PLACE Forum

ADDITIONAL EVENT TODAY
TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2:30 PM – ART LECTURE: DR. SUSAN BRADEN / ALABAMA SMALL TOWNS: WORKING WITHIN THE IDEALS OF DEVELOPMENT AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Free & open to all.  www.jcsm.auburn.edu
Susan Braden, who recently retired from AU’s Art Department, taught art history at Auburn for 20 years. Her major interest is in American art and architecture. Her book Florida Resort Architecture: Architecture of Leisure was published by University Press of Florida in 2002. She is the Alabama representative to Southeastern Society of Architectural Historians.

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ACTION ALERT
CONTACT REPRESENTATIVES TODAY FOR SUPPORT OF HJR 91 — ALLOW VOTE ON CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
CALL THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE AND REPRESENTATIVES – ASK THEM TO SUPPORT HJR 91
This morning please call the House Switch Board 334-242-7600 and leave a message for the Rules Committee members and your House Representative, asking them to pass HJR91 and allow the people to vote on a Constitutional Convention. (You can find your Legislators at www.legislature.state.al.us. )
If you’ve time, please also call the other members of the House of Representatives and ask them to vote for HJR 91.

Background: Today the House of Representatives has the opportunity to pass HJR 91 to let the people vote on a Constitution Convention!  Last week, the House Rules Committee voted 5 to 7 against House Joint Resolution 91.   Speaker Pro Tem Demetrius Newton and Rep. Ken Guin, Chair of the Rules Committee, intend to bring it back to the Rules Committee today (Tuesday) or Wednesday. Three Representatives who have indicated support for HJR 91 did not attend that Committee vote last week. The opponents of HJR 91 on the Committee seized that opportunity and called for a vote on HJR 91.  Rep. Ken Guin tried to convince the opponents to permit the resolution to go forth and be debated on the House floor, but to no avail.

The Representatives voting for HJR 91 in the Committee last week were: Reps. Ken Guin (D), Jasper; Rod Scott,  (D), Birmingham; Barbara Boyd, (D), Anniston; Jack Page (D), Gadsden; Randy Hinshaw, ( D), Meridianville.
The Representatives not present in the Committee to vote on the Resolution were:  Reps. John Robinson (D), Scottsboro; Pebbin Warren, (D), Tuskegee; and  Craig Ford (D), Gadsden.
The Representatives who voted against HJR 91 in the Committee last week were: James Buskey (D), Mobile; Ron Johnson (R), Talledega; Blaine Galliher (R), Gadsden; Todd Greeson (R), Ider; Richard Laird (D), Roanoke; Authur Payne (R), Trussville; and Cam Ward (R), Alabaster.

For a fuller description of the situation, see the recent THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS article.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/statebriefs.ssf?/base/news/1240820140235540.xml&coll=2

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 28, 2009

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WEEK OF APRIL 27, 2009

MONDAY, APRIL 27 — LEE COUNTY COMMISSION   www.leeco.us
4:00 pm-work session / 6:00 pm-regular session
Held in the commission chambers, Opelika Courthouse, 215 S. 9th Ave, Opelika. Open to all.
Agenda includes:
6. Reports from Commissioners and Staff:
7. CONSENT AGENDA:
a. Minutes of Commission Meeting April 13, 2009
b. Ratify and Approve Claims
8. OLD BUSINESS:
a. Request to Abandon a Portion of Lee Road 265 – Ed Wilder
b. Request to Maintain Lee Road 750 – Jeanette Burts
c. Unpaved Portion of Lee Road 722 – Tommy Collier
d. Pave Prescriptive ROW on Lee Road 132 – Commissioner Harris
e. NACo Prescription Drug Plan – Commissioner Harris
9. NEW BUSINESS:
a. Dirt Road off Lee Road 83 – Tim Moore
b. Resolution to Set Location of Tax Sale – Oline Price
c. Update on Comprehensive Development Strategies – Commissioner Harris
d. Schedule Joint Meeting with Chambers and Macon County Commissions – Commissioner Harris
e. Resolution for Stimulus Funds for North Donahue Road – Neal Hall
f. Resolution for HRRR Project – Neal Hall
g. Accept for Maintenance The Village at Halawaka/Phase III – Neal Hall
h. Hornet Quick Stop/Retail Beer and Retail Table Wine License – D4
10. Executive Session
11. Adjourn

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 4:00 PM — KOSOLAPOFF LECTURER: Bioorganic Studies on Vision
Held in room 134, Chemistry Bldg, AU. Free & open to the public.
The lecture, “Bioorganic Studies on Vision,” will be presented by Koji Nakanishi from Columbia University. Nakanishi will also present the AU’s Dept of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s 24th annual Kosolapoff Award Lecture titled “Science Research in U.S./Japan: Physiologically Active Compounds from Nature.” (Held in AU’s Science Center auditorium, Tuesday, 8:00 pm.) The Kosolapoff lecture series was created to honor Gannady M. Kosolapoff, an early member of AU’s Dept of Chemistry.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28, NOON – 1:00 PM — AUBURN PUBLIC LIBRARY / BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES: Digital Photography
Held in the programming room, Youth Services Building, Auburn Public Library, 749 E. Thach Ave.
Free & open to all. Water & coffee provided; bring your lunch.
Join the Auburn Public Library’s new Brown Bag Lunch series, noon Tuesdays. Bring your lunch.
More information: Reference desk at 501-3195 or visit http://www.auburnalabama.org/library/adultprograms.asp#brown.
April 28  Digital Photography: How to Upload and Modify Digital Photographs:  You’ve taken your pictures, now what?  Dianne Ballentine, head of the library’s Electronic Services area will demonstrate how to upload pictures from your digital camera, how to crop and enhance photos, and how to get them printed.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2:30 – 3:45 PM — JCSM / ART TALK
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Free & open to all. www.jcsm.auburn.edu

TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 3:00 pm-OPELIKA PLANNING COMMISSION
Held at 700 Fox Trail, Opelika Public Works bldg. Open to all.  www.opelika.org
Agenda includes:
A.    PLATS (preliminary and prel. & final) – Public Hearing
1.    Wyndham Gates S/D, Phase 1A, 38 lots, Gateway Drive, McDowell & Associates LLC, Preliminary/Final Approval
2.     June Riddle S/D, 2 lots, Lee Road 830, June Riddle, P/F Approval
3.     BSL S/D, 2 lots, Highway 280 East, Sally Phillips, P/F Approval
B.     CONDITIONAL USE APPROVAL
4.     Michelle Klima, 906 Columbus Pkwy-Crooked Creek Shopping Center, C-3, GC-2, Outdoor display
5.     Big J’s LLC, 3051 Frederick Road-Midtown Plaza, C-3, GC-1, Mama Goldberg’s restaurant
6.     Dave Hosey, Cunningham Drive-Talley Avenue, R-3, Church
C.     AMENDMENT TO THE ZONIGN ORDINANCE – Public Hearing
7.     Amendment to text of Zoning Ordinance – Section 2.2 Definitions – Family

TUESDAY,  APRIL 28 , 7:00 pm – AUBURN BIKE COMMITTEE www.auburnalabama.org/cycle/
Held in the conference room, Development Services Bldg, 171 N. Ross St. Open to all.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 8:00 PM — KOSOLAPOFF AWARD LECTURE
Held in the Science Center auditorium. Free & open to the public.
AU’s Dept of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s 24th annual Kosolapoff Award Lecture will be presented by Koji Nakanishi from Columbia University and is titled “Science Research in U.S./Japan: Physiologically Active Compounds from Nature.”  The lecture series was created to honor Gannady M. Kosolapoff, an early member of AU’s Dept of Chemistry.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30,  noon – ART MUSEUM / A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts; www.jscm.auburn.edu.   Free & open to all.
Enjoy lunch in the museum café on Thursdays while the lovely sounds of local musicians echo through the museum. Sponsored by the Auburn Chamber Museum Society.  www.auburnchambermusic.org

THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 1:00 pm – ALABAMA BOARD OF LICENSURE FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS
Held at 100 N Union Street, Suite 382, Mont., ph: 334-242-5568. Open to all.
Agenda includes:
I. MINUTES
A. Review Agenda and Approval of Minutes
1. Review Meeting Agenda
2. Approve Meeting Minutes
3. Action items from Board meeting
II. HEARINGS
B. Public Hearings
C. Formal Hearings
III. COMMITTEE REPORTS
D. Applications -
1. Without personal appearance
2. With personal appearance
E. Law Enforcement Committee
1.      Complaints/Investigations
F. Certificates of Authorization
1. Engineering and Land Surveying Certificates of Authorizations
2. Engineering and Land Surveying Certificates of Authorization with Exceptions
G. Communications and Publications
H. Legislative
I. Continuing Professional Competency
J. Finance/Personnel
K. Land Surveying – Education & Examinations
L. Engineering – Education & Examination
III. OTHER REPORTS
M. Chair’s Report
N. Executive Director’s Report
IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS AND CORRESPONDENCE
O. Unfinished Business
P. Correspondence – action required
Q. Information only – no action required
V. NEW BUSINESS
R.
VI. OPEN FORUM – Time during which anyone who may be attending meeting as a    member of the public can ask questions or make comments.)
CLOSING REMARKS
Review of Calendar

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 8:00 am – ALABAMA BOARD OF LICENSURE FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS
Held at 100 N Union Street, Suite 382, Mont., ph: 334-242-5568. Open to all. Agenda as shown above, Thursday, April 30, 1:00 pm.

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 5:30 – 7:30 PM — FRANK UHLIG PHOTOGRAPHY ART RECEPTION & SILENT AUCTION
Held at the Dempsey Arts Center, 222 E Drake Ave.

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 7:00 — EXPRESSIONS CAFÉ / THE GNU’S ROOM www.thegnusroom.com
Held at the Gnu’s Room, 414 S. Gay Street, Auburn.  Free & open to all.
Poets, storytellers, spoken word artists and musicians ply their craft before an appreciate and enthusiastic audience on the first Friday night of each month.

FRIDAY, MAY 1,  7:30 PM —-  EAST ALABAMA ORCHID SOCIETY
Held at the AU Fire Ant Lab.
The EAOS is the local chapter of the American Orchid Society, open to everyone, beginners and experts alike. We generally meet the first Friday of the month to discuss various orchid related topics.  For further information and directions to the Fire Ant Lab, please contact Vince Cammarata, cammavx@bellsouth.net or Julia Bartosh, bartojl@auburn.edu.

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 7:30 pm – SUNDILLA CONCERT FEATURING SONiA/disappear fear
Held at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall (AUUF), 450 E. Thach.  www.sundilla.org
Admission: $10; with student ID $8; children under 12 free (and welcomed; play area provided). Light refreshments provided free of charge; you may also bring your own food or beverage (beer/wine allowed). For more info, and to hear music clips of SONiA/disappear fear, go to www.sundilla.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 2 — BIKE BASH / AUBURN www.auburnalabama.org/cycle
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Bike Bash and as a special tribute, a commemorative Bike Bash quilt will be given away.  Visit the website for details, and info about May’s National Bike Month events.  Bike Bash info & registration:  www.auburnalabama.org/cycle/bash_2009.asp

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 9:00 AM – NOON —– FREE WORKSHOP ON ORGANIC GARDENING
Held at a farm south of Auburn, in Macon County. Free & open to all, but registration required by April 25.  To register, contact  Jan Garrett at garrecj@auburn.edu or 844-2124. Directions to the workshop site provided after registration.
A free, half-day workshop where gardeners can learn the how-tos of growing vegetables the organic way is sponsored by the Auburn University Organic Production Research program. It will be led by Jan Garrett, a Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology doctoral fellow who works with Auburn’s organic research program. In the workshop, Garrett will cover how to make compost, enrich the soil, prepare beds for planting and control weeds. She also will offer advice on the best ways to set out plants and plant seeds, how to trellis plants and how to build an inexpensive greenhouse.

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 9:00 – 11:00 AM – REBUILDING DAY – LEE COUNTY / Rebuilding Together Lee County http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/
Join Lee County Association of Realtors to be a part of Rebuilding Together Lee County, a project to improve the housing of low income homeowners, particularly the needy, elderly and disabled in Lee County. Lee County Association of Realtors will be sponsoring the annual event Rebuilding Together. Rebuilding Together Lee County is a non-profit organization that provides home repairs for the elderly and disabled in our community. No level of experience is too great or too small to participate, and jobs are available for all! Each house project required about $2000, so financial contribution and supplies are welcome as well.  Since 1994, over 80 homes have been repaired across Lee County! Many different groups come together to ensure that these individuals are able to maintain ownership of their homes as long as possible. The goal with the program is ultimately to revitalize our community and preserve home ownership by providing free repairs, while increasing safety and energy for these individuals’ homes.  For more information on the 2009 Rebuilding Together Lee County project and how to get involved, please contact, Debra Barlow at 334.329.9649 or Jackie Pinkard, LRCOG 334-749-5264.

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Auburn Citizens Voice Their Opinions: 2009 Citizen Survey Results Now Available
http://www.auburnalabama.org/news/2009/ocm042109.asp

City of Auburn Board Vacancies:
* Board of Education – one vacancy will be filled at the May 19 city council meeting.
* Indian Pines Recreation Authority – one vacancy will be filled at the June 16 City Council meeting.
Citizens interested in serving are encouraged to contact their City Council member or notify the City Manager’s Office at webocm@auburnalabama.org or 501-7260. Information on the city’s boards and commissions, including current members and their terms, available online at http://www.auburnalabama.org/BoardsandCommissions/Boards.aspx.

CITY OF AUBURN / CONSTRUCTION PROJECT STATUS REPORTS (updated weekly)
PUBLIC WORKS: www.auburnalabama.org/pw/status.asp
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: www.auburnalabama.org/wrm/status.asp

ANONYMOUS REPORTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Want to report info on ADEM, environmental violators or other environmental issues, but prefer to do it anonymously? You can do it via this website: http://www.enviro-lawyer.com/Contact.html.

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 27, 2009

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UPDATE:

ADDITIONAL EVENT TODAY – Saturday, April 25, 1:30 – 3:00 pm
MEET & GREET RECEPTION HONORING CONGRESSMAN ARTUR DAVIS
Held at the Olde Auburn Ale House, 124 Tichenor Ave, Auburn.
Join this meet and greet reception honoring Congressman Artur Davis, candidate for Governor. http://www.arturdavis2010.com/

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Auburn councilman removes Confederate flags from graves
http://www.oanow.com/oan/news/local/article/councilman_removes_confederate_flags_from_graves/69708/
This past Thursday, at Pine Hill Cemetery, Auburn council member Arthur Dowdell removed Confederate flags from the graves of Confederate veterans. The flags were there as part of the annual Confederate Memorial Day commemoration.
This incident has sparked controversy, both locally and outside of Auburn. Several news articles, and a press release from Mayor Ham, are posted on the Opelika-Auburn News website www.oanow.com.

