The Annual Meeting of our association will be on Tuesday, March 22.  We need all persons concerned about the future of the association and our local government to attend the January meeting to make plans for issues that will be addressed at the Annual meeting. We need to hear from the membership what they want from the association and how each member will contribute to the responsibilities of the association.

Our Bylaws only require one public (Annual) meeting each year with four additional Board meetings that all members may attend.  Our current schedule at United Community Bank provides for meetings January 25, March 22, May 24, September 27, and October 25.

We provide updates on current local issues and discuss new concerns of our members.  We believe that working together we will be more effective at dealing with issues than we are as individuals going up against the challenges alone.

The Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation Department and The Georgia Mountains YMCA will hold two public hearings at Park & Rec, 365 Riley Road, Dahlonega to receive comments on the YMCA proposed management of the County Park & Rec programs and operations.

Public Hearing times are:  Monday, November 15 at 7:00 PM and Thursday, November 18 at 9:00 AM.

This is a matter that has slipped quietly sort of under the radar of most residents.  Most will not know enough about what is being proposed to be able to ask questions.  And many questions need to be asked.

• Why would the county contemplate turning over operations of a county department to a private concern?

I can only presume that county management finds the department too costly in the current economic situation.  Continued operations would require increases in the costs for participants that will be politically unpopular.  Therefore, turning operations over to a private group allows that group to make decisions without concern for voter backlash.
Let me be very clear, I think is just as, if not more, appropriate for an organization like YMCA to operate an organization like Park & Rec as it is for the county to do so, however, I have a lot of problems with and questions about the proposal.

• Will county residents have to pay a fee to the YMCA to use the Park & Rec building?

• Will county residents have to pay a fee to the YMCA to use ball fields?

• Will county residents have to pay a fee to the YMCA to use trails?

• Will dogs be allowed in the parks?

• Will county residents have to pay to park at these county facilities?

• Will the YMCA pay rental fees for the use of property owned by taxpayers?

• Will the county have financial obligations for the property maintenance?

• Will the county have financial obligations for employee benefits, etc.?

• Will the YMCA have the ability to alter the physical layout, building, topography, walking trails, green space, etc. of this taxpayer owned property?

• What is the time frame of any proposed contract?

• Is an out provided for the YMCA in the event that finances fail to meet expectations?

• Is an out provided for county residents if they are not pleased with YMCA operations?

• What is the financial benefit to Lumpkin County taxpayers?

• Why are the Public Hearings being held by the Parks & Rec Department and The Georgia Mountains YMCA and not by the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners?

Please attend the meetings and bring your own questions!   This proposal is for control of county property to be turned over to a private entity.  This may not be the first time such a thing has happened; but is this the way we want taxpayer assets to be used?

groundedgraphics.com/hiking-trails/blackburn-park-trails.php

The Lumpkin County Trails Committee worked successfully for five years as a required public involvement for trails grants.  A single experienced county resident contractor had worked with the committee to lay out a route for the trail with switchbacks that would make the trail accessible to almost anyone who could walk.  Numerous volunteers who had training in trail construction had committed to help construct such a trail.

Public concerns were disregarded and public input eliminated when commissioners hired an independent contractor at a much greater cost to the county.  You see, when the trail was built, Lumpkin County had more money than it had sense.  The building boom was still going full force with property values and taxes still rising.

The hired contractor designed and constructed a trail straight down a steep hill toward and within a few feet of the reservoir.  It’s no wonder the EPD finally questioned the wisdom of a silt fence to protect the reservoir from a mudslide down that hill.

Unfortunately, the county now seems to have made the situation worse by widening the trail into an un-surfaced road that will need constant attention.  Rip rap added at the edge of the water may prevent erosion of the bank; but it doesn’t stand a prayer of stopping dirt that will be washed down the hill.  See the pictures.

During trail construction, members of the public were concerned about dirt entering the reservoir.  In response to those concerns, Lumpkin County Trails Committee members requested an opportunity to look at the work that was being done.  Immediately following their visit to the site accompanied by the contractor and numerous county employees, the Trails Committee was abolished.  Or to be more accurate, a determination was made that the committee never existed.  County employee members of the trails committee are well aware that the grant for our reservoir trail would have been lost without the efforts of that committee.

In the current economy, the county can no longer afford to kick volunteers to the curb.  This is our government.  Public land belongs to all of us.  If you are an elected official who does not value and respect volunteers, you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Maybe it is time for you to move on.

You created a disaster around our reservoir where we wanted a lovely winding trail that would be accessible to anyone who can walk.  Your so-called improvements have made it wider and much more likely to erode.  You have created pollution instead of protecting our water reservoir.  Where is the EPD?  Hopefully they will soon be all over you.

Following the commission vote to not approve one particular site in Yahoola Creek Park for a Dog Park, they agreed to have a committee appointed to consider proposing a site.

The motion for the vote was very strange because it limited consideration by the commissioners of any other site.  Dog park proponents had been clear that they could work with almost any area within Yahoola Creek Park.

Dog park proponents have committed to pay for all improvements to the property, to establish and enforce stringent regulations, and to manage the park with no financial support from or legal liability for the county.  They have been very clear that they would not be interested in investing in a park that is not close to downtown Dahlonega.

During the first meeting of the Blackburn Park Concept Committee, County Manager Stan Kelley stated that we needed to develop the Concept Plan to get direction for the $900,000 from SPLOST for Park & Rec.  He said, “Yahoola Creek Park is done.”  Presumably, this means that no more ball fields will be developed in Yahoola Creek Park.  If indeed, that is the case, it ought to be easy to designate an area for a dog park.

