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10A I Wednesday, August 16, 2006 | The Red & Black
NEWS
GREEK: Houses will pay for themselves
COLIN SMITH | The Red & Black
i Kappa Sigma fraternity house sits on River Road where the River Road fraternity row
is proposed to be built. Conceptual site plans put several more fraternity houses north (to
the right in the photo) of Kappa Sigma, between East Campus and River Roads.
>■ From Page 1A
million.
After months of negotia
tions, University officials
extended a new River Road
offer to fraternity advisors
and alumni in an Aug. 3 meet
ing.
The offer came two days
after the Athens-Clarke
County Commission voted
unanimously to make new off-
campus fraternity and sorori
ty houses subject to “special
use” procedures, which
require each new building to
be approved by the ACC
mayor and commission.
Greek houses built on
River Road will not be subject
to the ACC zoning guidelines.
University architects
designed two house models
with a construction cost of
approximately $2.2 million for
a 10-bed model or $3.4 million
for a 20-bed model.
After completed construc
tion, the University will han
dle landscaping, general
maintenance and custodial
services for interior common
areas of the houses.
“We see that as an incen
tive for the fraternities to
accept the offer,” Jackson
said.
Other on-campus fraterni
ties are responsible for main
tenance and repair costs.
The UGA Real Estate
Foundation will take out
loans to finance construction
of the houses.
Fraternity room rent and
member fees will pay back
the debt over the life of the
30-year leases, said Tim
Burgess, senior vice presi
dent for finance and adminis
tration.
“The houses will eventual
ly pay for themselves,” said
Jackson.
Although the Sigma Chi
house is on Lumpkin Street,
the fraternity wasn’t included
in the River Road plan
because in 1996 it negotiated
a 40-year land lease with the
University for its Lumpkin
location.
The other five Lumpkin
fraternities do not have land
leases.
“The fraternities would
prefer to stay where they are,
but in the spirit of coopera
tion, the University has tried
to create leases that are
palatable to the groups and
their needs,” said Claudia
Shamp, University director of
Greek Life.
Decisions about whether
to accept the University’s
offer will most likely be left
to the fraternities’ alumni,
said Brad Dinerstein,
Interfraternity Council
vice president for recruit
ment.
Under the new plan, the
University’s initial invest
ment includes construction
costs of $15,000 per occupant
in each house built, costs for
site preparation work, includ
ing leveling of the land, and
payment to the fraternities
for the appraised values of
their Lumpkin Street houses,
Jackson said.
The fraternities will sign
30-year leases and contribute
15 percent of the construc
tion costs, either $332,000 or
$511,000, based on the floor
plan they choose.
Live-in occupants will pay
room rent of $6,600 a year,
Jackson said.
All members of the partici
pating fraternities will pay a
yearly $300 fee per person for
the use of house facilities
even if they don’t live in
the house, said Burgess.
Some members of the
fraternities have had four
generations of family mem
bers who lived in the
Lumpkin Street houses,
Dinerstein said.
Dinerstein, who is a mem
ber of a Lumpkin Street fra
ternity, said the University
has been “extremely coopera
tive” since notifying the
fratern ties they would have
to move.
“It’s not just a simple
house move. Some of these
fraternities have been
in these houses over 50
years,” Dinerstein said.
East food rage spurs
attack in parking lot
By BRIAN HUGHES
bhughes@randb.com
Linda Thomas had no
idea how costly the chicken
biscuits would be when she
ordered them.
After getting her food at
McDonald’s Saturday,
Thomas and her daughter,
Melinda, walked out to the
parking lot where they were
hit by a Jeep. Neither was
seriously hurt.
At the wheel was 24-year-
old University student
Ruth Driscoll-Dunn,
Athens-Clarke County
Police said.
Dunn became upset
when Linda, 51, and
Melinda, 34, went to an
open register before her and
threatened to kill them
while inside the Gaines
School Road restaurant,
police said.
“(Dunn) needs help,”
Linda said in a phone inter
view. “She has an anger-
management problem.”
After receiving their food,
the women left the resta-
raunt, only to find Dunn
waiting in her Jeep outside,
Linda said.
“I knew something bad
was about to happen,” she
added.
When they walked
toward their car, Dunn
yelled at them, slammed her
vehicle in reverse and
parked behind the Thomas’
car. At that point, Linda
pulled out her cell phone to
call police, she said.
Dunn swerved her Jeep
straight at Linda and her
daughter, the report said.
“I had no time to think
or be scared,” Linda said.
The front passenger side
of Dunn’s jeep struck
Melinda on her right
hip, Linda said.
Linda also was hit on her
right side, but neither
woman required medical
attention, according to a
police report.
Dunn fled the area.
Police arrested her Tuesday
morning.
In the report, witnesses
said there was no doubt the
driver intentionally hit the
two women.
For all the trouble it
caused her, the ill-fated
meal wasn’t even for Linda.
“I was just picking up
food for my family,” she said.
“I’m still in shock.”
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Meal Plan PERKS for Fall 2006
O Oglethorpe Dining Commons: Newly renovated and open
until 8:00 pm with expanded deli, grill, wrap, and stir-fry stations
and serving fresh-made sushi nightly. Now offering coffees
made to order at the new Joe at the O’.
O Snelling Dining Commons: Open until midnight (Monday -
Thursday) and serving PIZZA!
O Hull Street Deck: Near Bolton Dining Commons. Free
parking after 5:30 pm with valid UGA ID card. Bolton is open
until 8:00 pm.
O East Campus Deck: Free parking across from East Village
Commons after 4:00 pm. The Village Summit is open until
8:00 pm.
O South Campus Deck: Validation for one hour free parking
across from Snelling Dining Commons after 5:00 pm.