July 14, 2020 (online meeting)
Meeting starts at 7:02pm.
Opening Remarks – Myron Polster
Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey on the potential market opening in East Atlanta. Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfz9bNu_0Ws1oMxOfxOxWNJoWXPIzOWB9Zh1IK2QNZg7p3BLQ/viewform?mc_cid=45a96589dd&mc_eid=ecdd40672b.
We tried to invite DeKalb commissioner runoff candidates, but they were unable to attend, so we will post video of the debate they had. Debate also includes DeKalb School Board candidates.
Atlanta Public Schools Reopening Plan* – Jeanne Fore introduces (Michelle Olympiadis was scheduled but did not attend) David White, principal for 5 years at BPA. EACA took questions in advance on the plan for the coming school year. The plan is very new. Jeanne says if there are questions about DeKalb schools, please contact education@EACA.net and we will try to get answers.
David: Superintendent has recommended moving first day of school to August 24. Virtual learning is planned for the first nine weeks of school and there will be a new plan for how that will work. Teachers return on August 3 and they will be learning about virtual school and contacting families of their new students then.
That training couldn’t happen during the summer because teachers aren’t paid to work in the summer and there was no money available to pay them for training.
Another change for virtual learning: Teachers across grade levels will be on a schedule for virtual learning and students will get regular hours. Teachers also will have regular office hours that will be consistent across grade levels.
Gifted student learning and other specialty teachers will be included in virtual learning. (Art, PE, etc.)
Meals for students will begin on August 10.
When school returns face-to-face, the district will provide PPE and tools to do temperature checks on adults and students. As of today, everyone coming into a school must wear a mask or face shield.
(There was a long Q&A that followed. For a complete transcript please contact, education@eaca.net).
Elected Officials
Council Member Natalyn Archibong: COVID has hit the yard waste crews and that’s why yard trimmings are not being picked up as regularly. City is considering Saturday pickups so they can use other staff. Please be patient but call her office if the trimmings sit for an extremely long time.
There has been a spike in crime. No update on last week’s shooting. There is no move to defund the police. The proposed Brooks bill does not take money away from the police, but Council is looking for ways to reform police. Brooks bill will be discussed this week and asks CFO to find $73 million from non-public safety pot to reform policing and implement other community projects.
Funding has been approved to acquire a portion of the Ormewood Forrest.
We have $22 million from CAREs act to help those having trouble paying rent and utilities. It will be first-come, first-served and run by United Way and will serve 6,000 people. She realizes there is more need than that.
The city has decided to open virtual boards and commissions for zoning, etc., which had been stalled because of the pandemic.
Q: Are we going to rename Ormewood Forrest, so people don’t think it’s in Ormewood neighborhood. A: There can be an official name if EACA wants to poll the neighborhood and come up with something.
Shawn Craig from Commissioner Larry Johnson’s office: Update on the census. We are at 60% replying in DeKalb, but we can do better. He would like us to spread the word to others to fill out the census form.
There will be a Zoom meeting to talk about election concerns in DeKalb County. Thursday, July 15, 6:00pm.
Caedel Medical Group representative Ms. Thompson: They are open at 559 Flat Shoals SE and offering primary care and IV therapy. They are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They take all major insurance. (See brochure. PDF in file of meeting PDFs.)
East Atlanta Business Association, Nate Minor: EABA concerned about the shooting last week. It has an ongoing concern with loitering and drug dealing at the scene of the shooting. Working to get a police camera in the area fixed.
EABA needs some community volunteers in several areas: It wants to do camera mapping with anyone who owns a camera that faces the street. This is a way to let police know what security cameras might have caught after a crime has happened. EABA needs volunteers to go to businesses and get them on the map. EABA also needs volunteers to help log 911 calls made in the business district. EABA is interacting with commercial property owners to ask that buildings and lots are kept in good repair.
Working on the problem of homelessness.
