This is a follow-up regarding a previous post that highlighted a suspicion concerning an information request for fire stations in Douglas County. The County's Communications and Community Relations Director, Wes Tallon, was not pleased with the article, leaving a comment stating that it was a “disservice to the citizens of Douglas County and the Douglas County Fire/EMS Department.”

To that end, a very detailed list will be provided indicating how the information was going to be interpreted, including a demonstration using Google Maps to display exactly how the information would be used as a public resource. The picture to the right is a screenshot in Google Earth based on a work-in-progress addition to the Community Places tour prior to the article being released.

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Residents should be familiar by now with the newly built Publix at Anneewakee Road and current construction of The Shoppes at Chapel Hill , which is across the street from Chapel Hill Elementary and Middle schools. Both developments were presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Commissioners back in 2004, where one of the two received a denial on the zoning application.

At the time some red flags became evident, which were printed in the local newspapers, but it only slowed down both developments. Reading through the minutes of the Board of Commissioners and Planning & Zoning Commission, the foundation of a double standard was discovered that is subject to interpretation.

Did the County and developers intentionally push for these developments through tactics of a double standard?

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In the latest addition of Chapel Hill News & Views (October 2006, Vol. 7, No. 10) the Chairman's Corner section of the magazine displays information about EMS and the Douglas County Fire Department. What raises suspicion is the fact that the location of fire stations and other details associated with these facilities were specifically requested by Losing Georgia back in late August, yet no response came from the County.

What is even stranger is that when I briefly talked to the Fire Chief Spencer a couple weeks ago, he specifically told me that the County could not release the physical addresses for the fire stations in Douglas County due to security measures brought on by the Post 9-11 era. The article presents the station number, addresses of all fire stations and the communities they serve – the very same information Losing Georgia requested.

To prove that this documentary actually requested the information prior to this article ever being printed, copies of the e-mails with time stamps will be provided after the jump.

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For Douglas County residents, J.D. Brooks is known for the Brookmont subdivision which has been an ongoing scrutiny for not following local and State regulations. Losing Georgia posted three investigative posts (part 1, part 2, & part 3) about Brooks and the poor development practices conducted by his affiliated companies and other home builders.

Forsyth County residents are going through problems of their own at Brooks' Creekstone Estates development. Then yesterday an e-mail reached the Project's inbox about another development by Brooks, Vintage Pointe, in Gwinnett County that is having an ongoing situation. Seems one of Brook's companies, Homeland Communities, Inc. (formerly Homeland Legacy), did not completely legalize the entrances to the development.

A response from Homeland Communities subjected that the company was not at fault, but another of Brooks' companies, Falling Water, Inc., was blamed. As mentioned before, all of J.D. Brooks' companies are located in adjacent buildings in Norcross. Read more about the issue at Vintage Pointe's website.

Thanks to Tricia for the e-mail and if anyone else has a tip or story, please contact the Losing Georgia Project.

The new Highway 166 Bridge is now open to the public as crews continually lay asphalt for the new roadway. Despite building delays and authorities pointing fingers at each other for blame, the bridge stands tall above the reservoir with anticipation of a water-level increase. Currently traffic is being coordinated in shifts while new pavement is being installed on both sides of the bridge.

The remnants of the old bridge, along with parts of the old roadway, are being removed in accordance to State law. Afterwards any trees on the banks of the reservoir that will be affected by the water-level increase will be removed as well. The reservoir is expected to rise an additional 10 feet to compensate for Douglas County 's rampant growth.

Take a look at a panoramic view of the Dog River Reservoir atop the new Highway 166 Bridge.

There is construction on Fairburn Road in front of the Douglasville Village shopping center, next to the Checkers. Though no signs have been displayed near the roadway, signs were found behind a trailer indicating a new CVS pharmacy is to be built. Just recently a new Walgreens was opened ¼ of a mile east of this location.

The front section of asphalt in the parking lot has been removed to lay the groundwork of the new foundation. Another sign behind the trailer belonged to Project Builders, Inc., a commercial construction company based out of Atlanta . The company's portfolio strongly portrays a connection with the CVS Corporation, constructing many pharmacies throughout Georgia . Losing Georgia called Project Builders, Inc. to inquiry about the development – they were not open to answering any questions the Project had and a representative stated that “it was a waste of time.”

Online property records show that Najjar Douglasville is the property owner, which includes the shopping center, parking lot and the former bar-b-cue restaurant. What sparks some controversy is the fact that this development is in the path of the Highway 92 Relocation Project. According to the Highway 92 Relocation Project map provided by the Georgia DOT, the Douglasville Village shopping center and surrounding business will be displaced to make way for the new roadway.

It is unknown if this development will meet its demise in the next year when State Route 92 will undergo multiple phases of upgrades, including the destruction of many businesses and homes.

A few months the Project posted a progress report about future plans of displaying fines for home builders. Today that plan has manifested with a slight variation – instead of home builders it is developments. Now whenever a user views the details of a development, if a fine is present in the database it will be displayed in table form.

Thanks again to the WSA for providing the information a few weeks ago.

Last Friday the Losing Georgia Project received a package from the WSA regarding historical about the Dog River Reservoir area and information regarding administrative fines. One of the documents included in the package was the Proposed Schedule of Administrative Fines for Erosion and Sedimentation Control Violations. The proposal has increased the amount of dollars per fine as a result of the current development in Douglas County.

Also in the package was a list of developers who were issued fines as of August of this year. That information will be available shortly and will be included on the Development Details page pertaining to a select development. As of August 30th, the WSA has collected $288,275.00 in fines from developers who have violated regulations.

View the Proposed Schedule of Administrative Fines after the jump.

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A couple days ago Losing Georgia confirmed that The Avenue Chapel Hills was no longer going to be built and today Kirk Boggs over at Benchmark Homes was able to return our call. Mr. Boggs stated that the development will continue to be shopping center under the adjusted name of Chapel Hill Village (a deviation from The Village at Chapel Hill). Some retailers have signed on to the development, though the name of the retailers could not be disclosed.

More information about Cousins Properties, INC. dropping out of the developer was brought up as well. According to Mr. Boggs, Cousins had retailers supporting the Avenue while Cousins was making attempts to divert from the original site plan. Eventually the retailers established by Cousins walked away from the table, forcing Cousins Properties to no longer be affiliated with the retail project.

Chapel Hill Village is expected to stay on schedule, opening in the fall of 2007 reverting back to the original site plan with slight modifications. Also Mr. Boggs said that Steve Weatherby is indeed still associated with the development.

The Losing Georgia: Interactive Tour has been updated with a new development and more overlays. You can download the kmz file or head over to the overview page if you are unfamiliar with the Interactive Tour. Also the file structure for overlays has been revised to better suit the information provided. The Interactive Tour will be undergoing a major overhaul in the next month to provide content in a more professional format.

Below is a list of additions and updates to the tour which also reflects the database and Live View:

New Developments

1. Douglasville Medical Plaza

Overlays

1. Hampton Inn & Suites Site Plan
2. First Community Bank Site Plan
3. Douglasville Day Centre Original Site Plan