PACKWAY HANDLE BAND
OCT 4
Ashford Manor Bluegrass Favorites Return
OCT 18
HALF DOZEN BRASS BAND
Exciting Mixture of Jazz, Hip-hop, Funk and Dixieland
Gates open at 5:00pm • Music from 6:00-9:00pm
8
FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
behind the rail An Inside Take on Local Issues Last Thursday night’s agenda-setting meetthey will have water in them, which calls for ing was a good example of how a consent special kinds of planting. While these plantagenda can greatly enhance the efficiency of ings can be very attractive—take a walk along government. The Athens-Clarke County Mayor the east side of Lumpkin, between Cedar and Commission use a consent agenda at all Street and the new Tate II Student Center for of our meetings to allow us to dispense with an example—they are not what most people routine items, or items around which there think of when they think of a traditional backis already a great deal of consensus, with yard. So, in this instance, the people most one vote. An item is most likely to get onto affected by the improvements were underthe consent agenda if it has been dealt with standably uncomfortable with staff’s initial in previous meetings—work sessions, public proposal, and a more traditional approach will information sessions, prior commission meetbe used. It is my hope that we will continue ings, etc.—and that was the case with several to look for opportunities to implement some of the items on consent Thursday night. As a of the low-impact strategies that were initially result, and because of the hard work already proposed for this project. done by staff, elected officials and citizens, In other business, the mayor and comThursday night’s meeting lasted less than an mission left three items on discussion, all hour—a rare occurrence indeed! of which in one way or another affect our The consent agenda this month contains downtown life. In October we will discuss and a number of interesting items, reflecting the vote on whether to allow the expenditure of range of duties, powers Downtown Enhancement and services the local funds (a proThe mayor and commission Program government performs, gram funded by downexercises and provides. town parking revenues) left three items on From managing onto renovate retail space discussion, all of which in in the College Avenue street parking to solving flooding problems; from parking deck. This one way or another affect building a diversion cenwill allow Downtown our downtown life. ter to working with our Athens Parking Services partners in the Clarke to vacate their offices County School District to make way for a new in the deteriorating Costa Building and join school building near the corner of Vincent the Downtown Police Substation in these Drive and Jefferson River Road—it was all on new quarters. (As an aside, renovation of consent. the Costa Building, a magnificent historic At the agenda-setting meeting, any membuilding on Washington Street, is a proposed ber of the commission, including the mayor, SPLOST 2011 project.) We will also vote on has the authority to remove an item from a list of downtown events to receive support consent and place it on discussion, and that funding from the Community Events Program, is what I did with one of the consent items funded through the hotel/motel tax. And, on Thursday. The item has to do with solvfinally, we will vote on a list of changes to ing some flooding problems in the area of our taxicab ordinance being recommended by Parkway and Greenwood Drives, in my district. the Government Operations Committee. These Staff had initially proposed a solution that changes will enhance law enforcement’s abilwould have made use of swales, rather than ity to ensure safety, and they will give taxicab underground pipes, to convey the stormowners more flexibility in shopping for liabilwater part of the way, until it finds its way ity insurance. into the creeks. The advantages of swales On a final note, anyone behind the rail are numerous. Exposing stormwater to air may remove an item from the consent agenda and daylight, nature’s sanitizers, means that at our voting meeting next month. So, take a it will be cleaner when it gets to the creek look and let us know what you think. and, ultimately, to the river. Also, as water moves through the swale, some of it seeps Alice Kinman into the ground, where it is filtered before returning to the water table. This reduces the Alice Kinman is Athens-Clarke County Commissioner amount of water that actually dumps into the for District 4. The 10 elected commissioners and the creek, which in turn minimizes problems with mayor are invited to take turns contributing to Behind erosion. the Rail, a monthly column intended to serve as an inSwales do take up room, however, often in formal citizens’ guide to issues before the ACC mayor someone’s backyard. And during rain events and commission in each agenda cycle.