Newspaper Page Text
36 Pages 3 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County Georgia 50« Copy Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Barrow
Briefs
Annual
Christmas
parade set
The 68th Winder Christmas
Parade will be held on Saturday,
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 Tavern Park.
The road closures include:
•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 Mid
land 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 along with vendors, kids
activities and the holiday ice skat
ing rink.
The gazebo parking lot on East
Candler Street will be closed from
Dec. 8 through Dec. 20. for the
holiday ice skating rink.
Eggs and
issues
Jackson EMC will present the
“Eggs and Issues” breakfast at
7:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Geor
gia Club, 1050 Chancellors Drive,
Statham.
Registration and breakfast are at
7:30 a.m., and the program begins
at 8 a.m.
Congressman Jody Hice will be
the keynote speaker. Others giving
remarks will be state Sen. Frank
Ginn of the 47th District, state
Rep. Terry England of the 116th
District, state Rep. Tom Kirby of
the 114th District and state Rep.
Regina Quick of the 117th Dis
trict.
Individual tickets are $25 and it
is $300 to sponsor a table.
Reservations are required. To
make a reservation, call the cham
ber at 770-867-9444 or email
tnmilner@barrowchamber.com.
Index:
Church News
10A
Classifieds
8-9 B
Legals
4-11C
Obituaries
11A
Pets of the Week
3C
Public Safety
7-9 A
Sports
1-12B
Mailing
Label Below
8
14 5 4 1
7
‘Winder’ is new school name
By Rn Bridg' eman
News-Journal Reporter
Winder’s new elementary
school will be named for the
town.
After several weeks of contro
versy, the Barrow County Board
of Education approved nam
ing the new school on McNeal
Road “Winder Elementary” at
its meeting Tuesday night.
The board voted 6-2 to name
the new school Winder, rejecting
a survey taken of families with
students who will attend the new
school.
The survey tabbed “Cedar
Creek Elementary” with 46
votes as the top name. Winder
was the third choice with 20
votes while there were 22 for
“Berry Elementary”.
The board took two votes on
a school name. The first was
for Cedar Creek, proposed by
Lynn Stevens and Connie Wehu-
nt. Michael Shelley joined those
two in voting for Cedar Creek.
Voting against were Mark
Still, Rickey Bailey, Rolando
Alvarez. Garey Huff Sr. and
Suzanne Angle. Debi Krause
missed the meeting because of a
death in her family.
Alvarez then made a motion
to name the new school Winder.
Still, Bailey, Huff, Angle and
Shelley voted “yes” with him.
Stevens and Wehunt voted no.
Bob Dixon, former county
school board member, urged
the board to name it Winder.
He cited the “outstanding” rela
tionship between the board and
city. He emphasized the city’s
assistance in creating and main
taining the athletic complex at
Winder-Barrow High School.
Dixon also said other towns
in the county - Statham, Auburn
and Bethlehem - have their
names on elementary schools.
Wehunt and Stevens said the
board should accept the survey
conducted of those families who
will have children at the school
and use Cedar Creek as the
name.
“We shouldn’t even put it
( the survey ) out” if the board is
not going to accept the results,
Wehunt said.
See School on Page 2A
Special athletes
BARROW MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
COMPETE IN SPECIAL OLYMPICS BASKETBALL
The Barrow County School System hosted a Special Olympics basketball competition on
Thursday at Russell Middle School. Students from all four Barrow County middle schools
— Russell, Haymon-Morris, Westside and Bear Creek — learned basketball skills and then
competed against each other in games. Pictured above, from left to right, are: Ciara St.
Marie, Sunshine Tao, Samantha Ness and Cathryn Clack. Photos courtesy of Susan Mullis
AWARD WINNERS
Barrow County students Laura Ness, left,
and Marissa Bessetti celebrate after par
ticipating in the school system’s Special
Olympics basketball competition Thursday
at Russell Middle School. The competition
included students from all four of the sys
tem’s middle schools.
STARS
Jaylin Conley, left, and Blake Dobbs partici
pated in the Barrow County School System’s
Special Olympics basketball competition.
WPD
to hold
business
forum
The Winder Police
Department is inviting the
public to its department’s
2016 Winder Business
Forum.
The forum will be held
at the Winder Community
Center, 113 East Athens
St., on the following dates
and times:
•Today, 2-3 p.m.
•Thursday, 9-10 a.m.
•Dec. 14, 9-10 a.m.
•Dec. 15, 2-3 p.m.
Topics will include:
•Counterfeit Money:
How to detect fake bills
•Camera Systems and
Security
•Theft and Robbery Pre
vention
•How to be a Good Wit
ness
•Everbridge Software
Application
•Scams
Businesses all around
the country have been vic
tims of counterfeit bills,
shoplifting, burglary, and
scams.
So the department is
aiming to get information
in the hands of the business
owners and managers in
the community in an effort
to reduce the rate of crime
and to increase the capture
and conviction of those
who choose to become
criminals, the release said.
RSVP as soon as pos
sible to reserve your pre
ferred spot.
If that session is filled,
those interested in attend
ing may be asked to choose
another session, the release
said.
Please RSVP to Alicia
Schotter at 678-425-6838
of 770-867-2156.
Bethlehem council considers next year s budget
By Si, aron Hog'an
News-Journal Reporter
The Bethlehem City Council
is currently working on the Fis
cal Year 2017 budget.
Monday the council looked
at a proposed 2017 budget of
$313,483 in expenses - down
$20,314 from the 2016 budget
of $333,797.
The decrease is due to the
elimination of any equipment in
the upcoming budget.
In 2016 the budget included
an expense of $20,314.16 for a
truck.
On the revenue side, the pro
posed total for 2017 is $336,551
- up $2,663 from the 2016 bud
get.
The increase is due to an
increase in Local Maintenance
and Improvement Grant (LMIG)
funds from the state for paving.
The council will hold a public
hearing on the FY2017 proposed
budget at the 7 p.m. Jan. 9, 2017,
council meeting. The 2017 bud
get will be voted on during the
Feb. 6, 2017, council meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Monday’s
meeting, the council:
•continued a discussion on the
culvert repairs needed on Har
rison Mill Road. Mayor Sandy
McNab reminded the council
that the city recently approved
spending $20,000 for repairs on
the city’s portion.
He said a Barrow County rep
resentative had contacted him
to request that the city partici
pate in the costs of repairs that
are planned by the county. The
council agreed to participate at a
minimal level.
•heard a report from McNab
that the property located at 44
Joseph Street had been cleared.
“We now have a level piece of
property down there,” McNab
said.
•continued its discussion on
a sign for the city. City clerk
Kathy Bridges has solicited bids
from various sign companies on
both a base sign and an LED
sign. Council member Wayne
Ridgeway told council members
the first decision needed to be
what kind of sign - base or LED.
“Then we need to decide if we
want a one-sided sign that will
sit parallel with (Highway) 11 or
if we want a two-side sign that
will sit perpendicular with 11,”
Ridgeway said.
McNab suggested that Bridges
get a representative from Alcovy
Signs in Monroe, the company
that submitted the latest bid pro
posal, to come out and meet with
the council at the location where
the sign is being proposed.