Barrow journal. (Winder, Ga.) 2008-2016, February 03, 2016, Image 3

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Barrow journal., February 03, 2016, Image 3

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Newspaper Page TextWEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 BARROW JOURNAL PAGE 3A Buddy Christian continued from 2A “I get there and the IT guy meets me in the parking lot and he’s got this weird look on his face and I said, ‘Do you know something I don’t know?’ and he just said, ‘Come on.’ And so we walked in the building and the lab where I worked at was right inside the building. And as soon as they opened the door, my boss and my pastor and the assistant chief and a good friend of mine who works PD were all sitting there. And I was like, ‘All right, this isn’t good.’ So I turned around and ran out of the room.” Melissa said she was running back to her car, ready to go find Buddy. "I don’t know what I thought," said Melissa. “I guess I thought if they didn’t tell me, then it wasn't true. And I thought I could go find him. I met him a lot on the road to say ‘hey’ or to go eat dinner. And I knew all of his spots. I knew his area where he would be, so I thought I could find him. And it’s not true. He’s just out there at his spot where I normally see him. I don’t know. So I ran out in the parking lot and they ran after me and Mark Pulliam, an officer and good friend of ours from church, ran and grabbed me and he told me. I said, ‘Where is he?’ And he said, ‘He’s not here.’ I said, ‘The hospital?’ and he said, ‘No.’” Melissa said she has had numerous "hardest parts” in dealing with Buddy’s death — initially, it was the fact she couldn’t go see him after his passing. It was part of a crime scene. “I couldn’t hold his hand; I couldn’t go see for myself," said Melissa. “I’m a visual person. I had to wait four days. Not till late that Friday afternoon did I get to see him at the funeral home, because they took him to the crime lab. And I couldn’t do anything. Even his friends that were at the scene. Some of them could com partmentalize and do what they had to do. And others couldn’t. So they had to keep them away. And I know now, because we went to court. Everyone there had to say what they did. Who closed the door? Who did this, who did that? So if I had done anything, I would have had to been up there testifying." Melissa said she and Buddy thought they’d have a long life together and then one would pass away in the presence of the other, perhaps holding their hand. The shooting took away that possibility. “So not only did he — I don’t say his (the shooter’s) name — take Buddy away from me, but he took away that moment,” said Melissa. “We met when we were 16. We thought we would live forever, of course, and grow old together and be there when that happened. And I didn’t even get to go see. And I still feel like I should have pushed a little harder to go, but there probably was no way they would have let me." Of course, a new "hardest part” loomed — telling the children. As family arrived at their house, the children were unaware of what hap pened. And Melissa held off telling them for a day. “I didn’t tell them that day,” she said. “All our family was there. There was too much going on. Callie was 5 and Wyatt was 2. They had no idea. They thought, ‘family is here" and they were playing in the yard having a great time. Callie is a lot like Buddy in that she loves people and can talk and doesn’t meet a stranger. And she has his love like that. And so she was so happy to have all those people, pushing her on the swing and felt like she was the center of attention. She was having so much fun." TELLING THE CHILDREN Melissa said they spent that night at her grand mother’s. "The next day is when I told her and I just made it real generic and I just told her he had gotten hurt at work trying to help a friend and help someone and that he went to heaven,” said Melissa. “What helped her was that we had a dog, (Ginger) a Dalmatian, that passed away when she was 3. I don’t know how she remem bers. But she does and she would ask about that dog forever and we would talk about heaven.” Callie was certain that her father was now taking care of Ginger in heaven. "But her concern, you think of a child's mind, he would always make them paper airplanes," said Melissa. "We would go and wait for him to get off work and he would make them paper airplanes and they would fly them down the hall. And she said, ‘So who will make my paper airplanes?’ Thankfully, I found some of the ones he had made and I kept them for her.” Melissa said it took awhile for Callie to under stand her father’s passing. “So it’s been a constant,” she said. “Each milestone is a thing. And I didn’t tell her what happened and all that. And then she found out from her friend at school, because it was on the news. Then I had to go through the whole story." Melissa said Wyatt was 2 and didn’t under stand anything. “His thing then was he couldn’t understand where he was and why he wasn’t coming home," said Melissa. “And every time the phone would ring, he would think it was him and he would say I want to talk to daddy. And it would just, uh, tear your heart out. And anytime a motorcycle would come down the road or somebody was on the tractor helping me take care of the farm, he thought it was him. Or a truck, a diesel, all those things he associated with daddy. But then I would think, he remembers at least. It’s hard that he’s upset, but he remembers." She said Wyatt asks tough questions. "As he gets older, he’s trying to understand," said Melissa. “He’s been hunting and he shot a little 22 and he’s done that. So he knows about guns, but he just is still trying to understand. He asks me, ‘How does a gun do that?’ He doesn’t understand how something can hurt you like that. And he asks me, ‘Why would that man do that?" His mind is trying to understand things.” WORKING TO HELP OTHERS Melissa has remarried since Buddy’s death. She is now wed to David Griffeth, who works at the Athens Police Department as a criminal ana lyst, not an officer. David was appointed as the liaison between the department and the family after Buddy’s death. “As time went on, he did a lot to help with our house build and all that," said Melissa. “And God just works in mysterious ways. So he's great with the kids and he has a son who’s 14. So I have a stepson now. And they all get along great together. His name is Mason. And they all fit together." Melissa said David helps keep Buddy’s mem ory alive. There are pictures through the house. And he speaks with the kids about their father. He makes them paper airplanes quite often. Wyatt still loves to play on the swing set Buddy built. “He told David, ‘That’s where I feel closest to daddy, when I’m swinging,”’ said Melissa. BUDDY CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION David helped Melissa start the Buddy Chris tian Foundation, which is focused on helping the families of officers killed in the line of duty and with improving safety for officers. Melissa said she’s pushing to have police cars with bul let-proof windows. "That's the only thing that would have saved him that day," she said. The foundation is also focused on providing police departments with "Buddy Kits," which include first-aid supplies that can help a wound ed officer doctor himself if needed. “The idea is that it can be self aid," said Melis sa. "So if they got hurt, if they had it on them. Everything has Velcro and zippers so that they can use it one-handed. It’s got lots of life-saving tools, a cat-tourniquet they can use one handed. Doctors like them because they don’t do too much pressure. Those are some issues with other tourniquets. They have chest seals, a front and a back so if you had an entry and an exit wound, you could close those, some clotting gauze, really nice bandage scissors that will actually cut something. David helped me come up with that. With him being a criminal analyst, he sees a lot of these things and he talked with the officers about what would be useful." The kits were issued to all officers with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. And the foundation is trying to get them to more offi cers. Melissa said an officer used the kit to help someone in downtown Athens after a fight. She said several lives have been saved in Athens by use of the Buddy Kits. “We had a kid downtown who had been stabbed at a bar and one of our officers got there and used a tournequit and saved him,” she said. Melissa is also part of several organizations that focus on fallen officers and their families. Likewise, she participates in the annual Police Unity Tour Bicycle Ride, a 260-mile trek from Portsmouth, Va., to Washington, D.C. Melissa initially declined the offer to participate in the first year, but then changed her mind, determin ing that if “somebody is going to ride for Buddy, it's going to be me.” She said she looks forward to the day when the kids can ride with her. They have to be 18. “It’s very hard,” said Melissa, who has also ridden in honor of several other fallen officers. “I could hardly walk by the time we got there. But it’s a very emotional journey. You wear these little bracelets that have their name on it... there are about 1,000 after we all meet and we all ride in together. And it’s really emotional. They have bagpipes. I used to love bagpipes. Now I hate them.” Melissa said the bicyclists wear bracelets on the bike ride and present them to the fallen offi cer’s family once we reach the National Police Memorial Wall in D.C. “This stands as a testament that their officer will never be forgotten,” said Melissa. LIVING WITH THE MEMORY The sadness of what happened remains fierce for Melissa. "As soon as my feet hit the floor, it’s the first thing you think of every day and the last thing at night and for David to want to come in and be a part of this, that speaks well of him, too," she said. “But we just trust God and the kids are doing great and we’re thankful we have each other and my in-laws, they are very supportive, and we still do our family things we always did.” Melissa said her aim is to keep her late hus band’s giving spirit alive. The foundation, she said, is one way to do that. She also sees that spirit in her children, especially her daughter. “She has a little friend at school and she wants to spend her money to buy her friend things," said Melissa. “So she’ll do anything to help oth ers. Every time we have a book fair, she wants to buy that friend a book with her money." She said she is impressed with her children. "They are so sweet and they’re strong to have gone through all this and not be mean and still love others and they have that soft heart and the will to change things and help people," said Melissa, who said Buddy’s parents are wonder ful grandparents to the kids. She said she's been blessed to have a support ive family and friends. "I have been able to keep going due to God, family, and friends,” said Melissa. "Along with Buddy’s parents, my mom has been amazing as well. She has and continues to help out on numerous occasions. I am very blessed to have a great family support team.” And the day will soon come when the family goes to Buddy’s grave on the fifth anniversary of his death. Again, they’ll watch the balloons rise to heaven. “They (the kids) know they don’t actually go there,” said Melissa. “But sometimes we can see little — and it might sound crazy — but we can see little things in the clouds where you think, well, there’s a little hole there ... but I think he sees them. There’s not much you can do, but that’s something you can visually do and take part in.” Purchased: Housing authority buys old Winder-Barrow Middle School By Al ex Pace Journal Reporter The Winder Housing Authority has bought the old Winder-Barrow Mid dle School facility. Barrow County Board of Education chairman Mark Still announced the closing on the property at the BOE’s Feb. 2 meeting. The BOE initially approved the sale of the 20-acre site for $1 million in February 2014. The WHA has requested several contract extensions until it received HUD approval and funding. Still said the WHA purchased