Over at The Decatur Minute, Catherine alerts us to a community workshop being held by the city this coming Thursday, September 9th from 6pm to 8pm at city hall to discuss the scheduled railroad crossing improvements at BOTH McDonough and Candler Street and the streetscape improvements along North McDonough.

You can read the details of the proposed changes to both the railroad intersections in the Streets section of Decatur’s Community Transportation Plan (pdf).

Here’s the summary statement of the problems addressed for South Candler to get those juices flowing…

The intersection is too complex and intimidating for most pedestrians and bicyclists. In particular, the “Path” on the northwest corner is circuitous in that three street crossings are required just to avoid the most obvious direct crossing of Trinity Place parallel to the railroad tracks. Some crossings do not meet the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. None of these are “complete streets” as they do not include adequate facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

The left-turn movement across the railroad tracks from northbound Candler Street to westbound Howard Avenue is problematic and contributes to a vehicular crash history that is higher than at any other intersection in Decatur. Residents living south and southeast of downtown are not likely to walk across this intersection unless they must.

And we’re not talking about anonymous blog input either.

Patti Garrett reminds us of two upcoming Imput Sessions at City Hall in the next 8 days…

Railroad Crossing Improvements at Candler and McDonough Streets – Thursday November 12

A community workshop to discuss the railroad crossing improvements will be held on Thursday, November 12, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the City Commission meeting room of Decatur City Hall, 509 North McDonough Street, in downtown Decatur. We hope you will be able to join us to learn more about this project.

As part of its capital improvements program, the City of Decatur is considering options for improvements to the railroad crossings at Candler and McDonough Streets in downtown Decatur. The purpose of the work is to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists and others using these facilities. Measures required to implement a quiet zone in the railroad corridor will also be considered.

The project is based on Decatur’s 2008 Community Transportation Plan. A major goal of the Community Transportation Plan is to encourage healthy lifestyles and active living in Decatur.

The City has retained URS Corporation of Atlanta, a planning and engineering design firm, to help plan the project. The project will be partially funded through a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Cultural Arts Master Plan Public Input Meeting – Wednesday November 18

The community is invited to a public input meeting for the Cultural Arts Master Plan on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. in the City Commission Room, Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, GA 30030.

This is the first public meeting to introduce the Cultural Arts Master Plan process and begin to get public input regarding the arts in our community. The Master Plan also includes an inventory of existing cultural arts facilities, programs and public art located throughout the city, identification of program and facility needs and recommendations for partnerships to meet these needs.

Please plan to join in the conversation! For more information email Linda Harris or call 404-371-8386.