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The Beacon Has Moved!
The Upson Beacon has officially moved into new offices, located at 219 Thomas Street in Thomaston.
The new location at the corner of Thomas and South Green Streets offers convenient
access and additional parking for customers, according to Beacon management.
Upson Newspapers, Inc. and Flint River Media, LLC operations also are housed at the Thomas Street offices.
Commission OKs Search for Judicial Center Contractor
Allen: ‘This is a need, not a want - Politics has nothing to do with it’
By Bridge Turner
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Commissioners voted
unanimously last week to
engage the services of a
general contractor to over
see planning stages for a
new court facility in Upson
County, despite uncer
tainty surrounding fund
ing for the projected $20
million project.
County officials have
proposed a continuation of
the current one-cent spe
cial purpose local option
sales tax to service debt as
sociated with the venture,
but voters will not weigh in
on the issue until No
vember.
“We’re going to hire a
general contractor well be
fore we even know if the
SPLOST is going to be ap
proved,” Chairman Nor
man Allen told
commissioners. “That’s
the question I have. Are we
putting the cart before the
horse?”
Commissioners Lo
renzo Wilder and James
Ellington asked the same
question, prompting a re
sponse from County Man
ager Jason Tinsley.
“The more information
we bring about what proj
ect we’re delivering, I
think the better success
we’ll have getting our mes
sage to the voters to have it
approved,” Tinsley said.
“In some form or fash
ion, we’re going to have to
engage someone to look at
a site and say, ‘We’d prob
ably situate it this way, it
should be this many
stories, this is what the
layout would look like,’
etc.,” he continued. “To
me, that’s all something
that would help a voter un
derstand what the overall
project would be.”
Allen then asked com
missioners for a commit
ment.
“We’ve started work on
property and need to get
moving on some due dili
gence,” Allen said. “Are we
going to do this or not?
Like commissioner [Paul]
Jones said at the last meet
ing, ‘Are we going to kick
the can down the road, or
Judicial Center, 4A
Photo by Kinsley Riggins
Upson-Lee Honors Class 0/2021 at Graduation
Last Friday evening, Upson Lee High School held graduation for the Class of 2021
at Matthews Field. See the story and additional photos on Page lB.
County Business
Moratorium Ends
4-1 Vote: No Extension
By Bridge Turner
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Following a rec
ommendation from
County Manager Jason
Tinsley and Planning Di
rector Doug Currier, com
missioners voted 4-1 last
week to allow a six-month
moratorium on specific
business development in
Upson County to end with
out extension.
The decision came on
the heels of a unanimous
city council vote to extend
a similar moratorium on
specific businesses in
Thomaston for an ad
ditional six months.
“It had almost no effect
on the amount of applica
tions submitted,” Tinsley
told commissioners. “All
[applicants] have been un
derstanding and patient.
My belief is it would be un
reasonable to ask people to
wait until fall or winter
when we would have a
meaningful [zoning] revi
sion done.”
Tinsley said the mora
torium prevented “two to
three” businesses from ap
plying for alcohol licenses
Moratorium Ends, jA
County Executes Property
Options for Court Facility
The following state- heard from several distin- torney Marie Broder,
ment was released by guished officials at the Sheriff Dan Kilgore, Su-
county officials Friday, board meeting on Tues- perior Court Clerk Teresa
May 28: day, May 11, 2021. Super- Harper, and Probate
The Upson County ior Court Chief Judge
Board of Commissioners Fletcher Sams, District At- Property, 5A
Photo by Luke Haney
Audrey and Bethany Norris (Center) stand with members of the Thomaston Fire
Department, Community Ambulance, and Upson County Sheriff's Office.
8
10499 02461 2
Norris Comes Home
in Time for Her
Sister’s Graduation
By Luke Haney
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
After more than a week
in the hospital, Audrey
Norris was able to come
home just in time to see
her older sister, 2021
Upson Lee valedictorian
Lindsay Norris, walk the
“big stage” and receive her
diploma. She was sur
prised to see first re
sponders as she entered
the graduation field, who
gave her and her mother
Norris, 5A
Photo by Luke Haney
The Mary Lizzie Combined Choir provided a selection of songs for the celebration.
‘Looking Back While Moving Forward’
By Luke Haney
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
For 156 years, Pres
ident Abraham Lincoln’s
Emancipation Proclama
tion has been celebrated in
Thomaston and Upson
County on or around May
29, noted as one of the
longest continual emanci
pation celebrations in the
country.
Participants travel
from near and far to enjoy
the annual celebratory
events in Upson. Through
2019, an annual parade
was a part of the celebra
tion, but due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, no
parade was held last year
or this year. Involved offi
cials say they plan to bring
the parade back in the fu
ture.
Last Saturday, partici
pants gathered at the Lin
coln Park Speaking
Grounds to enjoy an event
of celebration and remem
brance. According to
members of the Emanci
pation Committee of
Upson County, Inc., this
year’s event marks the first
celebration held on May
29 in several years, rather
than holding celebrations
on surrounding days.
The 2021 Emancipa
tion Proclamation Cele
bration was themed
“Looking Back While Mov
ing Forward.”
Welcomed by Minister
Mia Collier, participants
heard an invocation by
Evangelist Shakira
Johnson, scripture by Dea
con Michael Smith, selec-
Emancipation, lB
(0 Griffin Ob-Gyn
NOW SEEING PATIENTS IN THOMASTON
CALL TO MAKE AN
APPOINTMENT TODAY:
403 WEST MAIN STREET
TUESDAY-THURSDAY 8:30-4:30
(770)227.5505
(706)646.2888
Leigh Ann Story, CNM; Bryan Krepps. HO; Jim Dunaway, MD; Lou Hameli, MO; Holly Harrison, PA*C;
Nadine Nolting, CNH; Enid Lofters-Jones, MD; Hegan Potter. HD; Katya Brickman. CNM; Ashley Johnson, PA