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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016
FEBRUARY
•The Barrow County
Board of Education approved
rezoning at its Feb. 2 meet
ing to accommodate the
new elementary school. Stu
dents in the new elementa
ry school (and students at
Bramlett and County Line
elementary schools) will feed
into Russell Middle School.
Students from RMS will
continue to feed into Wind
er-Barrow High School. A
rezoning committee met over
several months to create the
new attendance zoning plan.
The committee wanted the
plan to maintain the district’s
feeder system and to consid
er a future need for anoth
er new elementary school.
The rezoning will take effect
in the 2017-18 school year
with some students having
“grandfathering” options.
Rising fifth- and eighth-grad
ers in 2017-18 can stay at
their current zoned schools if
they provide their own trans
portation. Siblings can also
stay in their current schools
for one year with their rising
fifth- and eighth-grade sib
lings, but must also provide
their own transportation. Ris
ing sixth-graders can transfer
to their new middle school in
2016-17, but must provide
transportation for that year.
•The Winder Housing
Authority purchased the
old Winder-Barrow Middle
School facility. Barrow Coun
ty Board of Education chair
man Mark Still announced
the closing on the property at
the board’s Feb. 2 meeting.
The board initially approved
the sale of the 20-acre site for
$1 million in February 2014.
The WHA requested several
contract extensions until it
received HUD approval and
funding. The housing author
ity announced plans to turn
the property into a commu
nity center and name it after
the late Robert Wimberly,
a long-time educator in the
county who served on both
the school board and housing
authority boards.
MARCH
•On March 1 — Super
Tuesday —Barrow County
voters echoed the actions of
those across the state during
Georgia’s Presidential Prefer
ence Primary. Donald Trump
carried Barrow County with
4,653 votes (40.77 percent)
for the Republicans while
Hillary Clinton was the win
ner locally and statewide in
the Democratic Party. Clin
ton garnered 1.457 votes in
Barrow County (61.71 per
cent).
•Barrow County District
5 commissioner Billy Parks
qualified to challenge incum
bent chairman Pat Graham
in the May 24 Republican
primary but had to resign his
seat in order to do so. County
officials announced the seat
would not be filled until a
special election in November.
•Camden County, N.C.,
manager Michael Renshaw
was announced by Barrow
County as the sole finalist
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
GOODBYE TO A GREAT
YEAR - 2016 was one of
the best years we have had at
ACS, as the Lord blessed us
with many individual, team,
and School accomplish
ments. Here are just a few.
Our Bible Quiz team won
the first National Champi
onship in School history,
winning all four major tour
naments of the year. Our
football team hosted its first
GHSA playoff game, and
our softball team finished
5th in the State. Our Middle
School Land Judging team
also won a State Champion
ship.
Our School collected over
65,000 pounds of food for
the Hunger Bowl, and over
850 boxes for Operation
Christmas Child. Thanks to
everyone who helped make
2016 a very memorable year
at ACS.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
for its county manager posi
tion, which was being held
on an interim basis by Jimmy
Terrell.
APRIL
•Former Auburn Police
Department Cpl. Charles
Hubbard, 51, was arrested by
the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency on charges of con
spiracy to commit extortion.
He was arrested April 4 at
a shopping complex during
a sting operation in DeKalb
County. Hubbard allegedly
pulled over a confidential
source posing as a drug deal
er in a bogus traffic stop and
then took $40,000. Hubbard
was accused of seizing drugs
and cash for an Atlanta-based
drug trafficking and robbery
operation.
MAY
•On May 24, Barrow
County Board of Commis
sioners chairman Pat Graham
fended off a Republican pri
mary challenge from Billy
Parks with 53 percent of the
vote, effectively winning
re-election to a secod term.
In other local races, former
commissioner Bill Brown
was successful in his primary
challenge of Kenny Shook in
District 2. Shook had unseat
ed Brown in 2012 by just
10 votes. District 3 incum
bent Roger Wehunt won his
primary against challenger
Jeff Hatcher. Caroline Power
Evans was elected the coun
ty’s new chief magistrate
after defeating Tim Sanders
in the Republican primary.
Sheriff Jud Smith and state
Rep. Terry England both
won re-election in landslides.
Smith defeated challenger
Tim Walker 82-18 percent
while England surpassed
the 90 percent mark locally.
