Reminder: Annual Meeting
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
7:00 – 9:00 pm
@ Intown Community Church, 2059 Lavista Road
Our next general meeting of the Mason Mill Civic Association will be our “Annual Meeting,” at which we will elect our officers for the coming year, in addition to conducting our regular mix of business, updates, discussion, guests, etc.
Unless some major issues crop up during the summer, this will be our last general meeting until autumn. So please mark your calendars and plan to join us!
(Our next-door neighbors in the Victoria Estates association are most welcome to attend and participate in our discussions, as are guests from other neighborhoods in our vicinity.)
The agenda for the May meeting will include, among other things:
• Election of 2010-2011 officers. All the current officers have agreed to run again, but we encourage and welcome additional nominations and self-nominations. [Please send to MasonMillCA@gmail.com; nominating process will remain open until the Meeting itself.]
• Committee reports & discussion of major projects & issues, including such items as:
-- traffic calming measures for Mason Mill Road,
-- restoration projects in WD Thomson Park,
-- dog and leash ordinances in WD Thomson Park,
-- neighborhood crime update,
-- area transit developments,
-- code enforcement… and others
• Final RIOD report from Eric Benjamin about the proposal for a “residential infill overlay district,” as discussed at previous general meetings.
• Discussion of plans to coordinate more closely with the Victoria Estates association and to increase communication with other adjacent neighborhood groups.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
News Update & Annual Meeting Information
Greetings, Mason Mill Civic Association neighbors!
Thanks to everyone who helped make our Spring Picnic such an enjoyable event. (Special mention goes to Ann Hudson & Suzanne Phillips, who once again took care of the lioness' share of the shopping and kept the hot grilled food coming all afternoon!)
Our next general meeting of the Mason Mill Civic Association will be our "Annual Meeting," i.e. the one at which we elect our officers for the coming year, in addition to conducting our regular mix of business, updates, discussion, guests, etc. Unless some major issues crop up during the summer, this will be our last general meeting until autumn. So please mark your calendars and plan to join us:
****** MMCA Annual Meeting ******
****** Wednesday, May 19 ******
****** 7:00-9:00pm ******
****** Intown Church, 2059 Lavista Road ******
Our neighbors in the Victoria Estates association are most welcome to attend and participate in our discussions!
The agenda for the May meeting will include, among other things:
-- Election of 2010-2011 officers. All the current officers have agreed to run again, but we encourage and welcome additional nominations and self-nominations. [Please send to MasonMillCA@gmail.com; nominating process will remain open until the Meeting itself.]
-- Committee reports and discussion of major issues. [Including: traffic calming, dogs in the park, neighborhood crime, area transit developments, plans for area parks, code enforcement, etc. See news items below for some additional details.]
-- Final report from Eric Benjamin about the proposal for a RIOD ("residential infill overlay district"), as discussed at previous general meetings.
-- Discussion of plans to coordinate more closely with the Victoria Estates association, and to increase communication with Harwood Condominiums and other adjacent neighborhood groups.
***TRAFFIC REMINDER!***
Monday, May 10 is Emory's Commencement Day. Plan accordingly. That is, don't plan on moving through that part of town unless it's VERY early in the morning, or mid-afternoon or later. Formal events are scheduled to start at 8:00am; traffic chaos is scheduled to start by about 6:30am.
Some additional short reminders, calendar and news items appear below. As always, thanks to all the volunteers who make our Association work possible!
If you haven't already done so, it's time to send in your dues for 2010. Please support the work of the Association (still the best deal in town, at $10/year) by sending your check, payable to Mason Mill Civic Association, to our Treasurer, Pat Brittain (856 Vistavia Circle, 30033).
