It’s Charrette Week: Heart of the master planning process

Posted by Ken Edelstein | Filed under:
Apr 28 2013

Excuse me??!!! You haven’t yet imparted your wisdom to the Candler Park Master Plan?

No sweat. This week, we get our best opportunity to collaborate on this fresh vision for our community's future.
 
For three consecutive evenings (5 p.m. to 8 p.m., April 30-May 2), the Master Plan Charrette will be held at the Hall House on the Mary Lin Elementary campus. Then, on Saturday morning (9 a.m.-10:30 p.m., May 4), at the Frazer Center in Lake Claire, we’ll all gather to hear about and discuss the concepts that emerged from those evening workshops.
 
What, you ask, is a “charrette”? According to the font of all knowledge (Wikipedia), it’s “an intense period of design or planning activity” and “may refer to any collaborative session in which a group of designers drafts a solution to a design problem.”
 
In our case, all community members are welcome to join in the collaboration. At the work sessions, expect a series of illustrations, exercises and questions meant to flesh out ideas that residents proposed during last month’s Kickoff Meeting, on online Snapshot Exercises and in less formal discussions.
 
Many big questions are searching for answers: What park improvements, for example, are we united in favor of? How can we make our sidewalks, roads and intersections safer for pedestrians and cyclists? Could the MARTA station be made more inviting? Could we bring to frution many people's dream of a Candler Park farmers' market? Should the neighborhood favor specific design guidelines? Can DeKalb Avenue be re-imagined as a pedestrian friendly commercial street, and if so, how could we make that transition?
 
Those three afternoon/evening sessions at Mary Lin also provide people who drop by with an opportunity to discuss problems and solutions in more detail with the professionals hired to help us with the plan. And the sessions will be dynamic: Lead planner Aaron Fortner and his team plan to capture the concepts from each three-hour session, and to reflect them back to participants the next evening. The result: Evolving elements of what eventually will be honed into a Draft Master Plan.
 
But if you can only make one Master Plan meeting, Saturday morning’s Charrette Overview Community Forum is the one you don’t want to miss.
 
To steal a couple of sentences on the Overview Forum from the Master Plan website, our planners “will provide a deeper contextual narrative for each of the emerging concepts and will then facilitate a process for obtaining feedback from the community on each of the ideas and recommendations.” (To reserve free childcare for the Overview Forum, click here. For directions, to the Frazer Center in Lake Claire, click here.)

Tonight's Candler Park Movie Night

Posted by Kate Sandhaus
Apr 27 2013

Hello friends,

As you probably know, tonight is the first Candler Park movie night of the season - The Three Stooges.

Mother Nature is being persnickety at the moment, so we are in weather watch mode. Mark & co will make the final call by 3 pm as to go / no go. If tonight's movie ends up being a no go, it'll be rescheduled for next Saturday.

Please stay tuned!
Kate

The Candler Park Master Plan wants you!

Posted by Ken Edelstein
Apr 26 2013

 

Your input in the Candler Park Master Plan isn’t just welcome — it’s needed.
 
There's one way to provide that input this weekend: Fill out your personal online Community Snapshot. Your snapshot consists of the same 25 interactive — and, dare I say, fun — exercises completed by those who attended last month’s Master Plan Kickoff meeting (if you made it to the Kickoff, there’s no need to redo these exercises). 
 
Candler Park Master Plan wants youEven more importantly: Attend one of next week’s three Master Plan Charrette workshops — interactive, informal sessions where Candler Park residents will collaborate with our planning consultants on our community vision (5-8 pm, April 30-May 2, in the Hall House at Mary Lin).
 
The charrette is the heart of the planning process. But after next week’s working sessions, we’re all invited to a Community Forum (9-10:30 am, Saturday, May 4, at the Frazer Center). That’s where the concepts that residents worked on during the week with our planning team will be present and hashed out in more detail.
 
You should try to participate in the working sessions, but if you can only make one meeting, that May 4 forum at the Frazer Center is the one you shouldn’t miss.
 
