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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2017
BCSO uses newly-implemented system to rescue man who wandered off
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PROJECT LIFESAVER
Pictured with the Project Lifesaver equipment, from left to right, are Sheriff
Jud Smith, Capt. Cory Almond, Sgt. Tim Laturell and Pilot Club of Winder
members Carol Glass and Tery Overbey. Photo by Scott Thompson
By Scott Thompson
News-Journal Editor
Recently in Barrow
County, an elderly man
with dementia wandered
away from home and it
took the Barrow County
Sheriff’s Office three hours
to locate him in the Wen
dy’s on East May Street
in Winder, unharmed but
overheated and confused.
A few days later he wan
dered off again, but dep
uties located and rescued
him within 30 minutes —
thanks to his enrollment
in a search and rescue pro
gram utilized by the Sher
iffs Office with equipment
and funding for training
donated by the Pilot Club
of Winder.
“The Pilot Club helped
save that man’s life; that’s
just all there is to it,” Sheriff
Jud Smith said last week of
the recent incident. “He’s
an older gentleman who
would have been overheat
ed a lot quicker than most
people. We found him in
a kudzu patch behind his
house and never would
have thought to look there
without the radar. And we
would not have this equip
ment and training without
the Pilot Club.
“They paid for every
nickel of it.”
Project Lifesaver Inter
national is an electronic
search and location system
for people with cognitive
conditions such as demen
tia, Alzheimer’s disease,
brain injuries, autism,
Down syndrome and other
conditions who are more
susceptible to wandering
and becoming lost.
People enrolled in the
program wear a wrist
watch-sized radio trans
mitter on their wrist or
ankle, which emits a radio
frequency signal. The sig
nal can be tracked regard
less of where the person
wanders and teams are
dispatched to locate the
person when a caregiver
notifies agencies the per
son is missing.
Project Lifesaver, found
ed by Gene Saunders of
Virginia, is used in 47
states, Canada and Austra
lia by over 1,200 agencies,
and there have been more
than 3,300 documented
rescues with an average
search time of 30 minutes
and a 100-percent success
rate.
Saunders spoke at a Pilot
International Convention
— one of Pilot Interna
tional’s focus areas is brain
safety and fitness — and
members of the Pilot Club
of Winder began gathering
information.
The club received a
$6,000 grant in February
2014 from Jackson EMC
and used the money to
purchase Project Lifesaver
bands and equipment and
arrange for training, which
was conducted in August
of that year.
Personnel changes ini
tially delayed the BCSO’s
implementation of the pro
gram, but it is now up and
running.
“We’re just glad to have
it going now,” said Pilot
Club member Tery Over
bey, whose wife and fellow
club member, Jenni, spear
headed the efforts and
wrote the grant application
to Jackson EMC. “We’re
only going to see the need
for this grow in the com
munity as more and more
of us get older.”
The recent incident was
the first local success story
with the technology, Smith
said.
“We’re the only agency
in our area that uses it to
our knowledge and we’ve
only had two people sign
up so far,” he said. “But
when you see a success
story like that, where we’re
getting to the person in
under 30 minutes — and
it would have been a lot of
sooner if we were closer
by — we really want to get
the word out to people.
“We can ping a cell
phone and get to within
100 feet of someone but
that can be a lot depending
on your surroundings. But
with this, you can get to
within five or six feet of
someone and that makes a
huge difference.”
Smith said about 15
people with the Sheriff’s
Office — school resource
officers, investigators and
regular patrol deputies
— have received official
training from Project Life-
saver International.
Training of public safety
officials includes teaching
them not only how to use
the equipment, but also
how to communicate with
people who wander, based
on their condition.
Caregivers also receive
training when they sign
their client, family mem
ber, patient, etc. up for the
service.
“We’ve spoken to groups
and want to reach out to
assisted living homes out
there to enroll in this.”
Smith said. “There is a
cost associated with it, but
we’ve set up an account
for it and are trying to get
more money to put toward
it. We’re not going to turn
anyone away. We’ll figure
something out.”
Anyone interested in
enrolling their loved one
or patient in the service
can contact Smith at 770-
307-3081 or jsmith@bar-
rowsheriff.com.
“If need be, we’ll come
to them and sign them up,”
Smith said. “We just want
to make sure this resource
is getting out in the com
munity. If you have a tool
like this, you need to use
it.”
Qualifying for Nov.
municipal elections set
The qualifying period for the Nov. 7 municipal
elections in Barrow County is Aug. 21-25. Below are
details for each municipality.
•Auburn: Qualifying will begin Monday, Aug.
21, at 8:30 a.m. The qualifying period will be Aug.
21-24 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday. Aug.
25, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Auburn City Hall,
1369 Fourth Ave. The election will be for the City
Council seats currently occupied by Robert L. Vogel
III and Bill Ackworth. The qualifying fee for each
seat is $144.
•Bethlehem: Qualifying will begin Monday, Aug.
21, at noon and end Friday, Aug. 25, at 4:30 p.m.
at Bethlehem City Hall, 750 Manger Ave. City Hall
is open Monday-Friday from noon to 6 p.m. The
election will be for City Council posts 1 (held by
Tommy Parten), 3 (held by Joe Price) and 5 (held by
Tommy Buchanan). The qualifying fee for each post
is $22.50.
•Statham: Qualifying runs Monday, Aug. 21,
through Friday, Aug. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at City Hall, 327 Jefferson St. The election is for the
citywide seats currently held by Betty Lyle, Gayle
Steed and David Huth.