Remember to bookmark our new neighborhood blog at http://masonmill.blogspot.com/
Patrick Noonan
1129 Mason Woods Dr.
MMCA President
mobile phone/text: 678-358-5961
mobile phone/email: pat208@me.com
Updates by Committee area:
**Health & Safety**
Unfortunately, crime levels remain relatively high for our area. Thanks to Co-Chairs Jesse & Deborah Gould and the street captains (a special shout-out to Rafe & Ilze H. for their perennially outstanding work over on McConnell!) for spreading the word about the rash of reports in and near our neighborhood. They remind us all to lock our garages and cars, collect our mail every day, and report *anything* suspicious to the police (911) and our local Street Captains.
Pat B. has reported the theft of building materials from their home-construction site on McConnell. Auto break-ins continue on McConnell, Mason Mill, Castle Falls and Ranier Falls; vandalism has been reported on McConnell and Houston Mill; an attempted burglary was reported on Ranier Falls.
Marian G. passed along two reports of suspicious activities in Victoria Estates:
Keep track of area crime reports directly and immediately at: http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ga/dekalbcounty
Mason Woods neighbors have reported unleashed dogs roaming the neighborhood, probably having gotten loose from backyard pens. Please make sure your dogs are secure at all times, for their safety and the safety of everyone in the neighborhood!
Emory reminds us that their monthly test of their severe weather emergency siren system will take place at noon on Wednesday, May 5.
**Zoning & Land Use**
As reported in the previous news update, Eric Benjamin reports that the County no longer will accept applications from neighborhoods to create a special overlay that restricts changes in lot elevation (the so-called "threshold height" of the front door stoop being the standard measure of this) or building height. The process was too cumbersome and troublesome... but also there was a common thread in the wave of applications and inquiries they had been receiving. So the County simply changed the residential zoning standard to automatically take care of the central concerns of many neighborhoods: From now on, threshold height cannot be changed by more than 2 feet without a special permission and cause (e.g. flooding, drainage), and building height is restricted to 35 feet above threshold (measured to top pitch of the roof). At the May 19 Annual Meeting, Eric will address this in more detail (and with more accuracy than I can muster).
**Social & Special Events**
This Chair is still vacant. Picnic responsibilities have been handled by the Executive Committee - but only temporarily! People interested in making sure we continue our semi-annual picnic traditions should step up to coordinate this role in the future.
**Traffic & Transit**
This Spring, Mary Hinkel and a group of MM neighbors met at Mary's home with a traffic engineer who works for Dekalb County. They discussed a list of concerns and requests she and her committee had forwarded to the County a few months back. She will report in detail at the May 19 Annual Meeting, and facilitate a discussion about possible traffic calming alternatives that may or may not work in our neighborhoods.
**Park, Public Space & Environment**
The Mason Mill Civic Association officially adopted W. D. Thompson Park. This means we have a special standing -- but additional responsibility -- for the care and feeding of this beautiful gem of a park. In a few weeks we will start a regular series of volunteer days -- open not only to MM and VE neighbors, but to anyone who cares about this part -- to tackle invasive plants, cleanup, new plantings around the picnic area, trail maintenance, erosion control, new/improved signage, etc. More info at the May 19 meeting.
Also at the May 19 meeting, at the request of some MMCA members, we will be facilitating a discussion of the issue of unleashed dogs in the Park. Some neighbors have requested that we ask Dekalb County to change their ordinance and permit unleashed dogs on certain days or at certain times; others have requested the opposite, i.e. that we ask Dekalb to enforce existing regulations more strictly. Our Annual Meeting will be a good opportunity to explore and weigh the issues together.
**Executive Committee**
The Executive Committee of the MMCA (we, your elected officers) meet for coffee once per month, every month, to review neighborhood issues and to make plans for the Association. Please let us know what's on your mind, so we can better serve you and all our Mason Mill neighbors!
