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BEN EMANUEL
ATHENS NEWS AND VIEWS
Dam It All: While Athens wonders if a full
reservoir means the county will loosen water
ing restrictions (has anybody looked at the
river recently?), a lot of the folks at the state
Capitol are hard at work to fast-track the pro
cess to build a bunch more water-supply reser
voirs across North Georgia. City Dope doesn't
d j chat a few of these might make sense,
but the prospect of seeing every river in half
the state dammed up is not a pleasant one.
Doesn't everybody know that Georgia could do
a better job of conserving water? And don't
our legislators know that reservoirs can't
make water? Rather, they store it, and keep
some from going downstream to other folks
who might need it too. What will become of
this and other General Assembly moves this
year? The legislative session churns along...
Speaking of Legislators: The Atlanta and
Athens daily papers reported not too long
ago that right-wing North Georgia state Sen.
Nancy Schaefer has entered the race for the
10th Congressional District seat. That makes
four in the race, including incumbent Rep.
Paul Broun, Republican state Sen. Barry
Fleming of Harlem (near Augusta) and mod
erate Democrat (and business owner/ Iraq
War vet) Bobby Saxon of Nicholson. In other
electoral news, late last week state Democratic
Party Chair, Jane Kidd of Athens, added her
name to the list of Geoigia superdelegates
throwing their support to Barack Obama for
the Presidential nomination.
Road Notes: Here's a follow-up on last week's
City Pages story about local road planning
that City Dope thought worth noting. Dropped
from planning documents earlier this month
by the MACORTS board was even a tenta
tive description of where a proposed new
road (intended to connect Commerce Road
with Danielsville Road) might cross Sandy
Creek. The road is needed, ACC Transportation
Planner Sherry Moore says, "because there's
absolutely no way to get east-west in that
vicinity." But local environmentalists raised
"strong objections" to any crossing of Sandy
Creek and Cook's Trail when the road first
showed up in plans a few years ago, so even
the "dotted line" showing a general proposed
route has been removed from tht map. A pro
posal to connect Commerce and Danielsville
roads remains in the long-range plan, she
says—but without any mention of a loca
tion, or even whether it will be within Clarke
County. [John Huie]
Go Fish: "Plenty of municipal reservoirs in
this state happily commingle a joint recre
ational use and water source"—but not the
Bear Creek Reservoir, Commissioner David
Lynn complained at last week's Commission
meeting. At least, not yet. The 500-acre lake
near Bogart—partly funded by Athens-Clarke
county as a drinking water reservoir—has
been stocked with fish since 2002, and a pub
lic boat ramp was designed to accommodate
non-motorized fishing boats. But after 9/11,
authority members decided the ramp was sited
too close to the water-treatment plant, and
decided to relocate it. The new ramp won't
open until fall; to Lynn (an
avid fisherman), the authority
has been dragging its feet. "If
the authority is as concerned
about security as it seems to
be, there's nothing that makes
a facility like that more secure
than having eyes on the facility
every day," he said.
"The reservoir was never
intended to be a recreational
facility," ACC Deputy Manager
Bob Snipes (who selves on the
reservoir authority's board)
told Flagpole two years ago.
Commissioner Lynn thinks that
attitude needs to change, and
that the authority needs to
"accept general recreation as
a pait of its mission," he told
fellow commissioners last week.
He wants the authority to allow
"canoes, kayaks and possibly
sailboats" on the water, along
with fishing boats. [JH]
No Kissinger for You: Folks hop
ing to get into that nifty event
the end of this month, when
UGA is hosting four former U.S.
Secretaries of State for a roundtable at the
Classic Center, are out of luck: the shindig
sold out in a hurry. (It helped that it's free
for faculty, staff and students.) There is a
waiting list—contact the Classic Center about
that—and for what it's worth, you can learn
more on the event at www.uga.edu/ruskcenter.
This Was Interesting: A New York production
company was in town last week shooting a
documentary about the Moore's Ford mur
ders—the infamous late-1940s lynching of
two African-American couples on the Oconee/
Walton county line. Good to see that incident
getting continued attention...
What'll It Be?: Don't forget the public meeting
Mar. 17 about the repaving slated for Cedar
Shoals Drive and North Avenue. Might they
be three-laned? It seems doubtful, but is
more than worth discussing. Info at www.ath-
ensclarkecounty.com/publicworks.
Ben Emanuel
Send your city dope to ben@flagpole.com.
Seen-around-downtown: a new use for peanut oil—holding onto highly
sought-after parking spaces.
Wednesday, March 19 • 6-7:15pm
The Power
of One
Saturday, March 22 • 9-llam
Xeriscaping:
Solutions to
Drought Conditions
in Georgia
Saturday, March 22 • llam
Water, Water
Everywhere!
Saturday, March 29 • 8am
Oconee Rivers
Audubon Society
Spring Bird Hikes
Saturday, March 29 • 10am
Bike Safety Bide
Saturday, March 29 * i~4pm
Super Science Day
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services'
Comprehensive Master Plan
Tuesday, March 18:
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Clarke Middle School
Wednesday, March 19:
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Hilsman Middle School
For more information, call (706) 613-3625
or visit www.acdeisureservices.com
Meeting
Tell
how
us
would
like
you
ACC
to
see
Leisure
Services
grow!
COME EXPERIENCE A fRESH NEW 100K
March x $7 HAIRCUT
Special io% OFF 3 service
WS LEXINGTON RD., WAL-MART SHOPPING CENTER • 706-549-27S0
SHYING MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN • MON.-IHBRS. 10AM-8PM
(Rl. & SAT. 10AM-9PN • SEN. BY APPOINTMENT ONIY
UPSCALE
CUTS
ABOVE THE ORDINARY
T v.V ATHENS. GA
EVERY MON. & THORS. 5-7pm
2nd SAT. OF EACH MONTH 2-5pm
265 Newton Bridge Rd. • www.terrapinbeer.com
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