Newspaper Page Text
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
Merged with The Corner News and The Daniclsvillc Monitor, 2006 4 MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
Vol. 40 No. 34* Publication No. 1074-987* Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. *16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements $1.00
BOC
BOG commits $1M for fire training facility
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews. com
Madison County is moving for
ward on a fire training facility after
action Monday.
The Board of Commissioners
approved the appropriation of $1
million for the fire training facili
ty project, which county chairman
Todd Higdon said is “perfect” for
ARPA funds. The project is ex
pected to total $1.18 million, but
each volunteer fire department has
agreed to commit $15,000 for the
remaining $180,000 portion.
Other action approved for the
project included the allocation of at
least 2.5 acres of county property;
direction of staff to work with the
firefighters’ association on appro
priating items needed to facilitate
construction; and the direction of
staff to work with the association to
construct a water line for the facil
ity
The facility has been included in
the county’s future projects list.
Danielsville fire chief Marc Perry
and Shiloh fire chief Butch McDuf
fie presented the project, expressing
the urgent need for the facility.
Perry said the need to get volun
teer firefighters trained is crucial
with the nature of fire calls always
See Fire, page 2A
INTERNET
Spectrum looks to
expand broadband
Photo submitted
Ally Taylor has been named the winner of the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities’
inaugural mural competition. She is pictured with her mural design and her brother, Rylee,
who received the heart transplant.
Student’s mural featured
on McDonald’s billboards
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews. com
PUBLIC SAFETY
Car
accident
leaves
two fatalities
On Sept. 23, Georgia
State Patrol troopers re
sponded to a crash on Hwy.
8 near Archer Rd. in Madi
son County. The crash hap
pened around 7:34 a.m.
According to the troop
ers’ preliminary report, a
2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia
was traveling south at an
extremely high rate of
speed. The driver lost con
trol, causing the vehicle to
travel off of the west shoul
der of the roadway and
strike numerous trees. The
crash caused the vehicle to
be cut into two major parts.
The vehicle then caught on
fire and burned.
See Fatalities, page 2A
PUBLIC SAFETY
GSP to have
new post at
Gov. Mansion
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
The Georgia State Patrol
is planning to build a new
post on the grounds of the
Governor’s Mansion in the
Buckhead area of Atlan
ta, Gov. Brian Kemp an
nounced Friday.
The 1,750-square-foot
facility and garage bay
will house 12 troopers di
rectly assigned to the post
and accommodate up to 30
troopers while maintaining
the historic integrity of the
See GSP, page 2A
Index
News — 1-3A
Opinions — 4A
Crime — 6A
Socials — 3A, 5A, 8A, 8B
Schools — 7A
Churches — 5A
Obituaries — 4-5B
Sports — 1-2B
Classifieds — 3B
Legals — 6-7B
Contact
Phone: 706-367-5233
Email: hannah@mainstreet
news.com
Web: MadisonJoumalTODAYcom
MAILING LABEL
Madison County High
School student Ally Tay
lor’s artwork is featured
on McDonald’s billboards
across metro Atlanta.
The 16-year-old was re
cently named the winner
of the Atlanta Ronald Mc
Donald House Charities’
(RMHC) inaugural mural
competition and the orga
nization holds a special
place in her and her fami
ly’s lives.
Rylee Dowdy, Taylor’s
11-year-old brother, was
admitted to Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta
(CHOA) in March of 2023
and his family was told
that he had complete heart
failure and his organs were
shutting down. He needed a
heart transplant to survive.
CHOA implemented a de
vice called a left ventricu
lar assist device (LVAD),
which kept his heart pump
ing, and he later received a
heart transplant in April.
While he was in the hos
pital, his family was able to
stay at the RMHC’s Trans
plant Suite. He was also able
to stay with his family at the
suite to recover once he was
released from the hospital.
Besides housing, RMHC
provided food, transporta
tion to and from CHOA and
other necessities.
“The RMHC is a great
place with an amazing
staff,” mother Erica Dowdy
said. “I’m a single mother
with four children on dis
ability. I’m on a fixed in
come, so there was no way I
would have been able to af
ford staying in motels while
my son was in the hospital.
I honestly don’t know what
I would have done without
them. They help you with
any and everything. We are
extremely blessed to have
been able to stay there.
The RMHC’s mural com
petition, open to those who
stayed in the organization’s
housing, was supposed to be
about the experience there,
so Taylor let Rylee and
their family’s story shine
through.
