Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Page 5A
The Upson Beacon
Upson Beacon COVID-19 Update
Upson County reports
3,506 positive COVID-19
cases with 132 deaths as
of noon last Tuesday, ac
cording to the Johns
Hopkins University &
Medicine Coronavirus
Resource Center.
Numbers reflect seven
new cases (up from five
last week) and one new
death (up from none
last week) since Tuesday
one week prior. During
that time, Upson’s per
capita infection rate in
creased slightly from
13-34 to 13.36 cases per
100 residents. Pike
County, at 12.81 per 100
county approval, according
to Tinsley.
“Jason, James [Elling
ton], and I [initially] met
with Russell, Ryan [Tucker],
and [Mayor] J.D. [Stall
ings],” Chairman Norman
Allen said. “There have been
two sets of changes since
then. We need to table this,
go back, and discuss those
changes.”
Allen added that users of
the system should be re
sponsible for cost of mainte
nance and operation.
“I think we can get
there,” Commissioner El
lington said, “but a lot of
this stuff wasn’t part of the
[original plan].”
Justifying the delay,
Tinsley said, “I think it’s im
portant to get [the agree
ment] right because it will
be future boards and man
agers that will have to use
it.”
residents, and Lamar
County, at 11.04 per 100,
are the only Upson-adja
cent counties also exceed
ing i-in-10 infection rate.
Taylor is at 9.91, Monroe
at 9.94, and Meriwether
at 9.74 per 100.
Johns Hopkins Coro
navirus Resource Center
reports Georgia with
1,128,870 (up 2,473
from last week — was
up 6,125 the previous
week) positive cases and
21,158 (up 172 from
last week — was up 325
the previous week)
deaths as of noon last
Tuesday.
Both Allen and Tinsley
confirmed that tabling ac
tion on the contract would
not delay industrial devel
opment.
In other business, com
missioners voted 4-1 not to
abandon a section of Ste
wart Road.
“That part of the road is
a lot better than the other
part. It’s been a county road
for I don’t know how long,”
Commissioner Paul Jones
said when making his mo
tion. “It’s a good, paved por
tion of the road and I see no
reason for us to give it up.”
Allen cast the lone vote
to abandon, agreeing with a
staff recommendation from
Tinsley.
“I respectfully disagree
with you guys,” Allen told
commissioners. “I see this
little bit of land... what’s
that ever going to be used
for? I agree with staff. I
Johns Hopkins lists
the following confirmed
cases for counties border
ing Upson: Monroe, 2,701
(up eight) cases with 100
(no change) deaths; Pike,
2,348 (up 21) with 43 (up
one) deaths; Lamar, 2,061
(up four) with 58 (no
change) deaths; Meri
wether, 2,056 (up 10)
with 88 (no change)
deaths; Taylor, 804 (up
two) with 26 (no change)
deaths; Crawford, 661 (up
five) with 21 (no change)
deaths; and Talbot, 494
(up one) with 18 (no
change) deaths.
don’t think that little spur of
road serves any purpose.”
The board also voted
unanimously to con
ditionally approve a request
from Simonia Investment
Group, LLC of Thomaston
(registered agent Matthew
T. Mallory, represented by
Matt Smith) to rezone less
than one acre at 2544 High
way 19 from R-2 to C-2 for
retail stores/storage units.
volved.”
Other unrelated TPD ar
rests and charges include
Brian Kevin Albritton, rape.
Recent arrests and
charges reported by the office
of Upson County Sheriff Dan
Kilgore include the following:
Thomas Blake Brown, two
counts of financial transaction
card fraud; Casey Orlando
Moore, illegal possession of a
City/County,
agreement which provides
an additional 150,000 gal
lons of capacity to the
Thomaston-Upson Indus
trial Development Au
thority, which then could
grant the capacity for
Ranew’s expanded need.
But late changes made by
the city resulted in county
commissioners delaying ap
proval early last week.
The second option
would involve the county,
IDA, or the industry itself
submitting a $211,000
check to the city as cost
share for the additional
15,000 gallons of capacity.
The funds would be held in
escrow with “good faith”
that the city and county
eventually will sign the con
tract, which directly ad
dresses Ranew’s
requirement.
One official said the city
would be willing to hold the
check - not cashing it -
until the matter is resolved.
Mayor J.D. Stallings and
Mayor Pro-Tem Doug Head
recognized Ranew’s “imme
diate need” for additional
capacity.
“We want to encourage
industry and development
controlled substance and pos
session of a firearm by a con
victed felon; and Tara Rose
Behm, felony probation vio
lation for possession of meth-
amphetamine.
UCSO reported charges of
murder and aggravated as
sault for Jaylan Jashad Ray,
who was booked and housed
for Lamar County in Upson
County Jail.
Sewer Agreement,
Continued from Front
Catfish,
Continued from Front
BOE,
Continued from Front
School staff members, who
were crucial saving Audrey’s
life, were present at the meet
ing.
“Tonight, we want to rec
ognize some of the heroes
among us,” continued Derico.
“The T-U School System cur
rently has 56 automated exter
nal defibrillators or AEDs at a
cost of about $1,750 each.
That may sound a little pricey
to some people, but on May
18, we learned that an AED is
an invaluable investment that
can and did save a life, and
that is priceless... This is why
we hold CPR training for our
employees each year.”
