Newspaper Page Text
All we need to do is
take the SPLOST money
we’ve got on hand and
what’s anticipated and
combine it all into
one centrally located,
multi-use building.
MORE BANG FOR THE PENNY
We have a lot of problems facing our community, and most
of them involve money, of course, and money is in short sup
ply, as usual. One way we've found around this money shortage
is the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which we call
"SPLOST," which people pronounce various ways. SPLOST tacks
on a penny sales tax that raises surprisingly large amounts
of money painlessly. We've had that extra penny for so long
that we hardly notice it, and when we vote in a new round of
SPLOST projects, it's like it doesn't cost us a thing. Plus, all
our friends who live in Oconee County but hang out in Athens-
Clarke get to help pay for our improvements.
Still, between the time a round of SPLOST projects goes
through the approval process, gets voted on and and finally
comes up for construction, years can pass, so many, in fact,
that we sometimes can't remember what we voted for or why.
Six years after it passed, people lately have been surprised to
learn that they approved a tennis center. We also approved
a downtown parking deck replete with space for retail shops
and stores. Meanwhile, the economy has soured, and the deck
builder is having trouble getting financing and tenants for the
retail space. Nevertheless, we're hoping in the next round of
SPLOST to finance a new jail and an expansion for the Classic
Center that will allow
us to host even larger
conventions than the
Methodists, maybe even
the Baptists.
Since the latest round
of SPLOST got started, we
lost our cat shelter, or at
least it moved to Oconee
County and stopped
accepting cats. So, the
SPLOST score right now
is, we've got a tennis
center we don't want and a parking deck that can't get financ
ing, which may make people leery of voting for a new jail and
an addition to the Classic Center, not to mention that there's
no money to do anything about the cats, plus now we're in the
Great Recession.
It's time to get creative. The situation has changed since
the last two SPLOSTS passed. We've got to do what we can
with what we've got. Instead of forcing that tennis center into
Bishop Park, we can put it downtown. We can do the same with
the jail and the Classic Center expansion and still be able to do
something about cats.
All we need to do is take the SPLOST money we've got on
hand and what's anticipated and combine it all into one cen
trally located, multi-use building. The first few floors are for
parking, whatever it takes, and for those shops and stores if
they ever materialize. Next comes the jail: four or five stories.
We'll save a ton of money on high-priced gasoline when we
don't have to transport all those prisoners back and forth from
the jail to the courthouse. They can just walk over for their
court appearances, and they'll be right downtown to pick up
trash and stuff.
I guess the cat shelter can come next (the prisoners can
take care of the cats) or the Classic Center annex (prisoners
can learn to be waiters), and then above those, the tennis
center, maintained by the prisoners, of course. Indoor courts
for a few stories and then the outdoor courts on the Toof. Our
fine new multi-use building would be an ins.tant landmark
and a beacon to good stewardship of our hardworking SPLOST
revenues.
Maintaining only one building would save a ton of operat
ing costs, and it would draw all those tennis players, fans,
jailers, conventioneers and cat adopters to our downtown
restaurant/club/retail district with plenty of parking and a free
source of labor to support all these public services.
The whole reason for downtowns to begin with was to cen-
tralize businesses and services with public transportation when
people couldn't afford to drive-all over everywhere in tig cars
that drink gas—like today. We also can't afford to build jails
and tennis courts and cat shelters and Classic Center additions
all over the place. Combine the money, centralize everything in
the same building, and we'll come out way ahead.
That's my one cent's worth.
Pete McCommofts editor@flagpole.com
NEWS & FEATURES
City Dope 5
Athens News and Views
The Athens mayoral campaign season is up and running—at least for one candidate.
The Cobbham Coyote 8
Aprowl in the Classic City
Dubious? Dangerous? Probably neither.
ARTS <§s EVEN3TS
Movie Pick 11
IVIV V I v I Iwll •asaaiiaaaaeaiaiaaaeaai JLJL
Greek Out
Get Him to the Greek is the summer's best comedy to date.
The Cannes Film Festival 12
Un Certain Regard .
A trip to Cannes yields a list of must-see movies for future viewing.
mumm
Making a Difference 14
Rising Sun Youth Club Supports Underprivileged Kids
The vital but underfunded program is hosting its first SummerJam benefit concert.
Broken Bells
An Unlikely Pairing Breeds Unlimited Creativity
Shins frontman James Mercer teams up with Athens’ own Danger Mouse.
15
LETTERS 4
CITY DOPE 5
ATHENS RISING 5
CITY PAGES 6
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COBBHAM COYOTE 8
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MORNINGBELL 16
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VOLUME 24
ISSUE NUMBER 23
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