About $500 million flows out of Athens every year to pay for the fossil fuels that power our vehicles and buildings, according to environmental consultants who are working on a clean energy plan.
“A clean energy transition can really help benefit the local economy by keeping those resources in Athens-Clarke County for local jobs in energy efficiency and solar and other opportunities,” Megan O’Neil, a program manager with Southface Institute, told ACC commissioners at an Oct. 12 work session. Almost 10,000 new jobs could be created, including HVAC professionals, electricians, scientists, engineers, solar installers and factory workers making products like electric vehicles.
The ACC Commission approved a resolution in 2019 setting a goal of 100% sustainable energy for the local government by 2035 and for the entire community by 2050. The commission also included $15.8 million for renewable energy in SPLOST 2020, a package of sales tax projects approved by voters.
Sustainable energy is defined as sources that do not produce greenhouse gas emissions and are renewable within a human timescale, such as wind, solar and hydroelectricity. Nuclear, natural gas, biomass and coal are not considered sustainable.
The plan will primarily focus on the 60% of energy that is consumed by buildings. (The other 40% is transportation.) Much of the savings can come from energy efficiency, which could reduce energy consumption by 40%. Solar could provide 20% of the energy consumed locally by 2035.
Transitioning to clean energy could also save residents money. Athens residents pay an average of 7.1% of their income for energy, which is the highest in Georgia, according to O’Neil. “This is a result of a whole host of issues, including housing quality and energy inefficiency,” she said.
O’Neil said the plan will be ready for commission approval in early 2022.
Commissioner Jesse Houle said he wants weatherization to be part of the plan, as well as local carbon credits, transit and transportation infrastructure. “We were just talking about a parking deck,” Houle said. “I hate to see us building parking decks, period, right now, but I’d certainly like to see us equipping them for a future where more things run on electricity.”
Other SPLOST projects are moving forward, too. The commission is expected to vote next month to put a new courthouse on a site near the Multimodal Transportation Center, pending due diligence on the property.
The site has several advantages, according to county officials: It’s already owned by Athens-Clarke County. Putting the judicial center there would allow it to share a parking deck and stormwater facilities with the new Classic Center arena nearby. And it would allow the county to fast-track the judicial center, avoiding further increases in construction costs.
The approximately $24 million four-story deck at the corner of Hickory and East Broad streets would include 800 spaces, adding to the parking already available at the existing Classic Center and courthouse decks within a quarter mile. It would be completed around October 2023, coinciding with the new 5,500-seat arena.
The $70 million judicial center was included in SPLOST 2020 because the existing courthouse is severely overcrowded and can’t be expanded. Building it somewhere else would decimate the downtown economy, with law offices likely to leave downtown for wherever the courthouse is built, which would hurt downtown restaurants as well, Commissioner Melissa Link said.
“It needs to be easily accessible to people using all forms of transportation, not just cars, and you really can’t get closer to the multimodal transit station,” Commissioner Tim Denson said. “You also can’t get closer to multiple walking and biking trails, as the Firefly and the greenway go right by this area.”
Another concern is cost. The commission trimmed the budget for the judicial center twice before the referendum on SPLOST 2020, removing funding for land acquisition and the deck in an effort to free up money for other projects. “If we go somewhere else, we’d have to find another revenue source somehow,” Denson said.
Once the judicial center is built, ACC will renovate the existing courthouse. Then county departments located outside of downtown will move in and those properties will be sold.
Despite the advantages, however, some commissioners want to let the usual site selection process play out, even if they’re leaning toward choosing the downtown parcel.
County officials also discussed plans for SPLOST-funded park improvements. Public Utilities is upgrading a sewer line underneath Memorial Park and will be working with Leisure Services to regrade and terrace the dog park. At Bishop Park, old water fountains will be replaced, the barbecue pavilion will be upgraded and two shade structures near the softball fields replaced. The basketball courts at Sandy Creek Park, which date back to the 1980s, will be resurfaced, and a rotting bridge on Lakeside Trail will be replaced. Two under-used baseball fields at Southeast Clarke Park will be converted into multi-use fields for activities like football and soccer. In addition, maintenance will be done at the skate park and a street course added, with a $16,000 contribution from the Athens Skateboard Alliance. Leisure Services is also planning on installing wayfinding signs along the North Oconee Greenway. All told, the subprojects will cost $615,000 and are scheduled to be completed next June.
Commissioners also received a briefing on American Rescue Plan funds at the work session. ACC has already received $30 million from the federal government through the $2 trillion COVID relief bill and will get another $30 million next February. The money must be allocated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026. Eligible uses include water and sewer infrastructure, broadband internet, hazard pay for front-line workers and any costs or loss of revenue associated with the pandemic.
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