A VERY Modest Proposal *

The neighborhood recently got an email from MPCA President Glenn Cartledge, vaguely implying MPCA support --Mr. Cartledge is nothing if not vague-- for a "petition" against the planned closing of Firestation #23 on Howell Mill Road. The email said (exact wording is his, but the emphasis is mine):

Dear MPCA Neighbors,
I have had several emails from NPU as well as MPCA members requesting distribution of this petition. The link is the website below and is easy as pie to sign. Also read up on the issue below as well.
Thanks,
Glenn Cartledge

There was a link to a statement against the closing on an advertising-sponsored petition websites. (Readers may view the entries and add their names if they choose.) The email included a news release from an Atlanta Firefighters organization about the closing and other planned cutbacks, although it didn't mention collecting signatures.

The City of Atlanta has scheduled closing the fire station for the remainder of this fiscal year. Firestation #7 (West End) and others have been closed altogether. Public safety services have been cut back. Responses to police, fire and ambulance calls will be slower.

Letters and phone calls might have some impact on the situation, although they are not quite "easy as pie." I'm not sure how digital "signatures" that could be instantly created on any computer anywhere in the world would be of passing interest to a decision-maker, if and when they ever make it to Mayor Franklin's desk.

As MPCA President, Mr. Cartledge, when speaking ex officio might want to put a little thought behind his recommendations, especially when it comes to public safety. He took a couple of seconds to forward a well-meaning, but nevertheless ineffective internet petition which I suppose makes people feel they are accomplishing something in a frustrating situation. At this posting, two weeks after sending the "easy as pie" e-mail, Mr. Cartledge hadn't yet added his own name to the list, however.

There was a community meeting with elected officials, residents and community leaders to discuss the fire station closing. Mr. Cartledge did not attend, nor did he send a representative.

(Not one of the seven members of the MPCA Board managed to attend the recent regularly scheduled Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) meeting, nor did anyone find out what occurred and report to the community, even though several items directly affecting this neighborhood were on the published agenda.

But I digress...

At the meeting about the fire station, someone suggested that private funds be raised to make up the shortfall to keep protection available. The feasibility of this was not clear because the legislative branch was busy deflecting responsibility toward the executive (see story). People had tried this solution without success to save Firestation #7. (The Mt. Paran Civic Association was able to raise $195,000 to fund repairs for their neighborhood fire station and found a legal means of getting City Hall to accept their donation. In fact, one of their members who is an architect, donated his talents to the renovation of the station!)

But this did get me thinking about priorities -- about how the MPCA recently spent $1000 of our relatively small annual budget for two parties for young children who were getting ready to go out that evening and collect more junk food on Halloween night. A few weeks later on December 7th, the MPCA spent another $1000 for a couple of hours for what was loosely termed a "sleigh ride" around the neighborhood mostly for young kids. We had the recent "adult social," attended by fewer than a third of the members. It was a delightful evening, but it is overkill to finance ALL these social events from MPCA dues which are $40 per household per year. I believe there are approximately 115 member households.

There is also the Annual Spring Picnic. Last year attendees were asked to defray expenses by purchasing tickets and bringing a side dish. (Perhaps the event broke even.) The board still has on its agenda a proposal for something called "Movie in the Park" which is projected to cost between $750-$1000 for a few hours of (again) children's entertainment.

How many social events should the MPCA sponsor? I'm sure the combined creative, intellectual and political talents of this community could design more thoughtful projects that would have long-lasting value for Memorial Park, might be more inclusive, and perhaps benefit households other than those with small children (who will inexorably age into adolescence before we know it).

(Frankly, I find odd that a pre-trick-or-treat party costs $1000. There was no site rental. I hope there was no alcohol served. Was there a disc jockey? Valet Parking? Filet mignon? Professional party planner?)

This kind of spending must be reconsidered. The MPCA is not a social organization. It is a civic organization. Every member has a directory and is free to throw a party at any time -- a potluck event or the host can fund it if he or she desires and can afford it. The amount of money that is budgeted for social events is out of line with other civic associations on the Northside and is not focused appropriately. Other associations make capital improvements. The MPCA fritters away its funds, and in fact spends more than 50% of its budget on a temporary benefit for one segment. (If I didn't know better, I'd imagine that the MPCA Board is spending money to curry favor and buy votes. But that makes no sense at all, does it?)