**Other News**
Remember to keep track of major events in our area via the Clifton Community Partnership (bookmark their site, http://cliftoncommunitypartnership.org/ , or subscribe to the monthly email version)
Commissioner Rader offers a regular email update on County activities, including the agenda for Board of Commissioners meetings and other new items. You can sign up on the Contact page at his site: http://www.commissionerrader.com/
Mason Woods Drive neighbor Ciannat Howett was featured in the April 12 edition of the Emory Report, for her work as Emory's director of sustainability initiatives. http://sustainability.emory.edu/cgi-bin/MySQLdb?VIEW=/viewfiles/view_press.txt&pressid=551
Thanks to everyone who helped make our Spring Picnic such an enjoyable event. (Special mention goes to Ann Hudson & Suzanne Phillips, who once again took care of the lioness' share of the shopping and kept the hot grilled food coming all afternoon!)
Our next general meeting of the Mason Mill Civic Association will be our "Annual Meeting," i.e. the one at which we elect our officers for the coming year, in addition to conducting our regular mix of business, updates, discussion, guests, etc. Unless some major issues crop up during the summer, this will be our last general meeting until autumn. So please mark your calendars and plan to join us:
****** MMCA Annual Meeting ******
****** Wednesday, May 19 ******
****** 7:00-9:00pm ******
****** Intown Church, 2059 Lavista Road ******
Our neighbors in the Victoria Estates association are most welcome to attend and participate in our discussions!
The agenda for the May meeting will include, among other things:
-- Election of 2010-2011 officers. All the current officers have agreed to run again, but we encourage and welcome additional nominations and self-nominations. [Please send to MasonMillCA@gmail.com; nominating process will remain open until the Meeting itself.]
-- Committee reports and discussion of major issues. [Including: traffic calming, dogs in the park, neighborhood crime, area transit developments, plans for area parks, code enforcement, etc. See news items below for some additional details.]
-- Final report from Eric Benjamin about the proposal for a RIOD ("residential infill overlay district"), as discussed at previous general meetings.
-- Discussion of plans to coordinate more closely with the Victoria Estates association, and to increase communication with Harwood Condominiums and other adjacent neighborhood groups.
***TRAFFIC REMINDER!***
Monday, May 10 is Emory's Commencement Day. Plan accordingly. That is, don't plan on moving through that part of town unless it's VERY early in the morning, or mid-afternoon or later. Formal events are scheduled to start at 8:00am; traffic chaos is scheduled to start by about 6:30am.
Some additional short reminders, calendar and news items appear below. As always, thanks to all the volunteers who make our Association work possible!
If you haven't already done so, it's time to send in your dues for 2010. Please support the work of the Association (still the best deal in town, at $10/year) by sending your check, payable to Mason Mill Civic Association, to our Treasurer, Pat Brittain (856 Vistavia Circle, 30033).
Remember to bookmark our new neighborhood blog at http://masonmill.blogspot.com/
Patrick Noonan
1129 Mason Woods Dr.
MMCA President
mobile phone/text: 678-358-5961
mobile phone/email: pat208@me.com
Updates by Committee area:
**Health & Safety**
Unfortunately, crime levels remain relatively high for our area. Thanks to Co-Chairs Jesse & Deborah Gould and the street captains (a special shout-out to Rafe & Ilze H. for their perennially outstanding work over on McConnell!) for spreading the word about the rash of reports in and near our neighborhood. They remind us all to lock our garages and cars, collect our mail every day, and report *anything* suspicious to the police (911) and our local Street Captains.
Pat B. has reported the theft of building materials from their home-construction site on McConnell. Auto break-ins continue on McConnell, Mason Mill, Castle Falls and Ranier Falls; vandalism has been reported on McConnell and Houston Mill; an attempted burglary was reported on Ranier Falls.
Marian G. passed along two reports of suspicious activities in Victoria Estates:
-- April 12, a VE neighbor reports: "At 10:15am I saw an unmarked van (either champagne or silver color) parked outside of a house on Castle Falls Drive (800's). He got out, dressed in black, wearing a bandanna on his head. He carried a small package and went down the driveway. Came back to the van and sat there. He then moved his van next door and repeated same and sat in his van. I dialed 911, but he realized that I saw him and drove away. I couldn't get a license number because another van (I don't think connected with him) was driving very close behind him... I strongly suspect he was testing to see if anyone was home in these two houses."
