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Hey, Decatur! This week: three of our elementary schools landed in the state's top 25, a new historical marker honoring the Muscogee (Creek) people went up on the Square, and DeKalb commissioners are eyeing a $233.8 million water plant overhaul alongside a fresh push to study data centers before lifting the county's moratorium. Add in a packed Avondale Estates agenda, a new European import shop from the Kudzu family, and a calendar stacked with jazz nights and Eddie's Attic shows, and there's plenty to catch up on.

- News — Oakhurst, Westchester, and Glennwood elementary schools all crack Georgia's top 25, while a new marker on the Square honors the Muscogee (Creek) nation and Avondale's police chief defends its Flock cameras.
- Business — The family behind Kudzu just opened Kudzu Archives, a European import shop on East Ponce de Leon Avenue.
- Events — From a Beatles jazz tribute at Eddie's Attic to Ben Kenney of Incubus playing live, plus volunteer days at Legacy Park and Woodlands Garden, the week's calendar is packed.
- Government — DeKalb schools approved a $1.34M stadium upgrade, county commissioners weighed a $233.8M water plant contract and a data center health study, and Avondale debated a wastewater ban and golf cart crossing.
- Construction — No new permits this week, but I-285 resurfacing and Kensington MARTA upgrades continue, alongside a long list of pothole, sidewalk, and sanitation service requests around town.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Decatur earns top 25 status for three elementary schools
City Schools of Decatur placed three elementary campuses in the top 25 statewide in Niche's latest annual rankings, with Oakhurst Elementary climbing to No. 14 in Georgia, Westchester Elementary reaching No. 20, and Glennwood Elementary placing No. 22.

New marker honors Muscogee (Creek) people on Decatur Square
A new historical marker has been installed in Downtown Decatur to commemorate the Muscogee (Creek) nation and acknowledge the land's original inhabitants, part of ongoing civic efforts to present a more comprehensive history in public gathering spaces around the square.

Police chief defends Avondale Estates Flock cameras at City Hall meeting
Avondale Estates residents packed a recent City Hall meeting to voice civil liberties and privacy concerns over the city's use of automated Flock license plate readers, while Police Chief Harry Hess defended the technology as an effective investigative tool and council members heard feedback on data retention and surveillance limits.

Q&A: DeKalb County CEO answers data center questions
DeKalb County officials addressed growing community concerns about the rapid expansion of commercial data centers across the county, discussing policy approaches to balance tech infrastructure demands against power grid stability, water usage, and neighborhood zoning impacts.

Leadership DeKalb unveils executives, educators and elected officials in class of 2027
Leadership DeKalb announced its class of 2027, bringing together a cohort of local executives, educators, and public officials as part of the program's mission to strengthen civic leadership across DeKalb County.

BUSINESS

Family behind Kudzu opens store of European imports — The new store, Kudzu Archives, opened on Sunday, August 23, at 2935 East Ponce de Leon Avenue.

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Monday, August 31
- Monday Nervous System Reset with Benny St. Peixe: A Soft Landing After Your Weekend | Waller's Coffee Shop
- Motion Pictures No. 05: Film, Jazz, & Curious Encounters | Commune

Tuesday, September 1
- Moore Chapel Gardeners Volunteer Day | Legacy Park
- FHS Open Jam | Legacy Park
- Ben Kenney (of Incubus & The Roots) Live at Eddie's! | Eddie's Attic
- Truckin' Tuesdays | Legacy Park
- Adult-ish Sewing Club | Decatur Library
- REEL Art: installation Access Point - Work in Progress | Core Dance

Wednesday, September 2
- Volunteer Project | Woodlands Garden
- Yesterday: A Jazz Tribute to the Beatles featuring the Kyle Bryant Trio | Eddie's Attic
- The CieL Experience | Eddie's Attic
- Archaeology of Self: The Introspective Educator's Guide to Racial Literacy by Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz | 184 S. Candler St.

Thursday, September 3
- Naama Sings | Eddie's Attic
- Singing Workshop in the Pavilion – September | Woodlands Garden
- Oakhurst Jazz Nights | Lawn in front of The Solarium
- The WILD UNO Tournament | The Reading Room
- Queer Ecologies Book Club Reads: Scapegoat: What the Invasive Species Story Gets Wrong | 184 S. Candler St.

Friday, September 4
- Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings | The Chapel on Sycamore

Saturday, September 5
- Sessionears | Wild Heaven Beer
- Vanna Black "Grace for Ebb" Artist Talk | 1173 Commerce Drive
- Tai Chi/Qigong 4 Beginners | Legacy Park
- Unveil the Art of Her: An Evening of Makers, Poetry, and Figure Painting | NiteOwl Kitchen and Cocktails
- 88JAY: Keys & Conversations | Eddie's Attic
- Tyler Lyle - Decatur | Eddie's Attic

Sunday, September 6
- Acoustic Honey | Wild Heaven Beer
- PRIZILLA x Ski Team | Eddie's Attic
- AJEVA | Eddie's Attic

GOVERNMENT

Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.

