Athens-Henderson County Now

National debate topic originated with AHS educator

Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communication Coordinator

This past November, Athens ISD announced that Nicole Cornish, the district’s dean of early college high school, was on the cusp of making a major mark on the national debate stage. Cornish put forth a monumental effort submitting for consideration a potential policy debate topic for high school students across the United States.

Athens High School is thrilled to report the National Federation of State High School Associations announced Wednesday that Cornish’s proposal — immigration — has been selected as the 2018-2019 policy debate topic throughout the United States.

“I am very honored,” said Cornish. “It has been a dream for my career to author a debate topic, and I am ecstatic that I reached it. I’m also very grateful to work for a district that is always supportive and made it possible for me to attend the national topic selection meeting.”

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Cain Center project to move forward; council meeting set to discuss funding

By Michael V. Hannigan/HCN

We learned this week the Cain Center rehabilitation project will continue, but there is still debate among Athens City Council members about how much to spend.

The council discussed the issue during its regular meeting Monday night, which saw a standing-room-only audience and nearly an hour of citizen comments, almost all of which were in support of moving forward with the Cain Center.

The turnout was fueled by a split in the council last month when Mayor Monte Montgomery and Councilwoman Toni Garrard Clay wanted to continue forward with the project, while Councilmen Ed McCain and Robert Gross argued to stop work and send the question to voters in the form of a bond election.

The confusion stalled the project.

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Athens City Council votes to close collection site

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdvIda_FoI7/

By Michael V. Hannigan/HCN

The Athens City Council voted to close the City’s collection site Monday night.

The action came for two reasons:

State rules call for community collection sites to be registered with the TCEQ, however that has not been the case in Athens in the past. Complying with this requirement could bring the site under closer scrutiny from the state and officials worry that could lead to liability issues.
The collection site does not support itself. Through fees, the collection site brought in about $14,000 last year, but it cost $55,000 to operate the site. That’s a $40,000 tax subsidy to keep the site open, which was something council members did not want to see continue.

The City staff worked with Republic Services to come up with alternative plans for curbside bulk trash pickup, but the council decided not to go that route because of concerns it would be complicated for residents and the price could escalate after an initial three-year contract.

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Get your tickets now for Fiddlers Shindig

Getting The Fiddler ready to move. (Tim Howard photo)

Press release

The historic statue of the Old Fiddler has stood on the lawn of the Athens courthouse square for more than 30 years, but has been deteriorating and needs repair before it is lost to future generations of Athens visitors. To prevent that, ‘Save the Fiddler’ is the latest project by the Henderson County Arts Council (501c3) and some of the funds necessary to get the fiddler bronzed have already been raised. The HCAC is hosting this all ages fundraiser dinner and concert, Friday evening, Jan. 12, in the Student Union Building at Trinity Valley Community College.

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City of Athens offers Downtown Façade Improvement Program again

This downtown property: 221 E. Tyler St. and owner, Jon Garrett, received funding from the 2017 Downtown Façade Improvement Program to do major improvements to this property. Improvements included mortar joint repair, tuck pointing, waterproofing, painting, and awning repair. (Courtesy photo)

Press release

For the second consecutive year, the City of Athens is pleased to offer the Downtown Façade Improvement Program to qualifying downtown property owners. In Fiscal Year 2017, the Athens City Council approved the creation of the Downtown Façade Improvement Program. This new and exciting program is designed to help improve aesthetic qualities and preserve historic structures in the Athens downtown area.

“The first year of the program was a huge success,” said Community Services Coordinator Adrianna Hinds. “The City received over 10 applications for requests for improvements ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 and, after administrative review, was able to fund 6 of them.” She added, “we look forward to another successful year in 2018 and encourage downtown property owners to take advantage of this funding opportunity.”

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