Author: On Common Ground News

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management has initiated these construction projects as part of ongoing maintenance to  repair approximately 100,000 linear feet of aging sewer pipe countywide. Beginning June 22, a portion of the southbound lane near 3490 Memorial Drive will be closed from  8 a.m. to 4 p.m., while crews work to repair approximately 230 feet of aging sewer pipe. This section of Memorial Drive will reopen on Friday, June 26. Also, Kingswood Drive, between Heathmoor Place and Cheviot Drive, will be closed on June 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while 100 linear feet of crumbling infrastructure…

100 complimentary haircuts, 500 free meals to be provided for fathers STONECREST—New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is celebrating local dads with free meals and haircuts as part of its Father’s Day activities. Five local barbershops are partnering with the Stonecrest congregation to provide 100 complimentary cuts for fathers on Saturday, June 20. Spacing is limited and appointments are required. The participating barbershops are located in Decatur, Stonecrest, and Lithonia. On the same day, 500 fathers will be treated to a free steak dinner at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Signage and greeters at the church will direct fathers…

The Rockdale County Tax Commissioner’s Office will begin servicing customers in the lobby by appointment on Monday, June 22. Appointments can be made by calling 770-278-7600 and selecting prompt 5 to speak with an agent, or by texting 678-964-4712. In preparation for reopening, the office will be closed on Friday, June 19. Online services and the kiosk will be available on Friday. In a continued effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, residents are encouraged to contact the Tax Commissioner’s Office by phone or via text. Transactions can also be completed by mail, online, via the dropbox or at a kiosk.…

DeKalb County Schools Athletics is set to begin Phase 1 of the return to conditioning for varsity fall sports on Monday, June 22, under provisionS implemented by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) and the District. Coaches for football, cross country, softball and volleyball have been versed in online meetings on the guidelines set up by the GHSA and the DCSD Athletic Department/District Handbook (posted online at https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/athletics/files/2020/06/DCSD-Return-to-Conditioning-Handbook-2020.pdf) to keep all athletes and coaches as safe as possible during the Covid19 pandemic. The principals and Athletic Liaisons at the individual schools have been informed of the protocols for this first…

In keeping with Georgia’s Open Meetings Act, this notification is to advise that members of the DeKalb Board of Education will participate in a Virtual Called Meeting, 10:30 a.m., Thursday, June 18, 2020.  The called meeting will adjourn to an executive session for the purpose of discussing permitted matters regarding personnel.  The virtual meetings can be viewed at the following link on DeKalb Schools TV (DSTV) by going to: www.dekalbschoolsga.org/communications/dstv, or Comcast channel 24 for Comcast subscribers in DeKalb County. Vision To inspire our community of learners to achieve educational excellence Mission To ensure student success, leading to higher education,…

The DeKalb County Board of Health will open a new COVID-19 testing site on Monday, June 22, to continue addressing health disparities identified in DeKalb ZIP codes. Added to the list of free testing sites is Greenforest Community Baptist Church,
3250 Rainbow Dr., Decatur. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. COVID-19 testing is free and open to all individuals who wish to be tested. A driver’s license or identification card is not required, however, registration in advance is strongly encouraged. Testing is also available at the following locations: Beulah Missionary Baptist Church,
2340 Clifton Springs Road,…

New lighting will be installed at two gateway intersections in Rockdale County: Interstate 20 Exit 78 (Sigman Road) and Interstate 20 Exit 84(Salem Road). The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners awarded the $2.72 million project to Brooks Berry Haynie & Associates., which will install the lighting over the next year. County officials said the project will provide safer, brighter and more economical LED lighting in the form of eight 120-foot-tall and seventeen 130-foot-tall high mast towers at the gateway intersections into Rockdale County.  These high mast lights will increase visibility and safety at both interchanges on I-20. …

On Friday, DeKalb County Government will partner with Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB), the City of Clarkston, Positive Peering Inc. and First African Community Development Corporation to provide 1,200 boxes of food to DeKalb residents. The event, hosted at two locations, is part of a $600,000 investment in ACFB to significantly increase the organization’s capacity to distribute food throughout the county. The June 19 event will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the following locations: First African Community Development Corporation Food Pantry at Big Miller Grove Baptist Church, 3800 Big Miller Grove Way, Stonecrest Tahoe Village Shopping…

ATLANTA—Gov. Brian Kemp announced today, June 16, that the major motion picture, television, and streaming companies plan to bring back and hire an estimated 40,000 production workers, who will be employed on an expected 75 production projects that will invest over $2 billion into the Georgia economy during the next 18 months. This includes plans by producers to purchase goods and services from over 17,000 small Georgia businesses, according to the Motion Picture Association-America, which compiled the data from its members. “The entertainment production industry is coming back and ready to jumpstart the Georgia economy by creating jobs and generating…