Other meetings will follow: On May 22, a draft of the actual plan will be considered during a Community Forum; and then CPNO members will consider formal endorsement of the Master Plan. But next week’s charrette is designed as the best opportunity for individuals to help shape the plan.
 
The bottom line is that this plan is our community’s plan. That doesn’t mean everyone will agree on every point. But the feedback so far shows that we share a lot of priorities and values, and the process itself is set up to help us find our common ground.
 
Processes like these work best when the broadest group possible is engaged in the process in atransparent fashion. So the public venues listed above will necessarily carry more weight than any single private conversation would.
 
But — particularly if you'd rather discuss outside the formal meetings — please feel free to do so. Click here for the best route for direct feedback to the planners. And if you’d rather offer up ideas or feedback to your neighbors on the Steering Committee, please contact any of us via email:
 
Jimmy Bligh (chair) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

2013 SweetWater 420 Wrap Up

Posted by Stephen Cardwell
Apr 23 2013

 

I’ll start by saying thank you to all the volunteers who participated in putting on the 5k race on Saturday morning.  The race sold out and while the numbers aren’t in yet, we will likely have made a tidy profit for the neighborhood.  Last year the 5k raised $17,987 which accounted for 52% of our net revenue.  These funds go to efforts like the Master Plan and fund our ability to make grants that the membership approves to improve our neighborhood.

The festival over the weekend was the topic of a great deal of emails and web site posts.  I’d like to address some of the concerns with this note.

·         There were folks that felt hardship over the weekend.  Some folks have reached out directly to me with anecdotes and in some cases pictures.  Please feel free to send me feedback on the event to president@candlerpark.org .  We are attempting to keep track of what occurred over the weekend.

·         If there were positives about the weekend and some of the changes like emergency parking and street closures, please send them to president@candlerpark.org as well.

·         A reminder that all decisions affecting the neighborhood aside from a few board appointees and some other items in the by-laws, are controlled by the membership.  The board votes to recommend to the membership only.  It is the membership votes that are acted upon.

·         A reminder that the neighborhood only puts on the 420 5k race.  We do not run the festival as a whole.

·         Regarding the 420 festival, the membership did vote to support the permit from Happy Ending Productions and has for many years in a row. 

·         As I have stated at multiple membership meetings, the Office of Special Events for the City of Atlanta can and has, in the past, issued permits regardless of how the neighborhood votes.

·         To address the issue of the Office of Special Events and the frustration of neighbors with the various festivals at Candler Park, the membership voted to create a festival committee in August of 2012.

·         The 420 5k run by CPNO is typically our largest fundraiser of the year.  To address concerns that we are currently beholden to the Sweetwater 420 festival for a large percentage of our income, the board is planning a revenue idea generation get together at Manuel’s on Wednesday, June 26.  We hope to use the meeting to find alternative venues to fund CPNO operations in the coming years.  The event will be further publicized at membership meetings, on the website, and in The Messenger.

I’ll wrap up by reiterating that the board and our committees are a volunteer organization.  The folks who help out on the various committees, festival, sidewalk, Fall Festival, Master Planning, Zoning, Membership, and Nominating (just to name a few) do so with the best intentions.  They are not paid to participate.  Often times, they are asked to participate by friends and neighbors because we never have enough people to help out.  I’d encourage folks to remember as much.  If you’ve been to meetings since I took office at the end of the November meeting, you know that I do my level headed best to give everyone a voice that wants one per Robert’s Rules which govern our organization.  I encourage everyone to use their voice.  I merely ask that you do so with respect and the proper decorum.

 

Thanks,

Steve Cardwell

President, Candler Park Neighborhood Organization

Tour de Fat in Candler Park

Submitted by Kate Sandhaus on Mon, 04/22/2013 - 3:03pm

This event will take place in Candler Park on Saturday, May 11 from 10 am - 6:30 pm.

