The Pooler-Savannah Water Agreement:

When Do We Start Paying Money For Nothing?

By Roger Allen

During the December 19th Pooler City Council meeting, it was revealed that the city of Pooler had just paid the City of Savannah some $100,000 for its November 2005 water bill. Of that sum, $55,000 was paid for “Water Capital Recovery Costs”. In order to understand why Pooler paid Savannah that much money for something I didn’t understand, it seemed sensible to read the 1997 water agreement (and the 2000, 2001, & 2005 amendments) that Pooler & Savannah had signed. Seeing as that didn’t help, I contacted Savannah City Manager Michael Brown and asked him to explain why we were paying Savannah all that money.

He said that Pooler officials had wanted in 1997 to reserve one million gallons a day of treated Savannah River for drinking water to supplement the water they could withdraw from the Floridan Aquifer. They had to make a choice between paying for their share of improvements made by Savannah at their Industrial & Development Water Treatment Plant (I&D) up front in one lump sum or make .....Read More

Guyton Residents Split Over Parker's Proposal

By Roger Allen

For the second week in a row, former-city council candidate Pat McCall held a community meeting at the Social Hall of the Guyton United Methodist Church on Friday, January 27th at 7 p.m. to talk about Greg Parker’s plans to build a convenience store and gas station across from Thompson’s IGA Market. In a letter to the editor in the January 12th Spirit, she claimed that there would be a destruction of this historic building if Greg Parker had his way. After doing some research, it became obvious this man is going to great lengths to ensure that nothing will be destroyed.

Parker has hired John Deering, one of the most well respected historic preservation architects in the United States, to draw up plans to create an 1880’s type country store. He hired both structural engineers and building contractors to make sure his plan to move the house to the back of the lot would not cause the building any harm. Once set up in it’s new location, he will open up the inside by removing the ceilings up to the rafters with vaulted ceilings, and will add two side wings. Along with groceries and sundries, the store will sell homemade breakfast, lunch, and dinners. The service area in the front will sport 6 gas pumps.

Known as the Old Wynn House, it is located on the corner of Highways 119 & 17. Owners Jina and Will Breazeale applied in 1999 for the rezoning of their property in order to start a business. In fact, it was then-Alderman Bill McCall (Pat’s husband) who proposed making the change from R-1 to C-2 for the Breazeale’s property. They first opened a gift shop (Jacob’s Attic) and then a teashop (Rosemary’s Rabbit). When their efforts never panned out, the property was not placed back in R-1 residential status, but rather left in the C-2 commercial classification.

Many people are asking, just who is this Greg Parker? Starting out in 1976 in Midway, Parker has an ever-increasing number of gas station/convenience stores being built from Statesboro to Savannah and from Rincon to Richmond Hill. Born in 1953 in Collins, Ga., Greg and his wife Kelley have created a distinctive image through the use of imaginative lighting and landscaping outside their stores and an emphasis on cleanliness inside the stores. Their company has created a local brand that is expanding its stores across the region, and that is why his proposed Guyton location is so important.

Frank Arden, an Effingham activist, spoke at the meeting of how the unconditional rezoning of this house with no legal prohibitions against building any commercial business was a mistake. ..... Read More