Children’s Home ribbon cutting next week

The United Methodist Children’s Home, which spent the last 144 years on a sprawling campus just outside Decatur, has completed moving its entire operations from 500 South Columbia Drive.

There remains only the removal of various stored items and furniture. The city of Decatur, which purchased the 77-acre property in August, officially took over its management last week.

The home recently moved its 60-person administrative staff to a 50,000 square foot, single story office complex in Tucker. A ribbon cutting, scheduled for 1 -3 p.m. Nov. 1 at 1967 Lakeside Parkway, Building 400, Tucker, will feature words from Sue Haupert-Johnson, bishop of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The roughly 80 residents on the old campus moved into apartments in Tucker and Clarkston in August, about a five to 10-minute drive from the new headquarters.

In April the UMCH agreed to a $40 million contract with Decatur. In January, Decatur will begin preparing a master plan for the site, including a series of community input sessions, with completion scheduled for next summer

It still needs to be annexed into the city, which should happen later this year. That action will also include annexing several properties on Derry down Way just north of the campus. The city’s Public Facilities Authority holds the property’s title and will determine whether to submit a petition for annexation or pursue local legislation through the general assembly.