-- Another VE neighbor, on April 9: "At 5:00am I saw a mini van going down the Mason Mill Rd really slow and stopping several times. They were not dropping any advertising on mail boxes, and that's why it called my attention. The minivan was one of those chevrolet boxy ones, Astro I would think."
Keep track of area crime reports directly and immediately at: http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ga/dekalbcounty
Mason Woods neighbors have reported unleashed dogs roaming the neighborhood, probably having gotten loose from backyard pens. Please make sure your dogs are secure at all times, for their safety and the safety of everyone in the neighborhood!
Emory reminds us that their monthly test of their severe weather emergency siren system will take place at noon on Wednesday, May 5.
**Zoning & Land Use**
As reported in the previous news update, Eric Benjamin reports that the County no longer will accept applications from neighborhoods to create a special overlay that restricts changes in lot elevation (the so-called "threshold height" of the front door stoop being the standard measure of this) or building height. The process was too cumbersome and troublesome... but also there was a common thread in the wave of applications and inquiries they had been receiving. So the County simply changed the residential zoning standard to automatically take care of the central concerns of many neighborhoods: From now on, threshold height cannot be changed by more than 2 feet without a special permission and cause (e.g. flooding, drainage), and building height is restricted to 35 feet above threshold (measured to top pitch of the roof). At the May 19 Annual Meeting, Eric will address this in more detail (and with more accuracy than I can muster).
**Social & Special Events**
This Chair is still vacant. Picnic responsibilities have been handled by the Executive Committee - but only temporarily! People interested in making sure we continue our semi-annual picnic traditions should step up to coordinate this role in the future.
**Traffic & Transit**
This Spring, Mary Hinkel and a group of MM neighbors met at Mary's home with a traffic engineer who works for Dekalb County. They discussed a list of concerns and requests she and her committee had forwarded to the County a few months back. She will report in detail at the May 19 Annual Meeting, and facilitate a discussion about possible traffic calming alternatives that may or may not work in our neighborhoods.
**Park, Public Space & Environment**
The Mason Mill Civic Association officially adopted W. D. Thompson Park. This means we have a special standing -- but additional responsibility -- for the care and feeding of this beautiful gem of a park. In a few weeks we will start a regular series of volunteer days -- open not only to MM and VE neighbors, but to anyone who cares about this part -- to tackle invasive plants, cleanup, new plantings around the picnic area, trail maintenance, erosion control, new/improved signage, etc. More info at the May 19 meeting.
Also at the May 19 meeting, at the request of some MMCA members, we will be facilitating a discussion of the issue of unleashed dogs in the Park. Some neighbors have requested that we ask Dekalb County to change their ordinance and permit unleashed dogs on certain days or at certain times; others have requested the opposite, i.e. that we ask Dekalb to enforce existing regulations more strictly. Our Annual Meeting will be a good opportunity to explore and weigh the issues together.
**Executive Committee**
The Executive Committee of the MMCA (we, your elected officers) meet for coffee once per month, every month, to review neighborhood issues and to make plans for the Association. Please let us know what's on your mind, so we can better serve you and all our Mason Mill neighbors!
**Other News**
Remember to keep track of major events in our area via the Clifton Community Partnership (bookmark their site, http://cliftoncommunitypartnership.org/ , or subscribe to the monthly email version)
Commissioner Rader offers a regular email update on County activities, including the agenda for Board of Commissioners meetings and other new items. You can sign up on the Contact page at his site: http://www.commissionerrader.com/
Mason Woods Drive neighbor Ciannat Howett was featured in the April 12 edition of the Emory Report, for her work as Emory's director of sustainability initiatives. http://sustainability.emory.edu/cgi-bin/MySQLdb?VIEW=/viewfiles/view_press.txt&pressid=551
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