Newspaper Page Text
32 Pages 3 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County Georgia 50« Copy Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Barrow
Briefs
Annual Christmas
parade set for Dec. 10
The 68th Winder Christmas
Parade will be held on Saturday.
Dec. 10, beginning at 4 p.m.
The parade will take place
along North Broad Street, going
through downtown beginning at
Ingles, traveling south to East
Athens Street towards Jug Tav
ern Park.
The road closures will be as
follows:
•North Broad Street from
Lake Drive to May Street, and
East Athens Street from North
Broad Street to MLK Drive. The
road closures will begin at the
parade’s commencement.
•East Candler Street between
North Broad Street to Park Ave
nue, and North Jackson Street
between Candler Street and
Midland Avenue will also be
closed between the hours of 7
a.m. and 11 p.m. on Dec. 10, for
parade festivities which include
a holiday concert immediately
following the parade, vendors,
kids activities and the holiday ice
skating rink.
The gazebo parking lot on East
Candler Street will be closed
from Dec. 8 through Dec. 20. for
the holiday ice skating rink.
Construction to begin
on Fort Yargo raw
water project in December
The City of Winder will be
starting construction on the Fort
Yargo raw water project next
month.
The project will include
replacement of the existing
intake structure and pump sta
tion at Fort Yargo Lake, as well
as 30,000 linear feet of water
main extending from Fort Yargo
Lake to the city’s water treat
ment plant at the intersection
of Rockwell Church Road and
Ga. 53.
Fort Yargo Lake serves as
a backup to the city’s prima
ry water source, the Mulberry
River. The upgrade will allow
the city to withdraw its full per
mitted amount from the lake
during times of emergency.
The city was awarded a loan
to fund the project through the
Georgia Environmental Finance
Authority at a reduced interest
rate of 0.89 percent. The project
is scheduled to be completed
during calendar year 2017.
Index:
Church News
10A
Classifieds
4-5C
Legals
6-11C
Obituaries
11A
Pets of the Week
2C
Public Safety
7-9 A
Sports
1-8B
Mailing
Label Below
8
14 5 4 1
7
Statham police chief, mayor
defend officer, department
Opponent points to comparison with Auburn statistics
By Ron Bridg'eman
News-Journal Reporter
Statham’s mayor and police
chief strongly defended the city
and a police officer accused of
misconduct during an interview
last week.
A report compiled by Police
Chief Allan Johnston says of
63 cases by Officer Marc Lof
ton in 2015, toxicology reports
showed drugs and/or alcohol on
59 of the cases - 93.65 percent.
The report covers the period
from Jan. 1, 2015, to Nov. 7,
2015. It includes a 10-page let
ter to city officials and an eight-
page listing of the 63 cases
involving DUI and Lofton.
Of the 63 cases, 58 of them
are “DUI - less safe” charges.
Some involved alcohol: most
are for drugs. However. Kelly
Pickens, one of those calling for
an investigation, said Johnston’s
list of DUI cases for Lofton are
as many as the city of Auburn
had in nearly two years - 59 in
Auburn, she said.
She also said Statham Mayor
Robert Bridges’ letter asking for
an investigation by the GBI was
useless.
“We do not want the northern
bureau (of GBI) to be involved,”
she said, “because of its numer
ous ties” to Statham officials.
Bridges said Monday morn
ing he has not heard from the
GBI about his letter.
Nelly Miles, with the GBI
Inside:
Lofton had
critical evaluation in
Winder in 2015.
-Page 2A
office of information, said Mon
day evening the agency does not
See Police on Page 2A
EAT UP
Freddie the Falcon, the mascot of the Atlanta Falcons, feeds Holsenbeck Elementary
School fifth-grader Joshua Matthews his lunch Tuesday during a celebration of the Barrow
County School System’s Golden Radish Award, which recognizes schools in Georgia that
excel in farm-to-school initiatives. Falcons representatives, including wide receiver Aldrick
Robinson and cheerleaders Elyse Bailey and Jordan Byrd, as well as state agriculture com
missioner Gary Black were on hand for the celebration. Photos courtesy of Carmen Morrison
Atlanta Falcons, agriculture commissioner
visit Holsenbeck Elementary for celebration
Holsenbeck Elementary School cafeteria staff
and students hosted several distinguished guests,
including Georgia’s agriculture commissioner and
Atlanta Falcons representatives to celebrate the
many positive farm to school initiatives in Barrow
County school cafeterias system-wide.
