Newspaper Page Text
“Enjoying Life Off The Beaten Path 99
Butler’s new mural, “Enjoying Life Off The Beaten Path/’ is complete ami adding beauty and interest to the Split Acres Floral building, located at 20 S. Broad Street in Butler. The
mural was made possible through the Flint Energies’ Rural Mural Project grant, in the amount of $10*000, with a local match from the Taylor County Chamber of Commerce, in the
amount of $2,500. This is the first of two murals awarded to Butler. The second mural will be at the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, located at 4 W. Main Street, and will be titled
“Taylor County, Georgia - Connecting You To the Rural Life” The Taylor County Development Authority will provide the match for the second mural. The mural was painted by artist
Christopher Johnson. Johnson lives in Columbus and is an Art Professor at Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA.
She IButler HUeraih
“Your Newspaper Since 1876”
(Publication Number USPS 534-720)
144th YEAR, NO. 21 THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2021 1 SECTION, 8 PAGES 50 CENTS PER COPY
Matthew Woodard Appointed Chief
Of Police By Butler City Council
“Professional Lea dership,
Positive Change”
The Butler City Council ap
pointed Matthew Woodard as
Butler’s new Chief of Police
during a Called Council Meet
ing on May 27, 2021. Chief
Woodard brings 14 years oflaw
enforcement experience to the
role he filled on May 28, 2021.
“Although we had many excel
lent candidates, Chief
Woodard’s experience and his
dedication to the City of Butler
will serve him and our city well
in his new role. I look forward
to working with Chief Woodard
as he works to build critical
bridges between our officers
and the community they serve,”
said Mayor Barry Whitley.
Chief Woodard is a native of
the City of Oglethorpe. He be
gan his career with the
Reynolds Police Department as
a police officer in April of200 7.
lie served as Sergeant of the
Reynolds Pol ice Department
before being promoted to Assis
tant Chief. He served as the
City of Butler's Assistant Police
Chief since March 2018.
Tt is the greatest honor of my
professional career to be ap
pointed as the Chief of Police
of the Butler Police Depart
ment and to be able to guide
and support our officers while
also advocating for our commu
nity as we address community
safety concerns together,” ex
pressed Chief Woodard,
“1 look forward to the chal
lenges and opportunities ahead
and to lead our police officers
in positive changes for the bet
terment of our department and
the citizens in our community.
1 will improve our police ser
vices through community-ori
ented policing and will main
tain our partnerships with
other law enforcement agencies
within the county to ensure
that together we provide the
best services to our entire com
munity,’* said Chief Woodard,
The chief of police position
plays an important role in the
leadership of the City. Chief
Woodard will continue working
with the City and community
leaders to create a new vision
for public safety in Butler.
Woodard lives in Oglethorpe,
GA with his wife, Cassandra,
They have four children.
MOUNTAIN SCENE
FARMS
[BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN
Frank Riley Wins National Smokey
Bear Award For Fire Prevention Efforts
By Shawn Jarrard
Fire prevention advocate
Frank Riley is one of only two
people in the nation to win a
2021 Silver Smokey Bear
Award by the U.S. Forest Ser
vice, and he is “blown away” by
the honor.
Since 1957, the prestigious
Smokey Bear Award Program
lias recognized organizations
and individuals for outstanding
service in wildfire prevention
at the national, multistate, and
statewide levels, or gold, silver
and bronze, respectively, per
the Forest Service.
No one received a national
gold award in 2021, and three
people got bronze awards this
year. The awards are sponsored
by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Forest Service,
the National Association of'
State Foresters, and the Ad
Council.
'These Smokey Bear Award
winners are being honored for
the dedication, innovation and
energy they bring to wildfire
prevent ion,” USDAForest Ser
vice Chief Vicki Christiansen
said. “Throughout the many
years of these awards, it’s
people like these who show up
with the passion and desire to
make a difference.' 1
>See Riley on page 4
Several Issues Considered At May Meeting
Of Reynolds Mayor And City Council
By VALOR I MOORE
Editor
On May 17th, the Reynolds
Mayor and City Council held
the regular monthly meeting.
The new owner of Hometown
Foods, Shaista Mohammad,
has applied for a business li
cense and a beer and wine li
cense and was present at the
meeting. Approval of the li
censes is pending while the
Council determ ines if the City’s
ordinance allows licensure if
the owner resides outside of the
City, If the ordinance allows
the license, there are no objec
tions.
Tim Gaines, owner of Tim’s
Fireside Grill, requested per
mission to begin renovating a
portion of the old police depart
ment for a new dining room for
his restaurant. The Council
must decide the best use of the
space and plans were to discuss
this at a work session.
Representatives from Norfolk
Southern Railroad were also
present. They recommended
closing the Cresthill railroad
crossing, removing the asphalt,
and adding permanent barri
cades. Also, they recommended
installing automatic signals at
the Collins Street crossing, at
no cost to the City. The Coun
cil did not make a decision and
plans to consider access and fu
neral processions before closing
the Cresthill Grossing. Mayor
Butch Turner opposed the clos
ing of the crossing.
Police Chief Lonnie Holder
announced that Officer Clifford
Albritton from Crawford
County has been hired. The
police department also needs a
part-time secretary, to work
from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., Mon
day through Thursday.
Public Works Director Scott
Jones noted that rain is leak
ing in the new police depart
mentat the Armory, behind the
gutters. Council authorized
rep airing the gutters. The gut
ters have been removed, the
rotten wood has been replaced,
and flashing has been installed,
Former City Clerk Pam
Dowdy presented the budget
for final review. She explained
that Abbott Jordan & Koon
fAJK), the City’s auditors, is
downsizing and can no longer
serve the City, AJK recom
mended Mauldin & Jenkins to
serve the City,
Also, the City’s tax sale will lx?
Sept. 7th.
Mrs. Dowdy recently retired,
and Brian Smisson is the new
City Clerk, The City will con
tract with Mrs. Dowdy for six
months, during the transition
and to finish the City’s ordi
nances.
There is a potential buyer for
the Ride Share in Reynolds,
>See Reynolds Council on p. 8
City Of Butler
Trash Pickup Notice
In the City of Butler, trash pickup normally
scheduled for Friday, June 4th, will he picked
up on Saturday, June 5th, due to the Memorial
Day Holiday.
Butler Garden Club Yard Of The Month
The Butler Garden Club Yard of the Month for May was the landscape of Ms. Lula Mae
Riley. Numerous perennial flowers and shrubs dot the landscape. This yard can be viewed
at 15 Martin Luther King Road in Butler. The Butler Garden Club Yard of the Month is a
monthly feature of and is chosen by, the Butler Garden Club,