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Barrow g Journal
www.BarrowJournal.com •r Read all over...
Vol. 3 No. 32
26 PAGES 3 SECTIONS
Wednesday, June 1,2011
A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 250 COPY
Community:
•Carnival rolls into
Winder
page 4C
•Columns by Britt
West, Shelli Bond Pabis
page 2C
Opinions:
•'Time for important
things'
page 4A
,'A pirate's life'
page 5A
Sports:
•WBHS, AHS soccer
players recognized
page IB
•Local baseball players
named All-Region
page IB
•Cheerleaders earn
award
page2B
•AHS hosts volleyball,
basketball camps
pages 3-4B
Also Inside:
•Church News
page 6C
•Classifieds
page 7C
•Obituaries
page5C
•Opinion
page 4A
•Pets of the Week
page 3C
•Public Safety
pages 6-1OA
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Journal is
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Thursday.
'Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance.'
FAMILY RECOGNIZED
Connie Wascovich and Brittany Giese, mother and wife of Lance CpI. Joseph
Ryan Giese, were honored at Monday morning’s Memorial Day Service at
Rose Hill Cemetery. Giese died in the line of duty in Afghanistan.
Photo by Jessica Brown
Heroes honored on Memorial Day
By Chris Bridges
cbridges@barrowjournal.com
W ith a steamy Georgia pre-summer
morning as the backdrop, Barrow
County honored those who have paid the
ultimate price for America’s freedom dur
ing a ceremony at Rose Hill Cemetery
Monday.
“We are here for a special reason,”
said Ed Grealish, who helped coordinate
the event with the Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post 1187 and its Ladies Auxiliary.
“Sacrifice is meaningless without remem
brance.”
A special presentation was made to
family members of Winder's Lance Cpl.
Joseph Ryan Giese, who died in the line
of duty while conducting combat opera
tions in Afghanistan. His wife, Brittany,
and mother, Connie Wascovich, both
received memorial plaques during the
local Memorial Day ceremony.
The names of all Barrow County natives
who died in the line of duty were read dur
ing the ceremony.
See Memorial Day on Page 12A
SPECIAL TRIBUTE
Joel Ash and Carol Ann Grealish bring forth the red, white and blue wreath
honoring Barrow Countians who gave their lives on the battlefield.
Photo by Jessica Brown
Winder chief rips
county 911 center
Mattison says too much delay
in dispatching emergency calls
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournal. com
Winder’s fire chief blasted Barrow County’s E-911 center this
week over what he said were unnecessary delays in dispatching
emergency calls.
Winder Fire Chief Ray Mattison pointed to two recent incidents
where he said dispatching help was delayed because E-911 opera
tors took too much time taking a long list of data and typing it into
a computer rather than getting help on the way.
“It’s all about training and being held accountable, and those two
things have not happened there (at the 911 center),” Mattison said.
See Emergency Calls on Page 11A
Orr avoids felony, will
keep firefighter’s license
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournal. com
A former Barrow County
Emergency Services lieutenant
who was involved in the acci
dental shooting of his preg
nant daughter last Christmas
has avoided a felony convic
tion and will be able to keep
his state firefighters license.
A Barrow County Grand
Jury indicted 46-year-old
Donald Todd Orr of Winder
on Feb. 14 on one felony
count of child cruelty in the
second degree due to the pres
ence of an underage daughter
in the house at the time of the
TODD ORR
2010 incident. The grand jury
also indicted him on one mis
demeanor count of reckless
conduct.
See Orr Hearing on Page 11A
Statham man arrested
on molestation charges
A Statham man was charged last week for allegedly raping
a 13-year-old special needs girl after plying her with beer and
drugs.
William Carlton Bennett, 36, of Statham, was charged with
cruelty to children in the first degree, child molestation, aggra
vated child molestation and enticing a child for indecent pur
poses. The juvenile victim was interviewed by investigators at
the Treehouse center. She alleged that Bennett had kept her out
of school one day and gave her 16-17 beers along with smoking
“ICE” before sexually assaulting her.
See Statham Arrest on Page 3A
Reserves to be used, but
no tax hike in BOE budget
The Barrow County Board of
Education is slated to give ten
tative approval next week to a
proposed $132.5 million FY2012
budget. The proposed budget
does not call for a tax hike with
the millage rate staying at the cur
rent 18.5 mills.
But the proposed budget does
call for a lot of red ink in FY2012
with the system’s main fund, the
General Fund, dipping over $5.1
million into reserves. That will
leave the system’s reserves criti
cally low at only $5.5 million at
the end of next year, less than one
month’s expenses.
The school system’s General
Fund looks to spend $90.6 mil
lion next year, but officials only
expect to take in $85.5 million
in revenues. That’s because of a
lower tax digest and other rev
enue cuts in state and federal
funds. The system has approved a
number of spending cuts, includ
ing having six furlough days in
FY2012. The BOE plans to give
final approval to its budget at 6
p.m. June 28.
City of Auburn ends FY2010 in the red
By Katie Cofer
katie @ mainstreetnews. com
The Auburn city government’s general
fund was in the red nearly $900,000 at
the end of FY2010, due mostly to a large
drop in city revenues. It is the third year
in a row that the city’s general fund has
seen red ink.
In FY2009, the city was $630,000 in
the red and in FY2008 it was $746,500
in the red.
The city has been able to absorb the
shortfalls since it had built up a huge
pool of reserves in 2007.
The city took in $2.6 million in reve
nues during FY2010, but spent $3.2 mil
lion. It also transferred another $340,800
from the general fund to the city’s capi
tal projects fund.
Auburn had originally budgeted $3.5
million in projected revenues, but a
drop in tax income along additional low
income sources, hit the city for nearly
$900,000 less than projected.
One of the main shortfalls was in
sales tax revenue which was anticipated
to be $1.38 million, but which actually
garnered only $977,000 in revenue for
the year.
The city did cut spending in FY2010
except for public safety, which saw
expenses go up over what had been
budgeted. Public safety, mostly the city
police department, accounted for 50 per
cent of the city’s general fund expenses
in FY2010.
The city used its reserves to cover the
shortfall in FY2010 and at the end of the
year, was still left with a healthy $1.9
million reserves balance in its general
fund.
City administrator Ron Griffith pre
sented the FY2010 report, completed
by Hubert A. Brisoce CPA firm out of
Winder, on May 19 to the mayor and
council.
PROJECT
EXPENSES
In FY2010, the city spent $546,000
for its downtown sewer project, $13,000
for a new roof for city hall and $320,000
for the purchase of the Perry Rainey
Building, located next to Auburn
Elementary School.
Additional special projects includ
ed a $63,000 project on Saddle Creek
drainage and roads in Gwinnett County,
$124,000 in road repair and resurfacing,
and $15,000 in improvements to Burel
Park.
See Auburn Finances on Page 11A
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our insert
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