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TODAY o December 31, 2000
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Q & A
WHERE YOU LIVE: YOUR VOICE, YOUR QUESTIONS, YOUR COMMUNITY NEWS
Saeed Ahmed - Staff
Sunday, December 31, 2000
Do you have a question about the news? The Journal-Constitution will try to get an answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include your name and city).
Q: What is the law on doors that open automatically for physically challenged individuals at stores and at malls? Some malls have them and some don't. Where can I find the state code or law in writing?
--- Kelly Thomas, Atlanta
A: The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 is the federal counterpart to Georgia's accessibility code. Title III of the ADA requires restaurants, hotels and grocery and retail stores, among others, to provide equal access for people with disabilities.
The law doesn't mandate the installation or operation of automatic doors, so establishments are not required to provide them. But automatic doors improve access for everyone, said Mike Galifianakis of the Georgia ADA office. The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division enforces all ADA mandates, while the Georgia fire marshal enforces the state accessibility code, Galifianakis added.
To request copies of the Georgia code, contact the Southeast ADA Resource Center at 1-800-949-4232 or the U.S. Department of Justice's Americans With Disabilities Act information line: 1-800-514-0301.
Q: With all the commotion involving the presidential elections, I missed the outcome of the Georgia constitutional amendments we voted on. Can you tell me what passed?
--- Darryl Astel, Marietta
A: There were seven amendments and four referendum questions on the ballot this year, most of which dealt with tax breaks for special groups or extending disability benefits for public workers. Voters supported all the initiatives, including a provision to replace any member of the General Assembly convicted of a felony, but denied bids to give tax breaks to Elks lodges and reconfigure taxes for boat dealers.
You can find the summary of the amendments and questions at www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/const%5Famend%5F2000.htm.
For the vote totals, go to www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/results/2000_1107/judicial.htm#qa.
Q: How did the city of Ninety Six, S.C., get its name?
--- June Lewallen, Austell
A: When the first English traders came to South Carolina in the early 1700s to trade with the Indians, they would trek along the Cherokee path that ran diagonally from Charleston to the upper South Carolina foothills where the main Cherokee villages were situated. The four-week journey was punctuated by numerous stops, and the area now known as Ninety Six was one of the resting stations for the traders.
The unusual name was coined by the early traders who mistakenly believed it was the estimated number of miles from that site to the village of Keowee, among the first of the Cherokee villages in the foothills, said Eric Williams, a historian for the Ninety Six National Historic Site.
Q: With mountain biking becoming more popular, where are the best trails to ride in the Atlanta area?
--- Trish Albert, Roswell
A: The most popular trails in the Atlanta area are Blankets Creek in Woodstock and Yellow River in Gwinnett County, according to Dan Thornton, president of the nonprofit North Georgia Bicycle Dealers Association. Both trails offer a variety of skill levels and are maintained by volunteer members of the organization, Thornton said. The trails are not in hunting areas and are open year-round, with exceptions for rain closures. For more information on mountain biking in metro Atlanta: www.sorba.org
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