Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, June 12,2013
Tribune & Georgian
3A
Public input sought on
enterprise zone in city
If you go...
The next meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday,
June 13, at 400 Osborne St. in St. Marys.
Jocelyn Brumbaugh | Tribune & Georgian
Tribune & Georgian Sports Editor Andy Diffenderfer displays the first-place plaques he
brought home from the Georgia Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest awards
banquet, held June 7 at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.
Newspaper celebrates
first-place GPA awards
Johna Strickland Rush
iohna@tribune-georgian.com
St. Marys economic devel
opment director Artie “AJ”
Jones III is seeking public
input about the possibility of
establishing an enterprise
zone in the city.
Jones held an information
session Monday that nine
people attended and will
hold a second one at 5 p.m.
Thursday at the Ward Her
nandez economic develop
ment building, 400 Osborne
St. in downtown St. Marys.
An enterprise zone allows
cities and counties in Geor
gia to offer property tax ex
emptions and waive or
reduce occupation taxes, reg
ulatory fees, building inspec
tion costs and other fees that
would be charged to a busi
ness or offer incentives to al
ready established businesses
that create more jobs, ac
cording to the Georgia De
partment of Community
Affairs and Jones.
The intent is to promote
the development of areas af
fected by underdevelopment,
economic decline and the
withdrawal of businesses.
A zone must be contiguous
and can only cover an area
within the city where at least
three of the five criteria are
present.
The criteria are:
• pervasive poverty as
shown by the latest U.S. cen
sus. According to the 2010
data, 14.7 percent of St.
Marys residents were below
the poverty line from 2007 to
2011.
• an unemployment rate
that is at least 10 percentage
points higher than the state’s
or significant job dislocation.
• underdevelopment as
shown by fewer building
permits, licenses, disturbance
permits and other indicators
of development activity than
in the rest of the city.
• general distress and ad
verse conditions such as pop
ulation decline or health and
safety issues.
• general blight
Finding where at least
three of those conditions
overlap in St. Marys can be
tricky, Jones said.
“You would have to be re
ally be creative in the way
that you drew those lines be
cause you want to try to in
clude areas of high
unemployment and poverty
but at the same time keep
out those other areas ...
where they’re doing good
business,” he said.
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
jocelyn@tribune-georgian.com
After working 18 years
in the newspaper industry,
Tribune & Georgian
Sports Editor Andy Diff
enderfer was rewarded last
week with two first-place
honors from the Georgia
Press Association (GPA).
Diffenderfer scored top
marks in the sports writing
category and received first
place for his sports section,
both in Division E of the
GPA’s Better Newspaper
Contest. Tribune & Geor
gian Editor Emily
Heglund earned second-
place honors in the serious
column category, and the
newspaper staff also earned
a third-place certificate for
its editorial page.
Diffenderfer was noti
fied of his first-place writ
ing award in April. He
knew that he received an
award for sports section
but didn’t know which
place. He said he predicted
a second- or third-place
certificate.
But during the June 7
awards banquet at the
Jekyll Island Club Hotel, it
was the Tribune & Geor
gian’s name that was called
during the sports section
category, earning Diffend
erfer his second first-place
plaque of the evening.
“I was very surprised —
very pleasantly surprised,
obviously,” he said of re
ceiving both awards.
Diffenderfer started his
career as a journalist in
1995 in Dalton. He then
spent 14 years at the
Walker County Messenger
in LaFayette, serving as
sports editor for five years
and managing editor for
nine years.
He left the Walker
County Messenger in 2009
and worked as a freelance
writer for the Chattanooga
Times Free Press, cover
ing news and sports, be
fore joining the Tribune &
Georgian staff in 2011.
Diffenderfer said his first
GPA banquet served as a
motivating experience, giv
ing him the chance to look
at others’ writing in both
sports and news categories.
He said every time he vis
its a new place, he gets a
local paper to compare and
gain new ideas for writing
styles and stories.
Despite not personally
knowing many people at
the event, Diffenderfer
said he recognized names
just from previously look
ing at their work.
“That was very special
and I felt very flattered,”
he said, after seeing the
work of other winners.
