Greetings, Fantabulous Friends, and we hope it's as lovely as Moët Bubbly out there.
Well, it's almost that time. When all the critters, serpents & varmints - more commonly known as the Georgia General Assembly - descend upon the Gold Dome to see how many bad decisions & how much havoc they can wreak on our beloved home state.
I think I'll defer to the immortal words of Antoine Dodson:
[They] snatchin' yo people up, tryin' to rape 'em. So y'all need to hide yo kids, hide yo wife, and hide yo husband cause they rapin' err'body out here
Indeed.
And you can add your wallet, your freedoms & your sanity to that list as well.
Never doubt the ability of that crowd to go full-on Mo-Ron. Hopefully we can get through these 40 legislative days w/out too much carnage being inflicted. Hope springs eternal & all.
DATA CENTERS in the COV
So more than anything, I believe the recent consternation, gnashing of teeth & wringing of hands regarding annexations & data centers has to do w/ a fundamental misunderstanding of things.
For starters - as I've written in this space a few times - I, like many others, do not want any more data centers anywhere in the home county, and especially in the home city. The concerns about the inordinate amounts of water & power needed for these things are huge, but no less important to me are the environmental concerns.
With that said, there are two parcels in Newton Co where the property owners have petitioned for annexation into the City of Covington - the big Elks Club Rd tract & the old Falconwood piece on Hwy 278 (though as I understand it they're not looking to do a data center on the 278 property).
The county has denied these annexation requests & now, as I'm told, there will be an arbitration process where the arbitrator may uphold the county's denial, or may allow the petition to move forward to the city government.
-Important Note-
The city is NOT involved w/ anything related to either of these properties right now. Eventually, they may. And based on the word on the street, if either or both does come before the city, it would likely be voted down unanimously 6-0.
But based on rhetoric we're seeing on social media, you'd think the City of Covington was the driving force behind all of this.
That is a total & absolute falsehood and anybody telling you otherwise is either misinformed, ignorant, or simply lying for whatever reason.
There is a process for these things & it has to be followed properly. There's this whole thing called Due Process. That's not just a thing for criminal court proceedings. It applies to property owners & their real property rights as well. Local governments have to do the right things & do things right. Failure to do so can lead to unintended & unwanted consequences.
A final thought. The current data center being developed on Alcovy Rd is getting thrown into a lot of these discussions. That was approved years ago, FYI.
Odds & Ends
Enjoyed my extended holiday break. Looking forward to getting back to looking for the REAL story in Covington, Newton Co., the Glorious GA Piedmont, the Great State of Georgia & beyond.
'Til next time,
- MBM