Her mural depicts Ronald
McDonald’s hand holding
out a heart with wings. Ac
cording to Taylor, the hand
represents the house heal
ing the heart; the heart with
wings signifies her broth
er’s need and revival of a
heart; and the open hand is
the house letting the heart
go after it heals.
“I couldn’t believe it,”
she said about being named
the winner. “I’m very hon
ored to have been selected.
I was very nervous and out
of my depth going into this.
I didn’t think I would win,
but it’s an amazing feeling
seeing my art. It’s been a
very hard journey and I’m
very proud of my brother.”
She has received a
$5,000 prize for winning
the competition.
The mural is featured
on six billboards across
the metro area with spots
along major highways in
Clarkston, Marietta, Nor-
cross, Forest Park, Atlanta
and Smyrna. The mural is
on display in 295 McDon
ald’s restaurant locations
as well, including the Mc
Donald’s off of Hwy. 29 in
Athens.
Spectrum recently an
nounced it is bringing
gigabit high-speed inter
net access to nearly 11,000
unserved homes and small
businesses across Banks,
Madison and Oglethorpe
counties through the $33.8
million Georgia Capital
Projects Fund Grant Pro
gram. Spectrum has com
mitted to invest nearly $42
million on the expansion
project, bringing total in
vestment to more than $75
million.
Spectrum’s construction
teams are in the process
of walking out the area to
make sure all unserved
locations are included in
its broadband network de
sign. Residents may see
Spectrum crews in their
community examining the
terrain and vegetation in
order to determine the best
possible route for the new
network. Once completed,
the project team will ob
tain appropriate permits to
By Alison Smith
Colbert City Council
held a public hearing for
the 2024 budget on Mon
day evening. The proposed
budget includes six percent
raises for the four city em
ployees and allots $57,000
for design work in the city
park renovation.
Those plans are near
completion and the park
committee will soon begin
a push for fundraising and
search for grants to finish
the nearly $800,000 proj
ect. The renovations will
attach to utility poles and
construct the network.
Once construction is com
plete, technicians will en
sure connectivity is enabled
and the right equipment is
installed to bring service to
residents in their homes and
small businesses.
“It’s a big day for fami
lies and businesses in Dis
trict 47,” said state Sen.
Frank Ginn. “Spectrum’s
high-speed broadband ex
pansion to unserved and un
derserved parts of Madison
County is a timely one that
will spur additional eco
nomic development in these
communities.”
“Gov. Kemp, his admin
istration and the Georgia
Legislature have shown
tremendous leadership in
embracing public-private
partnerships as a vital strat
egy for connecting unserved
communities,” said Marva
Johnson, group vice president
of government affairs at Char
ter Communications, which
See Broadband, page 2A
be completed in phases as
funds allow. The city estab
lished a non-profit earlier
this year to allow for flexi
bility and alternate options
for grant funding. Local cit
izens and the city may con
tribute toward the project.
The first new amenity of
the park initiative will most
likely be the construction of
a dog park. The committee
may have sign designs to
present for approval as early
as next week’s regular meet
ing.
COLBERT
Colbert looks at
proposed budget
ILA
HULL
Mayor Mike Coile presents
updates at NEGRC meeting
City of Hull now
ready for business
4879 14144* o
By Hannah Barron
hamiah@mainstreetnews. com
Ila mayor Mike Coile
presented updates for the
city at the Northeast Geor
gia Regional Commission
Council’s monthly meeting
held last week.
Coile said Ila is currently
working on getting a grant
to fund a new city hall.
“We just can’t wait to get
it started and see where this
goes,” he said about the city
hall project. “I think it’d
be wonderful once we get
boots on the ground and
start building.”
He also announced that
Ila’s fifth annual Christmas
tree lighting is scheduled
for Nov. 26 from 3 p.m. to
7 p.m. He invited everyone
to the activities planned.
In other updates, the NE
GRC Council approved a
request for the commission
to assist Ila with develop
ing its complete streets and
trails plan.
By Alison Smith
After several months, the
City of Hull has its finan
cial records in order and is
ready to progress forward
with new business.
City clerk Sandy Pou
told the council at its re
scheduled regular meeting
Tuesday that she has fin
ished posting all financial
records from September
2022 and is current with
her financial reports. These
reports had been largely in
complete without a regular
clerk for the last quarter of
the year and with the law
suit to remove former may
or Paul Walton.
See Hull, page 2A
o
