Atlanta Gets Billions ...
Crumbs for South Georgia

Chattahoochee Bend State Park...

ANOTHER State Park For Atlanta

While South Georgia Starves For Crumbs!!

South Georgians got another slap in the face and kick in the tail from our state government when the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced on 21 Sep 2001 that it would spend $2,700,000 to purchase land for another state park in metro Atlanta. It comes as no surprise to South Georgians though, since we are accustomed to getting nothing but crumbs from our state government.

The new Chattahoochee Bend State Park will be located along the Chattahoochee River in southwestern metro Atlanta along the river in Coweta County. Former Governor Barnes called for a major effort to buy land and preserve it as public park lands along the upper 'Hooch from the mountains to Columbus.

Notice that the effort at protection and preservation for the Hooch stops at Columbus. By the way, that is only about HALF of the Chattahoochee--the REST of the river is in Southwest Georgia, below Columbus. How come the state ignores the half of the river that is in Sowega? Once again, we are paying taxes for north Georgia development. Once again, Sowega is being left out in the cold.

I and most others in Southwest Georgia support protection of the Chattahoochee River basin. But is it fair to protect just the river area around metro Atlanta? Where is the justice and environmental reasoning in that? If you want to protect and preserve only the area in metro Atlanta, then let it be done with local funding. If our State government is going to keep dividing the state into metro Atlanta and the rest of Georgia and spend state taxes on just north Georgia, then we would rather spend our taxes on our part of the river, parks in our area, a university in our area and roads in our area. If you want to protect any part of the Chattahoochee River with State funds, then show equal interest in ALLof the river, Southwest Georgia included!

Billions for Atlanta Expressways...none for Sowega

We have watched over the years as billions of dollars have been spent on expressways in metro Atlanta and north Georgia. They haven't stopped building new expressways or expanding existing ones in metro Atlanta for more than 40 years. Now, Atlanta wants us to spend billions of tax dollars on another perimeter expressway around the city.

Yet in Southwest Georgia, a region representing one-fourth of our state's area, there is not one single expressway. Back in the 1970's under Governor Jimmy Carter, an expressway was proposed to run from Chattanooga, Tn. through Rome, LaGrange, Columbus and Bainbridge to the Florida border. But since it would have to cross Southwest Georgia, I guess that is why they dropped the idea. It took years and a lot of hell-raising before Columbus (Georgia's second largest city) was able to get an expressway connecting it with Interstate 85, 40 miles away. It isn't in Sowega--it is in middle Georgia. But the Atlanta boys think of "South Georgia" as being anything south of Atlanta so I guess that is why it took such a fight to get that road.

Now, the "Fall Line Expressway", a proposed expressway linking Columbus, Macon and Augusta is in jeopardy of being cancelled. These are three of Georgia's largest metro areas. An east-west expressway linking these cities would be a tremendous boost to the economy of middle Georgia and bring a lot of new jobs and income to smaller, dying towns in between. The Atlanta boys would rather spend billions on another perimeter for Atlanta instead of a few million for one road in middle Georgia.

Once again, Sowega goes lacking in equal treatment.

Millions for Atlanta universities...not one single major university for Sowega

We have watched as hundreds of millions of our tax dollars have been spent on more and more and more state universities for metro Atlanta. My god, there are so many there now--the metro area could have its own university system. Let's see, there is Georgia State University, Georgia Tech University, Kennesaw State University, Clayton State University, Perimeter State University, Southern Tech University, West Georgia State University and Atlanta Junior College. Not to mention all the private universities and colleges the area has. Now, the state is planning yet ANOTHER state university for metro Atlanta! But south of metro Atlanta, there is only ONE major state university -- Georgia Southern at Statesboro and what a hell of a fight it took to make it a university!

Believe it or not, that school is further away from us than Atlanta!

