Newspaper Page Text
Barrow a Journal
p. 4 www.BarrowJournal.com Barrow County's Legal Organ
Wednesday, July 25,2012
Vol. 4 No. 40 58 PAGES 4 SECTIONS plus inserts A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 500 COPY
Inside:
•'Twice Upon A Time'
performed
pages 1C, 3 C
•Pabis column
page 2C
•Community Briefs
page 4C
Opinions:
•'Budgets, Winder,
Auburn and schools'
page 4A
•'Publicity may ham
per T-SPLOST'
page 4A
•'So what happened?'
page 5A
•'Who exactly is mom
enough?'
page 5A
Sports:
•WBHS Bulldoggs eye
ing 2012 season
page 1B
•Lady Doggs work for
new volleyball season
page 1B
•Thompson to play
football for Purdue
page 1B
Also Inside:
•Church News
page 6C
•Classifieds
pages 7-9C
•Engagement
page 2C
•Legals
pages 1-24C
•Obituaries
•Opinion
•Op-ED
page 11C
page 4A
page 5A
•Pets of the Week
page 3C
•Public Safety
pages 6-9A
Page design by Chris Bridges
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Barrow >t journal
Primary election comes to a head
Barrow voters to shape BOC, help decide T-SPLOST
PRIMARY ELECTION PREVIEW
See inside today’s edition for questions and answers
with candidates as well as a look at ballot questions and
the T-SPLOST issue.
— Pages 10A-16A
By Susan Norman
snorman@barmwjournal.com
Barrow County’s 2013 primary
season comes to an end on Tuesday
when voters will go to the polls
to decide three contested races
for the Barrow County Board of
Commissioners, one on the Barrow
County Board of Education and other
important posts.
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, 1,379 peo
ple had voted early, according to
Barrow elections supervisor Monica
Franklin. The vast majority — 1,203
— cast advance absentee ballots in the
Republican Party Primary. Another
172 cast ballots in the Democratic
Barrow journal Analysis
Party Primary. Four voted in the
Non-Partisan General Election, and
one person weighed in on whether
Bethlehem should allow the sale of
beer and wine by the package on
Sundays.
That pace is similar to the voting
head count of the 2008 primaries,
when turnout on the day of the prima
ries was a disappointing 7,400.
But with more races on this year’s
ballot, along with the much-assailed
regional sales tax for transportation,
turnout at the polls on Tuesday could
be higher.
FORUMS POORLY ATTENDED
While local blogs have been active
since candidate qualifying in May,
most voters have not taken advan
tage of the seven candidate forums
sponsored by the Barrow County
Chamber of Commerce, the Barrow
County Republican Party and the
Barrow County Farm Bureau.
Most forums attracted only a hand
ful of people not directly associated
with the campaigns or the parties,
though there were more people sit
ting in the audience for the Farm
Bureau’s forum on July 17.
The electorate’s lack of interest in
seeing the candidates up close does
not mean there has been little going
on both at the forums and behind the
scenes.
See Election on Page 16A
Political heavyweights in town
GOVERNOR IN WINDER
Gov. Nathan Deal tells a story about a political misstep when the freshman
Senator first took office. Photo by Susan Norman
State’s big political guns turn out in
Winder to show support for Ginn
By Susan Norman
snorman@barrowjournal.com
I n a show of support for a member of
their Republican “team” in Atlanta, the
state’s top elected officials on July 19 head
lined a political event that attracted hundreds
of people and raised thousands of dollars for
the re-election of Sen. Frank Ginn.
The large event at Constance Manor in
Winder was the first time, at least in recent
history, that Georgia’s governor, lieutenant
governor, secretary of state, state insurance
commissioner and nearly 20 percent of the
state’s Republican senators visited Barrow
County at one time.
An event committee comprised of com
munity leaders and chaired by the senator’s
cousin, businessman Bob Hill, and his wife,
Gwen, paid for and organized the event.
The committee sent out 500 invitations,
and about 300 business and political leaders
from around the district attended.
The night generated $21,893 in donations,
which is close to half of the $51,000 col
lected since July 1.
State officials’ strong public showing also
left no doubt about which candidate in the
District 47 race — Sen. Ginn or challenger
Danny Yearwood — they want under the
Gold Dome at the start of the next legislative
session in January 2013.
