April Newsletter
Jared Bailey
District 5 Newsletter
April 2013
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Statesman Quote: “If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies.” —Moshe Dayan |
This newsletter is intended to keep the residents of District 5 informed about community matters. If you are not receiving this newsletter and wish to do so, please contact me at Jared....@athensclarkecounty.com and I will add your email address to the list. If you have any questions or concerns about community issues please contact me by email or at 706-338-9019.
Here is another
installment of news that affects the best district in Athens:
UPCOMING MAYOR AND COMMISSION VOTES
The following items will be discussed at the April 18th M&C Agenda Setting Meeting at 7:00 PM in City Hall. The next M&C voting meeting will be on Tuesday May 1st at 7:00 PM in City Hall.
· Revisions to the special events ordinance
· Parking restrictions in front of 385 and 447 Timothy Road
· Re-establishment of on-street parking at 424 Bloomfield Street
· Metropolitan Transportation Planning (PL) grant for FY2014 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014)
· FY14 Pavement maintenance project – Roadway list approval and project resolution
· Tax-exempt municipal bonds resolution
· 2012 Nulla bona properties list
· Professional services contract for the Integrated public safety/judicial information system
(SPLOST 2011 Project #04) – ACC Police Department CAD and RMS
· College Station Road right-of-way permanent encroachment request for fiber optic cable by
University of Georgia
· GEMA Homeland Security grant for strategic response team
· Contract for general liability, property and casualty insurance coverage
· Appointments to the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission
· Emergency medical services contract
· Jail expansion (SPLOST 2011 Project #01) – Issuance of general obligation sales tax bonds
Request of Terry Stephens, as agent for Mom & Pop Finance Co., Inc., for special use in RM-1(Mixed
Density Residential) on 8.81acres known as 855 Macon Highway. Proposed use is commercial outdoor recreation.
Request of Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, for rezoning from C-N(PD) (Commercial-Neighborhood, Planned Development) to RS-25 (Single-Family Residential and C-N (Commercial-Neighborhood) on 4.59 acres known as 2285 and 2295 Barnett Shoals Road. No use is proposed. This request will require an amendment to the Future Development Map from Community Center Mixed Use to Traditional Neighborhood.
COMMUNITY NOTES
ACC Airport Tower
As you may have read elsewhere, the budget impasse in Washington, DC, and the subsequent sequestration of federal funds means that the ACC Airport will close its tower on April 21. While there will be a reduction in the level of service offered to users of the airport, there are FAA-approved procedures for operating without tower service which the airport will implement.
Aerial Mapping
Recently, there have been inquiries concerning the painted markings on the streets and curbs of Atlanta Hwy, the downtown area, as well as, Prince Ave, Oak and Oconee St. The Athens-Clarke County Capital Budget Project concerning the maintenance of the County’s Geographical Information System (GIS) Base Map requires that the County be flown every five years. The County was last flown in 2008. Maintenance of the data provides the County’s GIS with the most current and accurate information available.
This past January, the ACC Government signed an Interagency Agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center (CSC) for the acquisition of new aerial photography, impervious surface update, and mobile mapping. Because of the level of accuracy required for the mobile mapping aspect of the project, control points are established by the contractor at regular intervals throughout the project area. A marker is placed on each side of the roadway at approximately 1,000-ft. intervals along the main drive path. The control points located along the main drive path are used as calibration points for the mobile mapping acquisition. The entire project is to be completed by August 31, 2013. For more information, contact the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department, GIS Division, at (706) 613-3515.
Black-Dotted Brown Moth Infestation
The UGACC’s Environmental Coordinator is urging citizens to look for signs of the black-dotted brown moth (Cissusa spadix). Athens has experienced significant infestations of this pest for the past four years. In recent years, the outbreak has expanded to include ACC, Jackson, Madison, Oglethorpe, and Oconee County. The outbreak is expected to be more widespread this year. The caterpillar tends to feed on tree species from the white oak group, with a special preference for post oaks (Quercus stellata).
High densities of the caterpillars will completely defoliate these trees. Repeated defoliations can lead to crown dieback, tree decline, and risk for early death. Typically, owners do not notice infestation until the tree experiences rapid and nearly complete defoliation. Other signs of an infestation include unusual loss of bark plates due to predators feeding on the inchworm-like caterpillars underneath that secrete a reddish brown liquid when disturbed and large amounts of frass (insect excrement) accumulated beneath the trees. Control methods should be taken immediately. More information on the management of this pest can be found at the Environmental Coordinator’s website at http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/green. For more information, contact Andrew Saunders, ACC Environmental Coordinator, at (706) 613 3530 or andrew....@athensclarkecounty.com.
Police Alerts
If you are interested in receiving emergency alerts on your cell phone from ACCPD relating to information concerning everything from BOLO’s (Be On the Look Out) relating to suspects the Police would like to apprehend to information about traffic accidents and road blockages, then you can do so by texting your ZIP CODE to 888777. You should check with your service provider, though, about charges that you may incur for receiving texts.
Prince Avenue Zoning Analysis
Drop-in Public Comment Opportunity, 120 W. Dougherty Street, April 15, 2013 - April 30, 2013 8am - 5pm.
The ACC Commission adopted the Prince Avenue Corridor Study in 2012, along with a prioritized Implementation Schedule for the recommendations within the Study. As part of the first phase of recommended strategies, Planning Department staff have worked with an appointed citizen group to develop a new zoning designation and potential amendments to the zoning ordinance in order to allow for the location of compatible commercial uses within or adjacent to established neighborhoods.
