Our board had a very productive meeting at our last session on August 6. First, we would like to offer our sincerest gratitude to board member Rusty Whitfield for his work and dedication to Metro South CID. Rusty recently took a new position and moved to Florida and has resigned his position on the MSCID board of directors. This does mean there is an opening on our board, so if you are a business or property owner who would like to get more involved in our district, please reach out to me at Larry@metrosouthcid.org.
Secondly, the board approved the leadership change as Joel Gross stepped down as the board chair to move into the vice chair position and promoting Wayne Smith from vice chair to the new board chair. As one of the founding members of the CID and honorary mayor of Conley, Wayne has the boots-on-the-ground drive and insight that benefits our organization.
Read on for more district updates and news, and as always, please reach out to me with questions or concerns or to report illegal trash dumping or infrastructure needs.
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We would like to thank everyone who attended the Cedar Grove Bridge ribbon-cutting on August 6. The event, hosted by DeKalb County and CEO Lorraine-Cochran Johnson, was a tremendous success and an illustration that persistence, dedication and hard work does pay off.
It has been a long six years since Cedar Grove Bridge, which connects many of Conley’s industrial roads to Moreland Avenue, closed after a failed inspection in 2020. The closure caused disruption to a number of businesses within the corridor and became a hardship to the surrounding residential neighborhoods due to the rerouted tractor-trailer traffic.
We are deeply appreciative of the DeKalb Board of Commissioners who approved the $4.1 million Special Purpose Local Sales Tax (SPLOST) to fund the repairs, which were continuously delayed by the complications of the active railroad and utility lines beneath the bridge.
Now that the bridge has reopened, we are eager to resume growing our district and increasing our economic impact. View the drone footage from the event below and more photos from the event on our website gallery.
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Now owned by Vikesh Amin, Hilltop Inn located at 3140 Moreland Avenue has been renovated and is ready to provide guests with quality accommodations. Amin is committed to developing and improving the area around the hotel and looks forward to contributing as an active member of the CID.
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A film studio located in the heart of Metro South CID plans to host an invitation-only information session and discussion on Thursday, August 27, at 5:30 p.m. Shadowbox Studios has plans to redevelop a portion of its unused land in Southwest DeKalb County into a data center and would like an open and constructive conversation with the community.
By attending, guests will hear directly from the Shadowbox project team and learn about the proposed project and its potential benefits and community impacts. There will be no public comments. Attendees will provide questions to Shadowbox and they will respond at the meeting.
For more information about submitting questions and attending the discussion, please send an email to RSVP@shadowboxstudios.com.
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Walter Brown, president of Bright Sun Community Solutions, board member of Better Atlanta Transit and senior advisor to DeKalb County, joined the Metro South CID board members earlier this month to provide an update on the South River Park & Trail System. The greenway trail paralleling the South River is currently disconnected in two segments.
Once complete the trail will span from Grant Park to Arabia Mountain with the westernmost portion of the trail going through the district under Bouldercrest Road and around Michelle Obama Park potentially connecting more than 10,000 acres of trail systems. Walter Brown is working with DeKalb County, conservationists and the community to conduct studies and attain permitting to complete the trail project and revitalize the South River watershed by opening access at Custer Avenue and Crestdale Circle. Instead of mountains of trash from abandoned landfills, the landscape could be filled flora and fauna as nature slowly takes over the hills of the former landfills.
View the South River Forest Parks and Trails presentation deck on the MSCID website and learn more about South River Forest on the Nature Conservancy website and the and the South River Trail on the Path Foundation website.
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- Lancaster and Old McDonough
Owners of the parcel at Lancaster and Old McDonough Roads have been attempting to develop the property but need to widen the road and the property of neighboring owners to do so. After engaging with district commissioners along with a third-party’s purchase of a neighboring property, all parties are now ready to discuss improving the road conditions. Larry Kaiser will move forward on collecting signatures for right-of-way plans as the project progresses.
- Thomasville Cemetary Cleanup
Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry has been in communication with the DeKalb County Sanitation Department to discuss what is required to maintain the Thomasville Cemetery until the County can secure a vendor. Larry Kaiser facilitated the meeting to ensure the cemetery received proper care and respect.
- Beautification and Maintenance
Yellowstone Landscape continues its dedication and hard work in maintaining and elevating the appearance of the district. Through ongoing landscaping and maintenance efforts, key corridors and public areas remain clean, attractive and welcoming for businesses, employees and visitors. The results of Yellowstone’s work was especially showcased on Cedar Grove Road during the Cedar Grove Bridge Ribbon-Cutting on August 6.
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Follow Metro South CID on Social Media!
Keep up with MSCID by connecting with us on social media! We share updated news and exciting project information.
Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook!
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