Most petty burglars don’t want confrontations and avoid houses with someone at home. Lights and TVs or radios on timers can be a good deterrent for break-ins by giving the appearance of occupancy and activity. The timer plugs into a wall outlet and the appliance plugs into the timer. You set the on and off times, then leave the light or radio’s switch “on.”

A darkened home night-after-night sends a message to burglars that you are away from home. Timers are inexpensive and can be found at many local hardware, home improvement and convenience stores. Ideally, they should be used on a daily basis, not just when you’re away. In this way you set up a routine that your neighbors can observe and will allow them to become suspicious when your normally lighted home becomes dark. Typically, prime locations to install and use light timers are near the front and back windows — with the curtains closed. The pattern of lights turning on and off should simulate actual occupancy. Leaving them on all the time negates their effectiveness. The same light timers can be used to turn on radios or television sets to further enhance the illusion of activity.

Exterior lighting in common areas, driveways or garages will enable you to see if there is a threat or someone suspicious lurking around. If instinct tells you something is amiss, avoid an uncomfortable situation and retreat in another direction. Exterior lighting needs to be bright enough for you to see 100-feet and it helps if you can identify colors. Good lighting is definitely a deterrent to criminals because they don’t want to be seen or identified.

Security lights with infra-red motion sensors are highly recommended for single family homes. They are inexpensive and can easily replace porch, garage or side door lights. They typically come with a photo-cell to turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn. Leaving these lights on permanently, is a dead giveaway that you are out of town. The motion sensor can be adjusted to detect body heat and can be programmed to reset after one, five or ten minutes.

For a free home security assessment, you are invited to consult The Entry Enforcer. Contact: Duncan@EntryEnforcer.com; 404-289-6960. You can find out more at: www.EntryEnforcer.com

2 BR/2.5 BA in Old Fourth Ward – only $250,000!

Spacious 2 bedroom/2 ½ bath town-home close to everything and move-in ready! Large bedrooms have vaulted ceilings, each with private bath and great closet space. The master bath includes a rain shower and large whirlpool tub. Beautiful kitchen with granite counters, lots of windows and open to living room. French door opens to wraparound deck and small backyard. A large separate dining room and ½ bath complete the first floor. This property is a potential short sale.

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I hate to say it, but crime statistics demonstrate that break-ins increase when school is not in session. That means summer vacation time and end-of-the-year holiday time, and — to a lesser extent — spring break. The police tell me that adult criminals will recruit juveniles and train them to kick in doors and steal desired items. The adult mentor watches from a safe distance but receives the stolen goods. Because, if apprehended, juveniles are treated more leniently under the law, the adult can avoid an arrest that will stick. Targeted items are electronics (laptops, large-screen TVs, iPads, game stations, etc), jewelry and guns. The typical method is “smash-and-grab,” with a door kicked in, goodies snatched, and the intruder gone in less than five minutes. One Grant Park theft shown on YouTube from the home security camera was timed at 22 seconds from kick-in to exit with TV. Most burglaries occur between noon and 3 PM, when occupants are at work. Some, like the one on White Oak Drive in mid-April, happen right after the owners leave for work. That implies the house was being watched.

Do security cameras help? They seldom deter a thief but sometimes provide clues to catch them.  However, the camera would have to be of good enough quality to provide a high resolution image for identification, preferably in color. That’s an expensive camera, and it would still have to be positioned just right to catch a usable image. Unless you have deep pockets, there are more effective deterrents for your money. Preventing intrusion through doors and windows is the best idea.  A monitored alarm system to limit “illegal shopping” time is second.

For doors, the three options for “hardening the target” are (1) steel burglar bar doors (with their own locks) installed outside your entry door; (2) reinforcement of jambs and door with unobtrusive steel hardware like Strikemaster, Door Jamb Armor, or Jamb Enforcer; (3) security storm doors like Larson’s “Secure Elegance.”

For windows, the three options are (1) steel burglar bars; (2) window pins for wood windows (or dowels for vinyl & aluminum windows); (3) clear Window Security Film with its super strong adhesive.

For details and/or a free home security assessment, contact The Entry Enforcer at (404)289-6960  or  Duncan@EntryEnforcer.com.

4 BR/4 BA in Cabbagetown – only $229,900!

Duplex with 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Each Unit in Cabbagetown!

This 1960s duplex was renovated down to the studs in 2000. Each unit has 2 bedrooms/2 baths, laundry closet with stack washer/dryer. The A/C condensers were replaced in 2010 due to lightning strike.

Upper unit has hardwood floors and the lower unit has ceramic tile floors. Units stay rented and are located in sought-after Cabbagetown. Walk to restaurants and parks.  Easy access to highway and 12 minutes to airport.

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2 BR/2 BA in Cabbagetown – only $189,900!

