Car washes are a traditional method of springtime fundraising for Georgia youths drumming up money for their baseball or softball teams.
But Georgia’s Level 4 water use restrictions imposed due to the drought’s impact on water supplies have dried up the car wash prospects.
Fort Oglethorpe Mayor Ronnie Cobb said he heard of two cases last weekend where city police officers halted car washes set up beside city streets as fundraisers.
“We have attempted to be removed from the state’s water restrictions because we receive our water in Fort Oglethorpe from Tennessee-American Water Co. in Tennessee,” Mr. Cobb said. “We haven’t received a favorable response.”
Advance Auto Parts every year lends its parking lot. Teams and youth groups trade their teamwork to buff and shine a car for a few dollars in the club coffers.
But last weekend the amateur car wash was shut down for violating the state water use ban.
“We had called and been assured by utility and county officials a fundraiser car wash was permitted,” Kim Bishop, a member of the youth council at Memorial Baptist Tabernacle on Hogan Road said.
She said the car wash is annually the largest money maker for the church youth group.
Fort Oglethorpe building official Mark Lindsay said that during the last meeting he attended on water use restrictions, he asked if ball teams could have car washes to raise funds.
“The officials said, ‘Absolutely not,’” Mr. Lindsay said.
Fort Oglethorpe police told the offending groups their car washes weren’t allowed. They shut down and no incident reports were filed, city officials said.
While Fort Oglethorpe has appealed for months for relief from the water rules because it gets Tennessee River water, four Northeast Georgia counties last week put in their own request for relief.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lindsay went to the Fort Oglethorpe City Council last week and emphasized the ban is still in effect and does not permit car wash fundraisers.
“I will try to contact coaches and league officers so they are aware the traditional fundraiser car wash isn’t permitted in Georgia right now,” he said.
