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On Wednesday, July 26th at 8:00pm, resurfacing and safety improvement installation work on West Paces Ferry Road between Peachtree Road to just east of I-75 will begin. Expect and plan for a lane closure on direction at a time.
The resurfacing work will take place overnight between 8:00pm and 6:00am. A completion date has not yet been identified.
The Buckhead Community Improvement District has partnered with the City of Atlanta DOT to be the implementation manager overseeing the work.
A map of the construction zone can be found here.
The Construction Plan can be found here.
We want to get the word out to walking and running friends and family that parkrun is about to start here in Atlanta, this Saturday. There are over 6 million parkrunners worldwide—every Saturday morning in major cities all over the world people gather to run or walk a free, timed, volunteer-driven 5K with a personal barcode that records the event and your individual time. And to enjoy the fellowship. Atlanta's first one will be at 9am on Saturday morning, October 5th at Bitsy Grant Tennis Center on Northside Drive. And every Saturday thereafter! If you like to walk or run, please come. If you have friends or family who like to walk or run, please pass this information on. For more information, visit www.parkrun.us/northsidebeltline
We want to encourage those in the Neighborhood with similar interests to get together to share/discuss/engage on those interests. Our goal is not to tell a group how to do so, or when to meet, but simply to provide an easy way for Members to find other Members with similar interests, and let them then organize as they see fit. Jill Cooper has volunteered to be the central person with whom a Member with an interest may contact to be listed as an organizer. Please contact Jill Cooper if you are interested in starting or joining a neighborhood group! Ideas include gardening, knitting, yoga, and tennis, but the possibilities are endless.
Starting things off, we have two groups that have formed already and would love new members. Please let Jill know if you would like to join either the Bourbon Tasting Group or the Bible Study Group!
In 2015, Atlanta voters overwhelmingly approved $250 million in Renew Atlanta bonds to make repairs, improvements, and upgrades to transportation and building projects citywide. A lot of work has been done in District 8. Streets have been paved, sidewalks have been built, and work is under way to replace the 70-year-old Powers Ferry Road bridge next to Chastain Park. A two-mile extension of the PATH around Bobby Jones Golf Course was recently dedicated, and improvements are happening at Fire Stations 26 and 27. When the Renew effort and its companion TSPLOST programs launched, more than $1 billion in infrastructure repairs were identified. The $250-million Renew package and the taxes generated by the TSPLOST funds will NOT total $1 billion. Thus, choices must be made on what to do with the funding currently available, particularly as it relates to anticipated TSPLOST dollars. To receive feedback on the current list of projects under three proposed scenarios, Renew Atlanta will hold two public meetings for NW Atlanta residents. I encourage you to attend these meetings on Thursday, January 24, 6:30-8 p.m. at Sutton Middle School, 2875 Northside Drive and Thursday, February 28, at the same time and place.
The Atlanta Speech School’s 40th Annual Fun Run will take place the first Saturday in NOVEMBER- Nov. 3rd, 2018. This run directly benefits children in the Wardlaw School at the Atlanta Speech School. Students with a variety of learning differences become confident learners through the careful guidance and instruction of their Wardlaw teachers. Using the money raised from the annual Fun Run, (which is the only fundraiser for the Wardlaw School, and from which we drive our operating budget for the following school year), we are able to help students reach their fullest potential. Please come out, join the fun, and support the Atlanta Speech School.
The Neighborhood Cooperation Agreement is the 20-year agreement made in 2007 between Pace Academy and the West Paces-Northside Neighborhood Association which details the understandings between both parties in regards to Pace's reconfiguration and redevelopment of its property. The Agreement can be read in its entirety here.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Garcia Family Middle School, Knights Hall, 5th Floor
Pace Academy 966 West Paces Ferry Road 6:30 pm Doors Open for Members’ Registration and Non-Members (please bring annual dues payment) 7:00 pm Annual Meeting
Topics for discussion
Featured Speakers
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND THE NEXT
WEST PACES NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD
MEETING
When: Tuesday November, 15 at 7:00 Where: Fuqua Presentation Room – Pace Academy School What: Mr. Phillip Fender, who has purchased property on Moores Mill at the intersection and behind that lot on Wood Valley will be present to discuss his request for a variance to construct a combined driveway in order to build 3 homes. Please come, get information, ask questions and voice opinions.
Of all the positive attributes of a neighborhood one considers during home tours and online searches, the quality of the neighbors is an uncertainty. Sure, you see people showing signs of friendliness as you enter the street or waving, but you consider what the relationship would be like if you made this place your permanent home. One such small street in our West Paces neighborhood underwent a sort of relationship challenge this past month. The issue in question was what to do with a dilemma in the shared cul de sac space. You see, some forty years ago a set of plants was planted and thrived in the cul de sac. These plants became so healthy that they married to form one six foot high bush stretching eleven feet at its widest point. A small family of rabbits lived under this bush and would often be seen frolicking in the dusky light as families were preparing dinner. Remarkable as it was, the bush provided a problem. No one was able to see anything behind the bush. This may not seem catastrophic when all residents are above five feet tall and the legal driving age; however, this small street went from a population of one to ten children within the span of 18months. What a tremendous sign of continued life energy in a stable community. Small children come with a greater need for outdoor space in order to expel their wild appetite for movement. Several neighbors discussed the possibility of removing the bush since no car approaching would be able to see a gaggle of small children on the pavement behind this monstrous green habitat. The discussion remarks varied from the length and breadth of the bush's history to the well being of its' furry inhabitants. After much deliberation, several engaged neighbors polled their direct neighbors and all agreed that the safety of the current community outweighed the history of the bush.