Board of Education District
8 at-large member Rolando
Alvarez held off challenger
Jeff McKay 54-46 percent.
State Sen. Frank Ginn (Dis
trict 47) easily carried Bar-
row County as did District
114 Rep. Tom Kirby, who
represents a portion of the
county.
•Former Barrow County
commissioner Steve Worley
was sentenced May 24 to
more than two years in fed
eral prison for bribery stem
ming from his time as Mon
roe public works director.
After numerous sentencing
delays, a federal judge gave
Worley a 31-month prison
sentence. Worley pleaded
guilty last year to one fed
eral charge of bribery. Wor
ley was also ordered to pay
$18,000 in restitution to the
City of Monroe and forfeit
another $18,000.
JUNE
•The death of an inmate
in the Barrow County
Detention Center was ruled
Year continued from 1A
an accident by the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation,
which announced Johna
than Ray Manus died from
injuries “consistent with a
ground-level fall.” Manus
died at a local hospital and
not at the Detention Center,
according to a GBI spokes
man. Manus died April 18
after going into “medical dis
tress” the previous day.
•A 2-year-old drowned
June 25 at the beach area of
Fort Yargo State Park and a
family member was charged
with involuntary manslaugh
ter following an investigation
into the incident. Following
an investigation by the Wind
er Police Department and
the Department of Natural
Resources, 28-year-old Tar-
nue Kolubah of Winder, a rel
ative of the family who was
reportedly responsible for
watching the child at the time
of the incident, was charged
with involuntary manslaugh
ter and cruelty to children in
the second degree.
JULY
•Adult Literacy Barrow
executive director Ron Saun
ders was arrested July 21 on
charges of theft and forgery
after he allegedly stole over
$100,000 from the organiza
tion. Saunders, a well-known
community leader and for
mer superintendent of the
Barrow County School Sys
tem, confessed to authorities
that he forged signatures on
some of the organization’s
checks. Saunders was termi
nated from his position with
the organization shortly after
the arrest. The arrest was
made as part of a BCSO
investigation into possible
financial fraudulent activi
ty of the finances of Adult
Literacy Barrow. The orga
nization’s board of directors
was notified of some suspi
cious activity on July 18, and
in turn notified the BCSO.
The board suspected Saun
ders of forging signatures
of other board members on
checks and then having those
checks cashed. Officers were
given copies of that month’s
checks. Saunders confessed
to officers July 19 that he
forged the signatures on the
checks in question and to
other bank transactions that
the board wasn’t aware
of. Organization officials
announced there would be
no interruption in any adult
literacy classes, GED prep
classes, and classes for adults
learning English as a second
language.
Considering
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770-867-9026
www.maynardrealty.com
•In a surprise move during
a special-called meeting on
July 29, the Barrow Coun
ty Board of Commissioners
voted not to include a spe-
cial-purporse local-option
sales tax referendum on the
November general election
ballot. It would have been in
effect for five years through
June 2023 and would have
raised an estimated $56.6
million. Of that total, roughly
$7.4 million - or 13 percent
- would have gone toward a
county recreational complex
project at Fort Yargo State
Park. The remainder of the
money, about $49.2 mil
lion, would have been split
between the county. Wind
er, Auburn, Statham, Beth
lehem, Carl and Braselton,
according to population
figures from the 2010 U.S.
Census.This summer, county
officials attempted to nego
tiate an intergovernmental
agreement (IGA) with Wind
er officials that would have
allowed the SPLOST to be
in effect for six years and
raise a projected $66 million.
Of the $66 million, just over
$27 million - or $4.5 mil
lion per year - would have
gone toward the county retir
ing debt on SPLOST 2005
“Level 1” projects approved
by voters, including the
building of a new detention
center and courthouse facility
and renovations to the histor
ic courthouse in downtown
Winder, which is now used
as a county administration
annex building. However,
Winder leaders said they
would be opposed to any
IGA that would have allowed
that large of a share to be
used for retiring SPLOST
2005 debt. The first attempt
at reviving the SPLOST
extension came in October
when a citizen commit
tee charged with crafting a
potential referendum to put
before Barrow County voters
next fall convened.
AUGUST
•Less than two weeks after
MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
acquired the Barrow County
News from Swartz-Morris
Media and merged it with
the Barrow Journal, the com
bined paper became the Bar-
row News-Journal.