Updated 1900s Duplex in Cabbagetown! All the charm of a turn-of-the-century house with 12′ ceilings, 2 fireplaces on each side, hardwood floors and a great front porch. Each side has one bedroom and one bathroom, central HVAC, washer/dryer hook-ups, one off-street parking place and a large shared rear deck.

Located in the very sought-after neighborhood of Cabbagetown. Walk to numerous restaurants, parks and more.  Never have to advertise.  A sign does the trick for renting!

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It’s a WIN-WIN.

You get a handcrafted bowl and cup filled with delicious soup and cooling drink, and the women and children of Trinity Hall receive a donation towards their journey to a new life.

Empty Bowls, a fundraiser for the formerly homeless women and children housed in Trinity Hall, will be held on Saturday, April 21, 6 – 10 PM at Stone Soup Kitchen, 584 Woodward Avenue.  Stone Soup is contributing their famous soup and drink.

Two doors down the potters’ wheels and clay slab rollers have been working overtime to create all the ceramic bowls donated by the artists of Cabbagetown Clay and Glass Works (CCGW), a local cooperative studio and gallery.

Friends and neighbors are adding to the fun of the evening by contributing items for a raffle:  a painting by Margaret Dyer, passes to Zoo Atlanta, a planter from Gardenhood, items from Intown Healthy Hound, and some wine packages.

“It’s very much like the old, old story of Stone Soup where the villagers all contribute just a bit of something to the pot of boiling water – a morsel of meat, a leftover carrot, an overlooked potato – and the result is a wonderful, filling soup.  If we all do a little part the results are amazing – the circle of support just widens and widens,” Devanie Schilpp, CCGW member, said.

Last year’s Empty Bowls raised enough money for Trinity Hall to purchase a much-needed clothes washer and dryer.  Trinity Hall is a 25-bed transitional shelter for women, 18 years of age or older, and their children, dedicated to assisting its participants to move from homelessness, substance abuse, and poverty to housing, stability, and jobs.

“We know that none of us can get through this life alone; we all need a shoulder to lean on.  We want to carry on this tradition of support,” Sarah Rick, Stone Soup co-owner, said.

Operated by Mary Hall Freedom House, Inc., Trinity Hall provides safe housing, food, clothing, substance abuse and mental health treatment, employment training, and most importantly, strength and support to overcome great adversity to women from all walks of life. It is located inside Trinity United Methodist Church, 265 Washington Street, SW.

Empty Bowls can be purchased for $30 the night of the event, refills for $5.  Raffle tickets are available at Stone Soup Kitchen for $5 before the event and the night of the event, April 21st, 2012.

“I live on good soup, not on fine words.” – Moliere

Alarm systems are often the first things people think about for defense against break-ins and home burglaries, and they definitely have a place in a home security plan. They can be effective, if installed and used properly. Alarms systems deter burglaries because they increase the potential and fear of being caught and arrested by the police. The deterrent value comes from the alarm company lawn sign and posted decals on the windows. Some burglars will bypass a property with visible alarm signs and seek out easier targets. Although home owners might think signs and decals are unsightly, they serve as warnings to criminals.

An alarm doesn’t necessarily keep bold crooks out, but it limits their time inside. Alarms don’t stop the smash-and-grab break-in, when a door is kicked in and available items are stolen, often within two minutes. One YouTube video showed the crooks in and out with the TV in 22 seconds. Reinforcing doors and windows is effective against the smash-and-grab burglary.

Alarm systems need to be properly installed, monitored, and maintained. Alarms systems often have dual purposes monitoring for fire and burglary. Systems should have a loud, disturbing horn or siren on the outside as well as the inside to attract attention.  However, these audible alarms should be programmed to reset automatically after a few minutes. The criminal got the message and will be long gone but your neighbors will have to listen to the alarm bell, sometimes for hours, until it is shut off.

Monitoring stations should have up-to-date contact and emergency information. And, a neighborhood watch program ensures vigilance from nearby home owners when you’re not there. It is not unusual to have a neighbor wait for the police, allow them inside for an inspection, and secure the residence. A good neighbor can also call the glass company or locksmith to repair any damage, if pre-authorized by you.

Getting neighborhood participation might require you to take the first step. Call your local neighborhood watch coordinator to get you started with a neighborhood watch program. Invite adjacent neighbors over to your home for coffee and begin the information exchange. You’ll be amazed how the process runs on automatic from there.

• Alarm systems are effective deterrents with visible signage
• Alarm systems to be properly installed, monitored, and maintained
• Alarm systems need to have an exterior audible horn or bell to be effective
• Make sure your alarm response call list is up to date
• Don’t write your alarm pass code (or “PIN”) on or near the alarm keypad
• Instruct your neighbor how to respond to an alarm siren

If you would like additional information or assistance with your home security plan, we at The Entry Enforcer can help.  Contact:  Duncan@EntryEnforcer.com; 404-289-6960.  You can find out more at: www.EntryEnforcer.com

If you or someone you know have ever experienced a break-in, you understand how scary invasions can be. You may wonder if there’s a single deterrent you could install in your home to prevent future security breaches.

