Newspaper Page Text
County Postpones Vote on Sewer Agreement
Wording, Omission Send Board Back to Negotiating Table with Mayor & City Council
By Bridge Turner
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Citing three points of
concern in the city-ap
proved draft, county com
missioners postponed
action last week regarding
a new wastewater service
agreement between the
City of Thomaston and
Upson County.
County Manager Jason
Tinsley recommended that
commissioners table the
issue until discussion
could continue among
members of the board and
city council to “iron out”
wording in the contract.
Tinsley said he spoke with
Mayor Pro-Tern Doug
Head and City Manager
Russell Thompson about
his concerns.
The city-approved ver
sion states that the agree
ment would be null and
void if the Georgia Envi
ronmental Protection Di
vision decreases the city’s
treatment limit. If the con
tract is nullified by EPD
action, the county would
have made a $2 million
capital investment with
“nothing to show for it,”
according to Tinsley.
Tinsley also questioned
the legality of wording
Ranews has graduated from a "small user" to a "significant user," and needs an additional 15,000 gallons of wastewater
capacity at its Upson County plant. Delays involving a joint agreement between the city and county have contributed to
the industry needing to truck effluent away from the Delray Road location.
which suggests that mil-
lage levied for the county’s
portion of maintenance
and operational cost of the
system would apply to un
incorporated taxpayers
only, not affecting city res
idents.
Finally, wording was
omitted regarding fire pro
tection for system users. A
previous draft stated that
participants would auto
matically receive fire serv
ice from the Thomaston
Fire Department. Full
time coverage from a full
time department is key for
Sewer Agreement, 5A
City, County Eye
Options For Industry
Ranew Trucks Effluent
Away From Local Plant
By Bridge Turner
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
City officials learned
last Thursday that
Ranew’s manufacturing
and fabrication plant on
Delray Road has reached
its wastewater limit and
has resorted to trucking ef
fluent away from the local
facility, according to com
ments made at a special
called meeting of the city
council Friday.
The industry, which
employs more than 60 lo
cally and currently is ad
vertising numerous ad
ditional employment op
portunities, has graduated
from a “small user” to a
“significant user,” engi
neers said. The plant now
needs an extra 15,000 gal
lons per day on top of the
10,000 gallons of capacity
previously allotted.
According to city offi
cials, there are two options
for providing relief to
Ranew.
The first option would
involve the city and county
approving a new joint
City/County, 5A
TPD Reports
‘Catfish’ Scam
Area Woman Lost $150,000
Front L-r: Audrey and Garrett Norris; Second Row L-R: Jessica Watson, Chair Jaqueline Hollis, Brian Salter, Deborah
Hopper, Robyn Greer, Bethany and Matthew Norris, ULMS Principal Rhonda Gulley, Superintendent Dr. Larry Derico,
Angeline McGill, Sheila Hall; Third Row L-R: Jaye Eubanks and Scott Roberts. Photo by Luke Haney
BOE Celebrates Guest of Honor Audrey Norris
IDA Director Addresses Board
A local woman claimed
losses of more than
$150,000 to a man she
“met” on a dating website
more than a year ago, ac
cording to a report from
the Thomaston Police De
partment.
The man said his name
was Robert John Tocci and
told the woman he lived in
Long Boat, Fla., the report
stated. The victim told po
lice “they talked for
months on the phone,”
then in August 2020 Tocci
said he “knew a way to pay
off the mortgage on her
home, but he needed
$5,000.”
She said she sent
$5,000, then Tocci said he
needed another $25,000
to get out of a Mexican jail
where he was incarcerated
during a business trip, and
an additional $30,000 be
cause he was robbed while
in Mexico.
The local woman told
police she sent Tocci
$30,000 at least four
times, and between Feb
ruary and April this year
8 10499 02461 2
she sent more than
$150,000, “emptying her
bank account of her life
savings.” Having never
met the man, she received
only photos, phone
numbers, and an email
contact.
She said she kept re
ceipts of the transactions,
including amounts and lo
cations to where money
was sent.
“[She] said she knows
she might never get her
money back, but she
wanted to report this so it
will not happen to anyone
else,” the report stated. "...
she was told by the Geor
gia Bureau of Investigation
to file a police report with
her local department in
order for them to get in-
Catfish, 5A
By Luke Haney
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
The Thomaston-Upson
Board of Education met
last Tuesday for its regular
monthly meeting. At the
start of the meeting, Su
perintendent Dr. Larry
Derico welcomed the
“guest of honor,” Audrey
Norris, and her family.
“Audrey, we are so very
thankful and blessed to
have you here with us to
night,” said Dr. Derico.
“All of us in this room, in
our schools, and through
out our entire community
have said a lot of prayers
for you, and we continue
to pray and give thanks for
you and for your sustained
good health. You are
amazing, and we are so
happy to have you and
your entire family as part
of our UL family.”
Norris, the daughter of
two Upson-Lee High
School teachers, recently
went into cardiac arrest
during her seventh-grade
field day last month. Sev
eral Upson-Lee Middle
BOE,5A
11th Annual Flint River Poker Float
Photo by Jacob Stewart
The Thomaston-Upson Chamber of Commerce hosted the llth annual Poker
Float last Saturday. Many members of surrounding communities played their
chances at winning the grand prize, along with other door prizes. Steve Elliot
turned in the winning hand of poker and won a new kayak. See more, Page $B.
Photo by Bridge Turner
Celebrating a
Century with Ms. Cleo
Happy 100th Birthday to Cleo Tatum, who celebrated
a century of life last Saturday with a drive-thru birth
day parade, held at Thomaston First United Methodist
Church. Her 100th birthday is Monday, June 21.
(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