[PLACE editorial note:  Public comment about this incident on the O-A News website and elsewhere has been heated, and from various viewpoints. Comments have included issues of history, Southern heritage, slavery, racism, disrespect of graves, anger at Rev. Dowdell for his actions, etc. Sadly, many of the comments strayed from the main points -- was Rev. Dowdell's action appropriate or legal, how should it be handled, and how can we learn from this to improve both race relations and our understanding of local history. Instead some used the incident to inflame emotions and revive differing viewpoints on the Civil War, etc. If after reading the details of the incident you wish to comment to city officials, you can email the mayor and council at coagbemail@auburnalabama.org.]

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CHERYL COBB RECEIVES AWARD FROM LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS   — Recently former Auburn planning commission member Cheryl Cobb received the Phyllis Rea Award from the League of Women Voters of East Alabama. This award is given honor an individual’s public service to our community.

AUBURN COMMUNITY GARDEN STARTS 2009 SEASON  — Volunteers welcome The Auburn Community Garden is an effort to provide fresh, healthy, local produce to the less fortunate in our community.  This spring, volunteers will grow tomatoes, peppers, okra, corn, squash, beans, and maybe a pumpkin or two, all of which will go directly to the East Alabama Food Bank.  Last year, we provided 2479 lbs of fresh vegetables, most of which went to the Community Market. Planting should begin in the next week or two.  It’s a great chance to learn more about vegetable production, meet members of our community, and help out the less fortunate in our area!  More information about the Community Garden, including directions, can be found here: http://www.auburn.edu/~mulvamj/community_garden.html If you are interested in helping out, please contact Mike Mulvaney at mulvamj@auburn.edu.

Encyclopedia of Alabama named Best of Free Reference
The online Encyclopedia of Alabama (http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Home.jsp ) has been named a 2008 Best of Free Reference by the library field’s leading professional publication, Library Journal. The journal calls the encyclopedia an excellent example of a well-designed site on the history, culture, and geography of a US state. Developed by the Alabama Humanities Foundation and Auburn University, the encyclopedia includes enhanced multimedia content covering Alabama’s history, culture, geography and natural environment. For an introduction to the content, read historian Wayne Flynt’s essay (http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1598) on Alabama. The editorial offices are hosted by the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn. Library Journal is a 132-year-old publication covering the library field and is read by more than 100,000 library directors, administrators and staff in public, academic and special libraries. The entire list of 2008 Best References may be found at this link (http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6650277.html ).

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 25, 2009

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UPDATES:

COLUMN BY LISA BROUILLETTE / APRIL 17, 2009  — WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO RE-ELECT THESE PEOPLE?
http://placeforum.org/blog/2009/04/19/column-by-lisa-brouillette-april-17-2009-why-do-we-continue-to-re-elect-these-people/

CITY OF AUBURN PRESS RELEASES: These & other press releases are online at www.auburnalabama.org/news/:
Northbound Lane of Donahue Drive to be Rerouted April 20 – 24
Citizen Survey Results to be Presented at April 21 Committee of the Whole
Auburn City Council to Consider Authorizing Assessment and Collection of Annual Ad Valorem Taxes April 21

ACTION ALERT — CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM / HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 91 & SENTATE JOINT RESOLUTION 20
Please call your legislators this week and let them know you want them to vote FOR House Joint Resolution 91 and Senate Joint Resolution 20. Let them know you want them to allow you and your fellow Alabamians to vote on whether to call a Constitutional Convention.  A Joint Resolution that will allow the people to vote for a Constitution Convention to rewrite the 1901 Alabama Constitution was introduced by Speaker Pro Tem Demetrius Newton in the House of Representatives, HJR 91, and by Senator Ted Little in the Alabama Senate, SJR 20. Both Resolutions were sent to the respective Rules Committees and are anticipated to come before the House in the next week or two.
Please call your state representative TODAY and ask for their support of HJR 91. Call the House Switchboard number (334) 242-7600 and ask to speak to your representative or to leave a message at the switchboard.  Say your name and that you are a member of the district and then say: “I want to send a message to representative ____. Please support HJR 91.”
Your legislator can be found at www.legislature.state.al.us.  Please also forward this information to your friends and family and ask them to call their legislators as well.

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MEETINGS & EVENTS THIS WEEK:

MONDAY, APRIL 20 – LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF EAST ALABAMA / Annual meeting
6:30 p.m. Reception  /  7:00 pm Dinner ($20/person)
Speaker: Wayne Flynt / Topic: Ethics in Government
Held at the  Auburn Unitarian ¬ Universalist Church, 450 E. Thach Ave. Open to all. Guests are encouraged.
Business meeting to follow speaker.  Dr. Wayne Flynt will address the History of Ethics in Government. http://www.lwval.org/eastalabama/

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 9:30 PM ON ALABAMA PUBLIC TV  – Green Builders
A quiet green revolution in the building world is evolving, and a first wave of innovative green design projects large and small are already on the ground. GREEN BUILDERS profiles a cast of green building pioneers who have taken the leap into making their part of the “built environment” a more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly place. A quiet green revolution in the building world is evolving, and a first wave of innovative green design projects large and small are already on the ground. GREEN BUILDERS profiles a cast of green building pioneers who have taken the leap into making their part of the “built environment” a more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly place. In each story, people talk about why they made the move to build green, what were the challenges, and how their project has fared. In most cases, one finds that a green building project has more to do with smart planning than expensive technologies or consumer sacrifice. The individuals in this program have made the move to building green and they aren’t suffering, sacrificing, or experimenting with something theoretical. These are real projects on the ground, working businesses and college campuses that prove on a daily basis that you can change your carbon footprint once you change your way of looking at how a structure operates. Their homes and offices are the proving grounds for green building, and their personal experiences reveal that building greener is less complicated and expensive than you probably thought, and more rewarding in the long run.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, NOON – 1:00 PM — AUBURN PUBLIC LIBRARY / BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES Digital Photography: How to Use a Digital Camera
Held in the programming room, Youth Services Building, Auburn Public Library, 749 E. Thach Ave.
Free & open to all. Water & coffee provided; bring your lunch.
Summer vacation is almost here. Bone up on your picture-taking skills with Assistant Director Tyler Whitten. He will demonstrate how to use a digital camera and give some picture-taking hints for great vacation photos.
Join the Auburn Public Library’s new Brown Bag Lunch series, noon Tuesdays. Bring your lunch and learn about a variety of topics.  More information: Reference desk at 501-3195 or visit http://www.auburnalabama.org/library/adultprograms.asp#brown.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2:30 PM – DR. KATHRYN FLOYD / PHOTOGRAPHS OF ART EXHIBITIONS
Held in AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Free & open to all.  www.jcsm.auburn.edu
Dr. Kathryn Floyd is an assistant professor of art history at Auburn University specializing in modern and contemporary art in Europe, the United States, and Africa. She has a particular interest in the history of art exhibitions and museums. Her dissertation “Between Change and Continuity: Documenta 1955-2005″ chronicles the history of the German periodic exhibition “Documenta.” She received her Ph.D. in 2006 from the University of Iowa.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 4:00 PM – LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT KENNETH HELPHAND / DEFIANT GARDENS
Held in AU’s Dudley Hall, room B-6 (basement auditorium).  Free & open to all.
Kenneth Helphand, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Oregon, is scheduled to present “Defiant Gardens, Making Gardens in Wartime” . Defiant gardens are gardens created in extreme or difficult environmental,
social, political, economic or cultural conditions. These gardens represent adaptation to challenging circumstances, but can also be viewed from other dimensions as sites of assertion and affirmation. At the University of Oregon, Helphand has taught courses in landscape history, theory and design since 1974. A 1968 graduate of Brandeis University and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Helphand is the recipient of distinguished teaching awards from The University of Oregon and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. He is the author of numerous articles and reviews on topics in landscape history and theory with a particular interest in the contemporary American landscape. All are invited to attend the lecture. For more information about Helphand and his work, visit this link (http://www.cadc.auburn.edu/soa/).

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 4:00 – 5:00 PM —- OWNING THE SELF: EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ACTRESSES AND THEATRICAL PROPERTIES
Held at AU’s Jules Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Free & open to the public.
Speaker:  Dr. Felicity Nussbaum, Professor of English, University of California at Los Angeles
More info: 844-1974 or 844-6647; http://www.auburn.edu/academic/other/womens_studies/events/Spring_2009.htm

TUESDAY, APRIL 21 – AUBURN CITY COUNCIL
Committee of the Whole:  6:15 pm / Regular meeting: 7:00 pm
Held in the council chambers, 141 N. Ross St.. Open to all. Agenda & full packet: www.auburnalabama.org/agenda/
Committee of the Whole agenda includes: ANNUAL CITIZEN SURVEY RESULTS. ETC Institute. Presentation and Discussion. Chris Tatham.
Regular meeting agenda includes:
7. CITIZENS’ COMMUNICATIONS.
8. CITY MANAGER’S COMMUNICATIONS. Assistant City Manager Cowper.
a. Alcoholic Beverage License. Ducks Unlimited, Inc. dba/Ducks Unlimited. 1455 Shug Jordan Parkway. 140 – Special Events Retail License.
b. Announcement of Board Vacancy. Board of Education. One Position. Five Year Term Expires May 31, 2014. Appointment at the May 19, 2009 Meeting.
9. ORDINANCES.
a. Traffic Control Signs and Devices. Establish “No Parking” Zones. Temple Street. SECOND READING.
b. Annual Renewal. Ad Valorem Property Taxes. Unanimous Consent Necessary.
(1) City Taxes – 5 Mills for General Purposes. General Fund. City Taxes – 5 Mills for Capital Projects Debt Repayment. Special Five Mill Tax Fund.
(2) School Taxes – 11 Mills for School Purposes. Special School Tax Fund.
(3) School Taxes – 5 Mills for Educational Purposes. Special Additional School Tax Fund.
10. RESOLUTIONS.
a. Industrial Development Board. Seohan Auto USA Corporation. Seohan-NTN Driveshaft USA Corporation. 246 Teague Court. Tax Abatement Amendment.
b. Environmental Services Department. Trash Amnesty Week. May 18 – 22, 2009. Designate.
c. Conditional Use Approvals. Planning Commission Recommendations.Public Hearings Required.
(1) Road Service Use in the Comprehensive Development District (CDD) Zoning District.
(a) Michael Shannon. Taylor and Andrew Austin (Authorized Representative). Coin-Operated Ice Vending Station
(Austin Ice). Property Located at 691 Opelika Road.
(b) Tiger Crossing. Dennis McKelvy (Authorized Representative).Donut Shop with Drive Through/Pick-up Window (The Donut Shop). Property Located at 1625 East University Drive, Suite 114.
(2) Dan Grider. Commercial and Entertainment Use-Private Club (The Tavern) in the Commercial Conservation (CC) Zoning District. Property Located at 1310 Opelika Road.  [PLACE editorial note: This item comes to Council from Planning Commission with a recommendation for denial.]
d. Contracts and Agreements. Authorize Mayor and City Manager to Sign.
(1) Not to Exceed $92,500. Office of the City Manager. Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Professional Governmental Affairs Representation Services.
(2) $207,909. Public Safety Department. 2009 Ford Crown Victoria Sedans (9). Chuck Steven’s Automotive, Inc. State Contract T191.
(3) Not to Exceed $45,000. Planning Department. Auburn Interactive Growth Model (AIGM) Update. Van Buskirk, Ryffel and Associates, Inc. Agreement.
e. Drainage and Utility Easements and Sidewalk and Retaining Wall Easement. Acceptance.
(1) Hamilton Place, LLC. Hamilton Place Subdivision, A Resubdivision of Parcel B, Fred P. Moore Subdivision – Redivision of Parcel B-3. Property Located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Hamilton Road and Moores Mill Road. Drainage and Utility Easements.
(2) Joanne C. Walker. 383 Sanders Street. Sanders Street Sidewalk Project. Sidewalk and Retaining Wall Easement.
11. OTHER BUSINESS.  12. ADJOURNMENT.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21  – OPELIKA CITY COUNCIL
6:30 pm – work session / 7:00 PM – regular meeting
Held in the council chambers, 204 South 7th Street, Opelika.  Open to all. Agenda: www.opelika.org/
Work session agenda includes:
(1) –  a.  Ordinance, amend City Code, add a special retail license.  Ordinance, amend City Code, various – Section 14  ……Mike Moore
(2) –  a.  Resolution, contract with GMC for engineering services for phase two of the N. Railroad Ave. Streetscape …..Walter Dorsey
(3) –  a.  General updates
(4) –  Discuss/review CM agenda items of 4/21/09:  Remarks by Mayor; General business; Bids; Resolutions;  Ordinances; Board Appointments.
(5) –  Discussion  -  City Council: New / Old Business; Board appointments; Other City business.
Regular meeting agenda includes:
6) UNFINISHED BUSINESS  -
7)   REMARKS BY THE MAYOR –  Gary Fuller
1.  Building Inspection report for March 2009.
2.  Employee service awards.
3.  Monthly Financial Summary for March 2009.
  CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS – (Limit comments to five minutes or less)     Bob Shuman
9)   REPORT OF DISBURSEMENTS
10) COMMITTEE REPORTS
11) GENERAL BUSINESS –  Bob Shuman
1.  Public Hearing, amend text of the zoning ordinance, Section 8.18 (c).
2.  Public Hearing, amend zoning ordinance, CedarCreek SD, add 5.97 acres PUD,phase 5A.
3.  Request by Mainstreet for a special event retail license for their “On The Tracks” event.
12) AWARDING OF BIDS –  Shirley Washington:   1.    Uniform cleaning – OPD/OFD;  2.  Uniforms – OPD
13)  RESOLUTIONS –  Guy Gunter:  1.  Travel advance – OPD;  2.  Designate certain City personal property as surplus and authorize disposal.
14)  ORDINANCES –   Guy Gunter    (none)
1.  Amend text zoning ordinance, section 8.18 (c) – first reading.
2.  Amend zoning ordinance, Cedar Creek SD, add 5.97 acres PUD, phase 5A – first reading.
15)  APPOINTMENTS –     (none)   a.  Public P&R Board – reappointment.
16)  ADJOURN

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:00 PM –  FILM: THE UNFORESEEN
Held in AU’s Haley Center, room 2370.  Free & open to the public.
The Unforeseen is a new documentary from the executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford. The film takes an impartial look at the problem of suburban sprawl in Austin, Texas. It is told through the eyes of a major developer in a struggle against the community. It’s a unique perspective of a timeless tale that serves as a microcosm for communities across the nation, including Auburn. Co-sponsored by Auburn Sustainability Action Program (ASAP), Friends of Chewacla Creek & the Uphapee Watershed (CHEWUP), and Save Our Saugahatchee (SOS).

