December Newsletter
Jared Bailey
District 5 Newsletter
DECEMBER 2012
Statesman Quote: "Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men."- John Adams |
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.
Dear District 5 Residents-
Happy Holidays! Here is another installment of news that affects the best district in Athens:
IMPORTANT NEWS
REDISTRICTING
As you may know the boundaries of District 5 will be changing as of January 1st, thanks to redistricting by our State Legislators last spring. Several parts of District 5 such as Boulevard, Cobbham, Buena Vista, and Kathwood are now going to be in District 3. A map of the new District 5 lines can be found at http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/9669. I would like the former residents District 5 who will now be located in District 3 to know that it has been my pleasure to serve them. Your new Commissioner will be District 3 Commissioner George Maxwell. His contact information is: 706-208-0686 or george....@athensclarkecounty.com. A map of the new District 3 lines can be found at http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/9667
MILLEDGE AVENUE FRATERNITY HOUSE
The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) recently voted to deny the request from Sigma Chi for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). One HPC member called the planned 18,000 square foot fraternity house “comically too big”. Normally a project of this nature would submit plans to the Planning Department that would then go before the Planning Commission (PC) to approve or deny any changes in zoning or use. Once approved by the PC the plans would then go through the HPC. The fraternity tried a different strategy hoping to get through the HPC first thinking that it would help with their request to the PC later. They will now have to regroup and make a new plan and will most likely send that plan through the PC. If the fraternity continues to pursue building on this property it will eventually come before the Mayor and Commission for a final vote.
UPCOMING MAYOR AND COMMISSION VOTES
Due to the New Years Day holiday, the M&C meeting will be on Wednesday January 2nd instead of Tuesday the 1st.
Traditionally the January meeting of the Mayor and Commission has a very light agenda. One reason for this is that the holiday season distracts us all from some of the issues at hand and another reason is that we usually swear in some new Commissioners and it is best to not overwhelm them with an intense agenda. We need to give them a little time to acclimate before dropping them into the fire.
The only items on the agenda at this point are to vote to pursue a couple grants, declare surplus items for an internet auction, make an appointment to the Keep Athens Clean and Beautiful Board, establish an Economic Development Department, and approve the naming of the Westside Police Substation. There are no zoning-related items on the agenda.
COMMUNITY NOTES
CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING
You can recycle your Christmas tree as part of the Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful’s “Bring One for the Chipper” event. This event will be held on Saturday, January 5th from 9am-1:00pm. Bring your undecorated tree to one of the seven drop-off locations and receive a free tree seedling in return. The closest location for District 5 residents will be at Chase Street School, though there will actually be seven (7) locations across ACC (for details, call (706) 613 3501 or visit www.keepathensbeautiful.org). Through recycling your Christmas tree not only will you solve your tree-disposal problem but you will also give your tree a second life as compost, mulch, or fish habitat. Citizens who are over the age of 65 or who are disabled are eligible for a complimentary tree removal. To request this please call KACCB at (706) 613 3501, ext 312.
CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY
As a graduate of the ACC Citizens Police Academy I highly recommend it for any citizen who would like to learn more about what the ACC Police Department does and the issues and challenges it faces. The 29th session of the Citizens Police Academy will begin Thursday, February 7, 2013, at 6:15 pm and will continue through Thursday, April 25, 2013, at the East Precinct, 3035 Lexington Road. This is a 12-week course with classes held one night a week for three hours. Instruction includes patrol functions, criminal investigation, communications and 911, crime prevention, Special Reaction Teams (aka SWAT), and many other functions of the Police Department. Applicants must live or work in Athens-Clarke County, be at least 18-years of age, and pass a criminal background check. The deadline for registration is Friday, January 17. If you are interested in attending please contact Lt. Nicholas Soriano at (706) 613 3358, ext. 226 or nicholas...@athensclarkecounty.com.
COMMERCIAL RECYCLING POLICY
Under existing ordinances, all waste
haulers operating in Athens-Clarke County are required to offer their customers
the option of recycling. Increased levels of recycling reduce the amount of
trash which goes into the landfill, thereby saving taxpayers money by extending
its life. In this light, at its November 7 voting meeting the Mayor and
Commission approved a new recycling ordinance which now also requires all
businesses (including most multifamily structures), religious institutions,
schools, and non-profit organizations to develop plans for recycling at their
places of operation. This development is part of ongoing efforts to reduce the
amount of trash which ends up going into our landfill. The Mayor and Commission
has set the goal of reducing the per capita amount (measured in pounds) of
solid waste going into the landfill by not less than 40% by 2015, 60% by 2018,
and 75% by 2020, compared to such volumes in FY06. For more information on
ACC’s recycling programs, please call the ACC Solid Waste Department’s
Recycling Division at (706) 613 3512 or visit www.athensclarkecounty.com/recycling.
DOWNTOWN SANTA
The 14th annual “Downtown Athens
Breakfast with Santa” is scheduled for Saturday, December 15, at Trumps at the
Georgian (247 E. Washington). The event includes a hot breakfast buffet,
holiday crafts, and a photo op with Santa (bring your own camera), and all-day
parking in the deck. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. Contact
Me...@DowntownAthensGa.com or call (706) 353 1421 to reserve a spot.
KNOTTINGHAM STORMWATER PROJECT
The Knottingham Stormwater Improvement project involves
reconstructing the undersized stormwater pipes in Marsha Court to pipes that
meet the current upstream stormwater demands. The project will extend the
current stormwater pipes from Marsha Court to Crestview Drive and along
Glencrest Drive. Finally, an improved outfall will be constructed at the
edge of the Marsha Court cul-de-sac to safely convey the stormwater downstream.
The main purpose of the project is to alleviate the constant flooding of
property that occurs along Crestview and Glencrest Drives.
The work should begin in January 2013 and is expected to last until
September 2013. There is some pre-construction work (e.g., tree removal
and utility relocation) happening now until Christmas, but the stormwater
work will not begin until after the New Year.
LEAF AND LIMB
Leaf and Limb services will be suspended during the week of Dec. 24-28, 2012.
December 31 - January 4: 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
NEWTON BRIDGE STORMWATER PROJECT
This stormwater improvement project is almost complete. Work performed the week of 12/03/12: No work was performed by the contractor. A-CC Transportation and Public Works Engineering performed Final Inspection and issued Final Corrective Punch List. Work planned for the week of 12/10/12: The Contractor plans to perform such corrective work as necessary for the project to be accepted and closed out including re-grading of ditch lines, repairs to grassed areas and repairs to parking lots.
OCONEE FORKS
With the help of the Athens Land Trust and some private
donors 574 acres of beautiful forest along the Middle Oconee River has become ACC
greenspace. Last year, the owner of the property, Mr. Taylor Glover, donated a
conservation easement to ALT protecting 176 acres of the tract, and he recently
protected another 366 acres. A private individual purchased the 55 acres and
Athens-Clarke County purchased 310 acres with SPLOST Greenspace funds. The
protection of this tract was a two-year effort involving many partners,
including the private individuals who purchased the protected properties. ALT
enlisted the help of The Conservation Fund, who brought in the Riverview
Foundation, the source of a generous donation of the remaining funds needed to
protect the tract.
The 574-acre protected property is truly extraordinary. Ecologists and
archaeologists who have studied it have noted the quality of its streams, the
abundance of bird and butterfly species, the lack of invasive plants, and the
maturity of its trees as well as its significance to the Creek Indians who
lived on it for thousands of years.
Your Commissioner,
District 5 Commissioner, Athens-Clarke County Unified Government
145 Marsha Court, Athens, GA 30606
706-338-9019, Jared....@athensclarkecounty.com