March 9, 2013

Oakcliff Cleans Up ⁰

by GuestAuthor • Doraville Spotlight

Article and Photos by Susan Fraysse
Editing by Joseph Geierman

On a chilly Saturday morning in mid-February, several people from around Doraville came out to do a general clean-up of Oakcliff Road in Doraville.  Dave Bearse, Bonnie Grey Flynt, Ginger Paige, Jason Jones, Ben Crawford, Michael McDaniel, Angel Gordon, Travon Gordon, Merle Evans, and Susan Fraysse all took part.

Bonnie Grey Flynt, Ginger Paige, and Dave Bearse – bundled up and generating quite a sweat!

It’s amazing how many cans you can find by the side of the road!

Merle Evans, Travon and Angel Gordon, and Jason Jones

In addition to the usual trash, there was quite a bit of earth and pine straw built up on the road on Oakcliff Road in unincorporated DeKalb County. Near the storm drains it was so bad that there were small pine trees growing on the road and larger tree roots were also established in that dirt requiring much chopping and shoveling to try to clear the blockage. There is still more to be done but the team made a lot of progress in February.

Trees growing in the dirt

Oakcliff residents, Susan Fraysse and Merle Evans

Following the morning’s work everyone was invited back to Ben and Susan Crawford’s house for coffee and pastries. It was a very pleasant and productive morning for all who attended.

Chatting over coffee and pastries

January 26, 2013

Doraville Active Living Initiative – Going Strong in 2013! ⁰

by Joseph Geierman • Doraville Spotlight

The Doraville Active Living Initiative was born out of a grant from the CDC for their ““Building a Healthy Nation/ Strategic Alliance for Health” project. The grant allowed various residents, community groups, and other stakeholders in the city to develop a plan for promoting more “Active Living” opportunities. The final plan that was developed can be read here.

A Facebook page for the Active Living Initiative has been created for interested members of the community and can be found here.

There were a few key goals which were identified in the categories of “Built Environment,” “Employer Incentives,” and “Sustainability:”

Built Environment

Goal #1: Improve the pedestrian experience

• Install new sidewalks and repair existing sidewalks
• Install new crosswalks and improve existing crosswalks near schools and parks
• Implement traffic calming measures
• Enforce city codes

Goal #2: Improve the bicycling experience

• Provide ample bicycle parking throughout the community
• Encourage safely for bicyclists on shared roads

Goal #3: Improve connectivity to active living opportunities

• Improve access to active living opportunities at community parks
• Improve access to community schools

Employer Incentives

Goal #1: Promote a healthy workplace

• Share information among employees that promotes health and wellness
• Offer free, low-cost, and frequent health screenings to employees

Goal #2: Promote awareness of active living opportunities

• Coordinate with the City of Doraville to increase access to and awareness of active living opportunities

Sustainability

Goal #1: Encourage neighborhood unity

• Maintain the Active Living Steering Committee
• Encourage Doraville residents to participate in hands-on improvement projects
• Celebrate successes

Goal #2: Promote awareness of active living opportunities

• Share the Adult and Youth Active Living Directory
• Develop a way-finding signage system for active living opportunities

The group just had its first meeting of 2013, and is planning to begin reaching out to people in the neighborhoods and in other parts of the community to start promoting projects that were laid out in the plan.  We are also searching for grants that could help fund said projects and hope that the Doraville City Council will pass a resolution supporting our efforts in the near future (even if they don’t provide financial support for now).

If you’re interested in getting involved, please become a fan of the Facebook page, or leave a comment with your contact information below.  You can also e-mail me at Joseph at Doraville dot Org.

January 13, 2013

Three Neighborhoods Unite to Improve the Community ⁰

by Joseph Geierman • Doraville Spotlight

In 2004, Nikki VanDerGrinten from the Dresden East Civic Association (DECA) helped orchestrate an amazing transformation on the 4 traffic islands at the intersection of Shallowford Road and I-85. What had been an “eyesore of overgrown weeds and trash” was reconstructed into a well tended series of gardens. Fast forward 8 years later and these islands still look fantastic (thanks to the continuing efforts of many neighbors, including Ms VanDerGrinten).

One of the islands at Shallowford and I-85

Many of us in Doraville (and particularly those of us who live in the Northwoods neighborhood) frequently use the interchange one exit North of the one at Shallowford – at Chamblee Tucker Road.  The “landscaping” at this interchange is really pitiful, especially when compared to what has been accomplished a couple of miles South of us. For a long time, what the neighbors in Dresden East did has been an inspiration, but we did not have a leader (or leaders) to take charge and get the ball rolling… until now.

Nikki VanDerGrinten, Dave Bearse, and Matt Sitter

Dave Bearse, who is a member of Northwoods Area Neighborhood Association, finally decided to do something about the interchange at Chamblee Tucker Road. To do this, he enlisted the help of  Nikki VanDerGrinten from DECA and Matt Sitter, President of the Surrey Place Homeowners Association (in unincorporated Dekalb County, just outside Doraville).  These three neighborhood leaders were able to rally 13 volunteers from the area who got together on an unseasonably balmy Saturday in January.

Citizens from different neighborhoods edge and trim one of the islands at I-85 and Chamblee Tucker

Participants in the clean-up picked up trash, shoveled leaves and dirt, pulled out ivy and other vegetation, and generally tried to “clean the place up”.

Laura Lewis and Linda Peirolo clearing sidewalks

Many of us didn’t know each other before, but the shared purpose of the clean-up helped those of us who participated develop a sense of comradery as the day progressed.

Deana Helie proudly raises her shovel!

You wouldn’t think it, but we actually had fun scooping up dirt and picking up trash!

Jason Jones whacks away weeds at the island at Chamblee Tucker and I-85.

According to Dave Bearse:

There has been discussion of the future establishment of a University Triangle Community Improvement District (CID) that could make improvements and help maintain interchange landscaping among other things.   (The Perimeter CID for example maintains the I‑285 Ashford Dunwoody Interchange, and the Gwinnett Village CID maintains the I-85 / Jimmy Carter, Indian Trail-Lilburn Rd and Beaver Ruin Rd interchanges.)

The CID may not ever happen, and if it does, it would be at least a couple years before it would be poised to perform and work, so the volunteers’ consensus was for another cleanup in Spring after the lawn is next mowed by highway maintenance forces.  In the meantime, I have two actions items: (1) Notify GDOT/DeKalb County about the broken pedestrian signal in the northeast quadrant of the interchange, and (2) Request Georgia Power remove an old pole without any attachments from the southwest quadrant island.

A group shot of some of the volunteers on the clean-up project

I, for one, am looking forward to the next island clean-up; and hoping that this entrance to Doraville will one day really shine.