Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Braselton News
Page 3A
Barrow Countv Board of Commissioners
Transportation tops list of county issues for BOC
BY KRISTI REED
embers of the Barrow
County Board of
Commissioners dis
cussed a number of issues facing the
county, but high on many BOC mem
bers’ list was better transportation.
Jim Dove, executive director for
the Northeast Georgia Regional
Development Center, acted as the
retreat facilitator and asked each
member of the BOC to name his pri
mary concern for the county.
HEALAN AND BERRY
District 3 commissioner Bill
Healan and District 4 commissioner
Isaiah Berry both named infrastruc
ture and transportation issues as their
top concerns.
Healan said the county needs to
explore transportation alternatives
to alleviate traffic problems, partic
ularly within the City of Winder.
Alternative routes must be consid
ered given the absence of state fund
ing, said Healan.
Healan suggested that the county
and city work together to solve the
problems caused by increased popu
lation.
“We have to do something to
improve the problem,” Healan said.
Berry said infrastructure, including
the airport facilities, is the biggest
issue facing Barrow County. Plans
to upgrade and expand the Northeast
Georgia Regional Airport in Winder
has been the subject of much contro
versy in the county over the last few
months.
BROWN AND PARKS
District 2 commissioner Bill Brown
cited quality growth as one of his big
gest concerns. Brown said the county
must effectively deal with growth
and related transportation, business
development, education and recre
ational issues. Brown said he would
like to see more intergovernmen
tal cooperation as Barrow County
continues to grow. He said county
and city governments are cooperating
more than ever and service consoli
dation is going well.
Brown said he would also like a
coalition of citizens to explore the
benefits of a unified government in
the county.
District 5 commissioner Billy Parks
named transportation as a top con
cern, but also said it is important for
the county to look at certain issues
with a regional or even statewide
perspective. Parks said issues such
as water supply and landfill loca
tions affect more than just Barrow
County.
LAMPP AND GARRISON
District 1 commissioner Jerry
Lampp listed public relations and
transportation as key issues. Lampp
said the county must do a better
job with public relations in order
to alleviate misconceptions. Lampp
also emphasized the importance of
working with various municipalities
to effectively deliver services to the
citizens of Barrow County.
BOC chairman Doug Garrison said
he wants the county to establish pri
orities and identify funds for imple
menting the county's master plan.
Garrison also said it is important for
the board to encourage economic
development, saying it would drive
everything else.
“Economic development has to
happen,” Garrison said. “None of us
want our children or grandchildren to
drive to Atlanta to work.”
Barrow legal system facing challenges
BY KRISTI REED
An increased juvenile case load, higher crime rates
and a growing number of offenders are just some of the
issues confronting Barrow County’s legal system.
Piedmont Circuit District Attorney Richard Bridgeman,
Juvenile Court Judge Kevin Guidry and Barrow County
Sheriff Joe Robinson were among the elected offi
cials who addressed the Barrow County Board of
Commissioners at the board’s retreat in Commerce last
week.
JUVENILE COURT
Judge Guidry told the board that Barrow County repre
sents the largest number of cases in the Piedmont Judicial
Circuit juvenile system. Guidry said the child advocate
office is understaffed and needs additional employees to
adequately meet the needs of Barrow County.
Guidry said he would like to staff a juvenile court office
in the new Barrow County Courthouse with one of the
child advocates currently stationed in Jefferson. He said
he would also like to move a program coordinator from
Jefferson to Barrow County. Additionally, Guidry said he
would like to add a child advocate, deputy program coordi
nator and an administrative assistant to the Winder office.
Guidry’s goal is to have one attorney for every 130
deprived children. Though the national standard is one
attorney per every 100 cases, Guidry’s office is currently
functioning with two attorneys handling 339 cases, or
approximately 170 cases each.
DA’S OFFICE
Bridgeman told members of the BOC one of the big
gest obstacles facing his office is the increase in statutory
sentencing requirements without additional resources to
impose the mandates.
