The Athens-Clarke County Department of Transportation and Public Works oversees construction and repair of roadway and stormwater infrastructure, including: roadways and bike lanes, as well as sidewalks and other walkways; traffic systems, public stormwater systems. It also obtains and maintains vehicles for Athens-Clarke County departments. This is the department you should call if you have a problem with a pothole or street drainage problem. This department includes the Traffic Engineering Division, the Fleet Management Division, and the Streets and Drainage Division.
Part of the Georgia Main Street Program, the Athens Downtown Development Authority works to create a safe, viable and vibrant central business district for the benefit and enjoyment of the community. The organization also manages most of the parking in downtown Athens.
The DNR's Environmental Protection Division (EPD) works to maintain and protect the natural and cultural resources of Georgia. It is also charged with the care and maintenance of Georgia's state parks and historic sites, and with the issuance of hunting and fishing licenses, as well as boat registrations. The northeast district office of the EPD, located on Gaines School Rd. oversees these activities for the northeastern counties of the state. For more information, please click here.
This office is one-stop shopping for those seeking information about local government services and operations. People can learn everything about Athens-Clarke County services, from how to file their taxes to the location of parks with picnic facilities and just how to register for public school.
The office was opened 13 years ago and is on the second floor of City Hall. One attraction outside City Hall is the double-barreled cannon. Created during the Civil War, the apparatus was created to fire two cannon balls in tandem that would carry a chain between them to mow down troops. It didn't work as planned and wasn't used.
It takes a large fleet of vehicles to keep all 122 square miles of Athens-Clarke County running on a daily basis. Athens-Clarke County vehicles include police cars, leisure services trucks and traffic engineering vehicles. The Fleet Management Division of the Traffic Engineering department keeps these and other vehicles running, safe and ready to serve Athens-Clarke County citizens.
The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission distributes educational information about soil and water resources. It is also a source of technical, financial, and planning assistance in connection with these resources. It's located on the east side on Lexington Road near WalMart. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 8024 Athens, GA 30603.
The solid waste department has 9,800 customers in the Urban Service District of Athens, to whom it offers weekly residential refuse and recycling collection. There are more than 400 commercial and curbside customers downtown. The department offers a "pay as you go" system, in which customers pay more for larger trash bins.
There is a brand new building on Prince Avenue that houses the Social Security Administration's Athens field office. There are two bus stops across the street from the building. Parking is available on the street as well as in a small free lot behind the large building. As you walk around to the front entrance of the building located on Prince Avenue, make sure you notice the yard art.
The Athens-Clarke County Building Permits and Inspections Department enforces compliance with building codes regulating such features of buildings and property as: ventilation, fire safety, stability, lighting, structural strength. It also monitors hazards associated with the building, alteration, demolition, or use and occupancy of any constructed edifice.
The county manager's office has been on the third floor of Athens City Hall since 2000. People come for information about everything from permits to potholes. Administrative assistant Cynthia Lambright makes sure they have a pleasant reception. City Hall is a beautiful Beaux Arts building that sits on the highest point in the downtown business district. It houses several government offices, as well as the chambers where the county commission meets.
This is the Athens Recruiting Station. There are two armed forces recruiting stations located on the second floor of the Georgia Square Mall. Four of the five armed services are represented here: the Air Force, Marines, Navy and Army.
The Athens-Clarke County Community Protection Division attempts to increase the number of properties and structures in compliance with adopted standards. It does this by inspecting, customer service, and development services. It also encourages the improvement of building safety and appearance of properties. It brings these goals into effect by enforcing local ordinances, as well as property maintenance and construction codes. This department enforces complaints about unsightly debris, excessive numbers of occupants in a residence and other quality of life ordinances.
People of all ages enjoy the arts center through classes in all types of visual arts. In addition to classrooms, the lovely building houses gallery space, large and small. It's a great place for an art reception, special event, wedding reception, art fair, meeting or music concert. In addition to the main building, there's an adjacent historic house museum, painstakingly furnished with appropriate period pieces.
The recently updated J.G. Beacham Water Treatment Plant pumps surface water from the North and Middle Oconee rivers and Bear Creek Reservoir at the rate of 36 million gallons per day. The Bob M. Snipes Water Resources Center, adjacent to the water treatment plant, houses laboratories where technicians are on site to test water quality and safety 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call the number listed for more information or to schedule a tour.
UGA's University Testing Services is a central office providing a wide range of testing and evaluation services to members of the university community (students, faculty, and staff), including placement tests, professional certification evaluations, various standardized tests, and online testing. UTS, which is housed in Clarke Hall Hall on Lumpkin Street near the Tate Student Center, also does test scoring for classes taught by individual faculty members.
Children's Medical Services is located in the Athens-Clarke County Health Department located off Milledge Avenue. The mission of CMS is to provide care for children with chronic medical conditions who live in low-income households. Some examples of the eligible chronic conditions are asthma, diabetes, hearing disorders and cerebral palsy, among many others.