As Thanksgiving rolls around, Athens-Clarke County residents can expect shifts in schedules for various local government services. In terms of animal care, the Animal Shelter will be taking its own holiday on Thursday and Friday, reverting to its regular operations on Saturday, according to the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government announcement.
For residents who may encounter urgent situations with furry friends during the break, emergency services, including responses to animal bites, severely sick or injured animals, or those trapped inside living quarters, are accessible by calling 911. However, the response to non-emergency service calls will be on pause during the holiday and will resume on Monday. In a heartwarming aside, the Couch Crashers fostering program opens its doors, figuratively speaking, to give shelter pets a reprieve from kennel life for the Thanksgiving period.
Moving on to leisure services, all such facilities will follow suit, closing on Thursday and Friday. For those looking to soak in some nature, the parks will stay closed on Thanksgiving Day but will swing open, albeit with no building access, on Friday from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM.
Now, for the reality of waste management during the feast: Residential and commercial (excluding the downtown zone) compost, garbage, and recycling pickup will be taking a brief hiatus on Thursday and Friday. Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department has rescheduled these collections in a tidy shuffle, moving Monday and Tuesday pick-ups to Monday, Wednesday's to Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday's collections to Wednesday, the county stated. Leaf & Limb services are also taking a break, set to resume Dec. 1 in area A. As expected, during the Thanksgiving break, the landfill closes down, as do the CHaRM and all affected offices.
Last but not least, those reliant on transit will need to adjust their schedules. Transit services are non-operational on Thanksgiving Day, with a skeleton service running the following day. Weekend-level transit services will resume on Friday, and the information services desk will also be in operation. Normal service is slated to return on the subsequent Monday.
