The University’s Special Collections Library construction project has yielded piles and piles of dirt — and the mounds have found their way to some Athens residents’ backyards.

Instead of going to a landfill, the excess dirt from the project is piled up in Sunset residential neighborhood on Price Avenue.

Piles of dirt in a residential neighborhood on Price Avenue waits to be put to use by developer Ashley Hill. Photos by: Katherine Poss

Coincidentally, a soil scientist specializing in erosion and sedimentation control and the managing attorney for the University Land Use Clinic both live in the neighborhood.

Jamie Roskie, the Land Use attorney, said she and her neighbors do not believe the dirt is being properly disposed of.

“As far as we could tell, they offloaded over 100 dump truck loads full of dirt onto the site,” Roskie said. “It’s essentially a landfill in a residential neighborhood, which we think violates the zoning code.”

According to Athens-Clarke County Commissioner David Lynn, county staff have reported the dirt dumping is not a violation of any code.

Ashley Hill, the developer of a new proposed residential complex on Price Avenue, has negotiated a deal with the Special Collections Library contractor to have the subcontractor deliver excess dirt to the site so he can level off the lots for the new residential development, Lynn said. However, county staff have said the area appears to be undisturbed acreage, and it does not require a Land Disturbance permit, making the dumping legal.

Construction site of the new UGA special collection library at the corner of Hull Street and Florida Ave. Photo by KATHERINE POSS

“According to staff, it is not a violation,” Lynn said. “But Jamie Baker Roskie and some other folks that live in that area are concerned about that and would like to meet with staff to make sure that everything is being done correctly.”

Roskie said she has talked to some of her neighbors, and they are very unhappy about the situation and want the problem solved. Roskie said the dirt is being tracked off into the street where it can enter the storm water system, which could cause water pollution in local streams. The residents are also concerned because the dirt is not stabilized and might pose a dust hazard in the area.

“We think that our neighborhood is essentially being used as a dumping or a storage spot, and we would like that dirt to go somewhere more appropriate,” Roskie said. “We certainly don’t think the soil is being properly contained on the site. From our perspective, there’s really no control on the site, so we don’t think it’s legal or safe.”

Though the dirt is coming from the University property, it does not mean the school has any say in where the dirt is being dumped.

The University contracts with a general contractor, then the contractor hires a subcontractor and, finally, the subcontractor sells the dirt to a developer. Danny Sniff, campus architect, said from a legal standpoint, there is not much the University can do.

“I wish there was something I could do, but legally I’m three parties removed from it,” Sniff said. “It doesn’t mean that [Roskie] and the neighbors don’t have an issue. The biggest line they have is the city of Athens, which will determine if the contractor did anything wrong.”

Lynn said the county is making sure the stockpile is being properly stabilized, but he said he’ll try to help ease the residents’ concerns by holding a meeting in the future.

“I think it’s going to resolve itself because Mr. Hill is using this dirt for another project,” Lynn said. “But we’ll go out there to check it out and meet with Ms. Roskie and some representatives from the Upper Oconee Watershed Network to see what we can do.”

Roskie said one of her friends mentioned many people believe Sunset is a rental-focused neighborhood, possibly causing some residents not to take as much stake in the issues of the area. The friend said similar incidents have occurred in the past as a result.

“I think it’s just bureaucratic inertia,” Roskie said. “I’m speculating, but that’s what I can figure out. I guess some people still have the impression that they can do things like this and that the neighbors won’t be upset, but they are wrong in this case.”