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fl1 Red and ‘Black
* University of Georgia Thursday, July 26, 1979 Volume 8s, Number 120
"Georgia's only collegiate daily newspaper'•
News 942*3441 Advertising $42-3414'
City to revise
noise ordinance
By SETH COHEN
and
KAREN OLSON
A n«w noise ordinance giving more discretion to police officers, is among the changes
In the revised city code, which will be acted on at the next meeting of Athens Mayor
art? City Council. August 7.
.he city code has not been officially revised since 1962, according to Athens City
Clark Johnny C. Fowler.
The revision is designed to "eliminate provisions in conflict with Supreme Court
rulings, take out some (ordinances! that were not practical and update the code,"
Fowler said
The new ordinance proposed by the Public Safety Committee will make it easier for
police officers to enforce the law. according to Jerry Nicholson, chairman of the Public
Safely Committee
The noise pollution problem has been the subject of several complaints to city
councilman recently Both the Public Safety Committee and the Finance Committee
have been or are now dealing with problems related to noise
The ordinance would "give more authority to police officers to determine on his own
whether It (noise! should qualify as a disturbance or not," Nicholson said
The proposed ordinance defines as a nuisance "any loud or unusual noise which is
detrimental or annoying to the public, including without limitation unusually loud
disturbances in or around churches or multiple family complexes such as loud music or
activity in swimming pools or clubhouse areas
In the past, police officers have usually not acted unless a complaint was received
from citizens.’ Under the new law, the officer would have greater discretion in
determining on his own whether or not to give out a citation, or a warning to those
persons the officer feels are being too loud
Also, under the old law. police officers "didn't do anything to enforce the law until
11:00 p.m Nicholson said, because 11 o'clock was mentioned in the ordinance
There is no reference to time in the new ordinance, so the police will be able to tell
persons to quiet down regardless of the hour, if he feels, or has received complaints
from citizens who feel there is too much noise
A group of citizens from the Five Points area, represented by James W Klein,
addressed the members of the Finance Committee at its last meeting, July 17, to
complain not only about the noise problem in his area, but also about the existance of
patios and open-air decks at alcohol serving restaurants
The Finance Committee has allowed the patios and open air decks to be built onto
restaurants serving alcohol Klein said these structures are the direct cause of the
noise
Although Klein said he has called the police on several occasions, often between 2:30
and 5:00 a m., "it is the council's responsibility to take care of the problem because
council allowed patios, not realizing the noise, laughter and singing would disturb
neighbors."
The managers of Steverino's and Sons of Italy, two open-air restaurants on South
Lumpkin Street, said they were not aware of the neighborhood’s complaint to council
until after the Finance Committee had met
Steven Kosenburg. owner of Steverino's said complaints about noise were rare, and
the whole problem had been blown out of proportion
Hosenburg said he considers anyone on his patio after closing hours to be trespassers,
and although in the past, employees had been sitting on the deck “after an unusually
long night." they would not be permitted to do so in the future
One of (he four managers of Sons of Italy. Jay Zuck. said he has never been
approached directly with a complaint from any of the neighbors
"We've been fortunate in the past four years never to have been cited for noise
disturbance." Zuck said.
Finance Committee held action on the complaints from the Five Points residents until
the revised code is presented to council
Pinball issue to
be decided Tues.
Regents pick
screening
committee
By SKIP HULETT
Campus editor
The Board of Regents announced this week the selection of Dr Joseph M Pettit,
president of Georgia Tech, to head the committee which will screen applicants for
the position of chancellor for the state's university system
Pettit. 63, Georgia Tech’s cheif administrator for the past seven years, will head
a 17-member Search and Screen Committee responsible for recommending
candidates to the board to replace George L Simpson He was fired June 4 after 14
years as chancellor
Board Chairman Erwin A Friedman said in announcing the appointment, "the
processes that the Board of Regents has started for the selection of a chancellor for
the University System are as important as any business that has been conducted in
the System in some time ."
The remaining committee members. 15 from University System institutions and
two "distinguished citizens" of the state, will be named next week at the board's
monthly meeting in Atlanta July 31-August 1.
After screening applicants the committee will present a list of four to eight
unranked names to the board which then has six months to make a final selection
Pettit was dean of engineering at Stanford University for 14 years before coming
to Georgia Tech in March, 1972 He is a member of the National Science Board, the
National Academy of Engineering and a member and past president of the
American Society for Engineering Education
Also appointed was Dr H Dean Propst. formerly vice president and dean of
faculty at Armstrong State College, as chief of academic affairs for the system
Propst will also serve as interim vice chancellor for academic development until a
permanent selection can be made
Self-study survey
readied for faculty
Staff photn C Talhot Nunnallv III
By SKTII COIIKN
CHy editor
Six months after the issue was raised,
the question of whether pinball machines
will be legalized in Athens will be
addressed by mayor and council when
they meet in special session Tuesday.
Presently, ownership and operation of
any pinball machine is illegal in the city,
due to a i960 ordinance
The issue was brought to the attention
of council last January when Russell Hall
Council requested the citv look into the
legality of the games The matter u.i*,
held by the Public Safety Committee
through March, and in April was referred
to the • committee as a whole ”
This means full council will meet as
committee to discuss the issue, and then
vote on whatever recommendation it
decides upon
The council has three basic alterna
tives to consider during discussion of the
matter
There are several pinball machines in
Memorial Hall now. but according to
Nicholson, he received a letter from
Director of Student Activities William
Powell in May. stating the University
was exempt from the city law since it is
on state property
However, according to Thurmond, in
an interview several months ago. the
University must still obey city laws,
regardless of the fact it is on state
property
Go for it
These aspiring Evil Kmevels were caught racing through Athens, enjoying a break
in the rainy weather Whizzing through the streets and doing wheelies with the ease
of the Hell's Angels on the Harleys they are quite oblivious to the trials and
tribulations of college, no worries about end-of-the-quarter projects and papers for
overbearing professors, only what time the ice cream man comes through the
neighborhood
?
By GREGG TUCKER
Staff writer
A faculty questionnaire investigating
academic policies has been prepared by
students for use in the University’s 1980
self-study.
Members of the student group
ADVANCE have compiled the survey
from information contained in the
Standards of the College Delegate
Assembly of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools The association
sets the guidelines for the accreditation
process faced by southeastern colleges
every 10 years
The results of the survey will be
tabulated and presented to the faculty
committee of the self study for review
and possible inclusion in its section of the
report
U cording to ADVANCE member
Gregg Jocoy. 200 questionnaires will be
sent to randomly selected faculty
members on September 26 By waiting
until the beginning of fall quarter. Jocoy
said, there is a better chance of getting a
true sample of the faculty's opinions
The survey—composed of questions
concerning faculty communication, se
curity, decision making and more—is
open-ended in design According to
Jocoy. this allows for a free flow of
opinions from the faculty In addition, the
survey allows for total anonymity by not
requiring faculty members to identify
themselves
“One area to be explored by the
questionnaire is the publish or perish’
doctrine evident at the University,”
Jocoy said "We re interested in how the
faculty truly feels on this issue "
Other issues to be polled are salaries,
academic programs and faculty input in
policy making, according to the survey
“Our reason for the survey is to
substantiate or refute the (faculty)
committee’s findings," Jocoy said “We
hope we can substantiate it. showing that
the self-study is effective "
According to Wiley Garrett, head of the
faculty committee, the results of the
student questionnaire will be examined
However. Garrett said he could not be
certain whether the survey would be part
of the faculty comittee's report since he
had not received a copy of the
questionnaire as yet
i A new airport r
Adequacy of present facility, costs vs. benefits of new construction
First, it could send the request back to
Public Safety Committee for further
consideration This is unlikely, since that
committee has had seven months to
consider the request already
Second, council could vote to leave the
ordinance as it now stands There are
several councilmen inclined to go this
route, but whether or not there are the
necessary six votes is not known
And third, council could update the
ordinance to be in line with state law
concerning pinball According to this law.
