TIA/TSPLOST Why Vote Yes?

We've been answering your tough questions and comments over the past weeks, and now we answer the biggest one. Why should you vote yes?

1. Low spending and high congestion: Georgia ranks 48th in the nation in transportation spending per capita, and ranks 4th in total hours the average commuter spends in on the road each day. 
2. Little room for expansion: Without additional funding, about 70 percent of metro Atlanta’s scheduled transportation dollars for the next 30 years will be spent on maintaining our current transportation network, leaving little room for expansion. 
3. Congestion will increase as revenues decrease: Congestion will get worse as the region continues to grow – by some three million more people in the next 25 years. Meanwhile, gas tax revenues will continue to decline as cars become more fuel-efficient. 
4. Money stays here: All monies generated here by the 10-year, regional transportation referendum would stay in metro Atlanta and be invested in high-priority projects throughout our 10 counties, from interchange improvements at I-285 and GA 400, to road and safety improvements, to a new light rail line from the Lindbergh MARTA station to the Clifton Corridor. 
5. Positive return on investment: The economic impact over time on the Atlanta region would be far greater than the 1996 Olympics. The referendum investment would result in a $34.8 billion increase in gross regional product in the Atlanta region by 2040. That’s a 4-to-1 return on investment. 
6. Job creation and retention: Some 200,000 jobs would be created or retained through the build-out of these new transportation projects. The positive economic effect equates to approximately 7,100 jobs each year from 2013 through 2040. 
7. Business and workforce development opportunities: Policies for strong small business and minority contracting and workforce development efforts have been developed and adopted by key agencies responsible for the project build-out. 
8. Cost savings to commuters: Commuters spend an average of $924 each year due to traffic congestion. Collectively, the time and fuel savings generated by referendum projects would allow residents to save $9.2 billion by 2040. 
9. Decrease in travel delays: Travelers will enjoy a 24% average decrease in future travel delays on roadways improved through road widening, new construction and improved interchanges. 
10. Air quality benefits: Air quality improvement would be equal to taking 72,000 vehicles off the roads daily

We at BHReview encourage you to go out and vote. Right now polls are projecting less than 10% participation in the 7/31 vote. Remeber that every vote counts- Invest TODAY in our future transportation- less traffic, more transit, more jobs, and sustained economic growth. I wish we had done this years ago...

7 Days! TIA/TSPLOST Tough Questions Answered

Another installment of the Frequently Asked (tough) Questions/Comments regarding the TIA/TSPLOST vote on July 31st, only one week away!

See our previous post for: 

• I don’t trust government (to either pick the projects, spend the money or deliver the projects)
• I don’t support any new taxes / now is not the time to be raising taxes
• I don’t like the project list / Let’s not pass this now. Let’s come back in 2 years when we have a shot at getting a better project list. 

This week's question/issue: What's the Plan B?

Answer:

• The fact of the matter is that there is a plan on the table NOW that delivers $8 billion for badly needed transportation projects. If this doesn’t pass, there is no other plan on the table that delivers the same.
• There is no FREE plan B and whatever plan B may be is 1) not now identified and ready to go in the foreseeable future and 2) will most likely be toll roads, the very thing people are complaining about now. 
• Some people will say let’s just increase the gas tax. Well, it would take a 25 cent increase in the gas tax to generate what this penny sales tax would. And in this time of high gas prices, I don’t think citizens are ready to shoulder a 25 per gallon increase in gas. 
• So really there isn't a Plan B, but something needs to be done to address the increasing transportation issues. If this doesn't pass those issues will most likely be addressed with toll roads, increases in gas taxes, and possibly an increase in milage rate or property taxes to support local transportation initiatives. Those taxes voters will have less say on, and less decision making ability on the projects. 

