Serving DeKalb & Metro Atlanta Volume 17 Number 8
www.ocgnews.com
JULY 15, 2011
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Sparks fly DeKalb group sues county Tensions build, meetings set in redistricting process As Georgia lawmakers prepare to reconvene next month to redraw state Congressional and legislative district lines, sparks are already flying. Democrats have issued a sharp response to the GOP’s handling of a memo seeking comment from state lawmakers on guidelines that would direct the reapportionment process. Rep. Roger Lane, chairman of the House Reapportionment Committee, sent a memo dated July 12 electronically to members of the Senate, but the notice was placed on the desks of House members. The legislature is not in session. Lane asked for members to make comments by July 15 to prepare for a committee meeting he plans to hold on July 20. The legislature is not in session. State lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene in special session to vote on reapportionment on Aug. 15. “Under the best circumstances, Democratic members have only 48 hurs to respond to the request. In reality, there is less time, if any, to respond to Lane’s request since the Legislature is not in session. During the summer months, members aren’t regularly at the State Capitol,” said Sen. Horacena Tate (D-Atlanta), chairperson of the Senate Democratic Reapportionment Committee. “This most recent action further politicizes a process meant to be fair and transparent,” said Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), chair of he House Democratic Reapportionment Committee. Lane could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, town halls are being scheduled to get voter input on how lines should be redrawn to reflect the population shift from the recent census. As a result of that population increase in Georgia, the state’s Congressional seats will increase from 13 to 14. The Rockdale County Democratic Party (RCDP) will host House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams at its next monthly meeting July 23, 9 - 10 a.m. at the Ramada Inn, 1351 Dogwood Drive in Conyers. See Local, page 7 INSIDE
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to halt gasification plant
By Valerie J. Morgan
O
utraged over DeKalb County’s decision to issue a special land use permit for the construction of a gasification plant to make electricity, a group of citizens are making good on their word to fight what they say is “environmental racism.” Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment (CHASE) is now suing the county. The group, which has tried for months to stop the plant, has hired the law firm of Jenkins, Olson & Bowen, P.C. The Cartersville firm filed a 20page lawsuit on July 13 in the Superior Court of DeKalb County seeking to appeal the county’s approval of a special land use permit to Green Energy Partners. The facility plans to convert wood chips that are hauled to the site into electricity that will be sold to Georgia Power. Green Energy is awaiting the Environmental Protection Division’s approval for an air quality permit before construction can start on the plant. Plans for the project have brought out both, opponents who fear emissions will mean more pollution, and proponents who say this type of green energy will bring needed jobs and revenues to DeKalb. The county plans to sell wood waste generated from tree clippings
Photo by Glenn L. Morgan/OCG News
Attorney Peter Olson, flanked by opponents of the plant, shares details of the suit that his clients have filed against DeKalb County.
to the plant. “We want Environmental Protection to know that we don’t want it—please don’t issue this permit,” said Dr. Jewel Crawford, M.D., who spoke on behalf of CHASE during a recent press conference. “…We have just a mountain of evidence that shows these things are harmful to health.” Crawford is a family practitioner and professor at Morehouse School of Medicine. In addition to naming CHASE as a plaintiff, the suit also names two residents,
Mildred Banks and Gerald Sanders, Sr., who live on Rogers Lake Road near the planned facility. The gasification plant will join a landfill, junk yard, and mechanics shops that are located on the same street. Attorney Peter Olson, who is representing CHASE and the two residents named in the suit, said the lawsuit seeks to strike down the special land use permit, which was approved by the DeKalb County Commission on June 14. “They (Green Energy) need that, in addition to the
EPD air quality permit to get this use approved,” Olson said. “…We’ve handled a lot of zoning challenges. Often times, local governments don’t dot every ‘i’ or cross every ‘t’ and follow their own procedures and that’s a stumbling block they can be challenged on and we can win.” Olson said DeKalb violated its own zoning process in granting the permit. The violations also included the county striking a deal with Green Energy to buy wood See May, page 9
Two kids team up to plant an azalea bush in the Lewis Vaughn Botanical Garden.
Photos by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Above: Conyers Mainstreet Program Manager Monica Coffin helps some young assistants plant azaleas in Olde Town.
Conyers resident Jill Parker helps her son Quinn (turquoise shirt) and other youngsters with their new gardening kits.
Children help restore vandalized garden By Joshua Smith
Conyers – A group of young children came to the rescue of the Lewis Vaughn Botanical Garden, which was vandalized recently in Olde Town Conyers. The garden, originally erected in 1994, is nestled in the heart of downtown Conyers adjacent
to the Conyers Pavilion. The flowers and vegetation there were supposed to be a source of pride and beautify a spot for residents and tourists who came to the downtown area. Recently, however, vandals destroyed many of the garden’s plants, leaving a mess. Mainstreet Program Manager Monica
Coffin found the perfect way to enlist help and help kids develop an appreciation for gardening and the city’s history. She decided to give young children some hands-on training as part of the Olde Town Summer Series. The series, in its 15th year, brings See Conyers, page 7