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Morning, Decatur! A variety of topics this week, with the old post office downtown getting new life as a home for live jazz and City Schools of Decatur earning its official stamp of approval from Cognia. Also worth your attention: DeKalb just greenlit $75 million more for affordable housing, and city commissioners are set to vote Monday on repealing the residential parking program.

- News — The historic post office is becoming a jazz venue, City Schools of Decatur just got reaccredited, and DeKalb approved $75 million toward its affordable housing push.
- Events — From Zootopia 2 on the Square to Oakhurst's anniversary block party and a Coldplay-vs.-Imagine-Dragons candlelight concert, the week's packed with things to do.
- Government — The school board's still hammering out an AI use policy and Monday's city commission agenda includes a parking program repeal and a new alcohol license.
- Construction — Emory Decatur Hospital's CT scanner swap headlines a quiet permit week, while I-285 resurfacing and a Winters Chapel water main project could slow your commute.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

City Schools of Decatur earns reaccreditation from Cognia
City Schools of Decatur has officially received reaccreditation from Cognia, a nonprofit that evaluates schools across the globe with rigorous standards, following a comprehensive performance review of the district.

Historic post office becomes home for jazz in Decatur
Decatur's historic old post office building is being converted into a new venue for live jazz performances and cultural arts programming in Downtown Decatur.

Free Pan African Festival returns to Decatur Square
The annual event will bring live music, cultural performances, food, and local artisan vendors to Decatur Square as a free gathering open to residents.

Decide DeKalb approves $75 million for major housing bond program
Decide DeKalb Development Authority approved a $75 million taxable revenue bond issuance, part of its larger $155 million Housing Investment Bond Program aimed at workforce and affordable housing across DeKalb County.

DeKalb judge can stay on cases after DA alleges 'bias,' fellow judge rules
A DeKalb County Superior Court judge denied District Attorney Sherry Boston's motion to remove a fellow judge from criminal cases, despite allegations that the judge improperly threatened to jail Boston and two assistant district attorneys.

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EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, August 3
- Tiffany D. Jackson with Mark Oshiro - Ghost in the Night | Little Shop of Stories
- Monday FUNday - Half-Priced Cocktails | Wild Heaven Beer
- Monday Night Team Trivia at 8pm. | Twain's
- Tai Chi/Qigong Midlevel Practice | Legacy Park

Tuesday, August 4
- Julian Winters with Rebecca Ross - Find My Way Down to You! | Little Shop of Stories
- Surfing For Daisy | Eddie's Attic
- Moore Chapel Gardeners Volunteer Day | Legacy Park
- $5 Beer Trivia Tuesdays in Avondale | Wild Heaven Beer

Wednesday, August 5
- Beer & Cheese with Allagash Brewing Co. | Brick Store Pub
- The Lone Bellow What a Time to Be Alive Tour | Eddie's Attic
- Volunteer Project | Woodlands Garden

Thursday, August 6
- Alumni After Hours: Georgia State University Networking Social | Avon Theater
- The WILD UNO Tournament | The Reading Room
- Queer Ecologies Book Club Reads -- Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History | 184 S. Candler

Friday, August 7
- Screen on the Square: Zootopia 2 | Downtown Decatur Square
- Friday Night Live – 404 Theory – Modern Jazz Trio | The Reading Room
- Red Cross Blood Drive | Decatur Library
- Blackfoot Daisy | Wild Heaven Beer
- THE GEEK SQUAD BAND | Roaring Social Decatur

Saturday, August 8
- Anniversary Block Party in Oakhurst | Steinbeck's
- Candlelight: Coldplay vs. Imagine Dragons | The Chapel on Sycamore
- 19th annual Jerry Day Atlanta The Days Between concerts | Avon Theater
- Charlie Mars | Eddie's Attic
- Vanna Black Solo Exhibition | Cat Eye Creative
- Sip & Smell: A Perfume Making Experience | NiteOwl Kitchen and Cocktails
- Legacy Park Beautification | Legacy Park
- Live Music: Honorary Institute of Phunk | Wild Heaven Beer

