County will decide poker rules

Web posted October 25, 2000

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By Jason B. Smith
Columbia County Bureau

An ordinance limiting where businesses with video poker machines could be located is expected to go before Columbia County's commissioners before the end of the year.

Officials expect the rules to closely follow the county's alcohol ordinance, which requires certain distances between businesses that sell alcohol and schools or churches.

``I'd like to see our local ordinance be as stringent as the state allows us to be,'' said Commissioner Barry Fleming during Tuesday's Development and Environmental Services Committee meeting. ``I think we should go as far as we can. If we could get away with voting the machines out of the county, I would.''

In August, commissioners approved a moratorium on coin-operated amusement games in the county while they figured out how to deal with them. That moratorium will end Jan. 1, and officials want the new ordinance to be in place by then.

Also at Tuesday afternoon's meeting, local officials - along with the company hired to monitor noise levels at the Silver Eagle Raceway near Grovetown - said they are scrambling to check the season's final race, scheduled for this weekend.

They will take the results and decide whether track owners need to include additional noise-suppression measures next season. When commissioners rezoned the racetrack last year, they included a series of noise-level requirements.

The racetrack's noise level has spiked above the permitted level only a few times, but that's enough for the county to require changes.

County leaders, at the urging of a Georgia Tech scientist, are considering a different method of testing: Instead of looking at the spikes, they will use six hours of tests and an average of the results.

``That's a fairer way to measure the sound environment out there,'' County Attorney Doug Batchelor said.

Reach Jason B. Smith at (706) 868-1222, Ext. 115.

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