Without any voiced objections, the bush was removed for a little over one hundred dollars. Fabulous, no obstruction at the base of the hill. Drat, no appealing feature or object to focus on when driving through the cul de sac. Action time. Each invested neighbor sought a landscaping company of their choosing to find bids, ideas, and material suggestions that would best suit our community. These bids, as you can imagine, ranged from under one thousand dollars to over four and a half thousand. Money led the decision, as it often does. We selected the long time landscaper of several homes on the street who envisioned a large simple grass segment with a mulched space for seating. Utilizing our resources, I was sent, on behalf of the street, to petition the board for a contribution to the project. My pitch was simple- the neighborhood shows support of the board through consistent membership rates and is seeking assistance to enhance and create beauty in a communal space. After offering written proposals from the landscape team, the board approved a contribution of two hundred dollars. With that two hundred in hand, I approached the landscape team to schedule sod and mulch installation. Neighbors eagerly awaited the next phase of the project. This empty land did not deter the children from turning it into imaginable spaces. Sod was installed for eight hundred dollars. Well, neighbors came out of the woodwork with fiscal contributions and ideas for seating options. We agreed on purchasing two five foot benches and almost over night, the sod settled in to it's new home, the mulch arrived a week later, and benches were assembled the following week. Neighbors even scoured nearby estate sales for planters. Then one Sunday afternoon, eureka, two concrete planters were found off Habersham at such a sale. For a little over one hundred dollars, two knee-high sturdy planters, with flowers I might add, were delivered to the end of our small street.
Neighbors reveled in this open yet inviting meeting place. The children began playing pick up soccer matches, a football game on the fly, and meeting in the circle. For New Year's Eve, a small fireworks display was held and five families gathered, bundled and carrying bubbly to ring in 2016 at 6:00pm. Remember, lots of small children! The week after, a fire bowl was added and many warmly dressed couples brought blankets and came to the circle for fireside conversation. Obviously, the completed circle has only been in action for several weeks, but already neighbors comment about the draw towards the space. This experience demonstrates the power of beautification. Through a series of compromises and generosity, our neighborhood now has a common space which bridges the needs of twelve families, stayed within a modest budget, and provides a long term solution to an existing problem.
Beautification has made that difference. Our small street may have lost a small family of rabbits, but in return we have enriched our lives and the lives of our children for years to come.
Anna Sonoda
Social Media Chair
Last fall, Police Chief George Turner hosted a public safety meeting. He started by saying that overall crime in Atlanta is down 86%, but he had to admit a fact that we in Buckhead all know, auto theft and home invasions are UP! Many of the criminals are repeat offenders, said Chief Turner, “young black males,(who) “are caught multiple times breaking into cars, keep getting released back into society to commit new crimes.” He blamed the revolving door handling of repeat offenders, especially juvenile ones, on laissez-faire judges. Complicating this, we also know that the response time to 911 calls is sometimes slower than we would like as officers are sometimes busy in higher priority calls.*
That is the situation we are faced with today. The obvious question is, what can we do to protect ourselves and our families? The answer is, we need to be better informed on what to do, we need to be more vigilant, and we need to take action when confronted with suspicious activity. In short, we need to prepare ourselves for the environment in which we live today, we can’t look the other way when we observe something out of the ordinary just because we are in a hurry, or don’t want to become involved.
I have written before that security is a three-legged stool, it takes the police, our security patrol and US to make our neighborhood safe. Working together we CAN make a difference. If you see something, DO something! Learn to trust our gut, after all, your gut feeling is a compilation of your prior experience. If you see something or somebody that doesn’t feel or look right, it probably isn't, CALL 911! The police WANT you to call. Calling 911 not only causes a response from the on duty police, it also alerts our security patrol of off duty and retired officers who carry police radios and who hear the dispatch. If patrolling, they can often respond quicker than on duty officers.
During the holidays, we were especially vigilant and fortunate. As is our policy, we increased our patrol hours by 50% from Thanksgiving through New Years.
We are very fortunate, our record of criminal activity is far below surrounding neighborhoods. Let’s keep it that way; be a tuned in neighborhood, one that is tuned into security, is alert to and takes action to report suspicious activity. Lastly, since about 90% of Association dues go to funding our security patrol, encourage your neighbors to join. More members means more security patrol hours!
* Excerpted from a public safety meeting 9-10-15 reportby TPCA President Mercy Sandbur-Wright
Jack Hellriegel
Security Chair
contactwestpaces@gmail.com
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