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The ADVANCE, December 27, 2023/Page 9A
2023
continued from page 1A
now houses all City Hall
offices and the police de
partment.
New events, such as
Porchfest, and two extra
nights of music at the Vida-
lia Onion Festival kept au
diences rocking through
out the weekend of the
festival and connected the
community with an after
noon worship service to
close out the event.
The Toombs County
Development Authority
continued to work to build
the area’s economy as
ground was broken for the
Center for Rural Entrepre
neurship, in Vidalia. This
facility will house emerg
ing businesses and help
guide new entrepreneurs
to success, as Director of
Entrepreneurship Mandy
Britt oversees these proj
ects.
The Authority also ac
quired an over 600-acre lot
to build a new industrial
park this year - the largest
industrial park investment
in county history.
Local recreation facili
ties are receiving complete
renovations, as Faison Park
in Lyons and the Ezra Tay
lor Regional Sports Com
plex in Vidalia each re
ceived a $2.2 million grant
to be reimagined. Both
facilities intend to upgrade
their fields and create soc
cer and football fields, as
well as improve conditions
for others who go to the
parks to walk and play.
The Dr. Mark and
Tonya Spivey Public Li
brary had its grand open
ing and has become an af
ternoon hangout for kids
of all ages and adults, who
take advantage of all the fa
cility has to offer.
The county’s youth
succeeded through many
awards and competitions,
but two lifeguards became
hometown heroes when
they saved the life of a tod
dler this summer. Deuce
Hightower and Brylen
Goss were both honored
by the Vidalia City Coun
cil for their heroics and
learned the importance of
jumping into action during
crises.
Toombs Central El
ementary School became
a state Literacy Leader
school because of the rise
in students’ reading test
scores, and State Superin
tendent of Schools Richard
Woods personally present
ed the administration with
the award.
It was an election year
for the municipalities, and
many of the same leaders
are returning to office. Ly
ons City Councilman Rick
Hartley announced earlier
in the year that he would
not seek reelection, and
after an election between
Drayton Oliver and Jency
Jeffers, Oliver came out
on top and will be sworn
in during the Council’s
first meeting of the year.
Longtime Vidalia Board of
Education Member Bruce
Asberry was defeated by
newcomer Brittany Black,
who will be sworn in at the
Board’s first meeting of the
year.
Beloved Toombs
County Sheriff Alvie “Ju
nior” Right announced he
will not be seeking reelec
tion, and will be retiring at
the end of his term.
The city of Vidalia
parted ways with City
Manager Nick Overstreet,
and former City Clerk Bill
Bedingfield stepped in to
serve as Interim City Man
ager until a replacement
candidate can be found.
The future of Vidalia’s
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
BREAKING GROUND - Many members of the Greater Vidalia Chamber and Toombs County Development Authority came together to break
ground on the Center on Monday, April 17. L to R: Senator Blake Tillery, Sean Moxley, David Sikes, Mayor Doug Roper, Matt Richardson, Kevin
Palmer, Michele Johnson, Tim Truxel, Leesa Hagan, Mike Hagan, Steven McComas.
historic Pine Crest Cem
etery was the focus of a
gathering in the Charles
Community on April 26.
The event was sponsored
by the Pine Crest Commit
tee II to create awareness
for its mission to improve
and preserve Vidalia’s prin
cipal cemetery and to kick
off Phase I of a fundraising
campaign.
Memorial Health
Meadows Hospital marked
its 60th year in Vidalia with
a festive event on Septem
ber 26 in the hospital’s lob
by. One of the highlights of
the evening was a presenta
tion to Dr. Benjamin Neely,
who was surprised with an
award for his contributions
to the hospital and the
community since moving
to Vidalia in 1967.
Montgomery County
For Montgomery
County, the year brought
waves of change, many new
successes for youth in the
area, and several discus
sions about solutions for
growing issues within the
county.
The year began with
change and new begin
nings, as longtime Mont
gomery County Board of
Education members Jim
Paul Poole and Debra Gay
vacated their seats on the
Board for the newly-elect
ed representatives, John
O’Conner and Fernando
Rodriguez, to begin to
serve.
