That's the hopeful conclusion of Pierre Howard, former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, in response to the news that a petition by Sea Island Acquisitions to park catamarans and other toys in the dunes was finally denied.
Actually, we thought the matter was settled back in February when the application was withdrawn and Dr. Fred Marland showed up at the hearing for naught. But, being a professional, he didn't miss an opportunity to make a point to an organization of which he'd once been the head.
Then, with almost no notice to the public, they were back in April.
Despite the lack of notice, we were better prepared. For, in the mean time, we'd organized a new group, the Sidney Lanier Environmental Advocacy Team. That's a mouth full, but the acronym is easy to say "SLEAT." The 'a' differentiates it from the stuff up north most everyone in Georgia wants to stay away.
Anyway, though the time was short and a request for a delay was denied, a couple of our members made good points and, even though the corporation, SIA PROPCO II, LLC was somewhat supported by the recently arrived faux environmental group, One Hundred Miles, logic and the law, for once prevailed.
I think I'll post the videos in reverse order, in case you just want to savor the moment of success.
James Holland set the stage:
But, in retrospect, it was clear from the beginning that the strong theme of the day was serving the public interest. And the applicants from the Savannah and Chatham County area all made that point. So, when Commissioner Humphries made his motion and explained his reasoning, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. But, of course it did, 'cause we're all so used to the public interest being sacrificed on the altar of commerce and enterprise.
Even though especially the second half is lengthy (81 minutes edited down to 47), I suggest there would be some value in watching just to get a flavor of how these kinds of public hearings are conducted. While much civic engagement depends on people showing up, it's also important to realize that nobody's going to beat up on them and not to be taken by surprise.
In this forum, it was actually possible for members of the public to sign in to speak and then "donate" their three minutes to someone else. That's how one ended up with nine -- enough to read a carefully prepared statement.
Why the applicant's representatives weren't better prepared is anybody's guess. Sometimes it does seem that paid consultants don't do the best work. Lawyers, we know, get paid more if they fail. We're hoping the honchos who bought the Sea Island Company out of bankruptcy won't be stupid enough to appeal. It would be a shame for Sea Island to get even more bad publicity.