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:00 – 8:00 pm  — PROFESSOR DANIEL HELMINIAK / WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY
Held in Theatre Room 2222, New Student Union, AU. Free & open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities are often exacerbated by evangelical interpretations of the Bible. The case becomes more nuanced for LGBT people of faith. Campus Progress joins the Auburn University Spectrum Alliance to open a dialogue around religion, faith, morality, and sexuality. The event brings Professor Daniel Helminiak to discuss how students can bridge the gap between their religious beliefs and sexuality. Sponsored by Campus Progress and the Auburn University Spectrum Alliance.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:30 PM  — CAPRI THEATRE SHOWING OF BAMA GIRL & discussion with film subject Jessica Thomas
Held at the Capri Theatre, 1045 E Fairview Ave, Montgomery; ph: 334.262.4858; http://www.capritheatre.org.
The Capri Theatre presents “‘Bama Girl” as part of the Southern Arts Federation’ Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. This powerful and enlightening documentary follows Jessica Thomas’ quest to become homecoming queen at the University of Alabama. Following a screening of the documentary, “‘Bama Girl” subject Jessica Thomas will engage the audience in a discussion of the film.  Thomas, a native of Birmingham, was a senior double-major in broadcast news and political science at the University of Alabama. The daughter of Carl and Deborah Thomas, she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She is currently pursuing her JD at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. The Crimson Tide’s homecoming has a rich history filled with centuries of privilege, old money and racial exclusivity. Thomas is an African-American woman running against 15 other co-eds, a strictly segregated Greek system, internal black politics and, most ominously, a secret all-white association called “The Machine” that has controlled politics at the University, including the student government and homecoming queen elections, for most of the past century.Along the way the film divulges some surprising revelations about black vs. white, the Old South vs. the New South, and a surprising microcosm of electoral politics that mirrors much of what is happening across our country today.
“‘Bama Girl” has screened at SXSW in Austin, Texas, the Atlanta Film Festival, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham, New Orleans Film Festival, and Indie Memphis Film Festival. “Bama Girl” was directed and produced by Rachel Goslins, a documentary director and producer. She has worked on productions for National Geographic, Discovery, PBS, A&E and the History Channel, among others. Her short film “Onderduiken” was acquired for incorporation into a standardized civil rights curriculum for Northern California high schools. A former international copyright attorney, she is currently directing a feature documentary on Muslims who saved Jews from the Holocaust. She also serves as programming coordinator for the Impact Film Festival which was featured at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, and at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
– The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a program of the Southern Arts Federation, a not-for-profit regional arts organization making a positive difference in the arts throughout the South since 1975.  Southern Arts Federation is supported by funding and programming partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and the state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. For more information on the Southern Arts Federation and its programs visit www.southarts.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 8:00 – 10:00 PM — PBS FRONTLINE: POISONED WATERS
POISONED WATERS is a two-hour investigation and report card on two iconic American waterways, Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound. More than two decades after the Clean Water Act was supposed to make America’s waters clean enough for swimming and fishing again, two iconic waterways — the great coastal estuaries of Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay — are in perilous condition. With polluted runoff still flowing in from industry, agriculture, and massive suburban development, scientists fear contamination to the food chain and drinking water for millions of people. FRONTLINE examines the rising hazards to human health and the eco-system.  For information on the broadcast of POISONED WATERS and to see a two-minute trailer, visit: http://www.pbs.org/frontline/poisonedwaters/.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, NOON – GREEN LUNCH / Kirk Iversen
Held in AU’s new Student Center, room 2218. Free & open to the public.
Speaker: Kirk Iversen, USDA, National Soil Dynamics Laboratory
Topic:  conservation agriculture and the need for sustainable methods of food production
http://www.auburn.edu/projects/sustainability/newsletter/020909.html#anchor_0

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1:30 PM — QUARRY LEGISLATION (HB804) PUBLIC HEARING
Held in room 622, Alabama Statehouse, Mont. (House County and Municipal Government Committee) Open to the public.
The quarry legislation (HB804) pushed by state environmentalists for 8 years will get its first public hearing this Wednesday, Earth Day, before the House County and Municipal Government Committee.  The bill calls for public hearings and local approval of limestone and granite surface mining prior to issuance of a state permit.
To see complete text of the bill, go to ALISON (Alabama Legislative Information System Online) at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLoginFire.asp, then click on Bills > Status, then highlight the Bill number & click on View.
The bill’s text is also posted on the PLACE website: http://placeforum.org/blog/2009/04/19/text-of-proposed-bill-on-local-authority-over-quarries-hb804/.
[PLACE editorial note:  Please contact your state legislators and ask them to actively support this bill. Unless, of course, you prefer not to have a say in whether a quarry locates near you.]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 4:00 – 5:30 PM — Art History Lecture: Leonardo da Vinci: The Evolution of an Exhibition
Held in AU’s Biggin Hall, room 005, lower level. (Biggin Hall is wheelchair accessible.) Free & open to all.
The College of Liberal Arts Department of Art is hosting a public lecture by Dr. Jeannine A. O’Grody, Chief Curator and Curator of European Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Dr. O’Grody’s talk, “Leonardo da Vinci: The Evolution of an Exhibition at the Birmingham Museum of Art” will relate how the Birmingham museum came to organize the exhibition from last fall, “Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin,” which featured eleven drawings and one codex that had never been allowed to leave Italy as a group. O’Grody will offer curatorial perspectives on the many issues that arose when borrowing drawings by the most famous draftsman in the history of art. Dr. O’Grody received her doctorate from Case Western Reserve University and prior to arriving at the Birmingham Museum of Art in 2000, she worked at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and was a National Endowment for the Arts Curatorial Fellow at Harvard Art Museum’s Fogg Museum. Her area of expertise is Italian Renaissance art and her research interests include old master drawings, prints, the creative process, patronage, and 15th through 18th century European sculpture. O’Grody has lectured widely in the field of Renaissance and Baroque Art, including the popular lecture “The Art of Leonardo: The Da Vinci Code Deciphered,” which has been presented at numerous museums throughout the country.  More info: Joyce de Vries at devrijc@auburn.edu, or 334/844/3484.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 5:30 – 7:30 PM —- AUBURN CITYFEST JURIED ART EXHIBITION PREVIEW RECEPTION
Held at Fountainview Mansion, 3291 Mill Creek Road, Auburn.   Free & open to the public.
The Fifth Annual Auburn CityFest Juried Art Preview Reception will be held in conjunction with Auburn CityFest 2009. All works will be on display in the Nunn Winston House during Auburn CityFest at Kiesel Park on Saturday, April 25 from 9a.m. to 4p.m. The juried art show, sponsored by the Auburn – Opelika Tourism Bureau, Fountainview Mansion and the Auburn Arts Association, will feature a variety of works including paintings, works on paper, three-dimensional works (ceramics / sculptures), mixed-media and photography. For more info: contact the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center at 501-2963 or visit www.auburncityfest.com or http://www.auburnalabama.org/news/2009/pr041309.asp.

THURSDAY – SUNDAY, APRIL 23 – 26  –  AU THEATRE /  dAUnce VII
Held on AU’s Telfair Peet Theatre Mainstage.  Tickets: Order by phone (334) 844-4154 (Box office open 12-3 M-F); or online http://media.cla.auburn.edu/theatre/boxoffice/index.cfm.
Performances:  April 23-26, 7:30 pm;  April 26, 2:30 pm matinee.
“Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn.”
This seventh annual celebration of dance features a festival of performances and master classes conducted by internationally acclaimed artists working side by side with AU students in a thrilling event that has become a regular feature of AU’s theatre season.

THURSDAY – SUNDAY, APRIL 23-26 —  LEE COUNTY GATHERING: OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL
Held at the Lee County Historical Society (LCHS) Museum, 6500 Stage Road (Hwy 14) Loachapoka; the museum and its grounds are located about half way between Auburn and Notasulga.     http://leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/
The festival will be open to the public to enjoy music jams and the museum. A gate fee of 2.00 will apply.
This event includes two full days of instruction (4 class periods per day), continuous music jams, and a Saturday evening concert! For class registration, vendor information, and camping registration, contact Rose Taunton (334-283-3045; banjobob@charter.net) or see the web site at www.leecountygathering.com.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 10:00 AM – ALABAMA HOME BUILDERS LICENSURE BOARD
Held at 445 Herron Street, Montgomery. Ph: 334-242-2230
Agenda: The Board will meet to approve minutes from the previous month’s meeting, to approve applications for licensure, and to conduct the general business of the Board.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23, noon – ART MUSEUM / A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts; www.jscm.auburn.edu.   Free & open to all.
Enjoy lunch in the museum café on Thursdays while the lovely sounds of local musicians echo through the museum. Sponsored by the Auburn Chamber Museum Society.  www.auburnchambermusic.org

THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 4:00 pm – AUBURN WATER WORKS BOARD
Held in the Water Resource Management Conference Room, 1501 West Samford Avenue (Shug Jordan and West Samford). Info: 501-3060. The Board meets on the 1st Thursday after the 3rd Tuesday of each month.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 11:40 AM — AU JOURNALISM ADVISORY COUNCIL / AWARDS TO JOURNALISTS
Held at the Saugahatchee Country Club. Info: Nan Fairley at (334) 844-4593 or fairlln@auburn.edu; or Roy Bain at (205) 758-6911. April 10 is the deadline for registration.
The Auburn University Journalism Advisory Council will pay tribute to five journalists at the council’s annual honors luncheon Friday, April 24. Syndicated columnist and author Rheta Grimsley Johnson will receive top honors as the 2009 Distinguished Auburn University Journalism Alumnus. Other honorees will be Kathryn Tucker-Windham, Distinguished Special Achievement in Journalism; Goodloe Sutton and his late wife, Jean, Distinguished Alabama Community Journalists; Shannon Allen, Distinguished Alabama Community Sports Journalist; and John Logue, Distinguished Mass Media Achievement. For more information about the awards banquet and the individual honorees, see the news release ( http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/836%20 ).

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM – AUBURN CITYFEST
Held at Keisel Park.  Free & open to all.   http://www.auburncityfest.com/
CityFest is Auburn’s largest FREE, outdoor festival for families and people of all ages. It is a day filled with music, art, food and fun, which is sure to please everyone who attends. Fine art exhibitors will be selling paintings, pottery, sculpture and prints while arts and crafts exhibitors will be selling authentic jewelry, hand – woven baskets, children’s clothing and much, much more! There will be storytellers, the International Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show (as seen on ESPN), pony rides, an ArtFest tent, games, and more.  Several food vendors will offer items for sale such as BBQ, hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza and lemonade, cotton candy and funnel cakes. Bring your blanket and chairs and plan to picnic on the lawn while enjoying the live music.  More info, including music line-up: http://www.auburncityfest.com/.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 6:00 – 8:00 PM — GNU’S ROOM  MUSIC EVENT:  ERRICK JOHNSON
Held at The Gnu’s Room, 414 S. Gay Street, Auburn.  Free & open to all.  www.thegnusroom.com
Come enjoy the velvety vocals and keyboard styling of Errick Johnson. Errick is a favorite at the Gnu’s Room, and will perform songs from his varied repertoire. No admission fee.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 7:00 – 10:00 PM — STARRY NIGHTS  /  Astronomy program
Held at the Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest on Moore’s Mill Road.   (From Auburn, go 1 mile past Ogletree Shopping Village.  It’s on the left side.)
Admission is $3 for non-members and $2 for members.
Join the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve staff and the Auburn Astronomical Society for a night under the stars. Enjoy a short program on stars, planets and telescopes, a space movie, constellation laser show, high-powered telescopes and some out-of this world snacks. Not recommended for children under 5. Bring a flashlight.  Red cellophane and rubber bands will be available.

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Faculty art on display at AU Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
The Auburn University Faculty Exhibition is on display at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art through May 30. This exhibition reflects the individual interests and skills of the diverse studio faculty in Auburn’s Department of Art and features paintings, sculpture, works on paper, ceramics and other media. Exhibitions of faculty art are held periodically at the museum, and provide opportunities not only for the community to see the art created at Auburn University, but also for art students to see the close relationship between the classroom and application. In conjunction with the exhibition, Tuesday lectures will be given in the museum auditorium or galleries during which art historians will share their expertise. To read the news release, visit this link (http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/863) .

Exhibition of Andy Warhol photographs at AU Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
“Polaroid Sketchbook: Photographs by Andy Warhol in the Permanent Collection” will be on display  through May 30 at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. The exhibition of photographs Warhol took as inspiration for his paintings provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at his iconic work. Warhol used his Polaroid camera as other artists might use a sketchbook, to quickly record ideas for future use. These snapshots formed the basis for many of his paintings and silk-screen prints, with subjects ranging from superstar portraits to cultural and commercial icons. A variety of images will be on display, including portrait shots of John Denver, Chris Evert, Halston, Sean Lennon, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cheryl Tiegs and other public figures. Selected prints will be shown paired with examples of the resulting paintings on loan from The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. For more information, see the news release (http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/843 ).

City of Auburn Board Vacancies:
* Board of Education – one vacancy will be filled at the May 19 city council meeting.
* Indian Pines Recreation Authority – one vacancy will be filled at the June 16 City Council meeting.
Citizens interested in serving are encouraged to contact their City Council member or notify the City Manager’s Office at webocm@auburnalabama.org or 501-7260. Information on the city’s boards and commissions, including current members and their terms, available online at http://www.auburnalabama.org/BoardsandCommissions/Boards.aspx.