Change continued
throughout the county
later in the year as well,
when the Montgomery
County Board of Elections
and Registration made the
decision to eliminate four
of the county’s seven pre
cincts, which was approved
on a 3-2 vote. Because of
that decision, voters in
the county will now be di
vided amongst the Uvalda,
Higgston, and Mount Ver
non precincts.
Youth also found suc
cess throughout 2023 as
the Montgomery County
4-H had its second candi
date in county history to
represent the area on the
4-H Junior District Board.
Montgomery County Mid
dle School 8th grader Hart
ley Williamson is currently
actively serving on the
Board and has had a won
derful time getting to know
her fellow board members.
The Montgomery
County High School Beta
Club was Top Beta Club in
the state for the number of
logged community service
hours. In fact, the club’s
members logged so many
community service hours
that they were ranked 3rd
in the nation for commu
nity service among Beta
Clubs. Those statistics have
since changed, but the club
is continuing to log hours
and donate their time to
the community.
Tax assessments
brought an uproar from
the citizens, as increases of
to 90% on property values
caused many to speak out
to commissioners. After a
few meetings, the Mont
gomery County Board of
Assessors Chairman Jesse
Fountain led a vote to re
peal the new assessments
and base taxes off the 2022
property assessments.
Though this was a tem
porary solution for the tax
issue, citizens soon began
discussions with the Mont
gomery County Commis
sion to put provisions in
place to protect them from
the effects of inflation and
the skyrocketing housing
market, which sparked the
idea of a Floating Home
stead Exemption. Com
missioners discussed the
possibility of the exemp
tion for weeks, formed
a citizens committee to
gain opinions on the pos
sibility, and voted to at
tempt to form a Floating
Homestead Exemption,
but tabled the motion af
ter failing to come together
on the required income of
those who would be able to
utilize the tool.
The Informed Citi
zens Coalition, a group of
concerned citizens who
desired to improve the
county, filed a Citizens’ Pe
tition for a ballot measure
in the Probate Court, along
with over 1,000 signatures
of registered voters that
would support the act. The
petition is still awaiting a
decision from the Probate
Judge, who is currently re
searching into the appro
priate procedure for this
action, and will soon make
an official ruling.
Williams
continued from page 6A
fled the parties have come
together on an agreement
that both protects metro
Atlanta’s water supply and
provides the downstream
flows Alabama requested,”
said Katherine Zitsch, se
nior water policy advisor
at the Atlanta Regional
Commission.
Tuesday’s agreement
is not the end of water
wars litigation. Alabama is
continuing to pursue a le
gal challenge to the Corps’
2021 decision to meet
metro Atlanta’s water-sup
ply needs from Allatoona
Lake, part of the Alabama-
Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT)
River Basin.
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
PRESENTING THE PETITION - Members and supporters of the Informed Citizens Coalition
gathered within the Montgomery County Probate Court Office on Monday, Novem
ber 6, to file the County's first-ever Citizens Initiative Petition for a Ballot Measure.
for students through literacy
State School Su
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
LITERACY LEADER - Toombs Central Elementary School was named one of Georgia's
Literacy Leader schools because of the tremendous growth of reading levels in their
3rd Grade students. Front, L to R: Students Triton Hackle, Sophia Reddy, Aria Ferreira-
Mathews, Calvin Seabrough Jr. Back Row, L to R: Instructional Coach Jennifer Davis,
Assistant Principal Sandra Floyd, Principal Destiny Levant, State School Superintendent
Richard Woods, Superintendent Barry Waller.
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH — Toombs Central Elementary School has announced No
vember Students of the Month. (Lto R): Front: Summer McClendon (1st grade), Ariana
Pacheco-Vazquez (2nd grade), Jennifer Benitez (Kindergarten), Emma Grooms (Pre-
K), Back: Brooklyn Jackson (3rd grade), Brody Baxley (4th grade), and Juliette Lucas
(5th grade).