A lot going on

There is an enormous amount of news swirling about in the political world. A few thoughts:

Higher Education Budget Cuts

• The number one thing on everyone's mind locally is the potential $300 million cuts to higher education ordered by the state legislature in 48 hours, which was requested on top of huge cuts already done by most of the state's public colleges and universities. Details here, here, here, here and a million other places. I for one support some revenue raising -- the $1 per pack tax on cigarettes, bringing back a 1/2 or 1 percent sales tax on groceries, and a market-driven tuition raise -- to offset the slash and burn mentality that is going to do untold harm to higher education and healthcare in this state. Would you rather pay $1 on a $100 grocery bill or potentially have your child miss out on higher education due to required reductions in enrollment across the state by massive budget cuts? Easy choice for me, and I think for most Georgians, especially if we could dedicate the revenue to higher education rather than sending it to the black hole of the general fund.
  

• I find it laughable that the very state legislators who asked the Board of Regents to come up with $300 million in potential cuts in just a few days then come back and accuse UGA and others of playing political games with the process. Really?
  
• So Gubernatorial candidate Austin Scott implies that 4-H is more important than the basic functions of the University. 4-H is a wonderful program that should be preserved (I had a lot of friends in school who benefited -- and even met future spouses -- through the program). But preserving the core function of higher education at an institution of higher education is more important than service and outreach. The real question is whether 4-H should be housed and funded independently of higher education, or perhaps in the department of agriculture.
• Rep Scott states that "agriculture is Georgia’s major economic driver and vital to the success of our economy." Newsflash: could there be any institution more committed to the health of agriculture in the state (and even the nation) than the University of Georgia? UGA research is probably the reason that Georgia still is an agricultural leader. Better and larger poultry, healthy large animials, more bountiful crops, and new types of profitable turfgrass, alternative crops and ornamental plants have come from research at UGA that could be dramatically impacted by proposed budget cuts. The beneficiaries of this research are not the professors in the labs, but landowners and farmers across the state.
  
• Rep. Scott also decides to play with the numbers a bit in his comments on Peach Pundit here. Okay, so the Regents' budget has gone up, from $5.2 billion to $5.4 billion while other budgets have gone down. Want to know why? Because our institutions of higher education have done what businesses do when a key revenue source (state funds) is consistently shrinking -- they have aggressively pursued revenue from other sources, namely private fund raising and federal grants. This year, UGA will receive about the same amount of state funds it did in 2002. And if the funding cuts proposed by the Governor and the additional $60 million cuts requested by the legislature took effect, UGA would get the same funding in fiscal year 2011 as it received from the state 13 years ago (1997), with thousands more students to educate, new facilities to maintain and inflation to deal with.
• I really like some of the things Rep. Scott says on his website, and have high hopes for him. But his approach to this higher education debate could be a credibility killer. I have no doubt there are inefficiencies in higher education, as there are in any large organization. But after years of state budget cuts, most of those have been wrung out of the system. There may be a few more, but not $300 million more, and the damage we are doing to higher education -- the one area of education that is working well in our state -- is staggering.
  
• Full disclosure: my company, Jackson Spalding, does limited project work a few units of the University of Georgia and also works with the Georgia Research Alliance, which helps fund research jobs and infrastructure at the state's six research institutions.

Some Good News

• Athens has two exciting new sports events on the horizon this fall: a new sprint triathlon called the Tri to Beat Cancer, which will benefit the Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia, and a new half marathon, which will benefit Ath Fest. Athens has a long history in participatory sports that has waned somewhat in recent years -- it is good to see large scale, high profile events returning.
• As you drive down Hog Mountain Road, check out the new trees going in at Veterans Park. Talk about a change! They were provided by Select Trees, a local nursery, and will leave quite a legacy at the Park. Kudos to the BOC for this investment. BTW, to connect the dots with the above points, Select Trees is one of those agricultural organizations that has been successful largely because of UGA-driven agricultural research.
  
• There is still discussion of a park around Elder Mill and Elder Mill covered bridge. This would be a wise use of county funds if it could be pulled off. Lee Becker and the Oconee Enterprise have also covered the topic extensively. Oconee County doesn't have as much tangible history as a lot of other communities -- what we do have needs to be preserved when it is available, especially if we have excess SPLOST funds that could be so utilized. If we don't have SPLOST funds, then this obviously isn't the kind of economy where you can allocate annual budget resources to such a large effort.

Let me know what you think.

All Over the Place

Several interesting things have crossed the desk today and yesterday I thought I would take a moment to share:

--Unemployment: Lotta publicity and talk going on about high rates of unemployment. Check out this interactive chart that the New York Times has put together. The secret to having a job -- a college education. Not a huge surprise, but this really throws it into relief, as does research by one of my company's clients, the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education. Of course, the chart doesn't account for "underemployment," which is a common problem in Athens, where your barista might have more degrees (but less ambition) than you.

