About Upson beacon. (Thomaston, Ga.) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2024)
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 UPSON BEACON ig Lights Raping «atcn on Page 7A Yatesville Set to Start Zoning Process Andrew Carroll Sports Editor acarroll@upsonbeacon.com Public outcry concern ing recreational vehicle parks in Yatesville has led to the city council starting the process of creating a zoning ordinance, the first in the town’s history. The council has sched uled a public work session relating to zoning for April 29 at 7 p.m. Councilman Steve Sproul commented, “I met with the people in Thomas- ton a couple of weeks ago to get a feel for zoning proce dures... They have gra ciously offered a lot of help because it’s going to be a pretty big task.” Sproul stated that the city is ahead of the curve since a land-use map has al ready been created for the city as part of the county’s comprehensive plan update. The map provided a starting point for the process. Sproul stated that Thomaston officials rec ommended Yatesville place a moratorium on building within the city limits while the process is ongoing. Sproul asked other council members to take part and be active in the process. “It has to be done ac cording to regulations. There is no gray area,” Sproul stated. “There’s a lot of work on the table that has to be done. We have to have these meetings, or it won’t get done. It takes too long a time frame to get it done otherwise.” Road resurfacing has be come a key issue for Yates ville over the last few months. Wanda Dozier commented that Upson County Commission Chair Norman Allen visited the town and walked several roads, including Magnolia Circle. Sproul stated that the city has $76,000 remaining from the current transpor tation special purpose local option sales tax, and any re surfacing projects will likely take the rest of that money, in addition to funds the city receives from the county. Sproul recommended the city take a closer look at Ragland Street, which Sproul stated was “falling apart.” The city council agreed to take a closer look at LMIG and LRA funds to help assist in covering the cost of future road projects, but Sproul motioned to have an engineer come in to help determine the best use of any funds the city spends on road resurfacing. The city council agreed. In other news, the city council voted to set speed limits on city streets to 25 miles per hour. City officials are still waiting for the Georgia En vironmental Protection Di vision to grant the go-ahead for location of a new water well. David Aldridge has agreed to donate property to the city for the well, but the city council intends to pur chase the land to avoid any future liability issues. Batchelor Retains Job In Forsyth Despite Firearm Possession Charge Steve Reece Monroe County Reporter stevereece@gmail.com It appears Forsyth’s electric and roads director will be able to keep his job despite being charged with possession of a fire arm by a convicted felon last week after shooting his finger off. According to an inci dent report from the Upson County Sheriffs Office, 51-year-old Mi chael Batchelor, the city’s utility and roads superin tendent, shot himself in hand on Tuesday, April 16. After a 3 a.m. call to 911 by Batchelor’s wife, Stephanie Batchelor, Upson County Sgt. Wil liam Alexander and dep uties Leclier and Van- houten were dispatched to the couple’s home at 88 Lanier Road, Thomaston, where they found Michael with his left hand wrapped in a towel. A gun was nearby, sitting in a chair on the porch. There was blood on the grass. Stephanie told dep uties that Batchelor had just arrived home, and when he came in through the front door, she asked him to let the dogs out be fore he laid down. She said she later heard a gunshot coming from the back yard, and when she went out, she saw Michael’s left ring finger hanging from the skin. EMS arrived, and after they stabilized Michael, he told Reynolds he was in the backyard, letting the dogs run while he was try ing to clear his gun. He said he pulled the 9mm pistol out of his holster, and it accidentally fired, shooting him in the finger. He was taken to Atrium Hospital. He lost part of his finger. Later, after running a criminal history, deputies discovered Batchelor was a convicted felon. After turning himself in on Fri day, April 19, Batchelor was booked into the Upson County Jail. Mayor Eric Wilson told the Reporter when he heard about it, he asked Batchelor to give him a full report. Wilson said Bat chelor has been a good employee and was pro moted to superintendent last year. The application for city employment asks if an ap plicant has been convicted of a felony within the past five years. Batchelor ap plied in 2013 but had been convicted of a drug felony in 2006, seven years ear lier, so he was honest on his application, said Wil son. Wilson added that the city requires an employee to be convicted before tak ing disciplinary action. The city pays Batchelor $92,664 per year. Art & Soul, Continued from Front run with Upson-Lee High School cross country and track teams represented, in cluding coach Alan Hen dricks. Leland Bergmeier won the 5K with a time in the 19- minute bracket, a personal best for Bergmeier. Following the color run, the day moved to the pine grove at Greatest Genera tion Memorial Park. Plein air painters took up stations around the main pond at GGMP, with sidewalk chalk artists decorating the spaces closest to the Hilltop Memo rial. The Thomaston-Upson Arts Council and the Upson County Line Dancers pro vided live entertainment throughout the day and live demonstrations in soap making and pottery were crafted throughout the event area. A kid’s zone at the bot tom of the grove near R Street provided entertain ment to youth who visited with their parents. BOE Approves Second Rerooflng Project: $218,100 Andrew Carroll Sports Editor acarroll@upsonbeacon.com A second reroofing proj ect was approved by the Thomaston-Upson Board of Education on April 16 to re pair the roofs on multiple school system-owned build ings. Roofs to repair include the final quarter of the Upson-Lee Alternative School, not completed a few years prior, a portion of the U-L Pre-K building over the auditorium, and a complete repair of the Gordon Hol- stun Gymnasium roof. The board originally budgeted $235,000 for the project, but approved the project at $218,100. Unlike the recently ap proved project to repair roofs at U-L Primary and Elementary schools, the board opted to put the proj ect out for bid without a construction manager at risk. The board received eight bids for the project, with the lowest coming from Ameri can Property Restoration. T-U Director of Opera tions Marc Ellington stated that he contacted Muscogee County Schools about American Property Restora tion, and school district of ficials gave rave reviews and stated they would work with them again. According to Ellington, the prices for individual buildings included $9,900 for pre-K, $55,200 for Hol- stun Gym, which includes $38,250 for the special edu cation section that pre-K uses, and $114,750 for Upson-Lee Alternative School. The project is scheduled to start on June 1 with a completion date set for early August. Local Libraries Closed April 26 New Books Available at HML Hightower Memorial Library and the Yatesville Public Library will be closed Friday, April 26 for a staff meeting. New adult fiction books at HML, located at 800 West Gordon Street, include: Until August by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline Murder Road by Simone St. James Maktub by Paulo Coelho Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange A Love Discovered by Trade Peterson The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan End of Story by A. J Finn The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey Death of a Spy by M.C. Beaton The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry Three-Inch Teeth by C.J. Box The Wrath by Gena Showalter Night Watching by Tracy Sierra The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan Diavola by Jennifer Thorne Economic Development Director Taylor Smith and several festival committee members during the Thursday portion of the Art & Soul Fest. SEE ADDITIONAL IMAGES AT WWW.UPSONBEACON.COM.