To learn more about the Transportation Investment Act and its impact to our future growth and development, visit these websites:

• Untie Atlanta: Advocacy Group
• Atlanta Regional Commission: Regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area
• Transform Metro Atlanta: Educational Group
• T-SPLOST.com: Fact sheet & Project list

14 Days! TIA/TSPLOST Tough Questions Answered

Another installment of the Frequently Asked (tough) Questions/Comments regarding the TIA/TSPLOST vote on July 31st, only two weeks away!

See our previous post for: I don’t trust government (to either pick the projects, spend the money or deliver the projects) & I don’t support any new taxes / now is not the time to be raising taxes.

This week's question/issue: I don’t like the project list / Let’s not pass this now. Let’s come back in 2 years when we have a shot at getting a better project list

Answer:

• We can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This entire effort has literally been six years in the making. The business and civic communities got involved at that time because our traffic issues were costing us jobs and our quality of life – we started to see a pattern of companies unwilling to locate or create jobs here because we had no plan to address our traffic. And the regions that we compete with for economic growth – namely Denver, Dallas, Houston and increasingly Charlotte, are leapfrogging their transportation infrastructure ahead of us and using that to their competitive advantage. We don’t have time to wait – our future depends on it. Remember we are 48th in the nation in terms of transportation funding!
• This is a very good project list – was nine months in the making and was developed with input from over 200,000 citizens. No future list will be perfect either. 
• Leaders like the Gov, Lt Gov, Mayor and others have already publicly said if this fails, they won’t be addressing this again anytime soon. And if they do, it won’t be with the unprecedented local decision making and citizen input that we’ve seen over the last year.

To learn more about the Transportation Investment Act and its impact to our future growth and development, visit these websites:

• Untie Atlanta: Advocacy Group
• Atlanta Regional Commission: Regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area
• Transform Metro Atlanta: Educational Group
• T-SPLOST.com: Fact sheet & Project list

22 Days! TIA/TSPLOST Tough Questions Answered

Another installment of the Frequently Asked (tough) Questions regarding the TIA/TSPLOST vote on July 31st.

See our previous post for: I don’t trust government (to either pick the projects, spend the money or deliver the projects).

This week's question: I don’t support any new taxes / now is not the time to be raising taxes.

Answer:

• 87% of people agree that traffic has gotten so bad something must be done about it. This is that opportunity. If not now, when? 
• Because of our long commute times, the Texas Transportation Institute estimates that Atlantans are already paying a “congestion tax” of $924/yr for the wasted time and fuel we spend sitting in traffic. However, based on the average amount of goods people buy, this transportation opportunity will only cost roughly $122/year – about the amount of a cup of coffee per week. Isn’t it worth an investment of $122/yr to reduce the amount of time and money we waste sitting in traffic, not to mention the job opportunities we may be losing because of our traffic reputation. 
• Economists say that cities are either in a period of rise and growth or they are in a period of decline. They don't stay in the status quo. If we don't do something to build more infrastructure, our region will likely begin a period of decline. So, this is really a vote and investment for our future – creating jobs and getting home faster to spend more time with our families rather than spending time stuck in increasingly growing traffic. 
• Georgia is ranked 48th nationally in transportation infrastructure spending and metro Atlanta is ranked 91 out 100 among metro regions for access to transit. Regardless of where you are and who you speak with, everyone can agree that we have a traffic problem. Transportation investment is expensive and we are behind in this state and this region. 
• Of the various funding options, a sales tax increase was the least regressive and fairest funding mechanism on the table. If we were to raise the gas tax, it would come at a cost of nearly 25 cents on the gallon -- hardly affordable for a working class family. Not only will the residents of our region contribute to our transportation investment, but also visitors and other commuters traveling and purchasing items within the 10-county region. 
• This referendum is not a choice between no tax and a new tax. It’s a choice between public investment that will create jobs and attract businesses such as Caterpillar, and an uncontrollable congestion tax that will send jobs and businesses packing to regions that are making visionary investments in their growth and prosperity.

Brookhaven Cityhood Forum- Tomorrow!