There are various levels of protection for your home. No one component is the answer, but this issues’ focus is on securing glass windows throughout your home.

Typical double-hung windows (where the window sash slides up and down) have a pivoting lock where the two sashes overlap. The window lock is attached only with short screws, which will readily pull out when a pry bar is levered under the bottom sash, allowing the window to be opened. To prevent this, window pins are inserted into a hole drilled through the wood of one window sash into the overlapping sash. A special extractor tool pulls out the pins when you want to open the window.

For glass windows and doors, a tough polyester Window Security Film is available. The security film is crystal clear, 4 mils thick, and is applied from edge-to-edge on the inside of the glass with a super-strong adhesive. If the glass is broken (like with a brick or baseball bat), the shards don’t fall out. They stay in place because they are bonded to the film, which is too tough to cut or tear. By holding the glass shards in place, the film prevents the broken window from being used as an entryway. You still have to replace the broken glass (and film), but an intrusion is prevented.

The most burglar-proof security for windows is fixed metal grilles—burglar bars. To mitigate their unattractiveness, they can be custom designed to correspond to the dividers/mullions on the window (sometimes called “invisible” window bars). Bars can be installed on either the inside or the outside of windows and can be painted to match house colors. Fire code requires that window bars installed in bedrooms are hinged with an interior latch so they are readily “openable” in case of an emergency.

Another option is Security Screens, which resemble insect screens but are much stronger They are made from stainless steel wire held in a steel or aluminum sub-frame (which appears to be part of the window), and is attached to the window opening. They are available hinged for quick exits and cleaning. The latch opens only from the inside. Security Screens are widely used and apropos for residential housing. They are typically custom-made to window dimensions. However, they should not be confused with screen products being sold by alarm companies, which have alarm sensors woven into regular nylon insect screen.

If you would like additional information or assistance with your home security plan we, at The Entry Enforcer can help. Contact: Duncan@EntryEnforcer.com; 404-289-6960. You can find out more at: www.EntryEnforcer.com

As we all know, Cabbagetown and The Stacks are full of wild, weird, wonderful and whimsical stories. We see our neighbors everyday…but what we don’t see are all the memories, emotions, tough times, turning points, heart-ache and love.

Here’s one story about two of your neighbors from the fifth floor of Mill Bldg. No. 1…

Adam Guy eagerly gave Janet Caracciolo a hand carved, cherry red heart on the last day of summer camp in 1986. He was 11. She was 15. Guy picked Caracciolo’s name out of a hat at the start of camp in a secret-Santa-style game. They went on hikes, tie-dyed T-shirts and sang camp songs together. Adam could hardly wait to give Janet the heart with her name on it.

“I had a crush. As much as an 11-year-old can have,” Adam said.

“It was so sweet and so nice,” Janet recalled. “But I also thought, ‘Uh-oh,’ I have to be careful, he has a crush on me.”

After all, Janet wouldn’t be just a camper the next summer, she’d be a junior counselor at the summer camp in the mountains of western North Carolina. Adam never stopped lavishing Janet with sweetness. He once told her he’d be the first one to give her a hug after she returned from an Outward Bound-like experience.

“Eew, you stink,” Guy told Janet after she lived in the elements and without a shower for several days. But he stayed true to his word and gave her that hug. She took his heart-shaped gift home with her.

Fast-forward many years. They went to college, started careers. He lived in Atlanta. She lived in New York. And then one day, Adam sent Janet an email out of the blue.
“This is going to sound like the most bizarre question
. . . but did you attend Eagle’s Nest Camp in North
Carolina about 15 years ago? Sincerely, Adam Guy”

Her jaw dropped.
 “Yes, I did. And if you’re who I think you are, you were the lead in “The King and I” one summer… so my bizarre question is, am I right?” Before long, they were talking to each other on the phone — for hours at a time and falling in love.

Adam was no longer the kid that the camp counselors (including Janet) called, “Little Adam Guy.” He was 28. She was 32. Janet moved to Atlanta. Six years ago, they got married.

And the red heart? Everywhere Janet went over the years, she took the heart with her and kept it on her night stand. Visit Adam and Janet today and you’ll see It hanging in the hallway of their cozy Stacks loft.

Helena Oliviero and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, contributed to this story

Following is the official position of the Cabbagetown neighborhood on APS redistricting Options A and B. The Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association (CNIA) approved this position at a meeting on February 7, 2012.

We thank you for your consideration and attention to our thoughts, concerns, and ideas.

