Blog Topic: Government

In the Loop: Hey! The Plans for St. Joe's Don't Look Half Bad

By Blake Aued | October 5, 2015 4:29pm

Photo Credit: Davis Property Group

Rejoice, ye townies, for the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church property shall not be maxed out with more student apartments.

Plans submitted Friday by Greenville, SC-based Davis Property Group show a 192,000 square-foot mixed-use development (not including parking) with commercial space fronting Prince Avenue and 146 one- and two-bedroom apartments above and behind it, all in three-story buildings.

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In the Loop: More Sewer Spills Reported in Oconee County

By Lee Becker | October 2, 2015 11:21am

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

Oconee County has informed the Georgia Environmental Protection Division of yet another problem with the operation of its Calls Creek wastewater treatment facility.

From 5–8 a.m. on Sept. 25, the plant released an estimated 50,000 gallons of discharge containing total suspended solids that exceeded the permitted level, according to the county’s report.

The county also acknowledged on Wednesday another violation of its permit for the Calls Creek facility based on data the county filed for operation of the plant in July.

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In the Loop: Ort's Out of Jail; Here's How He Got There

By Blake Aued | September 22, 2015 4:41pm

Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

Beloved Athens man-about-town William Orten Carlton, aka Ort’s, troubles with Athens-Clarke County regarding the condition of his property stretch back at least 15 months.

After spending the night in the Clarke County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of probation violation, Ort was released on his own recognizance this afternoon, according to attorney Bill Overend. Ort commented on our previous story:

Dearfolk,

I'm back on the street (as of 2:30 this afternoon) and ready to start in working as soon as possible. Thanks for all the concern.

I await the next step: committal proceedings. It's been tried before. Yawn.

Wholeheartedly, Ort.

P. S. I AM crazy, and I'm PROUD of it. And my house is not quite a sty... now that the carport is cleaned out, it's looking more like a residence.

But he still has a ways to go in cleaning up his property to avoid more legal trouble. Overend set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the cleanup. It raised more than $4,000 in six hours, and Overend has now asked that people stop donating because it’s exceeded the $2,500 goal.

Here’s how Ort got into this pickle, according to ACC Community Protection Division and Municipal Court records:

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In the Loop: Complete Streets: Prince Is Now Complete Streets Athens

By Kristen Morales | September 18, 2015 11:02am

Photo Credit: Krysia Haag

One vision of a complete Prince Avenue.

Safe streets, whether they wind through a neighborhood or carry trucks and cars on their daily commutes, lead to a better community.

That is the mantra behind a group of residents who are starting an effort to align Athens-Clarke County’s policies with state and national transportation standards. Complete Streets Athenslaunches its community-wide effort with the event “Streets are for People” from 6-8 p.m.Thursday, Sept. 24, at Little Kings Shuffle Club, 223 W. Hancock Ave.

The event is free and open to the public, and will include bike light installations and an introduction to the mission of Complete Streets Athens.

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In the Loop: Mars Hill Widening Will Bring More Development to Oconee

By Lee Becker | September 17, 2015 1:20pm

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

Road work on Mars Hill Road.

Oconee County Strategic and Long-Range Planning Director Wayne Provost told Oconee County commissioners back in January that they could get an idea of what Mars Hill Road could look like in the future by looking at Epps Bridge Parkway today.

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In the Loop: Grocery Store, Apartments Planned for St. Joe's Property

By Blake Aued | September 15, 2015 3:45pm

A Greenville, SC, developer has been meeting quietly with Athens-Clarke County officials and neighborhood groups and is expected to release plans for the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church property soon.

According to Davis Property Group’s website, the development firm, which specializes in multifamily mixed-use development, is tentatively planning 125 apartments and 25,000 square feet of retail space on the property at the corner of Prince Avenue and Pulaski Street.

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In the Loop: GDOT Won't Fund Widening of Jimmy Daniell Road

By Lee Becker | September 8, 2015 5:04pm

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

Jimmy Daniell Road where it crosses the county line.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has decided not to fund the widening of Jimmy Daniell Road, nullifying the project framework agreement signed by Oconee County in December of last year.

GDOT took this action because Oconee County never specified where it was going to find the $1.15 million estimated cost to the county for right of way acquisition for the project.

And Athens-Clarke County, which was to be a partner on the widening of the roadway, will not have funding available for its share of the project until 2020.

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In the Loop: Jody Hice: Kim Davis Is Being 'Persecuted' for Her Beliefs

By Blake Aued | September 8, 2015 1:02pm

Kim Davis' booking photo.

U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R-Loganville) is a fundamentalist Christian who is staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage. So it’s really no surprise that he’s standing by Kim Davis, the Kentucky court clerk who was held in contempt of court and jailed last week for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in violation of a recent Supreme Court ruling striking down same-sex marriage bans nationwide.

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In the Loop: Commissioners Will Study Complete Streets on Chase

By Blake Aued | September 2, 2015 12:05pm

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Traffic at the Chase Street-Boulevard intersection.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted Tuesday night to delay repaving Chase Street to study the possibility of bike and pedestrian safety infrastructure along the corridor, and to reject a rezoning request for a subdivision in Five Points.

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In the Loop: Mayor Denson Pitched a Fit About Buffers Last Night

By Blake Aued | August 28, 2015 4:41pm

Photo Credit: Tim Denson

Mayor Nancy Denson "called out" fellow Democrats and commissioners at a meeting Thursday.

Mayor Nancy Denson caused a stir at a Clarke County Democratic Committee meeting Thursday night when she hijacked a panel discussion among three commissioners to read a statement defending her opposition to pond and wetland buffers.

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