Commission in Deadlock over Annual Action Plan

Commissioners of Athens-Clarke County remained in stalemate Thursday night over specifics of how to spend federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This was one of three main topics discussed at the hour-long Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission meeting that also included negotiated concessions for the controversial landfill extension and approval of new and advanced parking meters in downtown Athens.

When discussion began about cuts to community development grants that HED (Human and Economic Development Department) recommended, controversy arose when Commissioner Jared Bailey admitted, “I have some issues with this budget that has been presented to us by HED, and I am hesitant to approve it.”

On a different note, District 3 Commissioner George Maxwell emphasized, “We need some programs that maybe was cut earlier that maybe we need to take another look at. Especially let us take a look at jobs skills training, as we all know that in the very near future there is going to be some 800 jobs, and to get those jobs people must be trained.”

Regardless of the final numbers the commission approves, it will have to swiftly complete its evaluation of the AAP by April 15 to allow for the 30-day period of public comments and meet the May 15 legal deadline set by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to Manager Alan Reddish.

Commissioner Kelly Girtz, who had originally opposed the landfill project, said “I feel these two governments, Oglethorpe County and Clarke County, are really acting in good faith with citizens in the area.”  Refrencing

The Commission seemed to be in consensus about the Negotiated Concessions Statement for the Athens-Clarke County Landfill extension.

The county will split the cost of paving Dawson Road. with Oglethorpe County, create a tree buffer worth $30,000 and test wells to check for any contamination.

Downtown Athens parking will also be made more convenient with a SPLOST measure of 70 new electronic parking meters, all located on Washington Street.

The meters will be more user-friendly, as they will allow the use of both credit cards and coins and utilize smartphone applications as an easier system of payment.

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The Cox Center: The Face of Grady Abroad

The Cox Center might not be the most well known department at the University of Georgia, but abroad, it is the face of the prestigious Grady School of Journalism.

This is due to work by faculty like senior research scientist Tudor Vlad, an associate director at the James M. Cox Jr. Center, who was interviewed Monday by a UGA journalism class about his work with the center, including his recent trip to Maldova where he conducted workshops to teach the role of journalism.

The Romanian professor believes the overall goal of the center through such workshops is to “address the needs of journalist in emerging democracies” without trying “to tell them what their needs are.”

Vlad explained to the class that the Cox Center is able to fund such workshops through Department of State funding, private funding like foundations, or even local funding.

As for what future trips are in store for the research scientist, “We know for sure we will do a workshop in Romania on media coverage in elections” as well as later workshops to Leon, France, and Bucharest, Romania.