CITY OF AUBURN / CONSTRUCTION PROJECT STATUS REPORTS (updated weekly)
PUBLIC WORKS: www.auburnalabama.org/pw/status.asp
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: www.auburnalabama.org/wrm/status.asp

ANONYMOUS REPORTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Want to report info on ADEM, environmental violators or other environmental issues, but prefer to do it anonymously? You can do it via this website: http://www.enviro-lawyer.com/Contact.html.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 19, 2009

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TEXT OF PROPOSED BILL ON LOCAL AUTHORITY OVER QUARRIES  — HB804

Public hearing on this bill to be held Wednesday, April 22, 1:30 pm, in room 622, Alabama Statehouse, Montgomery.  (House County & Municipal Government Committee)

Page 0
1      HB804
2      110328-1
3      By Representatives McLaughlin, Mask, White and Hammon
4      RFD: County and Municipal Government
5      First Read: 01-APR-09
Page 1
1       110328-1:n:03/31/2009:MCS/tj LRS2009-2056
2
3
4
5
6
7
8       SYNOPSIS: The Alabama Department of Environmental
9       Management issues new permits or modifications to
10     existing permits relating to granite or limestone
11     surface mining activities pursuant to the Alabama
12     Water Pollution Control Act (Title 22, Chapter 22,
13     Code of Alabama 1975); the Alabama Environmental
14      Management Act (Title 22, Chapter 22A, Code of
15      Alabama 1975); the Solid Wastes Disposal Act (Title
16      22, Chapter 27, Article 1, Code of Alabama 1975);
17      the Alabama Air Pollution Control Act of 1971
18      (Title 22, Chapter 28, Code of Alabama 1975); and
19       the Hazardous Wastes Management and Minimization
20      Act (Title 22, Chapter 20, Code of Alabama 1975).
21      This bill would require the prior approval
22      of local municipalities and counties affected by a
23      proposed permit or modification to a permit for
24      such mining operations. The bill would establish
25      guidelines for local governments to consider in the
26      approval process, would require notice of and the
27      holding of public hearings, and would provide

Page 2
1       access to certain information as part of the local
2       approval process.
3
4                                              A BILL
5                                   TO BE ENTITLED
6                                           AN ACT
7
8        To add Section 22-22A-5.1 to the Code of Alabama
9        1975, relating to the granting of local approval for granite
10      and limestone surface mining operations prior to the issuance
11      of any permit by the Alabama Department of Environmental
12      Management.
13       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
14       Section 1. Section 22-22A-5.1 is added to the Code
15       of Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
16       “§22-22A-5.1.
17       (a) The Alabama Department of Environmental
18       Management shall not issue a new or modified permit under
19       Sections 22-22-9, 22-22A-5, 22-27-7, 22-28-16, or 22-30-12 for
20       any activity relating to the operation of a granite or
21       limestone surface mine unless the operation has received
22       approval by the governing bodies of municipalities and
23       counties affected by the proposed operation. In determining
24       whether to recommend approval of the proposed operation, the
25       governing body shall consider, and make findings on, each of
26       the following:

Page 3
1        (1) The impact of the proposed operation on local
2        planned or existing roads and on transportation arteries and
3        state primary and secondary roads.
4        (2) Costs and availability of public services,
5        facilities, and improvements required to support a proposed
6        operation and to protect public health, safety, and the
7       environment.
8       (3) The impact of a proposed operation on public
9        health and safety and provisions made to minimize the impact
10     on public health and safety.
11       (4) The social and economic impacts of a proposed
12       operation on the affected community, including changes in
13       property values, and social or community perceptions.
14       (5) The impact of the proposed operation on the
15       prevailing hydrologic balance at the proposed mine site and in
16       offsite areas and on the quality and quantity of water in
17       surface and ground water systems both during and after surface
18       mining operations and during reclamation.
19        (6) The impact of the proposed operation on erosion
20        and siltation, pollution of water, damage to fish or wildlife
21        or their habitat, and public or private property.
22        (7) The impact of the proposed operation on natural
23         water-courses, stream beds, or drainage channels.
24         (8) The impact of blasting associated with the
25         proposed operation on private property, the enjoyment of
26         private property, and property values.

Page 4
1           (b) Any determination by the municipal or county
2          governing body to recommend approval of a proposed operation
3          shall be made in a public hearing only after public notice and
4          an opportunity for public comment is provided. The governing
5          body shall at a minimum hold at least one public hearing
6          thereon, notice of the time an place of which shall be given
7          by one publication in a newspaper of general circulation in
8          the county or municipality and in the official gazette, if
9          any, of the governing body’s jurisdiction. Notice shall be
10        given at least 30 days but not more than 45 days prior to the
11        proposed date of the hearing. Each notice published in
12        compliance with this section shall contain at a minimum a
13        description of the proposed operation to be considered and
14        shall identify a contact person from whom interested persons
15        can obtain additional information. All pertinent documents
16        shall be available for inspection during normal business hours
17        at a location readily accessible to the public.
18        Section 2. This act shall become effective
19        immediately following its passage and approval by the
20       Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.

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Column by Lisa Brouillette  — April 17, 2009

(first published in the Opelika-Auburn News,  Friday, April 17, 2009)

Why do we continue to re-elect these people?

Let’s just make it official.  We are at the mercy of our state legislators.  If that doesn’t scare you, it’s hard to imagine what could.

As someone noted to me recently, our legislature still operates on the plantation mentality – “Keep ‘em poor and dumb.”

Not only have we ostensibly accepted that notion, we seem to have voluntarily added the word “quiet.”

But upon occasion we citizens of Alabama speak up. We explain and complain. Sometimes we even beg, trying desperately to make ourselves heard, to improve our state.

Mostly, though, like well-behaved girls and boys, we shrug and sigh, accept the status quo, cede our power to the ‘professionals’, go about our daily business. We tsk-tsk about this politician and that, then blindly re-elect the sorry so-and-sos.

Face it. We’ve become willing victims of our legislators’ pitiful, inexcusable, infuriating inaction.  On top of that, we appear unable to force passage of their few deserving, well-crafted bills.

There’s no shortage of sad examples.

To date, Rep. John Knight’s bill to rid Alabama of its regressive grocery tax has failed to pass. Nor has any adequate substitute.

Is this truly the will of the majority of Alabamians?  If so, why don’t we simply take turns slapping the less fortunate upside the head, chastising them for not pulling themselves up by their (nonexistent) bootstraps.

Then, of course, there’s our state’s perennial black eye — weak, ineffective ethics laws coupled with a legislature-dependent, poorly-funded, toothless ethics commission.

Can somebody get stronger ethics bills passed? Let’s hope so. But nobody’s holding their breath over it.

Corruption here’s so easy; you’d think it was legal.  Wait, considering our weak laws, maybe it is!

Not yet driven into a migraine of despair?  Consider the current bill to protect our land and people from damage by quarries.  Oh, that’s right, that’s not passed that yet either.

The people of this state should be rising up in furnace-blasting fury, scorching our legislators’ future political hopes unless they change course, do what’s right.

Why do we continue to re-elect these people?  Do we think so little of ourselves, of our neighbors, that we figure this is all we deserve? Are we that stupid? That naïve? That weak? All of the above?

I’d sure hate to think so. Though, in bleak legislative years like this, it’s hard to argue the point. It’s even harder in election years.

Oh, and about Wednesday’s ‘tea parties’ protesting taxes? The problem is not that government intrudes in our lives, but that too often it does so to enrich the few at the expense of the many.

That is not only unacceptable, it’s un-American.

#     #     #

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CHANGES, CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS TO THIS WEEK’S EVENTS

ADDITIONAL MEETING:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 9:30 AM – ALABAMA HOME BUILDERS LICENSURE BOARD /Special called meeting
Held at 445 Herron Street, Montgomery. Ph: 334-242-2230.
Agenda: special/called Investigative Committee Meeting

ADDITIONAL EVENT
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, NOON – 2:00 PM — AUBURN ‘TAX DAY TEA PARTY’
Held at the corner of Miller Ave & College Street, on the AU campus. Open to all.
1:30 pm – guest speaker: gubernatorial candidate Tim James
Tax Day Tea (Tea = “Taxed Enough Already”) Parties are taking place this year in more than 350 cities as a way to voice concern about high taxes. For more information about the event in Auburn, contact Caroline Wren at cwren5024@gmail.com or (512) 771-9915.
[PLACE editorial note: What are your views about our taxes?  Do you consider it simply a matter of the amount of taxes we pay, or is it more important to you how our tax dollars are spent?  Do you have social justice concerns about tax (un)fairness? What is your opinion of the Alabama legislature's refusal to abolish the Grocery Tax? Bring your views -- and your signs, if you're inclined -- to this event.]

CORRECTION / DATE & LOCATION CHANGE
SAVE OUR SAUGAHATCHEE  MEETING / Now scheduled for April 21
The Save Our Saugahatchee (SOS) meeting previously scheduled for this Thursday, April 16, has been changed.  Instead of a regular meeting this month, SOS is co-sponsoring – along with Friends of Chewacla Creek  & the Uphapee Watershed (CHEWUP) and the Auburn Sustainability Action Program (ASAP) – the April 21st presentation of environmental documentary The Unforeseen. (see info below)  All are invited to attend this free film screening.
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:00 PM –  FILM: THE UNFORESEEN
Held in AU’s Haley Center, room 2370.  Free & open to the public.
– Join this screening of The Unforeseen, a new documentary from the executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford. The film takes an impartial look at the problem of suburban sprawl in Austin, Texas. The story is told through the eyes of a major developer in a struggle against the community. It’s a unique perspective of a timeless tale that serves as a microcosm for communities across the nation, including Auburn.  Co-sponsored by Auburn Sustainability Action Program (ASAP), Friends of Chewacla Creek & the Uphapee Watershed (CHEWUP), and Save Our Saugahatchee (SOS).

RESCHEDULED!!  NEW DATE!!
SATURDAY, APRIL 18 — SHILOH COMMUNITY DAY
Held at Shiloh- Rosenwald School, 101 Shiloh Road, Notasulga.
A fun day to fellowship, shop and enjoy a day on the hill. Food, 7:00 am yard sale, music and family fun. Info: Corrine Wright 334-741-7766.   http://www.shilohcommfound.com/

ADDITIONAL EVENT
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 4:00 – 5:30 PM — Free Concert by AU-Community Orchestra
Held at Kiesel Park, Auburn. Free.  All are invited to attend. (Rain location: AU’s Goodwin Music Building, Band Hall.)
The Auburn University/Community Orchestra, Howard Goldstein, Music Director, will present this free concert  which will include short works by Strauss, Dvorak, Gounod, Wagner, and Richard Rodgers. More info:  334-844-3167.

ADDITIONAL EVENT
SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 6:30 – 7:30 PM — Owls Presentation and Releases https://fp.auburn.edu/preserve/
Held at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve. Free admission (donations to Raptor Center accepted). Open to all.
The Southeastern Raptor Center, along with the Forest Ecology Preserve, features a presentation on owls followed by an evening walk in the woods. Several owls, including barred and Eastern screech owls, are to be released. The Preserve can be entered from the gate on Highway 147 North, across the highway and north of the Auburn University fish ponds. For further directions and information, contact the Forest Ecology Preserve at 334-707-6512. The mission of the Southeastern Raptor Center, part of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is rehabilitation and education.

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WANT TO SUPPORT A LOCAL FARM AND HAVE FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE THIS SUMMER?
Red Root Farm CSA still has shares available.  Contact Gary at 334-243-4072.
[PLACE editorial note:  CSA = Community Supported Agriculture -- The term CSA refers to an arrangement whereby individuals buy shares in a local farm's seasonal produce. CSA members share in both the bounty and risk of season's crop. Each CSA has its own rules, pricing, etc.  One notable local success is the Randle Farms CSA (www.randlefarms.com). Other CSAs, such as the Red Root Farm CSA, are following in the Randle Farms' success.]

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ACTION ALERT: From the Alabama Rivers Alliance
Today is Rivers of Alabama Day – and Our Nation’s Waters are Losing Protection
A new report released today – Rivers of Alabama Day – shows waters in Alabama and across nation losing protections from pollution.  The report, titled “Courting Disaster: How the Supreme Court Has Broken the Clean Water Act and Why Congress Must Fix It.” is available at www.alabamarivers.org.
Please read the report and then contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and urge them to fix the broken Clean Water Act by supporting the Clean Water Restoration Act. The bill has been introduced in the United States Senate as S.787 (The Federal Water Pollution Control Act). To find the contact information for your elected official, visit http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml.
About the Report:
Federal documents obtained by environmental groups reveal that US Supreme Court decisions have eliminated or undermined federal Clean Water Act protections for streams, wetlands, lakes and rivers across the nation. In the report released today, the groups provide 30 case studies demonstrating how the federal Clean Water Act is broken and calling on Senators and Representatives to fix it.
Today’s report is largely based on information obtained through district offices of the Army Corps of Engineers, or from Corps headquarters, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Justice. The case studies in the report indicate that streams, rivers, wetlands, lakes and other waters across the nation are now more vulnerable to pollution and destruction. The report includes cases where waters have lost protected status under the federal Clean Water Act, cases where such protections were threatened but later restored, and cases where industrial polluters have claimed a lack of federal protections as a defense in an enforcement action – either successfully or unsuccessfully.
One of the case studies highlighted in the report is in Birmingham, Alabama. In late October 2007 the court reversed the 2005 convictions of McWane, Inc. and three company officials on criminal charges related to the illegal discharge of pollutants including oil, lead, and zinc to Avondale Creek, which flows into Village Creek.  Village Creek is a main tributary of the Black Warrior River’s Locust Fork.  For more information on the Avondale Creek case visit http://blackwarriorriver.org/rapanos.html.
The groups releasing the report emphasized that pollution of headwater streams and wetlands leads to greater pollution and flooding for downstream communities.  The EPA has estimated that some 20 million acres of wetlands in the continental United States may lose federal protection. In addition, tens of thousands of miles of seasonal and headwater streams and countless numbers of small lakes, and ponds could be left without federal protection from water pollution.

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 14, 2009

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MEETINGS, EVENTS & UPDATES THIS WEEK:

MONDAY, APRIL 13 & TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM —- THE RED FLAG CAMPAIGN
Held on AU’s Cater Lawn. (Rain location: AU Student Center, 2nd floor.)   www.TheRedFlagCampaign.org
A display of 200 small red flags will be a physical reminder to watch for ‘red flags’ in one’s own or their friends’ relationships.  Part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Sponsored by: Safe Harbor, AU College of Liberal Arts and Women’s Resource Center. For info, or to volunteer, call 344-844-4452. (Rain location: AU Student Center, 2nd floor.)

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 3:00 PM – LECTURE: EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY: COMPARATIVE COGNITION OF ABSTRACT-CONCEPT LEARNING
Held in AU’s Rouse Life Sciences Bldg, room 112. Free & open to all.
Speaker:  Jeffrey Katz (AU Psychology Department)
This event is part of a semester-long celebration of Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s “The Origin of Species by Natural Selection.”  The Darwin Celebration is sponsored by AU’s College of Science and Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts, and the Outreach Committee of the Department of Biological Sciences.  Its purpose is to present Darwin’s ideas and their impact on diverse disciplines for general audiences in a friendly, clear, accurate, non-proselytizing way.

