|
Informal socializing preceded the January ADNA Community Meeting held at the Commerce Clurb on Broad Street from 6:30 until 8:00.
After brief social time, 2007 President Whitney Rusert welcomed approximately 40 people. Thank you's to Bill & Peg Balzer for sponsoring ADNA at the Commerce Club.
Businesses applying for new or existing change of ownership licenses:
- Calcol, Inc (Melissa Fish Darrow and Hakim Hilliard) "Elegant Affairs" 201 Courtland St. (change of ownership)
- Ice Pick, LLC (Richard Dunn) 2 nightclubs: "Sugar Hill" and "Motion" at Underground Suites 12 and 18. (change of ownership)
Introduction of 2007 ADNA Board and assignments
- Pablo Henderson (Programs, Branding ADNA)
- Mary-Elizabeth Harmon (Communications with HOAs, building membership)
- Amye Walters (Membership and e-list maintenance)
- Herb Williams (Special Events)
- Robyn Jackson (Happy Hours)
- Christopher Livingston (Community Affairs, NPU-M representative)
- Clay Farris (Public Policy and Secretary)
- Stacy Farris (ADNA email management)
- Stuart Jackson (Treasurer) to fill Sharron Reeve's vacated board position
We need volunteers:
- Website: Updating still need someone with time and an interest in investigating the neighborhood and updating our useful info pages
- Neighborhood Branding implementation: stickers for residents, businesses
- Newsletter: Someone familiar with Desktop Publisher or other format
- Community volunteer coordinator: someone who keeps up with neighborhood volunteer opportunities (info on website and newsletter)
Brief explanation of a new ADNA Community Meeting Format:
We will alternate business format meetings similar to this (future meetings will be at the Central Library) with panel type presentations on a variety of topics. For example, next month's meeting will be a mass transportation update (MARTA, TheBeltline, Streetcar Atlanta, and Flexcar) at The Loudermilk Center on Feb 13.
Discussion Topic: Special Events and City Street Closings
During special events downtown (New Year's Eve or anytime the Dome has an event) the downtown neighborhood is often caught by surprise. The President will be meeting with the Mayor's Special Events Coordinator and Major Moss, APD Special Operations/Street Closings on Thursday and will take your experiences and your suggestions to them.
Comments:
- The garage of 123 Luckie Street was barricaded and the resident could not park his car. The resident had to travel the wrong direction on a one-way street to get to his destination.
- One downtown resident had to escort his friends carrying wine from a barricade to his residence. He presented ID to police as proof of residency. The police allowed the guests, with wine, to pass.
- One resident was stopped entering downtown at about 11:30PM but was allowed to continue when he informed the officer he was a downtown resident. SUGGESTION - designate one or two entry points for residents and guests.
- One resident had her bag searched 6 times crossing the street in a 2 block radius. She did add, however, that the officers were cordial.
- Related to the searches, another resident had a problem with resident being searched on open streets and wondered if there is any legal basis for these kinds of searches. She did not take issue with searches while entering a venue.
- A downtown business owner expressed frustration that business owners do not benefit from large events hosted in downtown, yet transient vendors that set up carts at the events do. He states barricades as a reason why businesses lose money - customers simply cannot get to their locations. SUGGESTION - businesses might provide a pass to patrons who have reservations in advance so that they can enter downtown.
- Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) was also caught off guard by the last minute barricades.
- SUGGESTIONS - One member suggested that Pryor Street should be considered as a traffic entry point.
Discussion Topic: Placement of Public Toilets
(Cooper Holland, CAP)
Comments:
- The City will install 5-6 public toilets in the downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead areas. There is a City proposal to install two free toilets in the Broad Street Plaza. CAP thinks that this will only encourage people to loiter there all the longer. CAP proposes installing the toilets in areas where they can be watched - one in Woodruff Park, and another on Peachtree Street in front of MARTA. CAP also proposes that the toilets should cost 25 cents for use.
- CAP is urging resident to send letters to the mayor and city council expressing their concerns about the proposed placement of the toilets:
Sfranklin@atlantaga.gov
khall@atlantaga.gov
Also send comments to CAP's Cooper Holland: cholland@centralatlantaprogress.org
Reminder of Calendar Dates:
- Happy Hour Friday, Jan 19, 6:30pm at Slice
- Festival Committee Meeting, Tuesday, Jan 16, 7pm at Healey Bldg Conference Room.
- Next ADNA meeting Tuesday, Feb 13, 6:30pm at the Loudermilk Ctr
|
