http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/SWCC.htm
i| Meeting 2013 Jan 11 | ||
| Site Visit |
Emails and Proposed Minutes from 1-11-13 and repercussions
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:35 From: Reece Parker <rparker@landplanning.net>
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:12 To: Holliday Dental <teeth@mindspring.com >, Reece Parker <rparker@landplanning.net >, Cindy Gibson <cgibson@doe.k12.ga.us >,Anna Bass <abass@doe.k12.ga.us>, Peggy Chambers < Peggy.Chambers@dnr.state.ga.us>, Jan Sammons < Jan.Sammons@dnr.state.ga.us>,, Robert Arrington < rob@altamahariverkeeper.org>, Richard Creswell <rwcreswell@gmail.com >, Luke Crosson <lcrosson@gaswcc.org>, From: Holliday Dental <teeth@mindspring.com> Subject: RE: Project at the Georgia Academy of the Blind - site visit minutes, links Cc: Raquel.Clement@gsfic.ga.gov All, My initial changes to the draft minutes are marked as Thank-you, - Lindsay MEETING MINUTES Project: Renovations and Modifications to the Georgia Academy for the Blind (BLP Job #11015) Attendees: Dr. Lindsay Holliday Macon Resident, Ocmulgee SWCC Supervisor Dr. Cindy Gibson Georgia Academy for the Blind Anna Bass Georgia Academy for the Blind Ronnie Davis, Grounds Keeper, Georgia Academy for the Blind Peggy Chambers Georgia EPD Reece Parker Breedlove Land Planning, Inc. Roger Wells Breedlove Land Planning, Inc. A meeting was held on January 11th, 2013 on the Georgia Academy for the Blind (GAB) campus to review Dr. Holliday's comments regarding the State Waters Buffer Variance application associated with the stream infill project on the GAB campus. 1. REVIEW OF DR. HOLLIDAY'S COMMENTS AND CONCERNS: a. Dr. Holliday indicated that he was recently elected as a District Supervisor for the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. b. Dr. Holliday acknowledged the project's priorities in the following order: i. Student and public safety ii. Structural integrity of foundation of existing Health Services building Reece Parker pointed out that structural piers were recently installed to mitigate problems associated with the building's foundation subgrade. iii. Environmental sensitivity c. Dr. Holliday expressed that he would like to achieve the goals with a minimal amount of impact. i. Dr. Holliday indicated that he would send BLP a URL link to a list of his specific concerns. Here: http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/GAB.htm d. Dr. Holliday requested a copy of the field run topographic survey. Reece Parker said he would inquire with the owner to determine if it is acceptable to send the topo information. Reece Parker also advised that a copy of the survey has been submitted to the City of Macon Engineering Dept as part of the Land Disturbance Permit submittal. e. Dr. Holliday would like the elevations of the existing pipes, roads and walkways. Reece Parker said he would inquire with the owner to determine if it is acceptable to send the topo information. Reece Parker also advised that a copy of the survey has been submitted to the City of Macon Engineering Dept as part of the Land Disturbance Permit submittal. f. Dr. Holliday offered a alternative plan consisting of the following: i. ii. Armor the steep banks of the creek segment between the sidewalk and roadway with riprap and/or stone. 1. Peggy Chambers pointed out that the Georgia EPD recommends avoiding this type of stream bank armoring due to its impervious nature. Holliday agreed, but pointed out that stacked rock slopes are more natural and pervious than buried cement pipe culverts. iii. Surround the creek segment located between the sidewalk and roadway with ornamental fencing. Holliday noted the existing historic welded in-situ pipe rail fencing seems to be as good as new, is elegant in its simplicity and functionality, and may be a sufficient barrier if extended. This needs more study. iv. Address drainage issues on the east and west sides of the Health Services Building g. BLP stated their proposed design to remove invasive exotic plant material from on site downstream creek segment and plant a variety of native trees, shrubs and ground covers. i. Dr. Holliday - The planned use of herbicides is of great concern. He has no problem with carefully removing ivy from trees using hand tools. He has no problem with using a weed eater or a lawn mower to control ivy on the ground. Any heavy equipment would be unnecessarily damaging to this site. 1. He stated that (from his experience) the invasive species would re-establish, even after multiple inspections/eradication efforts are made as proposed. Holliday states he is open minded, and he would like to visit a few sites where the particular invasive-eradication-technique described by BLP has been successfully used in similar circumstances. 2. He indicated that the invasive plants already stabilize the creek bank and should not be removed, unless extremely minimal soil will be disturbed. - Great care needs to be taken to avoid damaging the desirable native ferns and mosses that are already present along much of the stream bank here. End Minutes |
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| --Are there
"Final Minutes" from this meeting? -- Or are there just two different sets of minutes? |
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| C l e m e n t |