--City Biz: Had a great city council meeting last night. One of the highlights was approving a new single family home on a vacant lot on South Main Street. An historic home on that lot was demolished several years ago without council approval, and the lot, while pretty, had sat vacant since. It was exciting to see a new family make a big investment on one of downtown Watkinsville's most historic corridors. We also approved several new business licenses for small businesses, approved one alcohol license, and tabled another. A work day is also planned by the Daughters of the American Revolution at the Watkinsville Cemetery. The DAR is also planning to begin the application process to get the cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places.

--Bulldawg Illustrated has produced a great video about Oconee County resident Brook Whitmire, the voice of the Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium.

--Oconee County has a proud tradition in distance running. One of the bedrocks of that tradition, Coach Gwen Peck, will attend her last cross country team banquet tonight at OCHS. Coach Peck has coached two state championship teams and done a wonderful job at Oconee through the years, nurturing runners great, good and average alike and teaching them lessons of character and compassion. One of her best athletes is featured in this week's Oconee Enterprise. A coach's legacy is often measured by much more than what happens on the field, and Coach Peck's will continue for many years to come with the successful student athletes she inspired, cajoled, and convinced to shine for Oconee.

--This weekend looks to be beautiful. If you're into landscaping (like I am), fall is the time for planting, especially for trees and shrubs. Water has been plentiful, and the soil is soft. Great plants are to be had at any number of our locally owned retail nurseries. Check them out -- some of my favorites are Land Arts (Monroe), Goodness Grows (Lexington), Outdoor Specialty (Watkinsville), Thyme after Thyme (Winterville), Thomas Orchard (Watkinsville), and Cofer's (Athens)!

--The Athens Symphony will perform its Winter Concert this Sunday at 4 p.m. The Symphony is one of the region's gems. Tickets are free and still available at the Classic Center. Information here and here. Full disclosure: my company does pro-bono work promoting the Symphony.

--Big congrats to Dr. Debra Harden and Mrs. Jean Bell for being inducted into the Oconee County school system hall of fame. I didn't know Mrs. Bell as an educator, but Dr. Harden was certainly a transformative presence for our schools in the early to late 1990s, and really helped establish Oconee's reputation for educational excellence.

Caviar Please?

Pretty neat story out of UGA this week about caviar farming. So far, coverage has landed in the AJC and in The Wall Street Journal (scroll down once you click the link), mostly with a tailgate hook.

While a clever hook, I would imagine most of the uses won't be at high end tailgates. But that doesn't really matter. What is important is that this is another example of how the research enterprise at UGA produces a tremendous amount of ideas with economic and environmental value (full disclosure -- my company has done some project work for the UGA Research Foundation, which is part of this research enterprise, so I have more than a passing familiarity with what they do).

The sturgeon effort is a great example of a project that helps preserve a population of rare native species and provides a commercial product. Other products you may have heard about include a number of leading commercial trees pioneered by Tree Introductions of Oconee County and other types of shrubs and flowers, various types of turfgrass, Watkinsville's Electrostatic Spraying Systems, and many other commercial enterprises. Other UGA research enterprises focus on biotech, cancer research, and diverse areas of research in keeping with the University's broad focus.

For Oconee County and Northeast Georgia, these are also the types of companies and enterprises that have strong potential to spur innovation and create jobs in industries we haven't even thought about. As the Federal government ups its spending on higher education and research, we need to be sure our leaders understand its importance for our present and future economic well being, and fight for every last dollar that can come to UGA.

This and That

A lot happening in the news locally and regionally. Some quick takes.

• The memorial service and reception in honor of E.H. Culpepper yesterday were tremendous. Judge Stephens, Matt Sligh, and others offered wonderful tributes to a wonderful man, and of course, ribs were served afterwards at the Classic Center. All that was missing was a baggie of "extras" to take home.
  
• The Select Sustainable Tree Trust is in the news again, this time in the AJC for its contribution to UGA. President Adams toured North Campus with the guys from the tree trust on Wednesday as they begin to plan for fall tree installations (pictured).
• For all you eagerly awaiting the results of the Watkinsville City Council Strategy Session, it was a day well spent. We made progress on planning and prioritizing SPLOST, received an update on a number of other items, and will be moving forward on preserving our historic homes in Watkinsville and further evaluation -- and hopefully implementation -- of curbside recycling. It was a great opportunity to have dialogue in a more informal setting about the issues and opportunities ahead for Watkinsville.
• Athens is planning to require all new commercial and residential rehab construction to be up to LEED standards. Costs are described as a "few percentage points," but those add up quickly in these times. I hope they have done their homework on this and have a meaningful dialogue with local developers and contractors. LEED can be great but pricey, depending on the standards required. In Watkinsville we evaluated this requirement as part of our land use planning overhaul, and opted against it until costs came down.
• Water take 1: Don't be fooled -- a judge's recent ruling against Georgia in its effort to secure water from Lake Lanier for Metro Atlanta could have fallout for our region. If Metro Atlanta's faucet is indeed shut off, the largest beneficiaries of future growth and its attendant challenges could be Georgia counties close to Atlanta outside of the Lanier Watershed. That includes Jackson, Barrow, Oconee, Athens-Clarke, and Morgan. Dan Chapman and Leon Stafford do a good job summarizing all the challenges (and a few opportunities) on the water issue in today's AJC. Either way, this is a time for leaders to take stock and perhaps think outside the box as we plan for the future.
  
