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FAYETTE COUNTY (1) NEWS
f ay ett e-news, net
Vol. 151, No. 44
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
$1.00
Commissioners OK Almost $10 Million for County Projects
Luke Haney
Editor
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
During the Oct. 26 meet
ing, Fayette County Com
missioners approved a
laundry list of expenses for
various endeavors, author
izing use of more than $9.9
million of county revenue
for various transportation,
public safety, and infras
tructure projects.
As part of the consent
agenda, commissioners ap
proved the 2024 Local
Maintenance and Improve
ment Grant list for unincor
porated Fayette, a project
which Georgia Department
of Transportation has de
signed to help local govern
ments make needed
improvements to local and
state roads.
As the project requires a
minimum 30 percent local
match, Fayette receives
$950,853.04 for the project
and contributes
$285,255.91.
Commissioners ap
proved use of $610,633
from the general fund to
ward audio-visual modern
ization for Griffin Judicial
Circuit Fayette County
courtrooms, with no reim
bursement expected from
the American Rescue Plan
Act.
The county originally
approved funding in March
with the expectation of
ARPA reimbursements,
See Commissioners, A8
From left are Commissioner Edward Gibbons, Commissioner Lee Hearn, Jeff Hill, Commissioner Eric Maxwell, Katye Vogt, County
Manager Steve Rapson, Anita Godbee, Commissioner Charles Oddo, and Commissioner Charles Rousseau during the Oct. 26 Fay
ette County Commission meeting. Courtesy of Fayette County
Fayette County Commissioner,
Directors Recognized by ACCG
Fayette County, GA -
The Association County
Commissioners of Georgia
(ACCG) awarded Fayette
County officials with certifi
cates for completing re
quirements in the ACCG
Lifelong Learning Academy.
Recipients were pre
sented with their achieve
ment certificates during the
2023 ACCG Legislative
Leadership Conference at
the Jekyll Island Conven
tion Center in Glynn
County.
Commissioner Charles
Oddo was honored for suc
cessfully completing the In
tergovernmental Relations
specialty track require
ments in the Lifelong
Learning Academy. Parks
and Recreation Director
Anita Godbee completed the
Quality of Life/Social Issues
See ACCG, A8
PTC Mayor Learnard Clears the Air
amid Allegations of 'Council Secrets'
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
PEACHTREE CITY - In
the aftermath of the allega
tions against Councilmen
Mike King and Clint Hol
land in the Oct. 19 Peachtree
City Council meeting,
Mayor Kim Learnard took
to her own platform to set
the record straight on state
ments made regarding the
council and alleged plans of
members.
Learnard says her rea
soning stems greatly from
the point that, given it is an
election season for local mu
nicipalities, she would like
the citizens of Peachtree
City to be informed about
the beliefs and plans of city
staff and leaders who have
been working diligently for
the community.
“I’m going to take an op
portunity to just share some
facts about some of the
highlighted topics that seem
to be of discussion lately,”
Learnard said.
Topics range from ideas
and views on urbanization,
the impacts of Huddleston
Road, and the possible
changes regarding recrea-
See Learnard, A8
County Animal Shelter Wins
Friends Animal Society Award
Fayette County Animal
Shelter was awarded the
"We are a NO-KILL Shelter"
award from Best Friends
Animal Society in rec
ognition of achieving a 90
percent or more save rate of
animals in the shelter.
To be considered “no
kill,” a shelter or rescue
must have a live release rate
of 90 percent or higher.
"We have been ‘No Kill’
by definition since 2018.
Fayette County Animal Con
trol maintains a 96-98 per
cent live release rate
annually," Fayette County
Animal Shelter Director
Jerry Collins said.
"Fayette County has a
small shelter compared to
other organizations sur
rounding us. Our current
shelter has space for 26
dogs and 40 cats. Keeping
the high-live release rate
has been a community
achievement, thanks to the
many rescues, volunteers,
and the hard-working staff
at animal control," Collins
continued.
"Staff has been very cre
ative in utilizing the space
available and working
within the policies and
See Animal Shelter, A6
Arrest Made in PTC
Armed Robbery Cases
PEACHTREE CITY -
During the early morning
hours of Oct. 24, Peachtree
City detectives, with assis
tance from the Peachtree
City Police Department’s
Special Response Team and
Fayetteville PD, executed a
search warrant at a Fay
etteville residence regarding
the July 24 and Oct. 15
armed robberies at the Cir
cle K gas station on Cross
town Drive, resulting in the
arrest of Kaden Lowry, 21,
of Fayetteville.
Lowry was taken into
custody and several items of
evidence were seized, in
cluding the rifle, clothing,
and backpack seen in sur
veillance video, according to
PTC PD officials.
The arrest is the culmi
nation of an extensive inves-
Kaden Lowry
tigation by the PTC Crim
inal Investigations Division
and assistance from several
local establishments and
residents that provided sur
veillance video upon
request, officials added.
Lowry was booked at
Fayette County Jail and
See Armed Robbery, A8
BOE Approves Three
Renovation, Addition
Projects for Local Schools
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
In its Oct. 23 meeting,
the Fayette County Board of
Education approved ren
ovation projects for three
school facilities in the
county.
The first project was a
gymnasium addition for
Whitewater High School.
According to Mike Satter
field, director of facilities
services for Fayette County
Schools, the Fayette County
School System received bids
for this project on Oct. 18.
Three contractors sub
mitted bids, and Satterfield
recommended that the
board award the bid to J
and R Construction and De-
See BOE, A6
Municipal Election
Early Voting Update
While campaign season
is underway, Fayette County
residents took to the polls to
cast early voting ballots for
various municipal elections.
As of Oct. 28, Peachtree
City residents cast the most
ballots, with 1,689 ballots
cast at the Peachtree City Li-
braiy.
Tyrone was the next mu
nicipality with a moderate
voter turnout, with 384 bal
lots cast at the former Ty
rone Police Station.
Only 338 ballots were
cast at the Fayette County
Elections Department, for a
total of 2,411 ballots cast in
the three polling locations.
One hundred eighteen
absentee ballots were issued
by mail, but only 51 absentee
ballots were returned by Oct.
28.
Total ballots cast, includ
ing in-person and absentee
by mail, tallied at 2,462.
Early voting remains
open through Nov. 3 from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Voting
precincts will be open for
elections on Tuesday, Nov.
7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
INSIDE: FAYETTE VIEWS
A4 SPORTS
B1 LEGALS
B3
MEETINGS & EVENTS
A6 SCHOOL
B7
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