In thanking ULMS staff
members, Derico commented,
“Your quick thinking, quick
actions, and training saved the
life of one of our precious stu
dents. The fact that you came
together, put training into ac
tion, performed CPR and used
the AED before emergency re
sponders arrived gave Audrey
the chance she needed to be
the fighter we know she is.”
Audrey’s father Matt Nor
ris commented, “When the
doctor tells you that less than
10 percent of [those suffering
cardiac arrest in public] make
it and less than five percent
come out without neurological
problems, but she knocked
this out of the park... She
brings joy to everybody, but it
was like she brought joy to the
hospital. They said that they
don’t see this much.”
Sharing thanks to all in
volved, the Norris family
shared their love for the com
munity and the school system.
Norris shared a story
about a school nurse out west
who wanted to take an AED
machine to the school’s field
day, who said it was unnec
essary. The next day, the nurse
saw Audrey’s story, which had
been shared on a Facebook
Nurse Group. She printed it
out and took it to the princi
pal, who then saw the need for
medical preparedness.
Several board members
commented, echoing concerns
for Audrey, sharing excite
ment for Audrey’s continual
progressing health, and
thanking those who were a
part of aiding Audrey during
her time of need.
“I’ve never been so proud
to be a part of this school sys
tem... To hear the heroics of
our staff on that field on that
day - I mean, it should be na
tional news,” said Brian Salter,
District 4.
In other news, Thomas-
ton-Upson Industrial Devel
opment Authority Executive
Director Kyle Fletcher ad
dressed the board, providing
updated Upson County demo
graphics and explaining cur
rent workforce challenges in
the county, including a vast
need for employees. The
Upson Beacon recently pub
lished reports on Fletcher’s
similar addresses to the
Thomaston City Council and
its Community Relations
Committee last week.
Fletcher invited board
members to consider initia
tives that are not currently in
place, as well as meeting with
city and county officials, the
IDA, the Chamber of Com
merce, and Southern Crescent
Technical College to “see how
we can all help each other.”
The board thanked Fletcher
for coming and told her that
they will be in further discus
sion.
The board discussed two
board policies for review: The
GARH Leaves and Absences
policy and GBIA Teacher
Evaluation Appeals.
During the action items
section of the meeting, the
board approved a Disposition
of Federal Media Inventory,
which included damaged and
replaced Chromebooks and
Dell Computers.
The second item approved
was the 2021-22 T-U Schools
Parent and Family Engage
ment Policy, which Parent and
Family Engagement Coordi
nator Michele Daniel will for
ward to the state for approval.
The annual policy document
provided details of the pro
gram and how T-U Schools
plan to utilize the policy doc
ument to strengthen students,
schools, and communication
between parents and school
officials.
H&S, Continued from 3A
thank ACCG for this honor,”
said Upson County Commis
sion Chairman Norman Allen.
“Our community’s efforts
throughout the Heart & Soul
process and the partnerships
of all those involved was im
pressive. The results of these
efforts help to guide com
munity leadership as deci
sions are made and priorities
are established. We are grate
ful for this acknowledgement.”
Along with the City of
Thomaston, Upson County
embarked on a journey to
show constituents that their
voices matter. Using the Orton
Family Foundation’s Heart &
Soul Community Model in
2018, the county became the
first community in Georgia to
pilot the program as way to
allow the residents to shape
MAKE YOUR
APPOINTMENT TODAY!
Clinic: 1 (800) 847-4262 or 706-647-7148
WIC: 1 (866) 636-7942
COVID-19 Hotline: (844) 442-2681
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Upson County Health Department
314 E Lee Street
Thomaston, GA 30286
Follow us
on Social Media:
@UpsoncountyDPH4
@d4publichealth
@D4publichealth
We protect lives.
Georgia Department of Public Health
District 4 Public Health
Upson County Health Department
district4heath.org
the future of the community
where they live, work, and
play.
The Thomaston-Upson
Community Heart & Soul Ini
tiative hosted more than 42
community events, conducted
countless citizen interviews,
and administered thousands
of surveys to solicit feedback
from community residents
over the course of two years.
That work resulted in the
fruition of resident-identified
action items such as improve
ments to outdoor recreation
areas and the development of
a master plan for Rural Zone
designation of the downtown
area.
Learn more about the
award-winning initiative in
the June issue of Georgia
Trend magazine.
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in this town and county,”
Head said during the called
meeting Friday. “I think the
county also wants that. And
I think we’ve done what we
need to do.”
Councilman Ryan
Tucker voiced the city’s de
sire to “help Ranew,” and
Finance Director Lonnie
Joyce said he first learned of
the situation last Thursday.
“I got a call from Nor
man [Allen] about Ranew
trucking effluent out of the
plant,” Joyce said. “[Before
that] we had no knowledge.”
In other business, coun
cil voted unanimously to ac
cept a low bid of $79,550 to
install a support pole for a
HAWK traffic signal at the
location of the new Thomas
ton Fire Department.
With the push of a but
ton, the signal will stop traf
fic in both directions on
Church Street, allowing fire
trucks to quickly exit the
new station in route to
emergencies. The pole must
be located across the road
from the station, which has
caused delay in permitting
from the Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation, ac
cording to engineers.
The project will take ap
proximately six months to
complete, and federal
COVID relief funds may be
used to offset cost, officials
said.
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