Past Week Roundup

DeKalb County School District Board of Education wrapped up a two-day retreat by approving a $1.34 million contract with Capital City Electrical Services to renovate electrical systems at stadiums and gyms across the district. Board members also reviewed how E-SPLOST VI sales tax dollars are being spent and looked at future financing tools, including bonds and Certificates of Participation, to pay for upcoming construction projects. Officials discussed a potential partnership with the Trust for Public Land to bring more green space to schoolyards. Separately, the district's Policy Committee met to go over nine draft and existing policies, covering topics like law enforcement interrogations of students, artificial intelligence guidelines, and internet acceptable use, but didn't record formal votes on any of them. The committee plans to pick the discussion back up next month.

Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners took up a packed regular meeting agenda covering a downtown multi-modal transportation project framework agreement with the county and state, a stormwater drainage easement, budget amendments, and a ban on private decentralized wastewater systems, along with the city's FY2025 audit presentation and a civility pledge for elected officials. Minutes haven't posted yet for this meeting, so you know what was on the table but not yet how commissioners voted. At a companion work session, the board discussed expanding golf cart access with a new street crossing, reviewed a construction staging easement tied to nearby development, and looked at a countywide annexation exercise that could reshape city boundaries down the road. As covered in today's news section, Police Chief Hess also presented an update on the city's Flock camera program.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, meeting alongside its Committee of the Whole, took up an agenda topped by a $233.8 million contract to overhaul the county's water treatment plant and boost drinking water reliability across the system. Commissioners also considered a resolution requiring an independent health and environmental study before the county can lift its moratorium on new data centers, a response to growing concern about the industry's power and water demands. Millions more were on the table for new sidewalks and trail extensions, plus an ordinance cracking down on car "drifting," unauthorized camping, and other street nuisances. The board also weighed a rewrite of the county's noise ordinance and a ban on retail pet stores selling dogs, cats, and rabbits, rounding out a heavy agenda for county residents. Several of these items carry real consequences for daily life, from water bills to noise complaints to how the county handles the data center boom.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

City of Avondale Estates
- Downtown Avondale Estates — A Project Framework Agreement for the Downtown Avondale Multi-Modal Improvements project is on the agenda to advance pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure through the commercial district.

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
- 750 Commerce Dr — A sewer infrastructure upgrade agreement involving a $168,500 developer contribution is on the agenda in connection with PPF AMLI development.

Meetings This Week
- City of Decatur — Better Together Advisory Board | Sep-01
- DeKalb County — Planning Commission | Sep-01, 6:00 PM | key topics: Old Briarcliff Road townhomes rezoning, Memorial Drive multi-family redevelopment, Embry Hills placemaking strategy
- City of Avondale Estates — Planning, Architectural & Zoning Board | Sep-02 | key topics: Comprehensive Plan draft review and transmittal recommendation, Downtown Master Plan LCI update

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Permits

Looks like our Permits data source might be temporarily down this week - back to our usual coverage next week!

Road Work

Under Construction
- Kensington MARTA Station Transit Access & Mobility, Phase I-LCI (DeKalb County) — Transit access and mobility upgrades near the Kensington MARTA station, currently under construction.
- I-285 from Snapfinger Road to SR 8 (DeKalb County) — Crews are resurfacing this stretch of I-285 to fix a low pavement condition score. The concrete rehab work is underway now.

Service Requests
- Code Violations — Reported on Forkner Dr, S Candler St, Melrose Ave, N McDonough St, and W Hill St
- Street Signs — Issues on Commerce Dr (two separate reports), the 200-218 block of E Ponce de Leon Ave, 1590-1598 Commerce Dr, and Dogwood Way
- Missed Sanitation Collection — Reported on Westchester Dr, W Ponce de Leon Ave, Hibernia Ave, Nelson Ferry Rd, and Grovemont Ct
- City Parks and Greenspace Maintenance — Flagged at Sycamore Park, the 1500-1570 block of Commerce Dr, Glenlake Commons Dr, and W Howard Ave
- Potholes — Reported on Clarion Ave (two spots), the 101-141 block of Ponce de Leon Pl, and Park Dr
- Sidewalk Maintenance — Issues on the 756-794 and 626-632 blocks of Kirk Rd, plus Scott Blvd
- Traffic Signal Issues — Reported at the 174-184 block of Commerce Dr, Commerce Dr, and E Ponce de Leon Ave
- Tree Maintenance — Requests on Church St and the 100-120 block of Erie Ave
- Vegetation Maintenance — Two reports on Commerce Dr, both now closed
- Feedback on Staff or Service — Two reports from the 100-120 block of Fairview Ave
- City Facilities Maintenance — Reported on the 109-199 block of Adams St

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Until next week,
Decatur Busybody

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Disclaimer: We use advanced data retrieval and analysis techniques across hundreds of sources, and may be prone to occasional error. Independently verify information with a secondary source, and please let us know if we got anything wrong via the feedback form.