MONDAY, APRIL 13  - LEE COUNTY COMMISSION  www.leeco.us
4:00 pm – work session / 6:00 pm – regular session
Held in the commission chambers, historic courthouse building, 215 S. Ninth St, Opelika. Open to all.
Agenda includes:
3. Public Comment from Citizens: (limit of 3-minutes per speaker)
4. Establish Quorum and Open Regular Meeting:
5. Awards, Presentations, Proclamations or Other Recognitions:
a. Resolution Honoring Rev. Dr. J. H. Flakes, Jr. – Commissioner Harris
6. Reports from Staff:
7. CONSENT AGENDA:
a. Minutes of Commission Meeting March 30, 2009
b. Ratify and Approve Claims
8. OLD BUSINESS:
a. NACo Prescription Drug Plan – Commissioner Harris
b. Bid #10 for Security and Surveillance System – Johnny Langley
9. NEW BUSINESS:
a. Energy Efficiency Presentation – Eric Hodge
b. Request to Abandon a Portion of Lee Road 265 – Ed Wilder
c. Request to Maintain Lee Road 750 – Jeanette Burts
d. Request Approval for New Trash Pick-up Service in Smith Station Area-Chad Anderson
e. Travel Approval to Attend NACo’s RAC Fly-in – Commissioner Harris
f. Beer License (off premise) for Bars to Go, LLC / D1 – Sheriff Jay Jones
g. Authorize Agreement with Sticks County Investment Group – Sheriff Jay Jones
h. Resolution of Intent to Spend Federal Funds on Pierce Road – Neal Hall
i. Chambliss Place Subdivision/Lee Roads 2105, 2106 & 2107/Set 25 mph speed zone-Neal Hall
j. Report on Environmental Services Department Financial Situation – Roger Rendleman
k. Educational Reimbursement – Roger Rendleman
l. Census Complete Count Committee – Wendy Swann
10. Discussion Items
11. Adjourn

MONDAY, APRIL 13 & TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM —- THE RED FLAG CAMPAIGN
Held on AU’s Cater Lawn. (Rain location: AU Student Center, 2nd floor.)   www.TheRedFlagCampaign.org
A display of 200 small red flags will be a physical reminder to watch for ‘red flags’ in one’s own or their friends’ relationships.  Part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Sponsored by: Safe Harbor, AU College of Liberal Arts and Women’s Resource Center. For info, or to volunteer, call 344-844-4452.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 11:30 am – AUBURN GREENSPACE ADVISORY BOARD
Held in the city of Auburn meeting room, 122 Tichenor Ave. Open to all.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2:30 PM – JCSM / FACULTY GALLERY TALKS
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Free & open to all. Info: 844-1484; www.jcsm.auburn.edu.
Various faculty artists from the AU Department of Art TO speak about their artwork in the JCSM galleries.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14,  4:00 pm – AUBURN HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Held in the Development Services Bldg, 171 N. Ross St. Open to all.
Agenda will be posted at:  http://www.auburnalabama.org/hpc/agenda.aspx

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 4:00 PM —- KATHARINE KU:  AN INSIDER’S VIEW OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Held in AU’s Hartley Auditorium, 1103 Shelby Center.  Free & open to all.
Katharine Ku, director of the Office of Technology Licensing at Stanford University, will deliver a lecture on technology transfer. Her talk, “An Insider’s View of Technology Transfer at Stanford University,” will highlight the truths and myths of the licensing program and the great challenge of creating a successful program. In 2008, Stanford received $62.5 million in gross royalty revenue from more than 600 technologies, with royalties ranging from $16 million to $37 million. Ku, who has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell and a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Washington University, is a registered patent agent. She is a committee member of the National Academy of Sciences study titled “Management of University Intellectual Property: Lessons from a Generation of Experience, Research and Dialogue.” She also is a member of the Certified Licensing Professional Board of Governors. To read more, visit this link (http://eng.auburn.edu/admin/marketing/newsroom/2009/april/stanford-director.html).

TUESDAY, APRIL 14  - AUBURN BOARD OF EDUCATION  www.auburnschools.org
5:00 pm – dinner, Board of Education Office, 855 East Samford Ave.
6:00 pm – meeting, Auburn High School multi-media room, 405 S. Dean Rd. Open to all.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 6:00 – 9:00 PM  — JCSM Dinner and a Movie / A Man Named Pearl with producer-director Scott Galloway www.jcsm.auburn.edu
6:00 – 7:30 pm / dinner ($15/person)
7:30 pm / movie A Man Named Pearl —  View the movie trailer: www.amannamedpearl.com
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Film showing is free & open to all. For dinner reservations call the Museum Cafe at 334.844.7016 or 334.844.3085.    .
Producer and director Scott Galloway will engage the audience in a discussion about his movie, which tells the inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, whose unlikely journey to national prominence began with a bigoted remark. In 1976, while living in an all-white neighborhood, his family was told they were unwelcome. His motivation arose from a neighbor’s comment: “Blacks can’t keep up their yards.” Provoked, he created a three-acre wonderland that draws visitors from around the world and generates much-needed tourism for Lee County, the poorest county in South Carolina. This is the last film presentation in the museum’s Southern Arts Federation’s Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 6:30 – 8:00 PM — SCENES NOT SCREAMS / Theater production
Held in AU’s Foy Hall Ballroom.  Free admission & free pizza.
Dr. Heather May’s Fundamentals of Directing class will present an evening of short scenes to kick off the annual Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night events.  Part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sponsored by: Safe Harbor, AU College of Liberal Arts and Women’s Resource Center. For info, or to volunteer, call 334-844-4452.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 8:00 AM – LEE-RUSSELL COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS  http://www.lrcog.com/
Held at LRCOG office, 2207 Gateway Dr, Opelika. Open to all.  Ph: 334-749-5264

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 (& THURSDAY, APRIL 16), 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM —- THE CLOTHESLINE PROJECT
Held at AU’s Cater Lawn.  (Rain location: AU Student Center, 2nd floor.) All are invited to attend.
The Clothesline Project is a clothesline display of several hundred t-shirts painted by survivors and supporters. Part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sponsored by: Safe Harbor, AU College of Liberal Arts and Women’s Resource Center. For info, or to volunteer, call 344-844-4452.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM  — AUBURN BEAUTIFICATION COUNCIL
Held at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 E. Glenn Ave. The public is welcome. Open to all interested in keeping Auburn beautiful. Lunch is provided.  http://www.auburnbeautification.org/

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, NOON — AUBURN HERITAGE ASSOCIATION BOARD
Held at Pebble Hill (Caroline Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities).
All members are encouraged and invited to attend.  www.auburnheritage.org
Note: Held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from Sept to May

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 3:00 PM – LEE COUNTY CEMETERY COMMISSION
Held at the Lee County Courthouse, Commission Chambers, 215 S. 9th Street, Opelika.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 6:00 PM  — LEE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB
NEW MEETING PLACE!  Now held at Auburn University Club. 1499 N. Donahue Road.
6:00 pm – buffet dinner ($11, tax & tip included)
6:50 pm -Speaker: David Newton / Topic: Alternative Energy
David Newton will present some positive words concerning alternative energy and how serious money can be saved by through energy conservation and efficiency.  Solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and ocean waves help move us toward energy independence and also create more “green” jobs.  After retiring from the faculty of Auburn University, David became increasingly active in conservation and environmental (including environmental justice) issues at the local, state, and national levels.  He helped found the statewide coalition dedicated to the reform of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.  Also, he worked with other members of the Sierra Club in persuading both Auburn’s Mayor Ham and Opelika’s Mayor Fuller to sign pledges (supported by the U.S. Conference of Mayors) to make their respective cities more energy efficient.  David is a member of the Board of Directors of Conservation Alabama, the only Alabama organization devoted solely to lobbying on conservation and environmental issues.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 7:30 PM  —-  The Acting Company / Guthrie Theater Production of HENRY V
Held at AU’s Telfair Peet Theatre. One performance only. Directed by Davis McCallum.
Tickets:  $20 – call 844-4154.  http://media.cla.auburn.edu/theatre/
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends…”
Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater and The Acting Company will co-produce a national tour Shakespeare’s King Henry V in 2009 combining the artistry and passion of two of America’s pre-eminent theaters. Young, restless and ambitious, Henry V inherits a troubled crown and seeks to secure his position at home by turning the country’s attention abroad, launching a hasty invasion of France. Shakespeare’s charismatic warrior King’s aggressive pursuit of the French crown earns him iconic status, uniting England and France and briefly banishing the civil strife that will long outlive him.  This Shakespearean epic follows Henry and his men through the brutality of warfare as the ragtag “band of brothers” confronts heavy opposition and their own destinies. Featuring the combined artistic resources of two of the country’s most respected professional theatre companies, the production is a superb portrait of one of the world’s great playwrights at the height of his powers– expertly balancing the thrilling heroics of battle with the painful and complex reactions of men who are sometimes unsure of the justice of their cause. A rousing, fascinating story of the power of courage and the price of glory.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM —- THE CLOTHESLINE PROJECT
Held at AU’s Cater Lawn.  (Rain location: AU Student Center, 2nd floor.) All are invited to attend.
The Clothesline Project is a clothesline display of several hundred t-shirts pained by survivors and supporters. Part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sponsored by: Safe Harbor, AU College of Liberal Arts and Women’s Resource Center. For info, or to volunteer, call 344-844-4452.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 10:00 AM – COMMUNITY-WIDE SHRED DAY
Held at Bancorp South, 807 E. Glenn Ave, Auburn.  Free & open to the community.
Bancorp South will host a FREE community wide shred day.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, noon – ART MUSEUM / A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts; www.jscm.auburn.edu.   Free & open to all.
Enjoy lunch in the museum café while the lovely sounds of local musicians echo through the museum. This week’s performer is Maxl Zinner, piano.  Sponsored by the Auburn Chamber Museum Society.  www.auburnchambermusic.org

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 5:00 PM — ART TALK BY RICH CURTIS: ALABAMA MOCKINGBIRD /  BASED ON HIS EXHIBIT:  SOUND MAPPING ALABAMA PROJECT:  A JOURNEY THROUGH ALABAMA NAVIGATED BY EAR
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, South Garden. Art installation on exhibit March-April. Free & open to all.
In his lecture entitled “Alabama Mockingbird,” Curtis will discuss Sound Mapping Alabama project, the history of his work and introduce his latest project Mockingbird: Mapping Sights and Sounds.
Sound Mapping Alabama: A Journey through Alabama Navigated by Ear is a designed compilation of recordings collected in Alabama by Rich Curtis. His outdoor, aural installation piece will be embedded in the museum’s South Garden. The sounds evoke a range of responses and heighten the visitor’s awareness of sound as a distinctly influential component and vehicle of environmental identity. Curtis, an Alabama native, received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004. Since then, he has created multimedia projects that investigate the character of place through sound. Curtis has created projects in the United States, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands. He currently teaches in the art department at the University of North Alabama.  Sound Mapping Alabama was funded in part by a technical assistance grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.  For more information on Curtis’s Mockingbird project go to: http://almockingbird.blogspot.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 6:00 PM — SALSA MAGIC & FIESTA LATINA
Held in AU’s Foy Hall Ballroom.  Free for students with current ID; $5 for general public. Tickets available Monday, April 13 – Thursday, April 16 in AU Student Center, suite 3130, room 3149.
Come join the entertainers “Salsa Magic” for great music and food.  Doors open at 6:00 pm; Salsa Magic performance from 6:30 – 9:30 pm.  More info: 334-844-4788; www.auburn.edu/upc. Presented by the Auburn Latino Association of Students.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 6:00 – 9:00 PM —- TAKE BACK THE NIGHT  / March in Town and Rally
Held at AU’s Cater Lawn.  (Rain location: AU Student Center, 2nd floor.)  All are invited to attend.
Take Back the Night will provide a venue for survivors, supporters and advocates to have a voice. Part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Sponsored by: Safe Harbor, AU College of Liberal Arts and Women’s Resource Center. For info, or to volunteer, call 344-844-4452.

CORRECTION — NO SOS MEETING THIS WEEK:  THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 7:00 PM – SAVE OUR SAUGAHATCHEE (SOS)
Held in AU’s Swingle Hall (Fisheries Bldg), room 303.  Open to all.  Agenda: TBA

