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The ADVANCE, Morch 24, 2021 /Page 3A
Toombs County Roads Get
Striping with TSPLOST Funds
By Rebekah Arnold
Contributing Writer
Citizens driving
Toombs County roads will
find safer road markings
soon. Over 73 miles on 19
roadways are scheduled
for striping by Mid-State
Striping Company At the
March 16 meeting of the
Toombs County Com
mission, County Manager
John Jones requested ap
proval for this final specific
project under the 10-year
TSPLOST program. The
$216,628 project was ap
proved by the Commis
sioners and will include im
provement to roads such as
11.5 miles of Vidalia-Cedar
Crossing Road, and 6 miles
each on Marvin Church
Road, Harden Chapel Road
and Old River Road.
Collection of
TSPLOST taxes began in
January 2012 and officially
ends December 31 of this
year. Besides the striping
project, there are still some
discretionary funds that the
County can use for other
transportation purposes.
EMS Director Drew
James reported to the Com
mission that the grant re
ceived in November from
the Georgia EMS Asso
ciation is being used for a
48-hour course in basic life
support and first aid for
firefighters and law enforce
ment officers. This course
will begin March 27 and is
available at no cost to the
students. Its purpose is to in
crease skills for assisting the
EMS in trauma situations.
James expressed appre
ciation to Toombs County
Fire Rescue Chief Johnny
Moser for the use of Sta
tion 8 for the class location,
and for equipment, and to
Jim Jones and Southeastern
Technical College, also for
equipment. Twenty-seven
first responders are enrolled
and the instruction will be
led by Jonathan Holland.
New District Attorney
Tripp Fitzner attended the
Commission meeting to
thank the Board for what
they do for the DA offices
and to give an update of op
erations. Since beginning
in the position in January,
Fitzner has staffed the of
fice in Lyons with three at
torneys, an investigator, a
victim advocate, a secretary
and a receptionist. The case
load in Toombs warranted
additional attorneys and
staff.
For the first time in the
DA’s office there will be ex
perienced gang prosecutors.
One prosecutor will be in
each of three physical of
fices - in Lyons, Swainsboro
and Tennille.
“Gangs don’t honor
county lines, they move
around,” Fitzner explained,
“and it puts those three in
a position to communicate
regularly, and they do, and
to give more intelligence
about what’s going on and
to send violent gang mem
bers to prison, which is
what we want to do.”
Fitzner has also initi
ated a court-supervised
and faith-based early inter
vention program for young
people at risk of being se
duced by drugs, gangs and
violence. This initiative was
reported in the February 17
edition of The Advance.
Later this year, the DA’s
office will offer free classes
on topics that the public
has requested, such as self-
defense, the second amend
ment, concealed carry of
weapons, and kids’ online
safety. More topics can be
added as feedback is given
by the public. Apprecia
tive of the update from the
DA, Chairman David Sikes
commented, “Tripp has hit
the ground running and is
doing a fantastic job. We are
thankful to have you.”
In other County busi
ness, Jones reported that
sales tax continues to be
up for the year, compared
to last year. Also, there will
be a lot of moving parts of
construction of county gov
ernment buildings in the
next 24 months. The area of
the new Ross P. Bowen ag
ricultural complex is being
cleared on Bulldog Road,
the jail and detention cen
ter will be getting a signifi
cant expansion and reno
vation, and renovation for
the EMS/EMA building on
Maple Drive is shaping up.
The new Division
of Family and Children’s
Services (DFCS) build
ing Lyons is getting ready
for move-in on March 25.
Jones and Sikes toured this
new facility and Sikes said
it is “really a nice building
and obviously a lot larger
than the existing building.
I think it's a building that is
going to get a lot of good use
for the state here in the fu
ture. We’re fortunate to have
it in our midst in the city
of Lyons. I can’t thank our
elected officials enough for
being able to make that hap
pen - it’s through their hard
work and fruition of their la
bors that we’re able to have
the new building.”
Board appointments
approved were Sandra
Williams to the Toombs
County Board of Fam
ily and Children’s Services
for a five-year term, and
Mary Moon to the Toombs
County Library Board for a
three-year term.
Where PEOPLE
come FIRST,
not only in our name.
Peoples Bank Lending Staff
Front (L to R): Becky Rollins and Suzi Braddy.
Back (L to R): Chris Braddy, Les Ramsey, Wendell Dixon, Melissa Hightower and Mitch Johnson.
Memt
§ Peoples
Bank
www.ourpeoplesbank.com
&
EQUAL HOUSING
LENDER
2301 LyonsHighw, Vidalia, GA 30474 • 912-537-9900
299 West Liberty Ave., Lyons, GA 30436 • 912-524-2000
Photo by Daniel Ford
FULL TUITION — As members of his family look on, Vidalia High School senior Reagan
Miller signs documents finalizing his full scholarship to study music education at Berry
College in Rome. The signing ceremony took place following an announcement in
the school's theater on March 17. Shown above, top row, from left to right, are: Steven
Arnold, Associate Band Director at VHS; Lydia Durrence and Terry Durrence, Reagan
Miller's grandparents; and Band Director Dr. Beth Taylor, In the bottom row, left to right,
are: Kim Griffin, Miller's mother; Reagan Miller; and Jason Miller, Miller's father.
