Decatur Rec Center, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Chris)

Sorry for the late notice!  Summary courtesy of the Decatur Minute…

Come out to the Decatur Recreation Center on March 31st from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. to find out what’s in store for FY2015-2016. The purpose of the expo is to engage people of all ages in the city’s budgeting process in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

The expo will feature music, food and prizes. The popular budget bingo game returns this year, appropriate for ages 5 to 105. Public safety and public works vehicles will be parked in front of the Recreation Center for children and adults to see up close. Expo attendees will also be able to visit the Visitors’ Center tent and sign up as special events volunteers.

For more information about this event or the city’s annual budget, visit www.decaturga.com/budget

From the City of Decatur’s Casie Yoder…

All city buildings are currently open and will close by 5 p.m. today, including City Hall and the Decatur Recreation Center. All evening activities and classes at the Decatur Recreation Center are CANCELLED for tonight.

Georgia DOT asks motorists to limit driving to emergencies or essential travel only. Be aware of black ice. If you do decide to leave your house, especially once temperatures drop below freezing after dark, there is likely to be ice on the roads and sidewalks.

City Schools of Decatur are closed today. CSD will post its decision regarding school tomorrow on its website.

As of this posting tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 26:

• All city of Decatur offices and buildings will have a delayed opening of 10 a.m.This includes City Hall, Design Environment & Construction and the Decatur Recreation Center.
• Thursday trash and recycling pick up is expected to take place as usual
• Municipal Court will occur as scheduled at 6 p.m.

Important phone numbers

• If you see hazardous or unsafe conditions in Decatur, or require assistance from police or fire, please call the police non-emergency number: .
• Report icy conditions on interstates and state routes to GDOT: 511.
• Power outages or trees on power lines should be reported directly to Georgia Power: .

Prevent burst pipes
As the temperatures drop, pipes in your home or business are likely to freeze unless you take necessary precautions. The easiest way to prevent burst pipes is to leave your sink running with a small stream of water (a drip is not enough) before you go to bed.

Reminders

• Be neighborly and take a few minutes to check on the seniors in your neighborhood. See if you can bring in their mail or wood or something else they may need, and make sure they have plenty of heat, food and water. Sometimes simply being checked on is greatly appreciated when staying indoors gets to be lonely. If you have a neighbor who needs help please call the police non-emergency number at .
• Bring all pets inside.
• Register for Smart911 now at Smart911.com. You can opt-in for severe weather and other notifications as well as create or update your Smart911 profile with any special medical concerns (such as a household member who uses medical equipment that requires electricity).
• Charge all cell phones and put fresh batteries in emergency radios. When contacting loved ones, a text message is more likely to get through than a phone call.
• Download the FEMA smartphone appfor additional tips and emergency information.

From Google Streetview

You may have never thought about it, but if you’ve ever spent any time hanging around outside at the Decatur Recreation Center along Sycamore Street, you may have noticed that there are a few unique and out of place things in and around that site.

First, let’s consider the items most obviously unique to the site.

Have you ever considered the mighty big giant magnolia trees and the rare, “champion” Horse Chestnut tree that stand at the Rec Center entrance?  How did they get there?  Why wasn’t the site clear cut when the Rec was built back in the 1950s, like so many other sites?  Perhaps you’ve never thought twice about them, aside from telling your kids to be careful playing in their branches. But that’s the first clue.

The second clue is much less noticeable.  It’s the sheer size and odd shape of the lot.

Read the rest of this entry »

From Decatur Makers…

This Saturday 5/10, folks from the Decatur Makers will be building a PC from parts and setting up the 3D printer (Taz Lulzbot 2.0) that we got

thanks to the generosity of the Decatur Business Association’s Beer Festival Grants.

The event is will be at the Decatur Recreation Center between 10 and 2. It’s free to watch and help. Bring your own parts (a suggested list is here http://bit.ly/1pIGwzi ) if you want to build with us.

If you bring an old PC we’ll help you put Linux on it (a great thing to do with that now unsupported Windows XP system)!

PC expert Sam Lysinger from simplycompute.net will be there to help folks 12 and older (kids come with a parent/adult, please) through a
FREE detailed Build A PC class.

More info: http://decaturmakers.org/pc-build-3d-printer-animal-crackers/
Eventbrite to RSVP: http://bit.ly/1q87wbB

As was announced rather haphazardly by yours truly on Tuesday, two children’s book illustrators Chris Raschka and Bob Staake were in town Wednesday to paint a mural behind the Rec Center in celebration of “Screen-Free Week”.  Well, here’s the finished product, courtesy of Little Shop Dave!

And Little Shop Diane wrote this comment in the original post this morning…

Thanks to everyone who came out to see the mural painting yesterday! It is really fantastic! If you haven’t seen it yet, plan a trip to view it this weekend.

Dave at Little Shop sends along this announcement…

In celebration of Screen Free Week, Random House is sending two incredible authors/illustrators to help encourage kids to turn off the TV and read a book or play outside. Two-time Caldecott winner Chris Raschka and graphic artist extraordinaire Bob Staake will be painting a mural at the Decatur Recreation Center starting around 3pm tomorrow. So stop by in the afternoon to say hello and watch them work their magic!

Dave says he’s heard they will be painting part of the wall in the playground area out back of the Rec.