We Were Wrong.

It is not being sold to us. It's not even being railroaded through. That would require the appearance of a process. An "exciting, transformational, multi-neighborhood focused restoration initiative for Atlanta Memorial Park" has been decreed. If you want a trip back to the previous decade, attend the meeting tomorrow night.

DO-OVER!!!!!

Having created much confusion with the non-announcement of the MPCA's relationship with the Bobby Jones Golf Course and Park Conservancy, we will have what is termed a "Final Neighborhood Meeting to Introduce Preliminary Master Plan for Bobby Jones Conservancy."

7 p.m. on Tuesday November 8th
Bobby Jones Clubhouse
384 Woodward Way

 Maybe the MPCA's position will be clarified.

Channel 11 Mentions Memorial Park

@DuffieDixonDuffie Dixon

City of ATL is pulling porta porgies from Memorial Park where Occupy Atlanta is set up #news

22 Oct via Twitter for iPhone

Memorial Park was occupied that night -- by squirrels, birds, foxes and other wildlife. The demonstrations were in Woodruff Park at the center of downtown Atlanta. I doubt if Peachtree Creek is home to porgies either.

Directions for Squirrels?

What's the meaning of this spray-painted green arrow?

Colors in the Park

Here are the new paint jobs in and around Memorial Park. 

These were originally natural green colors. 

This last one is the bridge railing on Northside Drive across from the Bobby Jones Golf Course.

(I think they were trying for a Giverny effect.)

Playground Closed

Yellow police caution tape has been put up around Atlanta Memorial Park playground once again. Keep kids away. There are other playgrounds nearby. The semi-permeable shredded tire surface, subject to polluted creek overflow, serves as a growth medium for all kinds of bacteria.

Peachtree Creek Cleanup April 24

The Atlanta Chapter of the Surf Rider Foundation is sponsoring a volunteer effort this Saturday morning  to remove trash left by the flooding last year in Atlanta Memorial Park. They will clean up in and around the creek.

For reasons of its own, the MPCA has sent several notices of a concurrent "cleanup" without any acknowledgement of the Surf Rider event, although the MPCA's earlier notice mentioned the Peachtree-Battle Alliance creek cleanup and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper speaker, Sally Bethea, early that morning. PBA will be cleaning up their part of the creek. Collier Hills Civic Association held a cleanup last week. MPCA doesn't mention the creek.

The MPCA is always interested in removing biodegradable material instead of trash. Our notices mention how "severely overgrown" the area is. The worst effects of last years floods were not plant growth in the stream bank -- which is legally protected for a reason -- but plastic bags, bottles, cans, tires and other hazardous, long-lasting trash.

On another front, the meeting signs were placed at various intersections the morning after my last post, but there has yet to be a real notification. Those signs are very small. Some are on the left side of the road and some on the right. In any event, an email should be send to everyone who has provided an email address and a paper flyer sent to others.

 There is less than a week and we have no agenda and no slate. There was more notice for the Halloween party.

MPCA Meeting Announcement

Bi-annual neighborhood meeting!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

7:00 p.m.

Northside United Methodist Church (small chapel)

2799 Northside Drive NW

Atlanta, GA 

Everyone is encouraged to attend and participate. If you are interested in serving on the board of directors, please contact Glenn Cartledge (listed in your printed directory) and have your name put on the slate.  

MPCA Does (or Doesn't) Again

The MPCA Board under the leadership (control) of President Glenn Cartledge again neglected its duty to appoint a nominating committee to create a slate for our election in April. Mr. Cartledge finally appointed a committee last year (two months late and after much prodding). According to the by-laws, the committee must be appointed in January, which allows time to find interested, qualified volunteers. It appears Mr. Cartledge plans to hand-pick his successor and will personally fill any vacancies on the Board.

Equally detrimental to the vitality of the MPCA, April's bi-annual meeting date has not been announced. The MPCA has a long history of delaying public notification of meetings in which action could be taken. This has the effect of minimizing turnout mostly to insiders.

Board meetings, theoretically open to the entire membership, are rarely announced in advance. There are seldom if ever, reports to the membership on Board actions.

The MPCA must encourage wider interest and participation through communication. Why not have a real website with regularly updated useful information that also permits discussion and feedback?  Peachtree Battle Alliance is a good example. There's enough money in the MPCA account to pay for some web space and features.

As someone once said, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

TIME TO PARTY!

Our neighborhood seems to be in its own little financial bubble. Here, it is 2005, or maybe 1985. Memorial Park Civic Association President Glenn Cartledge noted in his last newsletter that while unfortunate events were "swirling around us," life is good here and everyone is doing fine.

I'll leave it to each of us to define his own personal situation as to job security, income, asset performance, property values, debt-to-income ratio and general outlook on the future. I can say with certainty that municipal services have been cut back while taxes and fees are up. Several homes have sold recently at prices that might be considered somewhat disappointing compared to prices of a few years ago.

The MPCA, however, seems to be the recipient of TARP funding, or at least our Board is in a Wall Street state of mind.

