Inside Look

from Atlanta Intown - July 2019

by Rough Draft Atlanta: Atlanta Intown, Reporter Newspapers

PERFORMANCE ART

New renderings revealed for Howard School renovation

The rehabilitation and renovation of the David T. Howard School in the Old Fourth Ward is well underway and now there are fresh renderings of the interior.

Architectural firm Stevens & Wilkinson bas released the new renderings, which show a modern, colorful interior for the revamped Howard School. The firm is working with Atlanta Public Schools and Lord Aeck Sargent to revitalize the Howard building and transform it into the new Inman Middle School.

Along with revamping the original school building, a new administrative wing and media center are also being constructed. The campus is set to open for students in August 2020.

The more than $50 million project, funded by the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), will revive Martin Luther King Jr.’s alma mater more than four decades after it closed.

Mayor authorizes closure of city detention center

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has signed legislation authorizing the closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) due to a declining number of inmates and increased operating costs.

“The final closure of this detention center symbolizes a new era for the City of Atlanta,” Bottoms said in a media statement. “Transforming this space into a center for equity replaces city-subsidized incarceration with something more effective—equipping residents with the tools they need to succeed. Taking this critical step will both result in meaningful change for Atlanta and set a new standard for the rest of the nation.”

The 5th Street Complete Street project is moving forward with a revised design for the Tech Square area between Williams and West Peachtree Streets as a result of ongoing collaboration with area stakeholders. The new design proposes a two-way cycle track along the southern edge of the roadway and two midblock crossings to facilitate pedestrian movements. It also maintains almost all on-street parking.

Last week, the Atlanta City Council adopted a resolution introduced by Councilmember Andre Dickens on behalf of Bottoms’ Administration establishing a task force to repurpose the jail. The mission of the task force is to evaluate a use of the detention center that could benefit the entire community. Community organizations and activists have also been instrumental in working with city leaders to push for positive reform.

“Today, we are making history,” said Marilynn Winn, a formerly incarcerated woman and Director of Women on the Rise and Close the Jail ATL: Communities Over Cages Campaign. “Formerly incarcerated women are standing side by side with the mayor and city council to lead the nation’s first ever jail to equity center. This legislation is a major step toward Atlanta becoming a city that chooses services not sentences, solutions not punishments.”

Bottoms will publicly post a solicitation of nominations of additional individuals who would like to be considered to serve on the task force, which will also include city officials.

Bottoms issued an executive order last September to permanently stop receiving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees at the jail.

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