Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. for a work session and at 7:30 p.m. for the regular meeting. The meetings are held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, as well as Zoom.

To access the meeting, follow these instructions: 

Participants must register in advance through Zoom to receive the meeting link. To register, click here.

The meeting will also be livestreamed on the city’s website.

To view the meeting agenda, click here.

During the work session the City Commission will discuss the 2021 municipal benchmark report. On the agenda for the regular meeting is a change order to the pedestrian safety and cycle track project on Clairemont Avenue, Commerce Drive and Church Street.

In May, the City Commission approved plans to permanently reduce the car traffic lanes on Church Street from four lanes to two lanes from the city limits on the north side to the intersection with Commerce Drive. On each side of Church Street dedicated bike lanes will be added as well as improved sidewalks that will tie in with the pedestrian and cycle-track improvements along Commerce Drive.

The project will also include pedestrian safety improvements at the intersections of Church Street and Commerce Drive, and Commerce and Clairemont Avenue. The city will eliminate the vehicle slip lanes at Clairemont and reduce the crossing distances making it easier for pedestrians to safely navigate and reducing distractions for drivers.

On Tuesday, the City Commission will consider a change order of about $146,000 for a cost increase due to delays in starting the project. If approved, the total contract amount with Lewallen Construction will increase from about $2.75 million to about $2.89 million.

Lewallen Construction submitted the lowest bid for the project in March. The Georgia Department of Transportation is providing most of the funding for the project, Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon wrote in a memo.

The city received the notice to proceed with the project from GDOT on Aug. 19. Lewallen Construction has requested the increased amount as its subcontractors and vendors weren’t able to hold their bid pricing during the period between bid opening and receiving the notice to proceed.

There is adequate funding in the project budget for the increase. GDOT has approved the request. The city’s share of the cost would be about $30,000 of the total amount since GDOT is funding most of the cost increase, Saxon said in the memo.

Additionally, the City Commission will consider a contract with T&J Industries in the amount of about $12,000. The contract is for vacuum jetting cleaning services for the storm water detention vaults at McKoy Park. The vaults are part of a stormwater detention system that mitigates runoff from the upper parking lot at McKoy Park, Assistant City Manager David Junger wrote in a memo.

Inspection and maintenance of the system is required per the city’s MS4 permit from the state of Georgia. Inspection of the detention vaults showed that access limitations and the estimate volume of debris removal is above the capabilities of city staff.

The City Commission will also hear presentations on Placita Latina, the Islamic Speakers Bureau’s 20 under 20 Decatur High School honoree and appointments to the Decatur Youth Council.

Placita Latina is a series of four events that will celebrate Latin heritage from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15,which is Hispanic Heritage month and will overlap with Welcoming Week.

The event was created by former Avondale Estates Commissioner Adela Yelton and Mayte “Maria” Peck, president of SheLends Consulting and principal managing partner at Mark of the Potter. The planning committee is also made up of several Hispanic residents of Decatur and Avondale Estates.

The festival will be a series of events to create awareness while promoting a positive narrative of Latinx people and their contributions to society. The events will engage and promote local businesses in the celebration of Hispanic/Latinx culture.

Events in Decatur will include salsa on the Square and a Latinx artist showcase at the Decatur Visitors Center in partnership with Decatur Arts Alliance.

Writer Cathi Harris contributed to this story. 

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