Residents say city neglects north Athens-Clarke County

Posted 6:30PM on Sunday 13th October 2002 ( 22 years ago )

ATHENS - While it may seem peaceful to live in a wooded, undeveloped area of northern Athens-Clarke County, Odell Gresham is far from worry-free. Gresham, like other residents who live on Nowhere Road, sees an area that is starving for water services, local health services and fire protection. Two years ago, voters passed a referendum to provide additional water lines on several roads, but plans to build a fire station were delayed when the funds from the Special-Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) became scarce. Firefighters have responded to more than 100 fires in northern Athens-Clarke County since Jan. 1 - an average number for outlying areas. But the response time to that part of the county has been below average. ``Several mobile homes have gotten burned,'' said Gresham, who has lived in that part of the county for more than 50 years. ``When they finally get here, the mobile home is gone and people have lost all their possessions.'' While most areas of the county have a fire station within five minutes, it can take firefighters 10 minutes or longer to arrive at a fire in northern Athens-Clarke, according to Assistant Fire Chief Larry Pittman. And in an area where mobile home neighborhoods dot many corners of the landscape, every minute counts. ``It's not our busiest area, but it's probably one of our most neglected as far as fire coverage,'' Pittman said. ``It takes a longer response time to get there than anywhere else.'' The lack of fire service, combined with the need for other services, makes residents feel like ``the redheaded stepchild'' of the county, said Freddie Massey, a Nowhere Road resident. ``District 2 is the most neglected district in the county,'' said Massey. ``We're under the same (property tax) milage rate as everyone else, but we don't have water, ... we've never had a fire station.'' Commissioner Harry Sims, who represents District 2, said residents need to be more vocal. The area is rural and sparsely populated, which makes it a lower priority for some decision makers, he said. ``There's been no speaking out to say what they need,'' said Sims. ``A lot of it's rural. They've got a lot of large areas of land and some politicians have looked at that. But there's a lot of residents that live there.'' The Concerned Citizens of North Athens-Clarke County, residents who were very vocal during the SPLOST 2000 discussions, have lost momentum over the last few years, said Lacy Johnson, the group's founder. But she said the group plans to re-form and step up its efforts to make their needs known to the commission.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/10/188946