First I want to thank local resident Adam for e-mailing me this snippet of information about what's going on at Fairburn Road. Just in the recent days both Burger King (picture above) and Citgo gas station near Interstate 20 have been demolished, leaving no site of any structure. Adam goes on to say that at one time there were signs indicating both properties were now in the ownership of the local government. It is unknown as to who owns the property, County or City, but I would assume the City of Douglasville (which I will explain later).

The property where the fast food restaurant stood was owned by the Burger King Corporation on a piece of one acre. According to public records, the fair market value of this property is $612,040. The now vacant lot where the Citgo gas station was owned by Bagwell & Spears, Inc on a .7 acre lot. Fair market value of this property was $385,742.

(more…)

The Sheriff's office has updated their website to include information concerning the "New Jail Project". Elizabeth over at her blog: The REAL News About Douglas County, has made a post about the update and expresses some personal views.

Elizabeth wrote:

The Douglas County Sentinel reported they want TWO six story towers. The plan on their website calls for FOUR three level buildings as well as another mystery building labeled LEC that's four levels. They also want a CAR WASH and a Refueling Center. A large part of the property is marked as hazardous storage. There will be 128 cells per level (and is it any coincidence you can barely see the number one in front of the 28?) in each of the four towers. 128 cells times three levels is 384 cells. 384 cells times four towers is 1,536 cells. Tell me, do we really want this large of a jail in historic downtown Douglasville? There are many other locations this jail could be relocated to. Before they wanted two six story towers. Now they want four three story towers. Still the same number of levels, folks, and will take up twice as much space.

The information on the website is presented from scanned documents stating a few points and frequently asked questions, though the text is difficult to read. One discrepancy is the number of total inmates the current facilities can hold. Stan Copeland, chief deputy sheriff, told the Douglas Neighbor that only 450 was the maximum whereas the website states 480.

The scanned document also states an annual increase of inmates around 6%-7%, though calculating the actual figures produces a rate of 7.86%. Another brief point was that the City of Douglasville is looking to acquire land for the new jail project. However no specifics were mentioned as to whether it would reflect the plans on the website or moving the jail completely.

The expansion diagram goes on to show a conversion of the offices on West Church Street to an inmate worker dorm, a new car wash / refueling station, building four housing towers providing a capacity for 1536 inmates, and other small facilities. Reading the diagram can be difficult because of the ghosting effect on the text.

The one key piece of information that was not presented was the fact that if the new SPLOST resolution is passed, the New Jail Project would become the priority project to become funded before any other project is to become active.

You can contact Stan Copeland at the Sheriff's Office about the New Jail Project and Expansion at 770-920-7136. 

The Losing Georgia Project will not be updated for awhile as the latest thunderstorms has caused extensive damage to parts of the electrical and cable system. Late last night the lightning bolt struck behind my house and hit the main cable line which blew up the majority of the televisions, outlets and more. My broadband Internet is through the cable system which is completely fried.

Updates may not be available until next week or longer.

Yesterday was the public meeting on the conceptual short plan to improve the overall traffic flow along Chapel Hill Road according to a corridor study conducted by the County and City. Five crucial intersections were on display by three different firms. Many residents, including some officials, came out to the meeting to discuss the future of Chapel Hill Road.

Each resident who attended the meeting had to sign in and was then given a packet of information pertaining to the intersection improvements. I acquired one of the packets which you can download – it is in PDF format. The packet consisted of six pages: introduction, site map, overview, individual sites and comment card.

If you didn’t attend the meeting but want to see the maps the County provided, visit the Department of Transportation on the 1^st floor of the Courthouse. The maps will be available for 10 days after June 22.

Pictures and plan explanations after the jump…

(more…)

As you may or may not know I created this project a year ago with the intention of telling a story of Douglas County that wasn't being portrayed to its fullest potential. Since the 1980s developers have dictated development with close ties to local government and this has become well known today. After Arbor Place Mall was built Douglas County entered a new era for retail superiority and industrial strength.

Development continues in the prospect of profits and not well-being as more people move to Douglas County for creating families in the midst of cheap housing. Traffic worsens by the day under the belts of contractors and developers while disregarding the lifestyle that once was rural. Over a year I have tried to tell this story through images and the information that I can make available without financial aid from anyone.