In contrast the dog waste bag dispensers the MPCA installed and services help keep the park as well as private lawns clean. This is a benefit whether one is a dog owner, or whether one walks around the park. The expenditure benefits the community at large by preventing the spread of disease. It costs less for the whole year than a single party, but the bags are used 365 days per year.

We might donate some money to fire station #23. If that's a lost cause, how about #26, the station that serves our homes, and is not yet scheduled to be closed.

In the alternative, we could find a way to improve the neighborhood by replacing missing street signs, increasing our security, or hiring a landscaping service to fill in for further reduced personnel and hours of the Parks Department.

The children of this neighborhood will be far better served if their homes are safe and protected. They will ultimately do better growing up in a stable, clean, attractive, less polluted environment. Their futures will be better insured if the value of all our homes are protected and improved and the appearance of the neighborhood is maintained. Simply put, the Board should start taking their duties seriously.

If all else fails, reduce the dues. I'm sure most residents can use their own money to improve their curb appeal themselves. The kids will survive. It's my personal opinion they can manage with one or two less meals of junk food, or goody bags of cheap plastic toys. They won't miss one more face-painting.

Nobody is suggesting that they be put on a diet of gruel or sent to work in factories.

*with apologies to Jonathan Swift

City of Atlanta Cutbacks

Atlanta City Government has cut back to a four-day work week, except for the most essential public safety services. City Hall was mostly dark Friday. Phones went unanswered and e-mails got automated responses. Mitchell Street was ghostly.

This is going to result in some very serious problems for all of Atlanta, the least of which is that it is unlikely that permits or variances are going to be granted on a timely basis, especially those that are scheduled to be heard on a Friday. The Planning Department staff will be working only Monday-Thursday until further notice.

The sewer project has been shut down. Whether this is due to the recent spill of toxic waste into Peachtree Creek as indicated by the yellow caution tape and warning signs posted along Wesley Drive, or lack of funds to finish the work is unknown. Watershed Management remains silent.

What's Going on Around Here, Redux

My very first post back in February suggested that this blog would provide a missing source of neighborhood information. At the time there was a "sort of" MPCA website, and a once in a while MPCA newsletter. The website had not been updated in a couple of years, but it did give the Association a slight presence in the community.

Communications lately have consisted of frequent Zone 2 crime reports for those who care to read a lot of tedium. We're most often assured that no crime has occurred within our specific geographical boundaries, i.e. our 4 streets. Officially, that's true, but some incidents have taken place in the MPCA that have not been reported to the APD, and therefore aren't on those dutifully forwarded crime reports. There actually have been a few car break-ins.

While much positive change has taken place in the neighborhood, especially in the area of community involvement, MPCA leadership has deteriorated. The moribund MPCA Board is only interested in promoting social events at this point, and not in exerting even minimal efforts to maintain and protect declining property values in Memorial Park, which is happening due to economic forces in general. But this is the time for our neighborhood to become vigilant about any laxity. For one thing, the City is soon going to reduce its schedule of curbside trash, recycling and yard waste pickup. Everyone needs to be informed so that our neighborhood doesn't start looking like a dump. That's a for instance.

It has not escaped notice that some builders are quite unconcerned with the living conditions of surrounding residents and the damage they are inflicting on the people who are already here.

Rather than force the people directly on either side or behind the construction site to confront the newcomer, the MPCA Board ought to go to bat for people whose property is being damaged or whose lives are being made miserable.

We have an architect and a land developer on our board. They know about building, permitting and such. Between them, they ought to monitor construction sites for regulatory compliance, and perhaps ask for something above and beyond the letter of the law out of consideration for those who are being inconvenienced. Even though they represent the homeowners, it seems that by virtue of their professions, their sympathies seem to lie squarely with builders. Too bad for the owner whose basement will be flooded, or the neighbor who is going to lose a beloved tree.

I have waited some time for someone to speak up about the piles of trash and garbage strewn all over one site which has never had a dumpster, among the many questions about the project, past and present. There is an unfinished house that appears to be abandoned. One house, thankfully finished, had a Port-O-Potty right on the street that was rarely serviced. The stench was worse than anything that ever emanated from the sewer, and could be smelled a block away.

If the MPCA Board does not start taking an interest in building codes and variances in the neighborhood, others will step into the breach. Some people went through quite a bit of effort to start the MPCA, get signatures, write by-laws, get it incorporated and get approval from City Hall.

They did not have in mind at the time that they only wanted an organization to collect money to spend mostly for the entertainment of small children -- which most people do on their own anyway.