The Porterdale City Council declared in a resolution Monday that the Yellow River is its most precious natural asset, and the council gave its wholehearted support for the efforts of the recently formed preservation, conservation and recreation group.

The Yellow River Preservation and Conservation group presented its mission to the council to turn the Yellow River into a Blue Trail, the water equivalent of a multi-purpose trail used for fishing, boating and general recreation.

Another aspect of a Blue Trail is that the area along that portion of the river must be kept clean and the natural habitat be protected. For a full description visit covnews.com and download the PDF attached to this story.

City Clerk Judy Johnson said that one of residents in attendance asked if the formation of the Blue Trail would affect the habitat of turtles that are frequently seen on the shoals near the dam. Johnson said group Chairman Lamar Brown replied that the group’s goal of conservation meant it would work to protect those habitats.

Kimberly Brown, the group’s official Riverkeeper and driving force behind the effort, said in a Tuesday email that the group’s next step is to continue to clean up the river and decide on locations for entrance and exit ramps to increase river accessibility. Any locations and ramps will have to be approved by the city of Porterdale, Newton County Planning and Zoning and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Kimberly Brown said.

“All installations will be low impact and environmentally friendly to protect the river and wildlife habitat,” Kimberly Brown said.

The group is hoping to place the ramps on Porterdale city property if possible.

The group’s next meeting is going to be held Sept. 28th at Treasures on Main Street in Porterdale.

In other Porterdale news, the council approved expanding the hours of on-site consumption of alcohol on Sundays in Porterdale. Alcohol can now be sold in restaurants beginning at 12:30 p.m., up from 1 p.m. The council believes the change could help improve lunch sales.

The council also approved a special events alcohol ordinance that will allow alcohol to be served at special events, such as town festivals. The ordinance requires that the vendor be licensed by the city of Porterdale to sell alcohol, Johnson said.

Finally, mayoral candidate Arline Chapman was able to get a flag from the state that had previously flown over the state capitol. The flag was given to the city of Porterdale in memory of 9/11 and it was presented to the Porterdale Explorers.

The council's next work session is scheduled for Sept. 22.