Join the Brookhaven Reporter tomorrow (Monday, July 9th) for an open forum about Brookhaven cityhood. Voting July 31st!

26 Days! TIA/TSPLOST FAQ

With 26 days until the vote to untie transportation in Atlanta, we thought we would address some of the outstanding questions and concerns citizens have. Stay tuned for new questions and answers each week!

We will start this segment off with a big-un...

Question: 

I don’t trust government (to either pick the projects, spend the money or deliver the projects).

Answer:

• This is different than anything we’ve ever done before in transportation because YOU GET TO VOTE ON THIS. 
• The 157 defined regional projects that are on the list were 9 months in the making in a very open and transparent process and were developed with input from over 200,000 citizens. 
• That list cannot be changed over the 10 years by law– meaning voters know exactly what they are getting in advance of the referendum vote. 
• The law creating the tsplost also created a citizens oversight committee which will have responsibility for producing annual audits of the projects. That's never been done before on any previous splosts.

To learn more about the Transportation Investment Act and its impact to our future growth and development, visit these websites:

• Untie Atlanta: Advocacy Group
• Atlanta Regional Commission: Regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area
• Transform Metro Atlanta: Educational Group
• T-SPLOST.com: Fact sheet & Project list

34 Days until the 7/31 vote!

There is only a little more than a month until one of the most important votes in Brookhaven history. And no, I don't mean the vote on cityhood...

July 31st marks the vote for the future of transportation in Metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia. Also known as the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) 2012 or TSPLOST, the vote next month is a defining moment in our economic growth and development. Traffic is killing our city. Businesses leave (or choose not to come) to Atlanta every year because of our increasing transportation problems: lengthy commutes, limited alternative transportation options, vast environmental impacts, and millions of dollars wasted in gas, time, and maintenance. Atlanta is WAY behind on transportation. Our city spends less on transportation than almost any other area (48th in the nation for capital transportation expenditures) and at the same time are the 9th most congested. While other cities are exploring ways of getting people out of cars and into transit, Atlanta continues to just maintain (70% of our funds are spent on maintenance).

We finally have a solution. The 2012 TIA represents a bi-partisan program that will invest 8.5 BILLION dollars over the next 10 years to help to untie our traffic knot and make our region more competitive again. It means a penny sales tax region-wide to support transportation projects throughout the Atlanta region (and others throughout the state). All funds raised will stay in the 10-County region and can be used to support a wide range of projects. A very important item to note is that all the projects have already been decided upon- this is not something where the money will be used, politically, in a different way than was promised.

The Transportation Investment Act called for the formation of a Regional Roundtable, made up of county commissioners and mayors from all ten counties. Projects considered for funding by the referendum can be found here (PDF).

Investments in regional transportation will help create and support hundreds of thousands of  jobs -- and will free up our clogged roadways so we can be more productive at work and spend more time at home. Investing in our region will bring jobs, prosperity and an improved quality of life for decades to come.

Just a few points to consider:

• We need more money invested in transportation in Atlanta, period. It will happen one way or another (gas tax, property tax, etc.). This is by far the most economical and well laid out plan we've ever had. To think of getting that many mayors and government officials together and then to agree on a project list ever again is highly unlikely. 
• Transportation improvements take time! Part of this money will go to create the infamous Atlanta Beltline, but even if that gets 100% funding, it's still years and years (I think ~ 20) away from final completion. We need to start these projects now for future generations. Wouldn't it have been great for those before us to do the same?
• We can't afford not to. There are other states and urban areas just waiting for us to say no. Business will move away taking jobs and economic growth with them. We will become stagnant and known as a place where we aren't willing to invest in our failing infrastructure. 

