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0he Sutler Herald > “Your Newspaper Since 1876” (Publication Number USPS 534*720) 144th YEAR, NO. 10 THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021 1 SECTION, 8 PAGES 50 CENTS PER COPY Rex Robinson Honored For 36 Years Of Service With The Taylor County Fire Department At last week’s meeting of the Taylor County Board of Commissioners, Rex Robinson was presented a plague for his 36 years of dedicated service to the Taylor County Fire Depart ment, The award was presented by Taylor County Fire Coordinator Jeremy Williams. Robinson became a volunteer firefighter with the Panhandle Fire Station in 1984. He is pictured with Taylor County Assistant Fire Coordinator Shelby Cloniger (left) and Fire Coordinator Williams (right). Vikings And Lady Vikings Named To All Region 5-A Basketball Teams —Nick Woodard Is Region Player Of The Year The Ail Region 5-A Basketball Teams have been announced, and several Lady Vikings and Vikings from Taylor County High School have been named to the teams. Viking Nick Woodard was named the Region 5-A Player of the Year. Vikings Jabin Ford and Jahnquavious Mallory were named to the All Region 5-A First Team. Viking Braylan Jowers was named to the All Region 5-A Second Team, and Vikings Jikevion Towns and Delon- tavious Davis received Honor able Mention. Lady Vikings Jada Miller and Jaliyah Zackery were named to the All Region First Team. Lady Viking Marlgndra Holder received Honorable Mention. Congratulations, Vikings and Lady Vikings! Eligibility For COVID-19 Vaccine Expanded —State Representative Patty Bentley Urges Eligible Taylor Countians To Register For The Vaccine On Feb. 25, 2021, Governor Brian Kemp held a press conference at the State Capitol to announce that more vaccines will be available in the state. Preschool and K-12 school employees, adults with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers, and parents of chil dren with complex medical conditions became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Geor gia, starting March 8th, Until then, Georgia restricted vaccinations to people 65 and older, as well as emergency workers, health care workers, and employees and staff of long term care facilities, such as nursing homes. They are still eligible. Rep. Patty Bentley encourages all residents of Taylor County to get the vaccine to better protect themselves from this horrible virus, Could-19. Please Contact the local health department at (478) 862-5628, Smith ’s Pharmacy at (478) 862-5655, or Knight 7 s Pharmacy at (478) 847-3666 for information regarding the vaccines. Rep. Bentley supports Governor Kemps recom mendation to provide all employees of Taylor County School System and State Employees a $1,000 bonus from the State CARES ACT Funding, Pictured are Governor Brian Kemp and Rep. Patty Bentley. Fines For Littering May Increase In Taylor County By VALOR I MOORE Editor Last Tuesday night, March 2nd. the Taylor County Board of Commissi oners held its regu lar monthly meeting. The meeting was opened with the Invocation by Rev. Tommy Beeland, pastor of The Church. Last month, the Board ap proved trash pickup on 100 miles of county roads for $130 per mile, by Lovin Disposal Company. The work has been completed, and 4 1/2 tons of trash were removed from county roads. The roads look much better, but trash is already beginning to gather on sides of the county roads. Commission Chairman Randy Nelson said the Board should think about changing the resolution on fines for lit tering in the county. It is hope ful that increasing fines, add ing additional “littering” signs, and increasing enforcement by the sheriff’s office Will help cur tail the problem. Also, the Taylor County Devel opment Authority has applied for a grant for landscaping at the courthouse. The grant in cludes a 20% match by the county and will include the memorial bricks discussed last year. The bricks will be pur chased by those wishing to honor or remember loved ones. In the 1990s, the county was interested in having a lire de partment in Howard. The Brown Family offered to give the property for the fire station to the County, and the Howard Fire Station was opened. How ever, the property deed w as not prepared and given to the County, Recently, Greg Brown asked the County for rent or a lump sum for the deed to the property. In an executive ses sion, following the regular meeting, the Board agreed to pay $15,000 for the property. The property is approximately .24 acres. Assistant County Manager Jarrod McCarthy explained that the state now' requires there to be a housing compo