Oh, Cry Me a River

Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:18 pm by McGehee [Coweta County] [Get Offa My Lawn!]

Longtime readers know I don’t have any particular animus toward Wal-Mart. And if not for two specific aspects to this specific proposal, I’d have to suck it up and limit my complaints to personal inconvenience over traffic. Thing is, we’re less than five miles by freeway from an already-existing, larger store. And the site in question for the new one, is just not suitable for high-impact retail without a huge amount of highly disruptive road construction practically on our doorstep. There’s also a very busy major railroad line very near the site, which from what I’ve heard makes it simply infeasible to put major retail there. So, I’m not exactly weeping over this news: Wal-Mart might not come to Highway 154 near Interstate 85 after all, if the building has to be brick. The denial by the Coweta County Commission of a variance to allow the Wal-Mart to be built with a Quik Brik exterior, instead of real brick “could very well jeopardize the project for us,” said Glen Wilkins, Wal-Mart’s senior manager of public affairs for Georgia. There have been rumors that Wal-Mart was pulling out, because the variance was not granted. Wilkins was asked about those rumors. “There is a possibility that this project could not go forward,” Wilkins said. The reason is the added cost. The cost to clad the building in brick is substantial, both in terms of materials and labor. » Wal-Mart may not build its new store Mr. Wilkins sob-stories the requirement by suggesting the loss of his new store will cost us local rubes some much-needed jobs, but then we find out about another store that’s planned for our area: Sam’s Club has known all along that it will need to be a brick building, said Scott Seymour, developer of Fischer Crossings, the three-corner development at Highway 34 and Fischer in eastern Coweta. Covenants for the development require brick on any quadrant of the building that faces a road. But the county’s requirements, for the Quality Development Corridor that includes that area, require brick, stone, or glass on all sides. Wilkins said he was not involved in the Sam’s Club project at all and had no knowledge of its future. Fischer’s Crossings was a pretty rough intersection before Highway 34 was four-laned through there, but as far as I know it has never had the kind of chronic congestion that 154, still a narrow, winding two-lane road, experiences. It can be impossible to turn left onto 154 from mid-afternoon until well into the dinner hour—thanks to high-school traffic followed quickly by an evening commute from all parts of metro Atlanta. There are plenty of locations, even in Coweta County, that would be better suited to a second Wal-Mart. I’ve even seen multiple cases of Wal-Marts and Sam’s Clubs right next to each other.

I Think That Temperature Reading May Be a Bit Off

Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:14 pm by McGehee 4 comments [Coweta County] [Nature]

...not that it couldn’t be 40°F. and be snowing. We’ve got a respectable-looking snow shower going as I type this, but as yet it isn’t sticking. There’s a winter weather advisory posted that isn’t even in effect yet, alleging “sleet or snow mixing with rain this afternoon,” turning to rain and then freezing rain. I vote we just keep the snow. It looks nicer. Update: That’s about as good as a camera phone is going to give you (click it for slightly bigger). It’s been 25 minutes since I first posted this entry and it’s still falling. Looks like it really wants to start sticking, too. The Weather Channel gizmo in Firefox claims it’s still 40°. Riiiiight. ‘Nother Update, 3:56 p.m.: It’s sticking—in select spots, such as the lowest shingles on our roof. Even poor Lucy had some trying to stick in her coat!

An Update on That Incomprehensible Plan for a New Wal-Mart Less Than Five Miles from an Existing One

Thu Dec 6, 2007 9:46 pm by McGehee 3 comments [Coweta County]

I recently exchanged emails with a local fellow who wanted to know where things stand on this. Seems he suspected—as I had too when I first saw it—that some prep work at the next exit up toward Atlanta might mean the reporting on a new Coweta County Wal-Mart might have gotten the location wrong. As I assured him in my reply, the plan for the Wal-Mart is down here at our exit, not up there at his. A few days later, more news: Wal-Mart representatives made an impassioned plea before the Coweta Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday night, asking to be allowed to use “Quik Brik” — essentially a colored concrete block — instead of actual brick for the store proposed for Ga. Hwy. 154 at Interstate 85. Wal-Mart is requesting a variance from the county’s Quality Development Corridor overlay requirement for exterior materials. The QDC overlay states that 80 percent of the exterior of a building must be brick, stone or glass. The Coweta County Planning Department recommended denial of the variance. » Wal-Mart’s variance request snubbed This is a new and different variance from the one discussed in last February’s post, and today the Times-Herald editorialized that the county commission, when it hears the later request, should heed the planning department’s recommendation. For the record, the Times-Herald editorialized against the new Wal-Mart altogether when reports of the plan first surfaced a year and a half ago. I don’t look every day, but the last time I did look I had yet to see any site prep for the proposed store. The fact they’re seeking this variance, though, suggests it may not be long before they’ll be ready to start. God help us. Highway 154 is already a parking lot for extended periods of time on both sides of the interstate. High-volume retail traffic will only add to the nightmare. I don’t even want to imagine holiday shopping season with a Wal-Mart open for business over there. Update: In comments, Prudie says this is far from a record for closest-together operating Wal-Marts.