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 9:00 AM  - dark / SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
AU CAMPUS CLUB – HORTICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP PLANT SALE
Held at the corner of South College Street and Samford Avenue.  Cash, checks & MasterCard/Visa accepted.
Hundreds of plants are featured, some unusual and hard to get mater and Tunia dirt, sod by the piece, Big Leaf Magnolias, Herbs, Natchez Crepes, Shrubs, Trees, Bedding Plants, Vegetables & more! Trillium, Hellebores, Lady Banks, Angel Trumpet, Clematis and Azaleas. All proceeds benefit the First Ladies Hort Scholorships and the PLANET Student Group.   More info:  Mary Lou Matthews,  334-821-2161;  m.ml@mindspring.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 10:00 AM — ALABAMA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION / Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee Meeting
Held at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) Building, Alabama Room (Main Hearing Room), 1400 Coliseum Boulevard, Montgomery. Ph: 334-271-7706.
Agenda includes:
1. Consideration of minutes of meeting held on December 12, 2008**
2. Discussion and consideration of Reconciliation Statements for proposed amendments to the Division 1 – General Administration Regulations and the Division 2 – Environmental Management Commission Regulations – The Committee will discuss and consider Reconciliation Statements of public comments to recommend to the full Commission for proposed amendments to the ADEM Administrative Code Division 1 – General Administration Regulations, R. 335-1-1-.03(4), (5), and (6), and the Division 2 – Environmental Management Commission Regulations, R. 335-2-2-.05.  The proposed amendments to R. 335-1-1-.03(4), (5), and (6) establish a process for updating the Unified Strategic Plan (USP) and the proposed amendments to R. 335-2-2-.05 add a new paragraph (h) to include consideration of the relevance and relation of a proposed rule to the most recent USP as an item that the Commission my take into account when it considers petitions for rulemaking.
3. Other business
* The Agenda for this meeting will be available on the ADEM website, www.adem.alabama.gov, under EMC Information and Calendar of Events.
** The minutes for this meeting will be available on the ADEM website under EMC Information.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 11:00 AM — ALABAMA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Held at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) Building, Alabama Room (Main Hearing Room), 1400 Coliseum Boulevard, Montgomery. Ph: 334-271-7706.
Agenda includes:
1. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON FEBRUARY 20, 2009
2. REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR
3. REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION CHAIR
4. REPORT FROM THE STRATEGIC PLANNING AD HOC COMMITTEE
5. CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE DIVISION 1 – GENERAL ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AND THE DIVISION 2 – ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION REGULATIONS – The Commission will consider proposed amendments to the Division 1 – General Administration Regulations and the Division 2 – Environmental Management Commission Regulations.  The Commission proposes to amend ADEM Administrative Code rule 335-1-1-.03 to establish a process for updating the Unified Strategic Plan(USP) and ADEM Administrative Code rule 335-2-2-.05 to add a new paragraph (h) to include consideration of the relevance and relation of a proposed rule to the most recent USP as an item that the Commission may take into account when it considers petitions for rulemaking.  The current paragraph (h) in rule 335-2-2-.05 will be changed to paragraph (i).  The Commission held a public hearing on the proposed amendments on February 4, 2009.
6. CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE DIVISION 1 – GENERAL ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AND THE PROPOSED ADDITION OF DIVISION 5 – UNIFORM ENVIRONMENTAL COVENANT PROGRAM REGULATIONS – The Commission will consider proposed amendments to the Division 1 – General Administration Regulations and the proposed addition of Division 5 – Uniform Environmental Covenant Program Regulations.  The Department proposes to add Division 5 to its Administrative Code to implement the Alabama Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, which was enacted into law in June 2007, and to revise Division 1 to include Schedule J – Environmental Covenant Fees.  The Department held a public hearing on the proposed amendments on March 6, 2009.
7. CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE DIVISION 7 – WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM REGULATIONS – The Commission will consider proposed amendments to the Division 7 – Water Supply Regulations.  The Department proposes to amend ADEM Administrative Code chapters 335-7-2, 335-7-5, 335-7-6, 335-7-10, 335-7-11, 335-7-14, and Appendices A, B, and C to reflect changes in the federal National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.  Other revisions include correcting clerical errors and making clarifications to existing rules. The Department held a public hearing on the proposed amendments on February 4, 2009.
8. CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE DIVISION 13 – SOLID WASTE REGULATIONS – The Commission will consider proposed amendments to the Division 13 – Solid Waste Regulations.  The Department proposes to amend its Administrative Code by creating Rule 335-13-11, which would establish the regulatory requirements necessary for the implementation of the Solid Waste Fund site remediation program.  The Department held a public hearing on the proposed amendments on March 11, 2009.
9. OTHER BUSINESS
10. FUTURE BUSINESS SESSION
* The Agenda for this meeting will be available on the ADEM website,  www.adem.alabama.gov, under EMC Information and Calendar of Events.
** The Minutes for this meeting will be available on the ADEM website  under EMC Information.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM — WHAT IS GREEN BUILDING?
Presented by: Robin White, President of USGBC and Ellen Hawley, USGBC New Programs Chair person.
Held at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 E Glenn Ave. Free & open to the public. Lunch provided. Space limited: RSVP to Ellen Hawley by April 10, ellen.hawley@patcraftdesignweave.com .
The AU Outreach Program Office is inviting the public to a presentation on “What is Green Building?”. Hosted by the Central Alabama Branch of the Alabama Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the presentation will introduce the audience to green building. It will look at the impact of traditional construction and the benefits of green building to human health, the economy and the environment.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 10:00 AM – 5:0 PM — 9TH ANNUAL OLD 280 BOOGIE / Multi-Cultural Arts & Music Festival
Held in the Town of Waverly.  Rain or shine. Free & open to all.
The Town of Waverly presents the 9th Annual OLD 280 BOOGIE. Multi-Cultural Arts & Music Festival  with Art Exhibits, Kids Activities, Cake Walks, Great Food and Live Music featuring: DRAKE JENNINGS (Elvis) Performance http://drakesings.tripod.com/, The PINE HILL HAINTS http://www.myspace.com/pinehillhaints, and The FIGS http://www.thefigsband.com/,  Dooley’s Blue Revue http://www.myspace.com/dooleysbluerevue, The 29 SOUTH Band, plus more.  XSound for the day by The GUITAR SHOPPE http://www.auburnguitar.com/.  Sponsored By Wickles Pickles, Oskars Cafe, The Guitar Shoppe and Standard Deluxe Inc.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2:00 – 4:00 PM  — FRIENDS OF CHEWACLA & UPHAPEE WATERSHED / CHEWUP Held at Chewacla State Park, site of the CCC camp. A pavilion is available in case of rain.  (Ask the personnel in the ticket office for directions.  You may be required to pay an entrance fee, which is $2.00 for individuals over 62 yrs of age and $3.00 for the younger adults.) Program: Discuss the work of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and the plans for a historic marker to be placed in the park in commemoration of the work done by CCC Company, Camp SP-12 from August 18, 1935 to March 31, 1941.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 4:00 – 7:30 PM (CST)  – 59TH FREDONIA COMMUNITY CLUB BARBEQUE
Tickets are $8.00 and are being sold only until Tuesday, Apr. 14 when all monies must be turned in. If you want a ticket, send a check to Fredonia Community Club, 11076 County Rd. 267, Lanett AL 36863.  www.savefredonia.com
Come enjoy the 59th Fredonia Community Club Barbecue, an event which draws people from far and wide for the all-you-can-eat old-fashioned Brunswick stew, cooked in huge iron pots, and pork barbecued just right on the long grill behind the historic clubhouse. BBQ will be served from 4:00-7:30 p.m. (Central Time); take-out plates can also be picked up.  An additional feature of this year’s BBQ will be the 8:00 p.m. drawing of two tickets, each for one half of a Fredonia raised hog (processed!), benefitting the Free Fredonia Community:   www.savefredonia.com . A $5.00 donation benefitting FFC will be greatly appreciated to assist in our legal fees for appealing the forfeiture of our town charter. Tickets will be sold under the FFC tent or you can also send ticket donations to Free Fredonia Community at PO Box  71, Five Points AL 36855 and tickets will be mailed to you. In addition to T-shirts and bumper stickers, delicious cookies, cakes, and pies will also be available at the tent.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 8:00 PM — CONCERT AT THE GNU’S ROOM: MARTHA’S TROUBLE
Held at The Gnu’s Room, 414 S. Gay Street. Ph: 334-821-5550. Limited seating.
Tickets are on sale now at the Gnu’s Room or may be purchased from the band at www.marthastrouble.com. Tickets are $15.00 and seating is limited so reserve your spot today!

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 1:00 – 5:00 PM — 8TH ANNUAL GARDENER’S PLANT SALE / Benefit for the East Alabama Food Bank
Held at 562 Forest Park Circle, Auburn.  All invited to attend.
Come support the 8th Annual Gardener’s Plant Sale to benefit the East Alabama Food Bank. Thousands of plants will be available to suit any type of garden. Choose from heirloom tomato plants or zesty hot peppers for your vegetable garden; fill your flower garden with annuals and perennials, with blooms that attract butterflies and hummingbirds; create a lush shade environment with hostas and other woodland flowers, or establish a new landscape with flowering shrubs, trees and hardy groundcovers. Every purchase is a tax-deductible donation to the Food Bank, and the need for our help has never been greater. You’ll find hundreds of new and hard to find varieties. Gardening experts will answer your questions and help select the right plants for your garden. More info: 887-2244; email: gardenersplantsale@mac.com; web: http://gardenersplantsale.org/ .

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2:30 PM — LEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING MEETING
Topic:  The Civilian Conservation Corps in Lee County, Alabama: Company 4448, Camp SP-12
Held at the LCHS Museum, 6500 Stage Road (Hwy 14) Loachapoka; the museum and its grounds are located about half way between Auburn and Notasulga.
Free & open to all.     http://leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/
Speakers: Mr. Robert Pasquill, Jr. and Rep. Pete Turnham
Mr. Pasquill, Forest Archaeologist for the U.S. Forest Service, Montgomery and author of The Civilian Conservation Corps in Alabama, 1933-1942: A Great and Lasting Good. He will share a USDA Forest Service Southern Region video celebrating the 75th anniversary of the CCC.  Mr. Turnham will speak about his experiences at the CCC camp at Chewacla.
LCHS event calendar: http://leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/calendar.html

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Faculty art on display at AU Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
The Auburn University Faculty Exhibition is on display at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art through May 30. This exhibition reflects the individual interests and skills of the diverse studio faculty in Auburn’s Department of Art and features paintings, sculpture, works on paper, ceramics and other media. Exhibitions of faculty art are held periodically at the museum, and provide opportunities not only for the community to see the art created at Auburn University, but also for art students to see the close relationship between the classroom and application. In conjunction with the exhibition, Tuesday lectures will be given in the museum auditorium or galleries during which art historians will share their expertise. To read the news release, visit this link (http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/863) .

Exhibition of Andy Warhol photographs at AU Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
“Polaroid Sketchbook: Photographs by Andy Warhol in the Permanent Collection” will be on display April 11-May 30 at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. The exhibition of photographs Warhol took as inspiration for his paintings provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at his iconic work. Warhol used his Polaroid camera as other artists might use a sketchbook, to quickly record ideas for future use. These snapshots formed the basis for many of his paintings and silk-screen prints, with subjects ranging from superstar portraits to cultural and commercial icons. A variety of images will be on display, including portrait shots of John Denver, Chris Evert, Halston, Sean Lennon, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cheryl Tiegs and other public figures. Selected prints will be shown paired with examples of the resulting paintings on loan from The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. For more information, see the news release (http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/843 ).

City of Auburn Board Vacancies:
* Board of Education – one vacancy will be filled at the May 19 city council meeting.
* Indian Pines Recreation Authority – one vacancy will be filled at the June 16 City Council meeting.
Citizens interested in serving are encouraged to contact their City Council member or notify the City Manager’s Office at webocm@auburnalabama.org or 501-7260. Information on the city’s boards and commissions, including current members and their terms, available online at http://www.auburnalabama.org/BoardsandCommissions/Boards.aspx.

CITY OF AUBURN / CONSTRUCTION PROJECT STATUS REPORTS (updated weekly)
PUBLIC WORKS: www.auburnalabama.org/pw/status.asp
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: www.auburnalabama.org/wrm/status.asp

ANONYMOUS REPORTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Want to report info on ADEM, environmental violators or other environmental issues, but prefer to do it anonymously? You can do it via this website: http://www.enviro-lawyer.com/Contact.html.

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 12, 2009

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ADDITIONAL ITEMS THIS WEEK

COMMITTEE OF 19 HOSTING SPRING HUNGER WEEK ACTIVITIES
This week te Auburn University Committee of 19 is hosting Spring Hunger Week activities. Sub-committees from the colleges of Business, Human Sciences, and Education will host events in the Auburn University Bookstore on Wednesday, April 8, and throughout the week in Lowder Business Building, Spidle Hall and on the concourse. Events include “I Sacked Hunger,” “Blooming Change: Plant a Seed for a Child in Need” and a cell phone recycling drive. For more information, see this link ( http://www.humsci.auburn.edu/auburnhunger/springhungerweek ).

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 11:45 AM  — OLLI AT AUBURN HOSTING FORMER ALABAMA GOVERNOR PATTERSON
Held at the Lexington Hotel (formerly the Best Western) on South College Street in Auburn. Free & open to the public.
No pre-registration required; everyone is invited to attend and to bring a lunch.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University, or OLLI at Auburn, will host a presentation by former Alabama Gov. John Patterson.  He will join historian Warren Trest in a presentation and book signing in connection with the publication of a new biography, “Nobody But the People,” on the life and political career of Gov. Patterson. More info: Linda Shook at 844-5100 or NewSouth Books at (334) 834-3556.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 6:00 PM — AUBURN ARTS ASSOCIATION / Jazz & Blues Fest organizational meeting
Held at the Jan Dempsey Arts Center.  Open to all.
Come join the Auburn Arts Association in planning their second annual Jazz & Blues Fest! (The event will be held Friday, May 8th, from 6:00 – 11:00 pm, at Greystone and Pebble Hill.)  If you can’t attend this week’s meeting but would like to help organize this fundraiser, or volunteer the night of the event, please contact Shelley Shields 826-1410.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, NOON  — LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF EAST ALABAMA / Brown Bag Lunch Meeting
Held at the Frank Brown Recreation Center, Opelika Rd, Auburn.  Free & open to all.  http://www.lwval.org/eastalabama/
Topic: Membership Enhancement

URBAN ECOSYSTEM WEBCAST & OTHER GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE MATERIALS
Available online are a webcast featuring James Schwab of the American Planning Association and Cheryl Kollins of AMERICAN FORESTS’ Urban Ecosystems Center, and other materials addressing the need for planners to adopt a green infrastructure approach. Go to  http://www.unri.org/webcasts/archive/march-2009/.

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 6, 2009

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UPDATES:

CITY OF AUBURN PRESS RELEASES –
Sunny Slope Added to National Register of Historic Places  — http://www.auburnalabama.org/news/2009/pl040309.asp
The City of Auburn to Celebrate Earth Week April 8 – 16   — http://www.auburnalabama.org/news/2009/pr033009.asp

BILL INTRODUCED FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY OVER QUARRIES – HB 804

Info courtesy of Alabama Conservation — http://www.conservationalabama.org/ and Conservation Alabama Foundation — www.conservationalabamafoundation.org
Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, along with Reps. Mask, White, and Hammon, introduced the quarry bill today and it has been assigned to County and Municipal Government, a much better assignment than where it has been in the past. Alabama Conservation Foundation will be tracking the bill and make public when it comes up for committee discussion and vote.TO SEE TEXT & HISTORY OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION, GO TO: ALISON – Alabama Legislative Information Online – at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLoginFire.asp - click on Bills, then click on Status & search for HB804.

LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM / HEALTHY FOOD
Do we have a local food system? Who goes hungry? Can we have better/more access to local, healthy food? The AUUF April Green Pages has a proposal for an AUUF response to these questions; view online at:
http://www.auuf.net/information/news/doc_download/39-april-2009-green-newsletter
Those interested in this topic are welcome to join the discussion. For more info: Jim Allen, vineyfig@knology.net; ph: 334-499-2380.

UPCOMING EVENT
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:00 PM – FILM: THE UNFORESEEN / HOSTED BY THE AUBURN SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PROGRAM (ASAP)
Held in AU’s Haley Center, room 2370. Free & open to the public.
The Auburn Sustainability Action Program (ASAP) is hosting a film screening of The Unforeseen. It’s a new documentary from the executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford. The film takes an impartial look at the problem of suburban sprawl in Austin, Texas. The story is told through the eyes of a major developer in a struggle against the community. It’s a unique perspective of a timeless tale that serves as a microcosm for communities across the nation, including Auburn.

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Week of April 6 – Meetings & events

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm — AU WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY BOARD / 7th ANNUAL SPRING SYMPOSIUM & LUNCHEON: Navigating the Challenges in Today’s Economy: Preserving Wealth and Pursuing Philanthropy
Symposium 8:00 AM / Luncheon: 12:30 PM
Schedule & registration: http://www.humsci.auburn.edu/wpb/images/2009_springsymposium.pdf
Held at the AU Hotel & Dixon Conference Center. Tickets: $85/person; includes symposium, luncheon and tax. Seating is limited and early registration is recommended.
Speakers will include morning keynote speaker Gene L. Dodaro, acting comptroller general for the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office; luncheon keynote speaker David Altig, senior vice president and director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Burt White, managing director of research for LPL Financial; and Leura Canary, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.
More info: Women’s Philanthropy Board, 210 Spidle Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5601; Phone: (334) 844-9199; E-mail: wpbchs1@auburn.edu; web: www.humsci.auburn.edu/wpb/.

MONDAY, APRIL 6, noon- AUBURN PLANNING COMMISSION PACKET MEETING (AGENDA DISCUSSION)
Held in the conference room, Development Services Bldg, 171 N. Ross St. Open to all. Agenda & full packet, with details about each item: www.auburnalabama.org/pc/agenda.asp
NOTE: The regular PC meeting will be held this Thursday, April 9, at 5:00 pm; see details below.

