East Atlanta Community Association
 
February 9, 2015
In This Issue
EACA Encourages city of Atlanta and APS to Resolve Beltline TAD Dispute
Support EACA through Amazon Smiles
2015 EACA Membership Drive.
Upcoming Dance 411 Events
EACA Member Services and Merchandise Update
News From the Friends of East Atlanta Library
Bring Home a Furry Valentine for Only $14 During February
Support EACA through the Kroger Community Rewards Program
Neighborhood Movie Group Sets Sail on Ninth Year
Friday Food for Firefighters
East Atlanta Security Patrol
Upcoming Area Meetings
EACA Rewards
Connect with EACA
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links

Please join us tomorrow night for the EACA monthly meeting. It starts at 7:00 p.m. Please note the new location - Brownwood Park Recreation Center at 602 Brownwood Ave.

EACA Encourages City of Atlanta and APS to Resolve Beltline TAD Dispute

In 2009, the city of Atlanta and Atlanta Public Schools (APS) formally agreed to allow the city to use a portion of the BeltLine district's educational taxes for BeltLine development. 

 

In lieu of these deferred taxes, the city was to make payments to APS over 20 years equaling $162.4 million. With payments scheduled to start in 2013. APS initially received $1.95 million that first year, but neither the payment of $6.75 million due Jan. 1, 2014, nor the subsequent payment of $6.75 million due the beginning of 2015 were delivered. Over the last several weeks this conversation has continued to heat up to include APS Superintendent Meria Carstarphen saying that Mayor Kasim Reed is now blocking the district's desire to sell surplus property due to this unresolved tension.

 

In response to this situation the East Atlanta Community Association in conjunction with the Burgess-Peterson Academy Local School Council implore the two sides to mediate this disagreement in order to keep from reaching litigation. To this end this letter was communicated to all parties involved in the dispute.

Support EACA through Amazon Smiles

EACA is enrolled in Amazon Smiles. If you regularly shop online at Amazon, you can support EACA by registering online at www.smile.amazon.com.

 

Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to EACA. 

 

AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. 

2015 EACA Membership Drive

With 2015 upon us, it's time to renew your EACA membership, or join for the first time. EACA membership dues are $10 per household and cover the calendar year, January to December. Your membership dues help with the costs associated with running the organization, such as maintaining our website, organizational insurance, and supplies. Registered members receive voting rights at EACA meetings and the opportunity to participate in EACA Rewards program. Residents 65 and over are eligible for reduced rates.

 

2014 was a banner year for EACA membership, with more than 200 households representing more than 300 residents who renewed or joined. So far in 2015, over 130 households representing more than 289 residents have renewed or joined! Our goal for 2015 is to grow the number of participating members and to have a membership that reflects our neighborhood.

This year's membership drive will run through May when we will give away a $100 gift certificate and other prizes during our monthly EACA meeting, all registered members will be entered to win! 

 

Click here to go to our online renewal form and pay with your credit card, debit card or paypal account.

 

You must be a renter, property owner or business owner within EACA's membership area to join. Click here to view the map.

 

You can also join or renew your membership

  • At the monthly EACA meeting. The next meeting is 7:00 p.m. Feburary, 10, at Brownwood Park Recreation Center, 602 Brownwood Ave SE.
  • Or by check made payable to EACA, mailed to P.O. Box 18366, Atlanta, GA 30316 - include your name, and street address.
  • Use our online application and purchase via PayPal.

Upcoming Dance 411 Events

Community Arts Day
The Dance 411 Foundation will celebrate the beginning of 2015 with a FREE kids arts day event. Join us Saturday, February 21, from 1-3:00 p.m. for "Take A Stand," a day of FREE dance, music, and acting workshops focused on anti-bullying. Our guest instructors are excited to teach our youth about the importance of taking a stand against bullying. Bring your family and friends! Please click here to register.

 

Spring Break Dance Camp
The award-winning Kids Dance 411 programs are engaging and exciting for all ages! Spring will be here before you know it. Save the date of this fun-filled day camp now! April 6-10 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Aftercare is available until 6:00 p.m. Parents will enjoy an end-of-week show on Friday at 3:00 p.m. Click here to sign up. 

EACA Member Services and Merchandise Update

The EACA membership engagement survey will be released over the next few weeks. Survey invitations will be emailed to current EACA members first, using their primary household email addresses, stay tuned. The survey will then be available in the newsletter and on Facebook. We want your feedback so that we may better serve our members and outreach our organization to the community. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to take part. We thank you in advance for your time and input.

