Chapter 18 - ARDEN-HALCYON WITHOUT GEORGIA
The water deal died.
Then returned two years later in another form.
That surprised people.
If Georgia wanted it, surely it must have been bad.
No.
Her conflict was bad.
The underlying infrastructure proposal had merits.
Regional towns needed water.
Halcyon Ridge’s aquifer could support limited extraction under conservative models.
Environmental groups raised concerns.
Tribal representatives raised older water claims.
Municipal governments needed supply.
The independent trust commissioned studies.
Public hearings.
No deadline tied to my birthday.
A revised agreement allowed:
lower extraction volumes;
automatic drought reductions;
public reporting;
habitat restoration funding;
no outright sale of core land;
twenty-five-year lease subject to renewal review.
Value lower than Georgia’s projected deal.
Risk lower too.
I voted in favor as one trustee after independent transition.
Samuel Price remained co-trustee for five years.
No unilateral Minton control.
That annoyed some relatives.
Good.
The consulting fee vanished.
No personal family side payments.
Trust beneficiaries benefited.
May you like
So did municipalities.
Compromise without secret rooms.