More info at https://eastatlantabiz.com/Public-Safety
Nate also made a pitch for community members to continue supporting local businesses.
Ccommittee Reports
Public Safety – Myron Polster: Myron says East Atlanta Security Patrol is trying to spend as much time in the business district as possible and still serve the paying members in the residential areas.
Q: Can we get facts and figures on crime rate in EAV. Anecdotally, gunfire and drug sales seem to have increased. A: Crime
is tracked on the EASP website. Crime overall is down but he recognizes there are bursts from time to time, possibly lately related to the July Fourth holiday.
EACA Branding – Myron Polster: EACA is in early stages of exploring branding in a common way with EABA. We’ll talk about that next month when there is more time on the agenda.
EAV Placemaking – Sarah Kuehn: Working with the planning group on the EAV Porch portion of the project, which will be near Joe’s. She hopes to have drawings to share at next month’s meeting. Atlanta DOT will be the guiding entity. It will be a standup coffee bar with movable stools and way-finding signs to points of interest. Will also refurbish and relocate the bike racks that are there now.
Fundraising and Grants Committee – Andy Cleary: NPU-W grant update. Because of COVID-19, many of the original plans for the grant aren’t feasible. The grant has paid for a subscription to Switcher radio, which pays to record community meetings. Those working on the grant are planning a Cluetown scavenger book and art on traffic boxes. The two will be combined, so the scavenger hunt includes the traffic box art. Cluetown will need raw info to create the hunt, so there is the potential for volunteers to work on that.
The traffic box art will be handled like the recent power box project in Little Five Points, with a call for artists and the opportunity for residents to vote for locations and artists and their designs. If you’d like to help, contact her. Here’s a link with more info: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10159891665369112&type=3.
Transportation Committee – Karlyn Beer: Glenwood and Moreland realignment: Construction has started, next step will be to relocate all the power poles.
Maynard Terrace at I-20 roundabout: No update since April, but documents on website indicate there are final plans. A statement has been drafted coming out against curfew adopted during the protests earlier this year. Myron proposes the statement be sent out before the next meeting so people can read it and vote on it then. Maynard Terrace/I-20 roundabout info page: https://por.dot.ga.gov/projectInfo/projectInfo.cfm?projID=0013333&projNum=&projName=I-20%20Eastbound%20at%20CS%202776/Maynard%20Terrace#.
Maynard Terrace/I-20 roundabout video simulation https://por.dot.ga.gov/upload/projectInfo/0013333/PDF/Video-4-27-2020.pdf.
Parks and Greenspace – Alex Levy: There will be another chance to get trees from Trees Atlanta in McPherson and Metropolitan areas, with planting planned in November. Contact parks@eaca.net. The park’s footbridge is deteriorating and there has been some vandalism. EACA is seeing what can be done. Activate-atl.com is working on getting input from park users and a program like the city 311 system. They hope to restart workdays in the fall. In the meantime, if anyone wants to volunteer, contact parks@eaca.net.
Myron says EACA has received calls about people sleeping in the park and he is looking into that. He also is looking into the significant problem with trash at Maynard Terrace and I-20.
Land Use and Zoning – Karla Causey: Stokeswood development in former Earthshaking building: Trying to get clarity from the city about what is going on. There had been a stop work order, but work has restarted. The zoning for NC2 has a requirement for commercial on the ground floor but the development has no commercial planned. Committee is trying to determine if the developer has been granted an exception to the zoning.
There is an amendment being considered regarding neighborhood standard design changes amendment regarding garages and shortening setback requirements. Where is this going? EACA, Sand and others looking for reasoning behind it and it was deferred.
512 Flat Shoals Avenue: Change in the arborist approval to the stage in which public comments can be submitted.
Dawn Rivera: We have the opportunity to do another blood drive. We need $300 to pay for cleaning the church after the Red Cross leaves.
Approval of the June Minutes – Myron Polster
Meeting ends at 8:55pm.
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