Project 60 Removed from SPLOST 2020 at Last Minute
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As many of you may have heard, “Redo the Zoo”, Project 60, was removed at the very last minute by the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) from the list of projects proposed to our mayor and commissioners for SPLOST 2020. We understand that the CAC had difficult decisions to make, but feel that as one of our commissioners stated in a recent meeting: “citizens don’t vote for SPLOST, they vote for projects”. At the discovery meeting last March, Project 60 was at the top of the list of most supported projects. It was only on the very last CAC meeting that this broadly supported project was dropped.
Back in 1984, The Athens Observer published a story about how the zoo was becoming worn and unkempt. (See image of article from Athens Observer below) It spurred some renovation, but the renovations that had been made have far outlasted their 30-year intended-use period. Unfortunately, infrastructure wears out. The zoo is again showing noticeable signs of wear. Bear Hollow is a cherished community asset. We would like you to look at the zoo now, and imagine what it would look like in ten years if we don’t drastically renovate this beloved amenity.
- Please write your commissioner and the mayor and let them know you want to see Project 60 included in the final SPLOST 2020 package.
- Then, email us to let us know you’ve done so at friendsofbearhollow@gmail.com.
Don’t know who your commissioner is?
Find out here: http://bit.ly/acc-commish
Mayor Contact info: http://bit.ly/acc-mayor - Please attend the SPLOST public comment portion of the Commission meeting this June 18 at 6:00pm at the ACC Court House. Bring a small teddy bear or print out this letter-sized sheet https://friendsofbearhollow.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/project-60-bear.pdf and hold it up during the meeting when Friends of Bear Hollow approaches the Mayor and Commissioners for comment.
We hope we can count on your support for Project 60, Redo the Zoo!
