East Atlanta Community Association
Newsletter
October 18, 2010 
In This Issue
Cell Tower Update
Monthly Meeting - Synopsis
Neighbor in Need is Taking Off
Park Improvements
City Code Compliance Changes
Branan Bingo
DeKalb County Code Enforcement Task Force
Public Art - FLUX Projects
East Atlanta Village Famers Market
Friends of East Atlanta Library Annual Meeting
Burgess-Peterson Garden Volunteer Day
Early Voting - DeKalb County
State Superintendent's Candidates Forum
MARTA I-20 East Transit Initiative Public Meetings
EABA's EAV-O-WEEN
2010 DeKalb County Neighborhood Gatherings
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
 Greetings!

EACA  Logo
Hello,

Every day this week, like most weeks in East Atlanta, is an opportunity for you to participate in Atlanta's greatest neighborhood. If you need a pumpkin, see about buying one from Neighbor in Need!

Enjoy!
Cell Tower Update: Application's Appeal Denied
On Thursday, October 14, the City of Atlanta's Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) found that the City did not act arbitrarily in its August 6th decision to deny the wireless tower application for 469 Metropolitan Place. The appeal by Communications Structures of Georgia (CSG) - the applicant - was denied. After the applicant's attorney spoke, the City defended its decision and then Andy Schneggenburger spoke for the interested parties. Ed Gilgor spoke on behalf of NPU-W. Seventeen neighbors attended the hearing.

Despite the denied appeal, CSG has already filed suit against the City in Federal Court, repeating much of the content in its BZA appeal, which include claims of violation of constitutional rights as property owners and violation of rights as provided by the Telecommunications Act. It's assumed that CSG will also appeal the BZA's decision to Superior Court.


Monthly Meeting - Synopsis
Last Tuesday, October 12, EACA's Monthly Meeting featured both candidates for DeKalb County District Attorney, Constance Heard and Robert James. Details on Amendment 4 on the November 2nd Ballot and the "Safe Routes to School" project affecting Ormewood Avenue were reviewed, among many other community issues.

EACA, after debate from neighbors and businesses, unanimously supported a motion to oppose any new paid parking lots in the East Atlanta Village.

Minutes from Monthly Meetings can be found on EACA's website including October's minutes here.
 Neighbor in Need is Taking Off
EACA's Neighbor in Need program is providing services and taking names!

In July, an elderly couple - 37-year residents of East Atlanta - were interviewed, and after inspection, a leaking roof, faulty electrical and failing HVAC systems were detected. 
In August, Coolray fixed the HVAC for $350 and at no cost to the homeowners. Neighbor in Need has solicited bids for the roof and electrical repairs, which will be complete by the end of the year.

Donations from organizations and individuals are coming in! You might have seen members of the Neighbor in Need crew selling pumpkins at the East Atlanta Village Farmers' Market. You can buy a small pumpkin for $5 and large ones for $15. A local retailer has joined the effort, so if you miss the Thursday market, you can still buy a pumpkin to support low-income seniors at Urban Cannibals.

Neighbor in Need has received a $5,000 matching grant. If we raise $5,000, we'll actually have $10,000 to help more of our neighbors. You may donate to Neighbor in Need on EACA's website on this page; all donations are tax deductible.
Park Improvements
Beginning as early as today, Brownwood Park will see significant enhancements to its safety and beauty.

With formal approval from the City of Atlanta, EACA has hired a contractor to remove invasive species from the eastern portion of the Park. This work is the first phase in a larger stream restoration project, one component of the Park's Master Plan.

Chinese Privet, Kudzu, English Ivy, Poison Ivy, Mahonia and other non-native species will be removed over the course of next year, though results will be noticable within the first week. This project is funded by Trees Atlanta, the East Atlanta Beer Festival and Park Pride.

If you have questions, please contact EACA's Parks Committee Co-Chairs, Laird Ruth and Mary Yetter, at parks@eaca.net.


City Code Compliance Changes
As of today, there are important changes going on with Code Compliance in city government. Please see this memorandum and Fact Sheet, which articulate the details of the change, the rationale and other items that citizens should know.

Branan Bingo
Do You Know About Branan Bingo?

Community volunteers from the neighborhood run a monthly Bingo game for Branan Towers' residents.  This month's is Tuesday, October 19th at 6pm.  Between 30 and 60 residents turn up on the third Tuesday of every month to play about eight variations on the standard game for cash prizes, local gift certificates and Girl Scout cookies (!).
 