However the burden to continue the project has become greater as my financial situation has worsened. Since I began this project I have fully funded all costs which have exceeded $1500: film development, server fees, document purchasing, gasoline (driving to locations for inspection) and water testing equipment. 

I am not one to plead for money but the project and I are in need of financial help. I will be honest with you all by saying that I've been out of a job since January 2nd. Since that time I have fully dedicated myself to the Losing Georgia Project and do not want this project to end. The resources I make available is not for my benefit but for the residents of Douglas County.

Over 4500 page views happened last week alone with visitors from local viewers to people at the University of Washington State, Columbia University, Emory University, Purdue University, and even the University of Technology Malaysia. Last month a total of 9919 page views were made while today there is 12,632 page views for the month of June. People are coming to the site because the information is worth the visit back each time.

I have placed a donation link in the sidebar if anyone is willing to donate money to the project to keep it alive. More features for the website are on the way including a Support Store where artwork will be available for purchase. If you have any questions about the project or have a suggestion of a way to support the Losing Georgia Project then please head over to the new contact page or leave a comment. All you have to do is fill out the form and send it. 

As much as I hate to put ads on this website it will be of a last resort just to pay for the server. One last note, if anyone needs a website designer or digital photographer then I'm your man. Over five years experience in retail and web design, a lifetime of photography and two years as a stagehand. To see some of my photography skills please visit my other website Ashford Photography.

There will be two public meetings tomorrow evening focusing on two completely different issues. The first meeting is brought on by the County that will highlight on traffic and intersection improvements along Chapel Hill Road. The public is welcome to come and talk to representatives from the Department of Transportation about the upcoming improvements and concerns. The meeting will be held at Chapel Hill High between 5pm - 8pm. 

The second meeting is held by the Douglas County Taxpayers Coalition to inform residents about the upcoming SPLOST vote and details regarding the new jail and other projects. Residents are welcome to come by the Lithia Springs public library between 6pm - 8pm. 

The Losing Georgia: Interactive Tour has been updated with 3 new development with photos. You can download the kmz file or head over to the overview page if you are unfamiliar with the Interactive Tour. Below is a list of additions and updates which also reflects the database and Live View:

New Developments

1. Douglas Physicians Center
2. Unknown Medical Building
3. Beechwood Trails Pet Lodge

Added Photos

1. Douglas Physicians Center
2. Unknown Medical Building
3. Beechwood Trails Pet Lodge

The County goverment website has finally been updated to include information on SPLOST. This information has not been available on the website until lately after many inquiries by residents who are concerned about the status of SPLOST, including Losing Georgia. In the past the only SPLOST information available was a summary of the audit conducted to determine wrongdoings and misuse of funds.

Oddly enough some of the documents are riddled with errors which create problems for opening the PDF files. What documents can be opened are graphs, charts, cash receipts and 2006 projects. The SPLOST page also gives brief information about the upcoming SPLOST initiative, including the newly proposed jail which SPLOST will fully fund.

More on SPLOST fund breakdown after the jump 

(more…)

The Circuit City in Douglasville is located in the Landing at Arbor Place shopping center, just above Arbor Place Mall, where it opened its doors in May 1998. At the time Circuit City did not have much competition scoring up profits for a few years until the Best Buy on Douglas Boulevard opened. The stores are about over a mile from each other attracting customers from mall traffic.

In recent years Circuit City has been slipping away as a retail giant due to instability in corporate management. Profits and stocks steadily dropped as stores across the country were closing down. The Circuit City store in Douglasville has remained opened being sligthly updated over the years but now there is word the store is up for a major renovation.

More after the jump… 

(more…)

Ever wonder how many developments are within Douglasville's city limits? Now you can with an exclusive new Live View map. Check out the three unique clusters the show the distant of the city limits. The database has also been updated so each development in the Development List can display whether a development is within the Douglasville city limits. Also the Statistics page reflects the data for each corresponding district.

This is a goodie in celebration for the 1 year anniversary for the Losing Georgia Project! Thanks to all you visitors.