When the folks in Albany began a campaign a few years ago to establish such a school there, the Atlanta boys pulled a sneaky trick and simply changed the names of all the state's four-year colleges to "university" -- without any significant improvements. To placate Sowega, the Regents started calling Valdosta State a "regional university" supposedly equal to that of Georgia Southern. Good for Valdosta.

Our children are forced to go long distances outside their region to get an education. If they want one in Georgia, they are forced to go 200 miles to north Georgia. A lot choose instead to go just over the border to Florida State University. Few of these students return to their homes in Sowega. There just aren't any jobs and economic opportunity for them here.

The fact remains: Georgia still needs a MAJOR state university in Southwest Georgia -- equal in funding, programs and facilities to Georgia State University, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech University. We have done without for 200 years...it is now time for the folks of South Georgia to have educational opportunities equal to the folks in north Georgia.

Can't we have just ONE for Sowega!

Hundreds of millions for Atlanta parks...-0- for Sowega

We have watched as hundreds of millions of our tax dollars have been pumped into Atlanta for such tourist development with the Georgia World Congress Center, Lake Lanier Islands resort, Stone Mountain Memorial Park and much more. The World Congress Center has been expanded numerous times and now, the Congress Center wants another major expansion costing millions more.

The State has for years consistently refused to develop a single major state park in Southwest Georgia. As one top DNR official stated, we are "...too far off the beaten path."

Tell that bull to the millions of tourists who visit Panama City, Florida every year -- including hundreds of thousands of metro Atlantans. Panama City is about as far "off the beaten path" by DNR standards as you can get in the Southeast but that area has replaced Miami as the major beach attraction in Florida. And by the way boys, they ain't got no expressway leading to PC!

Tell that bull to Orlando, Florida. When Disney selected the city for Disney World, it was definitely "off the beaten path" as far as Florida tourism was concerned. Now, Orlando is the biggest tourist attraction in the world.

Guess what...

The cane grinding mill at Stone Mountain Park came from Grady County!!

The plantation home at Stone Mountain Park came from just north of Grady County!!

Where's OUR slice of the pie??

The new state park for metro Atlanta came on the heels of an announcement that Bainbridge State Hospital at Bainbridge will be closed. Its patients will be dumped into private homes and a large number of employees will lose their jobs. This facility was given to the State by Decatur County. It was once part of Bainbridge Air Force Base and the facilities on the site when the hospital opened were excellent. The administration building was so new it had not even been dedicated when the base closed. It had modern classroom buildings, dormitories and great recreational facilities.

In other words, while the state spends OUR tax monies to build more and more public facilities, super highways and parks in metro Atlanta, they close what little we have!

Our new Governor promised to help bring Southwest Georgia into Georgia's economic mainstream. Well Guv, this just ain't the way to get it done!

South Georgians are sick and tired of seeing metro Atlanta get billions of dollars in state facilities while our region goes lacking in equal treatment. It isn't a new tale...this has been going on for decades. Had the region received fair treatment over the years from our state government, it would not be one of the poorest areas in the nation.

We ain't asking for the whole pie. Heck, we'll even settle for a few sody crackers! Right is right and wrong is wrong. It is time for the red-headed step-child to get a little more than a few darn table scraps!!

Build it and they will come...

See proposed development for major State Park in Southwest Georgia: click on Back to get started

Support state park status for
our waterfalls, Climax Cave and Glory Hole Caverns

Climax Cave and these other Southwest Georgia natural wonders need your help if they are to survive. If you are proud of your state's natural wonders, help support its development and preservation as a state park -- contact your state senator, state representative and Governor Barnes and urge them to create a major state park for Climax and the natural wonders in adjoining Grady County.

You can send a message to Georgia Governor Barnes and let him know of your support. Take time to send him and the Georgia Parks Division and Tourist Division a note.

These are links to their contact pages:

Georgia Governor

Department of Natural Resources, Parks Division

Department of Industry Trade & Tourism

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23 Sep 1999