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ganizing businesses wittv new partners (as sow
have done). In tt* existing ordinance, "there
were mode loopholes through which unscrupulous
business owners—of which there are few in this
community, but there are some—could drive very
large Mack trucks." Commissioner Dodson said.
The proposed 37 page ordinance would also out
tew 'brown bagging" anywhere except at restau
rants which specifically allow it.
The set of changes -in part requested by lo
cal police—appear to be mostly acceptable to
bar owners (who were involved as the ordinance
developed); Bell was the only bar owner to criti*
ciie it last week Raising local age requirements
for bar employees over the state s 18-year mini
mum "severely hinders our choice for good em
ployees,' he said. Having dropped the proposal
to license door persons for now. commissioners
put ft on hold for 60 days to allow feedback from
affected businesspeople Alcohol license fees
bring the county $960,000 yearly, but alcohol
vales also cost the county through administration
and enforcement A separate controversial pro
povai by commissioner Dead Lynn to relax the
distance requirements for locating akohol serv
mg restaurants near churches and schools is not
part of the ordinance, but H proceeding through
the commlwlon's Legislative Review Committee
Mm Hum phumCdhens mt
State Court
Wio’i It Goana Be?
r*H year * legislative mum at the Georgia
General Assembly was so dysfunctional at times
(during the MwxKare cniH. ha* example) that
its hard fa race* anything that actually got done
eg tham One thing did get dent for Athens,
though Stale Court Judge Cent lawence Hnedy
get help «nth Ms aeHdeed State legislators
passed and the governor signed, a bd! efbeettvo
July 1 iftaehng tawaence t court to tahe an a
new judge, but there was no official hint, until
early August, as to who might be interested in
the job.
An Aug. 3 deadline for nominations saw a
list of 11 local lawyers and judges emerge (ap
plicants have to reside in Athens-CUrke County).
So, whose names are in the hat? thief Magistrate
Patricia Barron and Municipal Court Judge Kay
Giese are both nominated; Associate Magistrate
Charles Auslander's name was submitted, but he
withdrew it from the list. Also, former Magistrate
Judge John Michael Coleman, who lost a ?0Q?
runoff for Athens' Superior Court judgeship (and
has a reputation for toughness with criminal
defendants) is on the list. Rounding out the
"judge" crowd w fthelyn Simpson whom ACC
Commissioners removed horn Municipal Court m
?005 and replaced with Giese. Simpson has been
m mg »n part time to help with the caseload in
ACC Magistrate Court smee last year
Also nominated are lawyer* John Beasley. Jr .
(d Brumby Phillip Gnffeth Jo Carol Hessett Sale.
Bryan Keith Webb and till Bushneil. a past chair
man of the Clarke County Republican Party who
lost a 70D7 am for the District 7 ACC Commission
seat to Kathy Hoard A familiar name on the list
for local government watchers is that of former
County Attorney frme QePascale Dr Pascal# 43
cited health reasons when he left bn job wrth
Athens Clarke County m 1002. and then had
bypass surgery m J004 He t had a Ml recovery
from the surgery he says, though it was a long
one lately Devastate has been running « small
legal practice out of bn home, and n now ready
for more work.
1 think fd Wke this,* Debase ale says of the
state court judgeship which houses the OUt/
drug court and handles crumnal misdemeanors
seme traffic cases and chnt damages cases, an
area of overlap with Superior Court.
beet, everyone en the Hct must turn m an ap
IKmUW 19 99 V 99U0IIVII W (9lnW
appheatiwna are duo Aug It to the state JMbnet
laminating Commission (chawed by bnei
The brownish water coming out of some taps
in town may be harmless, but residents sure
don't like it. The Athens-Clarke County (ACC)
water department has togged 165 complaints
since July 1, and Commissioner Cart Jordan
grumbled to Floqpok last week that—after three
weekends of dirty water—county officials had
"obviously failed" to solve the problem "They've
been failing now for nearly a month," he said.
Some residents—the problem's been especially
bad in parts of the East side— have been running
water for ?0 minutes oi more to dear the lines
(a strategy apparently suggested by the water
department). But in the midst of the county's
second-worst drought in recent memory, does
that make sense?
ACC Public Utilities Director Gary Duck told
fiogpofe the brown water is an occasional prob
lem that is worse lately because of drought
restriction*, that required people to water their
lawns only on weekends All that weekend water
mg increased the velocity of water in the supply
pipes, dniodging minerals —iron and manga
nese—that are naturally present in the water and
get deposited over time on the inside of pipes
"This is only the second time that Athens
has been at a weekend only watering schedule."
Duck said. (That's pad of an effod to reduce
water usage by 10 percent. The first time was
m 100? Airing the Athens' worst-ever drought.)
Oxk said brownish water has been tested in the
past, following complaints from homeowners,
"We've never found a problem, and we won't find
a problem ’ While some residents have surmised
that the weekend watering schedule had to do
with heavy weekday water usage by Athens'
chicken processing plants. Duck discounted those
assertions He also said that the depart meot s
postponement of routine line Bushing—because
of the drought ~n not the problem (Duck said
bn department aims to flush each county water
line every year) A proposed new watering sched
ufcr m now in effect (The new schedule would
be based on a suggestion from East side resident
John Algeo, but late last week Commissioner
Jordan, for example, was offering his own some
what different version.) The new schedule looks
tike this: Homeowners whose street address *nds
in "0" or "1" would water on Mondays, "2" or "3"
on Tuesdays. "4" and *5" on Wednesdays. "6"
and "7" on Thursdays, and "8" or "9" on Fridays.
AU outdoor watering must still be between mid
night and 10 a.m., and no watering is allowed on
weekends.
John Hui« !phu»e®arhens net
Straight, No Water
Booze; No Real Fix?
At the ACC Commission's Aug. 7 meeting,
public-health and alcohol-abuse advocates sup
ported proposed changes governing dnnk sales
in restaurants and bars, while bar owner Mark
Bell (of Detour and 8e's) told commissioners
that only a tenth of Athens' alcohol sales are
in bars, and said the city should target house
parties, urvdecage dnnkers, and the people who
buy those underage drinkers alcohol, as UGA has
done. "Treating us tike criminals is not going
to be the answer," Belt told commissioners. But
Commissioner Elton Dodson emphasized that
underage drinking isn’t realty the target of the
changes. 'If only rt were that easy." he said.
Still, Dodson called the ordinance changes a
first step *
The revised ordinance — which commissioners
put on hold for a September vote—would bring
local rules in line with state taw. and add a few
new requirements: it would require door persons
and people serving alcohol to be 71 years old,
and to take an Internet training course (an
earlier proposal to license door persons was post*
poned); it would outlaw some price promotions
on drinks (including two for-one pacing or sale
pacing after 11 p.m., and serving a pitcher to a
single customer), and it would make it harder for
scofttaw bar owners to Bout regulations by reor
Writ that s one way to dispose of a couch
Is It Whiskey?
The Tap Water Saga
NCWS4FUTUMS I ARTS A IV! NTS I MOVIfS I MUSIC I COMICS & ADVICE I ClASSIflfOS
S fLAGPOU COM AUGUST 15.2001
BEK EMANUEL