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The ADVANCE, July 21, 2021 /Page 10A
Georgia
environmental
agency gives OK to
Spaceport Camden
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
The state of Georgia
has given the green light to
plans to build a commer
cial spaceport in south
eastern Georgia.
In a letter dated Thurs
day, the Georgia Depart
ment of Natural Resources
(DNR) agreed with offi
cials from Camden Coun
ty that no insurmountable
environmental concerns
stand in the way of the
Federal Aviation Admin
istration (FAA) issuing an
operator license for Space
port Camden.
The go-ahead from the
DNR marks a major step
toward making the project
a reality.
"With DNR’s concur
rence and the release of
the Final Environmental
Impact Statement by the
FAA, regulators at all lev
els of government have
given Spaceport Camden
a thorough review and
found it consistent with
state and federal environ
mental regulations,” Cam
den County Commission
Chairman Gary Blount
said Friday.
“For over 50 years,
nature and space activi
ties have coexisted at other
spaceports. We aim for
that same type harmoni
ous relationship at Space
port Camden! We look
forward to a final decision
from the FAA on our ap
plication later this month.”
Supporters are count
ing on Spaceport Camden
to create up to 2,000 jobs
and help convince the next
generation of aerospace
engineers, many of whom
graduate from Georgia
Tech, to stay in Georgia.
The project has the back
ing of Gov. Brian Kemp
and the state’s congressio
nal delegation.
The DNR letter cited
a series of steps Camden
County has agreed to
take to minimize environ
mental damage associated
with commercial satellite
launches. For one thing,
the state agency cited
the county’s decision to
launch only small rockets
from the site rather than
medium-to-large rock
ets, which will reduce the
“debris dispersion radius”
and decrease the area to be
closed to the public before
and during launches.
The county also
agreed to use “turtle-
friendly” lighting to avoid
disturbing nesting sea tur
tles, work with the DNR to
limit launches during bird
nesting season and limit
closings of public water
ways during weekends and
holidays, and during orga
nized fishing tournaments.
Such provisions don’t
go nearly far enough,
said Dick Parker, one of a
group of property owners
on nearby Little Cumber
land Island who oppose
Spaceport Camden.
“Georgia DNR is giv
ing Spaceport Camden
permission to use more
than 2,700 pristine acres
of state-owned salt marsh,
tidal creeks, and the Satilla
River for debris disper
sion, allowing exploding
rockets and fuel to fall into
the marsh, creeks, and riv
er,” he said. “It’s hardly dif
ferent from letting some
one back a dump truck up
to the marsh and empty
their trash.”
Parker also pointed to
the potential rocket-failure
rate of up to 20% Camden
County officials projected
in their license application.
“With plans for 12
launches per year, that’s
more than two failures
every year,” he said. “Hun
dreds of gallons of fuel and
hundreds of rocket parts
will penetrate the soft
marsh mud and pollute
the tidal creeks with each
failure.”
Tax
continued from page 4A
together to fund our pri
orities of education, health
care, and public safety - all
while cutting taxes.”
Net tax receipts of
$26.9 billion during fiscal
2021 leaves the state sit
ting on a large surplus that,
along with $4.8 billion in
federal COVID-19 relief,
promises to make spending
decisions easier for Kemp
and his staff as they put to
gether budget recommen
dations for the next fiscal
year.
That’s a far cry from
last year, when the early
stages of the pandemic
forced Georgia businesses
to close and lay off work
ers, sending tax collections
plummeting. The budget
the General Assembly
adopted in June of last
year imposed 10% spend
ing cuts on state agencies
across the board.
However, the reduc
tions weren’t as steep as
had been feared. With the
impact of the pandemic on
tax collections not as dire
as had been expected, law
makers were able to avoid
furloughing teachers or
state employees and plug
gaps in state funding with
federal dollars.
Reach
thousands of
potential
buyers!
Call 537-3131
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sale in the
Simoneauxs Continue
to Impact BPC Students
Dr. Mike (center with BPC shirt) and Mrs. Bonnie Simoneaux's family came together
recently to celebrate the creation of the scholarship.