• Cabbagetown is among the most underserved of all APS neighborhoods, when considering current zoning and isolation from options. Existing geographic boundaries for public schools and charter school alternatives have left Cabbagetown without viable choices to fulfill the goals of APS, or satisfactory learning opportunities for our children.

• Cabbagetown has strong historical ties, real geographical connections, & viable community relationships with neighborhoods to the South (Grant Park, Ormewood Park).

• Cabbagetown can be an asset to APS. We are a small neighborhood, but one that is active in and committed to our community. We can help APS achieve its goal of improving public school options in SE Atlanta, and helping the Jackson cluster realize its full potential. But we need a viable elementary school option in order to do that.

• Cabbagetown strongly supports the formation of a true feeder system in Southeast Atlanta to Maynard H. Jackson High School. We support “Option C” being proposed by the Southeast Atlanta Communities for Schools group (SEACS).

Cabbagetown proposes the following:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL
Cabbagetown zoned for Parkside Elementary

MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL
Cabbagetown zoned for Coan Middle School

HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
Cabbagetown zoned for Maynard H. Jackson High School

Why Parkside Elementary?

With well-planned economic diversity, we believe the wonderful facility at Parkside boasts great opportunities.
• While many transportation lines in the City run from East to West, social and cultural lines run North to South. We are opposed to being pushed away from our community bonds, and prefer to see Cabbagetown redistricted to the South.
• Cabbagetown hosts a campus of the Grant Park Cooperative Pre-school in our community center, so our children are already beginning their academic lives together, and this would allow for continuity throughout and a significantly stronger PTA presence.
• Parkside Elementary is closer to Cabbagetown than Cook, Hope Hill, or Whitefoord. Although I-20 is a major interstate, current infrastructure makes it relatively easy to cross, including the Glenwood-Memorial Connector, Boulevard, and Cherokee Ave. Traveling across I-20 via these routes is preferable to traveling a further distance westward on Memorial Drive, traveling north on Boulevard, or crossing Moreland Ave. to Whitefoord.
• Cabbagetown is a young community, with over 20 children aged 3 or less, and future growth depends upon good school choices.
• Cabbagetown is a small, but extremely active community, with demonstrated success in neighborhood fundraising events (for instance, the Chomp & Stomp Festival, which was named “Best Intown Festival” for its grassroots appeal); as well as in neighborhood-wide service projects. The residents of Cabbagetown would be an asset to the long-term improvement of the Jackson cluster.
• Providing the Cabbagetown community with schools that work will benefit APS. We’re a community of active, involved neighbors whose commitment and energy are currently being focused on alternatives outside of APS – charter schools, private schools, or homeschooling. A viable public school option would allow Cabbagetown families to channel that commitment, support, and enthusiasm back into the Atlanta Public School system. With support from larger neighborhoods, like Grant Park and Ormewood Park, we feel capable of providing generous parental involvement in all aspects of Parkside.

Why Not Cook/Hope Hill or Whitefoord?

Cook Elementary, Hope Hill Elementary, and Whitefoord Elementary are consistently underperforming schools and do not provide viable public education options for our children.
• Not a single Cabbagetown child currently attends our zoned elementary school, Cook.
• No neighborhood families plan on sending their children there because Cook consistently underperforms by all measures.
• Combining two underperforming schools (Cook and Hope Hill) without making extensive changes to the feeder populations will only exacerbate the performance issues.
• Although Cabbagetown has demonstrated community involvement, we are too few in number to affect substantial change at an underperforming school that is, by all indications, trending downward.
• We routinely lose good families and fail to attract new families because of the lack of viable public education options.

The general consensus of the neighborhood is that neither of the proposed redistricting options fulfills the educational needs of our children, and fails on many levels to serve our community.

Middle & High School

Cabbagetown supports the model of success that brought Grady High School into its current form. This includes having a strong feeder concept that retains continuity from elementary through high school, and that inspires confidence in our ability to send our children to strong public schools. Cabbagetown supports retaining our strong ties with Grant Park and Ormewood Park by sending our children from Parkside Elementary to Coan Middle and on to Jackson High.

Magnet programs, such as the International Baccalaureate at Jackson High, are a great beginning. We commend APS on bold initiatives to strengthen this location.

Summary

Cabbagetown has a proven track record of fundraising, volunteerism, and community involvement. Now, we are asking for an opportunity to invest that energy in APS. Cabbagetown wants to invest in APS. In a debate where the loudest voices are those clinging desperately to the status quo, we are asking for change. We are asking for the opportunity to attend Parkside Elementary, Coan Middle, and Jackson High, not because they are already high-performing schools, but because we see potential in the Jackson cluster in Southeast Atlanta, and we believe we can make a difference.

We thank Senator Orrock, Council Member Archibong, Superintendent Davis, Board Member Muhammad, and the Board of Atlanta Public Schools for their time and consideration in listening to the views of our small but strong neighborhood.