From the President:
I would like to thank those of you who attended the DNA March meeting last week. We had a great turnout, as well as an informative presentation from City Manager Jay Melder. For those of you who were unable to attend we should be placing a video of the meeting on the DNA website in the next week or so.
During this meeting, Mr. Melder announced that beginning April 1, the city and trolley companies will be conducting a pilot program with adjusted routes to eliminate trolley traffic in several squares. We will be monitoring these locations to see how effective these adjusted routes are in reducing traffic and noise.
Additionally, Mr. Melder announced that he intends to introduce a noise ordinance requiring all trolleys to eliminate amplified noise emanating from the vehicles. This ordinance is expected to be introduced to the City Council in April or May. Once a date is determined we will let everyone know so that residents can attend the hearing showing their support of the ordinance.
April Membership Meeting
The next monthly membership meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Our presenter that night will be Ms. Diane Pinckney, Director, Chatham County 9-1-1. Recently, this article was published by The Current concerning the Chatham County 9-1-1 Center.
Save the Date — Annual Meeting and Spring Picnic
On Thursday, May 16, we will be holding our annual picnic at the Collins Quarter Café at Forsyth Park. Mark your calendars; more information will be coming soon. Our usual date for the picnic, 3rd Tuesday of the month, is an election day in Chatham County. Many of our members work in polling places and would be unable to attend the picnic so we changed the date as a result.
At the picnic we will be honoring our 2024 grantees—local organizations that enhance the downtown community and its way of life. The funds for the grants were raised through the DNA’s Holiday Tour of Homes and Inns held in December 2023.
Homestead Exemption
At the monthly meeting last week, I forgot to mention that Tax Commissioner Sonya Jackson asked me to tell you that homestead exemptions need to be filed by April 1, 2024. For those of you who moved last year into a new primary home, please make sure you file this week.