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FAB FRIDAYS DEC. 4,11,18 see page 5 City of Decatur Clear zone DECEMBER 2020 Volume 31 • Number 5 FocuOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OFs THE CITY OF DECATUR, GEORGIA COMMUNITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS MOST EXTRAORDINARY YEAR CITY News City of Decatur Strategic Plan 202s: Learn & Discuss The Decaturocu Focus is a joint publication of the sCity of Decatur,F the Decatur Downtown Development Authority The Roundtables process included 800 and the Decatur Business Association. It is a newsletter SUBJECT MATTER LINE-UP: intended to provide announcements and information registrants who contributed thousands of related to events, activities, and businesses in the city of comments. Many of these comments about Housing: Decatur. The purpose of the newsletter is to promote the city and encourage the exchange of information among Decatur’s future were in agreement, but some Thursday, Dec. 10 • 4-5:30 p.m. residents, business owners and the school system. Letters topics revealed conflicting perspectives about to the editor, editorials or other opinion pieces are not how Decatur should chart its course for the Equity & Racial Justice: published. All press releases, announcements and other Thursday, Jan. 14 • 4-5:30 p.m. information received for publication are subject to edit- next 10 years. ing. Information found in the Focus is also posted on The 202s will allow for a deep dive on these Climate Change: Decatur’s official website at decaturga.com. The deadline for submitting articles, announcements or advertising is topics. After hearing from subject matter February 2021, Date TBD the first day of the month preceding publication. Contact: experts, we will join together in virtual dis- Editor, Decatur Focus, P.O. Box 220, Decatur, GA 30031, cussion groups to help understand tradeoffs 404-371-8386; fax 404-371-1593; email: [email protected]. Clear zone and find common ground among differing participate, you may call in at 312-626-6799, perspectives. Input from these groups will be then type in the access code assigned to each used to form recommendations on how the meeting, or register for the video conference Strategic Plan should address these issues. at decatur2030.com. The 202s will seek to answer the question: Can’t make it at the scheduled time but still “What does success look like in a community want to be part of the conversation? Watch of 25K people within a metropolitan region the recordings, download the discussion DECATUR CITY COMMISSION of nearly six million people?” guides, and form a small group to discuss the Patti Garrett ....................................... Mayor Speakers will be announced closer to the questions. Submit your notes at decatur2030. Tony Powers .................. Mayor Pro Tem event. Visit decatur2030.com for all details. com/get-connected or decaturdestination@ George Dusenbury .......Commissioner All events will occur on Zoom and will be gmail.com. Lesa Mayer ........................Commissioner Kelly Walsh ........................Commissioner recorded and available after the meeting. To A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur Celebrates the Holidays with Virtual Giving he volunteers with A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur were de- BOARD termined that Decatur’s children and senior citizens would be able to celebrate the holidays in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Chris Sciarrone, Chair team of three creative women, Christine Russell, Anna Summer- Darren Comer • Linda Curry T Tony Leung • Conor McNally lin and Vandy Vail-Dickson, developed a plan to provide gift cards and Noah Peeters • Lisa Turner vouchers for books from Little Shop of Stories for children and to order actual gifts from senior citizens’ wish lists that would be mailed directly to them. The plan hinged on the Decatur community stepping up and making monetary donations. Many donors had been purchasing gifts for children Decatur Business and seniors since the program began 26 years ago. They loved to go shop- Association ping for an actual person. As much as they would have loved to directly purchase gifts, they cared more about making the holidays a happy memory DECATUR BUSINESS ASSOCIATION for these children and senior citizens. Thanks to Chris, Anna and Vandy, and the many, many donors who thought of others first, Susan Sparks ...............................President Decatur was able to have its first (and hopefully, last) Virtual Season of Giving/Christmas Daryl Funn .......................President-Elect Jill Joplin ......................................Treasurer Decatur. Emily Holden ..............................Secretary Donations are still being requested to help finish covering the cost of the gifts. Kyle Williams .....................Past President Go to legacydecatur.com/give and designate your donation to A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur. Legacy Decatur is a 501 (c) (3) registered charity. Design and layout: Lampe-Farley.com Information for the FOCUS should be submitted by mail to Editor, Decatur Focus, P.O. Box 220, Decatur, GA 30031, or by email to [email protected]. 