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week, after an open records request was
filed. He told them it was “typical” for a
superintendent to seek a second legal opin
ion. [Blake Aued]
David Fluck, director of Athens-Clarke
County’s Central Services Department,
resigned last week at the request of
Manager Blaine Williams. His resignation
comes in the wake of ongoing problems
at Animal Control, an agency under the
umbrella of Central Services. Williams
plans to implement a number of reforms to
improve care protocols and accountability
within Animal Control, in collaboration
with animal welfare organi
zations in town. i
At their meeting on Sept, s
17, the ACC Commission
decided to pitch in on the
reform efforts by giving
tentative approval to three
full-time positions at
Animal Control at the cost
of $45,000. These will be
converted from five part-
time positions in the hope
of improving recruitment
and retention for animal
caretakers and the volunteer
coordinator at the shelter.
The commission voiced
unanimous approval for
these positions, which will
be voted on on Oct. 1.
The same can’t be said
of a proposal by the com
mission’s Audit Committee
to prioritize an audit of
Animal Control. Audit
Committee Chairwoman
Melissa Link said this would
allow the commission to
“get to the bottom of some
of the questions that have
been plaguing our com
munity.” However, Commissioner Jerry
NeSmith expressed uncertainty about the
idea in light of upcoming reforms, saying
he didn’t want to audit “a moving target.”
Commissioner Ovita Thornton disagreed
with NeSmith, saying, “the more pushback
that I’m hearing, the more I’m concerned.
Now, the audit really needs to happen.”
Rescue groups raised the alarm when, in
July, more than 30 cats suspected of car
rying a deadly virus, panleuk, were eutha
nized, although they turned out not to have
the disease. Earlier this month, the state
ordered the county dog pound quarantined
after a parvo breakout.
Members of Concerned Animal
Crusaders of Athens, a loose coalition of
local animal welfare groups, were in atten
dance at this meeting. Blake Tanner, a
member of the organization, supported the
audit, citing a lack of transparency that has
lasted for years. “Until recently, concerns
of stakeholders have been minimized and
promises have not been kept. We need
some trust-building,” he said. The commis
sion will vote Oct. 1 on whether Internal
Auditor Stephanie Maddox should look into
Animal Control.
Also at this meeting, a proposal to accept
federal grant money for drug investiga
tion was briefly delayed by Commissioner
Mariah Parker. She requested additional
information on the exact purpose of the
investigation, and the proposal was held
until an answer could be obtained from
the Police Department. Williams explained
that grant money is often made available
to police departments at this time of year,
as the FBI and other federal agencies
attempt to spend unused funds at the
end of their budget cycle. This particular
grant is intended as a reimbursement for
ACCPD’s participation in the Organized
Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and
was not related to any one investigation.
Commissioner Tim Denson also expressed
discomfort, citing the city of Atlanta’s
recent withdrawal from all federal task
forces due to a prohibition on body cameras
during these operations.
Parker did not seem satisfied with the
answers she received. Earlier this year, she
requested a citizens review board that could
examine these kinds of grants and give rec
ommendations on them to the commission.
She reiterated this request before voting no
on the proposal. The proposal passed 7-1
with Denson abstaining. [Chris Dowd]
Final Design for Firefly Trail Bridge
Blends Old and Hew
Consultants hired by Athens-Clarke
County to design a bridge over Trail Creek
incorporating the famed “Murmur trestle”
have submitted a final proposal that will
go before the ACC Mayor and Commission
next month.
Based on feedback from an ACC-
appointed user group and the public, con
sulting firm Kimley Horn came up with a
design that involves rebuilding the remain
ing portion of the wooden trestle, bolstered
by more modern steel-and-concrete arches
on either side.
The trestle was part of the first railroad
into Athens, and was made famous in the
early 1980s, when R.E.M. put it on the
back cover of its debut album. Owner CSX
started to demolish it in 2000, but R.E.M.
fans around the world rallied, and the local
government purchased what was left, with
plans to turn the historic railroad into a
walking and biking trail.
Almost 20 years later, segments of the
Firefly Trail from downtown to Dudley Park
and Dudley Park to the Loop have been
completed, with just one gap at Trail Creek.
Abandoned railroads are often converted
into trails because they’re flat—making
walking, jogging and biking easy—but
users now have to cut down 85 feet to the
existing footbridge over Trail Creek and
back up again.