RIBBING AND ROASTING
The prize endorsement came from the
LOCAL FUNDRAISER
Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Gov.
Nathan Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle
listen during the event for Frank
Ginn’s campaign rally on July 19 at
Constance Manor in Winder.
Photo by Susan Norman
evening’s star attraction. Gov. Nathan Deal.
But Sen. Ginn had to endure some friendly
public payback to get it.
The governor noted that he and the sena
tor were both elected in 2010 and took office
in January 2011. He called the senator’s per
formance in his first term “exceptional” but
then told a story about their first encounter
that likely was a little embarrassing to the
senator, but sure was entertaining to the
audience.
See Political Big Guns on Page 13A
Wholesale water rate
may double for cities
By Erin Rossiter
erin@ barrowjournal. com
The Barrow County Water and Sewerage Authority infor
mally agreed this week to propose a rate hike that would nearly
double the cost of wholesale water sold to the county’s munici
palities.
Additionally, members expressed their interest in operating
and managing the county’s wholesale and transmission water
system, a move that would increase the authority’s control over
the added revenue expected to top a million a year.
Both the new rate — figured tentatively at $3 per 1,000 gal
lons of water — and the authority’s management proposal will
be put on the agenda for a vote at the BCWSA’s next meeting,
planned for 5 p.m. Aug. 2. The board of commissioners then
can decide how to proceed with the authority’s recommenda
tions, said authority chairman Stan Coley.
“Three dollars per thousand is recommendation number one.
(The commission) can accept it or adjust it,” said Coley, in con
cluding the authority’s work session on Tuesday. “If they turn it
back over to us, we will make a decision” on how to implement
the increases, he said.
The impact of a rate hike to Winder, Statham, Auburn and
Braselton, as well as to unincorporated Barrow County, likely
would result in large increases to retail customers. And they
would come soon. All but Braselton have contracts with the
BCWSA that have expired or will expire this year, water direc
tor Myron Garrett said. Braselton’s contract ends in early June
2013.
See Rate Hike on Page 3A
Will Barrow have more
economic development?
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournal. com
Five months after the announcement of plans by Caterpillar
Inc. to bring 1.400 jobs to a new manufacturing facility five
miles east of Statham, there are some encouraging signs of
potential economic development activity in Barrow County.
The Winder-Barrow Industrial Building Authority held a
closed meeting early Tuesday morning to discuss “the disposi
tion of real estate.”
At the meeting inside the offices of the Barrow County
Chamber of Commerce were IBA chairman David Smith,
member David Brock, Barrow County Board of Commissioners
Chairman Danny Yearwood, chamber president Tommy
Jennings, Finda Moore of the Economic Development Council,
and IBA attorney John Stell.
Following the 30-minute meeting, the group took no public
action and made no announcements.
When asked about a tip the newspaper had received concern
ing a company’s possible interest in a tract the county owns at
the intersection of highways 53 and 316, Stell said he could
“neither confirm nor deny” the validity of the information.
See Development on Page 3A
Auburn considers law aimed at foreclosed and abandoned properties
By Erin Rossiter
erin @ barrowjournal. com
Auburn city council members are
considering a new ordinance that
would force the owners of foreclosed
or “vacant” homes to register their
properties.
Planning and zoning director Larry
Lucas proposed the ordinance during
the city’s work session July 19. The
council is expected to consider the
ordinance for a vote next month, he
said after the meeting.
The law models one developed
by the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs to help local gov
ernments determine who is respon
sible for properties found in violation
of city codes and ordinances.
Registration of a property would
cost $100, according to the law. Fines
for property owners who fail to regis
ter within 90 days of a foreclosure, or
deed in lieu of foreclosure, can be as
much as $1,000.
Owners of vacant homes would
have a similar responsibility to regis
ter their property within 60 days of a
home’s vacancy, which is defined in
the law as uninhabited and without
utility service. A partially constructed
or incomplete building without a valid
permit is also considered vacant.
Duplex-type apartments, or those
with multiple units and a common
ownership would be exempt unless
the entire building is unoccupied and
without utility usage over that 60-day
period, the proposed law states.
An appeals process is detailed as
well as what owners will be required
to do to maintain their foreclosed or
vacant properties such as signage and
security.
The code enforcement officer will
manage the registration process.
See Auburn on Page 2A