up to IS games can be won on a pinball
machine with one quarter
Jerry Nicholson, chairman of Public
Safety Committee predicts council will
follow this path when it meets July 31
Nicholson said he believes council will
vote, by either a 7-3 or 6-4 margin to
update the ordinance
Council has not considered the request
for the last two months because Athens
Attorney Denny Galls has not been
present at the meetings Mayor Upshaw
Bentley said he prefers Galis to be
present because.the issue contains some
legal intricacies
However, assistant City Attorney
Michael Thurmond has been present at
both meetings, and it was Thurmond who
did the research on the pinball issue
H\ JIM GAN NAM
\««Utant city editor
Clarke County voters said • no " to
proposed construction of a new airport
six years ago. but the build or
not to build controversy is still very
much alive
The central questions in the airport
debate include the cost of the new
facility, the safety and adequacy of the
present facility, and the relative
economic benefits of each for Clarke
County
The Clarke County Commission has
voted against airport spending but the
vole has not been unanimous Airport
manager J B Giles says the present
airport location is too close to populated
areas a public school and the county s
correctional facility And what one
county commissioner has called a
small, vocal group of Athenians would
like to see the airport built to boost the
local economy
In a 1973 referendum, county residents
voted four to one against building a new
airport That vote came after a study by
Greiner Engineering Consultants, which
laid out a long range plan for re location
of the airport to a site near the DuPont
plant northeast of Athens The present
airport is situated on Winterville Road off
U S 78 east
According to airport manager J B
Giles, the cost of building a new airport
was estimated to be $10 2 million in 1977
He said about $H million of that would
come from the Federal Aviation
Administrations Airport Development
Aid Program The state and the county
would split the balance or a little over $1
million each
"This money is not tax dollarv Giles
said, not in the sense of direct tax on
income "It 'the money comes from an
eight percent tax on air fare and a 7-cent
per gallon tax on aviation fuel " Giles
said the FAA takes in about SI billion a
year from these taxes but spends only
about $500 million leaving a large
surplus for the airport development
program
There is an alternative to building a
new airport. Giles said Clarke County
could upgrade the present facility for an
estimated $6 l million much of which
would go to lengthen the existing runway
from its present 4 992 feet to 6 000
We don't have an acute problem out
here now. with the runway as long as it
is. but it could always stand to be
longer Giles said The present runway s
length is "marginal tor the proper use
of instrument landing aids, he said
Giles said the county would actually
spend more though on improving the
existing airport than on building a new
one "Clarke's share of the cost of
improvements would be about $1 8
million as compand to a little over a
million for new construction You see. it
they sold the land here at this airport,
they could put that money toward the
cost of the new airport.' he said
Giles noted that Republic Airlines is
planning to improve its Athens-to-Atlanta
serv ice by replacing the 18 passenger
Metroliner aircraft presently in service
with a 48 passenger Convair project
From a safety standpoint, it is always
better to have a longer runway. - ' Giles
said
"If we built a new airport, we could
correct a lot of problems we .have with
this one Giles said Those problems,
according to Giles, include the onenta
tion of the present runway and the
"zoning encroachment' of new resident
areas near the airport
Right now planes coming into the
airport have to fly right over the heart of
Athens.' Giles said, suggesting that a
mishap would endanger city residents A
mishap could also endanger prisoners at
the riarkc County correctional facilitv.
students at Lyons Middle School and
residents of several expanding sub
divisions, all near the airport
If the new airport is built the land
around it should lx* zoned so there could
be no encroachment nothing could be
built too close to the airport Giles said
The decision to build a new airport,
improve the existing one or do nothing at
all rests with the county commission,
according to Giles
Dr William H Williams, chairman of the runways, installing landing lights and
acquiring the land.’’ she said
The county would have to build the
terminal and any access roads needed
John said she didn’t think the sale of the
present airport site would fully offset the
extra cost
“Yes. there is too much building near
the airport." she said ’It's not the best
location (the present site), but the fact is
it's here "
There is a “small, vocal group,
locally pushing for the new airport, but.
John said, "the people of Clarke County
really couldn't care less about a new
airport "
Clarke County Clerk Ben Lumpkin said
the heart of the airport controversy is
♦hat "some say we might need it (a new
airport) in the future, and some say we
might not need it down the line." Until a
decision is made about moving the
airport the county is “reluctant” to
commit money to the project.'' he said
"The airport commission is going to
make a recommendation to the county
commission later this year," Lumpkin
said
”1 don't know how the airport
commission is going to decide on this
thing, but even after they make their
recommendation, it is still up to the
county commission "
the Clarke County Airport Commission,
acknowledged the Greiner study had
been made but said he preferred any
questions about a decision on the airport
matter be directed to the full
five member commission at their regular
meeting
Williams has headed the airport
commission since he was appointed by
the county commission in 1977 to make
recommendations about the airport
faulty Commission Chairman James
Holland said he is in favor of building a
new airport, but he couldn't speak for the
other commissioners
The commissioners have voted
against it in the past." Holland said. “I
guess they don't think the county needs a
new airport "
Commissioner Jewel John said she
couldn t speak for the other commission
er - fair But. she said. "It has usually
been that the chairman (Holland) is for
it. three commissioners are against it
• Logar.. Sapp. Patterson) and I am open,
because we need more factual informs
lion about the project)."
John said she doesn't think the site
chosen for the new airport is acceptable
because it is really no less hazardous
than the present site
"And there is the money Even if we
got a 90 percent match from the Federal
government, that only includes building
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