Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, July 10,2013
Tribune & Georgian
7A
Deny
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Council also denied the
variance and gave Holt 60
days to comply with city
code.
“Variances like this are the
worst type that we have to
deal with,” council member
Alex Blount said, adding the
city has a development code
for a reason. “... Any time you
start with variances that you
could really describe as ex
treme, we have to be espe
cially careful about the
precedent that we set.”
Based on city code, the
Holts would have to live on
10 acres to have 25 chickens
and set the coop back 200
feet from the property. They
live on less than a third of an
acre and asked for a 3 5-foot
setback.
City code allows two
penned chickens to be kept
on a minimum of a half-acre
with two more chickens per
mitted for each additional
half acre.
Fred Holt presented coun
cil with a petition signed by
all but two of his neighbors in
a three-block area saying
they did not object to Holt’s
poultry. He purchases the
chicks in groups of 25 as re
quired by the hatchery, raises
them, then sells the chickens
at cost to Boy Scouts and 4-
H members.
Holt also spoke about bat
tling pain daily, yet still rising
at dawn or before to care for
his chickens.
“By moving in different
positions, you know, carrying
a water pail, carrying a feed
pail, so forth and so on, it
loosens up my muscles and
then the rest of the day is fine
with me,” he said. “But be
fore I had the chickens, I was
spending 20 hours a day in
bed.”
Council member Jim Mc
Clain said raising chickens is
a type of commercial activity.
“It’s not the type of activity
that me as a homebuyer com
ing into the neighborhood
would expect to see,” Mc
Clain said. “If I buy into a
neighborhood like that and
find out about it later, I’m
going to be a little bit upset.
... At a certain level, I’m OK
with it.”
Council member Don
Mounsey said it was a tough
decision but he could not see
a solution or how he could
Delay
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pronounced dead at South
east Georgia Health System.
Investigators served six
search warrants to tie the
two men to the crime, ac
cording to an initial press re
lease from the Camden
County Sheriff’s Office. De
tectives believe robbery may
have been the motive.
Cyrus Jonathan Bell of
Waynesville was also ar
rested in connection to the
murder and will be tried sep
arately at a later date.
According to indictments,
Sapp and Bell each face
charges of malice murder,
two counts of felony murder,
aggravated assault, armed
robbery and possession of a
firearm during the commis
sion of a felony. Sapp is also
charged with possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon.
ART.
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For more information about the
importance of arts education, please contact
www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
AMERICANS
'“ARTS J
approve the variance as is.
“It is one large variance
when you go from 10 acres
down to .2 acres and then
when you go from the 200
feet down to 35,” Mounsey
said. “I’m being totally hon
est, that can open up the
biggest bucket of worms that
we’ve got up here on this
council right now because we
did it for you, why don’t you
do it for me?”
Council member Grayson
Day said that 25 chickens did
not seem reasonable and a
much smaller variance re
quest may garner a better re
sponse.
“Your right to enjoy your
life starts weighing on other
people in the neighborhood,”
Day said. “And again how the
code was set up not to impose
on someone else’s way of
life.”
Holt asked for time to
write the American Disabil
ity Association and agreed to
the 60 days council offered.
Funding the partnership
Taking no action, council
discussed the possibility of
giving money to The Cam
den Partnership, a nonprofit
group that advocates, sup
ports and strengthens mili
tary missions and enhances
relationships between the
community and the military,
according to its website.
The organization is strug
gling financially, McClain
said, and if it is not sus
tained, Camden County will
lose its voice in the military
community.
With the likelihood of a
Base Closure and Realign
ment Commission session
looming, McClain expressed
concern at the lack of a plan
for economic development in
Camden County and the nu
merous agencies working in
that field.
“We spend over a million
dollars across all those agen
cies and my question would
be, are we getting a return for
our money?” McClain said.
“Because the whole approach
to economic development in
the county isn’t working the
way it’s set up now.”
Kings Bay Naval Subma
rine Base is the county’s
largest employer, and a re
duction in force or closure
could have a ripple effect on
the community.
“The Camden Partner
ship is asking for us $25,000,
which I believe is a pit
tance,” McClain said. “...
We cannot afford to lose this
voice. It is too important to
every business in Camden
County.”
The city needs to do what
it can to help The Camden
Partnership until a better
economic development effort
can be organized, McClain
said.
“We’re doing some good
work out there but I think we
can do a lot better,” he said.
Funding from government
entities for the partnership
should be equitable, Blount
said.