I'm referring to the MPCA financial report for the year ending 5/31/09. More than 50% of dues income was spent on parties.

Summary: $4,715 was collected in voluntary membership dues, plus $650 in (non tax-deductible) extra donations from some very generous neighbors for a total of $5,678.00.

Partying expenses totaled a net of about $3000 for four events -- three of which were designed for the entertainment of young children. Although more than half of Memorial Park members list children in their households, only a third have kids in the age group that would be caught dead at a kiddie party. The rest are hanging out with their friends, playing video games or are off at college.

I humbly suggest that these funds could more appropriately be used in ways that would enhance the safety, cleanliness, appearance and quality of life of the Memorial Park neighborhood for a larger number of residents. Instead, most of the budget is squandered on junk food and junk distractions with little or no remaining value besides adding to the waste stream and arguably contributing to animal abuse.

The MPCA Social Committee, which seems to have carte blanche, chose to have the annual picnic catered by the Varsity rather than doing a covered dish event, with an artificial ticket price cap of $10 per family. That single event had a staggering deficit of more than $1,100 -- 20% of annual dues revenue! Surely, there is a better use for our common funds.

The Halloween party came in at a little under $400, complete with unnecessary hired security. It was followed by an evening of trick-or-treating, which itself is a children's Halloween party. The party was a $400 redundancy, and the expenditure even more ridiculous because everyone in the neighborhood purchased a ton of candy for that specific evening to give to those same children. If we are going to spend $400 on candy and a party for the kids, then why not do it on Valentine's Day or Easter! Spread the potential tooth decay out a little more year-round. (The Christmas "sleigh ride" is only about 6 weeks after Halloween. The tab for that was $800.)

Maybe throwing parties is the MPCA's stimulus policy, sort of a WPA for the 21st century. I guess it gives the party planners a job.

It might be a good idea for the Board to open each meeting by reading the purpose of the MPCA as it is written into the by-laws, just to keep the association on track.

Someone will have to be to bring a copy to the meetings, if anyone has one.

Neighborhood Meeting Set for 4/28

The Bi-annual meeting of the Memorial Park Civic Association has been scheduled for Tuesday April 28, at the Northside United Methodist Church, 2799 Northside Drive.

We have been promised a special board meeting in March to create an agenda. Keep watching for the date, time and location.

Four vacancies are up for election to the seven-member MPCA board of directors at the April meeting. The board should have appointed a nominating committee in January, composed of three people from the general community. The by-laws specifically require the creation of this committee in the month of January.

The reason for a nominating committee is to insert some outside influence into the process and keep the board from being insular and self-perpetuating. As it is, when there is a vacancy during the term, the board can appoint someone to fill it, but even that small power has been overridden repeatedly by President Glenn Cartledge, due to the rest of the board's extreme acquiescence to his bidding.

There has been no announcement of a nominating committee and no announcement of a slate, just like last year, when democracy and inclusiveness were discarded in favor of a hand-picked board.

I keep my ear close to the ground, and have not heard of anyone being asked to serve on a committee, nor have I heard of any slate. The board certainly has not communicated on this or any subject. There has been no call for volunteers to serve. There has been no report from their meeting Thursday night or any other meeting since the October meeting, which wasn't actually reported either for those who didn't attend. In fact, there has been no newsletter in many months. One has been promised soon, though.

I am guessing that all the current board whose terms are expiring, Loulie Reese, Lesley Wainwright, Lynda Houser and Bill Warren, will be reaffirmed for another term and the current situation of absolute unity will be perpetuated. (If I'm wrong, I'll be more than happy to say so.)

I'm not saying that anything is wrong with those four, or that they ought not have another term. They have all done stellar work for the community. It's just that, as former association treasurer Bill Hope famously said, "the process ought to be followed."

Also, it wouldn't hurt for every single board member to open their mouths once in a while and have something come out that didn't originate from Mr. Cartledge's brain.

New Face in the Neighborhood

As a result of some recent rearranging of routes by the USPS, we have a new mail carrier for Memorial Park. She's already noticed the sorting issues around the similarities between Wesley Drive and Wellesley Drive, having so many of the same numbers.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Regina, and thanks for your service to our community. I hope you will enjoy your time in Memorial Park.

Solid Waste Pickup

The cutback of solid waste pickup has gone into effect. If your regular pickup day for your regular household trash pickup (Herbie the Curbie) has been Monday through Thursday, it will remain the same, and that is still going to be weekly -- at present. Those who had a Friday pickup are supposed to have been notified of their new scheduled day by the City of Atlanta Public Works Department. (The City doesn't work on Fridays any more.) Good luck.

Recycling pickup has been cut back to every other week, as has yard-waste pickup.

Please be advised: recycling pickup for Memorial Park will be THIS WEEK, and every other week hereafter. If your trash pickup is tomorrow (Wednesday) your recycling will be picked up tomorrow. If your trash pickup is Thursday, recycling will be picked up Thursday.

Yard waste pickup will be NEXT WEEK, and every other week thereafter.