Press release below, and see the festival web site.

New Belgium Brewing’s “Tour de Fat” Rolls into Atlanta on May 11 for a Day of Bikes, Beer and Bemusement

Still Seeking Car-for-Bike Swapper – Submit Your Entry Today

Ft. Collins, CO, April 19, 2013 – If dressing freaky, riding bikes, listening to bands and drinking beer are things you like, then don’t miss the most FUN fundraiser around...Tour de Fat is coming back to town! New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale and other award-winning beers, is kicking off the 14th year of Tour de Fat in Atlanta on Saturday, May 11 in a new location: Candler Park.

Gather up your friends, family and neighbors and come enjoy eclectic entertainment and stellar beer, all while helping local bicycle nonprofits raise funds. The event is free, yet all proceeds from beer and merchandise sales and donations from parade participants will help make Atlanta a better place to ride a bike. Follow Tour de Fat’s 12-city adventure on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TourDeFat.

To properly kick-start the festival, Tour de Fat begins with a giant bicycle parade that weaves through city streets. Each parade route is designed for people of all skill levels; everyone is welcome and colorful costumes are encouraged. For the rest of the afternoon, the stages heat up with world-class acts like Beats Antique and Futurebirds and the park becomes a celebration unlike any other.

Kids of all ages can ride funky bikes, eat delicious fare, relax in the grass, and participate in games and activities such as a “Thousand Person Dance Contest”, which will determine the winner of a 2013 New Belgium Cruiser Bike. Everyone 21 and older can sample new and classic favorites from New Belgium, including the brewery’s flagship brew, Fat Tire, this summer’s seasonal, Rolle Bolle, and selections from the acclaimed Lips of Faith series.

“Tour De Fat is where everyone can enjoy the unexpected,” said Matt Kowal, New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Impresario. “It’s a festival for all ages and stages of life, from young bike lovers to seasoned beer lovers and everyone in between. We guarantee you’ll be inspired by interactive art, music and comedy performances, as well as employee-owned brewing, for the year to come!”

In every Tour de Fat city, one brave role model will step on stage to trade in his or her car keys and pledge to live car-free for one year. Each swapper is awarded a stipend to buy their own commuter bike and receives rock star status when the crowd goes wild in support of their commitment. We’re now on the hunt for a swapper in Atlanta! Car-

for-Bike Swappers are chosen after submitting an application describing why they are ready to give up their vehicle for the gift of two wheels. To apply, visit: www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat.

Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible. New Belgium partners with recycOil to use biofuels from recycled cooking oil to power the festival’s transportation, stages, sound, food trucks and more. The stage is decked out in recycled materials; attendees are encouraged to ride bikes or carpool; and recycle and compost receptacles are available throughout to help divert waste from landfills.

Date:

Saturday, May 11

Location:

Candler Park

Parade Registration:

10:00 a.m.

Ride Times:

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Entertainment/Revivalation:

12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Performances By:

Beats Antique (http://beatsantique.com) Futurebirds (http://www.futurebirdsmusic.com)

Benefitting:

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (http://www.atlantabike.org)
SOPO Bicycle Cooperative (http://sopobikes.org)
The Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) (http://sorba.org)

Price:
Admission – FREE!
Parade – Suggested donation of $5 or more Beer – $5 for a 16 oz. pour

See www.facebook.com/TourDeFat for the Tour de Fat credo, schedules, videos and to submit an entry to swap your gas-guzzler for a fancy new bicycle.

About New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100 percent employee owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews eight year round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.

