The Boulevard Neighborhood Association recently reached out to Rodney Walters, Athens-Clarke County's community forestry coordinator, about the health and safety of the trees in the neighborhood. With recent extreme storms, the group was wondering if there was a need to investigate the trees for any potential issues, or even move to replace less desirable species. Here's what Walters said:
"We have just recently completed a safety review of trees along Boulevard and the surrounding neighborhoods as part of an annual level 1 inspection of the trees. Our approach is to monitor the trees for safety and to remove trees as needed. There are water oaks on Boulevard along with many other tree species, including willow oak, southern black oak, elms, dogwoods, redbuds, and many others." Walters also said that the condition of the trees along Boulevard is varied, since they represent a range of species and ages. In addition, they are monitored for both their health and structural integrity. "If a tree is discovered to have to have a defect(s), a level 2 inspection is conducted to assign a safety rating. Trees that are found to have unfavorable safety ratings are mitigated by pruning, cabling, or removal," he added. "When trees are removed, they may or may not be replaced, depending on the location. Athens-Clarke County plants trees every year and, as the community forester, I work with citizens through the Community Tree Council to raise funding for the planting trees beyond what the Athens Clarke County budget allots." If you have additional questions for Walters, email the BNA and we will compile an additional follow-up email from the neighborhood. The Community Advisory Committee, which comprises community members, hospital representatives, the construction team, and design team, met in April to get updates on the hospital's construction plans. At the time, the addition of the fourth floor above the emergency department was 85% complete on the outside and about 95% complete on the inside. Also, the King Avenue sidewalk was set to be reopened. This phase of the construction will be finished in October or November. The next phase is the demolition of the old part of the hospital and construction of the new tower. This encompasses primarily the part of the existing hospital from the Talmadge street entrance north to Prince Ave and includes all of the original 1919 structure, which is hidden inside all the additions made in the 40s and 50s. The tentative schedule of this phase of construction is as follows:
Not much to report for the past two months, according to the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. No incidents were reported in March. In April, police responded to a theft in the 100 block of Grady Avenue on April 25.
Remember, even if the incident is minor, it's important to report it to ACCPD. You can call the non-emergency line at 706-613-3345 (in case of emergency, though, please dial 9-1-1!). The Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee of the Georgia House of Representatives voted 6-5 Wednesday morning to pass House Bill 302 prohibiting local governments from regulating building design of one or two-family dwellings.
The Georgia Conservancy notes that HB 302 "has the potential to hinder, if not completely remove, innovation at the local level to address needs or leverage assets related to natural resources, housing, revitalization, or other land use conditions." Read more about this bill and how it might affect local governments' abilities to regulate new construction in Flagpole and Oconee County Observations. You can also find the full text of the bill online. Folks from ACC, Koons Design, and the BNA met at Boulevard Park recently to do the penultimate inspection prior to the park being open again to the public. Only major item is to put in two benches (in progress), clean out some dead tree limbs, and a few minor fixes to playground and paths. No firm dates, but in general things should be wrapping up within about a month. Other good news from Alex Bond at Athens-Clarke County is that there is now a mechanism in place for private contributions to fund water fountains in the county. Phase II will have a water connection for landscaping, which can be used to supply a water fountain in the future. Perhaps a water fountain (human + dog) could be part of the park's future, via private funds, once the dust settles on Phase II.
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