2 | Decatur Focus • DECEMBER 2020 CITY News Meet Decatur Fire Inspectors Holiday Solid Congratulations to Robert Waste and Solovey, Decatur’s new- Recycling est fire inspector. Did you know that Decatur has three Schedule inspectors? In addition to Christmas Holiday Solovey, Craig Dubose and Friday, Dec. 25, and Nate Dansby also serve as Monday, Dec. 28 inspectors. Regular service for Thursday, Dec. The City of Decatur per- Solovey Dubose Dansby 24, will be on Wednesday, Dec. 23 forms fire inspections on new construction, renova- Regular service for Friday, Dec. 25, tions, and existing businesses. The more compliant people are with the safety regulations, the will be on Thursday, Dec 24 fewer fires and tragedies occur. Fire inspectors protect life and property by enforcing city fire Regular service for Monday, Dec. codes, ordinances and regulations. They enforce regulations by reviewing ar- 28, will be on Tuesday, Dec. 29 chitectural drawings for proposed construction and site development, along Regular service for Tuesday, Dec. with issuing operations permits to include regulating special events and 29, will be on Wednesday, Dec. 30 activities where large crowds and hazardous conditions exist. Inspectors educate, prevent and mitigate incidents in their early stages of develop- New Year’s Holiday, ment, making our city safer. Friday, Jan. 1 Decatur’s fire inspectors are also responsible for administering fire Regular service for Thursday, safety programs and inspections. The programs are designed to meet the Dec. 31, and Friday, Jan. 1, responsibility of minimizing risk to life safety, ensuring proper storage will be on Thursday, Dec. 31 and handling of hazardous material and the elimination of fire code violations through education and code enforcement. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 18 Harlan, age 2, is one of Decatur Regular service for Monday will be HARLAN ON Fire Rescue’s biggest fans and on Tuesday, Jan. 19 HALLOWEEN showed it during Halloween. Regular service for Tuesday will be on Wednesday, Jan. 20 The complete solid waste and re- Summer Camp Registration Opens Jan. 2 cycling holiday schedule (through September 2021) is at decaturga. ummer Camp 2021 registration opens Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. online. Look for the Camp com/sanitation and in the 2020 Edition of the Playbook on the City of Decatur website on or after Dec. 10 to plan November Focus. and select your camps for Summer 2021.The city will use a new software system Scalled CommunityPass for camp registration in January 2021. Here’s how to create a new family profile on the platform: 1. Visit register.capturepoint.com/cityofdecatur and select “Create an Account.” Focus Combined 2. Add family members to the account in the My Account > Account Information area. for January and Ensure all campers have been entered. February 3. Complete the Summer Camp Information and Release Form before Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. The form is a prerequisite to registering for camp so completing it ahead of time will expe- City of Decatur will publish a dite your registration. combined January/February issue of the Focus, scheduled to arrive 4. Spend some time with the Camp Playbook and map out some first and second choices in mailboxes during the second for each camper in your household. Check out pages 10-11 for week-by-week camp op- week of January. The deadline tions, grades and ages. for submissions for the issue Questions about camp registration for 2021 or the new CommunityPass software? Con- is Dec. 10. Send information to tact [email protected]. [email protected]. DECEMBER 2020 • Decatur Focus | 3 News CITY ICU Nurse Connects Neighbors During Pandemic Decatur resident and ICU nurse Ashley • Parents get a few minutes of free child- Goldman Howle is keeping her neighbors care (or some social interaction with connected during the pandemic through other parents if they choose to join); and the creation of Mimosa Milers. On Fridays • Elderly neighbors come along to cheer at 4 p.m., Ashley rallies neighborhood teens everyone on, and reap the benefits of the to meet at the corner of Mimosa Place and strong community they built while their Mimosa Drive in Winnona Park and lead a own children were young. 60-minute outdoor physical activity for the The result: A burst of exercise, youth in the neighborhood. To maintain mental health, and joy dur- safety, masks, hand washing, and social dis- ing an otherwise so- tancing are required, and attendance is lim- bering year. ited to Ashley’s neighborhood circle. As participants surpass milestones, they earn charms with inspirational quotes on them – and build confidence. • Teens step away from their comput- ers and learn leadership skills; • Little kids get some exercise, dancing, music and fun; Stop English Ivy from Killing Trees nglish ivy is a silent tree killer. It presents a real and immediate danger to your trees and poses a serious threat to our urban forests. With no natural enemies, English ivy is an aggressive, non-native invasive ivy that can topple trees and create a mono- Eculture on our urban forest floors by choking out all other flora.