Contact:

Jenny Foust
Communications Strategy Group (w) 303.433.7020
(c) 720.244.4268 jfoust@csg-pr.com

 

Additional information for Candler Park residents:

  • Please see permit info and parade route here.
  • No road closures
  • Setup: Thursday, 7AM-7PM, Dress Rehearsal: Friday 8am to 6pm, Teardown: Saturday, 6:30-10PM
  • When will the festival start and end: Saturday, 10AM-6:30PM
  • Decibel levels: 90 dbs at the property line, 106 at the front of house
  • All information flyers will enco urage public transportation.
  • Available public off-street parking? Bike valet will be available. The majority of attendees arrive by bicyle.
  • Security: We are contracting with Signal 88 Security to provide 20 trained security staff. We are also working with Lt. McGee from Atlanta Police to prov ide officers for the bike ride and for the festival.
  • Traffic plans: Will encourage patrons to arrive by bike or utilize MARTA.
  • Buses: Performers will be parked in the parking lot of Candler Park. Buses will not be idling, but we will have a “green room” set-up with air conditioning for them.
  • Trash and use of recyclable materials and/or multi-use cups to reduce waste: This is a zero waste goal event. Last years’ events re cycled 95% of their refuse. We are contracting with South Green Industries to take the composting a nd Waste Management to take the recycling.
  • No stable of cabs available
  • Neighborhood point of contact for illegally parked cars and/or overcrowding on streets? 911 and Matt Garbett (404) 964-9301
Date: 
Sat, 05/11/2013 - 10:00am
Location: 
Candler Park

Sweetwater 420 Fest in Candler Park This Weekend

Posted by Kate Sandhaus
Apr 18 2013

Sweetwater 420 Fest is produced by Sweetwater Brewing Company. Candler Park Neighborhood Organization is not involved in organizing this festival.

Candler Park residents, please see end of this post for information about road closures and Mary Lin afternoon dismissal details.

Get all the festival information here.

Festival dates & times:

  • Friday, April 19: 4:20 pm - 11 pm
  • Saturday, April 20: Noon - 10 pm
  • Sunday, April 21: 12:30 pm - 8 pm

Festival location:
Historic Candler Park 1500 McLendon Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30307. Go here for further directions.

Admission:
Free admission for great live music, activities, food, and education about how each and every one of us can be a part of the solution! Festival goers who are 21+ and with a valid ID can purchase a $5 wristband to responsibly enjoy beer. Portion of Proceeds from wristband sales are donated to Park Pride (to benefit Candler Park).

Music:
The schedule for bands can be seen here.

Kid zone:
Activities will include the Atlanta Hawks Unit 21, an Army Jeep, instrument petting zoo, circus camp, Georgia Aquarium, bounce houses, and more!

Dogs:
Due to the size of the SweetWater 420 Fest we now fall under a city ordinance or law that no longer allows us to have dogs at our event.  Please do not bring your dog or you will not be allowed in. NO DOGS ALLOWED.

What’s provided:

  • Potable water
  • Portable toilets
  • Trash and recycling stations: a chance for everyone to do their part
  • Lost and Found
  • ATM’s
  • Medical, police, and security services
  • FUN

What’s not allowed:

  • NO DOGS ALLOWED
  • No GLASS
  • No COOLERS
  • No OUTSIDE ALCOHOL
  • No OUTSIDE FOOD AND DRINK
  • No PETS
  • No ILLEGAL DRUGS
  • No FIREWORKS
  • No UNLICENSED VENDING of any kind
  • No WEAPONS
  • No UMBRELLAS
  • No CHAIRS

Entry Gates:

  • Main off McClendon
  • Gate 2 at Tennis Court pathway
  • Gate 3 at the corner of Clifton Terrace and Marlbrook Drive, by Playground
  • Handicap entrance is a Gate 3 with easy paved access to the event

Wristbands:
Wristbands are $5 and good for day of purchase

For more information or to find out how you can make a change please email info@sweetwater420fest.com

CONTACT INFO

Go here for contact info.

