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Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Barrow it Journal
Barrow County’s Legal Organ Georgia’s Best Weekly Paper, 2012-2013
Vol. 5 No. 35
36 PAGES 3 SECTIONS plus inserts
A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680
500 COPY
Barrow Briefs:
Farmers Market
in Auburn to
move to Wed.
The Auburn Fanners Market
is set to move to Wednesday.
The market will be held at
the Auburn Pavilion from 2-6
p.m. each Wednesday begin
ning today, June 19. Vendors
interested in space should con
tact Tracie Pollard at 770-963-
4002, ext. 206 or by email at
tpollard @ cityofauburn-ga.org.
Lazy B hosts
Farm to Table
benefit event
Statham-based Lazy B Farm
will host a Farm to Table benefit
on Sunday, June 23. This unique
dining experience will feature
locally grown food and all natu
ral, pasture raised meat from the
Lazy B Farm, prepared by chef
Arielle Hirsch of the Savory
Spoon in Jefferson.
After a tour of the farm,
guests will dine at beautifully
set tables in the pasture under
the scenic summer evening sky.
Micro-brewed beer and mead
tastings will be featured. There
will also be hors d’oeuvres and
music by the local band, Hart.
The evening will end with des
sert by the bonfire and storytell
ing. Wagon rides to and from
the parking lot will be provided.
The event begins at 3 p.m.
Raffle tickets to win one
fourth of a Lazy B cow will be
on sale for $50 each. The winner
will receive approximately 100
pounds of all natural, pasture
raised beef, which is an $800
value. Tickets for the Farm to
Table event are $50 per person.
All proceeds will go to support
the National Ladies Homestead
Gathering, a non-profit corpo
ration established by Lazy B
Farm to “provide a welcom
ing environment where women
can share new ideas, celebrate
victories, address challenges
and cultivate community with
like-minded women.” The
Lazy B-based chapter meets
the fourth Thursday of each
month at 7 p.m., at the Statham
Community Center. 1357 Furr
Lane in Statham.
To purchase tickets, go to
Lazy B Farm on Facebook
and follow the Farm to Table
link. For more information, call
Diona Fredo at 770-307-7955.
WELCOME
to tkfi (samifiy!
G3S27
Ronald Dunson
David Skinner
Lisa Mote
Tiffanie Eilmes
Get your name on this list by
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Barrow >t journal
Index:
Church News
8B
Classifieds
9-11B
Legals
3-11C
Obituaries
11A
Opinion
4A
Pets of the Week
6B
Public Safety
6-7A
Sports
1B
Contact:
Phone:
770-867-6397
Fax:
678-425-1435
Mail:
77 E. May St.
Winder, Ga. 30680
Web: www.baiTowjoumal.com
WSA demoted to financing role
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournai. com
In a major erosion of its public role, the Barrow
County Water & Sewerage Authority learned
Tuesday night that from now on, it would serve
only as a financing vehicle for future water and
sewer projects.
Legislation passed by the Georgia General
Assembly in 1987 established the WSA as an inde
pendent political subdivision of the State of Georgia
and gave it the power to plan, to construct and to
finance water and sewer projects; to hire employees
and consultants; to issue debt and to borrow money;
and even to set water and sewer rates. All of its
funds were to be held in trust.
But some of that power shifted in 2001 when the
all-volunteer WSA asked the county government
to take responsibility for daily water and sewer
operations.
More recently, under the administration of former
Barrow County Board of Commissioners chair
man Danny Yearwood, the cash-strapped county
government sought the WSA’s help in covering
hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt payments
so that the county’s annual operating budgets could
be balanced. And in 2011 the WSA agreed to the
county’s request to transfer to it all remaining assets
— money, equipment and infrastructure.
County manager Jock Connell told the authority
members Tuesday night that the bulk of the WSA’s
responsibilities went with that transfer of assets.
“Somewhere around the end of 2011, any remain
ing responsibility of the water authority, whether
that be money or assets, was transferred back over
to Barrow County and to some degree left the
authority with no immediate things to do,” he said.
That was somewhat of a surprise, since over the
past two years the authority continued to play a
major role in recommending policy and in planning
projects. Last year, at the request of former Barrow
County Board of Commissioners chairman Danny
Yearwood, the WSA undertook a study of the
county’s wholesale water rate. Then-WSA chair
man Stan Coley later recommended a 77-percent
rate hike for water sold to local cities.