Dog Park Committee members:

Commissioner Bill Scott who bitterly opposed the dog park was selected by

Commission Chairman John Raber to chair the Dog Park Committee.

Alan Roach from the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Department

Sandy Steele, dog park member

Jane Mullinex, Wendell Caldwell, Brenda Norrell

Too bad this was scheduled as an early morning meeting.  It is important for as many people as possible to attend and find out what is going on.

Chairman John Raber began the discussion saying, “Regardless of what comes out, you have been professional.”  He continued relating that during visitation at the funeral home someone had yelled out at him, “Y’all had better not allow that dog park!”

After allowing dog park supporters to state what they  wanted, Raber offered dog park opponent, Clinton Crane, an opportunity to question dog park supporters.  Crane asked, “Y’all gonna build a fence if we give you a piece of property?  Y’all gonna take care of all the upkeep, so forth?  No extra work for the Park & Rec?  Who has liability?  My thing is, right now the county has not given a piece of land to a non-profit.”

This public display during a Regular Commission Meeting was unprecedented since Raber became chairman.  During all previous Regular Monthly Commission meetings, Raber has been very careful to allow only commissioners to ask questions during meetings.

Every issue mentioned by Crane had been thoroughly addressed during numerous work sessions.  Specific alternate locations within Yahoola Creek Park had been discussed during a Public Hearing and a Work Session.  The location highlighted on a map brought to the meeting by county representatives had been recommended by Commissioner Clarence Stowers.

Dog park supporter, Civil Engineer Glenn Melvin, had met with commissioners at that location to see what they thought of it.  Commissioners who actually looked at the location seemed to agree that it was too small a space for other uses.  Commissioners Scott and Raber could not find time in their busy schedules to visit any location for a dog park.

Commissioner Bill Scott admits that he just plain opposes a dog park in Yahoola Creek Park.  He accomplished a real “bait and switch” with a motion to deny the originally proposed location that he alleged was the only location before the commission.  He volunteered that alternate locations brought up at the February Work Session had been a surprise to him and he had not found time to consider any other location.

The facts are:

• Other locations had been discussed in more than one public meeting.
• The county’s own map indicated the alternate location.
• Scott refused to consider the site that actually was before the commission.

Raber appears fearful of all those folks who oppose this gift to the county, but only Clinton Crane and Bill Scott have come forth.

The gist of it is, after two work sessions and one public hearing spread out over nearly six months, Bill Scott was able to make a motion that successfully prevented any kind of positive vote for a dog park even though it would create no obligation to the county and cost the taxpayers nothing.

People love their dogs.  As Clarence Stowers said recently, “People only have children living with them for about twenty years.  The rest of their lives, they have a dog.”

The issue has awakened a lot more voters to problems within county government.  They are not going away and they won’t give up.

Join us for our first meeting of 2010 when we make plans for the year.  Be prepared to discuss what we can do to encourage more residents to pay attention to what’s going on and what we can do to encourage them to get involved.

Our input is needed on many issues:

How will the county make ends meet with less money coming in?

Will the tax digest shrink as a result of decreased property values.

Will taxes be increased to maintain the current budget?  What can/should be cut?

How great is the “mudhole” trail around the reservoir?  The one local residents could not be trusted to build.

Will the county accept a grant for improvement in Blackburn Park that will include public participation this time?

Will county commissioners elected by local citizens allow local citizens to locate a dog park in Yohoola Creek Park at no cost to or commitment from county government?

What can we do to make Lumpkin County a better place to live?

Join us for coffee, cake and lively discussion.

We believe that working together we will be more effective at dealing with issues than we are as individuals going up against the challenges alone.

The public was allowed to state whether they supported or opposed the statement.  Additional comments were welcomed during a second round of questioning.

Almost everyone in the room spoke up in support of the dog park in Yahoola Creek Park.

Three attendees stated some opposition.  One fellow doesn’t understand that a dog park would not take away anything from the ball parks.  Shockingly, the other two were veterans who opposed the dog park because they don’t think the county does enough for veterans.  Their position was clearly not the position of all veterans since many who spoke in favor of the dog park were also veterans.  I have been told that one of the gentlemen said after the meeting that he did not really oppose the dog park, he just wanted more county support for veterans.

There seems to be little opposition from the public to a dog park within the Yahoola Creek Park complex.  One resident who did not attend the meeting tells me that they drive down to Windward Parkway to allow their dog to play with other dogs.  She talked about the importance of socialization for the dogs and the joy good dogs bring to their families.

The dog park was not addressed during the December BOC meeting.  Anyone feeling very strongly about the dog park should contact commissioners as soon as possible.  Never underestimate your ability to make a difference.

Dog Park supporters have worked for some two years on this project.  They submitted a petition of more than 1000 names of persons who support it.

No county funds would be spent on the Dog Park.  Volunteers will be responsible for installing a fence, landscaping, maintenance and policing.  There will be no greater liability for the county in this area than in any other area of the park.  No long term commitment on use of the property is being requested.

Dog parks are not just for dogs.  They offer a place for dogs to run off leash and exercise while their owners enjoy the company of other log lovers.  Folks who don’t have their own dogs have an opportunity to enjoy the company of these friendly pets.

Dog parks are considered an enhancement for tourism.  Many people travel with their pets and seek out places that provide a place for pets to unwind.

Attend the Public Hearing if you can.  Commissioners need to know who supports the Dog Park.