Now for you local folks, here is a list of what the TIA will do directly to improve DeKalb County:

• $700 million: Extension of rail transit from Lindbergh to Clifton Corridor
• $25 million: Corridor improvements for North Druid Hills from Buford Highway to Lawrenceville Highway
• $25 million: Construction of a new connecting route between Buford Highway and Peachtree Industrial
• $10.6 million: Interchange improvements to I-20 E at Panola
• $25 million: Replacements and expansion of Clifton Road bridge over the railroad to allow for bike/ped lanes
• $142 million: local improvement projects such as intersection improvements, sidewalks, signal timing, etc.

For more information on projects and how to get involved, please see the links below:

• Untie Atlanta: Advocacy Group
• Atlanta Regional Commission: Regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area
• Transform Metro Atlanta: Educational Group
• T-SPLOST.com: Fact sheet & Project list

Library Coffee Co- Closing 5/31

Sad, sad news to report today... our beloved local coffee shop Library Coffee Co is closing its doors after over 3 years in business. We had heard rumors a week or so ago that the owner has sold/leased the space for a new sushi restaurant. As much as I love sushi... local coffee shops are so much better. We are very sad to see this place go- we have many good memories of happy hours, wine tastings, live music, and sunday coffee walks with the pup. I doubt a sushi restaurant will have half as much atmosphere (or $3 draft beers!). We will keep you posted on any updates, and see below for the email from the owner.

Yes, the rumors are true! After an awesome 3 and a half year run we are closing our doors on May 31st. While it is truly sad to close our doors, I have an amazing offer and life opportunity that I simply cannot pass up. Brookhaven has been part of my life for 11 years and our goal when we opened up was to try and give Brookhaven it's own independent meeting space/café. While that was a resounding success, it has truly been an honor to serve the community.

Secondly, AND MUCH MORE IMPORTANT, I have 12 employees who are losing there jobs, half of which I have worked with for over 3 years. I do feel an obligation to do my best to transition them to new opportunities and I would greatly appreciate any of your efforts to that end. If you have or know of jobs available please get in touch with me so I can help any or all of them transition to a new job.

Owning and operating Library Coffee Company has fulfilled one of my many dreams and I thank each and every one of you who has been part of the experience.

BE HUMAN

Sincerely,

Brian Kahan
Owner, Library Coffee Co.
Be Human.

Cheers to 3 great years... We will miss you,

BHReview

Brookhaven Farmers Market- Starts this Saturday!

The Brookhaven Farmers Market is opening this Saturday, May 5th! We attended this many weekends last year and enjoyed the likes of High Road Creamery, West Wind Farms, and other local vendors.

This year, opening day vendors include: Double B Farms (new!), Phoenix Gardens, Dillwood Farms, Harvest Moon, and Noring Farms. There will also be Watsonia Farms (organic fruit),  along with other newbies Dunwoody Honey, Mo' Mint & Thyme, Darby Farms, Happy Hogs, and One Screw Loose (love all these names!). Other activities include Chef Matt Swickerath (of the award winning Valenza Restaurant) will be demonstrating how to make fresh mozzarella cheese at 11am. 

The market also welcomes back Sweet Tea Factory, West Wind Farms, Mad Mama's Gourmet, High Road Craft Ice Cream, King of Pops, 2 Fun-Guys Mushroom Logs, The Cheese Course and Monica's Handmade Bath and Body.

For a full description of the Market, please visit read the market newsletter.

Revitalization of Briarwood Park- We need your help!

A group of community leaders in the surrounding Brookhaven neighborhoods have gotten together to create a "Briarwood Park Revitalization Project." Their goal is to renew interest in revitalizing the entire park. As we have previously blogged, the park is in need of some updating and refreshing. 

There is a very important meeting community meeting this Saturday (5/5 at 3pm) at the Briarwood Rec Center to discuss the options for this park. Our Dekalb County CEO, Burrell Ellis, will be in attendance, and the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the immediate and future plans for the Briarwood Park, which includes the pool, the two tennis courts, the rec center and playground.

