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CITY PACES
by BRAD AARON
... - v . .. .... .
POLICE CHARGE MAN
WITH ATHENS RAPES
Police believe Sylvester Deon Collins, 21, of
Jackson County, GA, is responsible for three
sexual assaults on young women in the down-
town/UGA area.
In the early morning hours of November 15,
Collins was apprehended after allegedly pointing
a gun at a female motorist jdst off Atlanta
Highway. The victim got away, then contacted
police with a description of the assailant. A
short while later, Collins was stopped by Athens-
Clarke County police on the Athens Perimeter
and arrested on aggravated assault charges.
At a November 16 press conference, police
said physical evidence and witness identifica
tions linked Collins to three recent Athens rapes.
ACC Police Chief Jack Lumpkin said authorities
are "certain" Collins is responsible for the July,
August, and October attacks.
More charges against Collins are possible,
according to police.
Lumpkin credited UGA investigators and Safe
Campuses Now for helping in the investigation.
Though not all students, the assault victims are
all of college age.
"Safe Campuses Now wants to stress the fact
that the Athens community, toward criminals, is
IN OTHER NEWS...
A report by the Georgia Public Interest
Research Group (PIRG) says that in 1998,
industries reported releasing over six million
pounds of toxins into Georgia waters. A fed
eral database of toxic releases shows that
from 1988 through 1997, nearly 49 million
pounds of reported toxic chemicals entered
state waters—marking an increase of 85
percent during the period. Of the top 10
toxic chemicals released, all are associated
with known or suspected health risks, PIRG
says. Contrary to conventional political
wisdom, none of the top 10 offending com
panies are in Atlanta, but are in smaller
towns, including Augusta, Savannah, Jesup
and Rome. The biggest polluters, DSM
Chemicals and two Engelhard
Corporations, were responsible for more
than 65 percent of the total 1998 reported
tox^ releases, according to the report. For
more information, go to georgiapirg.org or
call (404) 892-3573.
The US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has legalized the irradiation of fruits,
vegetables, meat and eggs, despite govern
ment evidence that it "may not be safe for
human consumption," says consumer pro
tection group Public Citizen A Broken
Record, a report co-authored by the group,
claims that since 1955, the FDA, the US
Army, the Department of Energy and other
federal agencies gave false or misleading
testimony to the US Congress, allowing the
FDA to legalize "high-dose radiation treat
ments'' of food, some of which is exposed
to the equivalent of one billion cHest x-
rays. More information is available at cit-
izen.org.
Upcoming ACC Meetings:
• Nov. 23, 4 p.m.. Mayor and Commission
Work Session. 120 Dougherty St.
• Nov. 28, 4:30 p.m.. Classic Center
Authority. Classic Center
• Noe. 29. TBA, Interview for various
boards, authorities and commissions, City
Hail Room 303. Go to athensclarke
county.com for more information
B FLAGPOLE
a target-rich environment," said group represen
tative Michael Greene. "At the University you
need to protect yourselves at all times."
GREENBELT? BIKES?
COMMISSION: DUH!
Just two Athens-Clarke County
Commissioners showed up to see them, but close
to 100 citizens gathered outside City Hall on
November 14 for a rally to encourage the
Commission to return low density "greenbelt"
zoning to the county development ordinance.
Hosted by the Athens Grow Green Coalition,
the rally served as a prelude to what may be the
final Commission work session on the ordinance
before a scheduled December 5 vote.
The Coalition is a conglomerate of citizen and
environmental groups that want the Commission
to delay a vote on the new regulations until its
original provisions for rural development can be
restored (see Guest Editorial, page 7). The cur
rent draft of the ordinance is a dramatic depar
ture from the guiding principles of the land use
plan and would promote urban sprawl, the
Coalition says. Commissioners John Barrow and
Tom Chasteen, along with Mayor Doc Eldridge,
were given the names and phone numbers of res
idents at the rally offering assistance in
amending the ordinance.
A "Delay the Vote!" drive earlier this year by
a small group of real estate agents, developers
and other landholding interests succeeded in
getting Mayor Eldridge to postpone a decision on
the ordinance, as the Commission increased rural
density allowances and weakened its environ
mental provisions. At the Commission work ses
sion immediately after the rally, however, there
was no discussion of putting off the vote at the
behest of citizens.
Following a brief discussion on grardfa-
thenng multi-family housing in single-family
zones (see City Pages, September 27, on-line at
flagpole.com), Commissioners moved on to
address the last of a large number of spot zoning
requests.
As part of the development ordinance
process, the Commission has rezoned numerous
parcels of land throughout the county. In almost
all cases, rezoning requests were made by prop
erty owners, and were decided by the
Commission with no public hearing before the
Planning Commission and without the usual
public notice requnements, such as posting signs
on the properties.
