Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024
Good morning! We start today with the latest chapter in the effort by a Savannah charity to upgrade the city’s crown jewel, Forsyth Park. After that, we look at water — too much in one case and what some in Bulloch County believe is precious little, in another. Finally, we note some things for your radar. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com
NEWS: GOVERNING
Park proposal gets another look
The Savannah alderman who represents the neighborhoods surrounding Forsyth Park successfully postponed a vote on a measure to cede substantial control of the park to a new private nonprofit that is seeking to preserve and improve the beloved city landmark.
Council members tabled the proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Friends of Forsyth Conservancy, Inc., after District 2 Alderman Detric Leggett privately told City Manager Jay Melder before last Thursday’s council meeting that he had grave concerns about the document.
Leggett told The Current that he and the council were blindsided by the draft agreement, which would establish a 10-year partnership between the city and the group to implement a contentious master plan developed three years ago with private donations totaling $600,000.
In exchange for raising money, the nonprofit conservancy, which is run by two of the women who spearheaded the master plan, would have influence over changes to the park and the right to oversee some spending decisions, according to the draft deal.
“To be as blunt as possible, it looks like it’s something else going on behind the scenes,” Leggett said.
The draft MOU is the latest development in efforts by the private Trustees’ Garden Club to plan and oversee Forsyth’s future maintenance and improvements, The Current’s Jake Shore and Craig Nelson write.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY
Political consequences?
To borrow a phrase, storms have political consequences.
Remember George W. Bush and Hurricane Katrina? George H.W. Bush and Hurricane Andrew? U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and the Texas cold snap of 2021? The list could go on.
Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Coastal Georgia Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, among others, showed they understood the political ramifications of Tropical Storm Debby, holding a news conference at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and showing the voting public they were johnny-on-the-spot with expressions of sympathy and assurances of help.
Five days later, however, many Coastal Georgia residents are still struggling to recover from devastating and still life-threatening flooding.
A Savannah Police Department SWAT team used an armored vehicle yesterday to ferry marooned residents and deliver food, water and other emergency supplies to sections of Bradley Point that were still under several feet of water and impassable for most vehicles, The Current’s Justin Taylor reported, following a visit to the neighborhood. You can see his slideshow of photos here.
Parts of Bradley Boulevard were still under four feet of water yesterday morning, amid chunks of broken pavement and several still stranded cars, Taylor said.
The question is what, if any, political consequences await local officials in Richmond Hill, Bryan County and other hard-hit communities, as more residents ask whether — and how — elected officials and public security agencies could have minimized or prevented hardships caused by the storm.
Case in point: Liberty County’s emergency management agency opened a non-emergency telephone line for residents’ storm-related queries, only to disconnect the line a day later, said The Current’s Liberty County reporter, Robin Kemp.
Throughout the storm, officials relied on Facebook to disseminate information, though far from all county residents have access to the social media site, Kemp said.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
‘Protect the water’
From too much water to worries about too little:
Under the banner “Stop Hyundai wells,” the Bulloch Action Coalition yesterday announced it is starting a petition drive to put two referendums on the ballot aimed at protecting the “water and associated rights of Bulloch County citizens.”
One ballot initiative calls for repealing the water-for-waste treatment agreement Bulloch and Bryan County signed in June. Under the accord, reached in June, Bulloch will sell water to Bryan for the Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Ellabell, said coalition co-founder Lawton Sack. In return, Bryan will supply the waste treatment services to Bulloch.
The other ballot measure, if approved, would rescind a memorandum of understanding between the two counties, also signed in June, that provides financial relief to Bulloch residents whose wells are affected by the diversion of water to Hyundai, Sack told The Current.
Some 4,500 signatures are required to get each measure on the ballot, Sack said. The petitions then go to a probate judge for approval. Sack said he expected a vote by the end of the year.
All this comes ahead of a public meeting hosted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, during which it will hear comment on draft permits for wells to be drilled in Bulloch and Bryan counties.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. tonight at Southeast Bulloch High School at 9184 Brooklet-Denmark Highway in Brooklet.
TYPE OF WORK: CATEGORY
5 things for your radar
- Targeting voters on both the far left and right, Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center says groups connected to the Iranian government have stepped up efforts to influence this fall’s presidential election. One site claims it’s reporting news from Savannah.
- Georgia’s Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods now says school districts may teach a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies after all.
- The Trump campaign has placed $37.2 million in new ad spending in swing states, the most he’s reserved on TV ads in a single day this cycle, according to AdImpact Politics. Most of the reserved airtime? Georgia, with $23.8 million.
- Skidaway Island Democrats will host a forum on voter protection this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Landings Association, 600 Landings Way, in Savannah. Featured guests include Cecilia Ugarte Baldwin, Liz Barrett, and Carter Hamby.
- The Chatham County Republican Party will sponsor a forum, “How Chatham County Elections Are Manipulated,” on Tuesday, August 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Athletic Association, 10155 Ferguson Ave., Savannah. Featured guests will be Kim P. Brooks, Helen Strahl, Bob Coovert, and Lori Tullos.
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Vote postponed over deal to give nonprofit control over Forsyth Park
A controversial legal agreement proposed authorizing private spending to maintain, improve Forsyth Park to a nonprofit. A Savannah city council member delayed a vote on measure after raising deep concerns.
Bulloch Action Coalition calls for referendum to oppose water agreement
The Bulloch Action Coalition, a citizens group announced their petition for referendums aimed at repealing two key water-related agreements between Bulloch and Bryan Counties.
Slideshow: First responders, volunteers aid Bradley Point flood victims
Visual journalist Justin Taylor visited the waterlogged Bradley Point neighborhood on Monday as Savannah and Chatham County personnel and volunteers worked to help people trapped in their homes.
Georgia schools chief reverses African American studies ‘mistake’
Reversal came after receiving a letter from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, clarifying the state’s 2022 law banning so-called divisive concepts in the classroom, exempts AP, international baccalaureate and dual enrollment classes.
In a 2020 flashback, Georgia’s GOP-aligned election board wants to reinvestigate election results
A trio of Republican partisans aligned with Trump has cemented control of the five-member regulatory board, which has no direct role in determining election results but writes rules to ensure elections run smoothly and hears complaints about violations.
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