originally published February 27, 2008

Swim, Kids, Swim - Or Whatever: City Dope should have suspected that if any county in the Athens area were going to follow suit to any degree with Governor Perdue’s relaxing of outdoor watering restrictions, it would be Oconee. Still, the decision strikes City Dope as ironic, if only because that county’s namesake, the Oconee River, has still been setting records this winter for low flows. Alas, the changing water restrictions may not have much effect in the end but to confuse the public. It’s really quite a good wager that no matter what government officials do about it, the drought bout coming up in summer and fall of ’08 is going to be even tougher than what ’07 had to offer.

About the River: Some East Athens residents along the lower part of Trail Creek near UGA’s Chicopee Complex (just upstream of Dudley Park) have been unhappy to see the degree of disruption going on in and near the creek while Athens-Clarke County contractors replace sewer lines in the area. According to Public Utilities Department officials, an existing sewer line was broken on Feb. 20. Due to a pre-existing blockage (usually a bad thing!), raw sewage was not in fact spilled, they say. (At least not a whole lot of it, Dope hopes.) Residents have been concerned, too, to see heavy equipment in the creek itself, but the reason apparently is that the new sewer plans call for a line to cross the creek at East Broad St. and tie into a larger line near the river. Such is infrastructure.

Raising the Wage: In other news, the advocates for a living wage for the lowest-paid workers at Athens’ largest employer, UGA, have been at work organizing a rally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 28 during midday and early afternoon on the UGA campus. According to organizers, the rally is basically a way to keep up the pressure on UGA President Michael Adams; a study committee reported its findings on the wage issue last May, and UGA’s University Council approved that report early last fall. Not much has changed since then on the issue, rally organizers say - hence their decision to ratchet up the activism. In other news (see City Pages for more), the leaders of the OneAthens anti-poverty initiative say they “have not forgotten” about living wage policies, though the idea doesn’t show up in the specific work plans of the task force’s various committees.

Tell ’Em All What For: Close commish-watchers should know that our Mayor & Commission have been slowly but surely playing with ways to streamline the whole process of receiving public comment from local citizens. To that end, this month the ACC website debuted a new online agenda-item comment form, where citizens can email all 10 commissioners and the mayor simultaneously with the click of a mouse. (And yes, District 2 Commissioner Harry Sims - formerly the email-less holdout - is on board.) It’s all there at www.athensclarkecounty.com/clerkofcommission.

Not a Joke: If you happen, in your navigations about Athens and all things going on here, to stumble across the Athens Beard and Moustache Club, you might be forgiven for thinking said club has been created all in jest. It appears not, though, and it is worth noting here that at a recent meeting, club members (“if you do not have a beard or moustache, one will be provided for you”) donated items to the Athens Area Homeless Shelter, and are on the lookout for other charities with which they can volunteer. Hey - whatever it takes! The info is at www.abamc.org.

Whaddaya Know?: The magazine Popular Science recently published a list of the 50 “greenest cities” in the country, and little old Athens clocked in at number 33. That’s about midway between the only other Deep South cities listed: Huntsville, AL (number 18) and Greensboro, NC (number 50). Take a look and assess the rankings and their criteria for yourself at www.popsci.com/environment.

…And Some Thoughts on Planning and the Commish: ACC Commissioners shrink from regulating the jungles of oversized signs that litter our commercial “gateways.” They speak endlessly of “pedestrian-friendly” street designs, but veto pedestrian-friendly medians at the first whine of nearby businesses, so perhaps it’s not odd that they seem to put so much faith in private developers. They dare not stop developers from cutting down trees… is that to gain their cooperation on projects the commission wants to see built?

If so, it doesn’t seem to be working. No developer yet has followed through on building a conservation subdivision under the complex application process laid out by the commission four years ago. It was a grand vision - perhaps too grand. And when a developer offered a seemingly reasonable proposal to develop the Boys and Girls Club land on Oconee Street, commissioners rejected it on minor criticisms. The developer never came back. Now commissioners are exploring a complex scheme to design the perfect multi-use parking deck for downtown - if only they can find the right developer.

Our commissioners are not wrong to dream, to look at the big picture. Sometimes they do that very well, overcoming the inertia and practical objections of county staff - which may prove to be the case for the park-and-ride lot now planned for Lexington Road. But few commissioners have ever run a business, and businesspeople - whatever else they may be - have to be practical.   Maybe former Commissioner John Barrow had it right: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” he’d say.  Barrow’s now gone to Congress.  But maybe he could pay us a visit? [John Huie]

Ben Emanuel

Send your city dope to ben@flagpole.com.