“I don’t think that because
somebody owns a commer
cial property in Kingsland or
St. Marys they should be
paying twice, that they
should be making a contribu
tion twice versus somebody
that has a piece of property in
the unincorporated county,”
he said. “That’s why that
county funding model is a
better model when you’re
taking taxpayer funds and al
lowing them to be spent by a
board that you don’t neces
sarily have a direct influence
on.”
Day and Mounsey agreed
that funding should come
from a county level. Day
added that he wanted to steer
clear of making The Camden
Partnership a line item in the
city’s budget.
Mayor Kenneth Smith said
the city did need someone to
lobby for it.
The council also:
• heard a nearly hourlong
presentation about the city’s
retirement plan prior to
Monday’s regular meeting.
“Your plan is well funded,”
actuary Rocky Joyner told an
employee. “The city has
made commitments in the
past. I have no doubt they
will continue to make their
commitments in the future,
so you should rest comfort
ably at night that your plan is
as safe as they could make it.”
In addition, state law re
quires governments to make
at least a minimal contribu
tion or state money and
grants can be withheld, noted
Joyner, who is a contractor
with the Georgia Municipal
Association.
• awarded a bid to RJ’s Un
derground Utilities Inc. for
$232,630 to provide sewer to
a site north of Harrietts Bluff
Road where Summer Indus
tries plans to re-locate. The
city plans to pay for the work
with Special Purpose Local
Option Sales tax VI.
Quilt
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surprised at my reaction,”
she said, describing how she
started crying when she saw
the fully restored quilt for
the first time. “It just took
my breath away. It meant so
much to me. The only
thing that could have
topped that is my grand
mother walking through
the door.”
Susan said she had a hard
time keeping the secret from
Julia, with David and Rick
working together at Kings
Bay and the two longtime
friends keeping in touch on
Facebook, over the phone
and meeting for lunch.
This is like having my
family. As far as I'm
concerned, you brought
my grandmother to my
birthday party.
— Julia Williams
Tarboro resident, to
friend Susan Quinton,
who finished a quilt
for Williams
Susan even remembers
Julia calling Rick while he
was dropping off the quilt,
making up a quick excuse to
tell his wife where he was.
“I wanted to tell her,”
Quinton said, laughing.
Julia admires the quilt
and Susan’s work, which
she calls “a piece of art,”
and plans on hanging it in
her home over the bed
from her grandmother’s
original bedroom set that
was passed down to her.
Julia said her mother and
sisters are her only living
members of her immediate
family and reflected on the
importance of memories.
She looks forward to being
able to pass memories and
heirlooms down to her
children someday, which is
now possible thanks to
Susan’s efforts.
“This is like having my
family,” she said, looking at
Susan with tears in her
eyes. “As far as I’m con
cerned, you brought my
grandmother to my birth
day party.”
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Private Mail Boxes
Engineering Copies
Western Union
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912.882.7447
944 A Kings Bay Rd.
St, Marys, Ga 31558
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Jane Hanson is a graduate of Michigan School of
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knowledge of the latest styles and techniques.
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Your pet’s home away from home
5775 Laurel Island Pkwy • Kingsland, GA • 912-576-9801
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The city of Kingsland reports that a minor sanitary sewer overflow
discharging at a low rate from a privately owned and maintained pump
ing station off of Lawnwood Drive was discovered on 7/3/2013. The spill
entered the ditch system along Lawnwood Drive.
There was no disruption of sewer service in the adjoining
neighborhoods and the owner of the pumping station was notified and
provisions were made to stop the spill. City personnel have
assisted the owner of the pumping station with cleanup and will
further assist, if required to ensure that the pumping station is restored to
proper working order. The overflow was reported to the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division and Camden County Health
Department about the spill.
Kingsland Interim City Manager, Quentin T McPhatter said, “Although the
operation of this pumping station is considered a private matter, the city
is committed to assisting the owners in the interest of
protecting the environment as well as the public health and safety.” Area
residents have no need for alarm and do not need to take any
special precautions.
There are no immediate concerns about negative impacts to ground
water or surface water and the city will be working with EPD to
investigate any potential longer-term impacts. 62705COK7 . 10
am for the child Not Pictured
J am for the child who lived in motels, cars and
shelters. The child who now stands in the
entryway of a group foster home. Clutching a
makeshift suitcase. A garbage bag filled with
everything he owns. That is the child I am for.
And because I am, he will be half as likely to
languish in foster care, and that much more likely
to find a safe, permanent home. I am a Court
Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.
I am you.
Lift up a child’s voice. A child’s life.™
Get involved at www.CamdenCountyCASA.org
%
CASA
Court Appointed Special Advocates
FOR CHILDREN