Scores of volunteers have participated over the years, including the local Girl Scout troop.  Most volunteers are solicited through the EAVBuzz.  In December, in addition to the games, volunteers bring food for a potluck dinner.  If you're interested in volunteering with some of East Atlanta's seniors, please sign up online or contact Dennis Madsen.



DeKalb County Code Enforcement Task Force
DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis recently appointed Super District 7 Commissioner Connie Stokes as chair of the newly established DeKalb County Code Enforcement Task Force.  The task force, which includes community leaders, county officials, and other key individuals, will identify and assist in the implementation of solution-driven recommendations to address code enforcement issues affecting communities throughout DeKalb.


The DeKalb County Code Enforcement Task Force will hold a series of meetings that are open to the public with the closest meeting to East Atlanta at the following:

 

Tuesday, October 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Cedar Grove High School
2360 River Rd
Ellenwood, GA 302949

 


Public Art - FLUX Projects
FLUX Projects, a public art nonprofit, presents Momentary Performances in East Atlanta!  Momentary Performances stems from Lee Walton's interest in the subtle, everyday actions of public life.  Through the simple of use of vinyl text installed in public space, everyday actions are formalized, thus taking on a new life.  Through this amplification, intimate everyday occurrences become celebrated events and blur the line between real-life and theater.

Various locations through October 31

Mondays 1:30 pm
Cabbagetown Market, Cabbagetown

Tuesdays 1:40 pm
Emory University, Cox Hall

Tuesdays 4:15-4:30 pm
Decatur, City Plaza

**********Wednesdays, 6:30 pm
My Sisters Room and Nawlins, East Atlanta*********

Saturdays 11:00 am
Piedmont Park between Oak Hill and Lake Clara Meer

Saturdays 3 pm
Clothing Warehouse, Little Five Points

Sundays 3:00 pm
The Sound Table, Old Fourth Ward

For more information please visit fluxprojects.org.

East Atlanta Village Famers Market

The East Atlanta Village Farmers Market is going strong through Thanksgiving.  In fact, they've added new vendors.  Come support your local farmers market every Thursday night from 4:30 to 7:30 at 1231 Glenwood Ave.

Friends of East Atlanta Library Annual Meeting
Our last event for the year is the Annual Meeting on Friday, October 22 from 6 to 8pm in the Meeting Room of East Atlanta Library.  Social Hour will begin at 6pm with beer, wine and soft drinks for refreshment.  At 7pm the program will begin.  A film documentary about the life of Stieg Larsson will be shown.  Larsson is known for his trilogy: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  

Bring your friends.  Show your support for the library!
Burgess-Peterson Garden Volunteer Day
The weather is perfect for working outside, so it's time for another volunteer day at the BPA garden.  We'll work from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, October 23.  Rain date is 9 to noon on Sunday.  We want to work on two projects.  In the courtyard garden, we need some relatively skilled volunteers to turn the donated windows into cold frames.  In the outdoor classroom, we need folks to go into Mulch Madness mode, and finish dragging mulch down the hill to the outdoor classroom. Then we'll roll/push/pull/carry the log seating into the classroom area.  If there's time, we'll paint some polyurethane on the logs to protect them a bit from the weather. 

We'll have a few shovels, two wheelbarrows and some carrying containers, but if you have a shovel and a wheelbarrow, bring it along.  For the logs, an inexpensive paint brush would be helpful.
  For the cold frames, cordless screwdrivers will likely be handy.

We're also still looking for donations to Save Seven Bulbs for Burgess.  It's about time to plant your spring-blooming bulbs, so why not share a few with BPA?  We picked the number seven, because that's one bulb for each grade level at the school. We noticed Lowe's at Edgewood has 5-pound bags of daffodil bulbs for $15, which seemed like a pretty good price.  You can bring the bulbs on volunteer day, or message Michelle Rice to arrange pick-up or drop-off.

