Sophia Doyle
Aspiring Public Relations Professional
Work
News Conference
The redevelopment of the Georgia Square Mall may not occur after being postponed multiple times.
Athens Clarke-County Mayor Kelly Girtz held a news conference on Feb. 25 at the Instructional Plaza to discuss the fate of the land where the Georgia Square Mall exists.
The redevelopment plan for this property is one that some officials believe will help with the county’s housing crisis and be able to provide affordable homes for community members. ACC officials have been debating and will decide on a final vote when they meet on March 7.
Although ACC is one of the smallest counties in Georgia, its population has 29.9% persons below poverty level. With the redevelopment plan having an estimated cost of over $189 million dollars in tax revenues, Girtz believes there 10% of the 1200 housing units will cater to solve the affordable housing crisis.
With only approximately 99 affordable housing units, some officials think that there is more that can be done with this money to help the community. On Feb. 21 at the Special Called & Agenda Setting Session, District 10 Commissioner, Mike Hamby, addressed some of these concerns.
“We’re not taking the opportunity to do something about it with this project, with $189 million dollars, are you kidding me?” said Hamby.
On the other hand, Girtz discussed how there were previous plans for the redevelopment which he referred to as the “Lego box version.” This version would be cheaper with less amenities, but he believes it would have to be redeveloped in a few decades.
“I want my 10-year-old son in 10 years, in 20 years when he’s rolling around town, to be able to say ‘god, we’ve got a valuable, magnetic, attractive, fun outdoor space to hangout,’” said Girtz. “Not just 60 acres of asphalt.”
Girtz said at the press conference that there would be more community benefits than just a way to solve the housing crisis. With outdoor and retail spaces, Girtz said that the redevelopment plan could be responsible for bringing more businesses and increasing transportation to that side of town.
“And that's really what this is about, is creating a better version, a stronger version and a healthier version of Athens,” Girtz said.
Athens-Clarke County Mayor, Kelly Girtz, presents city plans at the University of Georgia press conference on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Girtz explains how the Georgia Square Mall could affect the community in terms of the housing crisis and new businesses. (Photo/Sophia Doyle)
Why I Wrote The Story
Mayor Kelly Girtz came to speak to our school at a press conference and discussed the possible redevelopment of the Georgia Square Mall. This story was newsworthy because the construction could be the answer to Athens-Clarke County's housing crisis. Through this project, I gained skills in proper conference etiquette and knowledge about researching a topic before an event or interview.
Event Coverage
A new Whataburger location could possibly bring over 150 jobs to the Athens-Clarke County community and more growth to the West Side economy.
Whataburger held a groundbreaking event at one of their future restaurant locations, off of Atlanta Highway, on Wednesday.
“This is a symbol of the growth of Athens for a long time to come,” said David Bradley, the president and CEO of Athens Area Chamber of Commerce.
Whataburger is a franchise restaurant, which originated in Texas, with over 800 restaurants across the country. The introduction of this new restaurant to ACC could provide news jobs with higher wages to its residents.
Tally Baldwin, a Talent Acquisition Professional for Whataburger, said that employees of this new branch could make up to $30 an hour. The possibility of these higher wages could mean a change for new employees because currently the average wage of ACC employees is almost $5 less than the nationwide average.
This new Whataburger location may affect the ACC economy because franchises on average have 2.3 times the employment over non franchise restaurants. Most franchises also have a rate of 1.8 times the sales, and Baldwin thinks that if there are enough store sales, then the number of employees could be raised to 200.
Whataburger’s newest Georgia location, in Kennesaw, hired most of its employees externally, according to Baldwin. This mostly likely means the Athens location will hire ACC residents, instead of relocating Whataburger employees from other branches.
“This entire area is gonna be job driven,” said Baldwin. “So just from the basis of Whataburger, that's like such a small piece of jobs that we're bringing to the community.”
These new jobs created could potentially benefit the citizens of the ACC population, which grew by over 10,000 people in the years 2010 to 2020. With this growing population and the pending mall redevelopment on the West Side, there are more people who are able to work and who need jobs.
“The growth of Athens, as far as population, was also very attractive to them,” said Bradley.
The University of Georgia’s Hairy Dawg attends the Whataburger groundbreaking event at 9 a.m. on March 15, 2023. The Whataburger truck served food to those in attendance. (Photo/ Sophia Doyle)
Why I Wrote The Story
Whataburger began expansion into new states and cities, and the company had their groundbreaking event in Athens, Georgia. This story was newsworthy because the new restaurant could bring hundreds of jobs for the community. Through this project, I gained photography and videography skills and knowledge about finding primary data sources relating to story topics.
Profile Story
Looking over Clayton Street from her office, sits Mary Joyce, AthFest Educates’ newest executive director. Her desk has a view of the hustle and bustle of the city below, while up above her office remains peaceful and quiet so she can plan upcoming events.
She wears her AthHalf 2022 t-shirt and deep purplish hair while she decorates her new office with AthFest posters from previous years. She surrounds herself with bright pink sticky notes, folders that remind her who she needs to send thank you messages to and a happy mother’s day card.
The organization Joyce works for, AthFest Educates, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about music and art. The organization has fundraiser events such as AthFest Music and Arts Festival and AthHalf. Over time, AthFest Educates has given over $500,000 in grants to support Athens’ youth.
Joyce’s new position at AthFest Educates allows her to utilize her previous work in nonprofit organizations to bring awareness to and help solve issues for planning AthFest Music and Arts Festival.
“I heard about this role opening up and it just seemed so perfect,” Joyce said excitedly. “I kept my music and band life very separate from my professional life. And so the opportunity to do both seemed really exciting. Also, the challenges were fascinating.”
After the former executive director, Jill Helme, resigned, the executive committee chose Joyce because of her experience with nonprofits from her time with Children First, Inc., as well as her love for music. Joyce played on the AthFest stage many years ago with the same drummer that is in her current band, Ghost & Goat.
Alicia Nickles, the AthFest Educates sponsorship director, mentioned Joyce’s desire to learn about the organization and about everyone’s role at the nonprofit.
“Mary comes with a little bit different background than our former director,” said Nickles. “She is a little more familiar with the music scene because she actually plays in a band. And she played on AthFest stage many years ago. And so this means a lot to her. She’s very connected with the festival.”
While Joyce has a plethora of experience for this role, there are still many challenges that she and the executive committee must face for this year's festival. One of these challenges is dealing with the city and its regulations.
“That is the biggest challenge to me,” Joyce said with a shrug. “Is working with the city. We almost had to move AthFest. And that would have been a nightmare.”
This nightmare of city zoning and moving the festival would have allowed fewer vendors to participate and could jeopardize their business. AthFest Music and Arts Festival is a helpful way for many local businesses to stay afloat during the summer months.
Joyce mentioned some businesses considering laying people off if they could not participate in the festival.
Another issue that Joyce sees is that the funding they receive from Athens-Clarke County is less than what other cities give to nonprofits.
Mary Joyce, AthFest Educates executive director, working in her office in downtown Athens on April 25, 2023. Joyce decorates her office with previous year’s AthFest posters. (Photo/ Sophia Doyle)
Why I Wrote The Story
Mary Joyce was recently chosen as AthFest Educates' executive director. This story was newsworthy because AthFest Educates plays an important role in the local music and art community and has given thousands of dollars in grants to Athens' youth. Through this project, I gained skills in contacting sources and knowledge on conducting follow-up interviews.
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