From: Holliday Dental [ mailto:teeth@mindspring.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 6:42 AM To: Clement, Raquel Subject: RE: Project at the Georgia Academy of the Blind - site visit minutes, links Dear Mrs. Clement, Who has the authority to modify this project to make it more beneficial to the students, the environment and the taxpayers of Georgia? Thank-you, - Lindsay D Holliday Thursday, January 24, 2013 9:57 AM From: Clement, Raquel [ mailto:raquel.clement@gsfic.ga.gov] Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 9:57 AM To: Holliday Dental Cc: Michael Rowland; Gregory Snapp; rellison@gsstj.com; RParker@landplanning.net; Anna Bass; Cindy Gibson Subject: SBE-21B: Project at the Georgia Academy of the Blind - site visit minutes, links Dr. Holliday, Thanks for your correspondence. Our entire design team is prepared to meet with you in order to discuss your concerns in regards to this project. Mike Rowland, Facilities Service Director will be sending you an email in order to discuss specific concerns that you have. I look forward to meeting with you soon. Can you please forward your availability so that I can assist in this effort? Raquel Clement GSFIC Phone: (404)798-2149 email: raquel.clement@gsfic.ga.gov |
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| R o w l a n d |
At 10:13 AM 1/24/2013, Michael Rowland wrote: Dr. Holliday, As a follow up to Ms. Clement's e-mail, I chair the team that works through these plans and projects from design to implementation. As referred to below, we would like to set up a meeting where you can have access to those of us who will ultimately recommend a final solution in this matter. The next few days for me are pretty busy, but I will be working with Raquel to see what we can arrange. It would help for us to know if you might be available to come to our office in Atlanta and any dates for which you have availability. If not, perhaps we can meet in Macon. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to hearing from you. Mike Rowland Facilities Services Director Facilities Services Unit Georgia Department of Education 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, SE 1670 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334 GaDOE: 404.656.2454 Cell: 404.617.9409 Fax: 404.651.7688 mrowland@doe.k12.ga.us http://wwwgadoe.org "Making Education Work for All Georgians" At 06:09 AM 1/28/2013, Holliday wrote: Mr Rowland, I will be in Atlanta at Georgia Tech this weekend for the annual meeting of the Georgia Association of Conservation District Supervisors I think the most useful place for us to meet would be on site. It seems pretty clear when there, to see precisely where safety fencing is needed but lacking, and see where ivy is growing up into trees, and see where the water is infiltrating the fill dirt foundation under a part of the threatened building. I would like to walk into the fenced area containing the most invasive plants to study it closer. I would like a pdf formatted file emailed to me of the existing topographic study and the existing drainage systems. I could meet there on the following Friday, Feb 8th. Other dates after that are also available. It might be helpful for me to review the original Needs and Purpose of the proposed project. I would appreciate the chance to view how the perception of the needs was originally communicated to state officials, and how a preliminary solution was developed. And what, if any, constraints on the design solution were enumerated. Please let me know the proposed total budget for the project. Thank-you, - Lindsay Holliday |
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| R o w l a n d |
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2013 20:42 From: Michael Rowland <MRowland@doe.k12.ga.us> To: "Holliday Dental (teeth@mindspring.com)" <teeth@mindspring.com> CC: Gregory Snapp <GSnapp@doe.k12.ga.us>, "Clement, Raquel (raquel.clement@gsfic.ga.gov)" <raquel.clement@gsfic.ga.gov>,"john.jefferson@gsfic.ga.gov" <john.jefferson@gsfic.ga.gov>, Gregg Stevens <GStevens@doe.k12.ga.us> Subject: FW: SBE-21B: Project at the Georgia Academy of the Blind - site visit minutes, links Dr. Holliday, As a follow up to our e-mail from this morning, I want to remind you of my e-mail of Friday, February 1, 2013, stating that I will not be able to attend a meeting at GAB tomorrow. Since you have had access via meeting to team members previously, I have cancelled this meeting for them as well. Attached are the topo maps you requested. With regards to needs assessments, an analysis of the existing conditions of the deteriorated water channel, which is highly eroded due to many of the upstream developed areas being constructed prior to current storm water management practices (detention, channel protection, and water quality BMPs) was conducted. We confirmed the school’s safety concerns caused by the erosion and exposed tree roots. The exposed tree roots increase the likelihood the trees will fall due to wind and continued erosion. We noted the difficulty with maintaining a safe area for those living and working on campus, especially those in the nearby cottages. We also noted the close proximity of the Health Services Building and its potential issues with erosion of the open channel at the base of the steep fill slope that the building is constructed upon. We noted that some of the existing underground storm drainage systems located on-site are in disrepair and need to be replaced. We noted that the drainage channel and buffer located to the west side of the campus was overgrown with evasive exotic plant material. We also studied