ROAD CLOSURES EXPECTED during Rally Foundation Skirtchaser 5K Race and Outdoor Festival Event - THIS SATURDAY 5-15-10 (5:30 - 8:30 PM)

Candler Park residents are advised that the City of Atlanta Office of Special Events has approved the Rally Foundation Skirtchaser 5K Race and Block Party for this Saturday, and temporary road closures along the race route can be expected to impact traffic throughout the neighborhood.  PLEASE NOTE THE RACE COURSE AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY!

Beginning at 5:30 pm, approximately 1400 race participants will go proceed eastward from the McLendon Avenue entrance to Candler Park toward Clifton Road, then run north along Clifton Road to Clifton Terrace.  Racers will then turn west following Clifton Terrace, the PATH across the north end of the golf course and North Avenue to Moreland Avenue.  The course then turns south along Moreland Avenue through Little 5 Points until returning to McLendon Avenue and an eastward route back to the finish in front of Candler Park.

Those traveling from or through Candler Park should plan to use alternate east-west routes (such as Ponce de Leon Avenue or Dekalb Avenue) during the race and subsequent event activities, which are scheduled to conclude within Candler Park at 8:30 pm.  Similarly, north - south routes including Highland Road in Inman Park and Lakeshore Drive through Lake Claire may also be advisable for those traveling in the affected area.  The number of race participants make it likely that parking in adjacent residential areas will also be impacted throughout the afternoon and evening on Saturday May 15th.

Please note that this event, organized by Rally Foundation under a Special Events permit approved by City of Atlanta, was NOT sponsored or endorsed by Candler Park Neighborhood Organization, and was also NOT recommended by Neighborhood Planning Unit "N" at its meeting in April.  Anyone with questions or concerns regarding the event should feel free to contact the event organizer via its website (http://www.skirtsports.com/skirtchaser5k/) and advise CPNO Special Events officer Walt Weimar, who will provide after-event feedback to appropriate officials and the applicant.

From Amy Stout:

Special Event Permit Applications:

-Skip Breeser, organizer of the Skirtchaser 5K to be held in Candler Park on Saturday evening May 15^th, was present.  He indicated that they expect between 1,000 and 1,500 runners and described the route of the race.  Per Breeser, the route will be as follows: out of the park, west on McLendon, right onto
Moreland Ave, right onto North Ave, over to Terrace Ave, then up Marlbrook, up
Page and back onto McLendon and back into the park.  I noted that the organizers had declined CPNO’s invitation to attend our recent neighborhood meeting to answer questions and address concerns.  In general, I think the NPU-N board agreed that it would be very disruptive to close these streets to host a road race from 5:30 to 6:30 pm on a Saturday evening in the spring.  The board voted unanimously not to support this application, consistent with CPNO’s earlier vote.

- Next month’s agenda will include a vote on an application from Sports Radio 790 The Zone to hold the Midsummer Music Festival in Candler Park on June 19^th.

Proposed City Ordinances:

- Next month, we’ll consider legislation that has been drafted in order to amend the procedures to be followed for the establishment of residential permit parking areas within the city of Atlanta (Ordinance 10-O-0468).  City Council’s Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing on this topic during their Wednesday, May 26^th meeting.

According to City of Atlanta representatives…

- The Candler Park pool will open this summer.

- Ordinance 10-O-0897 is moving through the system.  This legislation will amend the rezoning conditions previously approved for City Hall East in 2005 in hopes of sealing the deal on the sale of this property.  The proposed legislation would now allow “big box” stores to open within any of the existing or future buildings located on the north side of North Avenue and would also now allow telecommunication business as a principal use (for example, digital industry switchboards, power generators, and other relay equipment). 

Land Use and Zoning Matters:

-Consistent with CPNO’s prior vote of approval, the NPU-N board voted to support a variance request for 445 Page Avenue to allow for a second story addition to an existing single-family home.

Other:

- The next NPU-N meeting will be held on Thursday, May 27^th at the Little Five Points Community Center.

Atlanta Streets Alive!www.atlantastreetsalive.com

On May 23, 2010 from 1-6 pm Atlanta Streets Alive! will shut down five miles of streets in downtown Atlanta to cars, and open them up for people from across the region to bike, walk, run, play, and make their own. Atlanta Streets Alive! will be an entirely free opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with the public realm,  build community and participate in healthy activities. By closing streets temporarily to cars, Atlanta Streets Alive will create a safe and welcoming space for people of all ages, fitness levels, and degrees of confidence to bicycle in a safe and welcoming setting. The event will animate many of the dead spaces throughout our downtown, featuring arts installations, improvisation, theater, dance and fitness classes, and will bring a healthy dose of imagination and spontaneous joy to our city. Atlanta Streets Alive! is a Ciclovia style event and is a promising public health strategy to increase physical activity.

Please join us on May 23rd to help our streets come alive! For more information on the event, to see where it will take place or to volunteer please visit www.atlantastreetsalive.com

It's here! It's here! The publication you've been waiting for with bated breath. The May Messenger!

And for anyone wondering, it's bated, not baited. Had to look that one up. ;)

From JoJo Ross:

Hello Candler Park neighbors!  If you're like me you start your day off with a workout and a cup of coffee from San Francisco Roasting Co.  There are some things you may not know about San Francisco Roasting Co on Dekalb Ave. (intersection of Dekalb and Clifton) like they are completely local-the owners fell in love in San Francisco-they opened their first store in Vinings in 1992, and have recently started brewing a Candler Park Blend!  I can't wait to bring the deliciousness with me as hostess gifts to spread my love of good coffee and Candler Park. I was interested enough in this brew with my favorite place in its name to ask manager Matt Chavis more.