 

INFORMATION FOR CANDLER PARK RESIDENTS

ROAD CLOSURES APRIL 19, 2013  8:15 AM -  APRIL 21, 2013  11:59 PM

Roads affected:

  • CANDLER PARK DRIVE (ALL CARS MUST BE GONE BY 8:00 A.M. 4/19/2013)

    • CANDLER PARK DRIVE will be ONE-WAY from NORTH AVENUE to MCLENDON AVE.
    • NO PARKING ON EITHER SIDE EXCEPT BY FESTIVAL PERMIT
    • MUST PARK VERTICALLY IN PERMITTED AREAS - Bumper should be be parallel with the curb
  • MILLER AVENUE (OAKDALE TO CANDLER PARK DRIVE)
  • BENNING PLACE (OAKDALE TO CANDLER PARK DRIVE)
  • NORTH AVENUE (OAKDALE TO CANDLER PARK DRIVE)
  • CALLAN CIRCLE

All roads listed above will be RESIDENT AND EVENT ACCESS ONLY.  Must have a valid driver’s license or event permit pass to access these areas. PLEASE OBEY ALL POSTED AND STREET MARKERED SIGNS. Towing will be strictly enforced in these areas due to need for emergency vehicle access.

 

MARY LIN AFTERNOON DISMISSAL

Parents and guardians, please note that there is road closure scheduled on Candler Park Drive, April 19-21, 2013.

This will affect the elementary school for the afternoon pick-up on Friday, April 19 only. The road will remain open until 8:15 a.m. Friday morning to allow all students and parents regularly scheduled access on their morning routines.

Logistics of the road closure and student pick-up:

●      Candler Park Drive will become a one-way from North Ave. to Mclendon for this closure.

●      The following roads will be barricaded at Oakdale to manage the Candler Park Drive closing properly: Benning, Miller and North.

●      For school access, all parents must enter the North Ave. blockade to access Candler Park Drive. 

●      There will be an officer at the corner of North and Candler Park Drive to help the flow of traffic in this area.

●      Please communicate to any scheduled police officers that you are there for student pick-up should you be stopped.

●      Once you are in, please drive in the typical carpool lane and wait for release. 

●      Everyone will need to be carpool on this date, or be a walker. No one will be able to pull in, park and get his or her child. (If you are driving, please enter the one-way through the North Ave. blockade)

●      We will hold all cars in the carpool lane until the buses have loaded and vacated (there is an additional pass lane on North and Candler Park Drive even with the carpool lane blockage.)

●      Cars will then pull in the roundabout, load, and then pull out onto Candler Park Drive heading right or towards McLendon Ave.

Sweetwater 420 Festival Permit

Posted by Stephen Cardwell
Apr 18 2013

Thanks to Greg Luetscher for passing along.  Attached is the permit for the festival this weekend.

Thanks,

Steve Cardwell

President, Candler Park Neighborhood Organization

Fellowship in the Park - Sharing the Spirit of History

Submitted by Kate Sandhaus on Tue, 04/16/2013 - 3:26pm

From Edi Kelman:

You're invited to the Third Annual

Fellowship in the Park- Sharing the Spirit of History……

When: May 19, 2013

Where: Candler Park

1500 McLendon

Atlanta, GA

Time:  12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Antioch East Baptist Church - First Existentialist Congregation

Candler Park Neighborhood Organization

 Food                                                               Fun                                                   Games

SPECIAL VOLLEY BALL CHALLENGE!!!!!!!

Please email info@biracialhistoryproject.org to get on the VolleyBall roster and to help us get a head-count for food preparation.

 

Date: 
Sun, 05/19/2013 - 12:30pm
Location: 
Candler Park Pavillion

Candler Park Movie Nights

Posted by Kate Sandhaus
Apr 15 2013

The 2013 spring and fall movie night line-up has been released. Don't miss out, the CP movie nights are fabulous.

April 27 The Three Stooges

May 11 The Princess Bride

May 25 Brave

August 10 Lorax

August 24 Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

September 7 Ferris Bueller's Day Off

September 21 Field of Dreams    

All movies start in front of the pool house at dusk. Rain dates are usuallly a week after scheduled date. For more info please visit www.friendsofcandlerpark.org
 

April Messenger

Posted by Kate Sandhaus
Apr 13 2013

It's here!