MPSA Mailbag 2/27/2010
What your neighbors tell us – these do not necessarily reflect MPSA position…
Mischievous Grady kids – On Tuesday, 23 February, at about 4:30pm, I heard a commotion in our back parking lot. There was a young African-American man, approximately 17-18 yrs old (and probably a Grady H.S. student), running down the alley from behind the Children’s School toward Taft Avenue . He seemed to be yelling and chasing after one of his friends. I didn’t think much of the matter since he left and didn’t return that day.
The next afternoon (on Wednesday 24 February, at about 4:15pm), I saw the same young man return to the property with six of his friends. This group of seven guys all looked like they were probably Grady H.S. students, and since it was after 4pm, they had probably just gotten out of school. They were all African-American young men, approximately 17-18 yrs old, mostly wearing jeans, sweatshirts and hats. They were gathering near my car, and I saw one of them hold out a marijuana joint, and then they all walked up the alley together Children’s school. I called the police to report it as suspicious activity, but the officer got here just as the group was breaking up. I saw a few of the guys get into a car down the alley toward Taft Avenue . When the officer got here, it was just as the guys were making their way down the alley toward Taft Avenue . The police officer seems to have just talked to them briefly and told them to leave, but that was all. In retrospect, I probably could have gone out and asked the guys to leave myself, but since no one else seemed to have been around at the time, I didn’t feel particularly safe in doing so.
Suspicious characters snooping around – Yesterday (2/19) around 1pm, my landscaper was at 764 Charles Allen – actually on the 5th street side of the house in his truck. He spotted 2 white males (about 20 years old) with huge backpacks, 1 on each side of the road going door to door. They would go up to each house, look in the windows then play with the door knobs – even kicking several doors. The landscaper called 911. The “characters” eventually spotted the landscaper -they then said “that guy in the truck may be taking pictures of us, lets go”! They then when down the alley towards Linda’s house and 4th street.
The police, nor any security, ever arrived. The landscaper waited about 45 minutes then called 911 again – the dispatcher said “if the police have time they will come”.MPSA update: It appears that there was some ensuing e-mail dialog regarding this incident with police officals, which we were unaware of until after we ran the Eye on Midtown. Major Williams wishes to clarify the issue here:
I have read today’s edition and find it unfair that the 911 call was listed here that the police never showed. The caller assessed his phone records and realized that he, in fact, did dial 611, in error. I am very concerned when the Atlanta Police Department misses an opportunity to serve our public. However, this letter paints the picture that someone called 911 and Zone 5 never arrived. This is not what occurred and I kept the public informed throughout the investigation. I do not want Midtown’s citizens to be misinformed. Thus, I am requesting that this letter be recalled and replaced, indicating that the caller, who had great intentions, dialed 611 in error. As a caring shareholder of the Atlanta Police Department, and one of my most called-upon community leaders, I know that you understand my concerns, regarding this matter?
ATL Business Chronicle: Peachtree-Pine shelter escapes foreclosure
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE: Peachtree-Pine shelter escapes foreclosure
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/03/01/story2.html (abbreviated version – the full story is available in the 2/26/2010 print edition, and to paid subscribers)
City Hall East Update 2/27/2010
Kit Sutherland, President of Fourth Ward Alliance and Secretary of NPU-M (covers areas from Ponce southward), put out a status update on City Hall East.
Greetings, neighbors.
Several of you have asked for a status report about City Hall East, a topic that we’re all concerned about these days. It’s a complex situation, one that is evolving day by day, but here’s what we know so far.
Neighborhood leaders have reason to believe that the City is negotiating to complete the sale of the property for a price less than the original agreed-upon amount. As many of you know, the City entered into an agreement several years ago to sell the property to the Morsberger Group for approximately $26 million. The contract specified certain steps to occur before the final sale (relocation of all remaining tenants, completion of the storm water retention pond south of Ponce), and those steps are in progress. However, the downturn in the economy has adversely affected local real estate values, and the original sales price may be unrealistic.
We all know that the City is facing serious budgetary concerns, so an opportunity to bring in much-needed money ASAP is attractive. Along these lines, it’s our understanding that the City is considering selling the property for a much lower price (perhaps only half the original contract price), in the interest of bringing in revenues for the City while also ensuring that this enormous property doesn’t sit vacant and in limbo. One of our sources for this info is a recent blog entry by reporter Scott Henry in Creative Loafing. On February 18, 2010, in a discussion of the City’s options for reducing its 2010 budget gap, Henry wrote:
Sell City Hall East. The city would’ve gotten this architecturally significant albatross off its books years ago if it hadn’t needed to keep the cops there while building a new police HQ. Unfortunately, the market crash has reduced a pre-bubble payday of $26 million to about half that amount. (UPDATE: This deal is now scheduled to be unveiled in early March, rather than next week as I previously said. You still read it here first.) Still, $13 million in cold, hard cash will come in handy for FY 2011.
On a related note, as described at Monday night’s NPU M meeting, neighborhood representatives have already collaborated on a letter to Mayor Reed re the status of City Hall East. On behalf of NPUs M, N, E, and F, the letter expressed concern that the property should NOT sit vacant and should, instead, be sold or leased for some active use as soon as possible. Neighborhood reps are also in direct communication with City Council Member Kwanza Hall, since the property lies within City Council District 2.
The communications process is still playing out, but we’ll pass along info as we receive it — please stay tuned!
Results of Survey #1: Quality of Service
Survey Question: What can the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance do better to serve you?
40 MPSA members responded to this question. The responses were generally supportive of the MPSA – it’s doing a good job, keep it up! Those members making recommendation fell into 2 major groupings:
* Increase membership (55%)
* Increase the patrols (48%)
Those members urging increasing membership, and thereby increasing patrols, suggested several good initiatives:
* Launch a membership campaign
* Do more public relations – let the community know what’s being accomplished
* Develop a public service announcement to be aired on local media
Other suggestions:
* Send out an Eye on Midtown weekly
* Circulate pictures of problem persons
* Find a quicker way of communicating among neighbors regarding breaking crime
* Patrol the alleys day & night
In summary, the members responding support:
* Efforts to increase membership and patrol
* Enhanced communications
Leash Law
Major Williams requested that we pass along an announcement regarding the leashing of pets.
* All pets must be kept on leash – This area is monitored by APD.
* The City of Atlanta urges you to be a responsible pet owner.
* Walking your pet on a leash and cleaning up after your pet is the law!
* Please urge violators to clean up after their pets as well.
* Fines for allowing a dog to run off-leash or for not cleaning up after them include penalties up to $1,000, a jail term up to 1 year, community service up to six months, or a combination of the above. Don’t let this happen to you.
* City Ordinance 110-70. Pets. No person shall walk any pet in any park except on a leash, unless the area of the park is explicitly designated as an off-leash dog area.
Sponsors
Many thanks for our community sponsors! While the majority of our funding comes from residents and small businesses, a significant portion of our neighborhood patrol funds comes from the following sponsors:
