Speaking of our local news’ lack of reportage on certain matters…
What about the suspicion of some Lake Lanier residents that the GHMPO moved the planned route of the “Northern Connector” further south–zeroing in on what they call the “New Study Area”–after being pressured by Congressman Nathan Deal and/or his son and daughter-in-law and his long-time Chief of Staff, Chris Riley, who all happen to live on or near Nopone Road ( a road that might’ve been targeted for widening or that would have been perilously close to the new highway’s original route)?
Posing this question is not about having a political axe to grind, it’s about uncovering the truth about whether or not our leaders, the GHMPO, and the County Commission are doing what is best for Lake Lanier and for the citizens of Hall County…And if not, why aren’t they? If Deal were to put his weight behind the efforts of his constituents to move the Northern Connector away from the north end of the Lake, the cloud of suspicion that he has anything to do with its new location would immediately disappear. Hall Countians would see that their representative does, in fact, have their best interests at heart; thus, they’d be more inclined to view him as a principled local leader—and an appropriate gubernatorial nominee.
Whether the suspicion regarding Deal is founded or unfounded, the decision to move the connector into the GHMPO’s newly defined “New Study Area” is a disastrous one for the beautiful northern part of Lake Lanier, and the citizens of Gainesville and Hall County are owed an explanation, especially since any of the routes within the newly zeroed in on area: could cost up to half a billion dollars (requiring up to 7 bridges, 250 foot sound barriers the entire length of the road, and much more costly lakefront “right of way” purchases); would destroy Gainesville’s treasured rowing venue; would put valuable wetland acreage in danger; would deprive the county of valuable lake-front property taxes; and fails to provide excellent access to northeast Hall County’s future state park to be located along the northern end of the lake (the originally proposed routes did provide access to the park—see the green route on this map). Again, why haven’t we seen any local reporting on a matter of such urgent local import? True, a route for the Northern Connector may not have been settled upon, but an unacceptable “New Study Area” for the potential route has been, and that is news. Any road that is built within that area will mean environmental and financial disaster for a beautiful part of the county that is projected to grow rapidly between now and 2030.
I happen to know for a fact that the AJC guys who broke the Nathan Deal/cars story are investigating this one. Does The Gainesville Times want to be scooped on everything? Does Access North Georgia?
Below is the document on the Northern Connector from GHMPO:
Join the open Facebook Group “Scenery NOT Cement!” on Monday, September 14th. The more concerned citizens who add to our numbers, the louder a voice for change we’ll have. And visit the group’s website www.sceneryNOTcement.com for a detailed map of the GHMPO’s plans. Also visit the site of the newly formed Lake Lanier Community Preservation Association: www.stopthebridges.com for information on the local response to the Northern Connector. For the record, the LLCPA is unaffiliated with this post’s author, and membership with the Facebook Group “Scenery NOT Cement!” does not constitute membership with the LLCPA unless it is joined independently.