Some of the rezomngs, which will take effect
when the development ordinance passes, would
have likely drawn strong community opposition
had they gone through normal channels. For
example, the hotly contested site ot a proposed
west side Wal-Mart will be rezoned as commercial
under the new regulations. Wal-Mart's dension
to withdraw its plan was considered a landmark
victory for area neighborhoods, yet the
Commission will render that triumph null if the
ordinance passes as written.
For the most part, the rezonings in the
November 14 meeting resulted in minor changes
from the existing ordinance, and almost all were
approved with little discussion. One notable
comment came from Brian Kemp, a developer
who serves on the ordinance steering committee.
Kemp said the Commission should be careful
when changing zoning densities at "this late
hour," as property owners will have little time
for redress.
Commissioner Barrow replied that that same
consideration should be extended to the commu
nity before changes are made to agricultural
densities.
The final item on the night’s agenda con
cerned a requirement for bicycle racks at new
businesses. The ordinance originally called for
NOVEMBER 22, 2000
new commercial development and some commer
cial expansions to include one bicycle parking
space for every 20 car spaces. Commissioner
Hugh Logan had the requirement removed, he
said, after receiving a complaint from the St.
Joseph Catholic school.
Commissioner Cardee Kilpatrick asked to have
the provision reinstated. If Commissioners are
serious about their commitment to alternative
transportation, Kilpatrick said, "This is the least
we can do."
"I question the
necessity of bicycle
parking," said
Commissioner Alvin
Sheats. The require
ment would "hand
icap" businesses,
Sheats said, and
should only be consid
ered "if" cycle use in
Athens increases.
Sheats suggested cyclists use spaces designated
for cars in the meantime.
"You could carry it to all extremes," said
Logan, including hitching posts and "heliopads."
Cyclists worried about their bikes being stolen
can wheel them inside whatever businesses they
patronize, Logan said, including his own [Normal
Hardware].
"I ride a bicycle," said steering committee
member Scottie Atkinson, who pointed out to
Logan that cyclists would not have to bnng their
bikes into his store if they had a place to secure
them.
As a wnte-in candidate, Nader received sub
stantially more votes in Clarke County than
either Libertarian candidate Harry Browne or
Reform candidate Pat Buchanan, whose names
appeared on the ballot. Browne scored 538 votes
and Buchanan 102, compared to Nader's 1,247.
"We feel pretty good about it," says Athens-
Clarke County Green Party Secretary Jim
McGown. "I think we had the highest percentage
of any county in Georgia. We invested time and
money, and it paid
off."
Nader's running
mate, Winona LaDuke,
received 769 votes;
under federal law, a
write-in vote for presi
dent does not presup
pose a vote for that
candidate's running
mate.
Green U.S. Senate
candidate Jeff Gates did relatively well locally.
Though he finished far behind Democrat Zell
Miller and Republican Mack Mattingly, Gates' 705
votes in Clarke County earned him the third spot
in a seven-candidate contest. With 21,247 votes
statewide. Gates finished a close fifth, just
behind Paul MacGregor and Ben Ballenger.
State Greens were pushing for 40,000 write-
in votes for Nader/LaDuke in order to give their
candidates statewide ballot access in 2002.
Currently, independent and third party candi
dates must meet stringent petition signature
requirements to appear on Georgia ballot;.
"You could carry it
to all extremes,"
including hitching
posts and "heliopads."
The Athens Land Trust has secured a 23-acre conservation easement on the Barnett Shoals Ro property or
Charles Floyd. The dense wooded area will be preserved in perpetuity; Floyd’s nearby pasture will be developed.
Mayor Eldndge suggested a line item vote on
the provision, but eventually the Commission
settled on Commissioner Barrow's request that it
be returned to the ordinance pending further
action.
GREENS HAPPY WITH
CLARKE VOTE TOTALS
"The Green Party is alive and well," begins a
written statement by Ralph Nader released the
morning after Election Day. "We are now the
third largest party, supplanting the Reform Party
as the major competition to the Democratic and
Republican Parties."
As with Vice President Al Gore and Texas
Governor George W. Bush, final national tallies
for the Green presidential nominee were
unknown at presstime, but with all the votes
counted in Clarke County, local Greens officially
have reason to celebrate.
Official Nader/LaDuke totals for the state
were not available at presstime, but should be
available soon, according to Georgia Secretary of
State Cathy Cox's office.
As of this writing, Project Vote Smart puts
Nader’s national count at just over 2.7 million
votes, or 3 percent. That numbei does not
include Florida, New Mexico or Oregon, a state
where Nader could have a particularly strong
showing. The nationwide total may not yet be
completely accurate; a week after Election Day,
several major media outlets posted Nader's
Georgia total at 105 votes.
Nader's post-election statement indicates he
does not expect to get the five percent nation
wide vote needed for the Green Party to qualify
for federal matching funds in 2004. But. like
Nader, McGown and other local Greens believe
they have come a long way over the last few
months. A Green candidate or two may even sur
face in Athens by 2002.
"I know of two possible Commission races,"
McGown says. "I know several people who are
thinking [about running]. It's premature,
though, to say." ©