Agenda includes:  APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Packet Meeting – March 9, 2009; Regular Meeting – March 12, 2009
CITIZENS’ COMMUNICATION
OLD BUSINESS
1. West Pace Village PDD PUBLIC HEARING PL-2009-00045
Applicant: West Pace, LLC
General Location: North of Shell Toomer Parkway and east of South College Street
Zoning District: Comprehensive Development District (CDD) (pending annexation into the City
limits [Case PL-2008-00790] and rezoning [Case PL-2008-00791])
Action Requested: Recommendation to City Council to apply the Planned Development District (PDD) designation to approximately 165.81 acres
Staff Analysis: This was continued on March 12 to April 9 pending completion of a traffic study. The study is still being completed and will need to be reviewed/analyzed by City staff prior to being scheduled for the Planning Commission’s consideration.
Staff Recommendation: Keep the public hearing open and continue the hearing and review to the next Planning Commission meeting on May 14, 2009.
CONSENT AGENDA
2. Donahue Ridge Subdivision PL-2009-00081
Applicant: Donahue Land, LLC
General Location: Off of North Donahue Drive, east of Camden Ridge Subdivision 1st Addition, and south of Farmville Road
Zoning District: Development District Housing (DDH)
Action Requested: Final plat approval for a 40 lot conventional subdivision
NEW BUSINESS
3. The Tavern PUBLIC HEARING PL-2009-00156
Applicant: Dan Grider
General Location: 1310 Opelika Road
Zoning District: Commercial Conservation (CC)
Action Requested: Recommendation to City Council for conditional use approval for a commercial and entertainment use (private club)
4. Donut Shop PUBLIC HEARING PL-2009-00167
Applicant: Dennis McKelvy for Tiger Crossing
General Location: 1625 East University Drive, Suite 114
Zoning District: Comprehensive Development District (CDD)
Action Requested: Recommendation to City Council for conditional use approval for a road service use (donut shop with drive-through window)
5. Austin Ice PUBLIC HEARING PL-2009-00168
Applicant: Taylor and Andrew Austin for Michael Shannon
General Location: 691 Opelika Road
Zoning District: Comprehensive Development District (CDD)
Action Requested: Recommendation to City Council for conditional use approval for a road service use (coin-operated ice vending station)
OTHER BUSINESS
6. Shadow Wood Estates, First Addition, Phase 2 PL-2007-00948
Applicant: Shadow Wood Holdings, LLC
General Location: On Lee Road 081 (Mrs. James Road), north of Camden Ridge
Zoning District: Limited Development District (LDD)
Action Requested: Extension of final plat approval
CHAIRMAN’S COMMUNICATION – STAFF COMMUNICATION – ADJOURNMENT

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 3:00 PM – LECTURE: MALTHUS, WALLACE & DARWIN
Held in AU’s Rouse Life Sciences Bldg, room 112. Free & open to all.
Speaker: Gerry Elfstrom (AU Department of Philosophy)
This event is part of a semester-long celebration of Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s “The Origin of Species by Natural Selection.” The Darwin Celebration is sponsored by AU’s College of Science and Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts, and the Outreach Committee of the Department of Biological Sciences. Its purpose is to present Darwin’s ideas and their impact on diverse disciplines for general audiences in a friendly, clear, accurate, non-proselytizing way.

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 4:00 pm – AUBURN CEMETERIES ADVISORY BOARD
Held at the Dean Road Rec Center. Open to all.

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 5:15 PM — AU MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING TEAM TO CELEBRATE NCAA TITLE
Held at the Tiger Walk entrance on the south side of Jordan-Hare Stadium, at the corner of Roosevelt Drive & Donahue Drive. (note: The celebration will not be held at Toomer’s Corner due to construction there.)
The Auburn NCAA champion men’s swimming and diving team will be honored with a celebration at the Tiger Walk entrance on the south side of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Fans are encouraged to join the team as they celebrate by rolling the trees at the Tiger Walk entrance. Auburn won its eighth NCAA title and sixth in the last seven years, March 26-28, in College Station, Texas. Fans can order the official Men’s Swimming and Diving National Championship T-shirt at this link (http://www.aufanshop.com). To read more, see the news release ( http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/c-swim/spec-rel/040209aaa.html ).

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2:30 PM – ART LECTURE: DR. CYNTHIA KRISTAN-GRAHAM / ON THE HOUSE: SPACE, MEMORY AND IDENTITY IN THE ANCIENT MAYA WORLD
Held in AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Free & open to all. www.jcsm.auburn.edu
From the ordinary house to the more ornate palace, domestic space was a resonant symbol in Mayan culture. Houses can be understood as tangible building blocks that reify intangible memories and principles that structure family and society. Plan, construction process, embellishment, use, and linguistic referents unite to recall fundamental features of Mayan life, including the mythic creation of the world; diagrams of familial and social relations; and keys to personal and group identity. The talk will focus on the speaker’s current work at Chichén Itzá, a late Mayan capital in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Cynthia Kristan-Graham received B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Art History from the University of California at Los Angeles. She specializes in Pre-Columbian and Non-Western art history. She is a Dumbarton Oaks Fellow and the recipient of a FAMSI (Foundation for The Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.) grant for research in Mexico. This lecture is being held in conjunction with the AU Faculty Exhibition, which is on display through May 30 in the Bill L. Harbert Gallery and Gallery C. For more information, visit the museum Web site ( http://www.jcsm.auburn.edu ) or contact Colleen Bourdeau at cbourdeau@auburn.edu or 844-7075.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 5:15 pm – AUBURN PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD
Held at the Dean Road Rec Center. Open to all.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7 — OPELIKA CITY COUNCIL
6:15 pm – work session / 7:00 PM – regular meeting
Held in the council chambers, 204 South 7th Street, Opelika. Open to all. Agenda: www.opelika.org/
6:15 pm work session agenda includes:
(1) – a. Collection of past due municipal fines and court cost … Nick Abbett, Lee Cty. D.A.
(2) – a. Resolution, P.O. change, Volkert & Assoc., extension of Frederick Road.
b. Resolution, agreement, construct a balcony on S. 8th Street ………… Walter Dorsey
(3) – a. Resolution/subordination agreement, 609 Geneva St …Jerry Kelley, Luis Gallardo Rivera
(4) – a. General updates … Mayor Fuller, John Seymour
(5) – Discuss/review CM agenda items of 4/07/09 ……………….Mayor Fuller, John Seymour, Dept. Heads
a. Remarks by Mayor; b. General business; c. Bids; d. Resolutions; e. Ordinances; f. Board Appointments
(6) – Discussion – …… City Council
a. New / Old Business; b. Board appointments; c. Other City business.
7:00 pm regular meeting agenda includes:
5) READING OF MINUTES —– Council Meeting of March 24th, 2009 —— Eddie Smith
6) UNFINISHED BUSINESS -
7) REMARKS BY THE MAYOR – Gary Fuller
CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS – (Limit comments to five minutes or less) Bob Shuman
9) REPORT OF DISBURSEMENTS
10) COMMITTEE REPORTS
11) GENERAL BUSINESS – Bob Shuman
1. Request by Opelika Mainstreet for their “On The Tracks” event to be on May 1, 2009.
2. Request by March of Dimes for their 2009 “March for Babies” on May 2, 2009.
3. Request by Richard Bailey for the 2nd annual “Run for RIF” on October 10th, 2009.
12) AWARDING OF BIDS – Shirley Washington
1. Cab & Chassis, 55 ft aerial device – L&P
2. Vacuum truck – P/W Wastewater Collection
3. Pool furniture, Sportsplex – P&R
4. Furniture for offices, Sportsplex – P&R
5. Contract, Uniforms – OFD
6. Contract, Park Manager for Springvilla – P&R
7. Contract, equipment – OPD
13) RESOLUTIONS – Guy Gunter
1. Special appropriation for East Alabama Food Bank.
2. Lease Agreement with OHA for a Senior Citizen Center.14) ORDINANCES – Guy Gunter (none)
15) APPOINTMENTS – (none)
16) ADJOURN

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 6:30 PM – AUBURN PRESERVATION LEAGUE / Board Meeting
Held at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 E. Glenn Ave. Open to the public. www.auburnpreservationleague.org
The APL board meets the first Tuesday of each month. All meetings are open to the public and members are encouraged to attend.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7 — AUBURN CITY COUNCIL
6:30 pm-Committee of the Whole / 7:00 pm – Regular meeting
Held in the council chambers, 141 N. Ross St. Open to all. Agenda & full packet: www.auburnalabama.org/agenda
6:30 pm Committee of the whole agenda includes:
3. WEB SITE UPDATE. Presentation. Assistant City Manager/CIO Jim Buston.
4. 425 BYRD STREET DEMOLITION. Councilperson Dowdell.
5. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. Nominations.
a. Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board. One Position. Incumbent: Richard Hoerlein (has served two full terms). Six Year Term Expires March 31, 2015.
b. Library Board. One Position. Incumbent: Judith A. Prior (has served two full terms). Four Year Term Expires April 15, 2013.
c. Historic Preservation Commission. Two Positions. Nominated by Mayor. Incumbents: Carol A. Pittard
(has served two full terms) and Susie Thomas (has served one partial term). Three Year Terms Expire April 20, 2012.
7:00 pm Regular meeting agenda includes:
CITIZENS’ COMMUNICATIONS.
CITY MANAGER’S COMMUNICATIONS. City Manager Duggan. None.
ORDINANCES.
a. Traffic Control Signs and Devices. Establish “No Parking” Zones. Temple Street. Unanimous Consent Necessary.
RESOLUTIONS.
a. Economic Development Department. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. 2009 Action Plan. Adoption.
b. Contracts and Agreements. Authorize Mayor and City Manager to Sign.
(1) Parks & Recreation Department. Aquatic Consulting & Equipment, Inc. Chemicals & Service of Chemical Control Systems – Auburn City Pools. $54,600 ($18,200/year). Three Year Agreement.
(2) Water Resource Management Department. Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. Amendment 2 – Professional Engineering Services for Surveying, Design and Bid Services for Choctafaula Interceptor
Sewer Phase II Project. $59,740. Contract.
(3) Public Safety Department.
(a) Justice Assistance Grant (JAG). Joint Application Among City of Auburn, City of Opelika, and Lee County. Interlocal Agreement.
(b). ICMA Consulting Services. Police and Fire Services Staffing and Workload Analysis. $80,000. Contract.
c. Drainage and Utility Easements, Utility Easement, and Street Light and Utility Easement. Acceptance.
(1) 1109/1115 East Samford Avenue Drainage Project. Drainage and Utility Easements.
(a) Megan McGowen. 1115 East Samford Avenue.
(b) Kyle and Teresa Hildreth. 1109 East Samford Avenue.
(2) Community Capital Bancshares, Inc. 1943 East Glenn Avenue. Traffic Signal Installation-Glenn Avenue and Samford Avenue. East Samford Avenue Extension Project. Utility Easement.
(3) University Church of Christ, Inc. 449 North Gay Street. Historic District Lighting Project. Street Light and Utility Easement.
(4) Shadow Wood Force Main Sewer Project. Property Located North of Mrs. James Road in Shadow Wood Estates, First Addition, Phase I Subdivision. Drainage and Utility Easements.
(a) Shadow Wood Holding, L.L.C. Lots 32, 41, and 42.
(b) Lee R. and Sara Beth McDonald. Lots 34 and 35.
d. Boards and Commissions. Appointments.
(1) Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board. One Position. Six Year Term Expires March 31, 2015.
(2) Library Board. One Position. Four Year Term Expires April 14, 2013.
(3) Historic Preservation Commission. Two Positions. Nominated by Mayor. Three Year Terms Expire April 20, 2012.
11. OTHER BUSINESS. 12. ADJOURN

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 7:00 pm — ALLIANCE FOR PEACE & JUSTICE (APJ) www.peaceeagle.org
Held at the Busch Center, 508 Auburn Drive (just off the parking lot; the 2nd house behind the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 450 E. Thatch Ave). Open to all.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 7:30 PM – AU JAZZ ENSEMBLE SPRING CONCERT
Held in AU’s Goodwin Music Building, Band Hall. Free & open to the public.
More info: Dr. Ramon Vasquez, wasqur@auburn.edu; 334-844-3183.
The Auburn University Department of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9 – LAMAR MARSHALL FEATURED IN PBS DOCUMENTARY APPALACHIA
The 4-part documentary “Appalachia” begins on PBS April 9. Lamar Marshall of Wild South is featured.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, noon – 1:00 pm —- ART MUSEUM / A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC
Held at AU’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts; www.jscm.auburn.edu. Free & open to all.
Performer: Sylvia Wehrs plays Mendelssohn’s violin concerto
Enjoy lunch in the museum café on Thursdays while the lovely sounds of local musicians echo through the museum. Sponsored by the Auburn Chamber Museum Society. www.auburnchambermusic.org

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 4:00 – 7:30 PM — FOREST LAND BMP WORKSHOP
Held at AU’s Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest, Auburn. Free & open to all.
Register by 4/6/09 for workshop & dinner via Lee County Extension Office 334-749-3353
Hosted by Lee County Forestry Stewardship Committee & SWaMP.
Tour Program:
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm Registration
4:30 pm – 4:50 pm Welcome and Water Quality in Saugahatchee Creek – Eric Ruetebuch, AU
Load on trailers to begin tour
4:50 pm – 5:20 pm Stop 1 – Soil Erosion – John Torbert, MeadWestvaco
5:20 pm – 5:30 pm Travel to next stop
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Stop 2 – Alabama Forestry BMPs – Andy Guy, AFC
6:00 pm – 6:10 pm Travel to next stop
6:10 pm – 6:45 pm Stop 3 – Maintaining Forest Roads and Stream Crossings – Mathew Smidt, AU, Extension Specialist
6:45 pm – 7:30 pm Dinner

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 4:30 pm – OPELIKA HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Held in the Planning Chambers, Opelika Public Works Bldg, 700 Fox Trail, Opelika. Open to all.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 5:00 pm – AUBURN PLANNING COMMISSION
Held in the council chambers, 141 N. Ross St. Open to all.
Agenda & full packet: www.auburnalabama.org/pc/agenda.asp (See details above, Monday, noon, April 6, PC packet meeting)

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 5:00 – 6:00 PM — THE FINAL LECTURE / DR. WIT
Held in AU’s Student Center Ballroom. Free & open to all AU students, faculty, and administrators.
The Final Lecture is an opportunity for the Class of 2009 to recognize Dr. Wit as the professor they feel is the most outstanding teacher at Auburn University. Student leaders narrowed down a wide pool of nominees to five outstanding professors, then thousands of juniors and seniors across campus voted Dr. Wit to present the second annual Final Lecture. Dr. Wit will deliver a commencement-style address open to all students, faculty, and administrators that will include words of advice and inspiration for students who just began their college career as well as those who are preparing to graduate from Auburn. More info: Rohan Kambeyanda at kamberh@auburn.edu.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 3:00 – 4:00 PM — RAP SESSIONS PRESENTS: THE POST RACISM GENERATION
Held at AU’s new Student Center, room 2222. Free & open to all.
Panel Discussion: Bakari Kitwana (author, The Hip-Hop Generation), MC Search (host, VH1’s The White Rapper Show), Lisa Fager Bediako (President, Industry Ears, Inc.), Jabari Asim (editor, NAACP’s magazine, The Crisis), and Joan Morgan (author, When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost).