Diffenderfer’s awards
mean a lot to him, espe
cially considering the keen
competition in his divi
sion. Having his wife and
mother in attendance to
watch him accept the
awards made the night
even better.
“It’s a great honor and a
night I’ll always remem
ber,” he said. “It’s a great
thrill.”
Dance to get fit
Submitted photo
Zumba is just one of many activities held during the Camden County Public Library’s adult
summer programs.AII classes are free.The next class will meet at 10:30 a.m. Monday,July 15,
at the library.Wear comfortable shoes and clothes.
Coastal Georgia Film Alliance issues call for extras
If you’ve ever wanted to
be in the movies, perhaps
this is your chance.
The Coastal Georgia
Film Alliance (CGFA) has
put out a call for extras for
the filming of “Preserve,”
an apocalyptic story that
takes place 170 years after
a disaster has driven hu
manity underground. Sur
vivors finally emerge to the
surface and seek safe har
bor in an unwelcoming
world.
The Film Alliance is
seeking adults between the
ages of 18 and 55 who are
physically fit, as they will
be playing roles that re
quire running.
According to CGFA tal
ent coordinator and vice
chair, Barbara Ryan, the
scene calls for between 60-
75 extras, all on a volunteer
basis.
“Participants will be
asked to wear their grungi-
est ‘survival clothes,”’ Ryan
said. “And on-site makeup
artists will do the rest to
bring the illusion to life.”
Ryan said the signup for
extras will be on a first-re-
spond, first-enrolled basis.
“This is the first movie
we’ve coordinated where
we’re encompassing the
talents of our newly en
rolled alliance partners of
Liberty, McIntosh, and
Charlton counties,” Ryan
said. “Glynn County and
northeast Florida residents
are welcome as well, so
we’re expecting a big re
sponse.”
“Preserve” was written
by Wayne Degan and is
being directed by Brandon
Herron, both residents of
coastal Georgia.
Doug Vaught, CGFA
chair, has been assisting the
filming of “Preserve” for
approximately six weeks,
and has been impressed.
“Much of the film is
being made in St. Marys on
the old paper mill site — in
fact, the site actually in
spired the writing of the
film,” Vaught said. “And
scenes are being filmed in
surrounding counties as
well.”
Vaught went on to say
that the Film Alliance and
the movie producers are
very grateful to the trustees
of the paper mill property
for allowing the film to be
made without any compen
sation to the property.
“This is the kind of com
munity spirit that will
come back to us tenfold as
we continue to pursue
projects that ultimately can
make a difference in eco
nomic development for our
region,” said Vaught.
Anyone who would like
to be considered for an
extra on June 23, should
email barbara@coastalge-
orgiafilm.org to be pre
registered. Applicants can
familiarize themselves with
the film by going to
www.facebook.com/pre-
servemovie.
The film site is located at
1100 Osborne Road, St.
Marys, Georgia. Call (912)
729-1103 for additional in
formation.
Coastal Georgia Film Al
liance Partners include:
Charlton County, Liberty
County, McIntosh County,
and St. Marys Downtown
Merchants Association.
Submitted photo
“Preserve,” a post-apocalyptic film being shot partially on the grounds of the former paper mill in St. Marys, is seeking ex
tras for an upcoming film day June 23.Those who wish to participate should send an email to barbara@coastalgeor-
giafilm.org to be pre-registered.
Experience
INTEGRITY
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• Family Law
• Criminal Law
• Personal Injury
NEW LOCATION
106 E. Weed St. • St. Marys
(9121 882-2931
www.bertguy.com
RGCyCLG!
CONSULTANTS IN
PAIN MEDICINE
DIAGNOSIS • TREATMENT • RELIEF
Now accepting new patients for
the evaluation and management
of chronic painful conditions.We
offer a variety of options, including
non-narcotic therapies,
interventional techniques, as well
as medical management. Call
912-466-91 I I for scheduling and
more information.
Dr.Thomas Runyan &
Mrs. Heather Niece, PA-C
104 Lakeshore Dr., Suite B
St. Marys, GA 3 1558