 

This year we have changed the format of our EACA membership cards. They will be available for pick up at our February meeting. Membership cards not picked up will be mailed to members who have requested new cards by the end of February.

 

EACA has placed a new order for EACA yard signs. You can purchase those on-line along with your membership renewal or stand alone and we expect to begin delivery by the end of February or early March. Place your order ahead of time here!

 

We still have EACA Generals t-shirts and mugs for sale. You can purchase these at EACA events until we run out. Your next opportunity is during the February EACA meeting. Mugs are $10 and t-shirts are $15 for EACA members. If you can't make it to a meeting, or you need to pick one up for a gift, they are also available at Kaboodles in the EAV for $20 (t-shirt membership discount not available).

News From the Friends of East Atlanta Library (FEAL)

The "One Hour or Less Reading Club" had an excellent first meeting in January and is looking forward to the second on Monday, February 16, at 6:30 p.m. The club is open to all and meets monthly to discuss magazine articles on a range of cultural events and popular topics. It's the fun of a book club, but in less time - perfect for a busy schedule! The club meets monthly on Monday evenings from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the East Atlanta Library meeting room. The articles for each month's discussion are available at the library circulation desk or on the Friends of East Atlanta Facebook page

 

FEAL is conducting a craft supply drive to help support the 2015 programs. If you have extra craft supplies such as gently-used jumbo crayons, paints, fabric, pipe cleaners, wiggly eyes, construction paper, and fabric paint, please consider donating these items to the library. Craft supplies will be collected at the East Atlanta Library circulation desk during normal business hours. 

 

Anyone is welcome to attend the FEAL board meeting on Monday, February 23, at 6:30 p.m. in the library meeting room. Please come out and give us your input on library programs and needed improvements. 

 

On Saturday, February 28, from 3:00-5:00 p.m., FEAL will host the 3T Artists Love Your Library Reception for "Three T's Art Team" (Time, Talent, and Treasure). This is a neighborhood group and an art program for mental illness recovery that operates out of Woodland Hills Baptist Church. Their work is various media. The art is planned to be on display in the library meeting room through mid-March. 

 

FEAL is also collecting gently-used book donations for our next book sale, March 7, 2015. Please drop books off with the circulation desk. For more information about this or any FEAL program, "LIKE" Friends of East Atlanta Library on Facebook or email friendsofeal@gmail.com.

Bring Home a Furry Valentine for Only $14 During February

There is nothing like true love, and yours is waiting for you at DeKalb County Animal Services (DCAS). During the month of February, LifeLine Animal Project, the nonprofit that manages DeKalb County Animal Services, is offering a 'My Furry Valentine' promotion where all dogs and cats ages six months and older may be adopted for only $14. Standard adoption screening criteria still applies. Adopted pets will be spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, heartworm or combo tested and dewormed - services with a retail value of more than $200!  

 

According to DCAS Director Susan Feingold, everyone wins when a pet is adopted. "Dogs and cats provide unconditional love which has been shown to have positive affects on their owner's health," she says. "And when you adopt a shelter pet, you're saving a life, so both human and animal reap the benefits." 

 

Whatever your needs, likes or limitations, there is a pet (or two) at DCAS right now that is perfect for your household. For adoption hours, location and pictures of available animals, please visit www.dekalbanimalservices.com.

Support EACA through the Kroger Community Rewards Program

EACA is enrolled in the Kroger Community Rewards ProgramIf you regularly shop at Kroger, you can support EACA by registering online at krogercommunityrewards.comBe sure to have your Kroger Plus card handy. If you do not yet have a Kroger Plus card, they are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger. Follow these steps to sign up:

  • Click on Sign In/Register at krogercommunityrewards.com.
  • Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering zip code, clicking on favorite store, entering your email address and creating a password, agreeing to the terms and conditions. You will then get a message to check your email inbox and click on the link within the body of the email.
  • Click on My Account and use your email address and password to proceed to the next step.
  • Click on Edit Kroger Community Rewards information and input your Kroger Plus card number.
  • Update or confirm your information.
  • Enter EACA's NPO number - 18772and click on confirm.
  • To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see EACA's name on the right side of the information page.
  • REMEMBER, purchases will not count until after you've registered your card(s).
  • If you use your phone number at the register, call 800-576-4377, select option 4 to get your Kroger Plus card number.
  • Members must swipe their registered Kroger Plus card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Kroger Plus card when shopping for each purchase to count.