By BPC Department of
Marketing
In early 2021, Dr.
Stephen Simoneaux and
Susan Snyder, children of
Mike and Bonnie Simo
neaux, decided to estab
lish a scholarship in honor
of their parents. Dr. Mike
Simoneaux served as Pres
ident of Brewton-Parker
College from 2011-2013.
Stephen Simoneaux
describes the origin of
the scholarship by stat
ing, “Our family decided
we wanted to honor my
parents by establishing a
scholarship to enhance
Christian music education
in Georgia. As a lasting
tribute to their many de
cades of service, helping
students at Brewton-Park
er, where my father served
as president, seemed a
fitting dedication. We all
hope that this scholarship
will enable those inter
ested in music education
to continue their studies
at BPC.”
Mike and Bonnie
Simoneaux were child
hood friends from New
Orleans and married on
July 5, 1959, while Mike
was in the US Air Force.
Upon discharge in 1961,
Mike began music stud
ies at Mississippi College
while Bonnie worked and
took classes as time al
lowed. He graduated from
MC in 1965 with a Bach
elor of Music Education
degree, and they moved
to Southwestern Baptist
Seminary. During the first
chapel service of the se
mester, both felt the call
to be career missionaries
and transferred to New
Orleans Baptist Semi
nary in their hometown,
to complete the Master
of Church Music degree
and to be near family be
fore mission service. After
graduation in 1967, Mike
entered the seminary doc
toral program in music,
while Bonnie continued to
take courses to complete
educational requirements
for missionary appoint
ment. They were appoint
ed as career missionaries
to Japan under the Foreign
Mission Board (now Inter
national Mission Board)
of the Southern Baptist
Convention in 1969. Mike
also graduated that year as
the first doctoral student
in music at NOBTS.
The Simoneaux family
left for Japan in December
of 1969. During their years
in Japan, Bonnie served as
director of weekday minis
tries for the mission, and
Mike worked with Japa
nese Baptist churches de
veloping music programs
for individual churches,
as well as training church
music leaders. In 1981,
Mike accepted the posi
tion as Minister of Music
at First Baptist Church of
Pensacola where he stayed
until 1986 when the Lord
led them into a new direc
tion of ministry in Baptist
higher education.
Prior to coming to
BPC, Dr. Simoneaux has
worked in many capaci
ties in higher education,
including as Chair of the
Music Department, Dean
of the Faculty, Vice Presi
dent of Academic Affairs,
Vice President of Institu
tional Advancement, Vice
President for Academic
Services, and Interim
President. In March 2011,
at the request of the Geor
gia Baptist Convention,
Dr. Simoneaux served
as Interim President for
Brewton-Parker College
and was appointed Presi
dent in August 2011. Dur
ing this time, BPC did not
have a music degree. Dr.
Hildegard Stanley, former
Music Division Chair,
commented, “During his
time here, he was a huge
advocate for the revital
ization of the music pro
gram.”
Current BPC Presi
dent Dr. Steven Echols
said, “We are deeply grate
ful for the generosity of the
Simoneaux family in es
tablishing this scholarship
in honor of Dr. and Mrs.
Mike Simoneaux! Dr. Sim
oneaux and Ms. Bonnie
have led exemplary lives
of service as missionaries,
in local church ministry,
and in Christian higher
education that stands as a
model of selfless dedica
tion and devotion to our
Lord Jesus Christ. Their
work at Brewton-Parker
College came at a time the
school was facing a grave
crisis. God used their ten
ure at BPC to not only
help the college to survive
but also to lay the founda
tion for the blessings that
have followed. In view of
their commitment to mu
sic ministry, it is fitting
that music education be
the area for the scholar
ship that will benefit our
music students for years to
come.”
If you would like to
contribute to the Mike &
Bonnie Simoneaux Music
Education Scholarship,’
visit: www.bpc.edu/give.
a he Aiurame
IS NOW ONLINE!
Call 537-3131
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