With a meaningful commitment and support from the community, they fully expect the results will include a renovation of the pool, concession stands and bathrooms in addition to adding a gated entrance, privacy fencing and landscape buffer. Many of you may not know that there is already a new sprayground (children's water featured playground) opening this summer in place of the kiddie pool. The park has a lot of potential, and our community needs to come together so that the county sees how serious we are about utilizing it.

If you are available, please try to be at the Briarwood Recreation Center at 3pm this Saturday, May 5th. Everyone's attendance at the meeting will really help to support the effort to clean the park up and make it a safe, enjoyable place for residents to spend time. Come hear what the plan is for Dekalb County, and what the county has in terms of clear vision with allocated funding and specific improvements planned and available for review.

This outreach effort is being sponsored by the following community leaders:

• Rob Turner (Drew Valley)
• Ron Heller (Drew Valley)
• Jared Levitt (Brookhaven Fields)
• Jeff Beck (Ashford Park)

Hope to see you at the event!

Brookhaven Bolt- May 19th!

The 5th annual Brookhaven Bolt 5k Race is to be held on Saturday, May 19 this year at Village Place Brookhaven. There are opportunities available now to sign up for the race, donate or volunteer. Registration for the race is currently $25 (until May 13)- course map is below. This would be a great training race for those planning on running the Peachtree in July.

All proceeds are donated directly to Ashford Park Elementary School. The group is in need of up to 60 volunteers on race day to help manage the pre-race setup, the actual race, water stations, t-shirt pickup, and clean up.

If you are interested in being a part of this incredible event send an email to thebrookhavenbolt@gmail.com or fill out your contact information on their website at www.brookhavenbolt.com.

Kids/Baby Consignment Sale

If you have a little one, or expecting one soon, don't miss out on the 2012 Spring/Summer Kids Consignment Sale at St. James United Methodist Church!

The church is holding it's bi-annual sale THIS Friday and Saturday (March 9th & 10th from 9am to 2pm). Saturday they mark many of the items down by 50% but the really good items go quickly. At their fall sale I scored a foam puzzle mat and a Baby Einstein exersaucer for a grand total of $15. That was about $100 worth of goods for only $15. 

There are also great opportunities for volunteering, which allows for special "preview" shopping on Thursday evening. For more details head to St. James' website.
 

-Post by local Guest Blogger, Anne. Follow her personal parenting blog Licensed Professional Mom

Back to Brookhaven! Action Needed

Quick post today, but I had to get this out. As many of you know the Brookhaven Cityhood bill was changed by the State Senate from the City of Brookhaven to the City of Ashford...

(pause)

Hmm... City of Ashford?? Where is that you ask? Exactly! Whether you are for, against, or undecided about cityhood- at least let the vote be for Brookhaven and not Ashford. The credibility and recognition that has been built up around the name Brookhaven and the area it represents will be gone. What about Town Brookhaven, Brookhaven Station, Brookhaven MARTA station, Brookhaven ______ Church, Brookhaven Fields, Brookhaven Heights, Brookhaven Arts Alliance, Brookhaven Beer Fest, and businesses/organizations/neighborhoods with "Brookhaven" in the name??  Our area will go through an identity crisis that will be confusing to prospective home buyers, businesses, developers and residents alike.  Just like a business, brand recognition for a city is important to sustaining the locality and "image" of the area to outsiders and potential residents.  This can affect property values, future developments and the desire to live in a given area.  Let's not throw everything Brookhaven has built as a community out the window by changing our identity.    

Anyway, now that you know the official position of us here at BHreveiw, if you feel the same way, step up to action.

There has been a lot of media activity around this subject, but I did want to let you know that the senators will be meeting tomorrow, February 28th at 2:00pm to revisit this subject. In order for them to even consider it, they need to hear from you: residents, business owners, visitors about why you think it should be changed back, if you do.

I encourage you to email the senators today (see addresses below) with an email with the subject line: Back to Brookhaven! Encourage them to give us our Brookhaven identity back!