Yearwood and the BOC also asked the WSA to
study the feasibility of constructing a new drinking
water reservoir that would meet the county’s needs
for the next 50 years. And independently of the
BOC, the WSA last year renovated an abandoned
fire station off Highway 211 that now serves as the
offices of the water and sewer departments.
See WSA on Page 2A
SO
PROUD
Dana
Jackson’s
dog, Maple,
won first
place in the
“Tricks”
competition
at the third
annual
Statham
Dog Days
celebra
tion. The
event was
sponsored
by the
Statham
Dog Park
committee
and was
held in
downtown
Statham
during
the June
8 farmer’s
market.
Photo by
Lorin
Sinn-Clark
Dog Days in Statham
Winder DDA OKs
concept for park
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournal.com
The Winder Downtown Development
Authority on Tuesday approved a concept
plan for the downtown park that will be
developed over the next year on the site of
the former Granite Hotel.
City planning director Barry Edgar drew
the plan after the DDA learned that the
Harrison Foundation had turned down a
request for a $300,000 park grant. That
money would have helped pay for a more
ambitious plan developed in 2012 by a
landscape architect.
Edgar's simpler design includes green
space with basic landscaping at the corner
of North Broad Street and West Athens
Street, plus a paved parking area with 10
spaces. It also includes a sidewalk to help
pedestrians more easily access the lower
level of the DDA's lot at the corner of
Candler Street and Woodlawn Avenue.
See Winder DDA on Page 3A
Crowded field
forming for 10th
congressional seat
By Chris Bridges
cbridges @ barrowjournai com
THEY LOVE DOGS
Little Peyton Samples loves animals so much she
might grow up to be a veterinarian, just like her
mom, Katie. They went to the Statham Dog Days
celebration together and saw lots of furry friends.
Photos by Lorin Sinn-Clark
HANDSOME LITTLE FELLOW
Morgan the French Bulldog took
his family to the Statham Dog Days
celebration. It was held downtown
during the farmers market and there
were all kinds of activities, competi
tions, treats and prizes. The event
was sponsored by the Statham Dog
Park committee; Pawtropolis in
Athens donated the prizes.
With the 2014 primary still more than
a year away, six candidates have already
announced they are seeking the vacant
10th District U.S. Congressional Seat,
being vacated by Paul Broun.
The following candidates, all
Republicans, have officially launched their
2014 campaigns for the seat, which repre
sents Barrow County:
•Mike Collins, trucking executive and
son of former congressman Mac Collins
•Gary Gerrard, attorney
•Jody Hice, Baptist pastor, radio talk
show host and 2010 congressional candi
date
•Donna Sheldon, state representative
and businesswoman
•Stephen Simpson, businessman and
retired U.S. Army officer, who ran for
congress in 2012
•Brian Slowinski, ex-Columbia County
GOP chairman and Tea Party activist.
See 10th District on Page 3A
Hardee’s, another Wendy’s
restaurant locating in Winder
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournai. com
Two fast-food chains are about to
begin construction of new restaurants in
Winder.
Hardee’s has begun clearing its down
town tract. Wendy’s is going to build
off Exchange Boulevard just north of
Highway 316.
Winder planning director Barry Edgar
said both restaurants are scheduled to
open before the end of this year.
The Hardee’s restaurant will be at the
corner of North Broad and Stephens
streets.
Since it is in the historic area, the exte
rior of the 2.482-square-foot building
will be mostly brick, and its sign will be
“monument” style and only six feet high.
To alleviate traffic concerns, the site
plan includes a deceleration lane on
North Broad, and there will be green
space between the restaurant and adja
cent residential properties, said city
administrator Don Toms.
He said the site improvements also
would include new storm water infra
structure.
See Restaurants on Page 3A
SAY “JAM!” NOT
“CHEESE...”
...for the photo
graph. Little Hailie
Elmer helps her
mother, Robin,
at their “Garden
Fresh” booth at the
Statham Farmers
Market each
Saturday. They sell
jams, jellies and
other delicious
homemade things.
The farmers mar
ket is in downtown
Statham from 9
a.m.-noon through
the summer.
Photo by
Lorin Sinn-Clark