•Winder: Qualifying will begin Monday. Aug. 21,
at 8:30 a.m. and end Friday. Aug. 25, at noon at the
Barrow County Elections Office, 233 East Broad St.,
Winder. The election will be for City Council wards
1 (held by Sonny Morris). 3 (held by Ridley “J.R.”
Parrish) and the at-large seat held by Bob Dixon. The
qualifying fee for each seat is $180.
Auburn council votes to allow wine shops in city
By Scott Thompson
News-Journal Editor
The Whistlestop Shops in
downtown Auburn will soon
include a wine shop after City
Council approved, at its meet
ing Thursday, an ordinance
that allows wine shops to open
in the downtown overlay dis
trict and provide for consump
tion on the premises.
Auburn resident Trinita
Stephens’ application to open
a wine shop in the Whis
tlestop Shops was approved
in June by the Downtown
Development Authority, but
that approval was contingent
on council’s vote to amend
the city’s alcohol ordinance,
which previously did not pro
vide for wine shops, city attor
ney Jack Wilson said.
The addition to the city’s
ordinance allows for wine
shop licenses for businesses
in the downtown overlay dis
trict that operate primarily as
a retail package dealer and
earn a minimum of 50 percent
of their annual gross revenue
from package sales of wine.
Wine shops will be allowed
to sell and serve beer and wine
by the drink for on-premises
consumption from 11 a.m. to
11 p.m. except on Sundays.
The annual fee for a wine
shop license will be $500 and
no more than one wine shop
will be allowed to operate
within Whistlestop Park.
Council also approved a
license for Stephens to sell
alcoholic beverages. For the
purpose of her shop at the
Whistlestop Shops, on-prem-
ises consumption is defined as
within the park itself.
Councilman Bill Ackworth
voted against the change to the
ordinance, questioning wheth
er it was fair to other business
es in the city currently licensed
to sell alcohol.
“With the gas station across
the street, you can’t buy a bev
erage and then go right outside
and drink it,” Ackworth said.
Wilson said a wine shop
would be intended as a totally
separate use.
“It’s an entirely different
category from the ones we
have now,” Wilson said.
“(The amended ordinance)
is a little more progressive
than what we have had to this
point.”
Community development
director Alex Mitchem said
his department was supportive
of the new provision allowing
wine shops.
“Whistlestop is a different
concept and we’re learning as
we go along,” Mitchem said.
“I think we need to think a
little bit more outside the box
and see if things like this make
sense for Whistlestop and I
think it does. We want to do
what we can to encourage
small businesses to step for
ward and I think this is a great
opportunity for that.”
In other business, council:
•approved a contract with
Phillips State Prison in Buford
for work detail crews from
July 1-June 30. 2018 at the
rate of $39,500. which will be
paid to the guard. That salary
remains unchanged from last
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fiscal year.
•accepted a donation of the
historic Sinclair gas pump that
once stood in front of the City
Hall building. Derrell Clark,
whose father ran the store
that was located in the current
City Hall building, has been in
possession of the 10-foot-tall
pump and refurbished it at his
own expense. He decided to
donate it to the city for display.
•approved the purchase
of two new Dixie Chopper
Black Hawk mowers for a
total amount of $13,678.40.
•met in closed session to
discuss personnel issues, relat
ed to a possible retirement.
Mayor Linda Blechinger said.
No action was taken.
TOKYO HOUSE
Open Lunch & Dinner
Live Hibachi - Sushi
Dine-in or Take-out
770-868-0050
64 E. May Street Ste. K
Winder, GA 30680
The Barrow County Board of Education does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at Winder Elementary School, 194 McNeal Road, Winder on
August 29, 2017, at 6:00 PM, and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32, does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest along with the
history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.
BARROW COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CONSOLIDATION AND EVALUATION OF DIGEST (In Thousands)
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Real & Personal $
1,549,173
$
1,546,591
$
1,617,986
$
1,926,402 $
1,996,695 $
2,175,120
Motor Vehicle $
160,594
$
172,726
$
139,619
$
108,535 $
83,303 $
64,248
Mobile Homes $
7,911
$
6,945
$
6,425
$
6,441 $
6,298 $
6,332
Timber 100% $
752
$
1
$
67
$
38 $
38 $
38
Heavy Duty Equipment $
-
$
-
$
-
$
$
$
Gross Digest $
1,718,430
$
1,726,263
$
1,764,097
$
2,041,416 $
2,086,334 $
2,245,738
Exemptions $
-
$
-
$
-
$
$
$
Net Bond Digest $
1,718,430
$
1,726,263
$
1,764,097
$
2,041,416 $
2,086,334 $
2,245,738
$
-
$
-
$
$
$
M & O Exemptions $
360,694
$
355,938
$
250,269
$
312,035 $
366,110 $
356,542
Net M & O Digest $
1,357,736
$
1,370,325
$
1,513,828
$
1,729,381 $
1,720,224 $
1,889,196
PROPERTY TAX RATES
AND REVENUES
(In Thousands)
Bond Millage Rate
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
M & O Millage Rate
18.50
18.50
18.50
18.50
18.50
18.50
Total Millage Rate
18.50
18.50
18.50
18.50
18.50
18.50
Bond Taxes Levied $
-
$
-
$
-
$
$
$
Bond Tax $ Increase $
-
$
-
$
-
$
$
$
Bond Tax % Increase
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
M & O Taxes Levied $
25,118
$
25,351
$
28,006
$
31,994 $
31,824 $
34,950
M & O Tax $ Increase $
(3,596)
$
233
$
2,655
$
3,988 $
(169) $
3,126
M & O Tax % Increase
-12.5%
0.9%
10.5%
14.2%
-0.5%
9.8%