Bridgeman said there is not enough prison space to
house offenders and not enough probation officers to deal
with parolees. He said less serious offenders are going to
end up in the community, creating a problem for citizens
and law enforcement.
“We have to find more creative ways to deal with
offenders coming into our system,” he said.
Bridgeman said his office would like to do more to
keep juvenile offenders from growing into adult offend
ers. He said it is imperative that law enforcement and the
judiciary help children get back on the right track so that
they can grow into law-abiding citizens.
He also spoke in favor of alternative sentencing and
work release programs. Offenders who have a desire
to get out of the vicious cycle of arrest and recidivism,
should have the opportunity to do so, Bridgeman said.
“It is always a success when someone doesn’t come
back before us as a defendant,” he said. “A lot of these
people can get their life back on track with the proper
incentives.”
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sheriff Robinson told the board that the economy is
putting a strain on his office and the county in general.
“The economy is bad and when it gets bad, our business
picks up,” he said.
Robinson said his office is experiencing more burglar
ies, thefts, family violence cases and incidents of child
abuse.
Robinson said the jail currently has 90 beds, but is
responsible for housing 216 prisoners. The cost of hous
ing prisoners in other facilities is a problem that should
be corrected when the new jail facility is completed in
2009, he said.
Robinson invited the board to ask questions and get
involved with his office to learn more about what it is
doing and what it needs to serve the citizens of Barrow
County.
Robinson said he just wants to run his office to do what
the citizens of Barrow County elected him to do.
“We are not your enemy; we are all elected to do a job,”
he said.
Hoschton
City still looking for new sewer line customers
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Hoschton is still seeking commit
ments from several existing busi
nesses that could benefit from a new
sewer line in the city’s industrial
area.
On Monday, council member
Richard Green reported that the city
has received verbal commitments
for slightly more than half of the
construction cost for the project.
Last month, the council approved
a $118,00 bid to install a sewer line
along Ga. Hwy. 53, from Jopena
Blvd. to Nancy Industrial.
But the council said it would need
to receive $59,000 from the busi
nesses that will connect to sewer
line within 45 days of the Feb. 4
council meeting.
The council also decided this week
not to proceed with a plan to install a
reuse water line when the new sewer
pipe is laid in the ground.
In a related matter, Green reported
that the improvements to the city’s
wastewater treatment plant remain
on schedule and within budget. A
plant start-up is expected in mid-
June, he said.
CHAMBER’S SHINING STAR
Barrow County School superintendent Dr. Ron Saunders was given the Shining Star award from
the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce at its annual awards dinner Saturday. He is pictured
receiving the award from chamber president Tommy Jennings. Other award recipients include,
Citizen of the Year, LeAnne Akin; Business of the Year, Community Bank and Trust; Distinguished
Service Award, Dr. Stan Coley; and the Community Service Award, Mickey Thompson.
Photo by April Sorrow
Funding for roads and water a Barrow issue
BY KRISTI REED
Barrow County public works director Terry Darragh
told members of the county board of commissioners that
funding remains an issue as the county works to com
plete a growing list of infrastructure projects.
Addressing the BOC at Friday’s retreat in Commerce,
Darragh reviewed project priorities and said the focus
for his department is on identifying the most important
projects that can be accomplished with current funding.
Darragh explained that the county’s Comprehensive
Transportation Plan (CTP) has six primary goals: Include
all modes of transportation; reduce travel time and
congestion; promote improved safety and efficiency;
involve the community; improve air and water quality;
and evaluate land use impacts.
With the list of road projects alone topping $632 mil
lion, Darragh said prioritizing is critical.
According to Darragh, even if all the projects listed in
the CTP are built, there are areas of Hwy. 316 and Hwy.
211 that will be overcapacity by 2030. If the projects
are not completed, several other roads, including Dee
Kennedy, Hwy. 11 and Hwy. 81 will be added to that
list.
Darragh said the West Winder Bypass is a key project
in alleviating traffic woes within the county, but funding
for the project has been pushed back forcing the county
to consider alternatives.
Darragh told the board that while new roads are need
ed, ongoing road maintenance is also a major concern.
