Stop I-3 Coalition Monthly Newsletter
September 15 , 2006
Notes from the chair — In the public eye
One of the many challenges to running the successful campaign to Stop I-3 is to make sure that the public, news media and elected officials continue to see and hear our message. If a campaign fails to remain fresh and relevant to the public then it becomes much more difficult for an organization to educate elected officials about the harm that this proposed interstate will cause to our region’s environmental and economic health.
The ultimate goal is to make our message household words so that every politician knows that people are paying attention to their policy decisions regarding I-3 and will vote accordingly.
You can help us accomplish this goal.
The Stop I-3 Coalition currently has two projects designed to keep us in the public eye. Driving through our region you may spot sets of five roadside signs, modeled after the Burma Shave signs of the 1950s that express our opposition to I-3 with catchy poems. The Stop I-3 Coalition would like you to place a set of our “Burma Shave” signs up on your property. Please contact Sandy Lyndon at bandit@bbinc.org for a set of signs.
We are also organizing two “motorcycle moments” on October 14, 2006, beginning with a rally at Grant Park in Atlanta, ending with a second rally and barbecue in Graham County, North Carolina, near that most-biker-friendly of routes known as the Tail of the Dragon (U.S. 129.) This “Run for the Dragon” represents an important opportunity to send our message loud and clear to the public and news media. Please join us at either location. Contact Sandy Lyndon for more information.
You can also help us by contacting your own elected officials at the state and federal level and tell them about your opposition to I-3. You can also write letters to the editor of your local newspaper and let them know how you feel about protecting our quality of life and how I-3 will damage that. Look for regular updates and requests for your help on the Stop I-3 website.
Thanks in advance for helping to keep Stop I-3 in the public eye.
-- Greg Kidd, Chairman
“Burma Shave” blitz
"Proclaim it from ... The mountaintop! ... This freeway is ... A thing to stop ... STOP I-3"
Those catchy, informative signs went up along key roadways of North Georgia, Western North Carolina, East Tennessee and South Carolina’s Upcountry last month
Our aim is to place 10 sets of signs in each of the 34 counties potentially affected by an I-3 corridor, both to expand our grassroots network and to influence passers-by.
Please contact Sandy Lyndon at bandit@bbinc.org to secure a sign for your property. Costs of the each sign set -- five signs each -- is $35, but financial sponsorship is not a prerequisite.
Let’s get ‘em up and demonstrate the breadth of this grassroots coalition.
Update on federal highway administration study
The $1.3 million study of the Interstate 3 corridors has not yet begun, as Federal Highway Administration and Georgia Department of Transportation officials moved to resolve questions about which pot of money (federal or state) ultimately will be used to pay for the work.
The federal agency, pending that decision, has not yet issued requests for proposals for the study, which will be parceled out to outside consultants.
The Stop I-3 Coalition prepares to continue for the study by collecting information about the study corridor and by working to ensure the study process is robust and includes public participation.
I-3 politics and politicians
Substantial numbers of north Georgia residents appear to have picked up on an informal mantra making the rounds: “I thought they had killed that road,” many are saying.
Not so, as the FHWA officials have noted. The study is still to be accomplished.
But there is some suggestion that I-3 supporters are deliberately “playing possum” about the issue – to let some of the controversy die down somewhat for now -- only to forcefully resurrect it later. And that won’t be much later in the future, according to Georgia Rep. Charles Jenkins: “It’s quiet now, but get ready for a lot of talk about it after the elections,” he told constituents at a recent gathering in Dillard.
But there are some politicians who also are taking a cautious stand regarding the road. U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson told Morris News Service in an article published August 19, 2006, that construction of the new interstate is somewhat in doubt.
“That’s why you study things, to determine if they’re feasible,” Isakson said. “You don’t build roads where people don’t want them.” Besides public opposition, Isakson also mentioned the increased costs of petroleum products as a potential barrier to interstate construction. “With the price of petroleum, it is causing transportation plans all over the country to be shelved,” the senator told Morris News.
“We’re going to have a very difficult time at current costs of petroleum doing the road improvements we had planned to do over the next decade, much less add on new construction projects,” he said.
Bumper stickers available
Stop I-3 Coalition bumper stickers are still available from a dedicated volunteer, Kathy Williams, for $1.00 per sticker. Contact her at sauteewill@alltel.net, or at 706.878.3349. This also is an excellent method of keeping the issue in the public eye.
And some of our members have found that the eye-catching stickers are an excellent gift to friends and family living outside the I-3 corridors.
Stop I-3 Coalition petitions
The Stop I-3 Coalition at last count has collected about 4,000 petition signatures since it kicked off the process in the spring. This is a goodly number, but many more signatures are needed if they are to have any significant effect on the public officials who will receive them.
Look for a petition in your favorite local hangout or coffee shop, or handle it online at www.StopI-3.org
