Newspaper Page Text
INSIDE
Eight Students Win at State
Tech Competition, B3
INSIDE:
Fayetteville Residents ‘Spring
into Main Street’, A3
INSIDE: Tigers, Patriots Split Soccer Showdown, Bl
THE TRUTH SINCE 1886
FAYETTE COUNTY (1) NEWS
f ay ett e-news, net
Vol. 152, No. 12 Wednesday, March 20, 2024 $1.
Fayette County
Voters Select
Biden, Trump
in Primary
Democrat Joseph R.
Biden and Republican Don
ald J. Trump won respective
party races during Georgia’s
Presidential Preference Pri
mary on March 12, with
14.76 percent of registered
Fayette County voters cast
ing a ballot.
Fayette County Elec
tions officials reported
4,620 votes for Biden, with
opponent Marianne Wil
liamson securing 100 and
Dean Phillips receiving 66
votes.
Trump won the Repub
lican race in Fayette with
7,689 votes. Nikki Haley fol
lowed with 1,864 votes. Ad
ditional Republican
candidates on the ballot in
cluded David Stuckenberg,
Tim Scott, Vivek Ramas-
wamy, Perry Johnson, Asa
Hutchinson, Ron DeSantis,
Chris Christie, Doug Bur-
gum, and Ryan L. Binkley.
Election officials noted
that 14,718 of Fayette’s
99,719 registered voters
submitted a ballot.
Members of the Fayette
County Board of Elections
certified the results during a
March 15 meeting.
Michael Clifton/kombatkamera.com
Batter Up!
2024 Baseball Season Begins
“Bats are a crackin' and baseballs are a fly in', ” because it is baseball sea
son again in Fayette County.
The Fayette County Baseball Association celebrates opening day for the
2024 spring baseball season. This year's season features 43 teams and
nearly 600 participants, the largest in years, according to organizers.
See the full story and additional images, B2.
PTC Receives Honoree Economic
Recognition at 2024 SMDO Conference
Peachtree City is set to receive the
Economic Development Award, which
recognizes outstanding commitment to
fostering economic growth and revital
ization across diverse communities,
during the 2024 South Metro Devel
opment Outlook Conference.
Through innovative strategies,
strategic partnerships, and a relentless
pursuit of excellence, the recognition
celebrates visionary leadership and
tireless efforts in shaping a brighter
economic future within the south
metro region, according to officials.
The South Metro Development
Outlook 2024 conference will take
place Wednesday, March 20, in College
Park at the Georgia International Con
vention Center. In its 22nd year, the
conference will focus on economic
growth, business advancement, small
business, and community sustainabil
ity in the southern crescent.
This includes the communities of
Atlanta, South Fulton, Clayton, Doug
las, Henry, Fayette, and Coweta
counties.
Southern Crescent Chorale Presents
‘Sweets and Serenades’ Benefit Concert
On Saturday, March 23 at 7 p.m.,
Southern Crescent Chorale will pres
ent its 20th annual benefit concert,
with proceeds supporting The Bed
ford School and its students.
To be held in the gymnasium of
Fayetteville First United Methodist
Church, located at 175 East Lanier
Avenue in Fayetteville, the concert
will also feature performances by
Whitewater High School Chorale.
The benefit concert is sponsored
by Stephen and Michelle Walker and
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.
Admission is free, and donations will
be accepted.
Throughout the past 20 years,
SCC has raised more than $100,000
for children’s organizations, accord
ing to organizers. This year’s concert
offers a wide variety of music, as well
as the opportunity to support the
first school for students with learn
ing differences on the south side of
Atlanta.
For additional information, visit
southerncrescentchorale.org.
Commission Makes
Progress on McDonough
Road Bridge Replacement
Elections Worker Urges County
to Fix ADA Issues at Library
Luke Haney
Editor
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
On March 14, Fayette
County Commissioners
approved a request to
fund the county’s portion
of the estimated $6 mil
lion McDonough Road
bridge replacement proj
ect and begin negotia
tions with Clayton
County to offset the
$50,000 contribution.
In addition to approv
ing funding, commis
sioners also approved a
memorandum of agree
ment with Georgia De
partment of
Transportation to under
take the project.
The $50,000 contrib
ution from the county is
required by GDOT, will
be used for right-of-way
acquisition, and will be
funded from 2004 spe
cial purpose local option
sales tax revenue.
Staff members added
that they will return to
commissioners to adjust
the county contribution if
Clayton County officials
agree to split the cost.
Chairman Lee Hearn
commented that al
though the project is set
for 2026, it will be a “big
project” that will cause a
temporary change in traf
fic flow.
Commissioners also
approved a change order
request from MEJA Con
struction for construc
tion of a fire training
classroom building and
training tower. The GMP
is set at $5,671,105. Staff
commented that the cost
of the building is “a little
under what was first
forecasted,” but the cost
of the tower increased
about five percent be
cause of steel prices and
inflation.
The third item ap
proved by commissioners
was for holiday pay hours
to be included in the cal
culation of overtime pay
for nonexempt employ
ees. The purpose is for
employees to be compen
sated properly for poten
tial overtime, even in
weeks where holidays are
included.
Chairman Hearn
thanked staff for bringing
this to their attention, as
he “thought for many
years” that many policies
favor the county more
than employees, and he
is “happy to see this.”
In other news:
•At the start of the
meeting, Fayetteville res
ident Laura Line, an elec
tion poll worker,
addressed commis
sioners, expressing a
need for a redesigned
handicap ramp at the li
brary.
Line shared photos
with commissioners, ex
plaining that the handi
cap ramp at the most
frequented entrance is
narrow, a book drop box
See Commission, A2
Tyrone ‘Talk of the
Town’ Set March 25
Tyrone town officials will gather on March
^5 for a “Talk of the Town” event, a quarterly
opportunity for citizens to receive updates and
have open conversations with town leadership.
The session will take place at 6 p.m. at Ty
rone Town Hall, located at 950 Senoia Road.
Rain did not deter participants from competing in Fayette Chamber of Commerce's sec
ond annual sporting clays tournament. Dylan Shoemaker/Fayette News
Chamber Hosts 2nd
Annual Sporting
Clays Tournament
Dylan Shoemaker
Staff Writer
dshoemaker@fayette-news.net
Fayette County
Chamber of Commerce
hosted its second annual
sporting clays tournament
on March 15 at the Chero
kee Rose Sporting Clays &
Helice facility in Griffin,
where the Communication
Cabling Specialist, Inc.
team took home first
place.
The all-day event,
sponsored by Coweta-Fay-
ette EMC, Muldrow Mar
keting, and Brent
Scarbrough and Company,
was attended by dozens of
chamber business
members for a day of com
petition and networking.
“It’s about participa
tion and involvement,”
said Fayette Chamber
President Leonardo
McClarty.
In addition to Com
munications Cabling Spe
cialist, Inc., Derbend Asset
Management took second
place, followed by J&M
Pool Company in third.
“[This is an] incredible
turnout for the second-
year event. They continue
to build and make it
better,” said Nathan Elly-
See Tournament, A7
INSIDE* FAYETTEV|EWS M sports
MEETINGS & EVENTS PS LEGALS
Bl SCHOOL
B4 CLASSIFIEDS
B3
B7
CONTACT US: support@fayette-news.net - (770) 461-6317 - fayette-news.net
‘0 4 8 7 9
1 2 6 3 3