Vidalia High School Senior
Receives Full Scholarship to
Study Music at Berry College
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
A Vidalia High School
senior—who is also an ex
ceptional musician—has
earned an opportunity to
fulfill his dreams.
The announcement
that Reagan Miller has been
selected for a full scholar
ship to Berry College in
Rome was made at the high
school’s theater Wednesday,
March 17. The Gate Schol
arship amounts to $200,000
over the next four years.
A cheer went up from
those gathered in the the
ater as Band Director Dr.
Beth Taylor shared the
good news. Surrounded by
his family and fellow Show
Choir and Band members,
Miller expressed gratitude
and his goal of using the
scholarship to give back to
his hometown.
“I have been inspired
by the effort my family
and instructors invested in
building me into the person
I have become. Without
them, I would not be here,”
Miller said in an interview
PRAISE
REPORT
BY GARY TOOLE
I wanted to
be in style
and so I
bought me a
pair of these
awes o me
(yes I finally
used that
word) mud
bogging
shoes with
the heavy
track soles and heels that is
suppose to keep you from having
an accident. Wrong! Those
things will get you killed! The
first time I wore them I thought I
had just put a couple of stumps
on my feet. Anyway I was doing
some work on a ladder and these
awesome shoes and I highlight
the word awesome got caught in
one of the ladder steps and it
throwed me and down I came
with an awesome thud. I fell on
some hard brick steps. I mean I
was in pain. Now, I know right
now some of you awesome shoe
lovers are saying, “Oh, you could
have had the same accident if you
was barefooted!” Wrong! I spent
a big part of my life barefooted.
Out in the country back in the
50 s (the 1950 s; not the 1850 s)
we went barefooted just about all
the time. As children we even
went to church barefooted part of
the time. So, now you know!
Yes, I was a country hick and
proud of it. I wouldn’t take
nothing for the way I was raised.
Now, the rest of the story! I just
wanted to give the Lord praise,
because of his protecting power.
My brother in law took a fall and
one of his ribs punctured his
spline and he got in fowl shape
quick. Well, this fall I took was
on my rib cage next to my heart.
A rib can puncture your heart
and then it s so long. So, I just
want to thank an awesome God
for His awesome power and
awesome goodness toward me.
Giving Him praise for once again
taking care of me as He has
thousands of times before. I
thank Him and praise His holy
righteous name. Psalms 34:1.
Can you say amen?
following the announce
ment After he studies
music education at Berry,
Miller wants to return to his
hometown to give back to
those who have supported
him.
Dr. Taylor emphasized
that the Gate Scholarship
is all inclusive. It pays for
tuition, room and board,
and a book allowance. But
at Berry, value is placed on
student responsibility and
Miller will also be partici
pating in a work study pro
gram in the College’s Music
Department. “He was very
diligent in jumping through
hoops,” Taylor said of the
effort Miller put into win
ning the scholarship. He not
only auditioned musically,
he went through a series of
very intense, very competi
tive virtual interviews and
he had to impress a lot of
people, Taylor said.
Miller and Taylor were
in the band room together
on March 4 when the call
came from Berry about the
scholarship. “I was ecstatic.
Dr. Taylor cried,” Miller
said.
“I’m very proud of
him,” Dr. Taylor enthused.
“He’s worked hard and I’m
excited that he wants to
come back and teach music
and band to the next gen
eration—to pass the torch.”
School Principal John
Sharpe expressed his pride
in Miller’s accomplish
ments. “Reagan’s goal is to
be a school band director.
At Berry, he will get to work
with one of the best trum
pet players in the United
States—Dr. Adam Hayes.
He has worked hard and
we are excited to see more
future band members get
these kinds of scholarships.
Kids need to know their tal
ents are valued.”
Sharpe underlined the
school’s emphasis on the
arts and music. When the
new high school was built,
he insisted on including a
theater for the arts.
Miller is a multitalent
ed musician who became
interested in playing the
trumpet after watching his
older brother play that same
instrument in the school
band. Miller’s mother was
also musical. Miller not
only plays the trumpet in
the marching and concert
bands, he is a member of
the Show Choir where he
sings bass. In April, he will
represent the school in Re
gional Literary competition
as a solo vocalist and mem
ber of a vocal quartet.
With a 4.0 GPA
Miller is Beta Club Presi
dent, a member of the
National Honor Society,
recipient of the University
of Georgia Certificate of
Merit and is the projected
valedictorian of his 2021
graduating class. He is a
Captain and Trumpet Sec
tion Leader in the Sound-
Tribe marching band, and
an actor and crew member
in the school’s One-Act
Play group. He is also Bass
Section Leader and Music
Captain in the Indian Ex
press Show Choir. He is
active at Vidalia Church of
God where he participates
in the Youth Ministry and
is a cashier at Food Lion in
Vidalia.
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