Newspaper Page Text
Barrow News-Journal
Barrow County News Est. 1893 • Barrow Journal Est. 2008
Merged August 2016
20 Pages, 2 Sections, Plus Preprints
A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia
$1.00 Copy Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Large industrial site
coming to Barrow County
50 acres on
Cliff Day
Road to become
metallurgical
processing and
researchfacility
By Morgan Ervin
The Board of Commis
sioners granted a rezoning
request Tuesday night of
roughly 50 acres from ag
ricultural (AG) to heavy in
dustrial (M-2) on Cliff Day
Road, paving the way for
the development of a met
allurgical processing and
research facility.
The initial phase of
this development en
tails the construction of a
31,000-square-foot manu
facturing facility, coupled
with roughly 5,000 square
feet of office space. In ad
dition to the rezone to M-2,
the proposal required an
amendment to the Future
Land Use Map, transition
ing the property’s character
area designation from em
ployment/industrial center
to 316 junction corridor.
According to the letter
of intent submitted by ap
plicants BRM Industrial,
LLC and R&P Holdings
on behalf of property own
ers S. Ernest Vandiver III,
Vanna Vandiver, Jane Kidd
Vandiver and Ina Russell
Ingram, metallurgical pro
cessing holds significant im
portance in industries such
as aerospace, medicine, and
defense, and the demand for
such facilities remains high
in this region. The scarcity
of service providers further
underscores the need for
such a development. Nota
bly, BRM has garnered sup
port from Georgia Tech’s
Manufacturing Extension
Partnership in its vision of
eventually creating a re
search, development
and manufacturing hub
on this property that con
forms with the area’s indus
trial growth potential.
Additionally, the rezon
ing initiative is expected
to attract commercial and
manufacturing ventures to
the vicinity. This potential
influx of new businesses is
anticipated to bolster the tax
base and present lucrative
opportunities for Barrow
County residents, fostering
economic growth within the
county.
The property’s strategic
location in proximity to GA
Hwy. 8 and the CSX rail
line adds to its appeal for
potential commercial and
industrial development en
deavors, according to BRM.
The surrounding vicini
ty comprises undeveloped
land, residential areas and
planned industrial develop
ments. The subject property
has remained vacant and
undeveloped for over four
decades, according to state
ments from the applicant.
See BOC, page 2A
Auburn approves
FY24 budget
By Morgan Ervin over the past year, with an
On Thursday evening,
the City of Auburn ap
proved its fiscal year 2024
budget, totaling $9.4 mil
lion in revenue and $9,345
million in expenditures.
The city has set a mill-
age rate of 4.931.
As Auburn experiences
continuous growth, ad
ditional staff positions
have been introduced in
the general government
portion of the budget in
the executive line item
which stands at $167,385
in FY24. This represents
an increase of roughly
$124,000 since FY23.
In addition, the public
works department has wit-
nessed substantial growth
MAILING LABEL
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increase of around $1 mil
lion in its budget. Of this
increase, approximately
$725,000 is attributed to
increased sanitation fees
from Robertson Sanita
tion, while the remain
ing portion arises from a
forthcoming water leak
protection program the
city will put in place. This
program is designed to
safeguard water custom
ers from unexpectedly
high water bills resulting
from undetected water
leaks in their homes. The
new system will prompt
ly alert residents to any
detected leaks, allowing
them to take swift action
and avoid excessive water
expenses.
OTHER BUSINESS
• Also during the Au
burn City Council’s busi
ness meeting on Sept. 7,
the council voted on the
following items:
• The 2024 fireworks
contract with Pyro Shows
East Coach, Inc. for the
Independence Day Cele
bration totaling $32,000.
• The closing of 4th Av
enue from Mt. Moriah to
the Auburn Police Station
on Monday, Oct. 30 for
Truck or Treat. The event
is being held by the Parks
and Leisure Department
for the citizens of Auburn.
Several local businesses
will participate and pass
out candy.
• Purchase of 15 body-
worn cameras for the po
lice department.