These recommendations will be available for public review and comment from April 15 – April 30 at the Planning Department. Subsequent public meetings will be scheduled to discuss and vote on the proposed zoning district and code amendments, including a public meeting, Planning Commission meetings and Commission meetings. Review materials and a comment form are available online at the following link, as well as at the Planning Department: http://athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=5372 For updates on the review process, please call the Planning Department (706-613-3515), or check the Athens-Clarke County main calendar for upcoming meeting dates.
Recycling Happy Hour
Bring your electronics (including TV’s), batteries, bulbs, and used cooking grease for recycling on April 23 from 5–7 PM, a the UGA Lot E01 off College Station Rd. The ACC Recycling Division and the UGA Office of Sustainability are the hosts of Recycling Happy Hour.
Right-of-Way Maintenance Work
The Athens-Clarke County Water & Sewer Division will be clearing and/or mowing sanitary sewer line and/or water line rights-of-way in the areas listed above beginning Monday, April 8, 2013 through Friday, May 31, 2013. The purpose of this work is to facilitate ease of access to our sewer and water lines for maintenance purposes. Said personnel will visually display proper employment identification. Should you have any questions, please contact the Water & Sewer Division at (706) 613-3495.
Safe Routes to Schools
After five years of working through the Georgia
Department of Transportation’s process, the Safe Routes to School project that
awarded to ACC in 2008 is now ready for construction. Now that GDOT has
approved funding, construction should start in late June and, be finished
shortly after school is in session. The schools included in this GDOT-sponsored
project include:
• Barrow Elementary
• Chase Street Elementary
• Gaines School Elementary
• Hilsman Middle.
The project includes funding for general signalized improvements, stamped
colorized crosswalks, and improved signage around each of the schools.
Improving safety around schools is part of an ongoing effort by the UGACC in
partnership with a number of other entities, including the University of
Georgia and the Clarke County School District, with a focus upon the three Es:
engineering, enforcement, and education. With regard to the latter, you may
have seen the Public Service Ad “No Kidding! Pay Attention in a School Zone”
produced by the ACC Safe Communities Team, which aims to reduce speeding and
distracted driving in the County’s 22 school zones by at least 10%.
Stormwater Management
On April 2, the ACC Commission approved a new stormwater management program for the community. This stormwater program will now be submitted for review to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) as part of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit. Communities that do not comply with stormwater permit requirements can face significant monetary penalties, as well as an inability to obtain necessary permits to operate their water and wastewater systems. The NPDES stormwater permit is a requirement of the federal Clean Water Act and was issued to ACC in December to run through 2017.
The stormwater program and permit process is designed to help protect the stormwater system and improve overall water quality in ACC. Rain runs off impervious surfaces such as roofs, driveways, streets, and parking lots. Rain that is unable to soak into the ground then becomes stormwater runoff. This stormwater – which may be polluted with chemicals, litter, and sediment – flows through the stormwater system directly into local streams and rivers. Pollutant numbers in streams and rivers are especially high after a rainfall. For more information on the stormwater management program, call 706-613-3440 or visit www.athensclarkecounty.com/stormwater.
Super Shredder Saturday
On April 20 from 9 AM–12 PM, ACC residents can shred up to 2 boxes of documents for free! Additional boxes are shred for $5.00 per box, payable in cash. Boxes must be able to be lifted by one person. Supper Shredder Saturday happens at the ACC Recycling Facility, located at 699 Hancock Industrial Way.
LEAF AND LIMB
April 15 - April
19: Zone 2
Neighborhoods include, but are not limited to, Bar-H Estates, Idlywood, Hunter's Ridge, Epps Bridge Crossing, St. Ives, Berkley Hills, Timothy Estates, Skyline Park, Renfrew Estates, Waverly Woods, Ansley Park, Villas at Snapfinger, Rock & Shoals, Old Lexington Garden, Old Lexington Trace, Brookstone, Georgian Hills, McNutts Creek, Fox Trace, Brittain Estates, Shoal Creek Farms, Wyndfield, River Oaks, and Plantation Estates
April 22 - April 26: Zone 3
Neighborhoods include, but are not limited to, Weatherly Woods, West Winter, Winter Hills, Oakmont, East Meadow, and all households within the Winterville city limits
April 29 - May 3: Zone 4
Neighborhoods include, but are
not limited to, Glen Oaks, Holly Hills, Kingswood, Wood Lake, Wickersham
Plantation, Stonehenge, Deerfield, Holiday Estates, High Ridge, Woodhaven,
Westwood Hills, and Huntington Park
May 6 - May 10: Zone 5
Neighborhoods include, but are
not limited to, Chadd's Walk, Quailwood, Rosewood, Rivercliff Estates,
Tallassee Oaks, Sedgefield, Hodgson Place, Jefferson Valley, Saxon Woods,
Oconee Heights, Camelot, Cardinal Creek, and Westgate
May 13 - May 17: Zone 6
Neighborhoods include, but are not limited to, North Place, Cherokee
Forest, Timberwood, and Hidden Lake.
Your Commissioner,
Jared Bailey
District 5 Commissioner, Athens-Clarke County Unified Government
145 Marsha Court, Athens, GA 30606
706-338-9019, Jared....@athensclarkecounty.com