Newspaper Page Text
Friday, July 12,2013
Tribune & Georgian
3A
Landfill ablaze
Sheriffs office
aids Charlton
in meth bust
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
jocelyn@tribune-georgian.com
Submitted photo
Camden County Fire Rescue responded to a fire Wednesday evening at a construction landfill off of Georgia Highway I I0.
Crews received a call just before 8 p.m. from a passerby who saw smoke and flames coming from the gated area, accord
ing to CCFR Chief Dennis Gailey.When units arrived, the debris fire was under control and extinguished within 25 minutes.
Gailey said the cause of the fire has not been determined, although it is possible for debris to be hauled in with something
smoldering and not detected until much later, as has happened in the past. No damage or injuries were reported.
JDA supports adventure park loan
Jill Helton
publisher@tribune-georgian.com
Camden County Joint De
velopment Authority (JDA)
members threw their en
dorsement behind a loan ap
plication for the Kingsland
adventure park project dur
ing a called meeting on
Wednesday, July 3, at the
county annex building.
The Georgia Gateway
Community Improvement
District (CID) requested
support letters from commu
nity partners like the JDA to
help Epic Adventures Resort
Kingsland earn a U.S. De
partment of Agriculture loan
to fund public work and con
struction, such as sidewalks
and utilities. The JDA board
tabled the letter at its last
meeting because they said
the city had not fully ap
proved the district.
JDA member Stan Fowler
said the board felt it was bet
ter to wait for the Kingsland
City Council to vote.
“The fact that we tabled
this has nothing to do with
whether we support this
project,” Fowler said.
Fand owner Bill Gross
agreed that it was a lot of in
formation for the board to
digest, but said the support
of Kingsland has never been
in question.
“The city has approved it
... just by getting it estab
lished,” he said.
While Kingsland City
Council has approved two
tax incentives for the adven
ture park, it has not yet en
tered into a development
agreement with project lead
ers. In May, the council di
rected city attorney James
Coppage to work with devel
opers to resolve concerns
about certain language in the
agreement.
Fast year, council mem
bers approved a tax alloca
tion district (TAD) for the
500-acre property. A TAD is
an area where property val
ues are frozen at their pre
renovation value, and, as
development starts and the
property value rises, govern
ments continue collecting tax
revenues at the frozen level.
The difference between the
frozen and improved values,
the increment, goes back to
developers to help finance
improvements.
Gross explained that the
CID allows up to 2.5 mills to
be levied on that property to
fund public infrastructure.
“There are no taxpayers on
the hook,” he said.
“A TAD is similar, but
reaches into government
pockets by stemming off rev
enue. A CID can only levy
on itself,” Gross added.
At its June 10 meeting, the
council appointed economic
developer Darren Harper,
planning director Ken
Kessler and deputy finance
director Filiz Morrow to
represent the city and Gross,
Randolph Cardoza, retired
Georgia Department of Eco
nomic Development com-
The fact that we tabled
this has nothing to do
with whether we support
this project.
— Stan Fowler
JDA board member
missioner, engineer Jeremy
Mackey and consultant Thor
Degelmann to represent the
project’s developers.
Gross also noted that 70
percent of Camden County’s
jobs are tied to Kings Bay
and the community needs
the kind of diversification
that this complex will pro
vide. Several other commu
nity stakeholders have
submitted letters of support
to help strength the loan re
quest, he said.
Following the discussion,
JDA members unanimously
approved the letter of en
dorsement.
Contracts
The JDA board authorized
chairman John McDill to ex
ecute three contracts.
The board approved the
rental of a tour bus to trans
port state and community of
ficials during Georgia State
Day, a promotional event
geared toward showcasing
Camden County and its as
sets.
The JDA also authorized
annual contracts with the
Camden County Chamber
of Commerce and The
Camden Partnership.
The chamber will receive
$250 per month, the same
amount as last year, to send
out relocation materials to
those who request them
through the JDA or county
offices.
The Camden Partnership,
which lobbies on behalf of
Kings Bay Naval Submarine
Base, will receive $1,250 per
month to cover travel, lodg
ing and other expenses re
lated to those lobbying
activities.
JDA members made minor
changes to the contracts and
unanimously gave their ap
proval for McDill to sign
them if the revised contracts
were acceptable to the con
tractors. If not, the contracts
will come back to the board
for further discussion.
Board member John Mor
rissey, also a St. Marys city
council member, said he ap
preciated the collaboration
that is emerging among local
government and its eco
nomic development partners
in the community
“I think we all need to en
courage this synergy. We
need all hands on deck,” he
said. “We’re all in this to
gether.”
The Camden County
Sheriff’s Office drug task
force helped with a meth lab
investigation and cleanup
last week in Charlton
County.
The Charlton County
Sheriff’s Office contacted
CCSO Tuesday, July 2, after
arresting Stanley Crews, 33,
of Folkston.
According to a press re
lease from Charlton County
Sheriff Dobie Conner,
deputies received a com
plaint from the suspect’s
mother concerning the theft
of six personal checks from
her checkbook totaling
$340.
After Crews admitted to
stealing his mother’s checks
and cashing them at a local
store, enough evidence was
found to connect Crews to
the drug operation and ob
tain a search warrant for his
property. Upon searching
Crews’ home, he was
charged with possession and
manufacturing of meth,
along with six counts of
theft by taking and six
counts of fourth degree for
gery.
Crews
Charlton’s drug investiga
tor Clay Burnsed had been
investigating Crews for his
suspected participation in a
meth operation in Folkston
that had been going on for
some time. Investigators
were tracking suspects’ pur
chases of materials needed
to produce meth.
“I want to thank Camden
County $heriff Jim Proctor
for sending his drug squad
to help with this meth lab
investigation,” Conner
stated.
Conner added that he will
ask the magistrate court to
deny Crews’ bonds on all
charges. Crews is in custody
and Conner says he expects
more arrests during ongo
ing investigation into the
operation.
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