EACA Meeting Minutes

September 8, 2015
Vice President, Lewis Cartee called the meeting to order at 7:04pm and welcomed all new and returning community members.
Ted Bradford, representing Council Member Natalyn Archibong, announced that the councilmember has been working on two legislative items concerning the painting of murals in The Village prior to The Strut. There has been some confusion regarding the “road closure” signs on Moreland Avenue – it is not actually Moreland Avenue that has been and will continue to be closed, it is Metropolitan Avenue in connection with the apartment community construction. SAND has drafted a proposal for the City of Atlanta to add designated bike lanes to the Moreland Glenwood Realignment design and suggests that EACA do the same.
David White, the new Principal of Burgess-Peterson Academy introduced himself and gave a short summary of his background and experience. Curriculum Night is Thursday, September 10 at 6:00pm. You need not be a parent to participate. On Tuesday, September 15, Burgess-Peterson has invited area real estate agents and brokers to add the school to their caravan list to introduce them to the school as they market East Atlanta to prospective new homeowners. If you have questions, need more information or are interested in getting involved with Burgess-Peterson, please get in touch with Principal White at dwhite@atlantapublicschools.us.
Public Safety:
Lt. Floyd from APD reported that there have been 3 burglaries in the last 28 days in the area. Crime in general is trending upward in EAV and APD has added bike patrols and Segway patrols to increase visibility and address spikes in crimes. Please do not leave valuables in your car and make sure to tell friends who are visiting EAV not to leave valuables in their cars. Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to the people around you. Criminals are not always in vehicles. The armed robbery of patrons from Graveyard Tavern this month fled on foot. Continue to use 911 for emergency calls. For non-emergency calls the Precinct’s direct number (land line) is 404-658-6666.
Land Use and Zoning:
There was one variance application (V-15-212) submitted to the Land Use and Zoning committee since the August EACA meeting. The homeowner of 576 Gresham Road, just south of Portland, is seeking a zoning variance reducing side yard and rear yard setbacks to extend the carport to accommodate two cars. Construction had already begun when the homeowner found out that they needed to apply for the variance, however construction has been halted until the variance is granted. The NPU has conditionally approved the application and asked that the homeowner get buy-in from the affected neighbors, which the homeowner has now done. The variance application was approved by EACA members in good standing: 17 approve, 0 deny, 1 abstention. If you have questions for the Land Use and Zoning Committee, please email Andy at landuse@eaca.net.
There has been one Alcohol License Application “Change of Agent” since the August EACA meeting which involves the ownership for The Glenwood. The application was unanimously approved by EACA membership.
Membership:
As of July 31, EACA membership had reached 534 members, representing 243 households. Yard signs are available again if you joined EACA recently and wanted to order one. Generals t-shirts and mugs are also available.
Parks and Greenspace:
On Wednesday, September 16 Council Member Archibong’s office will facilitate a meeting with arborists from the city’s Parks Department as well as representatives from Park Pride, Trees Atlanta and residents from the neighborhood at the Brownwood Park Recreation Center. The discussions will include revision of the Master Plan, control of invasive species, distressed trees and perennial maintenance issues. Please contact parks@eaca.net for more information about the meeting and volunteer opportunities. Trees Atlanta is coordinating a “Weed Eradication Work Day” in Brownwood Park on September 12 from 9:00am to 12:00pm. See the Trees Atlanta website for more information and to volunteer.
Beautification Committee
Clean up efforts in East Atlanta Village will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, which is the weekend prior to The Strut on September 26. Please bring blowers or weed eaters and gloves and meet at the intersection of Flat Shoals Road and Glenwood Avenue. All volunteers are needed.
Announcements:
East Atlanta Kid’s Club Bike Rally is scheduled for Saturday, September 12 from 8:00am to 2:00pm. Volunteers are still needed.
Brandon Tidwell, Webmaster of SAND reported that recently the Transportation Committee of NPU-W formed the Southeast BeltLine Sub-committee (including representatives from EACA, GPNA, SAND, and residents of each of those neighborhoods) whose mission is to increase the livability and economic value of the southeast corridor of Atlanta along the Beltline. The Sub-committee had its first organizational meeting in August and is having the first operational meeting in September. Brandon is attempting to schedule a meeting with TADAC (Tax Advisory District Allocation Committee) as taxpayers who contribute to funding of the Beltline project need representation. The Beltline Network has tentative scheduled a public meeting on November 4 at Zoo Atlanta. If you have questions or would like to contribute expertise, please contact Brandon at webmaster@sandatlanta.org.
The East Atlanta Runfest will start at 8:00am prior to The Strut on September 26. A dog-friendly 2 mile run was added this year. To register or for more information on each race, please see the website: runeav.com. The East Atlanta Strut activities will begin at 11:00am with an artist market, live music, kid’s areas with games, a beard contest and two eating contests ($25 to enter either the wings or hot dog eating contests). The parade will step off at 2:00pm. The East Atlanta Roll, showcasing cars, trucks, scooters and motorcycles will begin at 4:00pm the evening before (Friday, September 25, 2015) on Glenwood Road. Volunteers are still needed for all three events. A fundraising event will take place on Saturday, September 12 at Midway Pub. “Drink Out for The Strut” will be from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Strut.
The August EACA meeting minutes and September Treasurer’s report were approved without comment or opposition.
Meeting adjourned at 7:59pm.