About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2025)
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ATHENS’ INTIMATE LIVE MUSIC VENUE 237 prince ave. • 706.353.3050 6 The flagpole Office will be closed for a Holiday break from Dec. 22,-26 and Jan. 1-2 FROM PAGE TO STAGE (PLAY WRITING CONTEST) Fisher and Thornton repeated their calls for a moratorium on new apartments, but Cowell explained that it could wind up in court. “The developer has offered a solution that allows the development to take place,” he said. “A moratorium puts you at some legal risk.” Atlanta-based developer Carter is asking for a set of waivers that Chief Investment Officer Jack Murphy said would improve the redevelopment. “The planned devel opment that we’ve submitted represents a more responsible and better site plan for the community than what can be developed by right,” he said. “The reasons we did not want to go with the by-right process is it would require building a significant amount of ground-floor retail space when over 50 percent of recently built retail space in Athens is vacant, as well as unnecessary parking.” If the waiver requests are rejected, the aging shopping center could sit half-vacant for years. Or, someone could build a five- story hotel or medical office building with out needing commission approval, Mayor Kelly Girtz said. “If this project doesn’t go through, a developer can come in and build by right a five-story project that does not have to come before the commission,” Fisher said. Nonetheless, the idea of taller buildings near single-family homes remains unpopu lar with neighborhood residents. “We don’t need more apartment complexes in this town... There are apartments everywhere in this town with lots of vacancies,” Heather McElroy said. The vacancy rate in Athens is 4%, compared to 10% nationwide, according to UGA’s Selig Center for Economic Growth. Taller buildings in underdeveloped areas are inevitable as Athens grows, Girtz said. “That’s part of what we’ll be experiencing more of in the years and decades ahead,” he said. [BA] CCSD Seeks Charter Renewal for another five-year contract as a charter school system. The current charter expires in 2027. It takes about a year to complete the appli cation process, the school board learned at its Dec. 11 work session and meeting. The application would be due in late 2026. Under the charter system, enrollment has doubled at the Athens Community Career Academy. State waivers have allowed the district to hire professionals from industry as teachers, as well as create internships and apprenticeships. Positive behavior supports across the district have helped reduce absenteeism in all 21 schools. The K-12 Career Exploration initiative lets students align career exploration with life skills programming. The district held career fairs for all grades. More than 550 high school students are enrolled in health- care pathways. In 2023-24, 48% of minority students completed Advanced Academic Pathways (Advanced Placement or dual enrollment in college). In considering “the whole child,” the district provides social and emotional sup port to all students. Campus health centers and partnerships provide free health care, including vision testing and glasses. The district passed out $600,000 in grants to Local School Governance Teams, which then decided how best to spend the money. The accomplishments highlighted by James Barlement and Stephen Nobles in the Department of Innovation, Strategy and Governance were not enough to con vince board members Linda Davis, Mark Evans and Mary Bagby to endorse con tinuing the charter system. Tim Denson, Patricia Yager, LaKeisha Gantt and Mumbi Anderson voted yes. Davis said that since she joined the board in 2012, there have been students who are left behind and don’t do well. Evans said he doesn’t see CCSD doing innovative things to reach all students, especially stu dents on the east side of the county. Several members want to have better ways of measuring the success of charter programs. In the weeks and months to come, the board will consider whether to accept the charter application as school offi cials devise it. [Rebecca McCarthy] © A split Clarke County Board of Educa tion voted to tell the state it plans to apply by TOM TOMORROW CALLING ALL AREA PLAYWRIGHTS! THE WINTERVILLE PLAYERS SUBMISSIONS FOR A ONE-ACT WINNERS WILL HAVE THEIR PLAYS NOW STOP WASTING TIME ! WE’VE GOT A QUOTA TO FILL ! THIRTY MORE BODIES TO SNATCH BY THE END oF THE DAT! YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT YOU'RE Doing IS MONSTROUS, RIGHT? YOU ARE KIDNAPPING PEOPLE OFF THE STREET: YOU ARE LITERALLY 100000 IWHO THE HELL ARE TOU? ante HOW MUCH MORE OFFICIAL COULD WE POSSIBLY BE? HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, PENGUIN! YOU'RE COMING WITH US! LOOK, WE HAVE FACE MASKS AND RANDOM MILITARY SUR PLUS STUFF! VERY REAL POLICE VERREAL * POLICE WE'RE ICE, OBVIOUSLY! OR MAYBE CBP, OR DHS, or EVEN FBI. WHO CAN REALLY SAY? ■ "5680 08006 1 UH--I THINK I OUGHTA eSEE, LIKE, BADGES? ENTRIES DUE JAN 15 ARE SEEKING PLAY CONTEST. PRODUCED AT THE MARIGOLD AUDITORIUM IN WINTERVILLE THIS SPRING. GUIDELINES: MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER TO ENTER RUN TIME 25 MINUTES OR LESS LIMIT ACTORS TO FOUR MINIMAL SET QUESTIONS? EMAIL WINTERVILLEPLAYERS@GMAIL.COM ER, THAT IS TO SAY, THIRTY MORE DANGEROUS ILLEGALS TO DETAIN. NAZIS! BEHAVING LIKE RIGHT, THAT'S WHAT X MEANT. EXCUSE ME, THAT'S A VERT HURT ¬ FUL THING TO SAY. NOW LET'S GO, WE'RE SHIPPING YOU TO A MAXIMUM SECURITY ZOO IN EL SALVADOR. WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS WITH FEELINGS, YOU KNOW. WAIT YOU CAN'T DO THS.' I HAVE RIGHTS TO BE...CONTINUED? HA HA.' IT'S ADORABLE THAT YOU THINK SO. 1M TMoRR W© 2025- 12-22 JOIN SPARKY’S LIST: thismodernworld.com/subscriptions FLAGPOLE.COM ■ DECEMBER 24, 2025 & DECEMBER 31, 2025