Contact Michelle Rice at 4chisos@comcast.net with questions.
Early Voting - DeKalb County
IN-PERSON EARLY/ADVANCE VOTING
ABSENTEE POLL OPENS FOR GENERAL ELECTION EARLY VOTING
SEPTEMBER 20, 2010
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, MON-FRI

Memorial Drive - Main Office ONLY

2010 ADVANCE VOTING SITES
GENERAL ELECTION: October 25 - 29
EXTENDED HOURS: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Memorial Drive - Main Office
Dekalb County Voter Registration and Elections
4380 Memorial Drive
Decatur, GA 30032

Decatur
Clark Harrison Center
330 West Ponce de Leon Avenue, Room A
Decatur, GA 30030

North
Chamblee Civic Center
3540 Broad Street
Chamblee, GA 30341

Northlake
Dekalb County Fire Headquarters
Training Conference Room
1950 West Exchange Place
Tucker, GA 30084

South
Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center
3181 Rainbow Drive
Decatur, GA 30034
State Superintendent's Candidates Forum

  • Candidates: John Barge, Joe Martin, Kira Willis
  • Expert Panelist: Neil Shorthouse, CIS of GA, Sally Fitzgerald, GA PTA, Dr. Randy Khampaus, GA State University, David Morgan, Cobb Co. Board of Education.
  • Moderator: Dr. Folami Prescott-Adams
  • Meet & Greet: 6:00PM 
  • Host: SNAPPS, League of Women Voters, CASE, NPUs 
  • Phone: 404-865-7100
  • When: Monday, October 25 from 06:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  • Where: Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta
MARTA I-20 East Transit Initiative Public Meetings
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in conjunction with DeKalb County and in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration and the City of Atlanta has begun the I-20 East Transit Initiative.  This effort will involve the identification of transportation and environmental impacts associated with the development of high-capacity transit service from downtown Atlanta to the Mall at Stonecrest in southeastern DeKalb County.

You are invited to attend the upcoming public meetings to learn more about the project and to provide input on the transportation needs within the corridor. 

To learn more about this initiative please click on the link above, and for locations, dates and times (Oct 26-28) of upcoming meetings please click here
EABA's EAV-O-WEEN
Save the Date: The East Atlanta Business Association's EAV-o-ween will be Saturday, October 30th. They will be doing a costume contest from 5-6pm at the Brownwood Park Rec Center followed by a "candy crawl" (aka trick or treating) in the Village from 6-9pm. Holy Taco is also planning pumpkin carving as well as other TBD activities from other businesses.

Please stay tuned for more details as they become available.


2010 DeKalb County Neighborhood Gatherings
DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis will be holding "town hall" meetings in the upcoming weeks as a way for DeKalb citizens to hear his vision for the future of the County as well as to be heard. 

For more information including meeting locations, dates and times (Oct 18 - Nov 9) please visit here. 
 East Atlanta Security Patrol
To learn more about the East Atlanta Security Patrol, view updated news and notes or to enroll, visit the EASP website. There is a 50% discount for longtime residents and those 65+. To qualify, you must have lived at the same address for 20 years or be over age 65. We also have a 20% discount for members of an APD-sanctioned Neighborhood Watch. Please contact us if you're interested in setting up a Neighborhood Watch on your street.
 
If you have additional questions, please direct them to easp610@gmail.com, or call EACA Public Safety Chair Myron Polster at 404-954-1568.

 EACA Public Safety - Weekly Crime Report
Please note the revised September Trends below. 
The weekly crime reports for weeks 36-39 are below:


A new feature, the significant arrests report for weeks 36-39 are below:

September 2010 Crime Report
September 2010 Crime Trends, revised
Upcoming Area Meetings
Atlanta City Council

Meetings: 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month (10.18), 1:00 pm

City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave SW, Atlanta, GA


Burgess-Peterson Academy PTA Meeting
(10.19)
480 Clifton Street, 6:00pm


Grant Park Neighborhood Association
Meetings: 3rd Tuesday of the month (10.19), 7:30pm

Zoo Atlanta - ARC Building, Ford Conservation Room
800 Cherokee Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30315

 

Branan Towers Bingo

3rd Tuesday of the month (10.19), 6pm

Branan Towers, 1200 Glenwood Ave., SE

 

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners

Meetings: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month (10.26), 9:00 am

Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr, Decatur


Neighborhood Planning Unit, NPU-W
Meeting: 4th Wednesday of the month (10.27), 7:30pm
Martha Brown United Methodist Church, 468 Moreland Ave SE

 

 

2010 EACA Membership

Join EACA today!  Annual dues are $10 per household per year.  As an EACA member, you can vote at EACA meetings on topics of interest within our community.  Email questions to membership@eaca.net.

You can sign up for your 2010 EACA membership and order EACA Yard Signs on-line!  Pay electronically through your online banking site or via Paypal
 HERE.

East Atlanta on Facebook & Twitter
If you're a Facebook member, be sure to become a fan of both the EACA Fan Page and the East Atlanta Village page, too!  Click on links below to take you directly to each.



Contact Information:
E-mail: newsletter@eaca.net
Website: http://eaca.net