Heh. Cool.
Fri Oct 12, 2007 9:02 pm by McGehee [Coweta County] [Nature]	Did you see the temperature reading on this post? Forty degrees Fahrenheit. Nature, that mother—, is trying to fool me into thinking we’re going to have something resembling autumn weather here in subtropical west Georgia. But I’m too smart for her.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
Mon Oct 1, 2007 3:17 pm by McGehee [Asides] [Coweta County]	It almost feels cooler outside. And dryer. Drier? More dry. Anyway… It’s October. Discuss.

I Know Why the Free-Range Armadillo Doesn’t Dance

Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:49 pm by McGehee 2 comments [Coweta County]

As we came in the driveway this evening after a late dinner-and-groceries run, Chris said, “Is that our bunny rabbit?” (We have had wild rabbit sightings in our backyard for some years, and I saw one a couple of weeks ago.) I backed up so as to put my headlights on it for a better look, and it wasn’t a rabbit. The gang at Protein Wisdom has been perennially disappointed about the resident armadillo’s failure to dance on Fridays, and now we know why. If that sucker is in Georgia on Monday, it wasn’t anywhere near Jeff’s place in Colorado last Friday. I would have netted him tonight but by the time I dug out my old dipnet from our Alaska days, little Che had disappeared into the darkness, bound generally for the Gulf Coast. He may be intent on taking control of Cuba once Fidel finally kicks the rusty old bucket.

DON’T JINX IT!!!
Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:35 pm by McGehee [Coweta County] [Nature]	Supposedly there’s cooler weather on the way to The McGehee Zone World Headquarters. As a matter of fact, the temperature is already sliding downward at a fair clip, and tomorrow it’s not even supposed to get as warm as it is now. I’ll take it. But cool weather at this latitude requires a gentle approach. If you try to reach for it you’ll just spook it and it’ll run away to Ohio.

Examiner, Examinee

Sun Aug 26, 2007 11:15 pm by McGehee [AK4MC] [Coweta County]

This afternoon I showed up to what would have been my first amateur radio license testing session as an accredited volunteer examiner. I was one of eight VEs who showed up (three are required to conduct a testing session). We had quite a time sitting around jawing at each other. There wasn’t anyone else to talk to, seeing as how no candidates turned up to take any tests. Chris had been hoping to be ready by today for her Extra upgrade, but the Salt Lake City trip put a pause in her studying so now she’s shooting for a session in a neighboring county the first week of October. But even if she had been ready today, she would have been the only candidate there, and as her husband I would have been unable to sign off on her test. Oh well. There’s another Coweta VE session toward the end of October. Maybe we’ll have some takers then.

Whoo-hoo! Finally, Some Rain!
Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:51 pm by McGehee 3 comments [Coweta County] [Nature]	Well, maybe. There’s thunderstorms headed for The McGehee Zone World Headquarters, and I can hear the thunder as I type this. Whether there’ll be actual rain on the premises is yet to be known. And whether it, assuming there is any, will lower the temperature or just raise the humidity, likewise.

Heat Index: Ggggaaahhgghahhhh…

Thu Aug 9, 2007 5:54 pm by McGehee [Coweta County] [Nature]

I’ve been watching the temperature reading on my browser (1-ClickWeather, a Firefox extension) for the last hour or so, waiting for the “99” to turn to “100.” It didn’t. As you can see in the little block of gray italics just beneath the title of this post, it is now only 98°F. here. Which (in the tradition of alarmists who insist that every heat wave, active hurricane season, <update> tornado, </update> or massive snowstorm is PROOF, BY GOD!!!1!! of Global Warming™) is PROOF, BY GOD!!!1!! of GLOBAL COOLING!!!!1!!!!one!!! You read it here first. Update: Corrected title—although with dewpoints in the 70s I think “misery index” is equally applicable.

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