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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008
A'LL : JE-
BUILDING OWNERS ENTHUSIASTIC
Mike Rice, chairman of the Downtown Development Authority, explains the program
to Sharon Whitaker, who owns a building at 11 East Athens Street.
Photos by Susan Norman
Downtown area to get facelift
Improvements
could mean
new awnings
BY SUSAN NORMAN
D owntown Winder
is about to get
some long-over
due sprucing up.
Several building owners
attended a Nov. 13 meet
ing about a new program
providing small grants to
improve the appearance of
downtown facades.
Private owners attending
the meeting enthusiastically
embraced the program.
“I think it’s very, very
interesting; it’s very, very
good for the community,”
said Sharon Whitaker, who
owns a building at 11 East
Athens Street and wants a
grant to repaint it.
“We are thrilled to death to
have some money available
to do something,” said Betty
Summerour, who owns pro
perties at 53 and 51 Jackson
Street. “Downtown is in des
perate need of a re-doing.”
The new Fagade
Rehabilitation Program
is being jointly sponso
red by the City of Winder,
Main Street Winder, the
Downtown Development
Authority, and the Winder
Historic Preservation
Committee. The program
has at its disposal $25,000
in grant funds that will be
dispersed among a select
number of downtown busi
REHABILITATING DOWNTOWN WINDER
Carmine Fischetti of the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs shows local officials and business
owners some recommended facade improvements.
ness owners for approved
improvements to the fronts
of their buildings.
Only businesses on limi
ted portions of East Midland
Avenue, East and West
Candler Street, East and
West Athens Street, Laura
Street, Woodlawn Avenue,
Park Avenue, North Broad
Street and North Jackson
Street are eligible to apply
in this round of grants.
The award amounts will
be for up to $3,000 to reim
burse owners for the costs
of approved improvements
including brick cleaning,
painting, new awnings, res
toration of original archi
tectural features, new signs,
and other improvements that
are visible from the street,
according to a brochure
about the program.
Carmine Fischetti of the
Georgia Department of
Community Affairs pro
vides design assistance to
cities designated as Main
Street cities. He brought
to the information session
several prototypes of poten
tial improvements to local
buildings.
“We are trying to encoura
ge people to keep the his
toric elements of buildings
intact, such as old signs and
windows and canopies,” he
said. “It’s generally historic
preservation with new uses.
“A lot of buildings were
built as something else and
are now a pizza place or a
theater or a restaurant. The
idea is to keep the look of
the building consistent.”
Applications are available
at www.cityofwinder.com.
For more information, call
770-867-3106.
Legislative preview
England looks at 2009 session
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Education, immigration
reform and various forms of
tax relief will be among the
issues on the table during the
2009 state legislative session,
representative Terry England
told members of the Barry
County Republican Party
Monday night.
England, addressing
the local party during their
Monday meeting at the
Winder Women's Club, said
the 2009 session will be a full
slate with several key topics
of discussion.
One of the issues will be
education where England said
students need to be prepared
for the work force.
“I don't care who ranks us
where,” England said. “When
you go in the schools and talk
with our teachers they want
what’s best for our students.
I think our students are get
ting a good education. Our
teachers do all they can and
we want to make sure they
have the necessary tools to do
their job.”
The state representative also
said he would like to see good
teachers receive pay based on
their standout performance.
LEGISLATIVE TALK
State representative Terry
England addressed the
BarrowCounty Republican
Party Monday night.
Photo by Chris Bridges
“Currently, we are reward
ing everyone the same, regard
less of the job they’ve done,”
England said. “I would like to
see some type of merit pay.”
In addition to education,
England said immigration
reform will continue to be a
hot topic in the coming year’s
session.
“Counties not enforcing
immigration laws will be held
accountable,” he said. “We
will look at withholding block
grants from them.”
The representative said he
also wants to make it easier
for families to be able to adopt
children.
“A qualified family
shouldn’t have to wait until
a child is half grown to adopt
them,” England said.
That area is part of a “fam
ily values” approach England
said that fits in the Republican
principal of family values.
A showdown could be
looming with state attorney
general Thurbert Baker down
the road as England said many
lawmakers are in favor of a
School Children’s Religious
Liberties Act.
This proposed act would
allow students to pray in
school and would instruct
Baker as attorney general to
enforce it.
“We want him to handle
this even if he doesn't like
it,” England said. “We know
it is not something he is in
favor of.”
England said he also
expects issues on homeowner
tax relief and property reas
sessment caps to be discussed
during the 2009 session.
Change order approved by airport authority
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Barrow County Airport
Authority unanimously
approved a change order in
the amount of $3,000 to the
Instrument Landing System
(ILS) work that is currently
underway at the airport.
The change order became
necessary after the Federal
Aviation Administration
(FAA) advised the author
ity that some additional trees
needed to be cleared for the
ILS.
Airport director Glen Boyd
said the trees covered approxi
mately 1.2 acres. AWS, the
company doing the site prep
aration work, said it could
remove the trees.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at
the authority meeting on
Tuesday:
•no action was taken on a
change order in the amount of
$7,100 for surveying work on
the glide scope project.
This change order also
included some hourly work
to be done to locate dirt for
the project. Authority member
Lee Barnett said he would
like to meet with the contrac
tor on this before any action
is taken.
•the authority unanimously
approved a $2,000 increase
in the insurance premium.
The premium is increasing
from $13,000 to $15,000. The
deductible amount will stay at
$1,000, Boyd said. The other
option would be to keep the
premium at $13,000 and raise
the deductible to $5,000, Boyd
added.
•the authority tabled action
on a request from Ian and Celia
Lockwood, Spitfire Deli own
ers, requesting relief from a
portion of their rent. Authority
member Johnie Wendel said
he was in favor of granting the
request for a specified period
of time.
Barnett made a motion
to table any action due to
contractual issues and pend
ing litigation that needs to
be taken into consideration.
The authority agreed to try
to reach a decision prior to
December 1.
•Boyd reported that he has
received some interest in the
brick house the authority has
on Hwy. 8. Boyd said when
the ads ran in the paper seek
ing bids on the house there was
no interest, but a gentleman
has contacted him about the
house. The authority agreed
to have Boyd speak with this
person about placing a bid on
the house.
•the authority unanimously
approved Boyd to seek bids
for installing a bathroom in
one of the airport buildings.
Authority member Robert
Cartmill said the authority
pays over $960 per year for
a portable toilet located at the
building.
•Boyd presented the direc
tor's report to the authority.
Boyd said any CIP changes
on the Hangar site preparation
project are needed by the end
of the year.
Boyd reported the FLT
Properties mini-warehouse
project is moving along very
well and Mickey Lankford,
owner, thinks the project
could be complete by the end
of November. Boyd said the
authority is short one employ
ee.
David Merrill, maintenance
manager, is no longer an airport
employee. Merrill requested
long-term medical leave and
the request was denied due to
the lack of supporting medi
cal information. Merrill has
requested an appeal of this
decision, Boyd added.
The next regularly sched
uled airport authority meeting
is set for noon on Tuesday,
Dec. 16, at the airport.
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