This story has been updated. 

Decatur, GA — The city of Decatur will move forward with intersection improvements at East Parkwood Road and East Lake Road. The city plans to apply for permits through the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Once the city receives the permits, it will move toward bidding the project and construction.

In February 2022, the Decatur City Commission approved an agreement with Atkins North America in the amount of $80,000 for the design of intersection improvements at East Lake Road and Parkwood Road. The contract with Atkins included a detailed survey, roadway design, geotechnical services, permitting services with GDOT and bidding assistance.

Before submitting to GDOT for permitting and bidding on the project for construction, the neighborhood was able to see the plan one more time last week.

“Since then, the designers have developed construction detailed plans,” Deputy City Manager David Junger said. “Everyone was very supportive of the plan. They’re ready to see use move forward.” 

In other business:

– Business Development Manager Shirley Baylis presented a report from Frontline Response on the warming center. The city commission approved a memorandum of understanding with Frontline Response in October 2022 to operate a warming center on Gresham Road.

The MOU is in place from Nov. 1, 2022 to Nov. 30, 2023. Frontline serves as a cold weather warming center for unhoused individuals in the city. It provides bedding, food, and restrooms for up to 10 men and 10 women and/or children needing shelter when the temperature drops to 38 degrees or below, according to the MOU.

“At the warming center, individuals will be provided a meal and a bed for the evening,” Baylis said at the Oct. 17, 2022, city commission meeting. “Frontline staff and security will be on site 24 hours while the unhoused individuals are on the premises. In the morning, the unhoused individuals will have the opportunity to meet with a caseworker for placement into long-term housing or to be reunited with their families.”

At the May 1 Decatur City Commission meeting, Baylis said there the center operated on 34 days. There were 436 intakes between December and March and a total of 83 individuals utilized the warming center. Frontline served 872 meals and had 15 staff members working the center. The staff also did some case management with 47 people.

– Junger announced that Gregory Curtis has been selected to fill the position of building official. Curtis formerly worked for DeKalb County as an arborist and worked for Decatur’s planning commission about eight years ago. He began his new role last week.

“It’s an honor to be standing here,” Curtis said. “Decatur has long been held high in regard in my heart, not only because I grew up here, but it’s just a special place. It’s an honor to be back with you and I look forward to serving the community with everything I have.”

– During the quarterly financial report presentation, Finance Director Russ Madison highlighted the parking meter revenue that goes into the city’s general fund. In fiscal year 2022, the parking meter revenue was $397,139. The city anticipates receiving about $550,000 in parking meter revenue this fiscal year.

“It’s not designed to balance our budget or anything like that,” Madison said. “It’s a parking management tool to help with economic development. It helps so that people aren’t monopolizing a premium on-street parking space all day.”

Assistant City Manager Linda Harris mentioned the city recently implemented a new text-to-pay system for the parking meters. Residents and visitors can also still utilize the ParkMobile app to pay for parking.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified a road. This story has been updated with the correct information. 

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