the hydrology of the contributing watershed to determine design parameters. With the hydrology calculations in hand, it was determined that the existing underground storm drainage systems located on-site are undersized and need to be replaced for required flow capacity. After taking many factors into consideration and exploring various options, an underground storm drainage system consisting of partially new and partially replaced storm pipe was decided to be the best solution. There were no design constraints placed on the design professional. The budget for this project is $667,566.27 with a stated cost limitation of $545,576.00. Additionally, given my review of the information regarding this project, I have directed that the project be implemented as designed. If you have further need of inquiry, I recommend you communicate directly with the legal department at GaDOE. Mike Rowland Facilities Services Director Facilities Services Unit Georgia Department of Education 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, SE 1670 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334 GaDOE: 404.656.2454 Cell: 404.617.9409 Fax: 404.651.7688 mrowland@doe.k12.ga.us http://wwwgadoe.org "Making Education Work for All Georgians" Attached: "S-284 Ga Acad for the Blind" Topo, 2895 Vineville Ave., Macon, GA 0012 Bibb Sheet 1.pdf" "S-284 Ga Acad for the Blind" Topo, 2895 Vineville Ave., Macon, GA 0012 Bibb Sheet 2.pdf" Content-Description: S-284 Ga Acad for the Blind Topo, 2895 Vineville Ave., |
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| H o l l i d a y |
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:19 To: Michael Rowland <MRowland@doe.k12.ga.us>,, Gregory Snapp <GSnapp@doe.k12.ga.us>,,<raquel.clement@gsfic.ga.gov>, <john.jefferson@gsfic.ga.gov>,,Gregg Stevens <GStevens@doe.k12.ga.us>,, Jan.Sammons@dnr.state.ga.us,,Kevin.Farrell@dnr.state.ga.us,, Charlotte.Mascaro@dnr.state.ga.us,,Anna Bass <ABass@doe.k12.ga.us>,, Cindy Gibson <cgibson@doe.k12.ga.us>,, Reece R Parker <rparker@landplanning.net>,, Roger Wells <rwells@landplanning.net>,, "Robert Arrington" <rob@altamahariverkeeper.org>, "Richard Creswell" <rwcreswell@gmail.com>,, Luke Crosson <lcrosson@gaswcc.org>,,ray.jones@usda.gov,, nikki.randall@house.ga.gov,,Allen.Peake@house.ga.gov, cecil.staton@senate.ga.gov,,hduncan@macon.com,, Mike Stucka <mstucka@macon.com>,Adam Ragusea <aragusea@GPB.ORG>,, From: Holliday Dental <teeth@mindspring.com> Subject: Georgia Academy for the Blind -- controversial project -- Cc: SamAG Olens <solens@law.ga.gov>,, Steffan AttyGen-Ritter Tom Ellington <tom.ellington@macon.ga.us>,, Rick Hutto <rick@rickhutto.com>,, Louis Thompkins <louisftompkins@cox.net> For the sake of the GAB students, for the sake of their education, for the sake of the environment which allows humans to live on this planet, the GaDOE officials should reconsider and change the current plans for the GAB campus stream. Re: SBE-21B: Project at the Georgia Academy of the Blind Dear Sirs: This project lies within the Ocmulgee branch of the Altamaha River Basin. The proposed project will destroy several hundred feet of natural stream, buffer and associated flora and fauna. Thus it needs an exemption from regulations under the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). I was elected Bibb County SWCC Supervisor in 2012. And that is why I was asked by the Riverkeeper and an Environmental Law professor at Mercer to review this project when notice was served on Nov 5, 2012 for public comment. I said "Ok". Then, upon calling the number listed at EPD for information, I immediately encountered the first of several deliberately placed obstacles to my quest for public involvement. Several Ga EPD employees, including Renee Walker and Peggy Chambers defied and delayed my ORR (Open Records Request) for over 3 weeks. I then contacted their supervisors and complained. These supervisors complied with the Ga ORR law for me. I am thankful to them - Jan Sammons, Kevin Farrell and Charlotte Mascaro. I requested a site visit, which was granted, and on 1-11-13 I met with two of the designers and some others. It became clear that none of the attendees that day had the authority to change or modify the project, thus none of them had any interest or need to consider the new ideas that I presented to them that day. It was frustrating to see my "public involvement" neutralized by a meeting that was designed (purposefully or not) to be ineffective. After refining my webpage, I asked to meet with "the project deciders" from the Ga Department of Education (DOE) on site to review the purpose and needs for this project and to see if my substitute "conservation" plan could accomplish their goals with less destruction and cost. This meeting was scheduled for Feb 8th, but was then cancelled by the "chief decider", Mike Rowland, Facilities Services Director, GaDOE, who, instead, substituted a rushed and distracted cell phone call from his car. From the above experience, one might conclude that this project was a "done deal" before it went out for public review. As far as I know, the project design work by Breedlove Associates is perfectly fine and good. The problem is that Breedlove engineering firm was misdirected by the [Facilities Services Unit, Georgia Department of Education, www.gadoe.org] about what problems to solve. It seems clear that the GaDOE has misdiagnosed both some problems and some opportunities on the GAB campus. Problems? I did not see any