Senate committee:

john.wilkinson@senate.ga.gov

horacena.tate@senate.ga.gov

rita.smith@senate.ga.gov

rick.jeffares@senate.ga.gov

steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov

frank.ginn@senate.ga.gov

donzella.james@senate.ga.gov

doug.stoner@senate.ga.gov


You are also welcome to attend the meeting at the capital. Go to this website to confirm the exact date and time of the hearing:

www.senate.ga.gov/committees/en-US/committee.aspx?Committee=85&Session=21

Brookhaven Beer Fest... Round 2

Hey! Do you remember last year's Brookhaven Beer Fest?  (Don't answer "no, cause I was so wasted" - we all know that joke, buddy.  Save it for your high school friends.)  Well guess what - the geniuses at Sprial Entertainment decided to do another one.  How 'bout that?  So if you're tired of travelling all the way to Dunwoody or Buckhead to drink beer at their lame festivals, get excited because Brookhaven is back, baby!  So far, all we know is that it's going to be on June 9th... so save the date.  Definitely more info to come on tickets and volunteer information.  Until then, cancel vacations, move some weddings around, quit your job, whatever you gotta do.  I don't care.

Brookhaven Public Library Circle Group

Photo courtesy of voices.com

If you are looking for some educational, free and fun entertainment for you and your child during the week don't forget that your local public library has a few programs for children during the week. The Brookhaven Branch of the Dekalb County Public Library hosts two circle groups for kids 3 years and younger during the week:

• Building Blocks (0 - 24 months): Read books, sing songs, and play during this 45 minute program. It's also a good opportunity for mommies to socialize during the week. Held every Tuesday from 10:00 am - 10:45 am.
• Toddler Time (2 - 3 years): Stories, fingerplays, rhymes, songs, and more specifically targeted to the developmental needs of toddlers. Held every Wednesday from 10:00 am - 10:45 am. Park behind the library and enter the building from the back as the library is closed during these times and that is the only door open.

It's a great way to meet other parents and babies in your community and start working on your child's literacy skills!

-Post by local Guest Blogger, Anne. Follow her personal parenting blog Licensed Professional Mom

2012 Brookhaven Arts Festival Call for Artists

The Brookhaven Arts Alliance is putting out a Call for Artists for this year's 9th Annual Brookhaven Arts Festival! The festival is being held on October 20-21st on Apply Valley Road behind the Brookhaven MARTA Station.

If you are interested in having a booth, please fill out the application and have it postmarked by June 10, 2012. Booth fee's are $125.00 and will go to marketing the arts festival.

A jury will be formed to ensure the 2012 Brookhaven Arts Festival retains the quality of its fine arts and fine crafts cultural event. If you have any questions please visit the website at www. brookhavenartsalliance.org or contact Gretchen Roberts at 404-210-4107. Sponsorship opportunities are also available Click here for more information.

Library 2012 Wine Tasting Dates

Cory and I have enjoyed attending a few of the monthly Library Wine Tasting events last year. While we were hanging out at Library Coffee Co last week, we noticed the 2012 wine dates and themes posted and thought I would share so you can get them on your calendars!

• Wednesday, February 8th: Old World Classics, Feauturing wines of Tuscany, Rioja, Champagne, Mosel, and other benchmark winegrowing regions of the world
• Wednesday, March 14: Pinot Night: Noir, Blanc, Gris, & Bubbles (who knew there were so many?)
• Wednesday, April 11: North Coast California, Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Classics
• Wednesday, May 9: Iberian Peninsula, Featuring Spain and Portugal

Brookhaven Preschools + Guest Blogger

Yes, loyal(ish) readers, you read that correctly- we're posting about Brookhaven preschools! No I am not pregnant (mom), but we do have an exciting new contributor to the blog! Meet Anne and her son Carson (isn't he adorable!)- Anne is a Brookhaven neighbor and friend of ours that recently moved to Atlanta from Virginia. She has her own blog Licensed Professional Mom, but shes also been doing a lot of research on things going on in the Brookhaven for children and families since she's new in town. Because Cory and I know next to nothin' about babies, we will let Anne handle this arena.

