change and household size maps particularly interesting.  Check it out!

Huge thanks to Clairmont Heights Civic Association for pointing this out.

For someone who took a lot of Greek history in college and was drawn into this battle in Steven Pressfield’s 1998 novel “Gates of Fire”, this sounds pretty darn interesting.  From Emory’s Carlos Museum…

The Michael C. Carlos Museum marks an important anniversary of one of the most famous battles in European history, the Battle of Marathon. Two thousand five hundred years ago, in 490 BC, a small Greek force defeated a much larger invading Persian army at Marathon. Emory will convene a weekend symposium, “Immortal Light: The Battle of Marathon and its Athenian Legend”, and hold a 2.62 mile race through the Emory campus to commemorate this event.

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