About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2019)
8A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, April 10,2019 The school bus and the fond memories of years gone by There is something about an old yellow school bus, with its heavy-sounding transmission shifts and sighs of air brakes, that warms my heart. Perhaps it is the familiarity and how it hearkens back to the happy days of my childhood and early schooling. School buses haven’t changed much in decades and in that, I suppose, lies the most enduring magic for me. I feel the same about vinyl records, radios with only an AM dial, and corded tele phones. They’re making record players again, you know. A couple of years ago, I bought a red portable one from the Crosley company in Kentucky. I keep it in our cheerful little kitchen - the one decorated in various shades of yellow, green and red - and often, while cooking, I pull out a vinyl record and play it. These vinyl records, some from my years’ RONDARICH Columnist long collection and others bought on eBay, have the hisses and scratches of my childhood wonder: Elvis Presley singing “There Will Be Peace In The Valley” and Johnny Cash, with the Carter family and Statlers, harmonizing on “Daddy Sang Bass.” It isn’t a coincidence that I have antique radios from both sides of my family. I can close my eyes and imagine them tapping along to the Grand Ole Opry or laugh ing at Jack Benny. Stinginess they understood so Benny was proba bly a hero. It didn’t just happen that I have Mama’s old beige wall phone or that I have two corded telephones at her house. I like the authenticity of them. In the days of my growing up, most people only had one phone - in the den or living room. True prosperity to the mountain people was a second phone, always hoist ed onto the kitchen wall. No one had a bedroom phone. Our house was small with my parents’ bed room connecting to the kitchen. In fact, it had two doors. You entered through the kitchen, walked 12 feet across the room and exited into the hallway. After years of sitting at the kitchen table and talking on the phone, Mama came up with a terrific solution (once Mama was on the phone, she talked a long time). She rarely called others but was always willing to put aside her work for a lengthy chat when someone else called. She bought an eight-foot-long, coiled cord. She pulled the phone around to the bed and there she rested and philosophized. As she talked, she twirled the cord around her finger. These, of course, were the cords that were a nightmare if they ever tangled up. Often, you’d wind up stretching part of it straight as you attempted to untangle. I like that memory a lot. The first time I stepped onto a school bus was my first day of school ever. I begged Mama to let me ride and, always the risk-tak ing mother, she agreed. She called the driver and arranged it. That morning, he slowed to a stop, hit the air brake and the door opened with a unique swooshing sound. I have never seen a step higher than that first one. I studied for a sec ond how to do it then, clutching my new dark green book satchel in my hand, I inhaled deeply, grabbed ahold of the handrail and lurched myself up. It was my first step away from childhood. “You’re a hoarder,” Tink announced when I refused to throw away Mama’s stained apron and a paper scrap where Daddy had signed his name. “I am not a hoarder,” I retorted. “I’m a sentimentalist. There’s a difference.” You see, sentimentalists recog nize the value of old yellow school buses, vinyl records, and radios with only one frequency. A hoarder, on the other hand, collects rusty, discarded school buses and tosses them into the front yard. Come to think of it, though, I think I’d like to have an old yel low school bus. Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of the new book, Let Me Tell You Something. Visit www.rondar- ich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter. Prevention of bites best protection against illnesses caused by mosquitoes From staff reports It is that time of year when we gear up for outdoor activity. But we are not alone. Insects of all types also begin to “come alive” during the warmer weather of spring. District 2 Public Health encourages residents to do some spring cleaning around their homes, yards and commu nities by discarding any unnecessary item that can retain water and become breeding grounds for insects. It is important to Tip ‘n Toss after every rainfall to reduce the number of mosquitoes and help prevent the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses. There are many species of mosquitoes in Georgia and infected mosquitoes can spread sev eral different illnesses including, West Nile Virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Chikungunya, Zika and other illnesses. We all need to remain vigilant in fol lowing certain precautions to reduce mosquitoes and bites. In addition to eliminating standing water around the home and in the yard, we must Tip ‘n Toss!, after every rainfall. Tip out water in flowerpots, planters, children’s toys and wading pools, and buckets. If it holds water and you don’t need it (old tires, bottles, cans), toss it out. Look for small bodies of water such as drainage ponds, tree stumps and tire ruts. Clean out gutters, remove piles of leaves and keep vegetation cut low to prevent landing sites for adult mosqui toes. For containers without lids or that are too big to Tip ‘N Toss (bird baths, gar den pools), use larvicides such as mos quito dunks or mosquito torpedoes and follow the label instructions. Larvicides will not hurt birds or animals. Homeowner associations and neigh borhoods, along with city and county governments, are encouraged to sponsor community cleanup days. Mosquitoes don’t recognize property lines, so con trolling their numbers will require a joint effort among all residents. Public health has been increasing mosquito surveillance and educating residents, but the greatest