“Traditionally coffee roasters mix two or three (sometimes more) beans together to create well rounded signature blends that represent their pallet and coffee philosophy. For years, we’ve had blends that represent the neighborhoods of Virginia-Highland and Morningside. I figured we were well over due for creating a blend for Candler Park, a neighborhood that’s embraced us since we opened in June of 2008.

So, working closely with our master roaster, Doug Bond, I started with a base of Monsoon Malabar, which is sweet, pungent, and a little grassy. Then added an Estate Java from Djampit for its dark chocolate notes, and then rounded out the blend with Brazil Cerrado for its sharp acidity. It’s sweet, earthy, and unique, which is why it reminds me of Candler Park. I truly love this blend.”

Next time you’re needing a caffeine fix or an awesome gift get the sweet, earthy, unique flavor of Candler Park Blend in your cup! 

From Edith Kelman:

SATURDAY :: MAY 1 :: 2 pm to 4 pm
Candler Park Old Stone Church BiRacial History Project
Presents a PUBLIC PROGRAM
 
UNVEILING AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY MARKERS
in CANDLER PARK
 
with Antioch East Baptist Church and
First Existentialist Congregation
at THE OLD STONE CHURCH
470 Candler Park Drive, NE 30307
404-222-0801
PLEASE JOIN US

From Michelle Hughes: Epworth Parent's Morning Out is considering expanding to include a private, PT, affordable Pre-K option. If you have a child who will be 4 on or shortly after September 1, please fill out our survey. 

From Mary Alice Bray:   

In April, preservationists statewide gathered in Rome, Georgia, to recognize projects in Georgia that have contributed to historic preservation in the state and that merit recognition for sensitive restoration and/or compatible additions or adaptive reuse.  Robert and Carole Craig, along with James Crisp of Chelsey Construction Company, were recognized for the nearly three-decade project in preserving and renovating the c1885 Smith-Benning House on Oakdale Road in Candler Park.  For the Craigs, the project was home but also sought to provide a model for both historic preservation and compatible new design of additions.

Converted to apartments in the 1960s and all but abandoned, the house was almost lost on several occasions. Once the fire department appeared in the yard with fire trucks and crew and suggested that the presumed empty and derelict house  might serve as a “controlled fire” training project, just prior to its assumed certain demolition. The Craigs quickly informed the fire fighters that the Georgia Tech architecture professor and his family were, indeed, living there, and it would be restored.  During that time, the neighborhood fondly referred to the house as “the ghost house” or “Adams Family House.” One precocious three year old boy called it “Casper’s House.”

Twenty eight years later, with a total renovation, compatible new additions, and a new out building, the Craigs’ project has successfully returned the landmark home to a single-family residence. People who pass by mistakenly assume that the new out building (workshop and garage) is also over 100 years old.  There are many personal touches that are noteworthy. Carole Craig stripped and refinished over a linear mile of trim. Robert Craig’s interest in architectural history is reflected in the careful preservation of original historic fabric, retention and restoration of Eastlake-Victorian ornament throughout (verandah, window, and gable trim), and his compatible design for additions, including an expanded kitchen in the back of the house.  The  new kitchen, which is modern and open in plan inside, is detailed with architectural features, which reference the house’s late Victorian character,  Candler Park’s bungalow tradition, and Robert’s interest in the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Since the Candler Park neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places, I thought everyone would be interested in hearing about this award. Congratulations to Robert and Carole!

From Heidi: I found keys this morning (Thursday 9 am) in Candler Park by the Golf Course. Please call me and I'll let you know where they are. 404-373-3585

Mark Kurlansky Coming to Carter Library Monday
Author of "Cod" & "Salt" talks Baseball

Atlanta, GA.- The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library is proud to welcome best-selling author Mark Kurlansky for a reading and book signing on Monday, April 26th at 7pm in the library theater. Kurlansky is best-known for his fascinating books of how Cod and Salt help shape the history of the world. Now he looks at how baseball shaped a small town in the Dominican Republic and how that town helped change baseball.

His new book is The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macorís.  In a starred review Publishers Weekly wrote: "As he has done so masterfully in his earlier bestselling books on cod, salt, and oysters, Kurlansky homes in on a singular subject and magnifies its every facet under the brilliant light of his investigative reporting, his historical sensibility, and his lively storytelling."
  You can hear a preview of Monday's reading from NPR at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125999102
  The reading and book signing is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30. ACappella Books will be selling copies of The Eastern Stars at the reading.

Upcoming author readings include*.
         May 5th*. Hampton Sides* "Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr and the International Search for his  Assassin"
        May 12th*.Ronald White*"A. Lincoln"
        May 13th* David Donovan*"Murphy Station"
        May 14th*. Larry Tye*."Satchel"
        May 17th*..Anya Kamenetz*"DIY U"
        May 24th*.Wes Moore*"The Other Wes Moore"
        May 25th*.Wilbert Rideau*"In The Place of Justice"

See information about all our upcoming events at www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov and visit the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library on Facebook.

Contact Tony Clark with questions at 404-865-7109.