‘We will never forget’
Winder Fire hosts Sept. 11 Memorial Ceremony
The City of Winder Fire Department hosted the annual
September 11th Memorial Ceremony Monday morning at
Station One in downtown Winder.
The ceremony began with the Winder Fire and Police De
partment’s Honor Guard sounding the bell with a series of
3-4-3 rings followed by 6-2 rings to symbolize the 343 fire
fighters along with the 62 police officers who lost their lives
on September 11,2001.
Mayor David Maynard and Fire Chief Matt Whiting pre
sented a memorial wreath in front of the station.
Police Chief Jim Fullington provided the invocation for the
event. Fullington prayed, “We remember this day 22 years
ago and reflect on those who lost their lives. They ran toward
trouble to help others and many lives were changed that day
forever.”
Whiting welcomed attendants, sharing that the City of
Winder, along with the Fire Department made a commitment
to never forget the events that occurred on September 11,
2001.
“We’ve honored that commitment, and we thank you all for
being here today,” said Whiting.
Joel Goddard, worship pastor at Bethlehem Church, per
formed the “National Anthem” along with leading the crowd
in singing “God Bless America”.
Retired Fire Chief Ray Mattison served as the event’s
speaker.
Mattison said, “On September 10,2001, we were all going
about our jobs and the next morning at 8:46 a.m., terror came
to our country for the first time. We lost more people on that
day than was lost at Pearl Harbor. All those who gave their
life for this country and those who went home that day, went
home with amazing grace.”
The lowering of the flag in front of Station One was done by
the members of Winder Fire and Police Department’s Honor
Guard and remained at half-staff for the remainder of the day.
Credit: City of Winder
On Monday morning, Winder Fire Department hosted the
annual Sept. 11 Memorial Ceremony at Station One in down
town Winder along with the Winder Police Department, the
Mayor of Winder and other community members committed
to never forgetting the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Credit: City of Winder
The ceremony began with the Winder Fire and Police Department’s Honor Guard sounding the bell with a series of 3-4-3 rings
followed by 6-2 rings to symbolize the 343 firefighters aiong with the 62 poiice officers who iost their lives on September 11,
2001.
Celebrating National
Recovery Month:
Spotlight on The Genesis Center
The Genesis Center in Winder celebrates National Recovery Month this Septem
ber.
By Morgan Ervin
In a world that often overlooks the
straggles of those battling addiction,
September shines a light on the jour
ney to recovery during National Re
covery Month. This is a story about
the Genesis Center in Winder, a place
where hope is rekindled, and lives are
transformed.
Debi Bradley, a dedicated profes
sional, mother and founder of the Gen
esis Center in Winder, embarked on the
journey of a lifetime years ago when
both her children became addicts as
young adults. Despite their loving sup
port and protection, Bradley and her
husband were left perplexed, question
ing what had led their children down
this path. “We offered our children the
best of everything. What did we do that
caused both of our children to become
addicts?” Bradley wondered.
Recognizing addiction as a true dis
ease, Bradley’s determination to find
a solution led her to open the Genesis
Center two months into the COVID-19
pandemic. Her own experience with
her children led her to discover a part
of herself she never knew existed. Her
steadfastness and refusal to give up not
only on on her children but on com
plete strangers whom the rest of the
world seemed to have abandoned long
ago.
Initially inclined toward faith-based
programs, Bradley’s perspective on
recovery evolved as she delved deeper
into the science behind Medication-As
sisted Treatment (MAT). She began to
appreciate the undeniable efficacy of
MAT and the unique stories and pur
poses of each patient seeking help.
The Genesis Center is not your typ
ical “methadone clinic.” It operates as
a medical facility providing medical
treatment, offering a range of medica
tions as tools to fight opioid abuse. One
significant change brought by the pan
demic was the elimination of the 90-
day waiting period for services, allow
ing swifter assistance to those in need.
Furthermore, a recent lifting of the
moratorium on methadone clinics ush
ered in a more compassionate approach
to recovery, further emphasizing med
ication-assisted treatment’s value. The
center serves 400 methadone patients,
See Genesis, page 2A
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