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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 >0 4 8 7 9 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 o 1 4 5 4 1