Growth & Worksite Injuries, Water Wells

Sunday Solutions — Aug. 18, 2024

Good morning! It looks like a much drier weekend than last, but there’s a surge of news. There are timely waves rolling, from costs of growth to civic responsibility, accountability and transparency. Get your board ready – surf’s up!

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INVESTIGATIVE: GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

Worker injuries mount at sprawling project

The coast has long sought large investments in manufacturing to ensure long-term growth and jobs. With the expansive Hyundai EV metaplant development, Coastal Georgia hit the lottery for its future. The win comes with hard costs like land, tree canopy, traffic and infrastructure. Some things you can plan for, and some can be avoided. This week, reporter Amira McKee wrote about the toll on workers tasked with getting this humongous project built and running in less than two years. Her story looks at the more than 20 documented traumatic injuries — including a death — sustained on the construction sites and the responses by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Two federal fines have been levied in the more than 20 traumatic injuries, but inspections and reports are scarce for others. The trail for inspectors and others is complicated by the complex web of subcontractors and suppliers that reduces liabilities.

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EXPLAINER: ENVIRONMENT

Science project: How does an aquifer work?

This past week, farmers and others met in Statesboro with scientists from Georgia’s Environment Protection Division to understand how new water wells associated with the Hyundai development would affect their homes and farms. It was a tough crowd, and EPD worked to explain the effects and discuss the mitigation fund set up to help them maintain water quantity and quality. Earlier, The Current’s Mary Landers wrote about the challenges and data reporter Maggie Lee created an interactive map people can use to see exactly how the new wells would affect the depth of older ones.

With all the discussion about wells, aquifers and water, we wanted to know more about how artesian wells draw water from the Floridan Aquifer. The Current’s Mary Landers and Chantal Audrain, executive director of the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, built their own aquifer to illustrate how it works for all of us who need to see things to really understand them. We’ve added that video to our living list of frequently asked questions about water at this link.

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More stories, more quiz

Here’s this week’s quiz — we’ve had a lot of news, so you’ll have a challenge this time! Here’s the top scorers from the previous week, and the overall leaderboard, which tracks scores over time.

Make sure you compete every week and leave your nickname for a chance to win an exclusive prize from The Current!

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NEWS: COMMUNITY

Quiet moves on Savannah’s most public park

It was just another item up for a vote on the Aug. 8 Savannah City Council agenda: a measure to share control over changes and events in Forsyth Park with a private nonprofit in exchange for funding changes. The beloved park, considered the city’s “crown jewel,” would be run by a partnership with Friends of Forsyth Conservancy, Inc., to implement a controversial master plan developed 3 years ago. The memorandum of understanding contained a confidentiality clause to cloak names of donors or employees and granted unconditional access to the park for the conservancy-approved events. It had not been discussed in council work sessions and all of this was news to the surrounding neighborhood associations and the alderman in whose district the park resides, Detric Leggett. After a conversation with the mayor and city manager, Leggett was able to get the vote stopped until more details could be made public. The MOU is set to return to the agenda for a vote on Sept. 12. Read The Current’s story on the surprise initiative, see the MOU and the city’s responses.

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NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY

Midway faces loss of fire service

In a squabble over funding for fire equipment and access to the firehouse, Midway’s firefighters resigned last week after the mayor reported them to the police for being in the firehouse. While it may sound like small-town drama, it may cost the city’s citizens fire protection and higher insurance rates unless a deal can be worked out with the Liberty County Fire Department to cover the area. No meeting is set until Aug. 26. The Current’s Robin Kemp describes the problem and what it could cost the city.

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NEWS: COURTS

Georgia ruling protects your right to know

On Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously upheld a provision in the state’s sunshine laws that ensures citizens can see what’s happening with their money. The justices made it clear that a private contractor working for a public entity is still subject to the Georgia Open Records laws and can be sent requests for public records they may hold. Many private companies are contracted to do work on behalf of cities and other governments for large amounts of money. A request could include information on work and spending done by any number of firms hired for their expertise — like companies that run speed-enforcement cameras, contractors hired to build a public school, or service firms that haul garbage or dirt for a county. In the end, the law protects your right to see how your tax money is spent even when the work isn’t being done by the government. Here’s the story from Jill Nolin at Georgia Recorder.

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EXPLAINER: IMMIGRATION

☕ Your second cup: Immigration class

Colleges are going back to class this week, and we thought we should all honor students by learning a bit. The Pew Research Center has released updated work on unauthorized immigration. It’s a comprehensive data set with visual analysis to help us understand the raw facts about unauthorized immigrants, where they are from, what they are doing and how they got here. It’s easy to read and helpful when you’re sorting out campaign arguments and claims over the next few months.

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NOTE: We say good-bye to summer reporter Amira McKee, who heads back to classes at Columbia University via a stop in Montana. She’s worked hard to find a range of sources to bring the best understanding of the changes growth and development bring to Coastal Georgia.

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