Many roads have exceeded their lifecycle and need pav
ing rehabilitation, Darragh said.
Additionally, there are 10 dirt roads on the list to be
paved and several others needing repairs, he added.
Funding has not been identified for those projects.
WATER AND SEWER
Darragh also reviewed several water and sewer proj
ects currently nearing completion and discussed an
ongoing water supply study.
Jordan, Jones and Goulding Engineering is conduct
ing a study for the county that will identify existing and
future needs of water providers in the area. The study
is expected to identify future water supply sources and
list opportunities for the county and cities to coopera
tively plan and construct future projects. Darragh said
he expects the study to be completed within the next
few months.
Another major concern for the public works depart
ment is stormwater management, Darragh said. There
are numerous detention ponds and storm drains cur
rently in need of repairs, he said. Some 75 of the 300
detention ponds in the county need repairs and 150 need
maintenance work completed.
The majority of the work is unfunded by the state,
Darragh said. He added his department will need addi
tional staff to meet future demands and maintain compli
ance with state regulations.
Barrow leaders target areas for improvement
BY KRISTI REED
Barrow County department heads
met last week to discuss ways in
which the county could improve
services for citizens.
Addressing members of the Barrow
County Board of Commissioners at
last Friday’s board retreat, plan
ning director Guy Herring said he
and fellow department heads identi
fied seven primary areas of concern.
These include customer service,
infrastructure projects, recreation
needs and employee retention.
As part of their meeting, the depart
ment heads also crafted a mission
statement for Barrow County which
states: “The Barrow County govern
ment is dedicated to promoting the
highest quality of life through bal
anced growth, fiscal responsibility
and efficient delivery of services for
our community.”
To achieve those goals, Herring
said he and other department heads
would like to see improvement in
the following areas:
• Communications — The depart
ment heads asked that a public infor
mation officer be hired to improve
internal and external communica
tions. The intent is to insure that
department directors have one per
son of contact through which to
distribute accurate information to
the public.
• Recreation — Growth in Barrow
County has led to increased demand
for recreational opportunities.
Assistant Administrator Michael
Fischer said the county has two
undeveloped parcels — 74 acres
on Hwy. 124 in Braselton and 300
acres in Bethlehem — which could
be developed for recreational uses,
such as soccer fields, football fields,
a skate park and a dog park. Fischer
said the county’s teen population in
particular needs recreational options.
“Teenagers are really getting lost,”
he said. “We’ve got to have a place
for these kids.”
• Customer service — In an effort
to insure all citizens can speak to a
person when they call the county,
the department heads agreed that a
full-time customer service position
should be added to the county bud
get. Herring said many citizens pre
fer human contact to voice mail and
that a customer service representa
tive could assist people in reaching
the appropriate departments.
• Employee retention — The
need to attract and retain qualified
employees was named as another
concern in Barrow County govern
ment. To help meet that goal, county
leaders discussed various retire
ment options that could produce a
more attractive benefits package for
employees.
• Infrastructure — Barrow County
has a large number of pending
projects that need to be prioritized.
County Administrator Keith Lee
said it would be beneficial to have
the board weigh-in on the prioritiza
tion of these projects. Lee said the
See IMPROVE on page 5A
NEW OWNERS
Still selling auto parts and
Buying scrap metal &? junk cars
HAYNES
SALVAGE
706-335-5166
/T
Piedmont CASA Presents Its
3rd Annual CASAblanca
‘Casino Royale Evening*
Dancing, Live DJ, Your favorite gaming tables with professional dealers
Saturday, March 8, 2008 7PM.
Jefferson Civic Center, Jefferson, Georgia
Hors doeuvres, Wine and Beer
Give-away for
7 Nights
at the Krystal International
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Other prizes throughout the night
2*J CASA
Sponsorship of Gaming Tables Available
To purchase tickets or become a Valued Sponsor call
706-387-6375
or email to rbt@windstream.net
You may also visit our website at piedmontcasa.com
Benefits Abused and Neglected Children in Jackson, Banks and Barrow counties