Eventually the Firefly Trail will run
to Winterville, and from there a private
group is raising funds to extend it through
Oglethorpe County to Union Point in hopes
of turning it into a tourist attraction like
the Silver Comet Trail in West Georgia.
Because the trestle has been unmain
tained for so long, engineers found that
about 80% of the wood would have to be
replaced to make the trestle structurally
sound. But none of the wood is original,
anyway—the trestle was designed in a
modular fashion, so rotting portions could
easily be replaced. “It will be new wood
basically replicating the trestle in its cur
rent form,” consultant Eric Bosman told the
audience at a Sept. 16 public input session.
The final design was based on Concept B,
one of three concepts presented to commis
sioners and the public in July. Other con
cepts involved rebuilding the trestle with a
new steel deck or building an entirely new
bridge weaving around what’s left of the
trestle. “There was no singular consensus
opinion,” Bosman said. But several themes
emerged from public input, including a
desire to preserve the historic and cultural
value of the trestle, build a functional trail,
and consider environmental concerns and
the impact on the surrounding neighbor
hood, as well as cost.
The SPLOST-funded bridge will cost
about $3.3 million, with minimal mainte
nance costs over the next 25 years because
the wood will be all new. “While we want to
come up with something that’s iconic and
inspiring, it has to be done on a fixed bud
get,” Bosman said.
The design also includes an observation
deck so users can take in the view from
above the treetops.
ACC is accepting comments online at
accgov.com/8735/Firefly-Bridge-Over-Trail-
Creek. [BA]
CCSD Lost 400 Employees Last Year
At the end of the 2018-2019 school year,
the Clarke County School District had seen
403 employees leave their jobs, according
to records Flagpole obtained through an
open records request. With 2,488 district
employees, that means 16.2% of the work
force left their positions. The group includes
everyone from academic interventionists
and math teachers to paraprofessionals,
secretaries, lunchroom supervisors, custo
dians and bus drivers—24 CCSD bus driv
ers will no longer be on the road.
Some of these people retired, others
went to different schools, some moved out
of state and others left their
chosen professional alto
gether. The records from the
school district don’t indicate
what the employees chose
to do after leaving their
schools.
According to public
records, the school district
had lost 169 teachers and 51
paraprofessionals at the end
of the 2018-2019 academic
year. Hilsman Middle School
lost the largest number of
teachers, 24, as well as three
paraprofessionals. Cedar
Shoals High School lost
20 teachers, while Clarke
Central High saw the depar
ture of 15 teachers. Clarke
Middle School lost 15 teach
ers, two paraprofessionals
and its longtime principal,
Tad McMillan.
Alps Road Elementary
saw eight teachers and two
paraprofessionals leave.
Barrow Elementary lost six
paraprofessionals and three
classroom teachers, Burney
Harris saw the departure of
15 teachers, while Chase Street Elementary
lost three teachers, three paraprofes
sionals and its principal. Cleveland Road
Elementary saw three teachers and two
paraprofessionals leave. Code Middle lost
10 teachers and two paraprofessionals.
Three paraprofessionals left the Early
Learning Center.
Fowler Drive lost eight teachers, four
paraprofessionals and its principal. That job
is still posted on the CCSD job board.
Gaines Elementary saw 10 teachers and
four paraprofessionals leave. At J. J. Harris,
five teachers and two paraprofessionals left.
Oglethorpe Avenue lost seven teachers and
five paraprofessionals. Stroud Elementary
lost two teachers and two paraprofession
als. Timothy Road lost five paraprofession
als and five teachers. Whit Davis saw five
teachers and two paraprofessionals leave.
Whitehead Road lost eight teachers and two
paraprofessionals, and Winterville saw six
teachers and one paraprofessional leave.
As of Sept. 9, there were 87 vacancies
on the Clarke County School District jobs
website. For comparison, the much larger
system in Gwinnett County had 26, DeKalb
County had 12, Fulton County had four,
Atlanta had three and Cobb County had
zero.
CCSD officials are scheduled to discuss
employee turnover at their Oct. 3 work ses
sion. [RM] O
Hundreds of Athens residents gathered at the Arch Friday for the international Climate Strike. For more climate change coverage, visit flagpole.com.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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