About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2023)
Wednesday, February 1,2023 Fayette County News A3 Decision on Public Health Facility Tabled Fayette County Commission to Reconsider Options at Feb. 9 Meeting Sydney Spencer News Reporter sspencer@fayette-news.net Fayette County Commis sioners discussed the ren ovation and conversion of East Fayette Elementary to a new Department of Public Health building last Thurs day during their Jan. 26 meeting. Final decision was tabled to the Feb. 9 meeting due to the lack of board members present to vote, but the public showed up to voice opinions. There are two options being proposed to the board regarding the renovation of EFE: The first is to renovate EFE into a new DPH build ing; The second is a realloca tion of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the fire/EMS training facility, sheriff s tactical training course, and $1.5 million to ward renovating the existing DPH at Stonewall. Most residents who voiced opinions during pub lic comment spoke in favor of the first option. Jack Bernard, a Peach tree City resident and chair of the board of health, ex plained his preference. He stated his credentials, how he understands the board will have to make a tough decision, and why the deci sion has become difficult. “Fm currently the chair, as you know, of the board of health, and have been on this board for two terms and another board of health for two terms. I also, as some of you know, have been on the county commission for two terms, so I know how hard your job is. You can’t please everybody all the time and this is a particularly hard decision because the origi nal decision was to build a brand new building, and then the cost escalated be cause of the pandemic and supplies,” Bernard said. Bernard went on to ex plain how it is a win-win sit uation for public health because they will either get a new building or have ren ovations to the current building at a feasible price. He also noted the impor tance of giving mental health the attention it needs. “In any case, I think that the East Fayette Elementary School is a very good com promise. Public health still gets a new building, it doesn’t cost as much as building a new building, and we do get to move WIC and mental health in with public health, and that’s absolutely essential for coordinated services, especially with mental health,” said Ber nard. Valerie Smith is a social worker who spoke in sup port of renovation as well. She expressed to board members how they could be the first to make an impact in the community regarding residents’ overall public health. “I am a licensed social worker. I have worked in mental health for a number of years both in forensic and crisis for almost 10 years. I think that Fayette County has an opportunity to really create a model and this ini tiative because as we know it takes the whole person in order for a person to be healthy,” Smith said. “We have public health, we have WIC and those kinds of things, and if all of them are concentrated in one location, which would be the school once it’s ren ovated, then it’ll be much easier on the people because they can multi-visit basi cally,” Smith concluded. Ted Toles has been a res ident of Fayetteville for 26 years and served on the board of health for six years, four years as chairman. He spoke on why the com munity needs a new building for public health, explaining that patients are not follow ing up with their care due to location. “The reason why we want the health department, as well as a shiny new build ing, is because of the needs of the community,” Toles said. “We had problems with WIC being in a building away from the area where they were sending patients. A lot of patients did not fol low up with their care or come to the health depart ment to get shots or the other needs that they had. “I think the most impor tant thing is that there has been a lot of change in Fay ette County, but the one thing there hasn’t been a lot of change is in the health de partment,” Toles continued. “We really need this build ing.” After hearing public comments, commissioners decided to table the discus sion until the Feb. 9 meet ing, when all commissioners are present. They agreed the decision could not be made hastily, due to its signifi cance. Tyrone DDA Holds First Finance Subcommittee Meeting Leah Banks Investigative Reporter leah@fayette-news.net TYRONE - On Jan. 26, The Tyrone Downtown Development Authority held its first Finance Sub committee meeting to dis cuss DDA property assets, financing options, and the “request for quote” process for redevelopment in Ty rone. Officials attending the meeting were Finance Subcommittee Chairman Billy Campbell, Board Member Ernie Johnson, and Treasurer Luci McDuffie. Also in atten dance were Town Manager Brandon Perkins, Assis tant Town Manager Phillip Troquet, Secretary Ciara Willis, and Town Attorney E. Allison Ivey Cox. According to Willis, the meeting was moved to a different location within Tyrone Town Hall due to a court session in the chambers. While the room does not have video capa bilities, the action minutes were recorded and posted to the town website one business day after the meeting. BREATHING AND BURIED IN BETHLEHEM 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM February 25, 2023 Georgia pkl Humanities Hi Sharing stones that move us and make us Fayette County HISTORICAL SOCIETY NCHS ■ nit coati» »mc'«ica; moiiv Sonoia Area Historical Society We invite you to an in-person local history program. it This creative presentation will highlight the extraordinary 153-year-old Jr\ history of Bethlehem Baptist Church and Cemetery. The presentation will be followed by a cemetery walk, where the stories of community ancestors who are interred in the cemetery will be celebrated. Refreshments will be served. Ann McCleary Professor of History Director of the Center for Public History Bethlehem Baptist Church jj/ £sfablishcj^ 1904 f Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery 475 Dividend Drive Peachtree City, GA 30269 WEAR COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES. IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER. THE ENTIRE PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE CHURCH. ik Yz' February is American Heart Month Leah Banks Investigative Reporter leah@fayette-news.net FAYETTE - While February is commonly known for celebrating love and candy hearts, cards, and flower bou quets, many members of the community recognize February for the promo tion of heart health. With this in mind, the Na tional Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute rec ognizes the month of February as American Heart Month. According to the NHBLI website, the rec ognition is dedicated to the understanding of the risk factors for heart dis ease and how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle as a core part of practicing self-care. Heart health is recog nized and defined by the NHBLI as the “overall well-being of your heart,” while heart-healthy liv ing is defined as “under standing your risk factors, making healthy choices, and taking steps to reduce your chances of getting heart disease.” Carla Durham- Walker, an associate course director at More house School of Medicine who focuses on com munity health and pre ventive medicine, highlights that not all methods to remain heart- healthy are nutritional, but also mental. “While many are aware of the importance of healthy nutrition and physical activity for a heart-healthy lifestyle, more people should also be aware of the impor tance of developing and maintaining a healthy emotional and spiritual life,” Walker said. As individual citizens, Walker believes that there are many ways to live heart-healthy life styles, but each one fo cuses on the prioritization of daily needs while also encour aging loved ones along the way. “One can prioritize one’s mental health, maintain healthy rela tionships, develop strong spiritual habits, and re duce one’s stress,” Walker said. “Engage a loved one or friend to act as an accountability part ner as you seek to im prove or maintain your heart-healthy lifestyle.” In many rural and urban communities, methods to remain health conscious are often deemed slim to none, but according to Walker, one of the most beneficial community- based resources to mon itor heart health is a local pharmacy. “Pharmacies are great community resources for monitoring one’s heart health,” Walker said. There are many prom inent risk factors and causes for heart-related conditions, such as heart disease and cardiovascu lar disease, but the most well-known is stress, ac cording to Walker. “Stress, stress, and stress! We are bom barded by many social, political, financial, and personal stressors that can negatively impact our heart health. Maxi mizing the healthy habits mentioned above may re duce the effects of these stressors,” Walker said. I The trusted source T3E! for taking care of your Azalea Estates ASSISTED LIVING AND RETIREMENT COMMUNITY 105 AUTUMN GLEN CIRCLE - FAYETTEVILLE - AZALEAESTATES.COM Call to Schedule a Tour Today! 770-461-0039