impact will be when individuals take personal respon sibility for their homes, yards and com munities. It is also important to protect yourself from mosquito bites. Use EPA- registered insect repellents containing 20-30 percent DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Wear light colored clothing with long sleeves, long pants and socks to help prevent mosqui to bites. Additional protection against mosqui to bites can be gained by treating cloth ing with permethrin. Follow the product instructions on proper and safe use. Don’t forget ticks. After spending time outdoors, especially in wooded areas or fields, check yourself for ticks. There are many species of ticks in Georgia and avoiding tick bites is the best protection. Follow similar steps for avoiding mosquito bites to prevent tick bites. To learn more about protection and prevention or Tip ‘n Toss visit https:// dph.georgia.gov/insects-and-diseases or cdc.gov or www.phdistrict2.org. FROM 1A Bridge going to start,” District 1 Commissioner Sharon Fausett said. Nix said the bridge is still an ongoing concern for citizens, even receiving a phone call earlier in the day from a con stituent discussing a fatal crash in 2017. Because of the bridge’s closure, the fire department responded in 22 minutes from Station No. 2 near Tractor Supply and 12 minutes from Station No. 7 on Dawson Forest Road because of detours and the person died, Nix said. “We have to move forward,” Nix said. “This is my frustration. This should have been done a long time ago last year because it’s taken two years to build a bridge.” New BOC meeting schedule set to begin in May The meeting schedule proposed by Chairman Billy Thurmond at last week’s work session was approved 3-1 with Nix opposed. The adjustment will take effect next month. The BOC has been conducting four meetings each month, with two work sessions and two voting sessions. The approved change will reduce the number of meetings each month to two, with a work session beginning at 4 p.m., fol lowed by a 5 p.m. executive session as needed, and a 6 p.m. voting session on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Items discussed during the 4 p.m. work session would not be voted on at the 6 p.m. voting session the same eve ning unless the item needed immediate action. The items would be voted on at the next voting session two weeks later. Thurmond said at the March 28 work session that the adjusted meeting sched ule would allow for commissioners and the public to have more time to research and consider items in the agenda. The public will be able to attend the 4 p.m. work sessions and the 6 p.m. vot ing sessions. The time in between the public ses sions will be used as needed for execu tive sessions. County Clerk Kristen Cloud will be presenting the amended 2019 Board of Commissioners meeting schedule at the April 11 work session. County enters three party agreement for animal control enforcement The board unanimously approved entering a three party intergovernmental agreement with the city of Dawsonville and the Dawson County Humane Society that will help to save the lives of cats and dogs within the city. The city of Dawsonville provides ani mal control services within its boundar ies; however, it is not well-equipped to provide long term care for impounded animals which often results in euthana- 'We have to move forward," Nix said. "This is my frustration. This should have been done a long time ago last year because it's taken two years to build a bridge.' Julie Hughes Nix District 4 Commissioner sia as more animals are impounded. The agreement that was approved on April 4 establishes a process in which the city will temporarily hold cats and dogs impounded within the city and work to contact the animals’ owners. After two days, if the animal has not been picked up by an owner, the city will call the county and the county will transport the animal to the Dawson County Humane Society where it will either be given more time for an owner to claim it or be put up for adoption. Injured or malnourished animals picked up by city animal control may be transferred to the humane society sooner. The humane society has had a con tract with Dawson County since 2008 to take in stray animals from the county animal control. Care for the city-provided animals is not anticipated to cost the county any additional money because those animals will be added to the county’s existing animal quota. The county receives a 450 animal per quarter quota from the humane society which the county has not come close to reaching. The Dawson County Humane Society has been an established No-Kill shelter since Sept. 2012. Alcohol license administrator position tabled for two weeks A request made by Planning & Development Director Jameson Kinley for an alcohol license administrator to serve in the Fire Marshal’s Office was tabled for two weeks and will be reeval uated by the board after receiving rec ommendations from the new human resources director, Lisa Green, who assumes her duties April 8. The marshal’s office consists of two code compliance officers responsible for handling animal control and code enforcement while sharing the duties of maintaining more than 1,200 alcohol permits in the county that must be eval uated annually. District 3 Commissioner Tim Satterfield motioned to table the deci sion for two weeks, stating that he would like additional time to look at the pay range because it seemed high for a starting salary. The salary range for the position is $17 to $26.35 per hour, and Kinley requested the board approve $58,169.48 for salary and benefits at the March 28 work session. Satterfield said the position, if approved, would pay more than current salaries for emergency services person nel and a number of sheriff’s office per sonnel. Kinley said the office would be able to continue its current operations until a decision is made on the position. 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