Hopefully we can get some regular posts to the blog about these topics that we haven't discussed in the past. So get super excited! Below is Anne's first contribution regarding preschools in our area. Who knew that you had to worry about stuff like this before your babies first birthday! Carson is only 7 months old and already enrolling in school... craziness. Hope you enjoy reading!

Alerting Brookhaven Mommies!
If you are considering putting your child in pre-school or a mothers morning out program this fall registration deadlines are fast approaching. Here is some brief information about a few programs in the area:

Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church Preschool:
Location: 3016 Lanier Drive
Director: Beverly Moon
Tours: Available - contact school to make an appointment
Website: http://www.opcbrookhaven.org/preschool.php

St. James Methodist Preschool:
Location: 4400 Peachtree Dunwoody
Director: Sue Hardrath
Tours: Available - stop by anytime between 9 am and 11 am M-F
Website: http://www.stjamesatlanta.org/programs/our-preschool-loving-place-learn

Wieuca Baptist Day School:
Location: 3626 Peachtree Road NE
Tours: Given Wednesday mornings at 11
Website: http://www.wieuca.org/dayschool/article115199.htm?body=1

Peachtree Road United Methodist Preschool:
Location: 3180 Peachtree Road NW
Website: http://www.prumc.org/

Brookhaven United Methodist Preschool:
Location: 1366 North Druid Hills Road NE
Director: Mira Black
Website: http://www.brookhavenumc.org/message2.php?topicID=1072&

Publix Curbside... No Longer!

We received this email (below) in regards to the Publix Curbside service... Not-so-long story short, ALL Publix's offering curbside will be canceling that service on January 28th, 2012. It's a sad, sad day for those busy professionals and parents with 18 kids. Instead of spending 30 minutes online shopping, you'll have to spend 30 minutes inside a Publix store... terrible!  In my opinion, curbside was a pretty neat service, but just tough to execute well. We tried it out when they first started last summer, and it's pretty cool to just pull up and have someone load all your groceries into you car, but just doesn't really warrant spending extra time online and extra money ($8). Plus I really enjoy going up and down the aisles looking at all the food and buying way more than I actually need.

See below for the notice to customers.

Dear Curbside Customer,

We appreciate your household being a customer of our Curbside service. We regret to inform you that as of January 28th, we will no longer be offering our Curbside service in our 3 Curbside test locations. January 27th will be the last day to place an order for pickup on Saturday, January 28th.

Before we approve a new product or service at Publix, we establish an expectation of financial, as well as customer service, results. While our Curbside associates have created many loyal Curbside customers, the number of consistent customers who chose to use this service was considerably less than required to meet our predetermined expectations. The majority of our customers love their Publix and still prefer to have the interaction with our associates. It's part of the customer service expectation we have created and the family environment we have fostered in our more than 80 years of service.

While we understand that you may initially be disappointed, we also know that your local Publix and Curbside associates look forward to serving your needs and making shopping a pleasure for you inside the store.

If you should have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact your Store Manager.

Sincerely,
The Publix Curbside Team

January 2012 DeKalb Trash Schedule

We're getting a lot of hits for this, so here’s the Dekalb Sanitation schedule for the first week of Jan 2012

• No pick up of any kind on Monday Jan 2.
• Yard waste will be moved from Monday to Tuesday Jan 3.
• Regular trash will be moved from Tuesday to Wednesday Jan 4.
• No recycling pick-up for the entire week.

As we previously posted, Christmas trees can be put on the street for pick-up on yard waste days (Tue Jan 4 this week or Mon Jan 9 next week) if all decorations are removed and tree is cut into sections that are a maximum of 4 feet long.

Total 2012 Sanitation Dept holiday schedule is not yet available from the County.