the property on Feb. 1 and plans to name it after the late Robert Wimberly. Wimberly was a long-time educator in the county and served on the BOE and WHA. ELOST figures increase during 2015 By Al ex Pace Journal Reporter Education Local Option Sales Tax revenues were up three percent last year. The Barrow County Board of Education discussed the 2015 ELOST receipts at its Feb. 2 meeting. The district brought in $9.5 million in ELOST for 2015, up three percent from 2014 and 10 percent from 2013. But the district has started seeing a decrease in growth over the past two months. Revenues dipped below the 2014 totals in both November and Decem ber. ELOST totaled at $858,200 during December 2015, compared with $890,200 in the same period last year. BOE approves attendance zoning By Alex Pace Journal Reporter The Barrow County School Sys tem will rezone in 2017. The Barrow County Board of Education approved rezoning to accomodate a new school at its Feb. 2 meeting. A new zone was approved for an elementary school being constructed on McNeal Road and Candler Street. The school is set to open fall 2017. Students in the new elementa ry school (and students at Bramlett Elementary School and County Line Elementary School) will feed into Russell Middle School. A replacement RMS is also being constructed at the McNeal Road and Candler Street site. Students from RMS will contin ue to feed into Winder-Barrow High School. A rezoning committee has met in recent months to create the new atten dance zoning plan. The committee wanted the plan to maintain the dis trict’s feeder system and to consider a future need for another new elemen tary school. The rezoning will take effect in the 2017-18 school year with some stu dents have “grandfathering” options. Rising fifth and eighth graders in 2017-18 can stay at their current zoned schools if they provide their own transportation. Siblings can also stay in their current schools for one year with their rising fifth and eighth grade siblings, but must also provide their own transportation. Rising sixth graders can transfer to their new middle school in 2016-17, but must provide transportation for that year. The new map can be found at http ://barrow.k 12 .ga.us/zone-infor- mation.html. APPROVED ITEMS Also at its meeting, the BOE approved: •a resolution declaring the BOE’s intent to issue 2016 bonds, which could generate $15 million for the district’s elementary school construc tion. The BOE is waiting to receive its audit and could receive an update on the bond progress at its Feb. 23 work session. Citizens voted in 2014 to allow the district to issue bonds for the construction. •a guaranteed maximum price of $13.5 million for several construc tion projects on the new elementary school. The district previously dis cussed hiring sub-contractors for earthwork, paving, structural steel and doors/hardware. •a revision to its curriculum devel opment policy to include current stan dards. •a new Career, Technical and Agri cultural Education class in career management for eighth graders. •the purchase of lab equipment from Southern Educational Consulting and Training and Learning Labs for the CTAE mechatronics lab at the Sims Academy of Innovation and Technolo gy. The total cost of the equipment bid is $67,000, which will be paid through a grant. RECOGNITIONS Also at its meeting, the BOE rec ognized: •schools with the highest atten dance. Winners included: Statham Elementary School and RMS, stu dents; BRES and Westside Middle School, staff; Holsenbeck Elementa ry School, transportation; and BRES, nutrition staff. Winder continued from 1A The increases vary depending on the position and the number of years in the department. A first year police patrol officer will now receive $36,582 annual ly, compared to $35,053 in the previous pay grade. BUYS LAND Also at its meeting, the council approved the purchase of nine acres of land. The council approved ratifying a contract for two tracts located at 152 South Broad Street. The council approved purchasing the property from Lisa Fowlkes at a cost of $160,000. The council has no immediate plans for the property. OTHER APPROVED ITEMS Also at its meeting, the council approved: •an alcohol license for Chevron Food Mart at 233 North Broad Street for beer and wine by the package. The license was previously withheld due to an investigation of illegal video gambling at the location. The store has changed ownership. •membership rates for The Chimneys golf course. Platinum memberships are $2,200 annually, gold memberships are $1,700 and silver memberships are $600. Seasonal and daily rates will vary. •an increase in education salary incentives for public safety officials. The new rates include $100 per pay period for associates degree and $150 for bachelors degree. •a contract with Contour Grading for $162,000 plus a 10 percent contin gency to replace the culvert and other related draining improvements on Val ley view Drive. •an alcohol license for Sunoco Food Mart at 183 West Athens Street for beer and wine by the package. •an event permit for the 2016 Springfest at Jug Tavern Park on May 27-June 5. •several regulatory changes required by the Internal Revenue Service. This includes changes to its 401(a) Defined Contribution plan and 457 Deferred Compensation Plan Restatement Agreement. •a telecommunications audit agreement with SpyGlass. The company will audit the city’s communications bills to see if it can save money. If savings are found, the company will take a portion of the money. RMS schedules reflection event The Russell Reflections Dinner and Silent Auction will be held Saturday, Feb. 6, from 6-8 p.m. in the Russell Middle School gymnasium. RMS staff invites the community to join them to commemorate the history of the current building and all it has brought to the community as the school awaits the opening of its new facility. It will be a time to reflect on the past as well as a time to celebrate the many new beginnings in store, school leaders state. Tickets are available for $15 and may be purchased by contacting the school at 770-867-8181.