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PAGE 2A
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
RANDOM RANTS IN RHYME
It boggles my mind
It boggles my mind to think that God
brought heaven and earth, with sea and sod,
and this vast universe, with galaxies
that stretch beyond where mankind sees
with his most powerful radar telescope -
all made from particles smaller than the scope
of our strongest electronic microscope.
It boggles my mind that millions of stars,
among them our own Jupiter and Mars,
revolve around their equivalent “Sun,”
not varying from the course they run,
avoiding those possible cataclysmic crashes
that would make planets and galaxies huge piles of ashes.
It boggles my mind that our planet called Earth
has been populated through a process called birth
to in excess of seven billion population
with few defects and no sign of mutation.
It boggles my mind that each boy or girl
has their own DNA as they enter this world
that serves as their own personal label,
marking them as an individual
and not just a simple replicate
of the one God did originally create.
It boggles my mind that an egg and a sperm,
each a half-cell, join together to form
one complete cell which in turn divides
into two cells laid side by side.
Division continues ‘til there are millions of cells;
then, for reasons no one can tell,
cells specialize and they start to grow
into a perfect embryo.
After nine months in mother’s uterus,
another human is given to us.
It boggles my mind that the Atheist
continues to refute all evidence of this
that clearly indicates intelligent creation
with an imagined situation
they call the “Big Bang Theory”
of how our universe came to be.
It makes as much sense to say the Eiffel Tower
sprung up suddenly after billions of hours
of lying there as a microscopic vapor
without any plans on a piece of paper.
It boggles my mind that our Creator, God,
while billions of others cohabit this sod,
knows the number of hairs on my head
(and even knows that it was once red).
He knows the name of everyone
that lives on this earth warmed by His sun.
Amazingly, He invites us to commune with Him
(though He is perfect, and all of us sin)
and He has gone to prepare a place
for all who accept His offer of grace.
It boggles my mind.
© 2017, cbs
Dr. CB Skelton is a retired Winder
physician and author of several books.
skelton
REUNION FOR CLARKLIFT OF WINDER
Former employees of Clarklift of Winder had a reunion Saturday when
they met at Golden Corral in Winder. Shown, from left to right, are front
row: Richard Nunnally, Tex Baker, Kevin Oskinski, Wallace Still and Pete
Williams; and back row: Watson Kimbrell, Melanie Kilgore, Ben Bonner,
Roger Montgomery, Louie Weaver, Dennis Strickland, Donald Ayers,
Joey Colley, Belinda Kinney, Butch Daniel and Gene Newsome.
BOC continued from 1A
to the $340,000 match,
Greeson said.
A traffic signal is not cur
rently included in the plan
improvements because one
was not warranted under
Georgia Department of
Transportation guidelines
when the preliminary engi
neering was completed in
2010.
Greeson said the coun
ty could ask DOT to
take another look at the
intersection and that a
traffic signal at the loca
tion would cost approxi
mately between $80,000-
$100,000 to install, which
would add to the total proj
ect cost.
“I think a signal should
be highly considered there
because 211 is a very busy
road,” commissioner Bill
Brown said.
In other business Tues
day. commissioners:
•approved a request to
rezone 42 acres just south
of the intersection of Ga.
81 and Carl-Bethlehem
Road to allow for the
building of professional
offices, near the Barrow
Crossing shopping center.
•approved the purchase
of four vans for the Barrow
County Sheriff’s Office
for $181,520. Two of the
vans will replace existing
Detention Center transport
vans and two will replace
existing work detail vans
due to mechanical issues
and excessive maintenance
costs. Sheriff Jud Smith
said. The vans will be
purchased using a combi
nation of SPLOST 2012.
Sheriff’s Office capital
improvement and county
vehicle replacement funds.
•approved the renewal
of an intergovernmental
agreement between the
county, Sheriff’s Office
and Barrow County School
System to provide school
resource officers at 12
county schools with the
school system paying 50
percent of the cost.
•approved a contract of
$261,512 to purchase and
install five new water heat
ers at the Detention Center.
•approved an FY2017
budget amendment to
move $30,000 from the
stormwater fund to Roads
and Bridges, General Sup
plies and Materials line
item of the general fund in
order to complete storm
water maintenance for the
remaining 3.5 months of
the fiscal year.
Crossings continued from 1A
The county reached a
three-party agreement with
CSX and GDOT in March
2016 to construct the Ed
Hogan crossing contingent
upon the removal of the
three crossings. However,
in October, the board of
commissioners postponed
the agreement to allow staff
time to determine whether
a closing could be substi
tuted.
Since then, county man
ager Mike Renshaw said,
county administration,
Sheriff’s Office officials
and Barrow County Emer
gency Services representa
tives have spent time dis
cussing possible crossings
that could be closed.
Greeson said all 27 pub
lic crossings in the county
were examined and all but
five were deemed “signifi
cant,” leaving the following
eligible for closure: Cash
Road. Cosby Road, Harold
Day Road, Russell Cem
etery Road and Deer Run
Trail.
When deciding, Renshaw
said the county used three
criteria — public safety,
convenience for the trav
eling public and cost —
and determined that Cosby
Road, Harold Day Road
and Deer Run Trail should
be the ones to close.