Neighborhood Movie Group Sets Sail on Ninth Year

In January, Life is Too Short to Watch Lousy Movies embarked on its ninth year of appreciating classic movies with the swashbuckling 1940 adventure The Sea Hawk. The spirited discussion focused on the similarity to and differences from current comic book movies and whether or not Tom Cruise or George Clooney is today's Errol Flynn.

 

In February, in honor of Valentine's Day the group followed up with the granddaddy of all romantic comedies, It Happened One Night, which featured Clark Cable teaching Claudette Colbert how to hitchhike - and vice versa. 

The March program will showcase cult goddess Louise Brooks in her most famous role, libertine dancer Lulu in the German silent 
Pandora's Box (1929).
 
Life is Too Short to Watch Lousy Movies screens and discusses classic movies on the first Saturday of every month in a home theater in Ormewood Park. Space-available participation is available, as are a very few regular slots with guaranteed seating. There is no charge for the films or the programs.

Interested? Have a look at the group's website, which explains how things work. To be notified of future films, sign up for the mailing list as a space-available "Drop In" participant on the Contact Us page of the site. Moderator Steve Whiteman can answer questions at ClassicFilmAppreciation@gmail.com.

 
As one of the regulars has said, "There is no better way to spend a Saturday evening in Atlanta!"

Friday Food for Firefighters

It's always a great time to deliver a meal to our local 

firefighters, and it has been a little while since they have had a visit!

 

Providing a meal means having a cooked meal to hand over to the firefighters at Station 13 on Friday evening. The firefighters request food without pork. A full kitchen is available to them at the fire station and they can heat something as needed. Meals should be delivered between 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.

 

Sign up here (password is "friday") to see what dates are available for meals. You might think about sharing different parts of a meal with friends--one or two people might provide the main meal, another could provide bread or a side dish or dessert.

 

Please call Beth-Ann Buitekant at 404-455-8746 for information or with questions. 

East Atlanta Security Patrol

The East Atlanta Security Patrol (EASP) is an effort to enhance public safety in East Atlanta. The EASP employs off-duty Zone Six police officers to perform additional patrols within Beat 612, which is the police designation for the East Atlanta community. The amount of time that the officers patrol is determined by the level of financial support from the community. More memberships and donations mean more patrol hours, so we encourage you to tell your neighbors and East Atlanta businesses about the EASP.

The EASP also functions as an advocate for the community. Please contact us with crime and public safety concerns in our neighborhood.


Both residents and businesses must be located within the city of Atlanta to become a member. Anyone may donate to the EASP.

 

In addition to proactive patrols in our community, the EASP works closely with the Atlanta Police Department and other security patrols to share information about crime threats or new patterns of crime. When appropriate, we share this information with the community via our website, Facebook and Twitter.

 

If you have additional questions, please email easp610@gmail.com, 

call 404-954-1568, or visit easecuritypatrol.com
Ongoing Meeting Schedule

 

Atlanta City Council, 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.

Branan Towers Bingo, 3rd Tuesday of the month.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month.

East Atlanta Business Association, 1st Monday of the month.

East Atlanta Community Association, 2nd Tuesday of the month.

Grant Park Neighborhood Association, 3rd Tuesday of the month.

Neighborhood Planning Unit-W, 4th Wednesday of the month.

NPU-W Land Use & Zoning Committee, 1st Tuesday of the month.

NPU-W Transportation Committee, 4th Wednesday of the month.

South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development, 2nd Thursday of the month.

Southeast Atlanta Communities for Schools, 2nd Thursday of the month.

 

Please view the EACA calendar here for more information on locations.

EACA Rewards

As a valued EACA member, you have access to our EACA Rewards Program. In partnership with local businesses, this program provides special promotions within the community when residents present their EACA membership card to participating businesses.

 

Current EACA Rewards Member Benefits:

Not a member? Join today! Annual dues are $10 per household or business per calendar year. As an EACA member, you can vote at EACA meetings on topics of interest within our community as well as show your support to East Atlanta. 
If you are a business interested in participating in this free program, find more information 
hereEmail questions to membership@eaca.net.   
Connect with EACA
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:
Email: newsletter@eaca.net
Website: http://eaca.net