On the menu was fresh broccoli from Fry Farm
in Bethlehem who picked and delivered the fresh
produce the day before. Other menu items from
Georgia farmers and producers included carrots,
chicken and brownie bites.
Earlier this year BCSS received the distin
guished Golden Radish Award, which publicly
recognizes school districts for all aspects of farm
to school initiatives, from local food procurement
to hosting taste tests to gardening with students.
The celebration was sponsored by the Arthur
M. Blank Foundation in partnership with agricul
ture commissioner Gary Black, Georgia Organics
and the state Department of Education.
SPECIAL GUEST
Atlanta Falcons receiver Aldrick Robinson
and HES cafeteria worker Carolyn Price, who
just celebrated 50 years with the school sys
tem, pose for a photo.
Divide
continues
over school
name
By Ron Bridg'eman
News-Journal Reporter
The name for Barrow
County’s new elementary
school continues to be the
source of dissent.
A survey sent to fami
lies with children expected
to attend the school drew
about a 25 percent response
- 86 surveys total.
The board is expected
to vote on a name for the
school at its regular meet
ing Tuesday.
The top name in the sur
vey was Cedar Creek Ele
mentary School with 46
responses. But a majori
ty of the members of the
Barrow County Board of
Education are likely to sup
port the third choice in the
survey, “Winder Elementa
ry.” which was third in the
survey.
The second most respons
es, 22, were for Berry Ele
mentary.
Lynn Stevens, vice chair
and from Dist. 5, termed the
Winder responses “a distant
third” and said if a sur
vey was done, the respons
es should carry “great”
weight with the board. If
the board goes against the
survey results, she warned,
it should expect to get little
response. She also accused
some board members of
being “Winder-centric.”
Board members Rolan
do Alvarez, Rickey Bailey,
Mark Still, Michael Shel
ley and Garey Huff Sr.
expressed differing degrees
of disagreement about the
See School on Page 3A
Commissioners approve LMIG money for road work
By Scott Tkompson
Editor
Barrow County will be
receiving help from the
state to patch and resur
face six county roads
over the next several
months.
The Barrow Board
of Commissioners last
week approved the coun
ty’s application to the
Georgia Department of
Transportation to receive
Local Maintenance and
Improvement Grant
money to complete the
work.
The road projects,
which entail mill
ing, patching, striping,
shoulder reconstruction
and turf establishment,
include:
•a 1.62-mile stretch of
Kilcrease Road between
Ga. 316 and Stonebrooke
Drive.
•a 0.44-mile stretch
of Patrick Mill Road
between the Gwinnett
County line and the
pavement joint south
west of Barrow Industri
al Parkway.
•a 0.52-mile stretch
of Patrick Mill Road
between Barrow Indus
trial Parkway and Ga.
316.
•a 1.83-mile stretch
of Carl-Bethlehem Road
between 1,060 feet west
of Patrick Mill Road and
the Carl city limits.
•a 0.37-mile stretch of
Pinebrook Road between
Kennedy Sells Road and
the dead-end cul-de-sac.
•a 0.12-mile stretch
of Pinebrook Court
between Pinebrook Road
and the cul-de-sac.
The work is project
ed to cost roughly $1.03
million and the bulk
of that will be covered
by the county’s LMIG
formula amount of
$695,412.
The county, which
is required to provide
a minimum 30-percent
match of the grant, will
be on the hook for the
remaining $331,734,
which will come from a
combination of proceeds
from SPLOST 2012 and
the Fiscal Year 2017 bud
get general fund.
Once the county
receives its check from
the state, it will compet
itively bid out the road
work. Construction is
expected to begin spring
2017 and be completed
by summer.
In other business at
its Nov. 22 meeting, the
board of commissioners:
•approved a reduction
in Barrow Animal Con
trol pet adoption fees
from $35 to $25, effec
tive Nov. 25 through
Dec. 31. The reduction is
an effort to get more peo
ple to adopt pets during
the holidays and make
more space available for
incoming animals.
See BOC on Page 12A