SATURDAY, APRIL 11 – ALABAMA WATER WATCH WORKSHOPS www.alabamawaterwatch.org
8:30 am – 2:30 pm – Chemistry monitoring workshop
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Bacteria monitoring workshop
Held at Office 250 Upchurch Hall, AU. Free workshop. Registration required.
Register on-line (https://fp.auburn.edu/icaae/WorkShopRegC.aspx) or call Rita Grub, AWW office, 334-844-4785.
Come to one or both of these Alabama Water Watch workshops and be certified to monitor YOUR creek.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM — CITY OF AUBURN HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY —  Held at the City of Auburn Environmental Services Complex, located at 365-A North Donahue Drive.
The City of Auburn Environmental Services Department will host the 7th Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day. This annual event offers citizens the opportunity to safely dispose of hazardous household chemicals. Computers and related equipment will also be accepted for recycling during the event. Participation is limited to Auburn residential solid waste service customers only. Citizens may bring up to 20 pounds of materials per household for disposal. No farm, commercial, or industrial waste will be permitted. Participants are asked to bring a recent water bill to demonstrate proof of residency. For a complete list of acceptable items, please visit us online at www.auburnalabama.org/es. More info: City of Auburn Environmental Services Department at 501-3080.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm — LEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY / SECOND SATURDAYS – Living History & Whistle Stop Pickers Dulcimer Group
Held at the LCHS Museum, 6500 Stage Road (Hwy 14) Loachapoka; the museum and its grounds are located about half way between Auburn and Notasulga.
Free & open to all. http://leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/
LCHS event calendar: http://leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/calendar.html
On the second Saturday of every month, a group of history re-enactors gather at the LCHS Museum in period attire to demonstrate their arts and crafts. Blacksmiths are usually working at the forge, spinners and weavers are in the log cabin, and someone is always cooking up a meal in the fireplace or outdoors. The Museum is always open on Second Saturdays. Also on Secord Saturdays, the Whistle Stop Pickers dulcimer group meets at the Museum at 11:00am. Anyone interested in joining the group is welcomed. Bring your dulcimer or other instrument and join in the pickin’. April 11 = 28th Alabama Infantry Company A, Civil War re-enactors, camp out in true 1860 style, prepare their meals, and demonstrate weaponry that might have been used in defense of Alabama at the end of the Civil War.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 8:00 PM – SUN BELT READING SERIES Event #2
Held at The Gnu’s Room, 414 S. Gay Street, Auburn. Free & open to all. www.thegnusroom.com
Readers to be announced soon.

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City of Auburn Board Vacancies:
* Library Board – one vacancy will be filled at this week’s city council meeting
* Historic Preservation Commission – two vacancies will be filled at this week’s city council meeting.
* Board of Education – one vacancy will be filled at the May 19 city council meeting.
* Indian Pines Recreation Authority – one vacancy will be filled at the June 16 City Council meeting.
Citizens interested in serving are encouraged to contact their City Council member or notify the City Manager’s Office at webocm@auburnalabama.org or 501-7260. Information on the city’s boards and commissions, including current members and their terms, available online at http://www.auburnalabama.org/BoardsandCommissions/Boards.aspx.

CITY OF AUBURN / CONSTRUCTION PROJECT STATUS REPORTS (updated weekly)
PUBLIC WORKS: www.auburnalabama.org/pw/status.asp
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: www.auburnalabama.org/wrm/status.asp

ANONYMOUS REPORTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Want to report info on ADEM, environmental violators or other environmental issues, but prefer to do it anonymously? You can do it via this website: http://www.enviro-lawyer.com/Contact.html.

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 6, 2009

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TO SEE TEXT & HISTORY OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION, GO TO: ALISON — Alabama Legislative Information Online   / http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLoginFire.asp
— click on Bills, then Status & search for HB804

HB804 — QUARRY LOCAL CONTROL LEGISLATION

Page 0
1   HB804
2   110328-1
3   By Representatives McLaughlin, Mask, White and Hammon
4   RFD: County and Municipal Government
5   First Read: 01-APR-09

Page 1
1   110328-1:n:03/31/2009:MCS/tj LRS2009-2056
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8    SYNOPSIS: The Alabama Department of Environmental
9    Management issues new permits or modifications to
10  existing permits relating to granite or limestone
11   surface mining activities pursuant to the Alabama
12   Water Pollution Control Act (Title 22, Chapter 22,
13   Code of Alabama 1975); the Alabama Environmental
14   Management Act (Title 22, Chapter 22A, Code of
15   Alabama 1975); the Solid Wastes Disposal Act (Title
16   22, Chapter 27, Article 1, Code of Alabama 1975);
17   the Alabama Air Pollution Control Act of 1971
18   (Title 22, Chapter 28, Code of Alabama 1975); and
19   the Hazardous Wastes Management and Minimization
20   Act (Title 22, Chapter 20, Code of Alabama 1975).
21   This bill would require the prior approval
22   of local municipalities and counties affected by a
23   proposed permit or modification to a permit for
24   such mining operations. The bill would establish
25   guidelines for local governments to consider in the
26   approval process, would require notice of and the
27   holding of public hearings, and would provide

Page 2
1   access to certain information as part of the local
2   approval process.
3
4    A BILL
5    TO BE ENTITLED
6    AN ACT
7
8    To add Section 22-22A-5.1 to the Code of Alabama
9    1975, relating to the granting of local approval for granite
10  and limestone surface mining operations prior to the issuance
11   of any permit by the Alabama Department of Environmental
12   Management.
13   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
14   Section 1. Section 22-22A-5.1 is added to the Code
15   of Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
16   “§22-22A-5.1.
17   (a) The Alabama Department of Environmental
18    Management shall not issue a new or modified permit under
19    Sections 22-22-9, 22-22A-5, 22-27-7, 22-28-16, or 22-30-12 for
20   any activity relating to the operation of a granite or
21   limestone surface mine unless the operation has received
22   approval by the governing bodies of municipalities and
23   counties affected by the proposed operation. In determining
24   whether to recommend approval of the proposed operation, the
25   governing body shall consider, and make findings on, each of
26   the following:

Page 3
1    (1) The impact of the proposed operation on local
2     planned or existing roads and on transportation arteries and
3    state primary and secondary roads.
4    (2) Costs and availability of public services,
5     facilities, and improvements required to support a proposed
6     operation and to protect public health, safety, and the
7     environment.
8     (3) The impact of a proposed operation on public
9     health and safety and provisions made to minimize the impact
10  on public health and safety.
11  (4) The social and economic impacts of a proposed
12   operation on the affected community, including changes in
13   property values, and social or community perceptions.
14  (5) The impact of the proposed operation on the
15   prevailing hydrologic balance at the proposed mine site and in
16   offsite areas and on the quality and quantity of water in
17   surface and ground water systems both during and after surface
18   mining operations and during reclamation.
19   (6) The impact of the proposed operation on erosion
20   and siltation, pollution of water, damage to fish or wildlife
21   or their habitat, and public or private property.
22   (7) The impact of the proposed operation on natural
23   water-courses, stream beds, or drainage channels.
24   (8) The impact of blasting associated with the
25   proposed operation on private property, the enjoyment of
26   private property, and property values.

Page 4
1    (b) Any determination by the municipal or county
2    governing body to recommend approval of a proposed operation
3    shall be made in a public hearing only after public notice and
4    an opportunity for public comment is provided. The governing
5    body shall at a minimum hold at least one public hearing
6    thereon, notice of the time an place of which shall be given
7    by one publication in a newspaper of general circulation in
8    the county or municipality and in the official gazette, if
9    any, of the governing body’s jurisdiction. Notice shall be
10  given at least 30 days but not more than 45 days prior to the
11   proposed date of the hearing. Each notice published in
12  compliance with this section shall contain at a minimum a
13  description of the proposed operation to be considered and
14  shall identify a contact person from whom interested persons
15  can obtain additional information. All pertinent documents
16  shall be available for inspection during normal business hours
17  at a location readily accessible to the public.
18  Section 2. This act shall become effective
19  immediately following its passage and approval by the
20  Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.

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UPDATES:  Cancellation, additions

CANCELLED: TODAY, APRIL 1 – JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA VISIT TO AU
Due to a family emergency, the visit by poet Jimmy Santiago Baca — originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 1 — has been postponed until further notice.

REMINDER: TODAY, APRIL 1, 2:00 PM –  COURT HEARING / AUBURN WATER WORKS BOARD v. LOACHAPOKA WATER AUTHORITY (AWWB v. LWA)
Held in Judge Denson’s court, Lee County Justice Center.
A hearing on the lawsuit filed March 20 by Auburn Water Works Board in which the AWWB requests a preliminary injunction to prohibit the Loachapoka Water Authority from providing water and/or water for fire protection to certain properties within the LWA’s mandated water service territory.
Note: On March 30, West Pace LLC and Donahue Land LLC filed motions to intervene in this case. Both LLCs own land which could be affected by this lawsuit.

ADDITIONAL EVENT:
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 3:00 PM  — KATHRYN BRAUND / DEERSKIN AND DUFFELS: THE CREEK INDIAN TRADE WITH ANGLO-AMERICAN, 1685-1815
Held in AU’s Ralph Brown Draughon library, Dept of Special Collections & Archives. Free & open to the public.
Auburn University history professor Kathryn Braund will talk about her book, “Deerskins and Duffels: The Creek Indian Trade with Anglo-America, 1685-1815.” Recently released in a second edition, the book documents the trading relationship between the Creek Indians in what is now the southeastern United States and the Anglo-American peoples who settled there. The talk is part of the Discover Auburn series cosponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and the Auburn University Libraries. For more information, contact the center at 844-4946.

ADDITIONAL EVENT:
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 7:00 – 9:30 PM  — JAY SANDERS FILM FESTIVAL
Held at AU’s Hotel & Dixon Conference Center.  Free & open to the public, but with limited seating, so arrive early.
The College of Liberal Arts and the Department of Communication and Journalism are hosting the Jay Sanders Film Festival and the Movie Gallery Student Film Competition. This festival provides high school and college film makers from around the world the opportunity to have their work professionally judged and viewed by an audience. There were 32 entries received this year, with 11 films being selected by a committee to be included in the festival. Committee members are comprised of College of Liberal Arts faculty, staff and students. To learn more about the festival, go to this link (http://media.cla.auburn.edu/cmjn/festival/index.html ). More info: Deron Overpeck at dmo0001@auburn.edu.

REMINDER:  SHILOH COMMUNITY EVENT THIS WEEKEND
SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 5:00 PM — SHILOH COMMUNITY RESTORATION FOUNDATION / 3RD ANNUAL GALA & SILENT AUCTION
Details at their newly-redesigned website: http://www.shilohcommfound.com/

UPCOMING BROADCAST:
THURSDAY, APRIL 9 – LAMAR MARSHALL FEATURED IN PBS DOCUMENTARY APPALACHIA
The 4-part documentary “Appalachia” begins on PBS April 9.  Lamar Marshall of Wild South is featured.

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ACTION ALERT FROM ALABAMA ARISE / ALABAMA’S TAX FAIRNESS CAMPAIGN  http://www.arisecitizens.org/
Grocery Tax Bill May Have Vote This Thursday
Arise legislative action alert page — http://www.alarise.org/legislative.html
Last week, the grocery tax plan lost procedural vote in Alabama House. Most of the moderates who had been on the fence had become solid No’s. Several reported getting far more calls against the bill than we generated for it. Only later did we learn that ALFA was lobbying vigorously against the bill.
Of 98 members voting, we needed 59 to bring the bill up for debate. We got 56. All Republicans except Faust and Greeson voted Nay. (Faust and Greeson did not vote.) The only Democrat to vote Nay was Laird. All the other Democrats voted Yea, except for Hall, Rogers and Sherer, who did not vote, and Black, who was absent.
If your representative voted Yea, call and thank him or her.
If your representative voted Nay or did not vote, call and tell him or her how disappointed you are that they would not give you the chance to vote on the grocery tax bill.
Despite last week’s setback, we believe the bill will come back up for a vote, possibly as early as this Thursday. It is very important you talk to your legislator.
To see the voting record, click here. (http://www.alarise.org/Taxes%20Reform/BIR%20on%20HB116.pdf)
To find your House member’s phone number, click here. (http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/representatives/houseroster_alpha.html)
Arise Citizens’ Policy Project — Arise Citizens’ Policy Project is a coalition of 150 congregations and community groups that promote state policies to improve the lives of low-income Alabamians.

PLACE editorial note re: Tax Fairness Amendment:
Do you know people who still oppose the Tax Fairness Amendment?  Give them reasons to change their mind. According to Alabama Arise:
* Alabama can remove the state sales tax on groceries without increasing or decreasing revenues to the education budget.
* The Tax Fairness Amendment would make the state’s tax system more balanced and cut taxes for the vast majority of Alabamians.
More details at Tax Fairness Amendment; More information about the tax plan.

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FEMA Floodplain Maps and Flood Insurance Study Update
Property Owners in Floodplain Encouraged to Contact Insurance Agent About Flood Insurance
Lee County is in the process of updating its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Floodplain Maps and Flood Insurance Study. The City of Auburn’s FEMA Floodplain Maps and Flood Insurance Study will also be updated as part of the countywide map modernization project. Printed copies of the proposed maps are available at the Development Services Building, 171 N. Ross Street. Maps will be available for public review Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Additional information about the FEMA project, as well as an interactive map that will help you determine if your property is located within FEMA’s proposed floodplain, is available online at www.auburnalabama.org/fema.
For more information, visit the City’s FEMA website at www.auburnalabama.org/fema or contact the City of Auburn Public Works Department by phone at 501-3000 or by e-mail at webpw@auburnalabama.org.

City of Auburn Board Vacancies

• Library Board – one vacancy will be filled at the April 7 city council meeting.
• Historic Preservation Commission – two vacancies will be filled at the April 7 city council meeting.
• Board of Education – one vacancy will be filled at the May 19 city council meeting.
• Indian Pines Recreation Authority – one vacancy will be filled at the June 16 City Council meeting.

Citizens interested in serving are encouraged to contact their City Council member or notify the City Manager’s Office at webocm@auburnalabama.org or 501-7260.   Information on the city’s boards and commissions, including current members and their terms, available online at http://www.auburnalabama.org/BoardsandCommissions/Boards.aspx.

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Thanks for your interest and support.

PLACE Forum
Email: placeforum@gmail.com
Web: http://placeforum.org/blog/
April 1, 2009

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