Tucker, GA — The Tucker City Council voted unanimously to award a contract for a public art mural to Rory Hawkins (aka Catlanta) at its regular meeting on April 24. Mayor Pro Tem Anne Lerner presided over the meeting without Mayor Frank Auman, who did not attend due to a work commitment.

The mural will be installed on a retaining wall near 5007 Lavista Road and 4228 First Avenue at the start of the city trail network in downtown Tucker.

Hawkins may be best known for his scavenger-hunt style art drops of whimsically painted “kittens” around Atlanta. Alert social media followers who can guess the location from visual clues rush to find each Catlanta kitten and take it home. 

“It’s turned into quite the competition,” Hawkins said, adding later, “I’m the son of an art educator, so it’s really important to me to show kids that there’s a path to creative fields.”

The contract amount is $2,500 for design and installation and up to $600 for materials. Work will begin in late May and should be completed in about two weeks.

In other business:

— During public comments, residents asked for more police coverage. DeKalb County provides police services to the city.

Candace Spicer, who owns a business at 2nd and Railroad Ave., said that she had seen people dumping tires near her business and that the area needs to be patrolled. Jason Adams, a new resident of Tucker, said that the DeKalb Police are not doing the job, and he would like to see Tucker have its own police department.

— The council voted to set the monthly stormwater fee at $6 or $72 per year for a single-family dwelling. These fees will provide funding for the city’s new Public Works Department, which will begin operation July 1.

— The city of Tucker has hired Pond & Co. to help create a new zoning district between Cooledge Road and Brockett Road. 

Rosie Mafe, a planner and project manager for Pond, said that priorities that have emerged from their information gathering so far include creating a code that’s easy to use, minimizing the impact of new development on single-family residential parcels, and addressing the perception that existing businesses are at risk of being pushed out.

Residents expressed concerns about pedestrian safety and a desire to keep the residential look and feel of the neighborhood, Mafe said, while business owners would like to see workforce housing.

Pond completed 10 stakeholder interviews between March 27 and April 3, and held a community on April 18. Mafe said that 41% of the attendees at the community meeting stated that they live or work in the study area.

An online survey closes on May 2.  Mafe said that she will return to give an update at the council’s June work session.

— Barge Design Solutions came to discuss the council’s preferences for design elements of the new town green based on the approved master plan. The park will be roughly two acres, including a stage and other areas for events, and will be built at the old Cofer storage lot on Railroad Ave. 

“We are all very excited to get started on the construction document stage,” Project Manager Raigan Carr said.

A long discussion of stage and bathroom design ensued, encompassing both practicalities and aesthetics. Councilmember Alexis Weaver said that she liked non-traditional seating, such as terracing with multiple uses, and favors sustainable construction, including re-use and repurposing of materials. Monferdini expressed a desire for mixed materials and a design that will visually flow.

Lerner suggested that they look at existing structures and decorative elements, such as park signs in Tucker.  “I feel like we’re traditional with some grit,” Lerner said.

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