“We’ve been meeting
several times to develop
what I think is the most
quantitative, data-driven
solution to this issue,” Ren
shaw said.
He added that the county
consulted Barrow County
School System officials
about the proposed closings
and those officials raised no
concern about any impact
they would have on bus
transportation.
Pushback
During a public hearing
on the proposal Tuesday, no
one spoke in support of it,
but seven residents voiced
their opposition. While
the Cosby Road proposal
appeared uncontroversial,
that was not the case for
Deer Run Trail or Harold
Day Road.
Residents from the area
of Deer Run Trail said that
crossing helps relieve the
traffic strain on the cross
ings at Carl-Cedar Hill
Road and Johns Manville
which are often blocked by
trains, they said.
“It will be a logistical
nightmare if people have
to go to those two (with
the Deer Run Trail cross
ing closed),” Cedar Ridge
Drive resident John Conlon
said.
Meanwhile, the proposed
closure of the Harold Day
Road crossing has members
of the historic 157-year-old
Chapel Christian Church
concerned about the poten
tial negative impact it
would have on the church.
“The church won’t close,
but it will make it difficult
for anyone coming from
out of town to visit and
we do have people who
come in from out of town,”
church member Eva Elder
said. “We are a historic
church and have a historic
cemetery and I think that
needs to be taken into con
sideration.”
Commissioners ’
concerns
After hearing the resi
dents speak, commissioner
Roger Wehunt motioned
that the commissioners
inform CSX the county
would “do everything in
its power” to ensure a safe
opening at Ed Hogan Road,
but that “we don’t need
anymore closings.”
“I just hate to get black
mailed into something I
don’t want to do,” Wehunt
said to loud applause from
the audience. His motion
failed by a 3-4 vote —
with commissioners Isaiah
Berry and Ben Hendrix
also in support — leading
to Goodman’s motion for
the postponement.
“Every time we have
delayed on this, it has cost
the county more money.”
Goodman said.
Chairman Pat Graham
agreed, but added the coun
ty has to make a decision
on closings one way or the
other.
“We’ve spent about $2.3
million in taxpayer money
on the Ed Hogan Road
crossing,” Graham said. “If
we can’t come to a consen
sus, we’re going to be in a
situation where we’re not
going to be able to open
that investment.”
Commissioner Bill
Brown agreed with resi
dents who said they wished
they had been notified
much sooner and in more
detail about the proposed
closings.
“This all should have
been done in 2011 to
inform the public what was
going to happen,” Brown
said. “It’s a no-win situa
tion for the county. We’ve
just got to try to do what’s
best for the public.”
It appears unlikely CSX
would consider anything
other than three closings,
Greeson said, adding
that the county initially
approached the company in
2005 about doing two clos
ings and were rejected.
“Their position hasn’t
changed since then,” Gree
son said.
Sheriff Jud Smith said he
would be willing to pitch
the proposal to CSX to less
en the number of closings
as a public safety matter.
“I don’t have a prob
lem with talking to them
if that’s an option,” Smith
said. “They may just tell us
to go fly a kite.”
Candace Bailey, art
teacher at Apalachee High
School, said she expects to
display 150 pieces, perhaps
more.
“This is the first time art
teachers have not had to kill
ourselves at work and then
load up and set up” for the
festival, Vicki Hart, from
Russell Middle School,
said.
Having the art show for a
longer period of time, hav
ing more space and more
time to set up make a big
differences, she said.
Hart used her National
Junior Art Honor Soci
ety members, about 30 of
them, to start the process
of moving art and setting
different pieces around the
room. She said Russell is
the only middle school with
an honor society for art.
She also said she is offering
her students a “carrot.” For
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Art continued from 1A
those who bring a parent to
see the display, they will
get extra credit, Hart said.
Rosalin O’Rear, from
Bramlett Elementary, said
the schedule, which will
include two weeks and a
weekend, is better for the
schools and students.
She also said she is work
ing on an art show at her
school at the same time.
That show will be for
only one night, she said.
She said she was con
sidering ways to make her
room “homey.”
O’Rear is sharing a room
with Sandra Cash from
Statham Elementary. They
were concerned about fill
ing the room, she said.
But she already could see
that likely would not be a
problem.
Candace Bailey from
Apalachee High School,
was moving in large dis-
74 N Broad St
Winder, GA 30680-1902
Phone (770)867-3171
play boards, essentially
doors that have been linked
together in twos and threes.
The boards are hers, she
said, bought and put togeth
er for use through her years
at the school.
Apalachee and Wind
er-Barrow will share the
former media center and
some larger pieces may
be displayed in the hall in
front of the center.
Elisabeth Paquin from
Yargo Elementary was
planning use of technolo
gy in her room. She had
self-portraits of all the stu
dents in her school, she
said. Those will be dis
played in a rolling show on
a projector.
Considering
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selling?
770-867-9026
www.maynardrealty.com
THE BARROW COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
INVITES THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND
Monday, MARCH 20,2017 at 7:30 pm
Winder Woman's Club • 15 W. Midland Ave.
GINGER HOWARD
NATIONAL COMMITTEEWOMAN (RNC)
MICHAEL WELSH, 12™ DISTRICT CHAIRMAN
CANDIDATE FOR GAGOP CHAIRMAN
www.barrowgop.org