About Barrow journal. (Winder, Ga.) 2008-2016 | View Entire Issue (June 8, 2016)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2016 BARROW JOURNAL PAGE 3A RUNDOWN PROPERTY This stucture on Joseph Street will likely be demolished soon. In Bethlehem... Abandoned home set for demolition By Chris Bridges Journal Editor The property at 44 Joseph Street in Bethlehem, long deemed a hazard as well as an eyesore, will soon see the vacant dwelling demolished. “We’ve been dealing with this for five years.” said Bethlehem mayor Sandy McNab during Monday’s council meeting. “The owners have had every chance to take care of it and they offered every excuse possible.” The Town of Bethlehem is now set to get a judge’s order to remove the vacant and crumbling dwelling that still sits on the property. McNab said neighborhood chil dren can be seen playing near it each day. “Have we heard anything from the owner?” asked city council member Wayne Ridgeway. “No one has called me,” McNab said. “I think it needs to be gone. We need to get a judge’s order to tear it down and clean up the lot. If we can spend money on other things, we can spend it to take care of this.” The property on Joseph Street has long been an issue for McNab as the owners have been unwilling to work with him or the town on cleaning up the lot. Bethlehem hired Philip Gruber Enterprises of Toccoa, a certified building inspection service, to issue a state ment on the property. In a letter to the city, Gruber Enter prises said: “The structure is damaged to the extent that I believe it would not be cost effective to try to repair. Therefore. I recommend tearing it down.” The council voted 3-1 to move forward with getting a judge’s order. Council member Tommy Buchanan voted against the motion. He has previously expressed being hesitant about the council taking someone’s private property. Auburn re-ups with Republic Sanitation By Sli aron Hog'an Journal Reporter Republic Services Sanitation is approved as the City of Auburn’s residential solid waste collector. The city council, at the meeting on June 2, approved a contract amendment that will increase the garbage rates by 18 cents. Regular residents will pay $15.69 and senior residents will pay $13.29 as of June 1. The new rates are locked in for 2016 and 2017. On December 31, 2017, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be reviewed for a rate increase pursuant to section 5.3 of the original agreement. OTHER BUSINESS In other business at the meeting, the council: •unanimously approved a two-year contract extension with Gruber Enterprises for building inspections and other services. •approved Falcon Design Consultants LLC in the amount of $6,000 for roadway evaluation and inspection report. A proposal for $6,800 was also received from Engineering Management Inc. for this project. •authorized Mayor Linda Blechinger to send a letter to reimburse Barrow County for actual quantities installed at the awarded unit prices for road paving on Harmony Church Road from Mount Moriah to Scenic Lane not to exceed $61,819, to be paid out of Barrow County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) revenue. •approved Contour Grading and Pipe LLC in the amount of $36,900 contingent on Environmental Protection Division (EPD) approval to install the entrance for Parks Mill Road to the raw water storage pond and to authorize Blechinger and city attorney Jack Wilson to execute the agreement. •received notice from the American Public Works Asso ciation Georgia Chapter that Iris Akridge has been selected at the Public Works Employee of the Year for 2016. Akridge will be recognized for this honor at a reception in July. “She is very deserving of this award,” Blechinger said. Winder denies rezoning City of Winder officials denied a rezoning request from David and Jean Rigby for their property on Carter Hill Drive. The Rigbys wanted to rezone the property from A-1 (Agri cultural) to B-2 (General Commerical) Zone. David Rigby said he did not plan to open a business at the location, rather, he wanted the zone change to increase the property value as he is planning to eventually sell it. David Rigby said none of his neighbors objected to the change and, in fact, many of them were also going to request a similar zoning change. The Winder City Council voted unanimously to deny the request. Also at the Tuesday meeting, the Winder City Council: •increased fines for parking over the alloted time in down town Winder to $30 (from $ 10-$ 15) and $144 for parking in front of or blocking access to a fire hydrant (up from $50). •appointed Kathy Ash to the Piedmont Regional Library Board for a three-year term expiring June 30, 2019. •appointed Taffy McCormick to the Historic Preservation Commission to fill a vacant position. The term expires Dec. 17, 2017. BOE chooses local bid in split vote By Alex Pace Journal Reporter Barrow County’s Board of Educa tion chose a bid from a local company Tuesday night even though it wasn’t the lowest bid. The bid for 1,175 solid state drives (hardware replacement) was awarded to SCW of Marietta. But Systemize Networks, of Stoughton, Mass., had the lowest bid ($70,970). SCW’S bid was only $200 more than the lowest bid, or approximately 0.3 percent. The district has also done previous work with SCW. Because of the small cost difference and previous BOE discussions on choosing local, staff recommended going with SCW. But assistant superintendent Ken Greene expressed hesitation Tuesday on whether he’d made the right deci sion by not recommending the low bid. Superintendent Chris McMichael also recommended going with SCW and did not change his recommen dation. Suzanne Angle was the lone “nay” voter. This is the most recent example of an ongoing BOE discussion on whether preference should be given to local bidders when the cost difference is minimal. In many cases, the district has done previous work with the local bidders and feels comfortable with their work. Awarding local bids also helps to support those businesses, who employ people locally and have made some investment in the community. There could also be some benefits to having a local company in case service or returns are needed. But the BOE also has an obligation to conservatively spend taxpayer’s money. Giving preference to local bidders could also deter other compa nies from bidding. The BOE has debated the issue over the years and several members want a defined guideline for the future. John St. Clair, IT network manager, said his general “rule of thumb” is if the cost difference is less than one per cent go local. The BOE could discuss creating a formal guideline at its June meeting. Last day enrollment numbers for BCSS down By Al ex Pace Journal Reporter Enrollment was slightly down on the last day of school compared to 2015. The Barrow County School System had 59 less students enrolled on the last day of the 2016 school year com pared to the last day of the 2015 school year. While that’s only a slight decrease (0.4 percent), it is a change from the recent trend. Last day enrollment has increased each year in the past several years. The majority of individ ual schools had a decrease in enrollment between the two years, except for County Line Elementary School, Statham Elementa ry School, Yargo Elementa ry School, Bear Creek Ele mentary School and both high schools. 2016 ENROLLMENT The BCSS started the 2016 school year with 12,910 students. Enroll ment jumped between the first and 40th day, where enrollment totaled 13,458. From there, enrollment numbers steadily decreased throughout the school year, bringing the 2016 final day total to 13,328 students. Climate continued from 1A EXCELLENT RATING •Haymon-Morris Middle School •Bear Creek Middle School •Bethlehem Elementary School •Russell Middle School •Yargo Elementary School •Statham Elementary School •Bramlett Elementary School ^ Boots Belt ✓ Carhartt ✓ Hat/Cap ✓ Wrangler ✓ Socks Buy one boot at regular price get 50% Off One men’s Belt, Jeans, or Shirt!! 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