About Barrow journal. (Winder, Ga.) 2008-2016 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2016)
Barrow County’s Legal Organ Newspaper B * Wednesday, January 20, 2016 arrow It Journal m/m/m/ harrn\A/iniimal mm Rarm\A/ Eniinh/’c Orth/ hHiri-\A/&e*U l\le>\A/cnaner www.barrowjournal. com Barrow County’s Only Mid-Week Newspaper VOL. 8 NO. 13 28 PACES 3 SECTIONS, PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 50« COPY Barrow Briefs Financial Peace course to begin in February The Winder Housing Authority will host “Financial Peace University” beginning Tuesday, Feb. 9. The nine-month course teaches how to get rid of debt, manage money and spend and save wisely. The course costs $49 with financial scholar ships available. The class will take place from 6-8 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at the Capitol Homes Community Building at 235 Capitol Avenue in Winder. Those wishing to attend should RSVP by Jan. 22 to Denise Peters at 678-425- 6960 or by emailing dpeters @ winderhousing.com. Diabetes Support Group meets each month A Diabetes Support Group meets the third Monday of each month in the third floor conference room at Barrow Regional Medical Center. The next meeting is sched uled for Monday, Feb. 15. Mardi Gras Ball scheduled Feb. 6 The annual Krewe of Knights Mardi Gras Ball for 2016 will be Saturday, Feb. 6. in the Winder Community Center. There will be a silent auction and a parade of priz es. organizers said. Those attending are asked to bring at least one non-perishable food item per person for local pan- tries. For ticket information, contact Sheila Hawthorne at 770-962-0520. Inside: Index: Church News 10A Classifieds 4-5B Legals 1-8C Obituaries 11A Opinion 4A Pets of the Week 10A Public Safety 6-7A Sports 1-3B,6-78B Contact Info: Phone: 770-867-6397 Mail: 77 E. May Street, Winder, Ga. 30680 Fax: 706-621-4115 ‘Like us’ on Facebook www.barrowjournal.com Mailing Label Below Still, Stevens set to lead school board By Al ex Pace Journal Reporter Mark Still and Lynn Stevens will lead the Barrow County Board of Education in 2016. Still was re-elected as chairman and Stevens was elected as vice-chairman at the board’s Jan. 12 meeting. Stevens has been on the board for 19 years. This is the first time she has been elected as vice-chairman. The vote was split 4-3 between Stevens and former vice-chair Rickey Bailey. Still was re-elected as chair in a unanimous vote. Still was elected to the board in 2004, to fill the unexpired term of Doug Garrison and has been chairman since 2010. Still said he has enjoyed his time on the board and working with Barrow County superintendent Chris McMichael. See School Board on Page 2A HONORING DR. KING A large crowd gathered at the Barrow County Historic Courthouse Monday morning as part of the trib ute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The annual march was held through downtown Winder followed by a church service. See page 2A for more coverage. Photo by Jessica Brown ROAD WORK AHEAD Barrels line the roadway on McNeal Road in Winder. Several upcoming projects will begin soon in the area including a sidewalk installation, repaving, storm drain piping and new water lines. Photo by Jessica Brown Plenty of activity on McNeal Road By Al ex Pace Journal Reporter Improvements are being made down McNeal Road in Winder. Winder planning director Barry Edgar said the construction is expected to be completed before fall 2016. Several improvements are planned along the road. Crews are constructing a sidewalk along both sides of the road, stretching from West Athens Street to West Candler Street. A sidewalk is also being constructed on West Candler Street (from McNeal Road to Green Valley Drive). Construction crews are also prepping the site for the new replacement Russell Middle School (to open in fall) and the new elemen tary school. Left turn lanes are being added on both West Candler Street and McNeal Road. There will be a three-way stop at the intersection of the two roads. Pedestrian lighting and crossings are also being installed. Other planned improvements include: repaving, some storm drainage piping and new waterlines and mains. One business owner on McNeal Road has expressed concerns over how the work in the area will affect his business. Overtime pay drops for county By Cliris B ridg'es Journal Editor Overtime pay for Barrow County employ ees dropped during a recent three-month time frame. Interim county man ager Jimmy Terrell told commissioners during a Jan. 12 meeting that the amount of overtime paid from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2015 was $256,014. The bulk of overtime pay was for Jail Operations ($90,038), roughly 35 percent of the amount paid out. The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office had $68,116 of overtime pay during that three- month span or 27 per cent. The other top overtime departments from October through December of last year were Emergency Medical Services ($45,211 or 18 per cent), E-911 ($28,278 or 11 percent) and Fire ($21,693 or eight per cent.) “We are beginning to see a downward trend,” Terrell said. “I consider it a significant decrease. Occasionally, we are going to have some overtime so I have asked department heads to pro vide an explanation for overtime and to plan on how to reduce it even more.” The overtime pay is something the county can continue to address, the interim manager said. See Overtime on Page 2A County manager interviews could begin by end of month By Cliris Bridges Journal Editor Interviews for a new county manager could begin by the end of the month. Human resources director Charlie Felts told the Barrow County Board of Commissioners during a Jan. 12 meeting that 45 resumes have been received, terming that a “very good response.” Felts said the resumes will be broken into three tiers. The first will include six to nine applicants who met the majority of the requirements set forth by the county. See County Manager on Page 2A A PLEASANT SURPRISE Kathy Ash (right) was surprised to receive a donation from the Georgia Public Library System. Ash was named the inaugu ral winner of the Library System’s Champion of the Year honor. See page 3A for more details about Ash and her recognition received on Friday. Photo by Alex Pace
