🏛️ How Athens is fighting back against Data Centers

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TOGETHER WITH

The Athens Scoop Dinner Club’s registration closes Sunday April 12th! We’ve got a couple spots left!

How it works:

• Take a short personality quiz

• Get matched with 5 strangers who match your vibe

• We pick the restaurant, handle the details, and you leave with 5 new friends!

You just show up.

The date: April 14th at 7:00 PM
Registration closes: April 12th at 7:00 PM

If you’ve been craving conversations with substance (the kind that remind you why community matters) this is for you. Spots are limited.

“I would definitely go again and will highly recommend to my friends!” - Sydney Burd

“I’m looking forward to the next outing!! So fun!!” - Joy Hoyt

Any questions? Just reply. See you there.

🍺 A Central European Lagerhaus on Barber Street

From the team behind Nové Mesto on Prince Avenue's beloved Hi-Lo Lounge, Nové Mesto opened April 1 at 625 Barber St., Suite 130, bringing a bar-forward Central European concept to Athens that didn't exist here before. The menu leans Czech with pierogies, bratwurst with apple onion sauerkraut, schnitzel sandwiches and hunter's stew, while the drink list runs three times deeper than the food menu, covering craft brews, wines, cocktails and a strong non-alcoholic lineup. The covered patio and spacious indoor dining make it a solid spot for a weeknight hang or a long Saturday afternoon. Open Wed-Fri 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight.

Read more here.

The Clear Choice for Your Showers, Glass, and Mirrors

We’re Shawn’s Showers & Glass, a family-owned team transforming bathrooms and living spaces across Athens and northeast Georgia, one custom glass project at a time.

From budget-conscious framed doors to fully custom frameless enclosures, every shower is measured with care and installed for a watertight, flawless finish, with options to add wall-to-wall vanity mirrors, home gym mirrors, and sleek glass shelving.

This season’s the perfect time to upgrade the space you use every day, and our in-house crew brings the precision, cleanliness, and pride in workmanship that have earned us 5-star reviews across Georgia.

Reach out for a free quote at shawnsshowersandglass.com or call 404-519-9550, and let’s turn that builder-grade bathroom into a clear, bright space you will enjoy for years.

What others are saying: “I had a perfect experience with Shawn's Showers and Glass. I had them install glass for 2 showers. They were very communicative, had reasonable prices, and we're on time. I would happily recommend their services for anyone needing custom glass work done.” - Francis Conley

Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this newsletter possible 🙏

Realtors: want your listing here? Click here.

🏛️ Data Center Ordinance Sent Back to Planning Commission

The Gist: Athens-Clarke County commissioners voted Tuesday night to send the developing data center ordinance back to the planning commission for further review. Residents packed City Hall, pushing back on data center expansion and its water and land demands.

Why It Matters: Athens remains one of the few Georgia cities actively pumping the brakes on data center growth, and residents are making their voices loud at every step.

Read more here.

🏠 Planning Commission Approves Affordable Senior Housing on Oglethorpe Ave.

The Gist: The ACC Planning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend lifting a binding site plan on a four-acre lot across from Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary to allow a subsidized senior housing development. The project would be restricted to ages 55 and up and must remain affordable for 30 years.

Why It Matters: It's one of two senior housing proposals moving forward, signaling a real push to address affordability for older Athenians.

What's Next: The proposal goes to the county commission for final approval.

Read more here.

🚌 Free Bus Rides Could Be on the Line Without TSPLOST

The Gist: Athens' zero-fare public transit system, one of the few in the country, may be reevaluated after a 2025 internal audit raised concerns about the transit department's financial future. The proposed 2026 TSPLOST, on the May 19 ballot, includes $45 million for transit operations that could keep rides free.

Why It Matters: If TSPLOST fails, bus fares could return to pre-2020 rates, directly affecting thousands of daily riders who depend on free transit for work, school and errands.

Read more here.

A Message from Sharpe Systems:

Athens Businesses: Get a Website, Reviews, and Missed Call Text Back for $297/mo

If you're running a local business in Athens and you're still missing calls, have less than 20 Google reviews, or your website hasn't been updated since it was built, this is worth a look.

Sharpe Systems builds marketing systems for local businesses at $297/mo. That’s it.

Here's what you get:

• A professional website that's optimized for Google and actually converts visitors into calls and texts

• A 5-star review funnel that automatically asks your customers for Google reviews and follows up until they do it

• Missed call text back so every unanswered call gets an instant text reply from your business

• One-click marketing campaigns to bring back past customers with discounts and referral requests

• On-site SEO so you show up when people Google what you do in Athens

Most agencies charge $2,000-5,000/mo and lock you into a contract. This is $297, month to month, and everything gets built for you in under 10 days.

Book a free 15-minute demo and see the whole system live.

🎸 Normaltown Music Festival | Athentic Brewing Co. | Athens | 04/10–04/11 | More All-day indie, punk and alt-rock across two stages benefiting Nuçi's Space and Boys & Girls Clubs.

🎵 MARIS with Sleepers Club | Georgia Theatre | Athens | 04/09 | More Glam-pop meets heartland rock from a rising Montana-born, California-based star.

🎷 Jordi Savall: Songs, Battles & Dances | TBD Venue (UGA Performing Arts) | Athens | 04/10 | More Catalonian early music master with a 21-piece ensemble spanning centuries of world music.

🍻 HauntFest: April Ghouls | Terrapin Beer Co. | Athens | 04/11–04/12 | More An off-season Halloween bash with live music, art vendors and macabre entertainment.

🎶 Nuala Kennedy & Eamon O'Leary | Dead Beat Club | Athens | 04/11 | More Irish and Celtic folk from two of the genre's most respected touring musicians.

🎭 Sense & Sensibility | Fine Arts Theatre (UGA) | Athens | 04/11–04/12 | More UGA Theatre's staged adaptation of the Jane Austen classic.

🧘 Mindfulness Day at Georgia Museum of Art | Georgia Museum of Art | Athens | 04/12 | More Meditation, tai chi, mindful art-making and restorative yoga, all free and open to everyone.

🗳️ Athens Mayoral Debate | UGA Chapel | Athens | 04/09 | More All five candidates take the stage in a free, open-to-the-public forum at 6 p.m.

🎨 51st Juried Exhibition Artist Talk | Lyndon House Arts Center | Athens | 04/10 | More Four featured artists from 91 selected share their process and perspective.

🎶 Live After Five | Indigo Athens | Athens | 04/10 | More Rootsy guitar picking and vocal harmonies on the patio to kick off the weekend.

If you want to read any of our previous issues, check them out HERE on our website.

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