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Jim West of the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce.
Photoby Rhonda Jones
Recreation fees to increase
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Recreation and Parks Depart
ment activity fees are set to go
up, the department’s assistant
director, Robert Howard, told
thecommission duringthe Feb.
1 budget workshop.
“Lastyear wewereonly charg
ing $35 for a two-week ses
sion,” Howard said. “This year
it will be SSO in registration.”
He added, however, that
Augusta’s recreation prices
City government changes proposed
From page one
sioner does not vote or does not
disclose a conflict of interest in
an abstention. It also gives the
administrator the exclusive
right to hire and fire directors
and department heads.
Burmeister’s plan is to place
the bill on the November ballot
as a referendumr but before it
gets to that point, it has to pass
through the Georgia General
Assembly. Sen. Walker hasseen
noevidencethat she has talked
up her bill sufficiently to the
legislators who will vote it on
or off the ballot, or to the com
missioners it would potentially
affect.
“I’'m going to keep an open
mind on it,” Walker said. “One
of the things I want to do is
make sure that we hear from
the county commission on this
issue.”
He wants them to pass a
resolution to define their posi
tion on the idea of having a
strongmayor and a weak coun
cil.
Coming to an agreement on
Real oél
people. %
-
hometown'’
would still be lower than those
of surrounding areas.
Commissioner Willie Mays,
though he sympathized with
thedepartment’sbudgetcrunch,
was not happy with that pro
posal. “Ithink that Recreation
isprobably bringingus thebest
that it can bringusback, under
the circumstances,” he said,
“... (But) that’s getting up
there.”
Commissioner Tommy Boyles
reminded the room that the
Recreation Department, by its
very nature, services kids who
their position, however, might
be a little tricky for them.
District 9 Commissioner Willie
Mays is not a fan. “The mayor
doesn’t necessarily need to have
any more power,” hesaid. “The
mayor just needs to haveasolid
agenda with some substancein
it
Nor does he want to see the
administrator hiring and fir
ing, or any restrictions on the
use of abstentions.
“I kind of like it myself,”
District 7Commissioner Tommy
Boyles said about the bill, add
ingthat it would give the mayor
some bargaining power with
the board. “And I really can’t
see where it would hurt either
the mayor’s office or the
commission’s office. It doesn’t
hurt the state; it doesn’t hurt
the country,” he said.
“Ithinkit’s got some merit to
it,” said District 10 Commis
sioner Bill Kuhlke. He feels
thatthe move would elevate the
positions of mayor, who would
no longer actually preside over
the meetings, and the mayor
pro tem, who would. He also
thinks passing a bill like this
Augusta Success to woo biz
prospects during Masters week
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
How do you get the big fish
onyour hook? You use the big,
fat, juicy worm. That about
sumsup theapproach that the
mayor and his economic devel
opment cohorts intend to use,
to turn Augusta into a pond
well stocked with biomed com
panies.
The worm they are using,
Mayor Bob Young announced
onFeb.4,isthe Master’s Tour
nament. The hook is Augusta
Showcase, an economic devel
opment initiative coordinated
by the Office of the Mayor and
the Metro Augusta Chamber
of Commerce. Jim West, head
of the chamber joined the
can’t afford to pay steep prices.
Mayor Bob Young asked
Howard if children were ever
turned away because of their
inability to pay the fees.
“No, Mr. Mayor and Mr.
Boyles,” Howard said. “We're
always trying to have a plan in
place to help these individuals.
... We have a day camp that we
have going on at the recreation
center,and wealsohavearegu
lar recreation program going
on. That kid will be in that
facility one way or another.”
Commissioner Marion Will
would divest the
administrator’s job of politics
as well.
“To me, if I've got to work
with someone, I’dliketobe able
to hire them — and fire them if
they didn’t do the right job. I
don’t haveaproblem with what
the bill says. I think it’s a posi
tive move. Now, whether she
can get the votes in the House,
I don’t know. That’s the first
step.”
District 6 Commissioner Andy
Cheek says that, though he
would like to see the bill
“tweaked,” he has no problem
with giving the administrator
the power to hire and fire his
department heads or with giv
ing the mayor a vote, though he
doesn’t think that increasing
mayoral power will solve any of
the governingbody’s problems.
District 3 Commissioner Steve
Shepard did not wish to com
mentatthetimebecausehehad
not seen thebill. Therest could
not be reached.
Walker added that there are
many permutations the local
government could assume, and
that one" possibility is to do
mayorin Monday’s announce
ment.
Though Augusta Showcase
isreminiscent of the statewide
initiative, the Red Carpet Tour,
this is an effort that focuses
precisely on Augusta.
The plan is to invite the
CEOs of about 90 biotech and
medical companies to visit dur
ing the week when Augusta is
queen, and while they’re here,
acquaint them with our fair
city’s other attributes as well,
such as the medical facilities.
Young explained the mar
keting strategy.
“Let me put it this way,” he
said, “if you’re the CEO of a
business and your secretary
brings you your mail in the
morning, and in your mail is
this thing that says you’re
iams was not impressed. “You
don’t have to say that you turn
people away,” he said. “That
amount, that price, will turn
people away when you put that
figure out there. They’re not go
ing to come and plead with you
their case about whether or not
you're going to negotiate with
them to let them in cheaper or
not. If you set that price, you set
the criteria for whether they’re
going to come in or not.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner
Andy Cheek clanged the gongof
doom. “Just for the record I'd
away with the two at-large
posts, thereby whittling the 10-
member board to eight. But he
doesn’t want to jump into any
thing.