•On Aug. 5, former Bar-
row County commission
er Billy Parks was the lone
candidate to qualify for the
vacant District 5 seat. Parks
had vacated the seat to chal
lenge chairman Pat Graham
in the May Republican pri
mary, a bid that was unsuc
cessful. Because Parks was
the only candidate to qualify,
a special election scheduled
in conjunction with the Nov.
8 general election was can
celed and Parks was set to be
sworn in later in November.
SEPTEMBER
•The Barrow County
Board of Education signed a
resolution at its Sept. 6 meet
ing declaring its opposition to
Gov. Nathan Deal’s Opportu
nity School District proposal.
The declaration came a week
after board member Lynn
Stevens caused ripples when
she said voters should tell the
“governor to go to hell and
take his money with him.”
The proposal was defeated
by voters in November.
OCTOBER
•In a move officials said
would increase its “coor
dination of care” for Bar-
row County residents.
Gainesville-based North
east Georgia Health System
announced an agreement to
purchase Barrow Regional
Medical Center in Winder.
Merged operations of the
two agencies are expected to
begin in January, according
to a news release. While no
immediate staffing changes
were anticipated, transition
al teams were scheduled to
begin working to align the
agencies’ operations. BRMC
CEO Chad Hatfield said the
sale will benefit the 56-bed
Barrow hospital’s operations
and financial stability.
NOVEMBER
•Republicans easily
cruised to victories in Bar-
row County in the Nov. 8
general election, winning
all three locally-contested
races. Incumbent county
commissioner Roger Wehunt
defeated Democratic chal
lenger Michael Pope in the
District 3 race, while former
commissioner Bill Brown
won a return to the Board of
Commissioners with a vic
tory over Democrat Dwight
Acey in the District 2 con
test. Meanwhile, Republican
incumbent Rickey Bailey
defeated Democratic chal
lenger Brittany Mayweather
in the Board of Education
District 6 race.
•Several area citizens
began calling for an inves
tigation into Statham police
officer Marc Lofton over a
variety of allegations, includ
ing wrongful arrests and fal
sifying information on police
reports. Almost 200 people
signed a petition requesting
that District Attorney Brad
Smith complete a formal
investigation into the mat
ter. Multiple people have
reported Lofton made false
arrests for driving under the
influence of drugs-less safe
charges. The cases were later
dismissed after suspects test
ed negative for drugs. The
group also collected sever
al dash cam videos of the
incidents, which show dis
crepancies between the event
and what was written in the
arresting incident reports.
Smith said his office was
“not an investigatory agen
cy.” Further developments in
the story are continuing.
DECEMBER
•After several weeks of
controversy, the Barrow
County Board of Education
approved naming the new
school on McNeal Road
“Winder Elementary” at
its meeting on Dec. 6. The
board voted 6-2 to name the
new school Winder, reject
ing a survey taken of fami
lies 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.”
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City of Winder
2016 REPORT ON PROJECTS
FUNDED THROUGH
SPECIAL PURPOSE LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX
2005 SPECIAL PURPOSE LOCAL
SALES TAX
Local Street Projects
Recreation Facilities, Downtown Redevelopment
Projects, and Streetscapes
Sewer Facilities
Totals
Original
Estimated
Cost
Latest
Estimated
Cost
Prior
Years
Cumulative
Expenditures
Total
Current
Year
Expenditures
Total
Cumulative
Expenditures
$ 4,500,736 $
4,500,736 $
2,426,750 $
$ 2,426,750
925,149 925,149 13,507 97,421 110,928
696,945 696,945
$ 6,122,830 $ 6,122,830 ""$ 2,440,257 $ 97,421 $ 2,537,678
Original
Estimated
Cost
Latest
Estimated
Cost
Prior
Years
Cumulative
Expenditures
Total
Current
Year
Expenditures
Total
Cumulative
Expenditures
2012 SPECIAL PURPOSE LOCAL
SALES TAX
Local Street Projects
$
2,451,259
$
2,451,259
$ 1,191,629
$
$ 1,191,629
Water & Sewer Infrastructure,
Improvements, Facilities & Equipment
4,357,793
4,357,793
206,951
1,034,410
1,241,361
Totals
$
6,809,052
$
6,809,052
$ 1,398,580
$ 1,034,410
$ 2,432,990
This report is presented in compliance with O.C.G.A. 48-8-122