erosion or stormwater problems that could not be solved by well placed rocks. Can the GaDOE document any exceptions to this? More grass? I did not see any lack of lawn play space. I did see acres of empty lawns during a school day, a beautiful day with no kids outside. Can the GaDOE document otherwise? Safety? Are there any documented safety problems concerning the stream that would not be solved by extending the fencing? Opportunities? Where are the students taught to walk on uneven natural ground? Can the GaDOE document they do not need to teach this on campus? Budgeting Incentives? Is this a "use it or loose it" type of budgeted project? Does the GaDOE use zero-based-budgeting? Are there bureaucratic induced spending requirements to keep the budgets bloated? The Opportunities and Advantages of a Conservative Alternative Plan are listed on this webpage which also shows the current GaDOE plan.: http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/GAB.htm On the same webpage is this photo explanation of the misdiagnosis of the eroding foundation - http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/GAB-Vineville-Branch3.jpg Safety fencing issues are illustrated similarly. The GaDOE has provided no documentation of safety incidents that would not be completely solved with proper fencing. Safety on campus must be balanced with safety education -- a learning goal for the GAB. "Give a man a fish to feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish to feed him for a lifetime." From which it follows: Bury a stream, and you've minimized the chance of a student stumbling on campus one day. Teach a kid to negotiate a stream, and he will walk more carefully and confidently within this knowledge for a lifetime. To destroy the opportunity of having and using an outdoor safety lab is beyond my understanding of the purpose and mission of this teaching Academy for the Blind. One stated goal of the project is to "provide additional play area", but not only will the actual surface land area be diminished (by a ratio of the hypotenuse of the angle of the two buried slopes) but also, there will be an enormous reduction in the richness and diversity of the playing areas. Aerial photographs show the GAB already has large lawns in addition to a baseball field and paved gaming areas. Several hundred yards to the west are even larger grassed areas and numerous playing fields at a public park, Freedom Park. There is no shortage of grassy lawns for the kids, only excess. There is only one natural stream on campus, and the most accessible, gentle part of this stream is targeted for destruction by the GaDOE project. This is contrary to any educational or recreational goal. I attended classes and a field trip at Georgia Tech on Feb 2nd with the GACDS: http://www.gacds.org/annual-meeting The information presented there reinforced most of my initial presumptions about this project. Expert engineers from Ga Tech campus and the City of Atlanta are working hard to preserve and restore Urban Streams, watersheds and natural storm water controls right now. Stormwater pipe outfalls which may (or may not) need maintenance now will become much, much harder to maintain and repair if buried deeper under ground. That is why the outfall pipes should remain exposed. There are esthetically acceptable and interesting ways to do this. Exposed tree roots are not necessarily a problem; many ancient trees have their roots exposed for centuries. Top heavy trees can be trimmed by experts. Uneven ground is but one teaching point of an outdoor lab. To a blind or deaf person, how rich is the smell of black soil under decaying leaves on the forest floor? What is the feel of soft, damp, spongy mosses, or angular or smooth wet rocks and sand in a stream of flowing water? Flowing water provided the epiphany, the "Aha!" moment, for Helen Keller, our most famous and successful blind-deaf American. What is the teaching value of the sound of real live frogs, buzzing insects, birds singing and splash-bathing in a stream? These experiences are a gift of Creation. A gift for the children who want and need to learn more. With the limited information I have been given, it seems this project is far worse than a simple waste of $1,000,000.00 of taxpayer money, because it creates more harm than good. For the sake of the GAB students, for the sake of their education, for the sake of the environment which allows humans to live on this planet, state officials need to reconsider and change the current plans for the GAB campus stream. Thank-you, - Lindsay Holliday Ocmulgee District, SWCC Supervisor references: GAB application (March 2011) for stream buffer encroachment: http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/GAB-application.pdf Official Public Notice (Nov 5, 2012) of Stream Disturbance: http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/Stream-Buffer-Variance-Public-Advisories-November-2012.pdf Public information website for Alternative Plan (December 2012 + recent updates) for Conservation/Education: http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/GAB.htm Initial site visit (Jan 11, 2013) with some of the engineering firm designers: http://www.macon-bibb.com/SWC/GAB-Meeting_20130111.jpg ___________________ Lindsay D. Holliday, DMD office (478) 746-5695 h- 742-8699 fax 742-4952 360 Spring Street Macon, GA 31201 www.hollidaydental.com [cell is usually off 335-3452] |
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