• Water take 2: Speaking of those water negotiations, Georgia's continuing fight seems futile. And even worse, the napalm-oriented approach of several of our federal congressmen may come back to bite us, according to Georgia's two political Toms -- Crawford at Capitol Impact and Baxter at InsiderAdvantage. Registration is required at both links, but Voice of Moderation is not holding out much hope on this effort, which has kept entire teams of lawyers in business for decades now. My preference -- cut the best deal we can now and begin to plan smarter ways to grow, conserve, and store more water. My fear is that we will be under the gun come 2012. One telling excerpt: "Even at the congressional level, Georgia could be hampered by the hostility generated by several of its Republican House members – notably Tom Price, Paul Broun, Lynn Westmoreland and Phil Gingrey – who have engaged in verbal battles with the Democratic majority’s leadership. “They [the Democrats] hate them,” said a House aide familiar with the Georgia delegation. “They won’t do things for Georgia just because of those guys.”
• Watkinsville's own Tifosi Optics gets some love in a paper out west. If you don't have Tifosis and need sunglasses, be sure to try them out!
• Speaking of local businesses, we had a great lunch at Girasoles on Wednesday. All of you in Watkinsville, don't forget Chef Jose and his staff. Apparently, he has also opened a new outpost in Bostwick as well!
  

Hugging Trees

Sorry for the absence of blogging lately. Thought I would come back with a bang -- after being struck by all the "green" during a recent drive down Peachtree Street in Atlanta, I came home inspired.

As it turns out, there was a local connection between the trees I noticed on Peachtree and Oconee County, and I was lucky enough to get an op-ed on the topic in the AJC today. Even though the state's flagship paper doesn't deliver in these parts anymore, the story highlights one of Oconee County's top exports -- trees!

Look here for the story and click here and here for more on sustainable trees and an Oconee County company that is looking to educate the world about healthy trees.

Tree planting is an area where Oconee can learn from Atlanta. Sometimes we take our rural ambiance for granted, but in my opinion, Oconee and its municipalities could get much more aggressive about planting and requiring long-lived, sustainable trees throughout the community.

The Greening of Watkinsville

About four years ago I started collecting trees. Having grown up working in the yard, I never expected to enjoy landscaping. However, as I have grown older and spent more hours indoors in an office, I have come to appreciate the relaxation of digging in the dirt, and to better understand the majesty and legacy of trees, with all of their attendant community benefits.

In recent years, I have planted lots of types on our property here in Watkinsville to compliment large existing Willow Oaks, Water Oaks, Pecans, and pines. I have planted the common and native trees -- Red maples, all types of oaks, tulip poplar, magnolias (southern and Japanese), Redbud, Japanese maples, cherries, crabapples, willows, and dogwoods -- and embarked on searches for the more exotic. These include trees named katsura, blue atlas cedar, Ginkgo, cedar of Lebanon, pseudolarix, lacebark pine, longleaf pine, Ironwood, cryptomeria, parrotia, dove tree, big leaf magnolia, buckeye, pistache, yellowwood, willow, cypress, dawn redwood.... you name it, I've probably planted some variety of it if it thrives in Georgia.

As my appreciation for trees has grown, I have also enjoyed watching Watkinsville gain recognition as a city that prides itself on its trees. Our tree ordinance, spearheaded by Samantha Purcell, has been a game changer in the city. We have also worked collaboratively to improve landscaping in the city, including the installation of hundreds of large trees and improving appearances in various public areas through public funding (streetscape) and encouraging and supporting private efforts. We learned tonight at City Council that we have been designated an official Tree City for the third year in a row. We will give away hundreds of trees at city hall next week for Arbor Day, and will plant 10 bald cypresses at Harris Shoals on Saturday. Today, I often get compliments on how good downtown Watkinsville looks -- that was not the case years ago.

Two trees that I haven't tried are the American Elm and the Chestnut. The vaselike Elm, devastated years ago by Dutch Elm disease, is making a comeback, and I may give it a try soon. A Northwest Georgia nursery is actively growing and marketing disease resistant varieties.

I may be an old man before I get to plant a chestnut, but there is new hope for this tree, which was once king of the American forest. All but wiped out by the Chestnut blight, scientists have found a way to create a blight resistant tree. This story in the AJC focuses on where Chestnuts once thrived, and efforts to reintroduce this magnificent tree. My alma mater is in the thick of it, as it seems to be on more and more conservation and land use issues these days. I can't wait for the day when I get to plant a chestnut here.

At any rate, as Arbor Day approaches, give some thought to where you might be able to add a tree in your landscape. There are some remarkable retail nurseries in the area and that can help you find the perfect tree for whatever space you have.