Disclaimer: I am passing along the information that has been received from those who seem to be in a position to know. They may also be misinformed. We try our best.

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.

Another Suspect in the Missing Wesley Drive Street Sign

The recent neighborhood meeting was hosted by the Northside United Methodist Church.

The Methodist Church was founded by JOHN WESLEY (1703-1791)!

Coincidence?



(Correction made, thanks to eagle-eyed reader who pointed out that John Wesley wasn't 268 years old at the time of his death.)

The Missing Street Sign Mystery

Along the lines of the strange accusations from you-know-who about neighborhood shenanigans, these are some of my theories about what might have happened to the missing street sign. I welcome any others:

1. It was kidnapped by aliens who are analyzing it to learn about earth navigation methods.
2. It was taken by members of the vast right wing conspiracy to confuse liberals trying to get to the polls to vote in the December 2 runoff election.
3. It was taken by members of the vast left wing conspiracy to prevent Republicans from finding the polls to vote in the December 2 runoff election.
4. It is part of a covert CIA operation that the White House knows nothing about.
5. It was done by the Mossad with White House approval.
6. The sign was on a grassy knoll. What else is there to say?
   

Don't forget to vote Tuesday, December 2!

Has "The Opposition" Struck Again?

The street sign at the corner of Wesley Drive and Wellesley Drive has mysteriously disappeared. I have heard this is new work of a shadowy evil conspiracy that reaches back over many years and is responsible for every single real (and imagined) mishap that has taken place in the Memorial Park neighborhood.

Keep your children, pets and potted plants indoors at night, my friends.

A Petition Against Paving

Below is the text of a petition delivered to City Hall recently. Residents who live adjacent to the park were asked to sign, the theory being that their quality of life and property values would be most severely affected by development of the park. They believe that their concerns should be accorded more weight on this issue than others who would not suffer the same impact.

MPCA President Glenn Cartledge received a copy of the text, with a note that more than 70 individuals had signed at that point. He reported to David Quillian, Chairman of the Trail Study Committee. If you are a member of the MPCA, you will be receiving spin-control prior to the October 14 neighborhood meeting.

There have been complaints of subterfuge from a few members of the Study Committee. There is even a tinge of moral outrage. Correct protocol was ignored, i.e., the civic association must be the conduit for expression of opinions as well as the final arbiter. Similarly, this site was excoriated by Mr. Quillian earlier this year for publishing about the neighborhood without prior board approval. There was the vacuous "Note from the Board" in the April 2008 newsletter, urging that dissent be taken only to the MPCA Board. Unlike other civic association boards, the MPCA's does not announce its meetings, nor does it publish minutes.

Secrecy: As I understand it, the petition was widely distributed as an email attachment during the process of signature-gathering. Several residents found the form left at their homes with an explanatory note. I believe some were faxed.

Most email programs have an easy-to-use forwarding feature. This petition and any emails discussing it likely made their way to many desktops, including those of the Study Committee and the board.

Benjamin Franklin observed, "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead." I am curious about the amazing method that must have been used to compel silence among dozens of people, some of whom declined to sign because they were in favor of the paving.

Fact: Mr. Quillian, Mr. Cartledge and Ms. Margaret Warren (also of the Trail Study Committee) were each overheard months ago scoffing at talk of a petition. Now they are "shocked! shocked!" to learn it was going on right under their noses.

Clearly they are not so much surprised by the existence of the petition as they are stung by its success. They have been belittling the extent of opposition to this project, despite plenty of negative feedback, including on this blog -- which does have a readership. In fact, the above cited "Note From the Board" may have been a subtly-worded request to abandon the petition.

Another fact: At least 8 (and probably more) former and current members of the Trail Study Committee knew all about the petition. Some were involved in promoting it. Some expressed support; others did not.

Perhaps those committee members saw this petition as a rather ordinary communication between taxpayers and an elected official. Maybe they did not know that they were supposed to take umbrage. The Trail Study Committee purportedly exists only for the purpose of fact-finding and research. It is not an advocacy group.

This is what the petition says:

"We, whose homes border directly on Atlanta Memorial Park, a natural forest in the midst of the city, are concerned for its preservation. Any paved path around or through Atlanta Memorial Park would be detrimental to the park. Construction of a path or sidewalk of any material would require removal of some trees, and cause the deaths of others whose roots would be damaged by paving. Many trees were growing here before the creation of the park in the 1930’s, and many, including rare species, planted in the ensuing decades are endangered by drought, erosion and lack of care. Loss of trees combined with paving in the floodplain will increase the effects of future flooding of Peachtree Creek. A paved path will attract a large increase in park usage that this small park cannot withstand. A large increase in visitors will negatively impact the quality of life and the value of the property of those who live adjacent to the park.

We ask the City of Atlanta to deny approval of any manmade surface around or through Atlanta Memorial Park."

____________________________________________________

ANNOUNCEMENT

Fall MPCA Neighborhood Meeting
Tuesday, October 14, 7:00 p.m. Northside United Methodist Church
2799 Northside Drive