Sunday, August 9
- ECHO Presents The Songs of John Prine | Eddie's Attic
- Back to School At FBCD | First Baptist Church of Decatur
- 19th annual Jerry Day Atlanta The Days Between concerts | Avon Theater
- Community Art Making! | 184 S. Candler
- ECHO Presents The Songs of Todd Snider | 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
The district's Policy Committee spent its July 30 session reviewing a batch of policies that will shape daily life in schools once finalized. The biggest one to watch is a new artificial intelligence policy governing how students and staff can use AI tools, a rule set the district still hasn't locked in. Board members also went over a "Safe Space to Learn" policy that would set ground rules for how law enforcement questions students on campus, plus updates to district literacy goals and internet use guidelines for students and staff. A separate policy on how students get assigned to schools was also part of the discussion. None of these came up for a final vote. They're all still working through the review process, with the committee's next meeting set for August 26.

Meetings This Week
- Avondale Estates — Historic Preservation Commission Regular | Aug-03 | key topics: rear elevation upgrades at Tudor Village storefront (128B N. Avondale Rd), full window replacement at 34 Clarendon Ave
- City of Decatur — Decatur City Commission | Aug-03, 7:30 PM | key topics: residential parking program repeal, school fund millage rate adoption, Decatur Task Force on Homelessness, alcohol license for Che Butter Jonez
- City of Decatur — Safe Routes to School Committee | Aug-07
- City of Decatur — Zoning Board of Appeals | Aug-10 | key topics: side yard variance for new duplex at 428 Sycamore Drive

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Permits

- 2675 N Decatur Rd — Emory Decatur Hospital filed a $101,780 permit to replace a CT scanner unit. All the work happens inside, so you won't see any street impact.
- 2675 N Decatur Rd — A second permit at the same address covers plumbing work: crews demolished an old sink and installed a replacement.
- 2818 E Ponce de Leon Ave — Crash Champions replaced the industrial hood suppression system over its paint booth. It's a safety upgrade, not a sign of expansion.
- 124 N Avondale Rd — This restaurant closed out a grease trap review. Routine kitchen maintenance, nothing more.
- 2759 E College Ave — Another restaurant is applying for a FOG permit to manage grease disposal. Standard paperwork for any commercial kitchen.

Beyond those five, DeKalb closed out eight smaller residential and utility permits in the area, mostly single family detached homes plus a couple of minor business filings and one cell tower equipment permit. Combined value on those comes to $88,648, nothing near the scale of the hospital's CT replacement. No demolition, roofing, or new construction permits landed in Decatur this week, so don't expect any major noise or road disruptions from permitted work.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Kensington MARTA Station Transit Access & Mobility (Phase I-LCI) — Transit improvements near the Kensington MARTA station in DeKalb County. Expect ongoing construction activity if you use this station or drive nearby.
- I-285 Resurfacing, Snapfinger Road to SR-8 — GDOT's rehabbing this stretch of I-285 to fix a low pavement condition score.

Service Requests

You'll find sidewalk problems reported on Mead Road and Clairemont Avenue, along with a batch of city facility maintenance requests covering North McDonough Street, Seneca Street, and Clairemont Avenue.

- Sidewalk Maintenance — Mead Road and 433-437 Clairemont Avenue
- City Facilities Maintenance — 643-699 N McDonough Street, Seneca Street, and Clairemont Avenue
- Tree Maintenance — Scott Boulevard, 316-388 Ponce de Leon Place, and 101-119 Erie Avenue
- Missed Sanitation Collection — Olympic Place, McEvoy Lane, and Superior Avenue
- Code Violations — Feld Avenue, Melrose Avenue, and Park Drive
- Stormwater Issues — N McDonough Street and Westchester Drive
- Potholes — 501-519 N McDonough Street and Oakview Road
- Vegetation Maintenance — Adair Street and Madison Avenue
- Street Maintenance — Clairemont Avenue and 921 S McDonough Street
- Traffic Signal Issues — Clairemont Avenue and Sycamore Street
- City Parks and Greenspace Maintenance — 422-522 Westchester Drive and 600-606 W Trinity Place
- Fire Inspection Request — Melrose Avenue
- Street Sign — 2nd Avenue

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Until next week,
Decatur Busybody

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.