“Personally I think we need
to be very cautious before we
changethestructure of the gov
ernment,” the senator said.
“Sometimesit might not bethe
structure ofthe government; it
simply might be the leadership
of the government.”
Whatever happens though,
he doesn’t think that Mayor
Young, whoisup forre-election
this year, would be the benefi
ciary. He also doesn’t think
that would be such abad thing.
“I think we might want to
look at selecting another, effec
tive, mayor — giving another
mayor the opportunity to be in
the position before we change
an entire form of government.
Astrong, effective mayor could
very well eliminate the prob
lem.”
If Burmeister can win the
approval of the State Legisla
ture, her bill will be placed on
the ballot in November as a
referendum.
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Main Office - 3530 Wheeler Road, Augusta, GA 30909
AUGUSTA FOCUS
invited to see the Masters Golf ;
Tournament in Augusta, Ga., ‘
don’t you think you might be
more inclined to respond to
that invitation as opposed to
an invitation saying, ‘Y’all
come on down now, y’hear?’”
But, the mayor cautioned,
don’t be disappointed if none
of these companies wants to
jumpright into arelationship.
“I think we’ve found in Au
gusta, with the Red Carpet
(Tour), is that people don’t
come to Augusta, look at it
and make an announcement
while they’re here,” Young
said. “What we’re doing is,
developing relationships.
We’re putting Augusta on the
table, hopefully making Au-
See SHOWCASE, page 16A
like to remind everybody that,
since 1996, the Recreation De
partment and cultural venues
have had a steady decrease in
head count — since consolida
tion. If we continue to impact
this department, and if we go
intothenextyear reducingper
sonnel, we’re going to see a
drastic reduction in our ability
to serve the public.”
Springfield Village
From page one
president of Springfield Vil
lage Park Foundation, Inc.;
Isaac Johnson, secretary of
Springfield Village Park Foun
dation, Inc.; Mayor Young;
Sen. Charles W. Walker (D
--22) of Georgia; Mr. Hunt; Tom
Ramsey, Springfield Village
Park architect; and President
Massey.
About the sculptor
Richard Hunt is known as
America’s foremost African-
American abstract sculptor
and artist of public sculpture.
His works are welded and cast
sculptures of steel, copper and
bronze. Hunt’s public sculp
ture serves to unite the black
experience in America and ab
stract art as may be seen in “I
Have Been to the Mountain,”
a memorial to the late Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. in
Memphis, Tenn. Hunt has sat
on numerous boards and pan
elsand hasserved on theselec
tion committee for public
monuments, including the
Vietnam Memorial in the
nation’s capitol. Hunt has
beensculptingfor over 50years.
About the sculptures
Chances are, you know many of our employees.
They are your friends, relatives, and
neighbors. They support the same local
charities and attend community
: events. In short, like you, they are
real people.
| Who better to trust with your
money and service your financial
3 dreams than real
r people at your real
, hometown bank.
, For a branch location
near you call:
(706) 738-6990
FEBRUARY 7, 2002
Paine
From page one
an African-American commu
nity; so many times America or
peoplein Americafeel asthough
the African-American experi-.
ence is not worth listening to,
and worth learning about,” he
said. “But weas African Ameri
cans must take it upon our
selves to remember our past.
and remember our ancestors,
and what they went through.
This conference and what Ms.
Thomas said was great educa
tional information that we can
use today and in the future.”
Dr. GloriaWilliams-Way, his
tory professor at Paine College,
shared her reaction.
“I think is was a very good
presentation. She covered a
broad spectrum from antiquity
to the present and the books
will be an addition to any li
brary of African Americans.”
The Conference on the Black
Experience was founded by Dr.
Leslie J. Pollard, professor of
History,in February 1981. The
objective of the conferenceisto
analyze issues confronting Af
rican Americans. This year’s
conference willexamine the Af
rican American’s quest for lib
eration through lectures, mu
sic, and poetry. Scholars and
artists will interpret various
aspects of the Black Experi
ence.
The “Tower of Aspirations”
isa4o-foot high stainless steel
sculptureinspired by the aspi
rations of a people who, over
250 years, strove to improve
the level of spiritual under
standing, education, stature,
equality and living conditions
of African Americans.
The “and they went down
both into the water” is a 20-
foot high bronze sculptureand
fountain which symbolizesthe
baptismal in the Savannah
River. The fountain repre
sents a source and strength of
the congregation, a symbol of
Philip’sbaptism of the eunuch
ofthe court of Candace, Queen
of the Ethiopians (Acts of the
Apostle, chapter 8, verses 26-
39), the first biblical reference
tothe foundingof Christianity
of an African.
“Thiscelebrationis another
opportunity for us to promote
Georgia’s rich diversity and a
classic example of how tour
ism works for Georgia,” said
Selena Swint, marketing con
sultant who directs Georgia
Department of Industry, Trade
and Tourism’s (GDITT) multi
cultural marketing program.
For more information on
Springfield Village Park, con
tact Mr. Kirby at (706) 733-
7765.
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