nent in the service delivery plan, when a local government applies for a grant that in cludes private housing, The City of Butler is interested in applying for a grant that in* dudes a private housing com ponent. The required service delivery plan includes the County and the Cities of But ler and Reynolds, and must be agreed upon and signed by all three entities. The County ap proved the update to the ser- Day light Saving Time begins Sunday, March 14th, at 2 a.in.! Remember to move your clocks ahead one hour before retiring Saturday night. r*** The Butler Fire Department reminds that this is a great time to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. vice delivery plan. The City of Reynolds approved the update last week. The County has been in the process of closing Pye Road, as requested by the property owner. The property has now been sold. Before proceeding with closing the road, the new property owner will he con tacted, to find out if the road should still be closed. All South Insurance Agency would like to bid on the County’s property and liability insurance. Currently, the County’s property and liability insurance is with ACCG (Asso ciation County Commissioners of Georgia), ACCG offers the County a dividend, and the County is eligible for its first dividend from 2020. Also, ACCG offers property apprais als, training, human resources, a legal team, crisis manage ment, and a discount. IIow- ever, the Board noted the ad vantages of using a local com pany. The issue was tabled to be discussed in a work session. Fire Coordinator Jeremy Wil liams announced that Shelby Cloniger is the new Taylor County Assistant Fire Coordi nator. Also, the structure of'the Taylor County Fire Depart ment lias been revised, and the department is now operating as one station, rather than several stations throughout the county. All county stations continue to operate. Williams presented a token of appreciation to Rex Robinson for 36 years of service to the fire department, Rex began as a volunteer firefighter with the Panhandle Fire Station in 1984. Board Chair Randy Nelson said, The Board wants to thank you for what you’ve done!” Williams reported that the county fire department re sponded to six calls in Febru ary, including two alarm calls, tw o vehicle accidents, and two structure fires. One structure fire call was canceled enroute, and the other was a fully en gulfed mobile home. The rescue pumper overhaul is now r complete and is await ing a new pump test. The fire department has ap plied for a Georgia Fireworks Grant of up to $25,000, with a 10%' county match. The grant will be used for tools, thermal imaging cameras, generators, scene lighting, Nomex hoods, and a Sparky (the fire safety dog) robot, to be used for edu cational purposes. EMS Director Brandon Everett advised that the EMS received 120 calls in February, including 65 transports. Also, the new ambulance with load assist is now in service, and this is the final month of the EMS Class. Eighteen stu dents are enrolled in the class. The final exam is scheduled for March 27th, and the two Na tional Registry classes are scheduled. Commissioner Cicero Latimore commended Fire Co ordinator Williams and EMS Director Everett. He said, “Things are really shaping up!” Following the regular meet ing, the Board went into execu tive session to discuss legal and personnel matters, followed by a work session to discuss the budget. TAYLOR COU PRIMARY SCHOOL PRE-K REGISTRATION MARCH 22-26, 2021 Required Document* needed »t th« tim* of rwflit ration: • of ffe v<i w# (F octr* fWt,’Ujw *9wrrwntj • Birtti Certificate ' S<K igl Security Card ■ mnmuni2«ton F&mri, GPh ji • Hearing, Oe*i A Niflr.tiOrt, GPH Fom Taylor Co. COVID-19 Update (as of Tuesday, March 9,2021) Cumulative Cases: 488 New Cases (Past 2 Weeks): 11 Cumulative Deaths: 20 Drive-thru testing is available at the Taylor County Health Department on Tuesdays, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Call (478) 862-5628. To register for the COVID-19 vaccine, visit: www.westcenlralheaUhdistrict.com Also, Pine Mountin Regional Library System has partnered with West Central Health District to help any one who needs to register. Call during regular library hours: Butler Public Library. (4781 862-5428 Vlon.-Wed., 2-6 p.m. Thurs., 2-7 pan. * Fri.,2-6 pan. Reynolds Community Library. 1478) 847-3468 Mon., 12-5 pan. • Tues., 1-5 pan. Thurs., 1-6 pan.* Sat., 10 a.m.»l pan. Please be patient and please only register one time. (Georgia residents only) (Source: Department of Public Health, West Central Health District, other sources report different data.)