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C M
K
Inside
Meter fines?
Woodbine council mulls
fines for those who
tamper with or damage
their water meters.
see 3A
Donor woes
The Blood Alliance
seeks solutions at its
local center to meet the
needs of both donors
and the patients who
use their products.
see6A
Index
Obituaries
2A
Opinion
4A
Upcoming Events
6A
Sports
1B
People
3B
Classifieds
4B
Legals
6B
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Tribune &
Georgian
P.O. Box 6960,
St. Marys, Ga.
31558
Volume 110, No. 3
20 pages* Two sections
tribune-georgian.com
© 2013, Tribune & Georgian,
Community Newspapers Inc.
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City denies plans to disband police
Johna Strickland Rush
iohna@tribune-georgian.com
Speaking to a packed house with
people sitting on extra chairs and
looking through the glass windows in
the lobby, St. Marys City Council
member Greg Bird explained that,
yes, the council had formed a task
force to look at cost-saving measures.
But it would not be dissolving the
city’s police department, as rumor
had it.
“We’re here to tell our citizens that
this council has not looked at any
thing that said anything about dis
missing our police department or
consolidation or anything else,” Bird
said. “All we’ve done is create a task
force that’s not going to leave any
stone unturned to see if we can find
the money that we need without in
creasing rates and without losing any
of our services.”
With tens of millions owned on
water/sewer debt, St. Marys is facing
a payment hike in 2015 when the an
nual amount goes from about $2.67
million to $4.3 million. Outside util
ity consultants suggested raising
usage rates, however, council believes
there is a better way to pay back the
money, said Bird, who is a member of
the task force. If it can find the extra
$1.6 million, then rates and taxes may
not have to increase.
Police and fire are the city’s largest
departmental budgets and about $1.2
million of the law enforcement
budget goes to operating costs be
yond personnel, Bird said.
See POLICE, page 8A
Fatal fire
Submitted photos by Deputy William Terrell/Camden County Sheriffs Office
An early-morning fire resulted in a total loss of the residence at I 15 S.AIvah Brazell Road in Kingsland. In
vestigators do not suspect foul play in the fire, which took the life of Arthur Daniel Brazell, 41.
Space heater is
likely cause of
accidental blaze
Invesigators do not
suspect foul play in the
Sunday morning fire
that took the life of 41-
year-old Arthur Daniel
Brazell of 115 S. Alvah
Brazell Road in Kings
land.
County fire and rescue
workers responded to
the blaze at about 7:15
a.m.
According to Georgia
Fire Commissioner
Ralph Hudgens in a
written statement, “We
found nothing suspi
cious about the origin of
this tragic fire.” A writ
ten release from the
Camden County Sher
iff’s Office said investiga
tors believe an electric
space heater caused the
fire. Property damage is
estimated to be $20,000.
Housing
market
• •
gaming
slowly
Emily Heglund
editorl@tds.net
The housing markets in Geor
gia and in Camden County are
continuing to make a slow recov
ery.
With the year drawn to a close,
statistics show 2012 was just
slightly behind 2011 regarding
the number of homes sold in
Camden and that the state hous
ing market is making slow gains as
it attempts to bounce back from
the Great Recession.
According to the Camden-
Charlton Board of Realtors, 2012
saw 474 homes sold in the county,
down from 485 in 2011 and up
from 431 in 2010. Foreclosures,
bank-owned properties and short
sales continued to come off the
market, with 161 being sold in
2012 compared to 210 such
homes in 2011 and 97 in 2010.
As of Tuesday morning, there
were 274 homes listed for sale in
Camden on the Georgia Multiple
Listing $ervice. This does not in
clude homes listed by owner.
$imilar statewide statistics show
promise. Median home prices in
Georgia rose 21 percent in 2012,
while average prices rose 13 per
cent, according to the Georgia
Association of Realtors. New list
ings decreased 17 percent, and
pending sales were up 28 percent,
the association reported.
See HOMES, page 8A
Work on Cumberland Harbour may resume in 2013
Johna Strickland Rush
johna@tribune-georgian.com
St. Marys City Council approved
a settlement proposal on Monday in
its lawsuit against Bond Safeguard
and Lexon insurance companies,
which issued bonds to ensure infra
structure work at Cumberland Har
bour would be completed.
“It’s a big, big step forward,” said
St. Marys Mayor Bill DeLoughy at
Monday’s regular council meeting.
Since the subdivision’s developers
filed bankruptcy in 2008, the city
has been trying to collect on the
bonds.
The proposed settlement covers
phases one, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11
and 12 and details that if develop
ment owner M3 American Invest
ments does not start work on the
infrastructure within six months, the
bond companies step in and finish
the project by Dec. 31, 2014, city at
torney Gary Moore said. The bonds
will remain in effect until the work is
completed.
“If signed in February, the dirt
should start flying in August, at least
by August,” Moore said.
Proceeding with litigation may
have taken longer, DeLoughy said.
Bond $afeguard and Lexon also
will pay the city’s legal fees incurred
by the process to date, which is
about $83,146 over four years,
Moore said.
“We feel this is the best settlement
we could get out of the situation,”
DeLoughy said. “... We want to
make sure we do the right thing, and
we think we have. It protects you
folks, too.”
Cumberland Harbour resident
$am Colville, who urged the council
in July to bring the matter to a con
clusion, questioned the details of the
deal and asked what incentive M3
would have to do anything aside
from waiting.
“It does because the parties are
See BONDS, page 8A
Tribune & Georgian file photo
Cumberland Harbour, home of the local HGTV Dream House, may soon be
on the road to completion. St. Marys City Council is nearing a settlement
agreement with bonding companies that will make sure the infrastructure
and common areas are completed.The subdivision’s developer, Land Re
source LLC, filed bankruptcy in 2008.